*** Official ASUS P5W DH Thread ***

[touchstone1]

E6600 @3.0GHz - Zalman CNPS9500AT - Corsair XMS2 6400 C4:

FSB: 333
DRAM: 666
VDIMM: 1.95
VCORE: 1.35

SPD: Disabled
TIMING: 4-4-4-12
HYPERPATH 3: Disabled

 

[machined]

Originally posted by: phile
Read this:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=113837

I had to RMA a kit after one of my DDR2 dimms suddenly started to fail, after a few weeks of normal operation. I was quite confused and thought, like you, that maybe the mobo was somehow defective, and damaged the dimm. Then, I saw the above post. During that period of normal operation, I'm quite sure I removed the dimms a few times, without powering off the PSU. I've had the replacement kit for about a month, and haven't had a single issue.

-phil

thanks, i read it. just thought i'd say, my standard practice is

• switch off at the psu (leave the cord in place EU 230V)
  press the button on the front of the case (seems to work on my neo2 to discharge any residual juice ie. it lights up, momentarily - doesn't do anything on this p5wdh)
  make sure the standby light is extinguished
  lean on the chassis with my forearm while replacing the bits

...but i definitely recall pulling a stick with the standby on, once. Realised my possible mistake at the time. It was when the pc wouldn't start, and I decided to remove the 2nd stick. That was probably when I went from having one stick with faults to one stick with faults, and another that would not work at all!

 

[nobias]

please if someone could tell me is there a way to use these ports without raid, just to connect drives in single mode??????
Andwhat happens if i connect only one drive to EZ_RAID1???????

Thanks of your help

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: nobias
please if someone could tell me is there a way to use these ports without raid, just to connect drives in single mode??????
Andwhat happens if i connect only one drive to EZ_RAID1???????

Thanks of your help

I do not have an answer to your question, but please report back here if you find an answer elsewhere. I'm curious to know this, myself.

You could just try hooking-up a SATA drive, just to see what happens.

-phil

 

[imported_olaf]

Ok so my pseudo-cross-shipped RMA OCZ kit comes today from Newegg. 1 of the 2 sticks is bad, I didnt notice before I put it in but the heat spreader is warped/bent so its not even touching half of the chips.

The other one, so far, seems to be ok. OCZ might be having some quality control issues. Of the 19 newegg reviews for the part # there were like 4 complaints of '1 stick bad' etc.

Anyway I hope to god this memory is solid so I cant get to work trying to overclock some. Thanks to Phile and everyone else who read my whines and tried to help!

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: olaf
Ok so my pseudo-cross-shipped RMA OCZ kit comes today from Newegg. 1 of the 2 sticks is bad, I didnt notice before I put it in but the heat spreader is warped/bent so its not even touching half of the chips.

The other one, so far, seems to be ok. OCZ might be having some quality control issues. Of the 19 newegg reviews for the part # there were like 4 complaints of '1 stick bad' etc.

Anyway I hope to god this memory is solid so I cant get to work trying to overclock some. Thanks to Phile and everyone else who read my whines and tried to help!

Indeed. My first kit had a bad dimm, and I'm just about to RMA my second kit due to a separating heatspreader on one of the dimms. I'm not phased, though. You're going to see bad dimms with any brand. However, I do think there is a problem with these new heatspreaders. In the end, though, OCZ provide excellent service, and do make fantastic memory.

-phil

 

[MXtra]

I have a question about this motherboard. I haven't installed my system yet, but I was wondering if the EZ Backup sata ports can be used for the boot hard drives in raid with windows installed on them.? Will that work without any trouble or is it designed to backup data only?

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: MXtra
I have a question about this motherboard. I haven't installed my system yet, but I was wondering if the EZ Backup sata ports can be used for the boot hard drives in raid with windows installed on them.? Will that work without any trouble or is it designed to backup data only?

The EzBackup ports are also the EzRaid ports. By default, the two drives will run in RAID 1, but you can configure RAID 0. Haven't tried it, myself.

Grab the manual here:
ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/mb/socket775/P5W%20DH%20Deluxe/

-phil

 

[mikepaul]

What's the anticipated cure time for Arctic Silver 5? Will it be as easy to clean off as the stock stuff was?

I found out the hard way that I have to put an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro on while the motherboard is inside my case, since the works-in-a-drawer is too short to allow the cooler to be on and move the drawer much. So, every time I need to get room to work, I'll be pulling the cooler off. Like when I relocate my hard disks to cooled 5-1/4" housings next week.

Really annoyed I didn't notice how tall a cooler would REALLY fit. Are there any short ones that rate highly?...

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: mikepaul
What's the anticipated cure time for Arctic Silver 5? Will it be as easy to clean off as the stock stuff was?

I found out the hard way that I have to put an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro on while the motherboard is inside my case, since the works-in-a-drawer is too short to allow the cooler to be on and move the drawer much. So, every time I need to get room to work, I'll be pulling the cooler off. Like when I relocate my hard disks to cooled 5-1/4" housings next week.

Really annoyed I didn't notice how tall a cooler would REALLY fit. Are there any short ones that rate highly?...

According to the manufacturer, AS5 requires 200 hours of regular shutdown cycles to fully cure. I usually run my rig 24/7, but after a new application of AS5 I will shutdown the machine overnight for about a week. I've never noticed anything better than a 2C idle temp improvement by doing so.

As for your cooler, most cooler manufacturers post dimensions on their sites. Figure out what the max-height of your cooler should be, and compare. The two coolers I'm using now, are only slightly taller than the stock cooler: the CoolerMaster Hyper 48 and the Zalman CNPS9500. Both do a very decent job, without making much noise.

-phil

 

[nib95]

I'm a Intel n00b, but just bought my rig.

Can someone give me settings to take my E6600 to 3.5-3.6ghz?
I just want to know what I have to change in BIOS and to what.

Here are my specs.

E6600
CPS9500 LED at max speed
Super Talent T1000 DDR2 ram 2x1GB (PC1000)
Asus P5W DH latest UK BIOS revision

Thanks guys, any help would be much appreciated!

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: nib95
I'm a Intel n00b, but just bought my rig.

Can someone give me settings to take my E6600 to 3.5-3.6ghz?
I just want to know what I have to change in BIOS and to what.

Here are my specs.

E6600
CPS9500 LED at max speed
Super Talent T1000 DDR2 ram 2x1GB (PC1000)
Asus P5W DH latest UK BIOS revision

Thanks guys, any help would be much appreciated!

I can suggest everything but the vcore. That, you're going to have figure-out through trial and error, but likely you'll need at least 1.5v.

See my rig for hardware specs.

Enhanced C1E: Disabled
EIST (Speedstep): Disabled
QFAN: Disabled (this is not required, my preference)

FSB: 400
DRAM: 800 (downclocked to run at 1:1 with FSB 400)
VDIMM: 2.2v
VCORE: 1.xx (start at 1.5v?)

SPD*: Disabled
TIMINGS: x-x-x-x (your mem's rated timings)
HYPERPATH 3: Disabled

* You may need to enable SPD timings at this high FSB.

Here are a few threads you'll likely find useful:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110193
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106321

Latest unofficial BIOS: 1401
http://www.computerbase.de/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=53981&d=1157566365

Latest official BIOS: 1305
http://p5wdh.de/downloads/asus/bios/p5wdh1305.zip

-phil

 

[nib95]

Originally posted by: phile

Originally posted by: nib95
I'm a Intel n00b, but just bought my rig.

Can someone give me settings to take my E6600 to 3.5-3.6ghz?
I just want to know what I have to change in BIOS and to what.

Here are my specs.

E6600
CPS9500 LED at max speed
Super Talent T1000 DDR2 ram 2x1GB (PC1000)
Asus P5W DH latest UK BIOS revision

Thanks guys, any help would be much appreciated!

I can suggest everything but the vcore. That, you're going to have figure-out through trial and error, but likely you'll need at least 1.5v.

See my rig for hardware specs.

Enhanced C1E: Disabled
EIST (Speedstep): Disabled
QFAN: Disabled (this is not required, my preference)

FSB: 400
DRAM: 800 (downclocked to run at 1:1 with FSB 400)
VDIMM: 2.2v
VCORE: 1.xx (start at 1.5v?)

SPD*: Disabled
TIMINGS: x-x-x-x (your mem's rated timings)
HYPERPATH 3: Disabled

* You may need to enable SPD timings at this high FSB.

Here are a few threads you'll likely find useful:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110193
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106321

-phil

Wow, fantastic.

Thanks very much Phil.

By the way, what does enabling SPD setting actually do?

 

[phile]

Look at my previous post, I updated it with links to the latest BIOS versions - unofficial and official.

Originally posted by: nib95
Wow, fantastic.

Thanks very much Phil.

By the way, what does enabling SPD setting actually do?

SPD is enabled by default. Among other things, the SPD contains a pre-programmed timings table for your memory, running at various speeds. With SPD enabled the memory timings will be auto configured. Often, the timings are programmed a bit looser than the tightest rated timings for your memory. That last bit is why people tend to disable SPD in the BIOS and manually configure the timings.

Make sure you know exactly which kit you have, and visit the manufacturer's website to find the rated timings. You even have a sticker on the dimms with these timings listed.

-phil

 

[nib95]

Originally posted by: phile
Look at my previous post, I updated it with links to the latest BIOS versions - unofficial and official.

Originally posted by: nib95
Wow, fantastic.

Thanks very much Phil.

By the way, what does enabling SPD setting actually do?

SPD is enabled by default. Among other things, the SPD contains a pre-programmed timings table for your memory, running at various speeds. With SPD enabled the memory timings will be auto configured. Often, the timings are programmed a bit looser than the tightest rated timings for your memory. That last bit is why people tend to disable SPD in the BIOS and manually configure the timings.

Make sure you know exactly which kit you have, and visit the manufacturer's website to find the rated timings. You even have a sticker on the dimms with these timings listed.

-phil

Yea checked.

I'm 100% mine is the TX1000UX2G5

Timings are 5-5-5-15

Do you recommend I have speed on or off?

 

[phile]

It would probably be easier to start by leaving SPD enabled. Once you acheive a stable overclock, you could try to disable the SPD and set the timings.

If you don't have it already, download CPU-Z 1.36
http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpu-z-136.zip

Before you do any overclocking, you should test your memory and overall system, to make sure that all your hardware is working properly.

Download memtest and burn ISO to CD. Boot with this CD. Let it run overnight.
http://www.memtest.org/download/1.65/memtest86+-1.65.iso.zip

Download Orthos Stress Prime for system testing. Run the blended test for at least a few hours.
http://sp2004.fre3.com/beta/orthos_exe_20060420.cab

Very important to monitor your CPU temp while stress testing. Download CoreTemp. This will give you a reading for each core.
http://www.thecoolest.zerobrains.com/Hidden_Stuff/CoreTemp.zip

-phil

 

[nib95]

Originally posted by: phile
It would probably be easier to start by leaving SPD enabled. Once you acheive a stable overclock, you could try to disable the SPD and set the timings.

If you don't have it already, download CPU-Z 1.36
http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpu-z-136.zip

Before you do any overclocking, you should test your memory and overall system, to make sure that all your hardware is working properly.

Download memtest and burn ISO to CD. Boot with this CD. Let it run overnight.
http://www.memtest.org/download/1.65/memtest86+-1.65.iso.zip

Download Orthos Stress Prime for system testing. Run the blended test for at least a few hours.
http://sp2004.fre3.com/beta/orthos_exe_20060420.cab

Very important to monitor your CPU temp while stress testing. Download CoreTemp. This will give you a reading for each core.
http://www.thecoolest.zerobrains.com/Hidden_Stuff/CoreTemp.zip

-phil

My friend who built my PC currently has it running 3424.12mhz. (380.46 x 9.0)
Vcore 1.45v

He says it's running completely stable.

Temps on CoreTemp are reading as 45C* for Core 2 and 44C* cor Core 1. (bearing in mind it is currently downloading and installing stuff off STEAM)
Are these temps too high? When I checked in actual BIOS they were only 32C*, so no idea why they are so much with CoreTemp.

Do I even need to OC it further?

I'm seeing most people on this thread have below 3.4ghz.
So maybe I should just stick with what I have already

 

[phile]

The BIOS CPU temp reading on the P5WDH comes from a diode on the motherboard, while CoreTemp reads from digital thermal sensors on the CPU die itself. This is why CoreTemp readings are higher, and more significant. I try to keep my full load core temps below 70C.

As for how far to overclock, that's up to you. I'm perfectly happy running my E6600 at 3GHz - FSB 333.

-phil

 

[nib95]

Originally posted by: phile
The BIOS CPU temp reading on the P5WDH comes from a diode on the motherboard, while CoreTemp reads from digital thermal sensors on the CPU die itself. This is why CoreTemp readings are higher, and more significant. I try to keep my full load core temps below 70C.

As for how far to overclock, that's up to you. I'm perfectly happy running my E6600 at 3GHz - FSB 333.

-phil

Here's one oddity though, in CPU-Z.

Can you just clarify with me, does this mean my RAM is not currently running 1:1?

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/8145/cpuvf7.jpg

 

[phile]

Correct. You are currently using the 4:3 memory divider. To run the memory at 1:1 with your current FSB, you would increase the memory frequency to DDR2-760. Right now you have it at somewhere around DDR2-570.

-phil

 

[nib95]

Originally posted by: phile
Correct. You are currently using the 4:3 memory divider. To run the memory at 1:1 with your current FSB, you would increase the memory frequency to DDR2-760. Right now you have it at somewhere around DDR2-570.

-phil

I'll do that now then.

Know a good set up for getting 3.5ghz?

As 5 is my lucky number.
I know....I'm sad. lol.

 

[phile]

The settings I suggested in my previous post can apply. It's all about setting your target FSB and then adjusting the voltages to get it stable, all the while controlling the extra heat. Significant overclocks are never as easy as using someone else's config, though. Every system is going to have its own personality, so to speak. You need to spend the time getting to know the characteristics and limitations of your specific hardware. Best to start small and build in small increments.

-phil

 

[nib95]

Ok I'm currently running at the settings you mentioned above.
And the extra .1 jump in voltage has had a fair affect on my temps.

My core 1 is 50C* and 2 is 51C* now at idle.
is that acceptable? or way too high? Thats using CoreTemp mind.
Temps have gone up around 5 degrees.

Lastly, is Vdimm 2.2v ok?

Or a little too high?

 

[touchstone1]

Originally posted by: MXtra
I have a question about this motherboard. I haven't installed my system yet, but I was wondering if the EZ Backup sata ports can be used for the boot hard drives in raid with windows installed on them.? Will that work without any trouble or is it designed to backup data only?

Yes, that's exactly how I'm running my system - two matched SATA drives hosting the OS using a RAID 1 mirror on the EZBackup ports (EZ_RAID1 and EZ_RAID2). Works well - I've tested by running with one drive disconnected for a day, then reconnecting it (with the PC powered off!) and the Asus software rebuilt the mirror without a hitch (although it did take a while).

 

[Atty]

Can I change my CPU fan speed within the bios for this board aswell as the case fans? If so were in the bios is it? I looked thru the table of contents for the manual and found no mention of any fan controllers. Anyone know how?

PS: This board = Awesome!