ASRock 775Dual-VSTA

[skirjonen]

Just to continue on my "story" - I received this email from Asrock support just today (btw, it's their mail system that adds those $-signs...) I replied once more to check if the board should even post with E6400 and BIOS version P1.30. I think not...
=====================

Dear ASRock America Customer,

775Dual-VSTA needs Bios P1.40 to support E6400.

Enclose is the instruction of the system front panel connector.

ASRock America Technical Support
Email: supportjt@asrockamerica.com



-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 4:32 PM
To: supportjt@asrockamerica.com
Subject: Re: $775Dual-VSTA$ No boot, no beebs, cpu fan starts sometimes...

Sticker on the board says that the bios version is 1.30 - should it be 1.40 for E6400 Core 2 Duo CPU? Will the board post with E6400 and bios 1.30?

Thanks!

----- Original Message -----
From: ASRock America Technical Support
To:
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 4:25 PM
Subject: RE: $775Dual-VSTA$ No boot, no beebs, cpu fan starts sometimes...

Dear ASRock America Customer,

1. Please clear the CMOS (Need to disconnect the ATX power connectors and the battery from the motherboard, then clear the CMOS, keep the jumper cap on the clearing CMOS jumper for 5 seconds.)
2. Try with another known good ATX12V power supply = / >450W.

ASRock America Technical Support
Email: supportjt@asrockamerica.com

 

[Cyb]

I'm experiencing some freezes in XP.....

Problem:
XP freezes. In normal use it happens maybe once every 8 hours. Often when clicking a link in Internet Explore. It hasn't occured yet when playing F.E.A.R. for 2 or 3 hours (without pause). When it freezes, the system just halts (no blue screens etc), keyboard and mouse do not respond, harddisk activity halts.
When I just installed XP, IE once gave a memory error, but I haven't seen that one again.
I also freezed once when I was clicking in a AVI file.
I think it freezes a lot more often when I run CPU and MEM benchmarks in the background


System specs:
-Intel Core 2 E6300
-Asrock 775Dual-VSTA, Bios 1.70
-1x Kingston DDR 512 MB/166 Mhz DDR333 (KVR333X64C25/512)
-Ati Radeon 9800 Pro (AGP)
-2x Samsung SpinPoint 400 GB HD's
-Creative Audigy 2 ZS
-Hauppauge PCI TV-Tuner
-Seasonic S12-430 Power Supply (new)
-Windows XP SP2, latest updates
-Latest VIA drivers from http://www.viaarena.com
-Not overclocked
-Normal temperature

Question:
CPU-Z shows "Memory Timings Frequency: 444.8 Mhz" shouldn't that be 333 or 166?

 

[Cyb]

I did some extra tests.

When setting the bios to "Flexibility Options: Enabled", the memory speed changes in CPU-Z:

Flexibility Options: Disabled
-Memory Frequency: 444.9 MHz (3:5)
-Cycle Time (tRAS): 7

Flexibility Options: Enabled
-Memory Frequency: 355.8 MHz (3:4)
-Cycle Time (tRAS): 6

When I change the DRAM frequency in the BIOS to DDR266 instead of auto or DDR333, CPU-Z will still show 355Mhz....... :S Why?


Strange thing is that I can play FEAR without problems. I can also surf normally and do other things. (It might only crash once in maybe 8 hours) I can run memtest without problems for 20 minutes (haven't tested it longer). I can even run Prime95 (In-place large FFTs test) next to it simultaneously for 15 minutes (haven't tested it longer) without problems.

BUT when I use Prime95 AND memtest AND start using IE or Firefox heavily, the system will freeze within 30 seconds.
(I test Firefox by opening a lot of tabs, using ctrl-clicks on links.)
Why does it happen so quickly when I heavily use Firefox or IE :S


If I do not find a solution within a couple of days, I'm going to buy another different motherboard. Because it sounds to me that the 775Dual-VSTA is scrap.

 

[anandus]

Maybe it's your PSU?
How many Watts is your PSU?

 

[Cyb]

Originally posted by: anandus
Maybe it's your PSU?
How many Watts is your PSU?

It a 430W Seasonic PSU.

I also have an older 340W Chieftech, which I can test.

 

[Cyb]

The Asrock 775Dual-VSTA Online FAQ says this about memory:

Question: If I use Conroe 1066-CPU on 775Dual-VSTA. What kind of memory should I use?(5/24/2006)

Answer:If the BIOS version is P1.00, we recommend to use DDR400 and DDRII667 memory module; however, BIOS version is P1.10 and later can support DDR400, DDRII533 and DDRII667, so if you will use DDRII533 modules on your system, we suggest you update bios to P1.10 or later version.

I'm using DDR333, which is not listed in the FAQ. The manual says nothing about which modules you can or cannot use.

 

[Cyb]

I have just tested the Asrock system with a memory module which I found in another system, a Kingston ValueRAM KVR400X64C25/256, so 256MB, DDR400. This one should be oke for the 775Dual-VSTA according to the Asrock FAQ, BUT with this one the system also freezes within 10 seconds after I start testing.

CPU-Z says this Kingston DDR400 module ran at:
-Frequency: 355.9 Mhz
-FSBRAM: 3:4
-Cas# Latency: 2.5 clocks
-RAS# to CAS# Delay
-RAS# Precharge: 2 clocks
-Cycle Time (Tras): 6 clocks
-Command Rate: 2T

I'm now going to test the system with my older 340W Chieftec PSU and with minimal hardware installed.

 

[Cyb]

Originally posted by: Cyb
[...]
I'm now going to test the system with my older 340W Chieftec PSU and with minimal hardware installed.

Just tested it, I removed HD2, DVD-writer, Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge TV-Tuner, and connected the Chieftec PSU, but the system still freezes within 10 seconds after starting testing.

I'm now going to clean reinstall of XP SP2, and then test the system with minimal software installed. Without and then with VIA drivers etc.

 

[Mr Vain]

Man your running so many apps at the same time with so little crappy ram on single channel what you expect? :roll:
Get yourself some decent ram, at least 1 GB and I'm sure that things will improve big time.

 

[Cyb]

Originally posted by: Mr Vain
Man your running so many apps at the same time with so little crappy ram on single channel what you expect? :roll:
Get yourself some decent ram, at least 1 GB and I'm sure that things will improve big time.

Dude, I'm not overclocking. I'm just using Kingston DDR400 RAM, which should be oke according to the manual and Asrock. Maybe it's a slow module, but slow does not imply crappy. The freezes have nothing to do with memory size; there's a big difference between memory size problems and sudden complete freezes.


- - -


I have now reinstalled XP, but at the moment I'm unable to reproduce the problem. I think it might be a driver problem. I'm now using the Asrock CD chipset drivers instead of the latest VIA drivers from www.viaarena.com

 

[Mr Vain]

In my opinion 256Mb with all that stuff running in the background seems to me to be a bit undersized inviting potential problems like yours.

 

[jogiba]

My 775Dual-VSTA is running great with my old 1GB (2-512mb) DDR333 but I will try 2GB DDR-2 667 again in the future. The last time I tried Corsair TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB DDR2-675 Kit (2 1gb sticks) in it and it was unstable (XP setup would not run) and showed 1536mb in single channel mode and showed slot one empty. I put in my old 1gb DDR333 (2 512mb sticks) and it worked great showing 1gb dual channel mode. I am using bios v 1.50 and might upgrade to 1.70 if others have good luck with it . I am using the new PC Power & Cooling 750w Silencer PSU, E6300 and ATI AIW 9800 Pro.

 

[Cyb]

hmm... I think I found the cause of my problem. It's a personal firewall called Jetico (rated as #1 at firewallleaktester.com).
This explains why the system easily crashes when benchmarking and heavily using IE or Firefox.
Don't know if it has anything to do with the Asrock mobo, probably not

 

[imported_Nighthawk]

Hmm, tried another RAM (Corsair XMS DDR 400) and another PSU(Enermax 350W), stills hangs on the winXP boot screen with the X800XT. I also flashed back from bios 1.7 to 1.5 for no effect, also Catalayst 6.3, 6.6, 6.7 or 6.8 changed nothing.

I am writing this message from the same system with an 9800 pro which is completly stable. The X800XT is running in my old computer, no problems even under heavy 3D load.

I'm giving up now, i wasted to many hours to get this setup running already. I think i'll get myself a shiny new system with X1900XT instead;-)

 

[Engineer]

I just received my board and started reading this thread. My bios chip has a P1.10-11A on the sticker so I assum that it's version 1.10? I have purchased an E6300 and don't have another 775 socket chip. No way to upgrade without another chip?

Damnit, I don't want to buy a chip or ship it back as it was advertised to work with Conroe (even printed on board).

Any suggestions?

I might take it to work and see if one of the co-workers PC's has a socket 775 chip (fairly new IBM desktop - less than one year old). Borrow the chip in house long enough to upgrade BIOS and then replace the chip.

*sigh*

 

[abackwardsman]

Originally posted by: Engineer
I just received my board and started reading this thread. My bios chip has a P1.10-11A on the sticker so I assum that it's version 1.10? I have purchased an E6300 and don't have another 775 socket chip. No way to upgrade without another chip?

Damnit, I don't want to buy a chip or ship it back as it was advertised to work with Conroe (even printed on board).

Any suggestions?

I might take it to work and see if one of the co-workers PC's has a socket 775 chip (fairly new IBM desktop - less than one year old). Borrow the chip in house long enough to upgrade BIOS and then replace the chip.

*sigh*

Hey buddy,

Don't worry about a thing. I was in the same position as you this afternoon (exact same BIOS chip too P1.10-11A) with a E6400 and the DUAL-VSTA. I decided, what the hell and plugged it in. The computer POSTed and the BIOS recognized it just fine. I updated to Bios 1.70 from a floppy just for the hell of it though. One problem I had is that RAID is enabled by default and if you try to boot into Windows XP with RAID enabled and only 1 SATA drive it gives you a BSOD. Solution: Simply turn off RAID in the BIOS. Peace.

 

[nzimmers]

Just an update from my DOA - and I think that there may have been a bad batch or two that got out into circulation.

well My VSTA is on the way back to newegg, sad to say I just about ordered another one to toy with in the mean time, but dropped the hammer on the P5B (vanilla) and 2x1GB of some kingston value DDR2

I'll be excited when I Do get the VSTA back, I'll probably pick up a D915 or somehting to put in it, I'm still a fan of this board, with the price and features it's exciting thing to experiment with

 

[aussieburger]

Overclocking query

My rig:
E6300 (Revision B2 Stepping 6)
ASRock 775Dual-VSTA (Bios 1.50)
2x1024MB (2GB) MDT DDR PC3200 (400mhz) listed as 2.5 3 3 7 1T

Being fairly new to overclocking I have some questions as I hope to overclock to a E6400 (2130) but understand there are limited options for this mobo.

Ok so I have set Enable flexible RAM options, set the Bus Speed to 290, and have set the following ram settings (read from cpu-z):
Memory:
Frequency 387 MHz
FSB : DRAM 3:4
ram settings: 2.5 3 3 6 2T

and CPU:
Core Speed: 2031.5MHz
Bus Speed: 290.2 MHz
Rated FSB: 1160.8Mhz

Could someone tell me what these numbers actually mean??
If in the bios my RAM is set at 400MHZ dual channel then why only 387MHz in cpu-z ?
What exactly is the Rated FSB ?
Is is best to put my RAM settings back to the listed and then tweak cpu bus speed ?
Are there any other settings in the bios that should be changed ?
Should I upgrade to 1.70 ?
Will it be safe enough to keep pushing for 2130 MHz ?

So far I have experienced no problems with the above setup.

Cheers for the help !!
newbie o/c aussibuger

 

[FreedomGUNDAM]

anyone using the 775Dual-VSTA with Corsair ValueSelect PC3200?

 

[abackwardsman]

Originally posted by: FreedomGUNDAM
anyone using the 775Dual-VSTA with Corsair ValueSelect PC3200?

I have the same board and memory. I dabbled a bit in OCing last night and I was at 285 stable. I know that's not much but I haven't pushed it much beyond that. How are you doing?

 

[rsklingler]

I noticed that on my board I had to change the IDE Drive Strength from Low to Normal to clear up my freeze issues. They only happened when I was recording shows on my PVR and the disk was chugging pretty heavily. I'd get a total system freeze after about 2 minutes. Changing that setting and I've been rock solid with all of my TV-caps, stress testing, etc.

Originally posted by: Cyb
I'm experiencing some freezes in XP.....

Problem:
XP freezes. In normal use it happens maybe once every 8 hours. Often when clicking a link in Internet Explore. It hasn't occured yet when playing F.E.A.R. for 2 or 3 hours (without pause). When it freezes, the system just halts (no blue screens etc), keyboard and mouse do not respond, harddisk activity halts.
When I just installed XP, IE once gave a memory error, but I haven't seen that one again.
I also freezed once when I was clicking in a AVI file.
I think it freezes a lot more often when I run CPU and MEM benchmarks in the background


System specs:
-Intel Core 2 E6300
-Asrock 775Dual-VSTA, Bios 1.70
-1x Kingston DDR 512 MB/166 Mhz DDR333 (KVR333X64C25/512)
-Ati Radeon 9800 Pro (AGP)
-2x Samsung SpinPoint 400 GB HD's
-Creative Audigy 2 ZS
-Hauppauge PCI TV-Tuner
-Seasonic S12-430 Power Supply (new)
-Windows XP SP2, latest updates
-Latest VIA drivers from http://www.viaarena.com
-Not overclocked
-Normal temperature

Question:
CPU-Z shows "Memory Timings Frequency: 444.8 Mhz" shouldn't that be 333 or 166?

 

[Mr Vain]

Here it is the Volt MOD that many have been waiting for their 775Dual-VSTA! :Q

If your motherboard does not support CPU voltage increases, then this might be the answer that you have been waiting for.

Has anyone tried this pin volt mod yet?


http://sg.vr-zone.com/?i=3904


http://sg.vr-zone.com/?i=3904&s=3

 

[FreedomGUNDAM]

thinking about upgrading my rig with a E6300, Asrock 775Dual-VSTA and Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro HSF and reusing my 7800GT and 2-1GB Corsair ValueSelect PC3200

 

[Cheex]

I'm having some crashes as well.

Look at my thread in CPU/Processors and Overclocking.

Name: Random Crashes
Description: Please help ASAP

 

[colche]

Originally posted by: Nighthawk
Yesterday i ran into trouble with the Asrock: winxp freezes while loading:-(
When I uninstall the catalyst 6.7 driver, it boots up again. I removed all extension cards, loaded bios defaults, reinstalled winXP, same behaviour: only boots up when catalyst is not installed.
The ATI cards works in another PC... so i think the asrock is the cause. The strange thing is: a day earlier, the same system worked completly stable.

Sounds like you have the same problem I do...My Sapphire X800XT AGP refuses to boot windows with the cataylst drivers installed. It works fine until I install the drivers, then it freezes, or refuses to load windows at the next boot. It detects/can boot into bios and windows without cataylst drivers fine.

Tried Cataylst 6.4 and 6.8, Motherboard BIOS 1.3 and 1.7...

E6600, 2x512 DDR333 Kingston ValueRam

anybody had any luck with this issue?

>> as a follow up...I think i got it working (drivers installed and 3d working currently). Not exactly sure what i did...played around with a few memory/AGP settings in BIOS setting them manually/auto/different values. Took out one of my sticks of RAM (so only running on 512mb atm, installed just the ati drivers (not the CCC) via device manager. - although i had tried this before. Whatever it was it seems to have worked (or was it random?)

>> Final Update: I found out it was because i explicitly set the timings on the first few options in BIOS. ie. CAS latency to 2.5 then 3T, 3T, 7T, and 3T from memory. Hope this is helpful for anybody.