ABit NF7-S- no 200fsb

[texuspete00]

My post is gone so I tried to copy/paste the essentials. Hope its not too all over the place.........

Hmmm, well I went for 203fsb *10, tried to play BF1942, the video would slow and when i got to the menu, my mouse would stop moving, then shoot across the screen, total lag. Think my NB is overheating? I set it at the 1.7vdd level. Having not a lot of time, I thought it may be the processor. I tried 206*9.5 and my Hdd got corrupted.

I got windows back up, and went for 200*10 @ 1.78 -1.85 vcore, system crashes in BF1942. Tried 9*200, same thing. I dont think its the processor as it can do 1.8GHz easily. My ram can run async at 200 all day- is this enough to say the ram is good for this speed even though the athlon isnt pushing it too much? The northbridge heatsink never feels warm, maybe heat isnt transferring.

Well, right now I'm chugging along at 192 fsb. 2-2-2-7 on the ram. I dont think its the ram anymore because if it does 192 at these timings, I dont see why it would crap out at 200 with 2-4-4-8. The mobo seemed to last little bit longer each time I tried 200 so I maybe if I stay at this speed, it'll break her in? I've got an iceberg coming in the mail. Think this will help? I figured if I'm going to remount it anyway, might as well not have to twice.


1700+ JIUHB 0307 (1.775->1.78vcore)
Abit NF-7S v1.2 1.7vdd
HyperX 3500 2.8V
Radeon 8500 64mb

[mdzcpa]

You shouldn't be having any temp problems with only 1.7v vdd....but a little extra cooling never hurts. I found the southbridge is where a little extra cooling does some good.

That said, I would suggest you test stability of the system in another way besides playing a game. With a game, you do not know whether you're having OS or driver issues.

I would find the max FSB speeds and CPU speeds by using Prime95, Memtest 86, and 3DMark2001. If you can loop these programs then your ready to try gaming.

[texuspete00]

Yeah... I cropped a post or two together... hadnt mentioned problems I was having with my ISP keeping me from 3dmark etc.

3d mark craps out at 196 fsb. I have an iceberg to get here tommorrow. Has a heatsink that should fit sb too. My sound is making crazy warp type sounds or crackles after just a few minutes of gaming? Wonder if its the southbridge getting hot. Could be used as my RMA reason. I'll run those other tests you mentioned. I really think its the mobo because 195 fsb works with tight timings, 2-2-2-6 (didnt go lower than 6 since Im having problems, and I heard this one can keep from high fsb) but at 200, 2-4-4-8 won't. I really hope to hit 200 as there is a 2.0 on the horizon that they gaurantee will hit. Making me feel like I should have waited longer. I waited and waited and thought this was THE nf2 to get finally. 200 no mods? no go.

[texuspete00]

Well, I'm back and so are you guys:D

I heard hyperx 3500, they dont all like dual channel. I hit 200 single and will try further. Maybe I should get some twin x?

Really pissed as I feel I should have gotten twinx and also waited for Nf7-S v2.0 :mad: Just helped a friend pick out parts and he's going to get a v2.0 and the lower power 1700+'s. Now I get to be jealous on top of it.

On a good note, my 9700np came in the mail and it has samsung mem chips :banana: Happy until I find out there not the same ones as pro... hope that doesnt happen.

[Jen]

i have kingston hyper x pc3500 here running in dual mode at 223 fsb. memory timings are set to 5 2 2 2


testing prime now



Jen

[TheDude]

I have same ram with same results as jen...don't think that's your problem.;)

[NeverSleeps]

I don't think the ram is your problem either. However, it won't hurt to test with memtest86 to be 100% sure.

You should try the following things (if you havn't)

- Test one stick on all DIMM slots, since each DIMM slot may be toping out a different speeds. (i.e. On my Abit NF7-S v1.2, DIMM1 and DIMM2 are stable at 225FSB, while DIMM3 is stable at 211FSB.)

- Did you test your RAM with memtest86? Have you been able to run this RAM at 200+ FSB on another board? Did you try running the RAM ASYNC to make sure it can run at its rated speed?

Hope it helps

NS

[shimmishim]

we've determined at the anandtech forums that prime and memtest are not good tests to determine stability... there are issues with prime being super flakey..



check it out here (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=1017953&STARTPAGE=1)

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by shimmishim
we've determined at the anandtech forums that prime and memtest are not good tests to determine stability... there are issues with prime being super flakey..


I don't buy that at all.

The argument would only hold water if Prime flakes out at default speeds. But that's not the case. If you can run Prime95 at default speeds, then it craps out when the system is overclocked, then the system isn't stable....period.

[GVCryan]

I gotta agree with Dexter on that (remembering your old avatar, and its too hard to remember how to spell your name:D ) Even if you can run everything but Prime, it is still a good indicator.

Back on topic, that sounds like a SB issue.

Try cooling it, after that, go into your My Computer Properties. Go to performance, and turn down your hardware acceleration one notch. That usually fixes mouse glitches.

[shimmishim]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
I don't buy that at all.

The argument would only hold water if Prime flakes out at default speeds. But that's not the case. If you can run Prime95 at default speeds, then it craps out when the system is overclocked, then the system isn't stable....period.

if this is the case... why is it that i can run prime95 for more than 6+ hours... then try playing 1 game of ... warcraft iii and the game freezes 2 minutes later?

i run prime... but i don't trust it... yeah it does rigorous calculations and what not but it doesn't catch everything....

this one guy left prime running on his computer for over 800 hours at default speed and found that it had errored at around the 865 hour mark. if his cpu is "stable" then why did it error?

[BrainStorm]

Originally posted by shimmishim
if this is the case... why is it that i can run prime95 for more than 6+ hours... then try playing 1 game of ... warcraft iii and the game freezes 2 minutes later?

Because Prime doesn't stress your video, which is probably what's causing the problem. That's why I use both prime and 3dMark for stablity testing. It has to be able to do both for hours on end to before I call it stable.

Oh, and I also use Memtest to check the stability of my ram when overclocked. :p

[mdzcpa]

Yep...what he said ^^^^^.

As noted in my original post, running all three tests (prime, 3dmark, and memtest) is what is needed for good stability testing.

Prime does not, and is not meant to, "catch everything".

Prime will uncover CPU and some memory instabilities.
Memtest will root out memory related instabilities.
3Dmark will cover some CPU, but mostly memory, vid card, and AGP driver issues.

If that "one guy" errored out Prime on the 865 hour then his system is not technically stable. However, when running Prime for 865 hours, the problem could have been a number of things....some system related, some not. It could have been Heat, PSU sag, electrical hiccup in the AC supply at his home/office, failing mobo regulation, etc, etc, etc. Far too many variables over that amount of time to tell. I am sue that there are plenty of Folding @Home folks that can on and on about long term load applications and what variables effect them.

Stability is not a black and white issue. It's a spectrum. It's all about average time to failure (MTF) and at some point every system fails. The idea is to reduce the MTF to point where the user can live with it. Rule of thumb in PC land is that if the system can loop the 3 tests noted above for at least a few hours, it's pretty stable. If the system can loop them for days, that's definitely better. Whether of not the system can loop them for over a month begins to get irrelevant.

That's not to say that many of us haven't had folding boxes running overclocked for months at a time:D

[texuspete00]

Thanks guys, I'll try all these things. Quick Q, if my nb made an error, could that not also affect memtest?

And you guys with the 3500 ram, what voltage you using? I've been afraid to go over 2.8v.

My southbridge may also have heat realted issues. I used the hs with the iceberg kit, but I used thermal tape for potential RMA reasons. Damn sound gets all messed up an hour or so into games. Switched to software mode for a bit, then back and ound worked again. This heat? HS is not hot but I heard tape is no good and I've never used anything other than pastes.

rant: Afraid to use thermal epoxy b/c if it doesn't work still, I might not be able to RMA. Annoying considering I am trying to fix there problem (sb heat) with a hand tied behind my back. Wonder if I could say, "Hey, what happenned to 'Built by overclocker's for overclocker's'" I'd probably get stuck with an old board if RMA 'd it this soon anyway huh?

[BrainStorm]

Originally posted by texuspete2k2
Thanks guys, I'll try all these things. Quick Q, if my nb made an error, could that not also affect memtest?

Yes, I think that could be true if you are at your NB limit. But it seems like memtest is a bit less stressful on the NB than running say, 3d apps in Windows is, so what I have mainly used it for is to confirm that it's not my ram holding me back, it's my chipset. For instance, I can only get about 205FSB using 3dMark looping in Windows. I can run my memory at the same settings in memtest up to about 215-216. So I presume it's not my ram holding me back in Windows, it's my chipset. What I don't know for sure is whether at 215-216 in memtest, it's my memory or my chipset that is causing the problem.

My southbridge may also have heat realted issues. I used the hs with the iceberg kit, but I used thermal tape for potential RMA reasons. Damn sound gets all messed up an hour or so into games. Switched to software mode for a bit, then back and ound worked again. This heat? HS is not hot but I heard tape is no good and I've never used anything other than pastes.

Sounds like SB heat issues at high FSB. I've had them too. Slapping a HSF (yes, with a fan) on the southbridge has helped. I wouldn't trust thermal tape to work well. If you're worried about RMA, aren't there any mounting holes you can use? There are on my Epox (although I thermal epoxied it on anyway).

rant: Afraid to use thermal epoxy b/c if it doesn't work still, I might not be able to RMA. Annoying considering I am trying to fix there problem with a hand tied behind my back. Wonder if I could say, "Hey, what happenned to 'Built by overclocker's for overclocker's'" I'd probably get stuck with an old board if I did that soon huh?

Yeah, I'm sure they'd look for any possible excuse to avoid replacing the board. I've just resigned myself to forgetting about RMA'ing my board if I kill it. Which really is as it should be. Now if it up and dies on me from something completely unrelated to my mods, I'll probably be pissed, but I guess that's life.

[mike.elmes]

Don't worry about overvolting that Hyperx 3500.;) It carries a lifetime warranty, and with the heatspreader it has, it shouldn't give you any problems at 2.9volts. I have mine pinned at 2.9.:D

[texuspete00]

Cool... I'll let you guys know how it goes.

yeah, i dont rma something i broke, I guess I just wasnt seeing how the sb heat would be related to fsb with the pci locks and all. I was thinking if I cant get rid of heat related problems on my sb, it just plain overheats, abit's fault. No holes on the abit's btw.

I edited my post above for clarity. Still curious on the voltages for Hyperx 3500 etc. Thanks.

[texuspete00]

Hey mike, thanks for the tip. I wrote about the hyperx voltage before your post popped up, they were real close. Well guys, I'm trying the stuff you said. I also am going to run memtest86 right now. But one thing real quick, I;ve heard many times to disable apci in my bios. However, when I do my OS refuses to load. Right after the usual posting etc., black screen when normally would be winxp logo on black. Something else I need to do?

On a more positive note, successfully flashed my 9700np w/samsung mem chips to a pro. Gotta clear this up and move on to that.

Any more ideas/advice greatly appreciated.

[Jen]

i am currently useing timings of 3 3 2 2 at 218 fsb with 2.86 volts. this is prime stable and 3dmark will run. VDD voltage had to be increased to 1.8 volts [my motherboard is memory and vdd voltage modified] .



Jen

[texuspete00]

Thanks... still working on everything. Anybody know what I gotta do to get apic disabled. I know it's in the bios, OS won't load without this though. :brick:

[ntruax]

What do you mean by it won't load? You can't get into windows after you disable it? From what I've read you have to disable it on a fresh install. Disable it then install. :)

[texuspete00]

Done... no help.

*looking for the vdd mod with grabbers now

edit: small q or two here:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11623

[Emericana]

try disabling APIC in the bios then reinstalling windows made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for me!

[texuspete00]

Yeah, thats what I meant when I wrote "Done.... no help"

Went through reinstalling and all... nothing. Notice the install went real slow at one spot... but system seems fine.

Memtest86 passes with flying colors. I may try upping the voltage from the 1.85v I got it on now, although even low mult's don't work either. Chip runs nice and cool even under an AX-7 and my watercooler is coming soon, so i just may give it a shot. Not looking for ultra long longevity ;)

[shimmishim]

Originally posted by Emericana
try disabling APIC in the bios then reinstalling windows made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for me!

how did it make a difference?

btw...

i am up to 218 mhz fsb... :)

running my cheapo generic pcb with 512 megs of winbond bh-5 pc3200 @ pc3500 speeds @ 2-3-3-6

[texuspete00]

Some people swear by APIC. Didn't help me but I'm not really treading that ultra high territory. Anyway, mod the vdd it is. Guess my v1.2 not as smooth as the others. Ah well, 208 sounds a lot better than 198... yuck!

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=128670#post128670

Thanks for all the help guys... I just guess no bios tricks would do it for me.