Gigabyte 8SG667 good buy or wait?

[LeThurneK]

That is a good question shiva.... another one would be what settings are you using for the samsung 512 ddr400? also i found a review of the ati radeon 9700 pro that tested it on this gigabyte board (GA-8SG667) and it wouldn't run the unreal tournament 2003 demo benchmark... it would crash before completing every time.... anybody tried the urt2003 demo benchmark with the 9700pro on this board?... if not would somebody try it who is running the 9700 pro... cuz this is the combo that i am looking at and was just about to order the video card and mobo when i found this review....

CLICK HERE!

 

[Cannislot]

Hey all,

Here's what i've found out about this board. After installing the Sis agp port driver the system would lockup while playing bf1942 and warcraft 3. This is my system setup.

Intel 2.53
Gigabyte 8sg667 bios f3
Corsair 512 XMS pc3200 cas 2.5 running at 333 mhz
Gainward GeForce 3 Ti 200 128mb
W2k

Funny thing is before loading the SIS agp driver v1.1 that came with the board the system ran without problems. So, I hope we can narrow this problem down. That's all i know as of now i'll keep ya posted

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: Cannislot
Hey all,

Here's what i've found out about this board. After installing the Sis agp port driver the system would lockup while playing bf1942 and warcraft 3. This is my system setup.

Intel 2.53
Gigabyte 8sg667 bios f3
Corsair 512 XMS pc3200 cas 2.5 running at 333 mhz
Gainward GeForce 3 Ti 200 128mb
W2k

Funny thing is before loading the SIS agp driver v1.1 that came with the board the system ran without problems. So, I hope we can narrow this problem down. That's all i know as of now i'll keep ya posted

I had a feeling it was that stupid agp driver...system ran fine, I don't know why I assumed I needed it. I was also getting the lockups in bf1942 after installing it. You and I are running almost the same system...only difference is I have a Visiontek GF3 original and I'm on XP. Is there an easy way to uninstall that AGP driver?

BTW I successfully overclocked my P4 chip to 2.83 ghz by using 150 frequency for the chip and 400 for the memory. I haven't done any stress testing on it, but I will when I get home.

 

[Tates]

Shiva112,

Is there an easy way to uninstall that AGP driver?

Try rolling back the driver under Device Manager/System Devices/Sis Accelerated Graphics Port.

Should roll back to the default WinXP driver.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: Tates
Shiva112,

Is there an easy way to uninstall that AGP driver?

Try rolling back the driver under Device Manager/System Devices/Sis Accelerated Graphics Port.

Should roll back to the default WinXP driver.

thanks a lot, I'll try that.

 

[dbett]

Posting a little late, but I am using 2 sticks of the Corsair XMS2700 overclocked to 185MHz (from 166), along with the FSB pushed up to 149MHz (putting my 2.53 P4 up over 2.8) in my Asus P4S8X. And it is rock stable (it's run many hours of various stability testing/burn-in/benchmark programs without a single problem). Note it was also stable at the auto (166) setting. So...I wouldn't write off the Corsair memory - or the P4S8X for that matter.

 

[Maverick]

I hit 2.83...anyone gone to 2.9 or even 3.0? We'll probably have to wait for voltage adjustments to get there

 

[mrbass]

SnakeEyes45..try google "directron code" hint: high tech

Elvis2 I'm a little concerned though at not being able to monitor it's vital stats.

I agree I don't wanna overclock till I can monitor the temps. I've tried mbm4, mbm5, and aida32 (almost but not really).

 

[BillTheCat]

What was your front side bus at that speed Shiva ?

Also, what cooling are you using? I am using the POS retail heatsink with a power supply that lacks the 12v output so my overclocking options are a bit limited right now.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: BillTheCat
What was your front side bus at that speed Shiva ?

Also, what cooling are you using? I am using the POS retail heatsink with a power supply that lacks the 12v output so my overclocking options are a bit limited right now.

CPU clock: 150
DRAM clock: 400
left the AGP/PCI Clock Control at Auto.

shows up on boot as 149x19...effectively 2.83 ghz

I haven't stress tested it yet though so I can't guarantee the same results. Using the retail heatsink (which isn't really a POS btw) with an Antec smartpower 450 watt PSU.

 

[BillTheCat]

Thanks Shiva,

I was not aware that the retail sink was capable of that. I really think I need a PS with the 12V connector before I try to overclock much more. 150 / 400 sounds like a good number to shoot for. I am sure that thing flies at that speed if stable.

BTW -- did you use any thermal grease or Artic Silver? I just popped the sink on the chip because it seemed to have some sort of insulator on it already. Is that correct ?

 

[Alowishis]

Hey,

What can I do with an "unlocked" Northwood? Just wondering...

-Alowishis

 

[ToBeMe]

Well, if you're sure it's an ES, try changing the multiplier and booting..................................if it boots and gets into windows............you're good to go!

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: BillTheCat
Thanks Shiva,

I was not aware that the retail sink was capable of that. I really think I need a PS with the 12V connector before I try to overclock much more. 150 / 400 sounds like a good number to shoot for. I am sure that thing flies at that speed if stable.

BTW -- did you use any thermal grease or Artic Silver? I just popped the sink on the chip because it seemed to have some sort of insulator on it already. Is that correct ?

you can use the thermal pad insulator, but personally I went with arctic silver since it performs much better. Scrape off that black stuff with a razor or knife. I brought my CPU down to stock 2.53 ghz since I'm getting lock ups while running bfield 1942. I think either my detonator 40s are acting up that SIS agp driver didn't get uninstalled right. what version of the nvidia drivers are you using?

 

[Maverick]

ooops double post

 

[Elvis2]

I hit 2.83...anyone gone to 2.9 or even 3.0?

I got as high as 2.87 (151 fsb) and 3DM2K1 actually slowed down. I lost 300 points. Without any monitoring, I don't know if it was because of heat or voltage. You could see it slow down.

 

[First]

Hey, I need someone here to check something for me.

Go into the BIOS and see if the Advanced Chipset Features option pops up when you press CTRL F1. Gigabyte's KT400 board supports this feature, I'm not sure if the 8SG667 does though.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: GreenButton
I can't change any AGP settings in the bios because they aren't there. It sucks to run an ATI Radeon 9700 PRO at 64mb aperture and 4x agp. Someone please help!!

yeah this BIOS is pretty freakin weak...when the hell are they gonna put out an update with all the features we want?

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: LeThurneK


on another note, I noticed that gigabyte has taken the ddr400 support off of their web page for the 8sg667

I just noticed this...is this because SIS is dropping official DDR400 support?

When it auto detects my Corsair XMS3200 it defaults to DDR 333. Does anyone have memory that defaults to 400?

 

[Tates]

When it auto detects my Corsair XMS3200 it defaults to DDR 333. Does anyone have memory that defaults to 400?

In order for that to occur, the chipset has to support DDR400 natively. Since it doesn't, you'll have to accomplish it by upping the FSB and selecting the appropriate CPUDR ratio for "unofficial" support.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: Tates

When it auto detects my Corsair XMS3200 it defaults to DDR 333. Does anyone have memory that defaults to 400?

In order for that to occur, the chipset has to support DDR400 natively. Since it doesn't, you'll have to accomplish it by upping the FSB and selecting the appropriate CPUDR ratio for "unofficial" support.

ok thanks...I hope they keep the same DDR400 stability with later bios revisions.

 

[Elvis2]

I can't change any AGP settings in the bios because they aren't there. It sucks to run an ATI Radeon 9700 PRO at 64mb aperture and 4x agp. Someone please help!!

The FAQ at the Gigabyte site states that the 9700 Pro defaults at 8x even though it may say 2x, 4x.

 

[Eman1]

Hi,

I'm thinkning about buying this board. I'm not really an overclocker and will probably run it with only DDR2700 C2 memory. Any concerns I should have with this board?

Is anyone running this at 166mhz?

Thanks
Eman

 

[Maverick]

I'm still getting locks up in bfield 1942 even after removing the SIS AGP patch. Anyone else know how to stop these?

I don't get them with the detonator 40s...but instead I get artifacts with those

 

[VSEKH]

Try disabling "Enable Write Combine" under the troubleshoot tab under advanced display properties.