**OFFICIAL** Abit BD7-II (i845E) Thread

[TuffGuy]

System:

P4 1.6A
Abit BD7-II
Alpha PAL8942
256MB Corsair PC3000
Antec 300W
GF4 Ti4400 (for testing purposes)

Initial impressions:

No problems with the installation. The BIOS is dated 4/19/2002, the system temp reads as ~40C, CPU temp reads as ~42C, and the only memory options are 1:1 and 3:4.

One noticeable difference from the BG7 is that the POST screen shows both the CPU and the memory speeds when the CPU speed is set to manual mode.

 

[TuffGuy]

BD7-II
@133Mhz fsb, and 3:4 fsb:memory

Sandra Memory - 2718 / 2719
Sandra CPU - 4155 / 2614
10186 3DMark2001

BG7
@133Mhz fsb, and 3:4 fsb:memory

Sandra Memory - 2744 / 2744
Sandra CPU - 4137 / 2612
10478 3DMark2001

 

[THUGSROOK]

kewl
something to read today

is that 3:4 ratio still available @ 166-175fsb?
i might get this board depending on how well it runs for you.

 

[TuffGuy]

Problems with the board: (5/3 BIOS)

1) DDRAM voltage only goes up to 2.7V
2) System temp reads abnormally high - 40C
3) Only has 1:1, 3:4
4) Thermal pad AND silicone on the northbridge - heatsink stays cool, MCH gets hot
5) Core voltage is screwed up:

• 1.44V default

• 1.50V - +5%

• 1.56V - +10%

• 1.63V - +15%

 

[5150Joker]

Hmm doesn't sound too great so far. How far have you been able to o/c it? The 2.7 vdimm has been a concern of mine as well, guess I'll find out tomorrow how limiting that can be in o/c'ing. I can reach 2.56 ghz w/this bg7 at 2.7 vdimm and be 100% stable so I'm expecting the bd7 II-raid to give similar results. The thermal pad on the NB isn't that big of a concern, it's very easy to remove and replace with some AS3. I'm more worried about how good this board overclocks. If it can reach 166 fsb then I'll be sending my bg7 back. If it fails to make 160 fsb, then the BG7 stays.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
kewl
something to read today

is that 3:4 ratio still available @ 166-175fsb?
i might get this board depending on how well it runs for you.

Do you really think you could even run memory at 3:4 with those fsb speeds? Maybe 166 fsb but I doubt it'd reach 175 fsb at 3:4 ratio. I'd be happy to be shown if I'm wrong of course, I wouldn't mind hitting 175 fsb w/my samsung ram at 3:4

 

[TuffGuy]

I can boot at 155MHz at the 1:1 setting, but it's not stable. I used to be able to boot at 155MHz with my BG7 at 2.8V and 3:4, but it wasn't stable either.

 

[gpanda]

hehe...I think Thugsrook is so spoiled by his 2.8GHz 1.6A he thinks nothing can stand in his way!

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: TuffGuy
I can boot at 155MHz at the 1:1 setting, but it's not stable. I used to be able to boot at 155MHz with my BG7 at 2.8V and 3:4, but it wasn't stable either.

Well lets hope I have better results than you do Your cpu/ram/power supply may also be holding you back since you had the same problem on the BG7 and the fact that you need 2.8 v vdimm just to make 155 fsb might be pointing to your ram as the culprit. I hit 160 fsb w/this BG7 so far (2.7 vdimm) and Matt on HardOCP finally managed to hit 166 fsb with his BG7 today. There's a guy named Richard Hopkins on the Abit newsgroup that has his 1.6a running at 2.6 ghz on the BD7-II Raid with 3:4 memory so I'm kinda hoping to get close to that. If I can manage 2.6 ghz with 3:4 memory I'll be very happy.

 

[TuffGuy]

Power supply's not the problem. For one thing, it's a barebones system with only a hard drive and two fans. I also swapped in my 550W Enermax on the BG7 to see if it would help. It did not.

As for the RAM, it's the Corsair PC3000 cas2, so that shouldn't be the problem.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

the new i845 g boards are good for modest overclocking ,but for those that require more your better off with your 845d boards that you got now.

 

[THUGSROOK]

Originally posted by: gpanda
hehe...I think Thugsrook is so spoiled by his 2.8GHz 1.6A he thinks nothing can stand in his way!

lol - na, im just looking for an upgrade path. im not willing to lower my fsb to run 400+DDR tho. ive already gone thru that with my 1.8A SiS645 combo. (please check my i845 vs SiS645 thread)

the SiS and Intel memory controllers need to mature alot more before a ratio'ed 400+DDR will be worth wild.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: TuffGuy
Power supply's not the problem. For one thing, it's a barebones system with only a hard drive and two fans. I also swapped in my 550W Enermax on the BG7 to see if it would help. It did not.

As for the RAM, it's the Corsair PC3000 cas2, so that shouldn't be the problem.

So what would you say is limiting your overclocks?

 

[TuffGuy]

Either the CPU or the motherboard. Like I said, the BD7-II's core voltage seems to run 0.06V-.11V below normal, something that I did not see on the BG7. At the default voltage setting, I saw the CPU voltage drop from 1.44V to 1.39V in the BIOS. So not only do I have to bump it up 10% to get 1.5V, but that's probably fluctuating as well while I'm in WinXP, causing it to reboot.

And as I've mentioned before, the system temp also reads as 40C+. It's almost equal to the CPU temp. On the BG7 it was 24C-26C.

So I'm leaning towards the motherboard.

 

[NanoMem]

TuffGuy,

I tend to agree with Joker5150 that your corsair RAM might be the culprit. I also think that 2.8 Voltage for DDR in BIOS might be a necessity. Check the BG7 thread for an explanation on how you can verify the true speed and CL ratings of your chips if they are not hidden underneath heat-spreaders which according to this guy are useless.

I think what he means is that true DDR ratings are not oc'ed ratings and therefore would require much less cooling compared to false ratings of already oc'ed lower true ratings which would definitely require both cooling and hiding. I personally would keep the heat-spreaders as long as I know what's underneath them so I can control my own oc'ing. Now I know the real purpose of those heat-spreaders.

If you're holding a truly rated PC3000 Corsair DIMM i.e. DDR of 375 MHZ then you should be able to verify if the chips on it have speeds somewhere between 5.3-5.4 ns. I am also curious to find out who makes them and what their CL rating is.

Peace!

 

[TuffGuy]

They have heat spreaders on them, so I've been reluctant to take them off. I didn't want to have to deal with cleaning the gunk/tape off the chips, or having to spend another $15 to get new cooling for them.

 

[TuffGuy]

Ugh... I wonder if I can RMA the stick of Corsair and exchange it for some Samsung... But then I'll still be stuck with a 512MB stick of Corsair PC2700 from a few months back.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: TuffGuy
Either the CPU or the motherboard. Like I said, the BD7-II's core voltage seems to run 0.06V-.11V below normal, something that I did not see on the BG7. At the default voltage setting, I saw the CPU voltage drop from 1.44V to 1.39V in the BIOS. So not only do I have to bump it up 10% to get 1.5V, but that's probably fluctuating as well while I'm in WinXP, causing it to reboot.

And as I've mentioned before, the system temp also reads as 40C+. It's almost equal to the CPU temp. On the BG7 it was 24C-26C.

So I'm leaning towards the motherboard.

Undervolting is common for a lot of P4 boards and according to Abit this falls in line with Intel specs. My BG7 also undervolts but that doesn't limit my overclocking. I still believe it has to be your ram that's limiting your overclocks rather than the bd7 itself. I don't have an explanation for the 40 C system temperature, that could be a fault with the bios or you may just have a defective board. I'll post here tomorrow indicating if I have the same readouts or not.

 

[TuffGuy]

Comment - The RAM is running at 194MHz, 2-6-3-3 and the fsb is 146MHz. Is that a good thing or a bad thing (for the RAM)?

 

[THUGSROOK]

i would suggest backing the cas setting down to the highest settings. (that dont make sense!)

2.5/7/4/4 if possible, 2.6-2.7v.
ive personally tested Corsair XMS2700 stable @ 400DDR.

 

[TuffGuy]

Thanks, I'll give them a try in the morning. Are they faster or slower than my current settings?

 

[THUGSROOK]

hehe - slower, but should be more stable and require less voltage.

you can tweek the ram later once you found the "systems" high limit.
to find the cpu limit - just run memory in 1:1 mode.

 

[NanoMem]

TuffGuy, few questions. What is hi/lo/step for cas settings? With 1:1 and 3:4 ratios what is max FSB compared to BG7? Can you set DDR or RAM frequency independently from an FSB based ratio such as 1:1 or 3:4?

About your question on cas settings at 2-6-3-3. Anytime you up any of these 4 digits by a unit (or half for CAS Latency, usually represented by the first digit) your BIOS imposes a memory wait clock cycle resulting in slower memory module response to the memory bus therefore sacrificing overall performance at the gain of better stability of course. The goal of maximum performance is to lower all four numbers as close as possible to 2-5-2-2. DDR in contrast is external frequency that clocks the memory bus and the higher it gets the better your performance. Automatic SPD (Serial Presence Detection) logic on your DIMM usually relays safe ratings of those intrinsic settings to the BIOS without any intervention from your part. Obviously your goal is to try to tweak the number of clock cycles down from those standard settings in order to squeeze more juice. Keep in mind also that higher DDR numbers require more DDR voltage.

 

[JamesC]

Hi anybody that has tried both the bg7 and bd7-II

Just wondering what you thought was the better board. I have a P4 2.4(133fsb). I am not that bothered about massive overclocking, what is very important to me though is that the board will run a minimum of DDR333, any quicker would be a bonus.

Thanks for the help,
James

 

[TuffGuy]

Originally posted by: NanoMem
TuffGuy, few questions. What is hi/lo/step for cas settings? With 1:1 and 3:4 ratios what is max FSB compared to BG7? Can you set DDR or RAM frequency independently from an FSB based ratio such as 1:1 or 3:4?

The hi/lo is for 533/400 fsb chips. I'm not sure exactly what it does though. And no, you can't set the RAM frequency independently from the fsb. It's related on either a 1:1 or 3:4 basis.

Originally posted by: JamesC
Hi anybody that has tried both the bg7 and bd7-II

Just wondering what you thought was the better board. I have a P4 2.4(133fsb). I am not that bothered about massive overclocking, what is very important to me though is that the board will run a minimum of DDR333, any quicker would be a bonus.

Thanks for the help,
James

They seem to overclock about the same, and they get very similar Sandra scores, but the BG7 scores significantly higher in 3DMark2001.