ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 - Socket 939 with PCI-E and real AGP and Socket AM2 upgrade path

[designit]

Originally posted by: logicmaster2003
hi guys.. I was wondering if you guys could evaluate my BIOS settings.. to see if it's appropriate for my system.. and perhaps you can suggest to me additional *tweaks* that you think will better match my current hardware installed...

My new system :
* ASRock MB 939 Dual-SATA2 (bios 1.5)
* AMD Opteron 148 + Thermalake CLP005 K450
* ATI 9800 Sapphire 128MB Agp8x. OC:349:310
* Single channel RAM setup at the moment
- bank1 = 1024MB (PQI - PQ4D648E5)
- bank2 = 256MB (Samsung - K4H560838D-TCC4 CL3)
- bank3 = 256MB (LD - LDBTDH2800576)
- bank4 = 0
put the 2x256 in blue slots, you may be able run those 2 in dual.
My BIOS setting [CPU CONFIGURATION TAB] (v 1.5)

Overclock mode:[CPU, PCIE, Asyn]
[250]
[100]
OK
[Enable]
[Auto]
[Enable]
all above disabled.

Processor Multiplier [x10 2000 mhz]
Processor Voltage [1.450]

Memory Clock [Auto]
Flexiblity option [Enable]
[4 beats]
[auto]
[auto]
[auto]
[auto]
you cant do much here since you dont have compatible memory sticks. when you have the memory taken care off, the use manual option here and use 166/333, if your memory can not go higher than DDR500
My BIOS setting [CHIPSET CONFIGURATION TAB]
( all AUTO)
Here you need to set NB and SB to <800mhz,
and use 16 bit setting
I was able to run CSTRIKE for 4 hours with no problem

on CPU-Z, it reports ..
Core speed ---2549.8 mhz
Multiplier ------x 10
HTT ------------255.0 mhz
Memory Freq ---170.0mhz
Fsbram ------ cpu/15
Cas#lat --------- 2.5 c
ras-cas dly ------ 4c
ras prec --------- 4c
tras ------------- 8c
trc --------------- 12c
dram idle tmr -- 16c


any suggestions will be highly appreciated

 

[PenguinClock]

I try to install the ULi Integrated driver and it gives me the '64 bit Windows already include agp driver, only install special patch!!' message. When I installed the mobo I did a repair install of XP, which to my knowledge is basically a reinstall but without the need to format and all that.

Should I install the ULI driver before applying Windows patches (SP 2, etc)? Will a repair install not cut it, do I need to do a full reinstall?

It's kind of a big deal to me. I bought this mobo because my old MSI was fast but unstable as all heck. Before I replaced it I ran AquaMark3 and got a 57,000+ overall, 8,700+ GFX, and 8,500+ CPU score. With my ASRock board my scores were cleaved in half, 29,925 overall, 6,126 GFX, and 2,925 CPU (!!). The only explination I have is that the GFX card is running in PCI mode and being emulated, which puts the hurt on the CPU and slows the whole schebang down, and I think this is due to the missing drivers.

Has anyone come up with a solution to this problem? Yes I've tried contacting ASRock, I sent my fifth email tonight, my first was sent in late Oct and I have yet to recieve a reply.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: PenguinClock
I try to install the ULi Integrated driver and it gives me the '64 bit Windows already include agp driver, only install special patch!!' message. When I installed the mobo I did a repair install of XP, which to my knowledge is basically a reinstall but without the need to format and all that.

Should I install the ULI driver before applying Windows patches (SP 2, etc)? Will a repair install not cut it, do I need to do a full reinstall?

You probably need to do a format + full reinstall. Swapping mobos without reinstalling Windows is always an iffy proposition. When you're moving to an entirely different chipset with different busses, it's pretty much out of the question. Radically reduced performance is usually the consequence.

 

[thirdlegstump]

Here are my actual settings in an xls format:

xls file

Actually you guys can use this to post your own settings.

 

[logicmaster2003]

hi designit,

thank you very very much I will try your suggestions out tomorrow cuz my sis is dragging me to go xmas shopping with her.. all day !! can u imagine that ! LOL

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: deathkoba
Here are my actual settings in an xls format:

xls file

Actually you guys can use this to post your own settings.

Looking at your settings, there are a couple of things I noticed that you could try for better stability at higher clock speeds:

1) You have Cool'n'Quiet enabled. Since CnC automatically adjusts the vcore voltage, it's not a good idea to use it when overclocking.

2) You have vcore voltage set to Auto -- have you tried running at 1.45v?

3) You have Primary Graphics Adapter set to PCI, but aren't you running an AGP card?

4) DRAM Voltage -- try setting this to "High" (2.7v).

5) AGP Fast Write -- this has been known to cause instability, and it doesn't really offer any performance increase. Try using Disabled.

Also, I have noticed that with high HTT, this board does not like CPU-NB Link Speed of 800MHz, even when it should be fine mathematically. I have had better results using 600MHz when using high HTT values. Might be worth a try.

I set CPU-NB Link Width and NB-SB Link Width to 16-bit, since with "Auto" I have noticed it defaulting to 8-bit in Sandra. (This might have been on an earlier BIOS though.)

Hope this helps.

 

[thirdlegstump]

Yea I've done all that. The XLS file only shows my current steady settings and not what I've experimented. I think the CPU just isn't getting enough V which can only happen if I do a V mod or change mofo.

 

[logicmaster2003]

OMG OMG OMG OMG im sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo panicking and soo depressed !!

My 4-day old new system build died tonight it was running fine for 3 days.. all I did was added another 256MB on the blank 4th slot and i smell smoke

i cleared the CMOS and even took out the battery for few.. and was hoping to see "Press F2 to go to bios" but all I got is blue screen !! I've unplugged all the ram/video card and power-up with no beep

one thing I noticed.. when i turn the switch to ON, the cpu fan spin for 2 seconds then stops, until i turn power switch ON then it spin continuously. But again.. no BIOS boot-up ... just blue screen

question: if the mobo/cpu are indeed fried.. how can i check if my RAM went bad as well ?

 

[Somniferum]

What exactly happened when you smelled smoke? Did you try to add the new DIMM with the system running or something? Or did you smell smoke when you powered up after adding the new stick? What did you see on the screen?

 

[logicmaster2003]

I powered-down / unplugged the cord and then installed the extra RAM like what I always do when adding hardware. I then plugged back the power cord in, turn the switch at the back to ON, then thats when I smell burning

and no screen at all. I've even disconnected ALL the drives and their ATA/SATA/Floppy cables and all the RAM off the motherboard. I just want to see the BIOS screen but it didnt came up !

I will call the place tomorrow (monday) where I internet-ordered the combo from.. cuz I've only had it for 3 or 4 days so it should be under warranty.

However now I'm not sure if my sets of RAM are still good or have gone bad !!!!!

I could try putting them on my old mobo/cpu that used to reside in this box ( Aopen AX45-8XN + P4 Northwood 2.4ghz). But I don't want it to fry my old mobo/cpu if these RAM became defective.

Any idea how to test RAM if its still good or not ??

 

[Somniferum]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I'm confused though because I have never heard of a system being fried from installing a RAM stick before. Are you sure there were no issues with installation? Maybe a system wire that got caught in-between the DIMM and the slot, something like that?

I'm not sure how you would test RAM other than installing it in a known-good mobo. But it seems important to try and figure out what caused this, so it doesn't happen to you again.

 

[logicmaster2003]

Hi ,

no, im 100% there are no hair-thin wires cuz i'm sort of a perfectionist. I take things slow and 110% sure.

Yea right now I'm a bit hesitant to try to even boot my old mobo with the RAM that caused the mobo to fried, or the other way around (mobo fried ram).

I'm gonna google to see if theres any way of testing RAM for defect.

 

[Killrose]

You could have a bad PSU. Sometimes Caps will give out when you remove the power cord from them which allows them to drain down and a bad one wont like the charge up voltage when the PSU is plugged back in.

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: Killrose
You could have a bad PSU. Sometimes Caps will give out when you remove the power cord from them which allows them to drain down and a bad one wont like the charge up voltage when the PSU is plugged back in.

Give everything a smell test seriuosly, because where there is smoke on an electrical component there is a tell tale smell

 

[PenguinClock]

I just did a clean install of Windows XP. I gained 1000 points in AquaMark3 (over 30k now). But that still puts my performance at around half of what I used to get (over 57k). I just ran 3dMark05: 2518 on a systen that used to break 5k. Cripes.

 

[logicmaster2003]

Tonight I managed to put my old motherboard + cpu back on ( Aopen AX45-8XN + Pentium4 Northwood 2.4 ghz) with the RAM that I thought got fried + power supply that we thought became defective + Video card.

My old system booted up perfectly. Also set the bios to have the RAM count slowly (aka RAM check).

Everything looks great.

So therefore all my parts are in perfect working condition ; the problem points to the new motherboard+cpu that I received on 12/13/2005. I'm gonna call them first thing in the morning to get RMA number. I however want to get the same exact combo because I've already downloaded/installed the COUNTER STRIKE SOURCE / HALF LIFE 2 with the key code that came wiht the CPU. And I think VALVE will NOT let you re-download !! Thats what I heard !!

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: PenguinClock
I just did a clean install of Windows XP. I gained 1000 points in AquaMark3 (over 30k now). But that still puts my performance at around half of what I used to get (over 57k). I just ran 3dMark05: 2518 on a systen that used to break 5k. Cripes.

Yeah that is not right. I get ~60k on Aquamark with this board. Did you install the AGP driver first, and then your video drivers afterward? The order is very important. Also, make sure you are using the integrated ULi AGP driver (2.1) and not the ASRock CD version.

If you need to, uninstall video drivers, then uninstall AGP driver and reboot in safe mode. Run Driver Cleaner, then reboot normally. Install AGP driver first, followed by video driver, then reboot again.

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: logicmaster2003
I however want to get the same exact combo because I've already downloaded/installed the COUNTER STRIKE SOURCE / HALF LIFE 2 with the key code that came wiht the CPU. And I think VALVE will NOT let you re-download !! Thats what I heard !!

That's not true. Once you create an account with Steam, you can download the games you own as many times as you want to as many different computers as you want. You just can't play on more than one computer at a time with the same key.

This is from the Steam FAQ:

Can I use my Steam account on other computers?

Yes, you can use your Steam account on as many different computers as you like - but only one at a time!

For example, you could use your account on your work computer during the day, and on your home computer at night. On the weekend, you could even use it at a friend's house. Steam will automatically download all of your games to whatever computer you are currently logged in on, and your Friends list will be automatically duplicated on that machine.

If you have multiple Steam accounts on one computer, they will all share the core set of downloaded games, but each user's game configurations and any custom content will have to be copied or transferred.

You just can't use a single Steam account on two or more computers simultaneously.

If you log into Steam with a second computer using the same account that is running on the first, the Steam ticket will be invalidated on the first computer and transfer to the second. The first machine will eventually be prompted for a login to establish a new SteamUserID ticket, and if the person using that computer logs in, the ticket will then be invalidated on the second computer and transferred back to him.

You need a unique Steam Account for each computer that is going to be online at the same time.

(snip)

 

[PenguinClock]

Originally posted by: Somniferum
Yeah that is not right. I get ~60k on Aquamark with this board. Did you install the AGP driver first, and then your video drivers afterward? The order is very important. Also, make sure you are using the integrated ULi AGP driver (2.1) and not the ASRock CD version.

If you need to, uninstall video drivers, then uninstall AGP driver and reboot in safe mode. Run Driver Cleaner, then reboot normally. Install AGP driver first, followed by video driver, then reboot again.

I made sure to install the integrated drivers before anything else. Should I try uninstalling everything again? I was having a problem where I could only install the AGP drivers on Service Pack 1, so I'm worried I might have to reinstall Windows again.

 

[logicmaster2003]

hi Somniferum,

Thank you for your generous help

But do you know if I get my replacement mobo+cpu, will my existing winXP professional thats installed will still work ?? cuz I thought you can't move your harddrive from machine to machine and expect it to boot -- At least I'm not sure if this is true for the same mobo+cpu replacement..

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: logicmaster2003

But do you know if I get my replacement mobo+cpu, will my existing winXP professional thats installed will still work ?? cuz I thought you can't move your harddrive from machine to machine and expect it to boot -- At least I'm not sure if this is true for the same mobo+cpu replacement..

That could be a problem ... are you using an activation key with XP? If so then the new hardware might invalidate your key. From what I understand, if you call Microsoft and explain the situation they can reset the key for you. You'd think they would be understanding about it considering that you just activated the key 4 days ago.

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: PenguinClock

I made sure to install the integrated drivers before anything else. Should I try uninstalling everything again? I was having a problem where I could only install the AGP drivers on Service Pack 1, so I'm worried I might have to reinstall Windows again.

If you installed everything in the correct order then there's probably no point uninstalling and doing it over again. I was just checking because that is a common cause of issues.

Clearly something else is going on. Make sure your AGP port is set to 8x and Sideband Addressing is turned on in drivers. You could try different AGP Aperture Sizes in BIOS -- try using 64, 128, etc. and see if it makes a difference. Make sure Primary Graphics Adapter is set to AGP. You may also want to post in the Video forum and see if anyone there has suggestions.

 

[PenguinClock]

Originally posted by: Somniferum

If you installed everything in the correct order then there's probably no point uninstalling and doing it over again. I was just checking because that is a common cause of issues.

Clearly something else is going on. Make sure your AGP port is set to 8x and Sideband Addressing is turned on in drivers. You could try different AGP Aperture Sizes in BIOS -- try using 64, 128, etc. and see if it makes a difference. Make sure Primary Graphics Adapter is set to AGP. You may also want to post in the Video forum and see if anyone there has suggestions.

Yeah that's all turned on and I tried every aperture size available. I'm not sure the video forum is the right place though... The biggest problem with ym benchmarks seems to be the CPU. My original AquaMark3 score was something like 8500+ for both CPU and GFX. The current one is 6000+ for GFX but around 3000 for the CPU.

It makes me think the CPU is carrying the vid card somehow.. maybe the PCi-AGP driver didnt take hold? Is there any way to check if that driver is doing what it's supposed to be doing?

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: logicmaster2003
hi Somniferum,

Thank you for your generous help

But do you know if I get my replacement mobo+cpu, will my existing winXP professional thats installed will still work ?? cuz I thought you can't move your harddrive from machine to machine and expect it to boot -- At least I'm not sure if this is true for the same mobo+cpu replacement..

If its a retail version I beleive it is registered to the Person not the Hardware. Therefore you can changeout as many motherboard as you want with a Retail version. OEM is registerd to the hardware, i.e., Motherboard and is only good with the same type of Motherboard. That is my understanding

 

[logicmaster2003]

hi Somniferum and Killrose ,

Thanks for the reply. As soon as I shipped out this mobo+cpu and get the replacements (could take weeks) I'll let you know if my win XP (not OEM) will still work. Thats why I love DSL Live CD so much !! (DSL aka Damn Small Linux) - that together with your usb thumb drive (to hold your personal settings and saved files) are extremely portable... whatever machine you're running it from !

Thank God I have a laptop otherwise I'll be soooooooooooooooo depressed ! LOL