* ASUS A8N-SLI experiences/results/issues

[bap4201]

Originally posted by: SRoode
New Beta bios is up at ASUS site (1003.005)... Anyone try it yet? It may fix some issues.

thanks for that info!

Some oc'ng goin on w/ this board...take a peek...

xtreme sys forums

 

[lorelevitt]

Well-- here's a strange problem that I have with this board and bios. I purchased a copy of Norton Ghost 9.0 to back up images on Raid 0 array. In order to restore them, you have to boot from the Norton Ghost disk to reach their Recovery Console. However for some reason the Ghost CDROM is NOT recognized by the BIOS and hardware as a bootable CDROM. I've tried everything to see if it will recognized it as bootable but it doesn't. Meanwhile the system has NO problems recognizing a Windows OS installation disk as bootable.

Anybody have any ideas?? Symantec has been useless as always (they charge for phone support) and their email techs don't even listen to what I write-- they keep telling me to go into the BIOS and set the CDROM as the boot selection. Why do they treat us as all idiots? Of course I set the CDROM as the boot selection.

Lore


System: AMD64 FX55, Asus A8N-SLI-Deluxe, 2 GB (4x512) Crucial Ballistix DDR400, 1 Gigabyte 6600 GT PCI-X graphics card, Thermalright XP-120 heatsink w. 120mm Panaflo M1A Fan, Microcool North Pole heat sink, PCP&C Turbo Cool 510 Express PS, 2-74 GB SATA Raptors (NVidia SATA II Raid 0), 1 Maxtor 300GB SATA 16MB (Addonics SATA II PCI-X controller card), Pioneer A08 DVDRW, Sony floppy, Lian Li V1000 case, Samsung 243T monitor, Logitech MX1000 Laser mouse, Logitech Media keyboard, Contour Design Shuttlepro 2

 

[jdogg707]

Hey guys, how can I find out whether my memory is running 1T or 2T?

 

[jdogg707]

I think I have figured out how to overclock 1:1 on this board!!!

Here are my settings:

VCore in BIOS: 1.6375V (1.5V Actual)
VDimm in BIOS: 2.85V
CPU Multiplier: 10x
HTT Multiplier: 4X
Memory: DDR400
FSB: 225
Timings: 2.5-3-3-10 1T

I botted up to 225 1:1, then used AI Booster to overclock the FSB to 250, and verified within ClockGen that the HTT is 250 and memory is 250. I am priming right now and will get screenshots up as soon as my pics.bbzzdd.com acount is active.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Way to go Jdogg! Keep us informed!
What CPU do you have?

I've udated to the 1003.05 bios, and it seems to have fixed the "dropping DDR voltage at reboot" problem.

I can now boot and run Prime stable at

3200+ 308.2mhz x 8.5 = 2620mhz w/ram 201.5 2-2-3-5

I get the best aquamark and superpi scores this way

Aquamark3
GFX 8,457
CPU 11,633
Total 62,033



Screenshot


My limit still seems to be 2450 running 1:1, although I can get 2450 with ram running running 258mhz
2-3-3-8 (I get the best 3dmark05 scores this way) 3060 with 1 XFX 6600GT, second one on the way.

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Way to go Jdogg! Keep us informed!
What CPU do you have?

I've udated to the 1003.05 bios, and it seems to have fixed the "dropping DDR voltage at reboot" problem.

I can now boot and run Prime stable at

3200+ 308.2mhz x 8.5 = 2620mhz w/ram 201.5 2-2-3-5

I get the best aquamark and superpi scores this way

Aquamark3
GFX 8,457
CPU 11,633
Total 62,033



Screenshot


My limit still seems to be 2450 running 1:1, although I can get 2450 with ram running running 258mhz
2-3-3-8 (I get the best 3dmark05 scores this way) 3060 with 1 XFX 6600GT, second one on the way.

Prime died after about 30 minutes. I am not priming at 245FSB 1:1 and it seems to be going much more successfully. Hopefully once Asus comes out with a BIOS capable of delivering a solid 1.6V I might be able to keep it there. Is the 1005 BIOS worth updating too? I am using 1003 right now and it is rock solid.

I'll still post screenshots tomorrow, as I am off to a New Years Eve party here in an hour and need to get ready.

 

[glorfy]

First thing - bios 1003.005 has a seperate PCI Lock option! Hurray! Set to either 33.33, auto or track CPU!!

Secondly, there's a problem with going past 290 on the fsb - clockgen reports it at 290+, but Aibooster and CPU-Z report it as 290! Need to do some benchmarks, but won't have time for a day or two, so if anyone can shed any light on it, I'd be greatful

Next, I have been able to run the memory at 285 1:1, not particularly stable, or with good timings, as I'm using hynix memory not samsung tccd. I expect some great results for those of you with tccd memory. I suspect when asus get us some decent vcore in a bios revision there will be some fantastic results! (my max vcore on my winnie is 1.5 , set to 1.635 in bios)

EDIT Just had FSB up to 320 - so no problem there then!

 

[bap4201]

Originally posted by: glorfy
First thing - bios 1003.005 has a seperate PCI Lock option! Hurray! Set to either 33.33, auto or track CPU!!

Secondly, there's a problem with going past 290 on the fsb - clockgen reports it at 290+, but Aibooster and CPU-Z report it as 290! Need to do some benchmarks, but won't have time for a day or two, so if anyone can shed any light on it, I'd be greatful

Next, I have been able to run the memory at 285 1:1, not particularly stable, or with good timings, as I'm using hynix memory not samsung tccd. I expect some great results for those of you with tccd memory. I suspect when asus get us some decent vcore in a bios revision there will be some fantastic results! (my max vcore on my winnie is 1.5 , set to 1.635 in bios)

yes plus more selections ram. I've flashed to it. Seems good so far.

 

[century child]

Originally posted by: bap4201


yes plus more selections ram. I've flashed to it. Seems good so far.

You can say that again! I've never seen so many memory timing options. Time to dig out the old Memtest floppy and start tweaking I guess.

 

[bkzshabbaz]

Im not sure if this is an issue but it jus seems wierd to me... I was playing Americas Army the other night and whenever my FPS go above 110...it starts to go into slow motion.. It was happening when i was playing Rainbow Six as well.. anyone else experience anything like this??

 

[jdogg707]

Does this fix the issue wiht running memory at 1T when memory is set to auto in the BIOS?

 

[TomsonMan]

Have one question:

Buying a new system with Asus A8N SLI, and was wondering, is it ok to buy 4 x 512Mb ram? Should that work with no problems, or should I consider buying 2 x 1024Mb, althought it is more expensive?


TNX!

 

[dworley]

I have found this thread to be extremely informative and inspired me to choose some of the same components for my SLI RIG. (I was fortuanate to purchase 2 BFG 6800GT OC PCI-E's from chumbo @MSRP and then scored an A8N-SLI from Zip Zoom FLY after forum members posted availability of these items!)

After expecting a few hiccups dealing with this bleading edge technology, my system has exceeded my expectations and has been rock solid in all of my games. I have installed and played for several hours through Far Cry, HL2, Doom3, CS Source, BFV, CODUO and UT2004 with absolutely no problems and max settings at 1600x1200 - pure gaming bliss!

The only issue that I encountered was that I had to switch out my Dell 2005FPW for a 2001FP since SLI would not work properly with Wide Screen resolutions in games. (Driver issue?)

I am able to score a 3dmark 05 score of 8697 with everything at stock settings (no overclocking) using the 66.93 drivers.

I am a little gun shy about overclocking for now as I want to just kick back and enjoy the system for a few weeks and make sure it continues to be 100% stable while transferring over the rest of my games, apps, etc. from my Custom watercooled Shuttle SB75G2.


SLI RIG Picture

------------------------------------------------
SLI RIG:
Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case
Thermaltake Big Water cooling kit
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
OCZ 520W Modstream PSU
AMD Athalon 64 FX-55
1gb Corsair XMS 3200XL 2x512
BFG 6800GT OC PCI-E (2xSLI)
Arctic Cooling NV5 Silencers (2)
160GB SATA Samsung Spinpoint Drive
USB Sony CDRW/DVD

 

[spearsd]

dworley,
I'm able to run 1280x720 and 1360x768 just fine; what widescreen resolution did you try? What were the symptoms? I'm running Forceware 71.20.

-spearsd

 

[dworley]

I tried 1600x1050 and 1280x768 using Forceware 66.93. I will most definitely downloadc and try the 71.20 driver now!

THANKS!

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: TomsonMan
Have one question:

Buying a new system with Asus A8N SLI, and was wondering, is it ok to buy 4 x 512Mb ram? Should that work with no problems, or should I consider buying 2 x 1024Mb, althought it is more expensive?


TNX!

I would definately go with 2 x 1024. using 4 x 512 you are forced to a command rate of 2T which will put a big hit on performance. And I understand kingston has some 1024 modules with decent timmings (cas 2.5) although they are quite expensive.

Do you really need 2gb? If you are primarily a gamer and don't plan on hosting a huge game server, just go with 1gb and spend your money elsewhere(like on VGA cards). Most games don't fully utilize 1gb yet.

 

[TomsonMan]

I need at least 2GB Ram, becouse of VST's I'm using. To get the best out of it I would need 4GB Ram, but its too expensive at this point, so I'll have to work out with 2Gb at the beggining. I was thinking selling 4-512Mb's later and buying 3 or 4-1024Mb's and for that money, saved that way I would go for AMD 3500+ over 3200+ ...

I'm thinking of buying Corsair value series. (2x1024 or 4x512) Should that work fine with Asus A8N-Sli or Asus A8N-E Premium?

I have no intention for overlocking, so I don't need memory that kind. Just pure capacity!

 

[bap4201]

Originally posted by: dworley
I have found this thread to be extremely informative and inspired me to choose some of the same components for my SLI RIG. (I was fortuanate to purchase 2 BFG 6800GT OC PCI-E's from chumbo @MSRP and then scored an A8N-SLI from Zip Zoom FLY after forum members posted availability of these items!)

After expecting a few hiccups dealing with this bleading edge technology, my system has exceeded my expectations and has been rock solid in all of my games. I have installed and played for several hours through Far Cry, HL2, Doom3, CS Source, BFV, CODUO and UT2004 with absolutely no problems and max settings at 1600x1200 - pure gaming bliss!

The only issue that I encountered was that I had to switch out my Dell 2005FPW for a 2001FP since SLI would not work properly with Wide Screen resolutions in games. (Driver issue?)

I am able to score a 3dmark 05 score of 8697 with everything at stock settings (no overclocking) using the 66.93 drivers.

I am a little gun shy about overclocking for now as I want to just kick back and enjoy the system for a few weeks and make sure it continues to be 100% stable while transferring over the rest of my games, apps, etc. from my Custom watercooled Shuttle SB75G2.


SLI RIG Picture

------------------------------------------------
SLI RIG:
Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case
Thermaltake Big Water cooling kit
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
OCZ 520W Modstream PSU
AMD Athalon 64 FX-55
1gb Corsair XMS 3200XL 2x512
BFG 6800GT OC PCI-E (2xSLI)
Arctic Cooling NV5 Silencers (2)
160GB SATA Samsung Spinpoint Drive
USB Sony CDRW/DVD

Nice rig! Thanks for posting your experience!

 

[figfiddle]

I have a question about flashing the bios. Are you guys using the Windows utility or a floppy? I want to flash mine but need the best option. Just completed my rig today and seems to be running stable after a second Windows install. I lost the first one after I installed CA EZArmor. The computer kept restarting in an endless loop.

 

[BigHurt]

Now is it worth the extra money to get the antec true550 with the 24pin connector, or just stay with the 20 pin adapter?
ZZF 24-pin $113
ZZF 20-pin $99

Thanks.

 

[bkzshabbaz]

Originally posted by: BigHurt

Now is it worth the extra money to get the antec true550 with the 24pin connector, or just stay with the 20 pin adapter?
ZZF 24-pin $113
ZZF 20-pin $99

Thanks.

I have the true controll 550 (20 pin) and it works fine. I dont see a reason YET to get the 24 pin. Anyone want to shed some light?

 

[JMag]

Originally posted by: figfiddle
I have a question about flashing the bios. Are you guys using the Windows utility or a floppy? I want to flash mine but need the best option. Just completed my rig today and seems to be running stable after a second Windows install. I lost the first one after I installed CA EZArmor. The computer kept restarting in an endless loop.

I have used ASUS update in windows (but it won't let you go to previous versions). So I have been forced to use floppies or USB drives. The USB drive is a little better cause you can put all the BIOSes on one drive.

Currently I have had very little luck getting everything up and running on any of my BIOSes.
I am using 1003.005 currently and have to run at odd ram timings to get any major speed increase.
Usually at 2-3-2-9 or 3-4-3-9. Setting my CAS to 2.5 always seems to give me stability issues. I have been able to get a little over 250mhz with the more lax timings, with my OCZ plat 4200EL (TCCD).

The PCI and PCI-E locks work fine.

However, I am currently having problems with getting my diamondmax 10 drive to work...

 

[tretneo]

I have run across some really bad luck with my SLI System build. My first Problem was with one of the two eVga 6800GT PCI Express cards I bought back in November. It is a dud. No video, No hardware detection on the second PCI Express slot. RMA'd it last week

Now I have been using a PCI Sound card since I first powered the system up and I decided to activate and use the onboard mobo sound and firewire. With the firewire, if I power the system up with my iPod plugged in the system freaks and won't boot unless I use the Cmos jumper and disconnect the iPod. If I power up and get into the OS I have no problems plugging in the iPod and then it works fine from then on.

With the sound my Green mini jack for sound out is dead, no sound comes from it at all. If i plug in my front panel audio to the mobo headers I can get sound from the front jack but with or without the front panel plugged in the rear green jack is dead, no sound no pops or crackles or anything.

Once I get my eVga card back I may or may not RMA the mobo. Hopefully the next one will work better.

tret

 

[googles]

if you removed the jumpers for the front panel audio on the mobo, you need to put them back else you wont get any sound frm the rear audio jack

 

[Kovie]

Originally posted by: BigHurt

Now is it worth the extra money to get the antec true550 with the 24pin connector, or just stay with the 20 pin adapter?
ZZF 24-pin $113
ZZF 20-pin $99

Thanks.

Sorry, posted twice accidently.