Asus A8N SLI Thread

[SPQQKY]

Asus A8N SLI - Deluxe

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/SPQQKY/a8nslishot.jpg

CPU - Socket 939 for AMD Athlon 64FX / Athlon 64
- AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing
- Supports AMD Cool 'n' Quiet Technology Be sure to disable before overclocking
Chipset NVIDIA nForce®4 SLI™
Front Side Bus 2000 MT/s, 1600MT/sI have ran 304 x 4 HT
Memory - 4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 4GB DDR400/DDR333/DDR266 ECC/ non-ECC un-buffered DDR SDRAM memory2.5-3.0 volts in .5 increments
- Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Expansion Slots - 2 x PCI Express x16 slot
*SLI mode : x8 , x8
*Default(Single VGA) mode : x16, x1
- 2 x PCI Express x1
- 3 x PCI
SLI - Under SLI mode : support two identical SLI-ready graphics cards
- Under Default(Single VGA) mode: supports all PCI Express graphics cards
- ASUS EZ Plug
- ASUS SLI Warning LED
- ASUS EZ Selector
- ASUS two-slot thermal design
- ASUS PEG Link for dual PCIe graphic cards - ASUS PEG Link for dual PCIe graphic cards
Storage/ RAID nForce4 Storage:
- 4 x SATA 3Gb/s
- 2 x UltraDMA 133/100/66/33
- NVRAID : RAID0, RAID1, RAID 0+1 and JBOD span cross SATA and PATA
Silicon Image 3114R RAID controller:
- 4 x Serial ATA with RAID0, 1, 0+1, and RAID5
LAN nForce4 built-in Gbit MAC with external Marvell PHY :
- NV ActiveArmor
- NV Firewall
- AI NET2
MARVELL PCI Gbit LAN controller :
- AI NET2
Audio Realtek ALC850, 8-channel CODEC
Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology
Coaxial/Optical S/PDIF out ports on back I/O
IEEE 1394 TI 1394 controller supports 2 x 1394 ports
USB Max. 10 USB2.0 ports
ASUS AI Proactive Features AI NOS(Non-delay Overclocking System)
AI NET2 network diagnosis before entering OS
Overclocking Features AI NOS? (Non-delay Overclocking System)
AI Overclocking (intelligent CPU frequency tuner)
ASUS PEG Link for single/dual graphics cards

Precision Tweaker:
- vDIMM: 9-step DRAM voltage controlMax 3.0 volts
- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.0125 increment 1.55 volts max :(
- SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection): allowing FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 400MHz at 1MHz increment
- PCIe Frequency: allowing PCIe frequency from 100MHz up to 200MHz at 1MHz increment

Adjustable FSB/DDR ratio.200,266,333,400,433 and 466 Fixed PCIe/PCI/SATA frequencies.
ASUS PEG Link for single/dual graphics cards
ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
ASUS Special Features Post Reporter
ASUS EZFlash
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2
ASUS Q-Fan
ASUS MyLogo2
ASUS Multilanguage BIOS
ASUS Instant Music
ASUS SLI warning LED
ASUS EZ Selector
ASUS EZ Plug
BIOS 4 Mb Flash ROM, AWARD BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3
Back Panel I/O Ports 1 x Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
1 x Parallel
2 x RJ45
1 x 1394
4 x USB 2.0/1.1
8-Channel Audio I/O
Internal I/O Connectors - 1 x SLI selector card connector
- 3 x USB 2.0 connector supports additional 6 USB 2.0 ports
- 1 x IEEE1394 connectors
- 1 x Paraller connector
- 1 x COM connector
- 1 x GAME/MIDI connector
- CPU Fan / 2x Chassis Fan/ Power Fan/ Chipset Fan connectors
- Front panel audio connector
- Chassis Intrusion connector
- CD audio-in connector
- 24-pin ATX Power connector
- 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector
Support CD Drivers
ASUS PC Probe - PC Health Monitoring Software
ASUS LiveUpdate Utility
ASUS AI Booster
ASUS Cool ' n' Quiet Utility
NVIDIA nTune Utility
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
Accessories SLI connector
1 x 1-port IEEE1394 module
1 x SLI retention bracket
8 x Serial ATA cables
1 x SATA Extension module for external devices
4 x 2-port SATA power cable
1 x 2-port USB2.0 / Game module
1 x 2-port USB2.0 module
1 x COM Port module
1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
1 x IDE cable
1 x FDD cable
1 x I/O Shield
User's manual
Instant Music
Setting Sticker
WinDVD Suite
Form Factor ATX Form Factor, 12"x 9.6"(30.5cm x 24.5cm)

Pros:
Extra 4 pin Molex for those without 24 pin PSU.
HTT to 400
HT 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x

Cons:
No NF4 voltage options
No HT voltage options
1T command rate doesn't work when using high HTT
vCore only 1.55 for Winchester

[SPQQKY]

Well, I am loving mine so far. Very stable and running my Patriot RAM flawless, something I couldn't do on The Gigabyte mobo I was using and I like the voltage options for the board, except for the vcore, but my 3200+ runs 2.5GHz 100% stable at stock volts.

Maybe I'll gather as much info as I can about it and edit my first post so we can have an FAQ/facts/tweaks guide here.

[chew*]

Yep just do what i did with the abit an8. No one started one so i made one maybe the admins will sticky these hopefully. I had issues with my gigabytemem board to :P

[mdzcpa]

Is this a new Rev? I ask becasue there used to be an Asus SLI thread around here somewhere. But the thread died due to the lack of overclockability of the Asus. Most folks couldn't get the mobo over 220-230 HTT with mem at 1:1 with 1T. Many folks did what i did and moved to another mobo.

Since then, i have heard the Asus was working on the problem and had a fix for a new rev.

[SPQQKY]

Seems like everyone gives up on a good product too soon. No new rev (1.02), but they are coming out with the Premium version, so maybe they addressed the issue with that board. Was hoping there was a BIOS fix for this problem, but nothing yet. It's still a good board IMO.

[mdzcpa]

Don't get me wrong...I like the board....a lot. It was much smoother and more stable than the DFI or MSI boards I've used. As usual, Asus is again a top pick. However, for me on this particular purchase, I was looking for max OC ability. That's the only reason I switched.

[IB-RJ]

Just purchased an Asus A8N SLI Deluxe, and AMD Athlon 64 3500+.
My next step will be RAM, but I'm a BIGTIME NEWBIE
and I'm lost at this point! Can anybody HELP me?
What RAM will work best with this mobo, should I spend the BIG bucks for 2GB? or go with 1GB? What brand? What type? What the hell? Please HELP me if you can :confused:

[Major]

Hey that mb looks familure ! hehe

I love the A8N SLI, I think its a great mb !

Hopefully the 1t issue will be addressed in future bios revisions, I had no problems running at 285mhz 1t with 2x256 sticks of G.Skill, I think the 1.55v limit on vcore was limiting factor with my OC and the board, my 3500+ just needed 1.6v or more to get to 2.7ghz.

[SPQQKY]

Asus has always been in the top of my list of boards I will use. I prefer Abit boards and may get one when an SLI solution is released. I haven't been able to let myself use MSI or DFI boards for my main rig. My P4P800-D and P4C800E-D where excellent boards and this A8N SLI-D is proving to be a great board. It may not be the fastest, but I have come to appreciate a blend of overclockability and good stability more than anything.

[SPQQKY]

New 1007.003 BIOS (ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Socket_939/NVIDIA_Chipset/nForce4_SLI/A8N-)

Still no fix for the 1T issue.

[iron3k]

New non Deluxe BIOSes
1002 final
ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Socket_939/NVIDIA_Chipset/nForce4_SLI/A8N-SLI/1002s.zip
1003.03 beta
ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Socket_939/NVIDIA_Chipset/nForce4_SLI/A8N-SLI/1003s_02.zip

1T not fixed...

[iron3k]

1002 deleted from server... Again :(

[SPQQKY]

The 1T issue has got to be fixed. It has to be a BIOS problem as I can see no other limiting factor. Although you would think they would have addressed it by now, I'm sure they are fully aware.
Can anyone give any insight as to why the board would have issues with 1T command rate other than the BIOS? Could there be a piece of hardware that is holding it back? You would think with the memory controller being onboard the cpu, the only thing that would kill it is bad BIOS.

[IvanAndreevich]

I sure hope the stupid 1T is gone. I am about to install this board..

[SPQQKY]

Not gone.....a dozen BIOS, official and beta and still no fix. I guess the high HTT I am getting will have to make up for the loss in bandwidth until a BIOS is released that fixes the issue, if it's even possible.

[IvanAndreevich]

There's a thread I saw here @ XS where a guy was testing a newer revision of A8N which was doing high HTT with 1T just fine.. I may have to ditch this board for a DFI.

[IvanAndreevich]

Hmm.. are there any modded bioses available? 1.55V max on late bioses for Winchesters is RIDICULOUS

[J-Mag]

Hmm.. are there any modded bioses available? 1.55V max on late bioses for Winchesters is RIDICULOUS

Yeah, seems BIOS 1002 can do more volts on cpu (same with the 1003 BIOSes)... I have been able to get up to 1.6v on the a8n-sli... Although it fluctuates like mad when under load at 1.6 (using 1002 BIOS, btw). All you have to do is load all the BIOS voltage options and check to see which one is the highest with a VID of 1.35 then boot with that BIOS option ( I forgot the exact number ). Use clockgen to increase VID form 1.35 to 1.45 and that should max you out... I don't know if will help much though cause 1.52-1.55 seems to be the best voltages on this board anyway. More than 1.55 doesn't seem to help me at all and might actually decrease my max OC...

[J-Mag]

The 1T issue has got to be fixed. It has to be a BIOS problem as I can see no other limiting factor.
Can anyone give any insight as to why the board would have issues with 1T command rate other than the BIOS?

I am pretty damn sure that there is NO WAY a BIOS rev will fix the prob. Command rate has to do with the motherboard more than the Mem controller although I am sure a crappy mem controller could jack up a 1t turn around.

It is more likely that the Asus a8n-sli is physically limited to a 2t command rate at higher FSB due to either: a. trace length / integrity or b. component type / location (as in quality of MOSFETs, Resistors, Capacitors, Etc... If you look at the DFI and MSI boards they use alot bigger MOSFETs, which are probably of higher quality (size matters ;) ))

[IvanAndreevich]

Well, the new revision CAN run 1T so all we have to do is compare..

[RialSilva]

How accurate is Asus Probe. Does it read high/low? And anybody have any problems oc'ing using raid 0? I have 2 raid 0 arrays (4 hdd) on the nvidia sata controller and got errors going from 2.6 ghz to 2.8 ghz(fx-55 13.5x208), changed to silicon controller and errors stopped. New to oc'ing please excuse any noob-ness.

specs are as follows:
ASUS A8N-SLI (obviously)
AMD FX-55
2 X 6800 ULTRA'S (BFG)
2 X 74GB RAPTORS (RAID 0)
2 X 160GB WD (RAID 0)
OCZ EL DDR PC-4200
SOUNDBLASTER AUDIGY 2ZS
PC P&C 510 SLI

COOLING:
KOOLANCE PC3-720 (I KNOW NOT, THE BEST Al radiator blah blah blah, bought it b4 reading this site, it is 3/8 ID though)
KOOLANCE CPU block 3/8 ID
CUSTOM H20Gun 6800 blocks (and i have anti-corrosive liquid in the coolant and check it regularly).

Now the reason I ask about temps is b/c the temp probe attached to the bottom of the heatsink never reads over 41 C even when running S&M, but I think it's inaccurate since it isn't on the cpu which I know it shoulnd't be, but asus probe reads 50 C when running S&M, which one would you guys trust?

I've been buying the parts little by little and had the mb since december. Finally got everything by beginning of feb and put it all together by beginning of mar. Haven't updated bios at all, don't know if that affects temp readings. Any advice would be great.

I have another rig: ABIT KW7, ATHLON XP 3200+. XFX 6600GT, 120 GB MAXTOR IDE, CORSAIR PC3200 XMS 1GB, SOUNDBLASTER AUDIGY, ANTEC TRUEPOWER 430W. But I want my new rig to be the do everything rig so I need it to be super stable and i would appreciate any input/help.

[J-Mag]

Well, the new revision CAN run 1T so all we have to do is compare..

true but the new revision is just that, a new revision of either components or placement or both, the new revision isn't just an upgraded BIOS...

[I(illa Bee]

I have the Non delux version of this baord..

I Have run 1t jsut fine up to 250HTT, i haven tried any futher...Currently im running 225HTT with my stock 12 multiplyer.. 1t-2-2-2-5

Also, Do you "not" have to use the 4pin molex plug when you have a 24pin PSU? I have an Enermax600watt SLI, i have all 3 plugs in use..the 4pin ATX Aux, All 24pins filled, and the molex..I would love to not have to use it as its a :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana: to get a line over there.

[IvanAndreevich]

Has anybody tried a VDD mod to solve the 1T issue?

[J-Mag]

I have the Non delux version of this baord..

I Have run 1t jsut fine up to 250HTT, i haven tried any futher...Currently im running 225HTT with my stock 12 multiplyer.. 1t-2-2-2-5

Also, Do you "not" have to use the 4pin molex plug when you have a 24pin PSU? I have an Enermax600watt SLI, i have all 3 plugs in use..the 4pin ATX Aux, All 24pins filled, and the molex..I would love to not have to use it as its a :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana: to get a line over there.

Is your 250 1t, stable? And it soudns like you were using BH-5 or VX, and was this 1GB?

I htink there are plenty of people who have hit 270+ 1t but only with 512mb and usually BH-5...

[I(illa Bee]

its TCCD, and 2 512 sticks. So 1gb...

But i may have a diffrent revision.. as i have the non delux (i belive it came out some time after the first SLI form ASUS)

[IvanAndreevich]

Look up the revision between the PCI slots. 250 is still crap.

[J-Mag]

man I can't even pull 260 at freaking 2t anymore, i dunno wtf is going on, but it is mildly irritating... Although i got one of the very first boards in december...

[IvanAndreevich]

Good news. I've solved the 1T, low CPU vcore & O/C, and loud chipset fan problems!!!!!! :banana: :toast:








down










down










lower









almost there







The ULTIMATE A8N SOLUTION: I am selling this board tomorrow and getting a DFI :cord:

[Amey]

Hello guys,
This is my very first post.
Its great to be here.
I have been doing some casual overclocking but nothing great :( which is common here as i have seen. :)

Anyways here is my basic Config,

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ [Winchester]
Asus A8N SLI Deluxe
1 GB Transcend DDR 400 [2.5-3-3-7]
XFX 6800GT in SLi
Antec Truepower 550 PSU
Benq DW1610
Hitachi 80 Gig
Seagate Cuda 200 Gig.

here is a screenshot of what i have achieved till now.

I have a stock cooler,nothing extra as far as cooling is concerned.

Could you guys please have a look and suggest what i should do for achieving a better overclock and is it possible to do so.

I achieved this OC on BIOS Ver 1003

Right now i have the released 1006 bios.

I have Rev 1.02 motherboard.I got it in December 2k4.

Please help me out guys.

[Cyrus The Virus]

I can't even reach 250 stable 1:1 1T with BH5 and 3.7V.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=55987&page=2 This is the thread you mean

[mondena]

well my 2t problems seem a lot more severe then you guys

at anything over 205mhz 1t craps out!!! i can't figure it out for anything and its killing my overclocks. my ram is Corsair XL. all my voltages seem stable, doesn't matter what i set my memory voltage at. i am currently on the 1006 bios, i had the 1002, i bought my board in early Janruary

any ideas on how i can at least get to 225-240 range 1t timings as that would help me out soo much
thx

[J-Mag]

FYI: I was playing around with voltage options because of andyOCZ's thread about VID and % gains anyway I noticed that (at least in BIOS 1002, that I am still using)

BIOS VID CPU-Z
1.4 1.4 1.4
1.412 1.4 1.408
1.425 1.3 1.42 <-----

Anyway if you set you BIOS to 1.425 and then use clockgen to boost your your VID to 1.45, you can pull off 1.58 and the voltage seems pretty stable...

This is all with a winchester, since max VID for FX, or NV is 1.55.

I will look into it a little more, but try to find the BIOS setting in which it has the lowest VID setting while the highest CPU-Z read...
I know i have got 1.6vcore b4, but it seems to fluctuate heavy, anyone else noticed this?

[adz]

somebody with a new a8n sli deluxe was raising htt with 1t and no problems.. with the latest bios. to me this means same bios -> different overclock(no 1t issue) -> different motherboard(physically) so they must have done some changes...

[ajmiles]

somebody with a new a8n sli deluxe was raising htt with 1t and no problems.. with the latest bios. to me this means same bios -> different overclock(no 1t issue) -> different motherboard(physically) so they must have done some changes...

I still don't believe that until I see a rev 2. 2 x 256 meg has no 1T issues, it's 512MB sticks that cause it... oddly.

[adz]

i'll never stop to hope that they can fix it...

[MadMikeSS]

Look up the revision between the PCI slots. 250 is still crap.

I got board revision 1.02. Purchased Feb 11th 05. Dunno if that matters at all, don't know what revision everyone else is using.

[ajmiles]

I got board revision 1.02. Purchased Feb 11th 05. Dunno if that matters at all, don't know what revision everyone else is using.

Yup, mine is 1.02 and was bought/received in 2004 (late december). If anyone has anything newer than 1.02 it would be good to know.

[[G.N.U.]Fragman]

i just helped a friend buying that board and he is pleased with it, but cant get his ati x800xl to work with the tv-out ...any1 know about htis issue..tried to mount it on my DFI and it worked without problems......might be a driver/mobo glitch.....but anyway...i sold him the card, and now he want to return it if he cant get it working by friday...so help plz....

used, radlinker/omegadrivers (newest) Catalyst 5.2 and 5.3 ....nothing seems to be working. the card works fine, except for the software for tv out--comes up with sli.exe error.

[J-Mag]

Fragman']i just helped a friend buying that board and he is pleased with it, but cant get his ati x800xl to work with the tv-out ...any1 know about htis issue..tried to mount it on my DFI and it worked without problems......might be a driver/mobo glitch.....but anyway...i sold him the card, and now he want to return it if he cant get it working by friday...so help plz....

used, radlinker/omegadrivers (newest) Catalyst 5.2 and 5.3 ....nothing seems to be working. the card works fine, except for the software for tv out--comes up with sli.exe error.

I am not familiar with the problem, but if I were you, I would try the various nforce4 unified drivers , then if that didn't work I would go with maybe the newest BIOS...

[adz]

i'd suggest the newest bios... i'm not sure but i remeber something on ati's on the bios release updates..

[SPQQKY]

I haven't tried 2 x 256MB sticks on the board as I was determined to run the TCCD for benching. I have some KHX3000 with BH-5 I can try to see if I can reach high HTT with 2 x 256 at 1T command. The board is otherwise really solid and OCs pretty well.

[adz]

let us know if with 2 x 256 works!!

[MadMikeSS]

Fragman']i just helped a friend buying that board and he is pleased with it, but cant get his ati x800xl to work with the tv-out ...any1 know about htis issue..tried to mount it on my DFI and it worked without problems......might be a driver/mobo glitch.....but anyway...i sold him the card, and now he want to return it if he cant get it working by friday...so help plz....

used, radlinker/omegadrivers (newest) Catalyst 5.2 and 5.3 ....nothing seems to be working. the card works fine, except for the software for tv out--comes up with sli.exe error.

Well, the fact that he gets "sli.exe" error suggests that it's looking for SLI when it shouldn't be. Make sure he doesn't have the SLI selector on the board set for multigpu instead of single, and make sure that he doesn't have it set to SLI in the BIOS. I was doing SLI on mine before I got my X850XT and I had some issues at first with it because I forgot to set it back to defaults and single gpu. It was causing my machine to do weird things otherwise. Not it's as good as gold.

[J-Mag]

although you can have the machine running in SLI mode at 8x 8x and still run one card... (at least with a 6800)...

[Cyrus The Virus]

let us know if with 2 x 256 works!!

I also so have 2x256MB BH5

[MadMikeSS]

although you can have the machine running in SLI mode at 8x 8x and still run one card... (at least with a 6800)...

I'm sure it SHOULD work, but like I said, I ran into lockups when I tried to game and run some 3d apps, when I changed everything to the way it should be for single card it ran fine from that point.

[J-Mag]

I'm sure it SHOULD work, but like I said, I ran into lockups when I tried to game and run some 3d apps, when I changed everything to the way it should be for single card it ran fine from that point.

Odd... Did you have the molex naer the 16x slot splugged in?

I never ran into that problem, but I ran my machine like that for only a few days, just to see if I noticed a performance diff between the 16x and 8x of PCI-E...

[MadMikeSS]

Odd... Did you have the molex naer the 16x slot splugged in?

Sure did, as a matter of fact, I still do.

[adz]

i wanted to see what overclocking result i could get this afternoon and i got 2820mhz from my 3500+(not stable but i'm air cooled...maybe @-20C° would work) and 255mhz for the memory. what kind of memory is the best 4 this mb?? i would exclude bh-5 or vx since with 3v they r not going to do much...

[SPQQKY]

i wanted to see what overclocking result i could get this afternoon and i got 2820mhz from my 3500+(not stable but i'm air cooled...maybe @-20C° would work) and 255mhz for the memory. what kind of memory is the best 4 this mb?? i would exclude bh-5 or vx since with 3v they r not going to do much...
I would stick with some with TCCD chips or Hynix. Something that can get you high HTT with RAM at 1:1, that helps make up for losses from not being able to run 1T.

[MadMikeSS]

I picked up a set of the G.Skill PC4400 LE, hopefully I can get a good OC out of them 1T. Caught them in stock at newegg.

[MadMikeSS]

Well, I got a pair of G.Skill PC4400 LD in the machine today. TCCD, I cannot boot at 250 1:1 1T with this stuff. I could with the Infineon chip based SuperTalent sticks I have and it was stable that way. My thoughts are that the 1T issue with this board is more related to the TCCD modules.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else with ram other than TCCD is doing fine at 1T OC'd. I think it's probably just a TCCD issue with this board.

[jmas]

Well, I got a pair of G.Skill PC4400 LD in the machine today. TCCD, I cannot boot at 250 1:1 1T with this stuff. I could with the Infineon chip based SuperTalent sticks I have and it was stable that way. My thoughts are that the 1T issue with this board is more related to the TCCD modules.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else with ram other than TCCD is doing fine at 1T OC'd. I think it's probably just a TCCD issue with this board.

I have a pair of 512MB OCZ gold PC4000 sticks with hynx chips and i can't get to 250 1T either. So I think it's not exclusively a problem of TCCD....who knows.....

See you

[anulu]

i have 1T problem also :( i've got a simple A8N-SLI (non-Deluxe). with the original 1001 BIOS i can't fix the PCI-E speed at OC, and i had many more problems. with the 1002-003 BIOS many fixed, but the mem timings are very silly. at the hungaryan prohardver.hu forum many people has A-DATA DDR566 TCCD RAM, and they run with MSI NEO2, DFI nF4, Gigabyte K8NXP, and many other nF3/4 mobos with these RAMs at DDR600 with 2,5-3/4-3/4-6/7-1T timings. but i can only @ 2T, when i'm trying to run faster as DDR480.

as i see, it is a BIOS problem. does anyone have ani infos about a newer A8N-SLI beta BIOS?

[SPQQKY]

It's been determined that it is a hardware problem. I don't believe a BIOS update can fix it. Only a new revision can correct the problem.

[adz]

It's been determined that it is a hardware problem. I don't believe a BIOS update can fix it. Only a new revision can correct the problem.

......... this is what we get buying the first sli nforce4 mobo.....:(

[SPQQKY]

Yup, it has it's downsides, but it's still been a pretty good board for me and put out some nice benches. I was going to get the Epox 9NPA+SLI, but I just heard it will be another month before it is released. I guess I may have to jump on the bandwagon and get the DFI.

[anulu]

i've found a newer beta BIOS for A8N-SLI, called 1005s-01 :) (@ftp.asuscom.de). tomorrow i'll test it, and i'll post, what i've found :)

[MadMikeSS]

Yup, it has it's downsides, but it's still been a pretty good board for me and put out some nice benches. I was going to get the Epox 9NPA+SLI, but I just heard it will be another month before it is released. I guess I may have to jump on the bandwagon and get the DFI.

To be honest, I really like the A8N SLI Deluxe, ASUS PC Probe is the best software ever, I'm big on MBM, but pc probe I think is better. :) But the A8N will be moving on to someone else's system now and I already have the DFI Ultra-D on it's way. I'll have to do my research tho, the DFI board has a ton of settings. If ASUS can fix the 1T problem then they have winner, but as it is, it's like having a race car that being limited to 100mph.

[adz]

i downloaded bios 1008.1 beta but didn't like it since asus probe didn't work anymore...now i installed bios 1009.2 but probe still doesn't work!any ideas??i'll try later and tell u if there is any oc difference...

[adz]

i unisnstalled probe and now won't install again!!....

[J-Mag]

To be honest, I really like the A8N SLI Deluxe, ASUS PC Probe is the best software ever, I'm big on MBM, but pc probe I think is better. :) But the A8N will be moving on to someone else's system now and I already have the DFI Ultra-D on it's way. I'll have to do my research tho, the DFI board has a ton of settings. If ASUS can fix the 1T problem then they have winner, but as it is, it's like having a race car that being limited to 100mph.

I agree the board is rock solid, just not a performance board. I ended up finally ordering a venice and the DFI. This board will be relegated to my file server / backup machine and it will perform thoose duties admirably (although I think a spent way too much on this board to jump on the LSI bandwagon in 04)

Honestly I think the Asus Probe is UGLY as SIN. I can not even have it installed due to it's appearance. You can tell an engineer did the GUI. Plus, what does it show you that another program can't?

[adz]

there is another progrma to monitor temperatures and voltages??mbm5 isn't compatible

[Cyrus The Virus]

New Bios 1009-002 havent tested it

[adz]

i tried it..didn't notice improvements

[adz]

any help how to get probe working again?

[J-Mag]

there is another progrma to monitor temperatures and voltages??mbm5 isn't compatible

Did you try Speedfan? I havent ever switched from the 1002 BIOS besides testing all the jacked up BEta ones beofre I realized 1002 works fine for me...

Anyway Speedfan works great PLUS you can turn down the volume of your fans!

[SPQQKY]

Nice to see this thread is still going. I can no longer give input as I do not have the board anymore, but I often miss it's smooth operation and reliability. Keep the input coming for those with these boards.

[adz]

tried it once but didn't like it.. i wasn't able to set the speed of the fans!!i'll try it again..

[J-Mag]

tried it once but didn't like it.. i wasn't able to set the speed of the fans!!i'll try it again..

I had the problem initially... Because there are actually 2 chips that Speedfan recoginizes as fan controllers, but only one is enabled and it is the wrong one.

n SpeedFan 4.20, click Configure, Advanced, then choose IT8712F. Now change "PWM 1 mode", "PWM 2 mode", and "PWM 3 mode" to "Software Controlled." Also check each one to remember the setting. You can now control the fans.

I think it is the same thing for 4.22 also...

Anyway, I can'tremember if it worked on the chipset fan ( I dont think it did actually), becasue I have replaced the original NB sink.

[adz]

tnx 4 the help !unfortunatley the only fan speed that can be changed is the cpu fan(wich is a zalman so i have the controller and is the only one i don't need to slow down!)strange i was expecting chassis fan 1 to work...but it keeps 2000rpm(with his nice loudness)

[J-Mag]

tnx 4 the help !unfortunatley the only fan speed that can be changed is the cpu fan(wich is a zalman so i have the controller and is the only one i don't need to slow down!)strange i was expecting chassis fan 1 to work...but it keeps 2000rpm(with his nice loudness)

I know at LEAST two of the fan header's work for voltageregulation... I believe it it is the CPU header (which I actually Have a chasis fan hooked up to) and one of the headers on the otherside (cannot remember if it is the NB fan header or the chassis fan header over there...)

[adz]

it works just the first one(cpu)on mine...

[J-Mag]

it works just the first one(cpu)on mine...

Try a fan that you know works with the RPM monitoring and put it on the NB header... ( I think the problem might lie with the stock NB fan itself...)

I could be wrong though, When I get home I will check to see exactly which ones work...

Either way, you should put your Case fan on the CPU header if your CPU fan is quiet enough at 12v...

[adz]

that's a great idea....never thought about it!tnx!

[Shawny_b]

Ok im a nooobie. I'm building my first rig. I Will use an Amd 64 3500+ Hopefully sandies r realy 1mb cache. I will water cool and oc heavily so i was wondering what would be the best ram for this. On the A8N sli deluxe.Plz help..thnx

[[XC] leviathan18]

HI shawny_b WELCOME TO XS :party:

ok tccd like ocz plat rev2 or gskill la because you can use only up to 3v on vdimm and the other problem with this mobo is the 2t problem if you want to OC forget about 1t another problem is the chipset fan very bad quality

[Shawny_b]

Hey thanx for the info levi. Does the current retail mobos have a problem 2t?? Im going to realy cool it well Im going to water cool northbridge,processor, and vid cards. Was thinking of getting ocz plat rev.2 @pc3200 or should I go higher? 3500,or ?? I keep hearing about 1t and 2t Im so noob man im not sure what it is. It's timings right> :confused: Im still learning. But very intrigued. Also should i skip the a8n all together and try a different board. I want to put my elaborate cooling system to the real test.. But I also need it to be freindly and not create alot of probs.

[[XC] leviathan18]

im not sure if the problem persiste but i think they havent fix it

1t and 2t are timming rates 1t is the thigest memory timing you can get and that is important to your perfomance specially with amd.

you can buy plat rev 2 3200 or maybe 4800 but i think a lot of ppl here know a lot more about memory you can search @ the xtreme bandwith and ask overthere

how is going to be the loop in your WC system??? how many rads pumps i like wc systems :D

[adz]

how stupid i was.. speed fan doesn't work obviusly because the power is at a molex connector..on mb there is only the yellow cable wich is the speed sensor

[Shawny_b]

Hi again levi thnx for the info. Well I was going to make a custom water cooler. 12"x 12" rad with a12" fan and as high pressure a 3/8 water pump I can find. With water blocks to seperate the flow.. I think I can get realy good cooling with something this big. It will be a seperate unit with water shut off valves on the back of the tower. I would go 1/2 tubing but it seems to take alot of space and is probably unnesecary if the water volume is kept at a higher pressure.I doubt that the water blocks they sell will even flow 1/2 tubing at high flow.A 1/2 diameter pipe is what they use in plumbing for hose bibs on a house and they have to much flow. It would just create clutter. I also have an idea for a swamp cooled radiator wich should lower it significantly even below room temp. But that is still in my head for the future. So any body wanna hire a guy with some good ideas hehe let me know.....jk. So would you recommend the thermaltake or could it be better cause I might just buy one if it works well.

[J-Mag]

how stupid i was.. speed fan doesn't work obviusly because the power is at a molex connector..on mb there is only the yellow cable wich is the speed sensor

:lol: No worries man, I arc'd a molex to another yesterday cause i was changing fan configs while the system was active. The hwhole thing hard locked... I thought i killed something... :bsod: (one of my good traits) :)

[adz]

new beta bios is out.. i installed it but tomorrow i'll let u know about improvements. just looking at the bios memory settings increased!!

[Fiber9]

Adz,

Any news on that new bios?

[cool_dude]

Adz,

Any news on that new bios?


Yeh, any news? :)

[adz]

tried latest beta bios cant get over 247 mhz witrh 2.5 3 3 7 timings... i didn't try with looser timings since i think is useless.. things seems not changed

[cool_dude]

:( damn asus :slapass: :p:

[dinos22]

hot one here too...doesn't look good with 1 issue

you guys been running 2T 1:1 at high speed

[cool_dude]

is anyone getting weird readings off of their voltage rails?

Ive got an akasa and the votlagesa are reading too low... (11.71 on the 12V rial) :(

[dinos22]

mine seems to read that....makes no diff...you need to test with multimetre cause bios reports wrong info anyhow


is anyone getting weird readings off of their voltage rails?

Ive got an akasa and the votlagesa are reading too low... (11.71 on the 12V rial) :(

[cool_dude]

I'll be getting a multimeter asap, thank god im not the only one! :)

Also what does your 5v+3.3v rail read?

[adz]

i get also a sligther lowers values

[dinos22]

slightly lower....3.27 or 3.29.....and 4.99 or thereabouts.....i read a few user reviews about my PSU so I'm not concerned......enermax is pretty good


I'll be getting a multimeter asap, thank god im not the only one! :)

Also what does your 5v+3.3v rail read?

[lehmin]

what is asus a8n sli max fsb? is it over 400?

[adz]

no^^

[dinos22]

what is asus a8n sli max fsb? is it over 400?

hell no....prolly 330 or so

[adz]

i reached 350 but it is useless to have high fsb if ram can't match it

[[XC] leviathan18]

do you guys are having problems with dividers???? when i pass 230htt it start to run dividers on my mem and that is pissing me off

[dinos22]

don't leave it at auto....i don't see that bios would change on its own if it was set to a certain divider...what are you trying to do........270+FSB in 333 divider or what


do you guys are having problems with dividers???? when i pass 230htt it start to run dividers on my mem and that is pissing me off

[cool_dude]

A bit off topic on whats being talked about, but i done my own 'mini mod' and its rather good.... MUCH quieter and very good at cooling the chipset.

http://img140.echo.cx/img140/6769/mymod5js.th.jpg (http://img140.echo.cx/my.php?image=mymod5js.jpg)

[[XC] leviathan18]

not really just 240 or 250 with 200 in mem clck

[[XC] leviathan18]

cool dude i just put a 80mm in front of it now i have 33°

[cool_dude]

cool dude i just put a 80mm in front of it now i have 33°


32° here, altho i do have the side panel off... :)

[dinos22]

ok 1:1.......some people reach 240 and some 250....1T.....before problems so you are reaching a limit.....interesting that it reverts to lower divider,,,must be a bios glitch


not really just 240 or 250 with 200 in mem clck

[lehmin]

:slapass: problemo here, putted in bios 1.65v for CPU but in CPU-Z its only 1.567v :slap:

[dinos22]

1.65V doesn't actually work and it will overvolt to just over 1.55V which is the max CPU voltage....1002 bios had 1.65 option but it never worked...is that the bios you are using...i desperately need 1.65 to go higher in clock speed on CPU but i'm stuck with 1.57 roughly...it would have been awesome if i could get 3.2vdimm....as that would push up my UTT speed to 237MHz and in divider works out pretty sweet for a decent OC


:slapass: problemo here, putted in bios 1.65v for CPU but in CPU-Z its only 1.567v :slap:

[[XC] leviathan18]

lets go all of us to a asus manufacturer site and burn our mobos in their entrance and go and buy some dfi ultras xD

[RialSilva]

It's funny that you guys have that problem with vcore b/c my board overvolts. I get 1.648 if I set it to 1.625 and get 1.68xx if I set it to 1.65. But I still have a problem with the LDT multi. everyone still having this problem or is it just me.

EDIT: It might be a winchester problem since I have a FX-55 (clawhammer)

[cool_dude]

If asus dont release their bios real soon, im going to sell this asus p.o.s and get a dfi which i should have in the first place, getting tired of this.... first the loud and rubbish chipset fan, now the 1T issue.... just sucks... :rolleyes:

[ReelMonza]

BIOS 1011 for ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe released (ftp://ftp.asus.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Socket_939/NVIDIA_Chipset/nForce4_SLI/A8N-SLI_Deluxe/1011sd.zip)

1.Support new CPUs. Please refer to our website at: http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx
2.Fixed "ASUS Update" can't update BIOS when using Dual Core CPU.
3.Fixed NOS can't work after enabled NOS by AI-Booster.
4.Set CPU VID Item max value as 1.55V when using 1.40V/1.35V CPU.
5.Fixed it fails to boot when Enabled NOS function.

[adz]

in the new final they put back the limit to 1.55v for models with default vcore of 1.3 and 1.4..

[RialSilva]

Was the LDT multi problem ever fixed b/c I still have to change mine in windows. It's pretty annoying. Anyone else's board overvolt vcore?

[dinos22]

i had a DFI nF4 Ultra-D and went back to Asus in time before it blew up like they all will if you're going to 5V jumper(main selling point of the board)....if you need that sort of RAM voltage there is only one choice........Abit.....check out the tread on Fatal1ty AN8 SLI motherboard.........DFI is the biggest pain in the ass......so you will sacrifice time and money to realise you are only mediocarly better off than Asus and other mobos which are stable and things work better



you have a CLAW not a Winnie so your voltage will be higher :slap:

It's funny that you guys have that problem with vcore b/c my board overvolts. I get 1.648 if I set it to 1.625 and get 1.68xx if I set it to 1.65. But I still have a problem with the LDT multi. everyone still having this problem or is it just me.

EDIT: It might be a winchester problem since I have a FX-55 (clawhammer)


LDT is a A64 memory controller problem across the board as far as i know...nothing to do with Asus.....well 4xLDT is the problem child

Was the LDT multi problem ever fixed b/c I still have to change mine in windows. It's pretty annoying. Anyone else's board overvolt vcore?



call Asus support they will give you the new silent fan....i did....I actually us Zalman passive heatsink and my temps are 28C now from 34C on old asus fan.....Premium fixes the 1T issues and is a ripper OCer from XS review here

first the loud and rubbish chipset fan, now the 1T issue.... just sucks... :rolleyes:

[RialSilva]

I know my stock voltage is here because its a claw (1.5 volts default). but if i set it to 1.5 i get a higher actual vcore (1.512-1.518)when checked w/ ntune, cpuz, asus probe etc. and the same follows as I inc voltage. just wondering if anyone else experiences this? Generally what I was saying is the board overvolts. (Not a problem really, it comes in handy since the board maxes out at 1.65 for claws and I get 1.68 and change when I set it to 1.65).

The LDT problem I was referring to is that when you change the LDT in bios it doesn't actually change. It will always boot at 5x regardless what you change it too. It's a well known documented problem. Just wondering if anyone knows a fix for it, many people have decided to tune using tweaker, clockgen, ntune in windows in order to change LDT. Is everyone experiencing this. I know people where getting this problem a while ago but mention of it has died down.

[[XC] leviathan18]

i have 1006 not problems with ldt

[SPQQKY]

Never had a problem with the chipset fan or LDT on my board.

[[XC] leviathan18]

lucky guy my chipset fan died after 2 months of 24/7 use

[dinos22]

got sidetracked there...yeah it overvolts on mine too.....1.55 got to 1.568 or 1.586 donno

my multies work OK at 3x........4x report funny crap so i don't this they are OK


I know my stock voltage is here because its a claw (1.5 volts default). but if i set it to 1.5 i get a higher actual vcore (1.512-1.518)when checked w/ ntune, cpuz, asus probe etc. and the same follows as I inc voltage. just wondering if anyone else experiences this? Generally what I was saying is the board overvolts. (Not a problem really, it comes in handy since the board maxes out at 1.65 for claws and I get 1.68 and change when I set it to 1.65).

The LDT problem I was referring to is that when you change the LDT in bios it doesn't actually change. It will always boot at 5x regardless what you change it too. It's a well known documented problem. Just wondering if anyone knows a fix for it, many people have decided to tune using tweaker, clockgen, ntune in windows in order to change LDT. Is everyone experiencing this. I know people where getting this problem a while ago but mention of it has died down.

[adz]

the vcore is slightly higher then stock 2 get more stability i guess..anyway is written in the asus faq abou a8n sli deluxe^^

[cool_dude]

call Asus support they will give you the new silent fan....i did....I actually us Zalman passive heatsink and my temps are 28C now from 34C on old asus fan.....Premium fixes the 1T issues and is a ripper OCer from XS review here


first the loud and rubbish chipset fan, now the 1T issue.... just sucks...

Ive made my own custom fan, just it should have came with a good fan in the first place. There no new bios's then? I really want the 1T issue fixed, lotta people saying that its making the memory run slooow.

What would be better... 250*9 @ 1T OR 290*9 @ 2T?

[cool_dude]

Take it theres no new 1t Bios fixes?? :( :(

[I(illa Bee]

hey, if I have a 24pin PSU (enermax 600watt SLI) do i need to run the molex plug on the mobo by the videocards.. Im no currently running SLI.

Will I need it when i grab 2 7800s? (only getting 2 7800s if Evga Stepup program works for my 68700GT, otherwise it will be 2 6800GTs)

[adz]

they reccomend to do so especially if u use sli

[cool_dude]

With 1 PCI-E graphics card, No. You do not need to.

With SLi, Then yes.

[cool_dude]

bloddy hell, ASUK suck big time, im selling my a8n sli, and getting an ULTRA-D!!

Should have got the damn dfi in the damn first place!

[[XC] leviathan18]

well you are not the only one so be happy :P

[TiN_]

Can anybody give me high resolutions photos from A8N-SLI Premium. I want to compare PCBs and components with mine A8N-SLI. If I found some components different I will try to remade them to Premium variant. 1T bug really BAD thing. BTW it is only with 2x512MB ram or not? I use 2x256 BH5+BH6 and it's rock stable 252 2-2-2-5-1T giving me 7000mb/s sandra BW

[LeSnip3R]

TIN_EOF > yeah nice idea, but sometime there's different chips, which are hard to solder...

[HighLife]

Anyone notice their HD seek times to be alittle slow? i was testing it compared to my nforce3 board, and for some reason...in sandra, it shows the average seek time as 23ms...

also, which drivers did you download from nvidia for the board. There were alot to choose from, so i picked the Nforce4 AMD. I belive it was version 6.70.

Thanks for any help....i just got this setup and kinda working out the bugs.

[HighLife]

whoops, hit back on my broswer and double posted....sorry.