*** Official ABIT IS7/G/E (865PE) Thread ***

[zhaozhong]

My configuration is: IS7 + P4 2.4C + 2x Buffalo PC3200 512MB + 1x Samsung PC2700 512MB

When I was using the Samsung PC2700 512MB one, I can bump the CPU upto 275Mhz under stock voltage/HSF with 3:2 ratio and stable under prime95.

When I install the Buffalo PC3200 ones, I can run stably under 200Mhz w/ 1:1. And I can even do 220Mhz with 1:1 if I relax the memory timing.

However, whenever I try to change to 5:4 or 3:2 ratio and bump the CPU to anything higher (e.g., 230, 240, etc.), the windows server 2003 never get successfully loaded. It will either reboot or halt. It is very hard to explain since the memory should not be a issue here (at 240 3:2, the memory is only at 160). But it also should not be the CPU's limitation, since I can get 275Mhz stably with the Samsung memory.

My current guess is:
1. The vdimm voltage (2.8v) is too low for Buffalo, but this does not explain why it can run @200+ in 1:1 ratio, while not even @160 in 3:2 ratio.
2. 5:4 or 3:2 ratio is bad for Buffalo PC3200 than 1:1, but what about other memory brands?

Can any body give me a clue about my situation? Thanks!

 

[orion7144]

Well I think my board is toast... I put the OCZ memory in, cleard CMOS and all I get is the Long beeps when I pwr on. Put the old memory in and still getting the same thing. Left it unplugged with the CMOS battery out for 15 min and still nothing. Hitting insert at pwr on does nothing. I will RMA with Newegg.

 

[orion7144]

The long beeps are soon as you turn the computer on hence no POST. I have got an RMA from Newegg and I have already packaged it for shipping tomorrow. I did notice that I may have slipped while putting on the Zallman (PITA) that I just recieved and may have scratched the MB next to the Memory slots. I don't think I did but it is poassible. I had to use a microscope (I am a certified micro solderer) to be able to see it but definately some messed up foil runs. I don't know how long Newegg takes for RMA's but hopefully it's not too long. In memory slots 1/2/3 constant long beeps. In slot 4 long beep followed by 2 short beeps. Shearching Abits site the long beeps indicate memory and the long beep followed by two short beeps indicate motherboard or Video card.

Originally posted by: ketchup79
Have you tried the 5:4 memory ratio? What bios are you using? You may be having trouble running the right memory timings if you are using the original bios. Whenever setting up windows, use the slowest memory speed and timings possible. I mean, it's not like it will matter how fast your system is when you are installing Windows. I don't think I have ever installed Windows while overclocked or running my memory with aggressive settings. I mean, I can't even remember the last time my old BO stepping 2.4B crashed while running 2.85 GHz, but I still don't feel comfortable installing Windows with the system overclocked.

Do you have an old IDE drive lying around? I would see if Windows would install on it. If it did, at least you would have narrowed down your problem. From what you have posted, I think it could be either memory or motherboard related. It is really hard to tell which.

 

[orion7144]

I have posted a new link in the main message for a "Beta" BIOS for the IS7-G/IS7/IS7-E. Here is a list of fixes.

Beta BIOS for IS7-G, IS7G_13.B01 (524,288 bytes)

New Fixes/Features
1. Supported IS7-G/IS7/IS7-E mainboard.
2. Updated CPU micro code (CPU: 0F29H, ID=11H).
3. Added CPU multiplier 8X for engineering sample CPU and maximum CPU
frequency 412 MHz.
4. Revised setup menu for on-chip Serial ATA.
5. Fixed on-chip SATA boot issue while another bootable hard drives exist
and attached to IDE-1 or IDE-2.
6. Updated memory reference code and ICH5 BIOS spec to v1.2.
7. Fixed PS/2 mouse malfunctioning problem while the USB cable of Media XP attached to mainboard.
8. Fixed DOS 6.22 booting failure from FAT16 partition.
9. Fixed BIOS hang-up problem which is caused by specific CPU cooling fan reporting error RPM to BIOS when CPU FanEQ 60% enabled.
10. Revised the following default settings in BIOS setup page.
- Bootable Add-in Device: PCI Slot Device
- CPU FanEQ Active Temperature: 70 C
- CPU Warning Temperature: 85 C
11. Added 80, 85, and 90 degrees C into "Shutdown Temperature".
12. Enabled "IDE Block Mode" and hided the option.
13. Revised ICH5R RAID BIOS display issue.
14. Revised power-on delay time from 4~5 seconds to 1~2 seconds after AC power lost and resumed.
15. Added description for "Bootable Add-in Device".

 

[chittlin]

wondering if anyone could tell me if the is7 will support the northwood based celerons.......my computer got killed during a thunderstorm last week so i wanted a good mb and a good cpu but have a problem with cash for now....was thinkin of a celery for a few months till i could save some cash....or what do u think of the p4 1.8.....512 cache......still would like to know about the celerys though........thanks........tim

 

[orion7144]

The is no documented support for the 400mhz FSB CPU's. However if you check Abit's forums some people are getting theirs to work.

Originally posted by: chittlin
wondering if anyone could tell me if the is7 will support the northwood based celerons.......my computer got killed during a thunderstorm last week so i wanted a good mb and a good cpu but have a problem with cash for now....was thinkin of a celery for a few months till i could save some cash....or what do u think of the p4 1.8.....512 cache......still would like to know about the celerys though........thanks........tim

 

[edwardhchan]

Just FYI, about the new beta BIOS, I tried it, and in my config, it didn't recognize my second SATA drive. My drive setup is as follows:

IDE0: DVD-RW
IDE1: CD-RW (master), DVD (slave)
SATA0: 80GB WD
SATA1: 120GB Maxtor

I have the SATA channels mapped to IDE3 and IDE4, and have the RAID turned on. Now, the new BIOS allows you to boot from IDE3 without turning on the RAID, but it was no go for me since it disabled SATA1 for some reason.

Ed

 

[Tom]

I put together a new system Friday with an Abit IS7, so far I haven't had any problems. I'm not using SATA drives so I can't comment on that but everything else seems to work quite well.

I'm using a 2.4c and some pc2700 memory, runs very stable at 280fsb using the 3:2 ratio, including running Prime95 overnight. I'm fairly sure with better memory I can get it stable at 285fsb or possibly even higher.

So all in all I'm happy with the IS7 so far.

 

[orion7144]

Must be good PC2700 memory...

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
I put together a new system Friday with an Abit IS7, so far I haven't had any problems. I'm not using SATA drives so I can't comment on that but everything else seems to work quite well.

I'm using a 2.4c and some pc2700 memory, runs very stable at 280fsb using the 3:2 ratio, including running Prime95 overnight. I'm fairly sure with better memory I can get it stable at 285fsb or possibly even higher.

So all in all I'm happy with the IS7 so far.

 

[Tom]

It's Samsung tcb3 DDR333 memory, packaged by PNY. Running at 280fsband 3:2 ratio it's overclocked to DDR374. It runs most programs at 288FSB and 3:2 making DDR384 but not Prime95 for very long before an error.

With half-way decent DDR400 memory I think my cpu could go substantially higher, I migh end up trying it when real DDR400 memory is commonplace and affordable.

But I've more than reached my goal of getting to 3.2gig, Hyperthreading, and dual channel for close to $300 for cpu,mainboard,and memory.

Abit IS7 $109
P4 2.4c $187(hopefully <$160 within 60 days so I can pricematch)
2 pny 256m pc2700 Samsung @ $15 each

edit-to clarify, I meant I have the FSB at 280 which using the 3:2 ratio means the memory is running at 187x2 or DDR374. The way I said it I guess it sounded like I meant the memory was running at 280. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[Tom]

btw, my Sandra memory scores at 280 FSB and the 3:2 ratio are 5290/5307, which I think shows that using the 3:2 ratio doesn't hurt performance too much.

 

[orion7144]

I hope my new board gets here by Friday...

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
btw, my Sandra memory scores at 280 FSB and the 3:2 ratio are 5290/5307, which I think shows that using the 3:2 ratio doesn't hurt performance too much.

 

[Reliant]

I'm getting this board soon and I already have a 2.4B and 2 sticks of 2700, what memory ratio should I run it at? I'm still a little confused about that.

 

[Tom]

The 4:5 ratio, not to be confused with 5:4, would put both your 533fsb processor and DDR333 memory at their default speeds. The motherboard should select this automatically for you in most cases, most of the discussion about these ratios involve people who are overclocking either their cpu or their memory. Those are the cases where you might need to make the settings yourself.

 

[Reliant]

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
The 4:5 ratio, not to be confused with 5:4, would put both your 533fsb processor and DDR333 memory at their default speeds. The motherboard should select this automatically for you in most cases, most of the discussion about these ratios involve people who are overclocking either their cpu or their memory. Those are the cases where you might need to make the settings yourself.

Thanks!

 

[Harabecw]

ooh, reliant had just the question I had. going with a P4 2.4B that I already have but new DDR400 memory. are you sure the mobo will automatically choose the ratio? will be nice not to mess with jumpers.

BTW, what will happen if I don't reinstall WinXP after I switch the mobo?

 

[matthewtan]

My system setup:

HEC 60A with 300W PSU
P4 2.4C (no o/c)
2x256MB Kingston CL2.5 DDR400
Gainward Ultra 650/8x
SB Live Value
Quantum 40GB
Creative 24x CDROM (secondary slave)
Sony 16x DVD-ROM (secondary master)

The Creative drive running as slave cannot read any disc. The Sony drive works normally. Changed the Creative to master drive and Sony to slave drive, the problem is reversed. Now, it's the Sony drive (running as slave) that is giving me problems.

I reboot the system to DOS, both optical drives are able to read the disc now. What could be the problem?
I hv also noticed in Device Manager that there is a yellow exclamation mark beside USB controller under Other Devices.
I have installed the latest Intel INF so what could hv caused the problem? Btw, i connected the 2nd USB header to the 2 USB ports provided on the front of the casing. The 1st USB header is not connected.

One last question, i hv read that the default voltage for 2.4C is 1.45V, but in the BIOS, the lowest voltage setting i can find is 1.525V, is the info i hv read wrong? Apologies for the lengthy post ;o

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Harabecw
ooh, reliant had just the question I had. going with a P4 2.4B that I already have but new DDR400 memory. are you sure the mobo will automatically choose the ratio? will be nice not to mess with jumpers.

BTW, what will happen if I don't reinstall WinXP after I switch the mobo?

there are no jumpers for the ratio and bus speed. It's all in the BIOS

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: matthewtan
My system setup:

HEC 60A with 300W PSU
P4 2.4C (no o/c)
2x256MB Kingston CL2.5 DDR400
Gainward Ultra 650/8x
SB Live Value
Quantum 40GB
Creative 24x CDROM (secondary slave)
Sony 16x DVD-ROM (secondary master)

The Creative drive running as slave cannot read any disc. The Sony drive works normally. Changed the Creative to master drive and Sony to slave drive, the problem is reversed. Now, it's the Sony drive (running as slave) that is giving me problems.

I reboot the system to DOS, both optical drives are able to read the disc now. What could be the problem?
I hv also noticed in Device Manager that there is a yellow exclamation mark beside USB controller under Other Devices.
I have installed the latest Intel INF so what could hv caused the problem? Btw, i connected the 2nd USB header to the 2 USB ports provided on the front of the casing. The 1st USB header is not connected.

One last question, i hv read that the default voltage for 2.4C is 1.45V, but in the BIOS, the lowest voltage setting i can find is 1.525V, is the info i hv read wrong? Apologies for the lengthy post ;o

The vcore is 1.525 at default for the P4C.
the USB problem is related to USB 2.0 drivers I believe...have you installed Sp1 for XP?
Have you checked your IDE cable? Maybe try it on channel 1 and see if it works for your main drives.

Hope you work it out.

 

[Tom]

Also be sure your USB ports in the front of your case are USB 2.0 and not USB 1.1.

On my system to get rid of the exclamation point you mention I had to install XP service pack 1 and then have Windows look for the correct driver again.

 

[fragme]

I got a IS-7 and 2.4C CPU with Zalman CU, 1 3200 Samsung 512 stick CL3. Also Radeon 9700 and Seagate HD. BIOS are the same as delivered.

I have a problem with overclocking in General. It wont work safely. Running prime i can do up to FSB 240 but testing UT2003 crashes computer or starting up a game crashes also. It crashes also at 230 and 220 FSB.

Memory is set at SPD. Looking at the timings they change.
At default speed 200 FSB 1:1 they are 3-8-3-3
When going to 5:4 they change to SPD 2.5-6-3-3 (I dont think my memory can handle this). Now the most interesting thing is when setting them manually they change at bootup to 1:1 ratio and 3-8-3-3 and the system wont boot at 240 FSB.

I can't set timings manually.

Looking at the fixes in the new beta bios I cant find any fixes for this?

 

[Tom]

A checklist of how I have mine set up in the bios..

In the Softmenu
n/b strap cpu as PSB800 (not auto)
dram ratio 3:2 or 5:4 (not auto)
AGP Fixed at 66/33

vcore- what you think is best
memory voltage- maybe 2.8
agp- default setting

In the advanced chipset menu
Dram- manual (not spd)
settings-what you like


With my settings as above I'm not having any problem setting the timings manually. If you have all the same settings I don't know an answer for why you can't. Maybe a new bios will help or maybe something is defective.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: fragme
I got a IS-7 and 2.4C CPU with Zalman CU, 1 3200 Samsung 512 stick CL3. Also Radeon 9700 and Seagate HD. BIOS are the same as delivered.

I have a problem with overclocking in General. It wont work safely. Running prime i can do up to FSB 240 but testing UT2003 crashes computer or starting up a game crashes also. It crashes also at 230 and 220 FSB.

Memory is set at SPD. Looking at the timings they change.
At default speed 200 FSB 1:1 they are 3-8-3-3
When going to 5:4 they change to SPD 2.5-6-3-3 (I dont think my memory can handle this). Now the most interesting thing is when setting them manually they change at bootup to 1:1 ratio and 3-8-3-3 and the system wont boot at 240 FSB.

I can't set timings manually.

Looking at the fixes in the new beta bios I cant find any fixes for this?

try increading the vcore to 1.6 and the vdimm to 1.6?

 

[Ketchup]

Originally posted by: fragme
I got a IS-7 and 2.4C CPU with Zalman CU, 1 3200 Samsung 512 stick CL3. Also Radeon 9700 and Seagate HD. BIOS are the same as delivered.

I have a problem with overclocking in General. It wont work safely. Running prime i can do up to FSB 240 but testing UT2003 crashes computer or starting up a game crashes also. It crashes also at 230 and 220 FSB.

Memory is set at SPD. Looking at the timings they change.
At default speed 200 FSB 1:1 they are 3-8-3-3
When going to 5:4 they change to SPD 2.5-6-3-3 (I dont think my memory can handle this). Now the most interesting thing is when setting them manually they change at bootup to 1:1 ratio and 3-8-3-3 and the system wont boot at 240 FSB.

I can't set timings manually.

Looking at the fixes in the new beta bios I cant find any fixes for this?

If it crashes in a game and not in Prime, it's probably the memory, assuming nothing else is overclocked. As suggested, bump up the memory voltage if you haven't already done so. I used to have a stick of that ram, and it did pretty well, but only when using relaxed settings. I think I had it running 2.5-7-3-3 at DDR 400.

 

[cmdrdredd]

well, newegg is out of stock on the IS7 so I ordered the Asus P4P800. Should be here tomorrow if all goes well.