The Unofficial ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Board Thread

[Tyrantt00]

Originally posted by: zingero84
What is the difference between linked and synced anyways? Does one have an advantage over the other?

Linked is when the memory speed is dependent on the FSB speed of the CPU.

Unlinked gives off the illusion that said dependency is no longer there. So you can define different speeds for the CPU and RAM. This helps in that the RAM would almost a non-factor when it comes to overclocking the CPU.

 

[Genuine Imitation]

Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: Core2

Originally posted by: akaliel
Hey guys. I finally got 3.2Ghz running stable. Woohoo! However, no a new problem. Because the new Vista 8800GTX drivers are so suck-tastic I'm going to put XP on this PC for a few months/years. However, what happens is after XP does it's initial file copy and reboots for the first time I get a BSOD as soon as it tries to load windows. I've ruled out the harddrive as a problem. I'm afraid it's gotta be the motherboard. Is there anything special I'm supposed to be doing?

Did you do any hardware changes? What bios are you using?

also if it is still OC'ed i would recommend saving that as one of your bios profiles and then install XP with the cpu and mem at normal speeds. always a good idea.

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: Notnow
Core2 and Nevets Drassel,

Thanks...

I know... if i am using the BLUE Slot then the Red SLI card has to be in the Single Video Card should be 16X, but 8X :-(

Tomorrow I will try another Video...

P.S.
I have PSU with 20pin connector... maybe problem in this connector?

personally i wouldn't worry about it too much. i know both your vid card and MB support it. fact is not even an 8800gtx in sli seems to need that much bandwidth.

unfortunately other than an incompatibility I can think of nothing to change it. it certainly doesn't seem to be selectable in the bios. what MB drivers are you using? and vid card?

i have the drivers for my vid and MB right from the nvidia site.

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

looking great!!!

 

[adder1971]

I'd like to thank core2 (John) for sticking with this thread and providing a wealth of info, not just about this board but OC'ing tips in general.

Kudos Man!!

 

[shapkahead]

I apologize for not reading every post in this thread before posting myself, but I couldn't see any problems similar to mine from scanning the pages.

I have several problems, and I think the P5N-E SLI is at the heart of them.

1) I can't overclock AT ALL. In fact, I can't run my RAM at its rated speeds, even at relaxed timings and 2T. My best overclock so far: 300MHz FSB! Lousy, especially considering the fact that I bought my components specifically for overclocking. I have run linked, unlinked, etc., disabled extraneous BIOS options, and nothing works. I even took the voltages higher than I was comfortable doing.

2) PSU issues. ASUS and Antec still don't play well together. I thought maybe my PSU was limiting my overclock, but when I upgraded to the Neo HE, the system became totally erratic. It powers up about once out of ten times when I press the power button. It's solid once it's on, but I'm nervous about ever turning it off!

3) 0401 issues. I flashed to 0401 hoping that would solve my PSU issues (or the overclocking issues), but boy, was I wrong. Regardless of the timings, I couldn't for the life of me get the computer stable. I was lucky if Windows actually booted up, and if it did, it conked out when I just tried to open CPU-Z or something. Same thing with 0307. Only 0202 is stable for me, and that's only at very slow speeds.

Any ideas? I'm guessing I have a faulty component somewhere, but I can't figure out if it's the RAM or the mobo. When I try to raise them independently, I find that neither the RAM nor the mobo will permit high speeds (memory or FSB, I mean).

Hasn't anyone else had issues with 0401? That thing was the kiss of death for my machine. I'm not very pleased with ASUS right now.

 

[Genuine Imitation]

Originally posted by: shapkahead
I apologize for not reading every post in this thread before posting myself, but I couldn't see any problems similar to mine from scanning the pages.

I have several problems, and I think the P5N-E SLI is at the heart of them.

1) I can't overclock AT ALL. In fact, I can't run my RAM at its rated speeds, even at relaxed timings and 2T. My best overclock so far: 300MHz FSB! Lousy, especially considering the fact that I bought my components specifically for overclocking. I have run linked, unlinked, etc., disabled extraneous BIOS options, and nothing works. I even took the voltages higher than I was comfortable doing.

2) PSU issues. ASUS and Antec still don't play well together. I thought maybe my PSU was limiting my overclock, but when I upgraded to the Neo HE, the system became totally erratic. It powers up about once out of ten times when I press the power button. It's solid once it's on, but I'm nervous about ever turning it off!

3) 0401 issues. I flashed to 0401 hoping that would solve my PSU issues (or the overclocking issues), but boy, was I wrong. Regardless of the timings, I couldn't for the life of me get the computer stable. I was lucky if Windows actually booted up, and if it did, it conked out when I just tried to open CPU-Z or something. Same thing with 0307. Only 0202 is stable for me, and that's only at very slow speeds.

Any ideas? I'm guessing I have a faulty component somewhere, but I can't figure out if it's the RAM or the mobo. When I try to raise them independently, I find that neither the RAM nor the mobo will permit high speeds (memory or FSB, I mean).

Hasn't anyone else had issues with 0401? That thing was the kiss of death for my machine. I'm not very pleased with ASUS right now.

Have you reset the bios since the flash? Remove battery, switch jumper. I didn't at first and had major stability issues until I cleared it.

 

[Core2]

Reserved for future Guide

I think we should all submit our little tips on system building. I will update this post with them and note the page for reference.

 

[Core2]

Tips Section

Moved to the Top

 

[Genuine Imitation]

Core2 are you talking general pc building tips or tips specifically for this board?

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Core2 are you talking general pc building tips or tips specifically for this board?

Doesn't matter when somebody makes up a guide or other information I will put them in the proper category. I'm just trying to setup some quick area the we can point people to so we don't have to repeat or posts

 

[DeadMan3000]

Parts just arrived. Won't have a chance to put it together until later this afternoon (Dental appointment). Wish me luck

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: DeadMan3000
Parts just arrived. Won't have a chance to put it together until later this afternoon (Dental appointment). Wish me luck

Welcome Aboard DeadMan3000
Good Luck! Take your time and you'll be fine

 

[Genuine Imitation]

Originally posted by: Core2

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Core2 are you talking general pc building tips or tips specifically for this board?

Doesn't matter when somebody make up a guide or other information I will put them in the proper category. I'm just trying to setup some quick area the we can point people to so we don't have to repeat or posts

Ok, where to begin. Well I guess all the way at the beginning.

The first thing I do after the UPS/Fedex/whoever guy drops off my stuff I unbox it and make sure that I got everything and all of it is correct.

Then I only take the parts out of their respective packages when I'm ready to install them. If you bought a shiny new 8800GTX, leave it in the box till your ready for it to avoid any accidents!

I then proceed to inspect my motherboard and take pictures to send to my friends who love hardware as much as me. That's optional But I look for any loose caps or other signs of visual damage. For this board I then popped off the NB heatsink and cleaned it up and applied some arctic ceramique, or whatever paste you like, but I like to use something non-conductive for naked chips, ie no IHS on them.

For this board I also installed an evercool VC-RE over the southbridge. While an excellent cooler and is small enough to allow SLI, it was an absolute biatch to get installed. Extensive dremel work with a ceramique cutting disc was required to get it to fit around the capacitors and other assorted components around that southbridge. But it was fun, and I like a good dremel adventure.

I then open up the new cpu, clean it, then put on the thermal paste. PLEASE leave the little black cover on the backside just in case you have any paste on your fingers. Then drop it into the socket and latch it down. Repeat with HSF, clean, apply paste if needed, install onto mobo.

Install the ram. Now I'm ready to put it into my case. If you have a mobo tray I would now put it on the tray and then into the case.

With the mobo in I then drop in my video card. Plug in my optical drives into the IDE ports. I'll then hook up my case leads for power, reset, all those. I then plug in all power cables and fans. I then double check that I've got them all properly seated and I didn't miss any like the 6pin to the video card if you need that one. I do NOT plug in the HD's until after it performs its first boot.

With that done I'm ready for a dry run. Plug in the power cord and cross your fingers. I then jump straight into the bios and go to the hardware monitor to make sure my cpu temp isn't running away on me. If its ok, and I need to install an new OS I'll change the boot order while I'm there. I'll then shutdown, plug in HD's and start installing the OS. The reason I don't plug in the HD's right away is to eliminate a potential problem that I might have to deal with later. Boards that don't boot can be very frustrating to diagnose, so I think its a cautionary step. Also notice that I didn't say I changed anything else in the bios, NO OVERCLOCKING till the OS is installed! Borking your OS install cause of overclocking will result in an unstable environment regardless of settings.

Now that you're up and running, you can start overclocking, which I'm sure other people will cover.

My 2 cents so far

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: DeadMan3000
Parts just arrived. Won't have a chance to put it together until later this afternoon (Dental appointment). Wish me luck

good luck!

 

[adder1971]

good article for anyone looking to spend some serious cash on very high end memory

seems best to put that money in a better vid card

PC2-10000

its only $650 from the egg. lol

 

[nitrotg]

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

I see im not the only one with a mobile disco

Wondering.. everyone are putting the fan ob the SB.. i have put it on the NB.. man i wrong or??

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: nitrotg

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

I see im not the only one with a mobile disco

Wondering.. everyone are putting the fan ob the SB.. i have put it on the NB.. man i wrong or??

NB needs it more than the SB. can't hurt to put one on both but I can't see the SB needing one. It doesn't get OC'ed so it should be fine.

 

[Genuine Imitation]

Originally posted by: adder1971

Originally posted by: nitrotg

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

I see im not the only one with a mobile disco

Wondering.. everyone are putting the fan ob the SB.. i have put it on the NB.. man i wrong or??

NB needs it more than the SB. can't hurt to put one on both but I can't see the SB needing one. It doesn't get OC'ed so it should be fine.

That's true, but the main reason I went with an active cooler is cause my board is inverted as you can see in those pics. So I don't have good airflow up there. I'd rather it be overcooled than undercooled.

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation

Originally posted by: adder1971

Originally posted by: nitrotg

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

I see im not the only one with a mobile disco

Wondering.. everyone are putting the fan ob the SB.. i have put it on the NB.. man i wrong or??

NB needs it more than the SB. can't hurt to put one on both but I can't see the SB needing one. It doesn't get OC'ed so it should be fine.

That's true, but the main reason I went with an active cooler is cause my board is inverted as you can see in those pics. So I don't have good airflow up there. I'd rather it be overcooled than undercooled.

thats a good lookin install, especially the cooling system!!

 

[Genuine Imitation]

Originally posted by: adder1971

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation

Originally posted by: adder1971

Originally posted by: nitrotg

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation
Hey everyone I got around to getting some pics of what I put together. Enjoy!

Oh, and they're not cropped at all, 56k need not apply.

Link

I see im not the only one with a mobile disco

Wondering.. everyone are putting the fan ob the SB.. i have put it on the NB.. man i wrong or??

NB needs it more than the SB. can't hurt to put one on both but I can't see the SB needing one. It doesn't get OC'ed so it should be fine.

That's true, but the main reason I went with an active cooler is cause my board is inverted as you can see in those pics. So I don't have good airflow up there. I'd rather it be overcooled than undercooled.

thats a good lookin install, especially the cooling system!!

Thanks, watercooling is really fun, but man its a pain in the butt sometimes too. Moving from a DFI nf4 board to an asus intel board was a pretty big change because I had to drain the loop, take all the tubing out, disassemble the old parts, reassemble current parts, retube everything, mix and fill, leak test, and then finally power it up. If the cpu sockets and 1st video card slot had been in the same spot I might have been ok, but they weren't. Oh well, the WC can handle anything that the c2d and even c4quad can put out right now. Its definitely not for people that like to drop things in and out all the time. And its not cheap if you want to do it properly. But it definitely found a place in my PC.

 

[Nevets Drassel]

Been trying to find my stable high OC and I am now settled in at 3600. Have run ORTHOS for more than 16 hours now with no faults (and I know that this still doesn't mean that I am stable yet). I have not yet even begun to mess with the memory. I am still at stock on the memory at 4-4-4-12 2T. My NB is 1.53v, Mem 1.92v (even though it is rated at 2.1 to 2.3 v) and the CPU is currently at 1.45 + 100mv. I still have to see if I can lower the NB voltage one notch.

Here are some shots:

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3


The FedEx man arrived just now with my Crucial Ballistics.

2-1GB 240-PIN UNBUFF DIMM 128Mx64 DDR2
PC2-6400 CL4
Kit of 2 BL12864AA804.16FB3 (I wonder what 16FB3 means)?
Kit No BL2KIT12864AA804.000

Batch: CL11179.88
P/N: 76677

Cant wait to try them.

 

[adder1971]

Originally posted by: Nevets Drassel
Been trying to find my stable high OC and I am now settled in at 3600. Have run ORTHOS for more than 16 hours now with no faults (and I know that this still doesn't mean that I am stable yet). I have not yet even begun to mess with the memory. I am still at stock on the memory at 4-4-4-12 2T. My NB is 1.53v, Mem 1.92v (even though it is rated at 2.1 to 2.3 v) and the CPU is currently at 1.45 + 100mv. I still have to see if I can lower the NB voltage one notch.

Here are some shots:

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3


The FedEx man arrived just now with my Crucial Ballistics.

2-1GB 240-PIN UNBUFF DIMM 128Mx64 DDR2
PC2-6400 CL4
Kit of 2 BL12864AA804.16FB3 (I wonder what 16FB3 means)?
Kit No BL2KIT12864AA804.000

Batch: CL11179.88
P/N: 76677

Cant wait to try them.

nice going nevets, good info in there too.

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: Genuine Imitation

Thanks, watercooling is really fun, but man its a pain in the butt sometimes too. Moving from a DFI nf4 board to an asus intel board was a pretty big change because I had to drain the loop, take all the tubing out, disassemble the old parts, reassemble current parts, retube everything, mix and fill, leak test, and then finally power it up. If the cpu sockets and 1st video card slot had been in the same spot I might have been ok, but they weren't. Oh well, the WC can handle anything that the c2d and even c4quad can put out right now. Its definitely not for people that like to drop things in and out all the time. And its not cheap if you want to do it properly. But it definitely found a place in my PC.[/quote]

I'm going with the VapoChill LightSpeed Aluminum Black myself. I am through fooling around. I have two of their VapoChill Micro HSF and they work good.