Where Are The Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboards?

[eklock2000]

Good news Blazer...

Anyone have any suggestions about exactly where to place thermal sensors on this mobo? I'm looking to get a reading on the NB/SB and am wondering about where the most accurate measurements would come from?

Also, has anyone removed the CrazyCool setup? If so, is it possible to disassemble the SB heatsink?

Hope everyone is doing well...glad to see this Board is still a "hot topic"!

Thanks,

EK2K

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Afternoon Everyone.

I've just been sitting here quietly in my little doghouse, watching all you folks discuss various tweaks, etc for these boards. According to some usually reliable sources, you should have a significantly upgraded BIOS, and a whole new set of nVidia graphics (8800) and chipset (680i) drivers, etc to play with in about a week or so.

With any luck, as Mr. Blazer graciously pointed out, the Quad-Core 1333 FSB proc will become a reality for this board, as well as Teaming and Dualnet. The upgraded 8800 driver set should also help the OC situation on the board as well. So, as I said, with a little luck, the performance boost that we have been waiting for will occur shortly.

Out trusted colleague, Mr. Gary, will likely be giving us an advanced look at these things as the creep out from under the NDA, etc. So, stay tuned. It's likely to be a bit of an exciting ride in the next few weeks. And always remember to fasten your seat belts when you fly those OCed rigs! Best regards. TheBeagle

 

[cdfire]

Hey Beagle, any word on a 680i chipset driver for XP? I have heard Vista, but no word on XP.

 

[Smitty1705]

That's good news! I'm so glad we are going to see some updates for the QC and 8800. MAYBE... just MAYBE I will try going back to Vista since the beta service pack is due out soon!

Smitty

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello Mr. CD and Mr. Smitty.

I didn't hear anything specific about XP improvements (but I was only inquiring about Vista when I spoke to my source), so I can't speak to that at the moment. However, it would seem that NV would likely reconstitute their drivers for XP as well. I'll ask my source about that in the near future.

With regard to Vista (64 bit that is), it has been GREAT!! Stable as a rock, and very accommodating for just about any 32 bit application, and drivers are now readily available for most peripherals. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be able to utilize all their 4 Mgs or more of memory, and wants stability over the long haul. Sure, it PRESENTLY is not quite as mature as XP (32 bit), but with the patches and upcoming service pack, it will then hold its own against any other forms of Windows. The slight present advantage of XP is transient at best. Basically, if you have a 64 bit proc and 4+ Mgs of memory, you would be somewhat myopic to not go now with a 64 bit OS.

Anyway, we may have some more info later this evening, or tomorrow for sure. My Secret Agent associates tell me that there are "discussions" taking place as I write this posting. Stay tuned. The Best to Everyone. TheBeagle :beer:

 

[Blazer7]

It seems that Mr Beagle is well informed. :thumbsup:

There are new Geforce 8 series "beta drivers" at nvidia's site. Release date is July 11.
The drivers are for Vista 32-64bit only. No XP drivers yet but from what I've heard and from the fact that the last beta were released not a tenday ago, they are on the way.


http://www.nzone.com/object/nz...s_rel70betadriver.html

regards

Blazer

 

[Smitty1705]

Beagle -

I haven't had a chance to play with Vista 64 yet, but i'm curious what you think compared to XP 32 bit? Performance wise do you see quite a bit of difference? Agreed, it would be nice to be able to take advantage of the full processor as well as the 4 gig of memory! I tend to use my machine for gaming so as long as the games run well under it I think it sounds like a pretty good idea.

Smitty

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello Mr. Smitty.

I haven't had an extraordinary amount of experience with games under Vista 64, but what I've tried all worked just fine. From a speed perspective, I think that Vista 64 is actually faster than WinXP. Maybe that's due to the very advanced memory controller structure, etc that is part of Vista 64 or something else, but it's damn fast for me. I just replaced my video card with an 8800 GTX last evening, and that really makes things fly around.

It is obvious that things are definitely headed in the 64 bit direction, and at quite a lively pace. And since you can't upgrade an existing OS from 32 to 64 bits without doing a complete install, it just makes sense to do it now, if you have the hardware to handle it. That's the best info I can offer at this time. However, you can be assured that if I was experiencing any significant problems with Vista 64, I sure wouldn't be advocating its use here on the Forum!

Have a GREAT day! TheBeagle

 

[Warpx9]

I've played GRAW, the Lost Planet DX10 Demo, and just finished Splinter Cell-Double Agent in Vista x64 Ultimate without any problems, loved the graphics my 8800GTX can pump out. I've used both Vista Ultimate 32bit & 64bit versions, and I haven't gone back to 32bit since I loaded the 64bit version. Been running the 64bit version for over 2 months now without a problem.

 

[GriMRapeR]

Hi there guys and girls.

Well I have my rig up and running and I have achieved a reasonable overclock (for my n00bish standards) on air and still using the standard Intel CPU fan (mind you I have a CoolerMaster 830 stacker Evo with 9 fans. Case temp is 23C) Anyway I am running an E6700 @ 3.42GHz and CPU temp is stable at 41C.

http://img.photobucket.com/alb...riM_RapeR/ocd3.4gb.jpg

Big thanks to Mr.Beagle for his numerous informative posts which have helped me learn to overclock. Also a big thanks to all the others who have made this thread the most informative thread I have seen. This is a great motherboard and this thread has been fantastic to learn all about it. I just ran 3DMark05 and got 18224 and then got 11004 on 3DMark06. Like I said I am still new to this so I am not sure if those are good scores or not.

I do have one problem though......

I am running XP Pro 32bit and Vista Home Premium 32bit as a dual boot setup. I have 4Gb of OCZ DDR2 1066MHz PC2-8500 SLI Edition RAM (2 x 2048 dual channel kits) but for some reason in both XP and Vista it shows that I only have 2.75Gb of RAM. Also in 3Dmark06 it shows that I have only 2.8Gb of RAM. In CPU-Z its showing 533Mhz instead of 1066MHz, I'm still a n00b so I'm not sure if this is correct or not but it is showing the RAM I have as PC6400 800MHz when it shows the part number of my RAM which is PC8500 1066MHz. Here are some screen shots.
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...RapeR/ocd3.4gbRAM1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...RapeR/ocd3.4gbRAM2.jpg

I am running the RAM voltage @2.2V (or +.0400) CPU voltage @1.4500V FSB=381 x9
Oh, and I'm running the F3 BIOS on a Rev1 board.
How do I fix this???? Any help would be appreciated guys. Thanks.

 

[Blazer7]

GriMRapeR, welcome to the thread.

Do not worry about cpu-z showing that your memory is PC6400. It does so with mine also. Cpu-z reports the speed correctly 533MHz x 2 = 1066 (DDR = double data rate).

As for the 2.8GB issue, this is a bit technical but I'll try to put it simple. It has to do with the addressing of 32bit operating systems. If you switch to 64bit OS you won't have any problems addressing the whole 4GB and even more. With 32bit OSs like XP or Vista 32 you can't do that. In these OSs the max you can have allocated is 2.8 to 3.5GB and that has to do with the rest of your setup and how much RAM is allocated to other devices (VGAs, Sound Cards etc).

hope this helps

Blazer

 

[Blazer7]

Mr GriMRapeR,

Ref my previous post, the 32bit OSs can address up to 4GB of RAM but cannot allocate all of this for use by programs. This is mainly because many devices require memory mapping in order to work. This is why you cannot access the whole 4GB. Like you I'm running 4GB @1066 under XP, or was before I sold my E6600. Now and for the next 10 days I'm stuck with an old Acer travelmate 202T.

 

[nister969]

Hey guys and gals, wanted to say that the last 52 pages have been a great resource and help with my build. I've been trying to OC my system, I have the following a E6700 CPU and Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 4GB=4x1GB sticks at +0.40 volts, and I am using the F4 and F5B BIOS's.

I have been able to OC the CPU to 3.34GHZ with all the settings I need to have off (per reading the forum i.e. spread spectrum,C1E,TM2,EIST,etc. ), but cannot OC the memory. Everytime I attempt to make changes unlinked and reboot I get either the dreaded long beep or my system uses the backup BIOS to boot disregarding my changes I just made.

I've noticed that in CPU-Z in the SPD tab my memory has 1000Mhz settings, but I have been unable to get to this speed. My memory only shows up as 400.7Mhz instead of 500Mhz. Am I missing something that I may have not done from reading the last 52 pages I've gone over twice. Your help would be greatly appreciated, I've been at it for a week now without success.

Here are some more of my settings:
CPU Multiplier = 10x
FSB = 334
Memory Ratio = Auto
x SLI-Ready Memory [Disabled]
FSB - Memory Clock Mode [Linked]
x FSB - Memory Ratio [Auto]
DDR2 Voltage Control [+ .400]
CPU Voltage set 1.425 volts

 

[eklock2000]

I too am getting the dreaded long beep, but at a much more basic stage. I have not been able to OC yet despite reading Nvidia's OCing guide and every page of this thread. I tried Beagle's settings as outlined on page 45 of this thread but got the "backup BIOS" forced boot.

I got the long beep when I changed just the following and tried to boot...

CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) - Disabled
Enable CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) - Disabled
CPU EIST Function - Disabled
Virt. Tech. - Disabled
System Voltage Control - Manual...with all settings below it at "Normal"

Everything else was pretty much stock in the BIOS. Any advice? Just interested in a "mild overclock".

System

GAN680iSLI-DQ6, Rev. 1, F3
Intel E6600 w/ Zalman 9700
eVGA 8800GTX w/ 158.19 forceware
Crucial Ballistix PC2-8000 (BL2KIT12864AA1005)
Corsair CMPSU 620HX
Antec900
WinXP SP2

 

[Blazer7]

Mr nister969,

Is by any chance your memory SLI ready ?

What are your current timings ?

Have you tried anything with just 1 pair ?

It would be also very helpful to know Crucial's part number.

 

[cdfire]

I to get that long beep sometimes when changing just about anything. I had thought it was when changing ram voltage, even though I am within spec of the ram, but it has happened on things such as simply disabling something. This has happened with all versions of the BIOS for this board. It will however take whatever setting I change with a reboot after the long beep. I have also gotten the long beep upon BIOS updates, I should say on the reboot after updating the BIOS.

 

[nister969]

Originally posted by: Blazer7
Mr nister969,

Is by any chance your memory SLI ready ?
What are your current timings ?
Have you tried anything with just 1 pair ?
It would be also very helpful to know Crucial's part number.

Yes, it is EPP SLI Ready Memory
4-4-4-12 @2.2V
No, just the 2 pair kits together.
Part# BL2KIT12864AA804 (for both kits)

Thanks for your help

 

[Kaptdeath]

Cdfire,

I had the same memory you have now and I was unable to do anything with it besides run stock speed (400MHz or 800Mhz dual channel). I think I did get about a 20Mhz overclock at one point. Ended up donating it to my dad.

Ninster,

This is what worked for me.

Manually set tCL, tRCD and tRP to 5. (They are the first 3 memory timing listed in the BIOS.) Set tRAS to 15. Leave the bottom timings set at "AUTO". Manually set the memory voltage to +.4 (1.8+.4=2.2). Restart the machine at stock speed and make sure it boots and runs ok. Next start increasing the memory clock. When you run unlinked you will notice that the actual memory clock does not increase in synch with the memory clock you set. Bump the timing until the actual inceases to the next "level". Repeat until unstable (or you are happy). I would suggest a bootable version of Memtest86 for testing each setting.

Blazer7,

It doesn't look like my memory will support the tight timings (anything less than 5 5 5 15) that you have (bummer ). I am curious what kind of memory bandwidth you are getting. (Just so I know what I am missing out on.)

Kapt'n

 

[Blazer7]

Mr nister969,

I can say that I expected that. Since your mem is SLI ready it is no wonder that you have a 1GHz SPD setting. What you see in cpu-z is your normal SPD settings along with the EPP setting.

Since this is an nVidia based board that supports EPP memory you should be able to use your memory's EPP setting of 1000. What you have to do is find the SLI-Ready memory option in BIOS. This is in the System Clock Setting sub menu of the MB Intelligent Tweaker screen. There you will have to play a little with the cpu oc/expert option and hopefully you will have no big trouble finding the right settings for your mem to operate at 1000.

Everything else related to mem should be set to auto but the mem voltage. The mem voltage should be set as high as the mem manufacturer allows without invalidating your warranty.

By using the EPP setting of your memory it is likely that this will lower your timings, BUT, the overall performance of your mem should increase because of the speed difference (800 vs 1000). Best thing is to measure your mem's performance before enabling the SLI-Ready option and after you do that. My favorite utilities for that are Sandra and Everest.

I've also had my fair share of long beeps, reboots and system boot ups with the backup BIOS and all of them were mem related. This is of course because I like to tweak my memory and I've avoided ocing my cpu so far.

What all of these taught me is that it is a very good thing to have a different ver of the BIOS as a backup (preferably one ver of the official BIOS prior to the latest) and also to have some profiles saved for each of the 2 BIOSs (main and backup). This is good policy when ocing or tweaking, as whenever the backup BIOS kicks in, the profiles of the main BIOS cannot be accessed but the profiles of the backup are there. As soon as you get back on your main BIOS the profiles you saved under it are still there like nothing happened. This will save you some time as you will always have the relative profiles at hand for the BIOS you have booted under.

It may also be a good idea to load fail safe defaults before you try anything with your mem. This of course will ruin your oc but this would be just a temporary setback. From my experience its much harder to tweak/oc your ram than your cpu. The kapt'n 's advise is also something to consider, especially if you intent to go further than your EPP setting.

For testing your RAM I recommend running multiple instances of memtest for windows. you will probably need 4 of them for your 4 GB setup.

You can download memtest for windows from here : http://hcidesign.com/memtest/download.html

A word of caution. Accept nothing less than 0 errors. Mem integrity is crucial. Acceptance of errors will result in your OS failing if not now maybe tomorrow or next week ....if you 're lucky. I always have a Norton Ghost image close in case that mem tweaking kills my OS. I encourage you to do the same.

Kapt'n

As soon as I get my new cpu I will be more than happy to tell you what I'm getting in terms of memory performance. However, the performance gains from 800 to 1066 is not that big as you may think.

 

[cdfire]

Originally posted by: Kaptdeath
Cdfire,

I had the same memory you have now and I was unable to do anything with it besides run stock speed (400MHz or 800Mhz dual channel). I think I did get about a 20Mhz overclock at one point. Ended up donating it to my dad.

Ninster,

This is what worked for me.

Manually set tCL, tRCD and tRP to 5. (They are the first 3 memory timing listed in the BIOS.) Set tRAS to 15. Leave the bottom timings set at "AUTO". Manually set the memory voltage to +.4 (1.8+.4=2.2). Restart the machine at stock speed and make sure it boots and runs ok. Next start increasing the memory clock. When you run unlinked you will notice that the actual memory clock does not increase in synch with the memory clock you set. Bump the timing until the actual inceases to the next "level". Repeat until unstable (or you are happy). I would suggest a bootable version of Memtest86 for testing each setting.

Blazer7,

It doesn't look like my memory will support the tight timings (anything less than 5 5 5 15) that you have (bummer ). I am curious what kind of memory bandwidth you are getting. (Just so I know what I am missing out on.)

Kapt'n

Well alls I can tell you is I am running at stock speeds and 4-4-4-12 timing 2.1v at the moment. I have not really gotten into oc-ing other then playing around with it a bit and setting it back to stock when I was done messing around with it. I do recall it being in the high 800's at one point without issue, but thats all I can remember on it.

I was just commenting on how others that have had the beep and that it has happened to me also, but like I said a reboot and all is fine and it keeps whatever settings I changed and loads the new BIOS. I think its good ram, just not a killer oc ram liek Beagle has. If I would have known better I would have got like beagle did, but I have used corsair for years without issue, so I went with that. Well I should say only once have I had to RMA Corsair, other then that, no issues.

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Afternoon Everyone.

Those RAM speed issues are sometimes a ah heck to conquer. Basically, if you have EPP memory sticks, they respond to TWO (2) separate values, depending on how much voltage is being applied to them. The higher (advertised) rating only seems to occur when they are getting at least 2.1V. Otherwise, they fall off to a much more conservative speed, usually about 800 or so.

I have been using an UNLINKED setting in which I allow the board (F5b BIOS) to set the ratio (Auto), and set the memory at 1066. Also I set the basic timing at 5-5-5-15. The memory seems to respond reasonably well anywhere between 2.15V and 2.25V. On bootup, it usually indicates that the memory is clocking about 1050. Believe it or not, I have been setting the remainder of the voltage settings at normal, with a CPU clock of 9 x 361 = 3.25GHz. I use that setting for most things, as it doesn't overwork anything very much, is very stable, and just runs without complaint 24/7. I realize that those are quite conservative settings, but it's a very good everyday compromise. I've had the proc running at 3.45 on air (Zalman 9700) and it works just fine at that speed, but I know I'm getting close to the edge with that speed, and there's no compelling need to run it in a "b_lls against the wall" format all the time.

BTW, my sources tell me that we should also have a new, and significantly upgraded suite of nVidia drivers for the 680i chipset available by mid-week of so, which will included (for the first time for Vista 64) the Teaming and DualNet features. Between the new NV 8800 driver, the new NV chipset drivers and the new Intel E6850 procs, we sure ought to have a bunch of things to discuss on the Forum in a little over a week's time.

Good luck with keeping your rigs humming right along. Have a GREAT weekend! TheBeagle :beer:

 

[nister969]

Thanks Kaptdeath, Blazer7, and TheBeagle

I will try all your suggestions, thank you for getting back to me so quickly.

 

[mobileone]

howdy all.........
new to the board, and my new board is a rev.2......on the test table with a e6600, evga 8800GTX, a couple old but good 36g raptors in raid on the giga controller, a floppy, and cd. I'm having a hard time trying to flash it right now, with the beta bios posted earlier. Dang thing when u unzip it the filename is N680NDQ6ATrev2.FA.....but...when the Q-FLASH utility reads it on floppy, it says M680SD~1.FA. Now that darn 1.FA (not 2.FA) bothers me.

Any other rev2 owners here?

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Morning Mr. Mobile.

Welcome aboard! Don't fret about the BIOS indicator. ONLY the Rev. 2 boards use double letters for their BIOS designations. The Rev. 1 boards use a letter + number. Did you use the Rev. 2 BIOS update that Mr. Gary posted on July 5, 2007, on Page 50? That should have given you some sort of Rev. 2 designation, but maybe not since it's a beta version. However, since I only have a Rev. 1 board, I don't personally know how those Rev. 2 board beta BIOS designation display their revision numbers. Maybe one of the other contributors with a Rev. 2 board can offer some assistance.

Anyway, we all hope you enjoy your stay on this Thread. TheBeagle

 

[Blazer7]

Mr mobileone,

There is absolutely no problem with the file you are using. What happens is that since file N680NDQ6ATrev2.FA is the only file with a long filename in the floppy disk when this disk is accessed by DOS or DOS like OSs the filename is automatically translated to std DOS format which is up to 8 letters for the filename and up to 3 for the suffix.

This causes the OS to report the filename with the 6 first letters of its original name plus ~1 for the rest letters of the looong filename. If you have a similar file with a long filename that has the first 6 letters the same as N680NDQ6ATrev2.FA and the same suffix , lets say something like N680NDQ6rev2ba.FA, this file would probably be reported by DOS as N680SD~2.FA as it would have been the 2nd file with the same 6 first letters and the same suffix and so on N680SD~3.FA ?~4.FA etc.

The QFlash utility reads the floppy the same way as DOS does.

I hope this clears everything.

Blazer.