The Unofficial ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Board Thread

[AMelbye]

Originally posted by: Tuvoc
Maybe a CMOS clear might be a good idea after all ?

My voltages are normal. Normal for the quad core is that this board horribly *UNDERVOLTS* it on auto.

QX6700 default voltage 1.35v. At idle Everest reports 1.28v - 1.30v, immediately an undervolt of .05v, but under load that drops to 1.20 - 1.23 v !! VDroop on this board is horrendous with the quad core CPU. Disgraceful I would describe it... It passes 4 instances of Prime95 and I guess the undervolt keeps temps down a little, but if I wanted to overclock I'd almost certainly have to manually set it higher

Have you tried the vdroop pencile mod? It's fairly simple, just draw a line with a pencil at a certain place on the back of the board, and the voltage will be more stable. if the board should break from doing it (if you did something wrong) just remove the pencil marking before you RMA it, and noone will know the mod was ever done.

 

[Tuvoc]

Originally posted by: AMelbye

Have you tried the vdroop pencile mod? It's fairly simple, just draw a line with a pencil at a certain place on the back of the board, and the voltage will be more stable. if the board should break from doing it (if you did something wrong) just remove the pencil marking before you RMA it, and noone will know the mod was ever done.

No, I don't want to risk modifying it.

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: jeffreydeng

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: jeffreydeng
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: JustaGeek
jeffreydeng,

I would try turning off 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' - perhaps they stay off in hibernation, and that's why you can't wake it up.

Otherwise, if the machine is working fine, leave it alone, you will figure it out later.

I think that CoreTemp does not read the E4300 temps properly, and you are right, there might be the 15C offset. If you don't experience any heat related issues, it is probably OK.
</end quote></div>

Yes, I will continue the investigatio nuntil I figure it out.

</end quote></div>

Cool. As you have said, it is probably one of the Vista drivers.

Good luck!

Finally 'Sleep' works for my Vista machine. My 8500GT came this morning and I replaced 7100GS with it. Nothing else has changed and the 'Sleep' is working now. I am using 158.45 Beta driver from Nvidia instead of using 158.24 for 7100GS. So this is either the VGA board or the driver.

I have read about Vista and S3 issues in the FAQ section of the ASUS Support Web Site - you might want to visit them for some other ideas, but I am glad it finally works.

I think the problem with 7100GS might have been related to Vista mapping of the Video Memory. If I am not mistaken, the 7100GS uses the shared memory ONLY, and does not have dedicated memory on the card, correct...?

But now it is not a problem any more, since the 8500GT works fine...

Good luck!

 

[tvdang7]

Originally posted by: dlxmax
VDROOP MOD IS DONE!!!
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...p=1986142&postcount=53
All you need is a multimeter and pencil. Trimmers are optional but desirable for easy adjustment.

Also, I saw that somebody else with an E4300 posted their 3.6ghz Super-Pi results a few pages back. Think it was stable? Hell no! You can run off one Super-Pi, but if you want to reboot all you have to do is run ORTHOS and wait a couple seconds.

So, I tried my hand. I got up to 3.71ghz (1649fsb/825ram/x9 mult) and scored a 16.063sec score. Couldn't drop below 16 no matter what! Of course, unstable as all hell. Voltage was somewhere approaching 1.6v.

3.256ghz is 15-hour ORTHOS stable for me at a decent 1.40v. 3.264ghz is appearing stable, able may just be the last rung on the ladder before the voltages required start to become ridiculous.

justdid the vdroop mod works great. unlike the vrzone one this one worked for me.

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: Tuvoc

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
UPDATE: Failed boot today, Thursday afternoon, "cold" computer in Air Conditioned environment.

Disabled CPU Internal Thermal Control, boot successfull - will see what happens...
Do you set it on "On" or "Off"...?

Mine is set to enabled, as a safety thing - i.e. this turns throttling on to safeguard the CPU just in case it gets too hot

I think that I have finally "tamed the beast"...

With the new BIOS, I got "infected" with the problems that have "plagued" all the people using post 0202 BIOS versions, including 0401. The 800MHz memory hole with 4 sticks of RAM, and voltage of the Northbridge being too low.

Changed the memory frequency to 867MHz, resulting in the "unlinked" memory divider of 4:3 (325MHz FSB x 4 / 3 = 433.33). Funny thing is that setting the memory frequency to 866 would result in memory showing 845 in BIOS, but 867 would bring it to 866.7MHz. I also relaxed one of the memory subtimings from 20 to 24 (shown in the EPP profile), leavin the rest on Auto, and changed the Northbridge voltage to 1.58V.

It seems like it is really important to find the memory frequency that would fit a simple fraction divider, like 4:3 or 16/13...

Lets just hope it solves the Boot-up problem, and the stability I have experienced with BIOS 0202 continues with 0608.

What a weird motherboard...

 

[dakata24]

anyone have problems with the JMicron ESATA port?

I have a Seagate Freeagent Pro (USB2/ESATA only) that i'm trying to get to run under Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

It was running fine when I was running Windows XP Pro 32-bit but it doesn't see it in Vista.

I have tried everything. I tried the beta Jmicron Vista drivers on Asus' website as well as the latest drivers on JMicron's website.

After installing the drivers, I see an entry in device manager for the JMicron and says it's working properly.

I've tried re-scanning in device manager but no go.

i have bios rev. 0505 installed. i might have to try the latest which is 0608 or something.

any ideas? thanks!

 

[HexiumVII]

Anyone having problems with Vista sleep on this board? Mine spins down the hard drives for half a second and then spins them back up and the computer dies.

 

[Blieb]

Trying to update to 0608 from Vista 64:

"Fail to reserve DMI data in eeprom. Please press [FLASH] button to try again or [EXIT] to abort."

WTFBBQ!?!?!


EDIT:

Ran the updater from bios utility ... used a USB drive ...

 

[Tuvoc]

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
What a weird motherboard...

Indeed

I decided to have a bit of a play...

Memory 711
CPU 266 x 10 = 2.66 stock speed
= passes memtest

Memory 711
CPU 266 x 11 = 2.93 overclocked
= gives an error on memtest test 6 !!

OK memtest failures are not always memory - can be northbridge etc
But this did surprise me. Memtest did show slightly higher bandwidth at the 11 multiplier, but heck 711 is way under the rated 800 for my RAM. I doubt the memory is giving the error

CPU and northbridge volts are on auto.

I'll either:
- have to give the CPU more voltage (unlikely to be necessary)
- give the northbridge a bit more
- give the memory a bit more
- or slow the memory to say 667

Weird board indeed.... as far as I know, increasing the multiplier should have no effect on anything else

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: Tuvoc

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
What a weird motherboard...

Indeed

I decided to have a bit of a play...

Memory 711
CPU 266 x 10 = 2.66 stock speed
= passes memtest

Memory 711
CPU 266 x 11 = 2.93 overclocked
= gives an error on memtest test 6 !!

OK memtest failures are not always memory - can be northbridge etc
But this did surprise me. Memtest did show slightly higher bandwidth at the 11 multiplier, but heck 711 is way under the rated 800 for my RAM. I doubt the memory is giving the error

CPU and northbridge volts are on auto.

I'll either:
- have to give the CPU more voltage (unlikely to be necessary)
- give the northbridge a bit more
- give the memory a bit more
- or slow the memory to say 667

Weird board indeed.... as far as I know, increasing the multiplier should have no effect on anything else

You know what... just for the heck of it, try my settings!

Lower the multiplier to 9
Set the VCore to 1.325V - if you can, or just stick to the spec for the Quad Core...
Set the Memory Voltage to 2.08V, or if you can, the next higher...
Set the Northbridge Voltage to 1.58V
Set the FSB to 1300
Set the memory to 867 (not 866! - you should see 866.7 below, 867 will give you that)
Set the LDT Multiplier to 4x

Hopefully... enjoy!

All these values are within a reason, the NB might seem high, but the max NB temp as I measured with my infrared thermometer was ~50C, after running 3DMark06.

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: HexiumVII
Anyone having problems with Vista sleep on this board? Mine spins down the hard drives for half a second and then spins them back up and the computer dies.

We have done some troubleshooting with "jeffreydeng" on page 191 - please read the posts, I hope it helps.

Bottom line - uncheck "allow this device to bring the computer out of standby" for all the devices that you can find the "Power Management" tab in Device Manager.

Also, read the FAQ section on S1 & S3 in Vista on ASUS Support Website. It is a known Vista problem - conflicts with some drivers...

 

[tvdang7]

so how do i turn the computer on using keyboard or mouse? doesnt seem to turn on.

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: Blieb
Trying to update to 0608 from Vista 64:

"Fail to reserve DMI data in eeprom. Please press [FLASH] button to try again or [EXIT] to abort."

WTFBBQ!?!?!


EDIT:

Ran the updater from bios utility ... used a USB drive ...

I wish I could help you. 7 years, 2131 posts - that's impressive!

Kudos to you!

Now... is your machine Orthos and Memtest stable? If it's not, that may be a reason...

I did my BIOS update in Windows, but I don't think the ASUS update work in 64 bit Vista...

Did you do it from within the BIOS...?

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: tvdang7
so how do i turn the computer on using keyboard or mouse? doesnt seem to turn on.

You should always be able to turn it on, or resume from Standby or Hibernate using the Power Switch.

You can re-enable the "resume" for the keyboard or the mouse when you identify what causes problems...

I would try either-or (keyboard or mouse) to begin with, but see if it works with the Power Switch first, with everything else disabled.

 

[Blieb]

Originally posted by: JustaGeek

Originally posted by: Blieb
Trying to update to 0608 from Vista 64:

"Fail to reserve DMI data in eeprom. Please press [FLASH] button to try again or [EXIT] to abort."

WTFBBQ!?!?!

EDIT:

Ran the updater from bios utility ... used a USB drive ...

I wish I could help you. 7 years, 2131 posts - that's impressive!

Kudos to you!

Now... is your machine Orthos and Memtest stable? If it's not, that may be a reason...

I did my BIOS update in Windows, but I don't think the ASUS update work in 64 bit Vista...

Did you do it from within the BIOS...?

Yeah, I ran the update utility from bios option.

I've been following this thread for about a week and a half now ... I have the following setup:

Antec Nine Hundred
ENERMAX 500WT LIBERTY PSU
ASUS P5N-E SLI
Intel Core2 Duo 6600 2.4 ghz (w/Zalman 9700)
4 GB Mushkin DDR2 800 4-5-4-11
Sony NEC Optiarc 7170A
Seagate SATA 250gb
Sapphire X1950XT 512mb Video Card

My story is REALLY LONG!!! NO CLIFFS!

Original XP won't load out of the box.
XP loaded with SP2 OK.

I ran Windows XP 32 w/ SP2 fine for 1 day. Before formatting to make way for Vista 32, I flashed the stock bios with 0401.

Vista 32 was somewhat unstable until I updated most of the drivers.

I formatted and went for Vista 64. Very unstable. Played with drivers, memory timings and voltages until it was stable (I thought).

Ran 3 different memory checkers, different stress tests, etc. All checked out ok. Got BSOD's out the arse.

Went back to Win XP 32 w/ SP2. Also got BSOD now.

Got a few more BSOD's. Cleared CMOS. Got less BSOD's. Loaded Vista 64 back up again.

Couldn't flash BIOS from Vista. Changed BIOS back to stock, couldn't boot up 64.

Just tonight loaded 0608 and it seems A LOT better so far *knock on wood*.

At this point I'm afraid to load the latest & greatest drivers. I can't reproduce the BSOD's, at this stage they're random.

I have the voltages bumped up a little and the memory timing to Mushkin spec ...

This has been a pretty good nightmare. If it was just the BIOS enhanced memory capabilities, I will jump for joy!

-Blieb

For your sanity and my lack of, I left out a ton of various downloads and reading:
PFN_LIST_CORRUPT
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
networkio.sys
tcpip.sys
classpnp.sys
and countless other BSOD's I received in various environments.

 

[Blieb]

And shortly after just posting I took a dump ...


IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Stack dump didn't write ... :\

 

[Shampoo]

Hey Blieb, it's your 4gb of ram and the speed you're running it at.

I had the same problems with vista 32bit and winxp.

Everything would run okay, and then all of a sudden it would bluescreen even after a succesful 24 hour run of orthos.

Vista is even more sensitive so it would blue screen like mad.

If you read in previous posts about my experiences with 4gb of ram on this board you'd know that this board just doesn't like running 4gb of ram at certain speeds with certain ram.

One poster is A-Okay with his 4gb of ram at 800MHz, but the vast majority of us are not.

I'm at 875MHz with 4-4-4-12, 2T timings and I'm all good.

Give it a try. Play with loose timings and higher ram speeds, it should remedy your problem.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Blieb]

Shampoo,

Thanks man, I'll give that a try tonight!

We need to add some of this info to page 1 or 92!!!

I'll report back

 

[JustaGeek]

OK, I understand that you are running XP and Vista in a dual boot setup. I did that last year (RC1), but before I "Repair Install"-ed XP, I got rid of the Vista Loader. Read a lot about Vista loader conflicts with XP boot files, where even installation of XP would not be possible without the removal of that "stuff". It does something to the Master Boot Record on the HD.

To be able to use the Hard Drive for the XP again, you have to uninstall the Boot Loader. Read this, I hope it applies to the 'regular" Vista, too, not only RC1.

http://www.istartedsomething.c...for-dual-boot-with-xp/

I originally could not uninstall the 64 bit boot loader with the 32 bit uninstaller, but luckily had an un-installer on the DVD.

If you want to keep both XP and Vista, figure out how to do the XP Repair Install, with Vista Loader present. I don't even know if it is possible.

But before you do anything, remove 2 GB of your RAM, and get the machine stable with only 2 sticks - very important! Apparently the black slots are more stable than yellow ones, but getting it stable with only 2GB is the key.

There are huge stability problems on this board with 4 sticks at 800MHz, but 2 should be OK. Try to increase the Northbridge voltage to 1.58V, set the processor voltage to the specified values manually (1.325V for my E6600), set all the memory timings manually in BIOS with 2T Command rate.

I would suggest getting it stable with only one OS installed - either XP (easier!) or Vista. Since you've had nothing but problems, I do not think that you've installed too many games/applications.

Let me know how you are planning to approach it. And I do not think that HD format fixes the mess in the "mbr" caused by Vista installation...

 

[Blieb]

I haven't been dual booting

I've been playing back and forth with clean installs ... :X

I've got Vista 64 going right now, so I'd like to stay with that if possible ...

I'm going to try Shampoo's 875MHz with 4-4-4-12 2T

I think have my NB up, I'll make sure it's at 1.58 and will try CPU 1.325 ...

I suppose I should also add ... at this point I'm not even trying to OC ... just trying to make 'er stop BSOD'in' on my face!

Thanks Justa & Shampoo!

 

[Blieb]

Ok, new settings:

Voltages:
NBCore 1.563 (there was no 1.58)
CPU 1.325
Mem 2.178
Vcore Offset [Auto]

Memory
4-4-4-12-2T
Mem 875
FSB 1066

Mushkin Suggested Advanced Memory Settings:
tRRD 3
tRC 28
tWR 6
tWTR 11
tREF auto
tRD 5
tRFC 42 (to 62)
async latency auto

 

[JustaGeek]

Try the setting anywhere above 860MHz, one that you would see that the motherboard has "accepted". It needs to find a divider that is a simple fraction.

In my case, entering 866MHz would give me 845 reading below, but 867 gave me 866.7, with the divider 4:3 RAM:FSB.

Yours will be different, of course, with the FSB of 266.7, but make sure that the "chosen" frequency is the "accepted" frequency, too.

 

[JustaGeek]

My G.Skill seems to work best with the subtimings on "Auto". When I tried the subtimings suggested by them, they were so tight that my computer froze a few times.

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: Blieb
Ok, new settings:

Voltages:
NBCore 1.563 (there was no 1.58)
CPU 1.325
Mem 2.178
Vcore Offset [Auto]

Memory
4-4-4-12-2T
Mem 875
FSB 1066

Mushkin Suggested Advanced Memory Settings:
tRRD 3
tRC 28
tWR 6
tWTR 11
tREF auto
tRD 5
tRFC 42 (to 62)
async latency auto

Let us know how it all works out...

 

[Shampoo]

Yeup, just go ahead with what JustaGeek said above.

I would also stay with Auto settings for the subtimings.

On a side note. I received a typical sales newsletter from futureshop and I'm in shock.

An HP multimedia system with a QUAD CORE Q6600 with 3GB of ram for only 1599 and that includes a 22" Samsung 226BW.

WHOA

I know, I know it's just an HP with limited bios options etc, etc, but a quad core system for only 1599 including a great 22" LCD monitor.

Holy moly man.

If I find out anyone I know got one I'm going to go swap processors with them, if it's just going to be a generic family computer, because heck they won't need a quad core. My E6420 will be plenty.

I'm just itching for a Quad just because I itch for anything new to come out. I just recently finished off my Core2Duo system and already I'm thinking about changing boards and going with a Quad.

I have a sickness.

Edit:: Oh yeah that's 1599 CDN.
CDN = CANADIAN DOLLARS