*** Official ASUS A7N8X/Deluxe (nForce2) Thread ***

[OLtimrNewbie]

Yes; I'm using OCZ EL DDR PC-2700 in Dual Channel ( slots 1 & 3 ) Currently set bios for automatic memory control. This is not overclocked as yet. Gonna run it for awhile before I play with the OC'g. I ran memtest3 for 20 hours on the extended test and had no errrors. I read a report that said the PC 2700 is basically an underclocked PC3200. Time will tell I guess. I may try running it up to PC3200 !!
good luck.

 

[rbV5]

Currently set bios for automatic memory control.

I would set the memory to 100% to run sync with your CPU frequency for best performance.

 

[OLtimrNewbie]

Thanks for the tip rbV5; I'll give it a try.

 

[edmundoab]

hey guys,

I just wondered, where is the option to change the command rate for DDR ram on this board
or is it default at 1T ?

 

[memories2002]

a7n8x deluxe = 10200/48= $212.50
a7n8x non-dx = 8500/48= $177

those are the prices here, is it worth it to pay the diff just for the better sound ?
i wont be using any raid fire wire or sata or shit..is it worth the difference ?
thanks.

 

[tlam617]

would the nforce2 chip within this mobo be any better than my ti-4200 128mb invidia card i got from last summer?

 

[memories2002]

Originally posted by: tlam617
would the nforce2 chip within this mobo be any better than my ti-4200 128mb invidia card i got from last summer?

uhh youre confused..
a] the a7n8x doesnt have onboard graphics..you need an agp card.
b] the igp version of the nforce2 is more or less the geforce4 mx420/440 variety..so its in no way better than your ti4200 ! no onboard graphics solution is better than your gf4 ti4200!

 

[Burnzarelli]

I figured I could toss in my 2 cents.. I've been running this board for about a month or so now, I'm not a big overclocker
its plenty fast for me I am currently testing out the onboard sound and so far I am pretty impressed with it, I think it sounds quite abit better than my SB Extigy its a shame too after spending $150 on that.. I only spent that on this board hehe I just installed my SATA drive a week ago and damn its fast.. I'll never buy any other harddrive again Seagates cant be beat.

Oh yeah! Pelikan... you were wondering about Crucial memory well i have to inform you before you buy it... there is a reason its not on Asus' list of compatible memory and its because it runs at 2.5v and the A7N8X-Deluxe has only 2.6v-2.8v options in the bios for memory voltage...never the less i cant say it has caused me any problems at all so far.

Crucial PC3200 512MB
Specifications

Module Size: 2 X 256MB
Package: 184-pin DIMM
Features: DDR PC3200
Configuration: 8Meg X 16 Micron
Error Checking: Non-parity
Speed: 400MHz
Voltage: 2.5v
SDRAM Timings: CL=3

I did have to match all the other memory timings though or my system was unstable.

well I do have one question for someone if they may know the problem or solution.

I have gotten a BSOD from doing a driver update through windows update for the nForce audio controller...
No big deal really I just install the Asus drivers from their website and its all hunky dory.. Just curious if anyone had a clue on that subject.

Thanx

 

[edmundoab]

Originally posted by: Burnzarelli
I figured I could toss in my 2 cents.. I've been running this board for about a month or so now, I'm not a big overclocker
its plenty fast for me I am currently testing out the onboard sound and so far I am pretty impressed with it, I think it sounds quite abit better than my SB Extigy its a shame too after spending $150 on that.. I only spent that on this board hehe I just installed my SATA drive a week ago and damn its fast.. I'll never buy any other harddrive again Seagates cant be beat.

Oh yeah! Pelikan... you were wondering about Crucial memory well i have to inform you before you buy it... there is a reason its not on Asus' list of compatible memory and its because it runs at 2.5v and the A7N8X-Deluxe has only 2.6v-2.8v options in the bios for memory voltage...never the less i cant say it has caused me any problems at all so far.

Crucial PC3200 512MB
Specifications

Module Size: 2 X 256MB
Package: 184-pin DIMM
Features: DDR PC3200
Configuration: 8Meg X 16 Micron
Error Checking: Non-parity
Speed: 400MHz
Voltage: 2.5v
SDRAM Timings: CL=3

I did have to match all the other memory timings though or my system was unstable.

well I do have one question for someone if they may know the problem or solution.

I have gotten a BSOD from doing a driver update through windows update for the nForce audio controller...
No big deal really I just install the Asus drivers from their website and its all hunky dory.. Just curious if anyone had a clue on that subject.

Thanx

but on the board, especially at the side of memory module slots,
you will see a 2.5 V printed there

i wonder why the bios goes from 2.6 V minimum...

 

[Burnzarelli]

Man I looked all over that board and I dont see any thing that says 2.5v especially near the mem. slots

Don't get me wrong I'm not calling you a liar its just plain wierd...

Anyone have any suggestions on a cpu cooler for a AthlonXP 2000+?

and also what is an acceptable temp for it to be running at?

 

[edmundoab]

sorry I just checked, its actually on the memory slot itself
written in very tiny fonts, if you put your DDR module on, you will not be able to see it

I think I will go for at least an SLK 800 heat sink and the panaflo 80mm fan for your processor

as in for temperature, I'd target nothing more than 45 C without gaming

then again its summer, LOL i have my system up to 50 C sometimes with the casing open!!

 

[PuterDoctor]

I got my third replacment mb
It works!
Thankyou everybody who have given me advise.

 

[GUN]

BEWARE ppl, this mobo is very specific with its RAM, especially at speeds of 166mhz and more.

Stick to the ASUS list. I'm finally stable @ 194mhz with Kingston.

 

[psgt777]

All right hear it goes.
I bought an ASUS A7V8X Deluxe with a Barton 2500+ and corsair 512 XMS PC-3200C2PT and an older 80 gig deathstar
I had an old ATX case and PS 250 Watt. Switched everything out and plugged it in and the green light from the MB was on but no post, fan or nothing. Pulled it out and stripped it to the bare necc. then tried. CPU fan goes and then the hard drive starts to whirl and then all is silent after 10 seconds. No Beep, No post, just a 10 second whirl. So I figured it was my lame 250 watt PSU so I got a 400 watt, Same damn thing, AAARRGGGHHH.
My heat sink and fan is more than good enough for some OCing.
If I only had a beep to work with, but to start for 10 seconds and to automaticly shut down baffles me.
Any input would be INCREDIBLY APPRECIATED.

 

[pelikan]

Take it out of the case and lay it on the box it came in or a magazine. Then plug in the psu, cpu and hsf, memory and video card/monitor- nothing else, no hard drive, etc.. Look under the hsf to make sure its not sitting up on the lip of the socket. Double check all the jumpers. If it powers up then turn it back off and add the keyboard and turn it on again. This time hold the delete key to get into bios. Set up the bios and turn it off. Then put it back in the case, but only add the hard drive to the above configuration. See if it works.

 

[psgt777]

Well I tried it and the same thing. I didn't touch any jumpers prior so I left it that way.

 

[pelikan]

Man, that sucks. Sounds like either the mb is getting errors from something not set up correctly (cpu hsf, ram not seated, etc.) or one of the parts (cpu, memory or mb) is no good.
Do you have the jumper set for a 333MHz cpu?

 

[Freewolf]

Try clearing the cmos if you haven't already. Also try a different video card if that doesn't work.

 

[upwardspiral]

Random Shut offs
I just got this board two weeks ago and now i am experiencing random turn offs. Ill just be in the middle of a task and boom - all power is down. Then if i try to immeadiately boot up again, everything powers up for about 5 seconds and then off again. once i wait 30 secs + it will boot back up, though i sit at the black windows screen for about 3-4 minutes waiting for windows to load.

Someone mentioned in a previous thread it could be the ram - this makes sense knowing this only happens when im am using applications (ie i have never left to go watch tv and come back to find it powered down). does anyone have any insight here?

in addition, what is the average running cpu temp? mine stays between 52-57 degress celcius, without overclocking.

parts:
deluxe v2 - bios 1005
xp 2200+
crucial pc2700 - 1 stick of 256 (bought until i can afford the corsair)
win xp professional

thanks for any help you can give.

 

[pelikan]

I would test it with Prime95, Memtest86 and loops of 3DMark01. That will tell you if its the cpu, memory or video.

 

[psgt777]

Well arn't I the fool,
I finally rechecked the HS and found that it was set about 1/16 of an inch over the CPU. The washers that I used for the MB screws were for larger holes to secure the heat sink so they didn't slide in as they should have. Now that I have it running it wont recognize my CDROM so I cant load any drivers AAARRRGGGHHHH. Well at least I didn't fry my CPU.

 

[Apriliabum]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: Soulo
I got an Athlon XP 2400+ and after I updated the bios to rev.1002 (should i get upgrade it to 1002a? and is that the beta version?). At first it showed up as a 2400+ in the Asus Probe, but after I powered down and turned my computer back on, it showed up as a 1800+.

The bios is at default and I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the bios. Does anyone know what's going on with this? If so, what do I need to change?

Flash it to 1002A. Its not a beta, its what 1002 final should have been. BIOS' are hit and miss, even if they don't become official, a Beta BIOS can be better than a shipping or final revision BIOS depending on your needs. 1002.001 Beta was the best BIOS for about 2 months until 1002A was released only recently.

The reason why your CPU is showing up as an 1800+ is b/c your BIOS has reverted settings back to safe defaults of 100MHz x default multiplier (probably b/c it didn't like what your RAM was doing at default SPD settings). I believe the default multiplier on the 2400+ is 15, which makes sense as 15 x 100 = 1500MHz which is close to an 1800+ (1533MHz). After you flash to 1002A, do the following:

1) Change your FSB speed to user defined and set it to 133MHz.
2) Change CPU interface and Memory timings to Optimal and
3) Set Memory ratio to 100% or "Sync". Save/Save and Exit.

Any time you exit after making changes, make sure to save first and then save and exit.

Now you are essentially running at stock clockspeeds, but your RAM is underclocked. You can run it synchronously at a higher FSB at this point, since your RAM can theoretically handle 185MHz at its specified RAM timings. The nice thing is the nForce2 unlocks Athlon T-bred B's so that other multipliers can be accessed via the BIOS.

Simple math shows that a 166MHz FSB yields a 12x multiplier to achieve stock speeds of 2000MHz, so if you go back into your BIOS and change those 2 settings, you won't really be overclocking (total clockspeed is the same), but you will see a performance increase b/c of the increased bandwidth between the CPU and main memory (and the rest of the system). You could do this w/out overclocking anything until the theoretical max of your RAM at @ 11 multi and 185MHz FSB. If that settings seems to be stable, you can then tweak your memory timings to the rated speeds for those Kingston PC3000 modules. If you aren't sure or don't feel comfortable setting them yourself, just change the setting from Optimal to Aggressive.

Chiz

Okay, I think this will work for me, however I want some reassurance before I go ahead.

1. My problem is the system shows my comp running with a 1500+ when I really have a 2100+ in the slot.

My comp:
Asus A7N8X Delux
Athlon XP 2100+ running at 1.33Mhz 8(
Corsair 512MB Pc3200
GeForce 4 Ti 4600
Bios 1001.G
WinXP Home 5.1 Build 2600
DirectX 9.0a
All other drivers up to date as of July 4th.

2. I also have 2x Western Digital HD's, one is 18GB the other 30GB. I run my OS off the 18GB drive, while my 30GB I have all my "other" programs on. I have not had a problem with this configuration, however does anyone see any problems in my future?

3. I am interested in overclocking this board in the near future and have seen several links here, however most of them were dead to me. Does anyone have a good overclocking guide link for the a7n8x?

edit:
Have to add that I cannot currently access my A: drive.... will be working that problem first 8(

edit #2:
After going to www.nforcershq.com and reading their FAQ I reattempted manually setting my FSB to 133, saving, then exit & saving. This time the changes stuck and I am now running like I should... XP 2100+ @ 1.74 MHz. However, my floppy problem still remains so I cannot update my BIOS. AND my system has become unstable and crashes to desktop on any application other than explorer! [Specifics: PAGE_FAULT-IN-NONPAGE-AREA... STOP: 0x00000050 (0xBFF7F96E, 0x00000000, 0xBFF7F96E, 0x00000000)] Needless to say, I have gone back to 100Mhz.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Apriliabum]

A quick addendum to my previous post... My floppy is not getting recognized... I have checked the cable and power connections and they are gtg. Note that in the manual it says connect single end to board and 2 plug end to drive. My cable has 1 plug and 1 plug, with the floppy end having the little split / twisted portion. I thought these were the normal connectors for floppies and have not used different. When I boot up I get the "no floppy disk detected" voice sound. I have always thought that was a message stating I was not booting from floppy. Doh! and all this time it was telling me I REALLY didn't have one. What can I do? Is there a way to Flash BIOS without a floppy and still be able to backup? As far as I know, I COULD Flash from my HD, but I would be taking a leap of faith since a failure would result in no ability to redo from backup. Help before I go insane!

 

[OLtimrNewbie]

Your floppy drive cable is probably reversed. Turn the plug at the floppy drive over, so that the bump in the middle is pointing down. Before doing this, look at the floppy drive light and if it's continually lit; the plug is reversed.

 

[pelikan]

The Asus Update utility that comes on the Asus Utility CD flashes from windows and works great. I would recommend downloading the bios file first and telling it to flash with that, rather than letting it grab the file itself.