*** Official Giga-byte SINXP1394/8SQ800 Thread ***

[Kasper00]

huthut,

You mentioned that you had no problems with the OCZ ram. I have ordered the 8SQ800 Ultra and 2x256MB OCZ PC3200 cas 2 dual sticks. Will i be able to stick them in and boot or will i have to put 1 in and boot from there to relax timings?


Thanxs for your time.

Cheers!

 

[Ineptitude]

Mine came with a couple of plastic bands around the box (maybe Fry's did this). Inside all of the ESD bags were just taped over, but the non ESD bags were sealed, and a fresh sticker across the PCI slots is proof that no one has used this board yet.

 

[Ineptitude]

From the posts so far it sounds like everyone who is running memory faster than pc3200 is doing fine. I tried several brands and speeds and none of them would run at thier rated speed (some didn't even post). I returned the mobo.

 

[PeteJ]

I keep seeing threads that indicate no problems with the Gigabyte SINXP1394 along side of many that indicate individuals are having severe problems with their new boards. When I went to the Newegg site to study purchasing the board I found that they were not giving refunds with that particular Gigabyte board. I checked the reviews at their site and found most purchasers were having problems. This does not seem to be an appropriate board for an inexperienced user. I found similar complaints about the Asus P4SDX and the original Intel board with dual channel hyperthreadilng. I think the reviewers here at Anandtech and at Tomshardware have either been lucky or have enough experience to get around the problems that plague novices like me who are trying to upgrade to a state of the art board. I wish that they would try to give a simple explanation and roadmap to success. Any comments?

 

[PowerEngineer]

PeteJ, I just finished building my first PC with this board. I did have a couple of problems initially: the DVPRM module kept generating a failure message on boot-up (but this was resolved by the F5 bios) and IDE Raid channels would not support ADAPTI devices (even though I'm sure a review said they would) so I swapped their connections with my hard drives. Otherwise, installation and set-up went pretty much as adveritized. I will agree that the various manuals are often poorly translated, and need to be read carefully. I was lucky in that I settled for PC2700 memory which kept me out of the memory timing problems that some have had with higher speed modules during initial boot-up. Frankly, this board has a lot of features built in so it probably isn't the simplest one to set up. I'm living proof, however, that a newbie can build a PC around this board if he/she carefully reads the instructions and reads through threads like this to identify potential problems up front.

I've seen Newegg put its "no refund" policy on several newer, high-end motherboards that are in relatively short supply. My guess is that they are trying to discourage people who might just want to try the board out and then return it.

 

[wakemaker]

Does anyone understand the pinouts for the 1394 connector on the motherboard?

I'm trying to connect the front panel 1394 on an Antec plus1080amg which has a 6-wire cable with VP, VG, TPA-, TPA+, TPB-, TPB+.

The pinout on page 25 of the MB (SINXP1394) manual; 24-pin connector top row :
+12V, GND, LINKON, D0, NC, CTL1, D2,, D1, SYSCLK, D6, GND, 3VDUAL[1-pin]...........then on bottom row:
+12V, GND, LREQ, LPS, D4, CTL0, D5, D7, D3, GND, 3VDUAL[2-pins].

 

[AdamK47]

I got this board a few days ago. I've been doing some stability testing. So far it has been great. I was at first leary in getting a SiS based board, but after all the positive reviews I went for it. I bought two identical 512MB Samsung PC2700 memory modules back in December knowing I would upgrade to DCDDR in the future. The memory is rated at DDR 333, but have them running at DDR400 with no problems.

Also, in case people are wondering why sometimes DDR400 is slower than DDR333 with this board. It's a result of the auto memory setting the timings to 2.5-4-4 when DDR400+ speeds are selected. Pressing CTRL+F1 in the BIOS menu and going to advanced config allows you to configure manual timings. After changing this to 2.5-8-3-3 all results are faster than DDR333 as it should be.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: PowerEngineer
PeteJ I'm living proof, however, that a newbie can build a PC around this board if he/she carefully reads the instructions and reads through threads like this to identify potential problems up front.

Same here. It was my first build as well, and although I had a few minor setbacks, I was able to work through them with a little research and generous help from ATers.

I think this is a really great board, but to say the manuals included are difficult to understand is an UNDERSTATEMENT. I can't believe a company as big as Gigabyte would publish something with so many blatent and unintelligable errors. Don't they know anyone who speaks English that can proofread?? Technical manuals can be hard enough to read and understand with all the jargon and acronyms.

By the way...is there a way to enable a faster boot up? Like as far as not having to watch the RAID channel scans and system configurations during POST? It seems this takes forever. I thought I had seen the option somewhere, but I could be mistaken. I searched through the BIOS without any luck.

Cheers,

Mcurphy

 

[Ketchup]

If you are not using the RAID controller, you can disable it in the BIOS. It should be in a menu called something to the effect of "Integrated Peripherals."

 

[graziano]

Hey guys
I'm an extreme newbie in building computers. I plan on purchasing a 2.66G P4 CPU, the SINXP1394 board(Corsair 2x512mb xms-3200's), with a Antec Performance SX835II case(w/ front 2x usb/1xIEEE1394 ports). I plan on carrying over all other hardware from my old Dell B1000r system which would include:

NEC DV-5700A CD-Rom 12x dvd rom
LG CD-RW CED-8080B burner 8x/4x/32x
64MB NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 4x AGP card
30BG ultra ATA 7200rpm
Aztec MDP-3900V-U Fax Modem--(For Faxing Only)

I realize this stuff is old and I plan on upgrading these individually as time/$ permits.

Any problems? Suggestions? Advice? Thanks so much

graziano

 

[shock311]

Hey guys, I'm another person interested in this board, I'm just confused when most of the sites say dual channel ddr400, can I still run dual channel with my ddr333 kingston hyper x sticks?? I just want to clear this up.

 

[Ketchup]

Graziano, does your new case come with a power supply as well? I would recommend an Antec TruePower or an Enermax rated 350 watts or better. Also, what are you doing that you need 1 Gig of RAM? 512 MB is plenty for most. And make sure you don't get the "C2" sticks unless you have some other memory to boot the computer with to change the SPD settings and/or add voltage.

Shock311, the motherboard will read the SPD timings on your memory and run at that speed. If you had DDR266, it would run at 133 (266), DDR400 would run the memory at 200(400) and so on. You can, of course, change these settings manually once you get into the BIOS.

 

[djspeanan]

Back in March, I built an encoding powerhouse with the SINXP1394 and an Intel P4 2.4B (C1-step) and have been very pleased. At the time it was the fastest DDR setup, although I think Intel's 865P might take the crown today. It's been cranking away 24-7 for 2-months now and I have had NO issues except for the very first boot. I did have to use an old stick of memory to change the auto timings to Cas 2.5, then I was able to run:

SINXP-1394 w/DPS enabled (I found it runs the CPU cooler with this 6-phase power opt)
Corsair Twin XMS-3200LL 512mb (2-256mb sticks) @ Dual ch. DDR 385 Cas 2-2-7-2
Intel 2.4B @ 2.7Ghz 145Mhz Bus 1.525v default, retail HSF
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB AGP8X
2-120GB WD JBs
Enermax CS-10182-BBA
4-Enermax Whisper Fans (2-stock Fans)

This machine absolutely screams, and not just the six fans. Gigabyte was smart to put firewire in the name because it is perfect for intensive digital video editing and compression. I didn't think it would run the cpu so cool - under full load only climbs to 42deg C w/stock hsf-- I could probably push the FSB a bit higher for an OC, but oddly I found this setup to run faster than DDR400 in dual ch. mode so I figured I'd stay at 145 for stability.

 

[shock311]

I know that it will run at the settings of the ram, but I was wondering if it will run in dual channel mode with my ddr333?

 

[graziano]

Hi Ketch.

Thanks for responding. The Antec PeformanceII series case I'm looking at comes with a 350W "Smart Power" PS....(not "True Power") I think the TruePower is a little better/newer, but I wonder if it maters as long as it's 350W?

I figured I would need a gig of memory because I'm a graphic artist by trade and use a lot of Photoshop filters, tiff conversions, along with multi-tasking....a step-up from my present 512mb of rambus. But I will certainly consider using 2x256mb if you think it will suffice. About the C2 sticks....I haven't a clue what this means. I have read that many users are recommending the 3200ll or XMS3500 ram ....and not the XMS3200.

I never built a pc.....will reading the manual(and this forum) get me by? Do you see a problem in carrying over any of my old Dell components listed above?



Thanks, graziaino

By the way, the AbitIT7 Max-2 was of my final descisions along with the SINXP1394...nice board also!

 

[Spieldawg]

:beer:

Well I am new here.. But I recently purchased the SINXP Board. I read a few posts back about some problems with the Corsair TWINX 512MB 2700 Ram. This just happens to be the same exact ram that I had purchased. Also I read something about over voltage or something or other as well.

Well this is what I have so far..

Antec 550W TruePower
SinXP MB
Pentium 4 2.66 MHz (Northwood)
512 MB Ram (Corsair TwinX) (256 X2)
Western Digitial Special Edition 80GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM--8MB Cache)
Ati Radeon 9500 Pro 128 MB Ram, 8X AGP
16X DVD-ROM
and a TermalTake Xaser II Case

Just hoping you experienced guys out there might see some conflicts in the stuff i bought

Thanks in advance

Scott

 

[graziano]

Hi Scott,

I just found this forum also. This forum and this other one... http://www.asusboards.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=63/ are two really good forums. If you can't find anything here, try the other forum.

I didn't buy anything yet, but I plan on getting the Antec Performance II SX835II(w 350W smart power PS) case, p4 2.66 CPU, and the SINXP1394 mobo w/ 2 x 512mb OCZ3500El or Corsair3500xms ram.. And then for now, I'll install all other hardware from my 1000mhz Dell PIII and upgrade them a little at a time.

Good Luck
graziano

 

[HghLndrSwrd]

This may be the wrong forum....if so, I apologize in advance. Checking out my stats clearly illustrates newbness. At any rate, I am building my first computer. I just received my stuff from Newegg...and am hoping assembly will start tomorrow. Of course my board is an SINXP-1394 and I will be running a 120GB Seagate Barracuda SATA HD. I read on Gigabytes site in the faq section that I must copy some files from the XP CD in order to complete installation using a SATA drive. Here's where the newbness shines through....Once I have these files on a floppy will I be prompted to insert the disk and install them? If not when do I use these files?

Thanks in Advance

 

[Y23KC]

Originally posted by: HghLndrSwrd
This may be the wrong forum....if so, I apologize in advance. Checking out my stats clearly illustrates newbness. At any rate, I am building my first computer. I just received my stuff from Newegg...and am hoping assembly will start tomorrow. Of course my board is an SINXP-1394 and I will be running a 120GB Seagate Barracuda SATA HD. I read on Gigabytes site in the faq section that I must copy some files from the XP CD in order to complete installation using a SATA drive. Here's where the newbness shines through....Once I have these files on a floppy will I be prompted to insert the disk and install them? If not when do I use these files?

Thanks in Advance

Once you have the SATA controller drivers on floppy, start installation of windows xp. At the very beginning of the installation, it asks you to press F6 to install raid/scsi drivers. Hit F6 and it will ask you which drivers after a few secs of reading from the cd (of course make sure you have the floppy disk with the drivers on it ). Select the driver and continue as usual.

 

[HghLndrSwrd]

I also posted this in Tech support. Should I only run 1 stick of ram to get this going? no clues no clues...

This is what I have:

Antec Sonata Case
Gigabyte GA-SINXP1394
Intel P4 3.06
Kingston Hyper X PC2700 512 x2
120GB Seagate Barracuda Sata
Sony 48x CDRW
Sony Dual Format DVD/+-R&RW
Samaung FDD
Audigy 2 Platinum
ATI AIW9700 Pro
WinXP PRO

I installed the cpu, hsf, and ram. Hooked up power, leds, and front usb ports. Then installed AIW9700. Tried a boot to see and get a black screen. Fans are all running, ram led is on....Read in AIW instructions that it was important to download SIS agp drivers before install. This is of course based around relpacing card in an existing system not a first time build. Please help....I have no clue where to go.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HghLndrSwrd]

Update:

I tried one stick of ram and no dice. I can't help but think it is something to do with the card. That is just a gut feeling I know there are a lot more variables than that! Someone responded to my post in Tech support and suggested I reset the bios. How do i accomplish this when I cannot see it on the monitor. Extreme newbness strikes again!

Thanks

 

[Kasper0]

I have the 8SQ800Ultra board myself. I have managed to get a P4 1.8GHz CPU overclocked to 2.8GHz with 48degrees heat under full load (Prime95) and it runs 31 degrees idle. This thing flies!....i love the board but i wish i could find settings that would work for my ram. I am running OCZ PC3200 dual channel ram and i am running it at "SPD" as i havent been able to find what would work @ 400MHz DDR. I know the ram is spec'd to run at cas 2 400MHz but i dont fully understand the ram timings. Could someone help?! I want to run the ram at spec of cas 2, but am unsure of what to set the remaining "RAS" timings. Could someone with the same setup or someone who is familiar with timings and such or even my ram help me out?!

When i run the ram in Sandra it tells me it is running cas 2.5 -4-4, now this doesnt mean or make much sense to me other than the cas 2.5, anyone?!!

Much appreciated, thank you!

Cheers

 

[shock311]

check out http://www.asusboards.com and look under intel sis chips, then you can get help with the memory issues.

 

[Bad Dude]

To adjust the memory timing, have you guys tried hitting Ctrl then F1. This is how most of the Gigabyte hides their memory timing. I don't have the board so I cannot tell you.

Does this board supports the new HT with 800FSB?
Thanks.

 

[HghLndrSwrd]

Does this board supports the new HT with 800FSB?

Everything I have read here and at the AsusBoards site indicates no. I guess there was some hype that a bios update may be in the works but it has been shot down by some really knowledable individuals.