Official GA-8IEXP Thread !!!! Able to hit 150 FSB with 3:4 ratio STABLE!!! RMAing board b/c i found a better board !!!!

[gsethi]

ok....Media player and IE works flawlessly at 155 FSB...

regarding voltages...here they are:

+12v - 11.900 v
+5v - 5.100 v
+3.3v - 3.200 v
VCore - fluctuates between 1.710 and 1.730 (set at 1.725)

Using Antec 400w PSU here..........


do you guys think that my cooling is limiting me ? Also, my temp is at 47C idle now.....kinda high

 

[WideMouth40]

Originally posted by: gsethi
ok no go at 159 FSB.....it boots at 158 FSB though.

rebooting now again at 155 FSB and will let you know the true VCore using the included hardware monitoring.
Also will check if i can run some applications at 155 FSB (will test IE, Media player....havnt installed others yet).

hold on just a longer......

i was really expecting atleast 165 FSB out of this board but maybe its just my processor. It never went up 155 on the RXP even with the 1.85v. So i cant blame on this board yet. Maybe i just need better cooling (using stock cooling right now)........what do you guys think ?

Better cooling wouldn't hurt...and I hate to say it, but maybe you'll have to try the vid pin volt mod trick If you do, really watch your real voltages very carefully.

Peace

 

[gsethi]

ok testing the following config now:

TOP PERFORMANCE: ENABLED (believed to be fastest memory settings)
FSB: 150 Mhz
DDR: 399 Mhz
VCore: 1.500 v
It boots to windows fine

so far, i can run my 1.6a @ 2.4 Ghz @ default voltage. My PC 2700 (ddr 333) has no problems doing ddr 400. I am pretty sure that my cooling is limiting me now......... (44-45C idle right now.....its way high as compared to what it used to be on RXP (38-39))

i will try to get a better heatsink/fan over the weekend and try that.

its definately better than the GA-8IRXP though.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: WideMouth40

Originally posted by: gsethi
ok no go at 159 FSB.....it boots at 158 FSB though.

rebooting now again at 155 FSB and will let you know the true VCore using the included hardware monitoring.
Also will check if i can run some applications at 155 FSB (will test IE, Media player....havnt installed others yet).

hold on just a longer......

i was really expecting atleast 165 FSB out of this board but maybe its just my processor. It never went up 155 on the RXP even with the 1.85v. So i cant blame on this board yet. Maybe i just need better cooling (using stock cooling right now)........what do you guys think ?

Better cooling wouldn't hurt...and I hate to say it, but maybe you'll have to try the vid pin volt mod trick If you do, really watch your real voltages very carefully.

Peace

i really dont want to do the voltage pin mod trick right now. will try better cooling first. Then, will try updating to latest BIOS (F4), currently using F3. maybe that has some more voltage options.

any other suggestions or any other results you guys want to see ?

 

[TuffGuy]

Have you run any stability programs yet? My BG7 would boot at 148MHz, but it would crash when stressed. It was only stable (24hrs of seti@home) at 145MHz fsb.

 

[TuffGuy]

Also, have you run any performance tests yet like Sandra, 3Dmark, or Prime95? (or seti@home)

 

[WideMouth40]

Originally posted by: gsethi
ok no go at 159 FSB.....it boots at 158 FSB though.

rebooting now again at 155 FSB and will let you know the true VCore using the included hardware monitoring.
Also will check if i can run some applications at 155 FSB (will test IE, Media player....havnt installed others yet).

hold on just a longer......

i was really expecting atleast 165 FSB out of this board but maybe its just my processor. It never went up 155 on the RXP even with the 1.85v. So i cant blame on this board yet. Maybe i just need better cooling (using stock cooling right now)........what do you guys think ?

I was asking around about this board, and apparently you should be able to pump the CPU voltage up to 1.85 using easytune. Though if your CPU is the limiting factor, it might not help much.

Peace

 

[oldfart]

I run my 1.6A @ 2.4 4BDA2+, 150 FSB, DDR400 @ 1.675 setting, 1.65 reported by MBM5. Temps are ~ 36 - 39C idle ~ 52 - 55C load with stock HS/F and ASII. That should give you an idea where you temps should be. Like me, you dont have a "great" CPU. Run 2.4 GHz, DDR400. That setup will be faster than getting a few more MHz, but dropping down to a much slower DDR speed.

 

[gpanda]

Run Prime95. It is damn good at catching issues. With me it would crash very quickly if there was a problem. Many apps don't push the CPU much.

 

[gsethi]

ok something weird is happening at 150 FSB.

while in windows, it will reboot automatically. First i thought that i might be my memory, so i pumped it down to DDR 300. but it happened again right now. maybe i need to up my CPU voltage.....ofcourse i am running at 1.5v (default). weird thing is that the cpu would run fine on the RXP at 1.5v at 150 FSB.....

ah well, will try easy tune now and see how high the voltage will go on that.

will keep you all posted.

i will be doing some testing today, with prime 95. i ran sandra benchmarking yesterday and results were impressive though.

 

[gsethi]

ahhh...........i dont know whats happening. The computer is doing random reboots even at 133 FSB @ default voltage.

my CPU Temp at 100 FSB idle is pretty hight too...........~45C

dont know if its my CPU or my motherboard. i might need to reapply AS3 and see what happens. will keep you all posted.

oh yeah, in Easy Tune 4, you can select your VCore all the way upto 1.850, but in BIOS, highest you can go is 1.725. now thats really weird.

 

[TuffGuy]

Same thing that was happening to me when I stressed my system. I was only able to run it stable at 140MHz and 3:4. I get the feeling that it's the MCH that's causing it. Let us know if you figure out what's wrong. Also, what cooling are you using?

 

[gsethi]

i am using stock cooling right now but i have a feeling that i need better cooling.
I am also thinking that its the new MCH thats limiting the overclocking capabilities.

noticed some more weird things......my system wont even boot up at 125 FSB......it boots at 133 or 150 though. now thats really weird.
running Prime 95 torture test at 133 fsb now to test stability.

 

[gsethi]

ok here are my results for Prime 95 Torture test at following config:

FSB: 133 Mhz
Memory: DDR 266 (using 2.0x)
CPU VCore: 1.500 v (default)

My Result: I am considering CPU is stable. I ran it about about 1 hour and it was somewhere in the Test 2000. I know that i used to fail a test somewhere in 1700 on the RXP (while on 151 FSB).

so I consider it stable at 133 FSB now.....going to test at 150 FSB now

 

[TimidOCer]

UGh I hope this isnt a real problem otherwise I may have to go back to the 4bda2+ instead of this board which I was getting really excited about

 

[gsethi]

ok stress testing it with prime 95 on 150 FSB. if it crosses 1700, i will consider it stable.....and go for the next higher point.

maybe, i just need to give the board some time to burn in.......btw, where is that article on vr-zone regarding samsung memory burn in?

 

[Booster]

Disable Top Performance and it will allow you to go higher with stability. All this option does it makes your RAM run at CAS2. Can your RAM handle CAS2 at 160FSB? Maybe it can't.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: Booster
Disable Top Performance and it will allow you to go higher with stability. All this option does it makes your RAM run at CAS2. Can your RAM handle CAS2 at 160FSB? Maybe it can't.

thanks for the tip.....good point. will try that next. I think that my Ram is limiting me again.

its a brand new Samsung PC 2700 (DDR 333) chip and i think that it is causing my random reboots or it is my cooling. Stress testing right now and my temps are in high 50s (57-58). they used to be in low 50s (50-51) before.

i think that i need to give some time to my ram for burn in. Also will disable Top performance on the next reboot and see how high i can go then.

so far, Prime 95 is going solid at 150 FSB with top performance but my memory is running at 300 Mhz (under rated right now).

 

[gsethi]

oh yeah...one more thing about the board:

i have seen people claiming that Onboard LAN is not working. the thing is that you have to install the drivers for it after installing your OS. same thing happened to me but after installing drivers, it worked fine. Same thing with the USB ports, you need to install USB 2.0 drivers again.

 

[gsethi]

i am 99% sure than i need better cooling.
I have my case opened up now and it is working flawlessly now.

also, the stock heatsink if pretty warm and i can feel some warm air coming out of the case fans too. Gotta get Volcano 7+ or Dragon 478.
The fan is running at ~2500rpm, need faster faster fan........

 

[gsethi]

WOOHOOOOOOOO.....................

I OFFICIALLY DECLARE THIS TO BE A STABLE BOARD AS COMAPARED TO GA-8IRXP.

passed the 1700 test and Prime 95 is still going.

Config:
FSB: 150 Mhz
Memory: DDR 300
CPU VCore: 1.500 v

it used to fail somewhere in the 1700 before on the RXP but its going right now. I am happy.....i am happy

going for 155 FSB with top performance disabled now. will also bump voltage to 1.600 v. Hold on to your seats just a little longer.....this might be the board we all are waiting for. Oh yeah, i flashed my BIOS to F4 too.

 

[gsethi]

another update on the board:

It seems like my ICH chip is running hotter than my CPU. Good thing that Gigabyte put a fan on that small heatsink. The air is more warmer from that chip as compared to my CPU.

my CPU also seems to be quite HOT. its at 59C right now running Prime 95 at:

FSB: 155 Mhz
Memory: DDR 310
Top Performance: Disabled

it seems like it is going strong right now. will keep you updated though. This board is turning out to be "THE BOARD"

Anyone knows how high is the stock cooling rated for ? I think it is 2.60 Ghz but i want to confirm it. I will get a better cooler soon.

 

[gsethi]

ok.....Prime 95

FSB: 155 Mhz
Memory: DDR 310
CPU VCore: 1.600 (havnt tested this config with 1.500v yet)

I again consider it to be stable as it is in 2000s. It has again passed where it used to fail earlier. Going for 160 next


UPDATE: WOW.....it booted at 160 FSB this time......its showing as 159 Mhz actual though...in the bios it is 160.

Heres my config for Prime 95 this time:

FSB: 160 (159 actual)
Memory: DDR 320 (318 actual)
CPU VCore: 1.600 (again 1.500 untested)
Top Performance: DISABLED
Ok.....its on Test 3000s now......wow, my CPU never went that high on the RXP and passed that high too. definately a good board.

UPDATE: Ok....it failed TEST 282 on second round of Prime 95.....going to bump up voltage to 1.650 and see what happens

i will run some Sandra benchmarks now.......still not sure whether to go 165 FSB with stock cooling or wait for better cooling ? What you guys say ? my CPU temp are now 59-60C at full load running Prime 95. isnt the Cut off 66C ?


my hopes are high for 166 FSB now......i wont go over 165 w/o better cooling though

 

[gsethi]

ok....back to default speeds now

Was able to boot to windows now at 163 FSB with 1.725 v for CPU. it wasnt stable though. At 160 FSB, all my applications were running fine and Prime 95 gave me an error after about 45 min......so it wasnt stable there tooo but was OK...

now whats limitting me here :

1) My Cooling ?
2) My CPU ?
3) My Motherboard ?

its definately not my memory since that is DDR 333 and i havnt reached DDR 333 speeds yet using 1:1 memory ratio. I am 50% sure that it might be my cooling, 49% sure that it is my CPU (not everyone can get a CPU like Thugsrook ) and 1% that its my motherboard.

I dont think that its the motherboard.........it seems to work just fine.

what am i going to do next ? well, take some rest now.....LOL
hmm.......get a better cooler and see if that will affect me in any way. Otherwise, i will just stay at 150 FSB or maybe 160 or somewhere in between

what do i say about the board ?
Definately worth it.

here are Pros and Cons for the board :

Pros:
FSB: 100 - 355
1:1 and 3:4 memory ratios at ALL FSBs
PCI/AGP Lock feature from 33/66 to 50/100
RAID, IEEE, Intel LAN - all on one board
Rounded Edges
Fan on ICH Chip

Cons:
CPU VCore is limited to 1.725 in BIOS (1.850 using Easy Tune 4)
Cannot set Memory settings manually - either its CAS 2 or its not (top performance thing)
3 PCI slots wasted because of USB, IEEE and SPDIF connectors

well folks, thats it for now.....will let you know more about it later.

 

[gsethi]

Another Update for you guys:

Had some problems with my video card and finally resolved them. That random rebooting was due to my video card.....figures.....

OK....here is some more problems i am having.

My damn system wont boot at 125 FSB...with DDR 333. really weird. It boots at 120 fsb, boots at 130, 140, 150, 160 but not 125.
My memory is not running 354 DDR yet. maybe i need to burn it in. How do i do that ?
And why wont it boot at 125 FSB ? thats really weird. Nope, it also wont boot at 124 or 126.

need to figure out how high my memory will go.....need to figure out that.

If someone could tell me how much time it takes for Samsung Ram to burn in and how to burn it in ?

thanks