P4C and 3.2C power problems

[kdogg78]

Greetings all... i am not much of a poster but read often. I am having some probs with this combo and I know some of you can help me out.

What I have:
P4C800 Deluxe (only vdimm mod)
2x512 mushkin lvl2 BH-5
3.2C AEP package (malay)
2x Raid 0 raptors
9800 pro
enermax 460 whisper

The CPU seems to be a good clocker (39xx on air screenies) but I can tell that this CPU is alot hungrier than the 2.4 that i had in it before. I think the setup is killing my enermax PS. the voltage fluctuations are wild ( definately more fluctuation then the 2.4) and I can hear a noticable drop in fan speeds when i start a sandra or 3d run.

Do you guys think that PS can keep up with the system or do i need a bigger one? MBM says the rails are OK but the dashboard shows cpu volt drops (1.60 to ~1.5?) and vdim drops (3.02 from 3.2) all over the place.

BTw my goal is to run between 235-240 with tight mem timings and a little 3.8 gig action for my 24/7 system.

[kdogg78]

OBTW temps seem great. 40 idle and ~46 load @ 3.6, plenty of case fans

And i used this board at 280fsb rock solid for months with the 2.4c

[Karnivore]

Sounds like your PSU is indeed struggling a bit, Unfortunately my personal experience is with IC7-G, 3.0 @ 4.5, and a True Control 550.

I know you'll probably need to do the droop mod, but I don't believe thats your only issue, might be a good time to invest in a stronger supply, possibly the Fortron as seen in THIS (http://xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26280&highlight=fortron) thread.

There are also a number of others, PCP&C, OCZ, Antec, etc, but the Fortron seems to offer a very good price VS performance ratio...

[kdogg78]

that's what im leaning towards. my rams ran stable at 227 2-2-2-5 turbo/PAM enabled with the 2.4c a 3.4. However with this cpu I can only manage 224 stable. (both max volts the board will give them)

I also think im going to order a DDR booster and a new PS.

I may try to attempt the droop mod, but i think my soldering iron is not up to snuff for such precision soldering. What are most of the guys using here, can anyone reccomend a brand/model to me?

[Karnivore]

HERE (http://xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35882) is a recent thread regarding soldering tools.

I would recommend 15-25 watt grounded iron, with a fairly small tip, you can also sand/file the tip to a suitable size.

If you don't solder much you can probably get by with something pretty cheap from RadioShack or similar, otherwise if you have a Fry's or other Electronics store you can get something a little nicer for $40 or so.

Cheap ones aren't bad, but they typically don't regulate temperature very well, the handles can get uncomfortably hot, tips are generally low quality, and not a very nice variety. But again if you only use it 3 or 4 times it may be better to buy cheap...

[kdogg78]

Thanks for the info:cool: :cool:


Anyone else here have an probs like this wth the P4C?

[enzoR]

i think the droop mod will fix it

[kdogg78]

I think im going to start with the droop mod, last night i was playing with the system and saw vcore drop to 1.468 during a 3d03 run :rolleyes:

Off to radio shack to pick upa new iron and some parts.... wish me luck fellas...

[enzoR]

it should be a piece of cake ;)

goodluck :D

[kdogg78]

Did a litle reading on soldering techniques, got a 10$ iron at radio shack and it was a breeze:banana:

voltages are about .02 higher than stated in the bios and fluctuations ahve decreased dramatically. ANyone clocking this board needs to do this mod as it has greatly increased the stability and O/C of the board

I'm sitting at 3.85Ghz now with 1.550 in the bios ~1.575 actual (aircooled :cool: )


Screenies to come!

[Karnivore]

Glad you got it done, Nice Work!

:thumbsup: