*** Official EPoX 8RDA/+ (nForce2) Thread ***

[mechBgon]

Mark, that's approximately what happened to my 3-month-old 8RDA+. Please lodge a complaint with EPoX so they start to see the pattern: complain here!

edit: BTW, which BIOS revision did your new board have, and your previous one too? Did you happen to notice?

 

[oWNz]

3 Questions really.

1. What do I need to do to overclock...I know the super glue and conductive silver laquer trick, but in my sorry city of KC, Kansas I can't find the laquer. So hence I tried to use a weld paste and that failed on my 1600+. Other options?

Current system:
XP Pro
2500+ Barton chip
Epox 8RDA+
Thermaltake 7+ CPU Fan and I am running hot 126 F
ASUS v7700 Deluxe 32MBLeadtek TI-4600 (just died, hmmm all I was doing was putting it in the new system POS! of course it was overclocked on my old 8KHA+ Epox board) thinking of going to the ATI 9700 (this is my second question....Will it hate the NForce2 chipset on my new Motherboard?)
120GB WD 7200 (partitioned 3 x's) with a 40GB WD 7200 backup
1GB+ Kingston DDR 2700 (2 512 sticks)
Creative Audigy x-Gamer Sound Card
Linksys 10/100
420 Power Supply
4 case fans ( 3 in, 1 out and the power fan going out of course)

Bios is running stock as a result of my current video card, which keeps crashing in Tribes2. You know what is really funny though, I get over 130 fps all the time and sometimes over 200 fps. I am sure the card cant handle this but I have tried everything to calm it down including turning up all the graphics functions. 3rd Question any ideas on this problem?

I will take all suggestions.

Thank you.

 

[Megatomic]

If you can't get any Arctic Silver 2 or 3, try to find some Antec Reference thermal compound. That's actually what I am using and it is VERY GOOD stuff. I got it from Best Buy, you should have a Best Buy in Kansas City, that is a bigger city than Virginia Beach.

And a Radeon 9700 Pro would do wonderfully on an nForce2 board.

 

[oWNz]

Thank you...didn't try Best Buy. Went to all the electronics supply and hobby shops. Radio Shack of course as well. Any thoughts on my 32 MB gf2 card?
And another quirky think about the 7+ is that it doesn't seat well on the chip. Normally there is no compound residue on the chip when you take off the fan yet, when I take it off there is the white gel. Do I need to shave the felt pads?

also
4 case fans ( 3 in, 1 out and the power fan going out of course)

 

[Mark]

didnt know mech, but both had the same problem. anyway i took it to frys earlier tonight and the customer service rep recogized me and asked someone to test the mobo out. it didnt boot up but instead gave a "c1" error this time. she gave me store credit so i bought the msi nforce 2 board(too lazy to find model number, but its the cheaper one without the integrated graphics or firewire). so i connect everything up, boot up, detects the memory and cpu fine, says something about a floppy drive error(i dont think the drive works anymore) so i hit f1 to continue and all i get is a very small line in the upper left hand corner(dont know what its called, but im sure you've seen it) and it doesn't go past there. so i power it off, disconnect the floppy, reboot, get into the bios, disable check for floppy, try and save, AND IT WONT SAVE. when it asks "save to cmos?" i hit Y and it crashes the only way to reboot it to manually shut off the power thru the power supply. i might take it to a pc repair shop sometime this week and have them try and find out what the culprit is. here are my specs if anyone is interested.


antec 1080amg case with 430w truepower supply
amd athlon xp1800 palomino
msi nforce2 based board
512mb kingston pc2700 ddr ram
western digital 20.5gb hard drive
soundblaster like value sound card
ati radeon 9500 non-pro

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: oWNz
Thank you...didn't try Best Buy. Went to all the electronics supply and hobby shops. Radio Shack of course as well. Any thoughts on my 32 MB gf2 card?
And another quirky think about the 7+ is that it doesn't seat well on the chip. Normally there is no compound residue on the chip when you take off the fan yet, when I take it off there is the white gel. Do I need to shave the felt pads?

also
4 case fans ( 3 in, 1 out and the power fan going out of course)

Maybe you put the clip into the Volcano 7+ backwards? Its longer leg, and the step in the heatsink's base, should both go toward the solid-plastic end of the CPU socket, the top edge on 8RDA+'s.

 

[Pilsnerpete]

Looks like I'll be steering clear of this one! At least till Epox hires a new QC crew.

 

[mboy]

Originally posted by: Mark
didnt know mech, but both had the same problem. anyway i took it to frys earlier tonight and the customer service rep recogized me and asked someone to test the mobo out. it didnt boot up but instead gave a "c1" error this time. she gave me store credit so i bought the msi nforce 2 board(too lazy to find model number, but its the cheaper one without the integrated graphics or firewire). so i connect everything up, boot up, detects the memory and cpu fine, says something about a floppy drive error(i dont think the drive works anymore) so i hit f1 to continue and all i get is a very small line in the upper left hand corner(dont know what its called, but im sure you've seen it) and it doesn't go past there. so i power it off, disconnect the floppy, reboot, get into the bios, disable check for floppy, try and save, AND IT WONT SAVE. when it asks "save to cmos?" i hit Y and it crashes the only way to reboot it to manually shut off the power thru the power supply. i might take it to a pc repair shop sometime this week and have them try and find out what the culprit is. here are my specs if anyone is interested.


antec 1080amg case with 430w truepower supply
amd athlon xp1800 palomino
msi nforce2 based board
512mb kingston pc2700 ddr ram
western digital 20.5gb hard drive
soundblaster like value sound card
ati radeon 9500 non-pro

R u going to bash MSI (like u did Epox) now that u cant get the MSI to work properly?
Or must it now be Nvidias fault becasue u cant build a computer?

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: oWNz
Thank you...didn't try Best Buy. Went to all the electronics supply and hobby shops. Radio Shack of course as well. Any thoughts on my 32 MB gf2 card?
And another quirky think about the 7+ is that it doesn't seat well on the chip. Normally there is no compound residue on the chip when you take off the fan yet, when I take it off there is the white gel. Do I need to shave the felt pads?

also
4 case fans ( 3 in, 1 out and the power fan going out of course)

I don't know about your GF2 card, if you were overclocking it for a long time maybe it was just coincidence that it failed when you put it into your new motherboard. There is no compatibility issues between that motherboard and that video card. I'd say just buy the Radeon 9700 (it's a better match for your system anyways) and if there is another problem, RMA it and the motherboard.

About your Volcano 7+, there is supposed to be a residue of paste otherwise there was no thermal bond between the chip and the HSF. It is possible that you applied too much goop though. Next time, apply a very thin coat of goop. And do try to find some of the Silver thermal compound, whether that be Arctic Silver, Antec Reference, or other. And don't shave the pads off, they are there for the core's protection.

 

[Jeff7]

Yay; I'm now at 200FSB - RAM and CPU. I haven't tested for stability yet; going to run Prime 95 soon, so I don't know if I'll need to do the chipset voltage mod or not.
The 512MB PC3200 RAM's not what I hoped for - kind of high latencies. But I guess that's what to expect when I paid $70 for it.

 

[Mem]

New Epox 8RDA+ review here .

Anyone using an AMD based system looking for an upgrade that will get you the most performance for the least money should definitly consider upgrading to a motherboard like this

 

[oWNz]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Q]Maybe you put the clip into the Volcano 7+ backwards? Its longer leg, and the step in the heatsink's base, should both go toward the solid-plastic end of the CPU socket, the top edge on 8RDA+'s.

Thank you but it is on the right way....

 

[oWNz]

Originally posted by: SeekingTao

I don't know about your GF2 card, if you were overclocking it for a long time maybe it was just coincidence that it failed when you put it into your new motherboard. There is no compatibility issues between that motherboard and that video card. I'd say just buy the Radeon 9700 (it's a better match for your system anyways) and if there is another problem, RMA it and the motherboard.

About your Volcano 7+, there is supposed to be a residue of paste otherwise there was no thermal bond between the chip and the HSF. It is possible that you applied too much goop though. Next time, apply a very thin coat of goop. And do try to find some of the Silver thermal compound, whether that be Arctic Silver, Antec Reference, or other. And don't shave the pads off, they are there for the core's protection.[/quote]
I know there should be a very thin film, but this isnt a film this is quite a bit of gel. When I said shave the felt I meant, take a little off the top, anyway. I do realize that if I take the felt off I will crush the chip. I will go get the silver thermal compound thanks for the tip. I work at a computer shop

 

[MARMADUKE]

silver tape or thin strand of wire and scotch tape, put the wire in the middle of tape and then stick on to the bridges

 

[MARMADUKE]

Mark...
I got c1 errors with kingston and samsung sticks, just change the memory should fix your problem

 

[Skitzer]

I have had the worst experience with this Epox 8RDA(+) mainboard. I sold a perfectly good Abit NF7-S rev 1.1, (which ran at 200 fsb and was solid as a rock), so that I could get a little more out of my TBred B. I had heard and read that this board was an extreme overclocker and I had visions of hitting at least 220 with it. The first 8RDA(+) I got was DOA, wouldn't post, nothing but fans and LED's. I screwed around with that board for hours trying to figure it out to no avail. After a call to Epox tech support, which was pure hell by the way, they determined that I had a defective board and recommended I RMA it through the place I bought it from. I got an RMA from Newegg and ended up spending $12.00 to send it back. Received the replacement exactly 1 week later, (kudos to Newegg!), and this one seems to run Ok but will not go above 185 fsb. I am using the same Power Supply, Antec 430 watt True Power, OCZ PC3200 cas 2 ram, TBred rev B CPU and basically the same settings as I did with the Abit. I have 2 Maxtor drives, a LiteOn burner and a Toshiba DVD player. I have used the most conservative memory settings and have played for hours with the voltages to find that special combination but there doesn't seem to be one. I can get it to boot into windows at 190 fsb but it is not stable. I am beyond pissed. I have been building systems and overclocking for years so I know what I am doing. I can't believe I got 2 bad boards in a row. I wish I had never sold my NF7-S .... as a matter of fact I believe I am going to buy a new NF7-S rev 1.2 and sell this Epox, (don't worry ... I am an honest man and I will give the buyer my history with the board and let him or her decide).
I know I am probably one of a few but terrible experiences like this would sour anyone. It will be a long time before I ever consider an Epox product again.

 

[MARMADUKE]

Skitzer
I have seen in some nforce2 benchtests that ocz3200 runs @ that speed 185fsb and was left in the dust by corsair!
The conclusion was that the ocz pc3200 was really hyped up pc2700 but you said you got 200fsb on other system?

TIP:
I got my 2 sticks of corsair XMS 3200 256MB abaV1.1 in the for sale section of anandtech for $130
twin and LL series are no good!

 

[Skitzer]

John,
I hear what you're saying but a lot of testing at different sites is being done with fake OCZ ram. Some websites like OCSystem are selling ram that appears to be OCZ but is not. I have true OCZ and it's exceptionally good ram. I was running it at 200 fsb at cas 2 in my Abit board and it took everything I could throw at it without a single problem. Believe me, I have tried everything to get this Epox to run higher but it just won't. I understand that there is a VMod you can do to help stabilize it but you know ..... I'm really not that into modding and I feel you shouldn't have to do that sort of thing anyway. I honestly feel I got another bad board. I was almost tempted to try another RMA but I just can't go through that crap again. I have ordered another Abit NF7-S from Newegg and should have it by Friday. I'll let you know how I make out with it.

Oh, one more thought, I'm using a Radeon 9700 Pro. There haven't been any issues with it coupled to the 8RDA(+) has there? (Just a shot in the dark)

 

[mechBgon]

For the record, I know of more than one person who's gotten Crucial PC2100 to run well over 180MHz in nForce2 boards. Ask SFang, for one

 

[MARMADUKE]

OCZ says that there ram has a problem working with nforce2 systems and the motherboard makers are coming out with bios patch, asus and abit have the patch already, epox should have it very soon?
OCZ says that they have fixed(there new ram as of NOW will work) the problem on there end and have notified nvidia.
hmmmmm where did you get that stick? why does yours work somewhat?

 

[Mark]

Originally posted by: mboy

Originally posted by: Mark
didnt know mech, but both had the same problem. anyway i took it to frys earlier tonight and the customer service rep recogized me and asked someone to test the mobo out. it didnt boot up but instead gave a "c1" error this time. she gave me store credit so i bought the msi nforce 2 board(too lazy to find model number, but its the cheaper one without the integrated graphics or firewire). so i connect everything up, boot up, detects the memory and cpu fine, says something about a floppy drive error(i dont think the drive works anymore) so i hit f1 to continue and all i get is a very small line in the upper left hand corner(dont know what its called, but im sure you've seen it) and it doesn't go past there. so i power it off, disconnect the floppy, reboot, get into the bios, disable check for floppy, try and save, AND IT WONT SAVE. when it asks "save to cmos?" i hit Y and it crashes the only way to reboot it to manually shut off the power thru the power supply. i might take it to a pc repair shop sometime this week and have them try and find out what the culprit is. here are my specs if anyone is interested.


antec 1080amg case with 430w truepower supply
amd athlon xp1800 palomino
msi nforce2 based board
512mb kingston pc2700 ddr ram
western digital 20.5gb hard drive
soundblaster like value sound card
ati radeon 9500 non-pro

R u going to bash MSI (like u did Epox) now that u cant get the MSI to work properly?
Or must it now be Nvidias fault becasue u cant build a computer?

You're an idiot. Who the hell said anything about Nvidia? Just shut up and get out of the thread if you're not going to contribute anything.




And MARMADUKE, thanks for the advice. I'm gonna take my cpu, ram, and mothebooard all to the local pc shop and have them test all 3 of these out in different machines.

 

[Skitzer]

MARMADUKE, They are 2 matched sticks, OCZ DDR PC-3200 Preformance Memory 256MB Model# OCZ400256EL.
I bought them at Newegg. Like I said, they were running rock solid at 200 fsb cas 2 at default voltage in my NF7-S.
I'm absolutely sure that this memory is not what is holding me back. My CPU, is a 1700+ AXDA1700UTC3 JIUHB 0302WPMW TBred. It was running at 200x 11 (2200) at 1.7v totally stable and I think it will go higher. I'll let you know how my new NF7-S works out when it gets here.
Again, I repeat, I'm not bashing Epox cause I'm sure there are good boards out there but I have been extremely unlucky with the 2 I had and am now pretty gunshy.

 

[mboy]

Originally posted by: Mark

Originally posted by: mboy

Originally posted by: Mark
didnt know mech, but both had the same problem. anyway i took it to frys earlier tonight and the customer service rep recogized me and asked someone to test the mobo out. it didnt boot up but instead gave a "c1" error this time. she gave me store credit so i bought the msi nforce 2 board(too lazy to find model number, but its the cheaper one without the integrated graphics or firewire). so i connect everything up, boot up, detects the memory and cpu fine, says something about a floppy drive error(i dont think the drive works anymore) so i hit f1 to continue and all i get is a very small line in the upper left hand corner(dont know what its called, but im sure you've seen it) and it doesn't go past there. so i power it off, disconnect the floppy, reboot, get into the bios, disable check for floppy, try and save, AND IT WONT SAVE. when it asks "save to cmos?" i hit Y and it crashes the only way to reboot it to manually shut off the power thru the power supply. i might take it to a pc repair shop sometime this week and have them try and find out what the culprit is. here are my specs if anyone is interested.


antec 1080amg case with 430w truepower supply
amd athlon xp1800 palomino
msi nforce2 based board
512mb kingston pc2700 ddr ram
western digital 20.5gb hard drive
soundblaster like value sound card
ati radeon 9500 non-pro

R u going to bash MSI (like u did Epox) now that u cant get the MSI to work properly?
Or must it now be Nvidias fault becasue u cant build a computer?

You're an idiot. Who the hell said anything about Nvidia? Just shut up and get out of the thread if you're not going to contribute anything.




And MARMADUKE, thanks for the advice. I'm gonna take my cpu, ram, and mothebooard all to the local pc shop and have them test all 3 of these out in different machines.

I may be an idiot, but my 8rda+ is running 11.5 x 200 fsb and have given an awful lot of people advice on here about the 8rda+

You bash the Epox board in an Epox thread, then buy an MSI, then come back to the Epox thread when you cant get the MSI to work!
Maybe u should get out of the Epox thread now.

 

[MARMADUKE]

did you lower your multiplier? I use multiplier of 9 to go over 200 fsb

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: mboy

Originally posted by: Mark

Originally posted by: mboy

Originally posted by: Mark
didnt know mech, but both had the same problem. anyway i took it to frys earlier tonight and the customer service rep recogized me and asked someone to test the mobo out. it didnt boot up but instead gave a "c1" error this time. she gave me store credit so i bought the msi nforce 2 board(too lazy to find model number, but its the cheaper one without the integrated graphics or firewire). so i connect everything up, boot up, detects the memory and cpu fine, says something about a floppy drive error(i dont think the drive works anymore) so i hit f1 to continue and all i get is a very small line in the upper left hand corner(dont know what its called, but im sure you've seen it) and it doesn't go past there. so i power it off, disconnect the floppy, reboot, get into the bios, disable check for floppy, try and save, AND IT WONT SAVE. when it asks "save to cmos?" i hit Y and it crashes the only way to reboot it to manually shut off the power thru the power supply. i might take it to a pc repair shop sometime this week and have them try and find out what the culprit is. here are my specs if anyone is interested.


antec 1080amg case with 430w truepower supply
amd athlon xp1800 palomino
msi nforce2 based board
512mb kingston pc2700 ddr ram
western digital 20.5gb hard drive
soundblaster like value sound card
ati radeon 9500 non-pro

R u going to bash MSI (like u did Epox) now that u cant get the MSI to work properly?
Or must it now be Nvidias fault becasue u cant build a computer?

You're an idiot. Who the hell said anything about Nvidia? Just shut up and get out of the thread if you're not going to contribute anything.




And MARMADUKE, thanks for the advice. I'm gonna take my cpu, ram, and mothebooard all to the local pc shop and have them test all 3 of these out in different machines.

I may be an idiot, but my 8rda+ is running 11.5 x 200 fsb and have given an awful lot of people advice on here about the 8rda+

You bash the Epox board in an Epox thread, then buy an MSI, then come back to the Epox thread when you cant get the MSI to work!
Maybe u should get out of the Epox thread now.

mboy, my 8RDA+ simply decided it wasn't going to boot any more, like Mark reports with his. I don't think that makes me an "idiot" simply because my board has stopped working, and I happen to be interested in his report that his two 8RDA+'s quit. The more info we can gather (and report to EPoX), the more likely this can be fixed or at least pinned down to a specific cause such as VRM failure.