I got me a NF7 Rev 1.2 Today

[OPPAINTER]

First I'd like to thank my friend Oiler for sending me this mobo:toast:

I can say that this mobo is looks like night and day compared to the Rev1. The PCB and the wieght alone makes it feel like a good old solid Abit motherboard.
First I'd like to see what it can do right out of the box, no mods.

Looks promising, we'll see :D

I'll hook it up in a few hours.

Thanks again Oiler:)

OPP

[Major]

Hey Opp I got my NF7-S today too ! I'll race you to the highest FSB unmoded ! hehe

Also got my Geil PC3700 today so it will be a fun weekend.

[snowsl]

I can't wait to see what you can do with the board.

Hurry up and get that epos score off the ORB. :toast:

[OPPAINTER]

Originally posted by Major Slaughter
Hey Opp I got my NF7-S today too ! I'll race you to the highest FSB unmoded ! hehe

Also got my Geil PC3700 today so it will be a fun weekend.

All right, we'll have some competition here:D
The highest sandra memory bench with no mods, with the acception of AS III on the northbridge:D

What if can't even do 220:eek:

OPP

[Major]

I'll go ahead and give it too ya Opp ! It will be Sat b4 i even touch my NF7-S gona play with the A7N8X and new mem first.

220 should be easy for ya, I hope to hit that with the Asus.

P.S. thanks for the vote of confidence Snowsl !!:toast:

[OPPAINTER]

I'll post them up anyway, and your setup see what yours will do :)

OPP

[muzz]

GL guys, and have fun:toast:

I'll be paying attention to this, as maybe they finally got rid of the earlier revision problems( not all had issues, mostly voltages and such).........
I may even buy 1 OPP...:eek:

[twiggy]

Woohoo!:banana: :banana: Go OPP! :D


Need more then 237 fsb tho :( esp if you've done the vdimm mod. Abit better come up with a new BIOS very soon.

[WxChaser]

Mine arrived today too, OP, and gotta say the build quality is much better just by the looks of things. Was so tempted to play but off to work.

I was trying to figure out the stepping codes on the 2800+ Barton I got today, but that's in another thread.

Have a blast, will hopefully be building out tomorrow, but I have to do some case mods ala RoydRage to install my 510W PC Power and Cooling external pots first, before I get to throwing in the new mobo, mem, etc.

[gokickrocks]

im tempted in getting another rev1.2.....

[Jen]

Hopefully soon OPP i will be there with some high fsb on this Abit NF7S rev 1.2 which i have ordered with VDD mod. Wish it had the memory mod as i probably will need it to try and catch up with you.




Jen

[twiggy]

No memory mod here and I can max it out at 237 fsb. If Abit comes out with a better BIOS then I will think bout the vdimm mod. This board takes a ton of vdd voltage compared to the rev1.1 tho.

Good luck all!

[gokickrocks]

what timings are you running?

[youthemandan]

Ohh man can u say new #1 position on the orb

[PGansz]

what kind of memory do you have twiggy? i just got this board yesterday and when i get it going on sat i'm gonna see what i can do. i have HyperX 3500 1x512.

[oiler]

Hey Opp,

You are most welcome.

I can't wait to see what you can do with this board.

I am very impressed with it and as you mentioned, the quality of the board is like an Abit should be.

Let the benching wars begin :-)

[Asniper]

Originally posted by oiler
Hey Opp,

You are most welcome.

I can't wait to see what you can do with this board.

I am very impressed with it and as you mentioned, the quality of the board is like an Abit should be.

Let the benching wars begin :-)



you sound like a very very good person to know lol, can't wait to see some results here

[Dissolved]

Well i Wish you the best of Luck OPP. I will be rma'ing my 1.1 to newegg and hope they will send me a 1.2

If not ill be stuck for a while.. maybe use my kx7-333 after it rma's :(

[Da[]San]

Got me one too.

Still with Sammy 2700 memory and don't seem to be able to get over 171fsb.

My Ram Timings 8,4,4,2
Vdimm 2.72

Anyone not what i should do (apart from buy some Twinmoss 3200!)

Tx

[FlyBoyGeo]

Not to break up the competition, but did all of you guys order from newegg?? Thanks.

[Major]

Got tired of messing around with my Asus and new memory, was able to get it stable through 3D apps at 217 Dc Sync. thats with vdd mod @ 1.90v.

So got the NF7-S in the case, out of the box so far can do 212 Dc Sync stable in 3D apps. Not quite what I was hopeing for but still better than my Asus did b4 mods.

I noticed the stepping on my NB was A2, have seen some getting A3's what was yours Opp ?

Guess this weekend I'll be getting the solidering iron hot, was hopeing this would be a mod free deal, guess not.

Also this Geil looks like it might have some potential, in the Asus with vmem mod @ 3.1v I was able to run the 217 at 5-2-2-2. Need more juice I think on the Abit It likes 7-3-3-2.5 so far.
This is 2x512mb PC3700PL so might not oc as well as 256mb version.

Let us know Opp how its going.

[twiggy]

Originally posted by gokickrocks
what timings are you running?

2.5-2-2-6 Not to shabby for 2.9v.


PGansz- Im using XMS3500.

[PGansz]

do you think i running hyperX 3500 will get me over 210fsb??? i'm not a serious overclocker, but i'm gonna see how high i can go when i get my new system going.

[WxChaser]

twiggy - what do you have set in your cpu FSB/DRAM ratio? I'll be running 3500 also & setting it up tomorrow. Thanks.

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by Major Slaughter
I noticed the stepping on my NB was A2, have seen some getting A3's what was yours Opp ?


Wow...this is very surprising. I would have thought all steppings of the NB on the v1.2 to be A3. Just for reference here's a pic of my NB:
http://www.liquidninjas.com/mdzcpa/reviewphotos/NF7/Picture%20080.jpg

How about everyone else?

[twiggy]

Originally posted by WxChaser
twiggy - what do you have set in your cpu FSB/DRAM ratio? I'll be running 3500 also & setting it up tomorrow. Thanks.

3/3(100%). :)

[snowsl]

Son of a *****. I bet my stepping is A2. I hit a wall at 212 also. I'll check tomorrow. Have to go to bed now.

[WxChaser]

Thanks twiggy - kind of weird figuring out the other ratios besides the 100 percent.

[Emericana]

ummm snowsl i dont know about this whole nb a2 a3 thing but i have a rev1.0 which obviously has a old northbridge and i can do 220 w/ 1.7vdd....

the issue is your northbridge cooling. i epoxied a celeron heatsink/fan onto mine. using stock i could get like 195mhz but w/ the new cooler 220 is 100% usable but i vary it up like right now i am at 217mhz etc

[BrainStorm]

Originally posted by Emericana
ummm snowsl i dont know about this whole nb a2 a3 thing but i have a rev1.0 which obviously has a old northbridge and i can do 220 w/ 1.7vdd....

the issue is your northbridge cooling. i epoxied a celeron heatsink/fan onto mine. using stock i could get like 195mhz but w/ the new cooler 220 is 100% usable but i vary it up like right now i am at 217mhz etc

Celeron like PIII? Like one of these, or something else? And it made 25mhz differnce in FSB? Hmmmm....time to rethink my NB cooling since I'm not currently using either of these for anything.

[Entuscan]

Go with the left one, I used it on all my mobo's and it's a great cooler.

Doesn't interfear with my Prommy coolinghead either

[Hallowed]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
Wow...this is very surprising. I would have thought all steppings of the NB on the v1.2 to be A3. *removed for size*

How about everyone else?

Looked the same, before I lapped it ;).

[Major]

Ok I'm Happy now!!:toast:

220mhz DC Sync. stable through 3D 2001 & 2003
relaxed mem timings 8-3-3-2.5 (need 3.1v)
Had to do vdd (thanks twiggy) @ 1.9v

I give the NF7-S a 9 out of 10

Only complaint are the jumps in fsb settings above 220, really would like to see 1mhz increments to 250mhz like the asus.

I think the NB stepping is the make or break here, I'm afraid to push more than 1.9v unless someone here is already above that ?

[twiggy]

I use 1.96-1.98v on mine with the stock heatsink, it doesnt get warm at all. But thats me. :)


The fsb jumps do suck bad. :(

[Major]

hey twiggy up late ! hehe

Thats good to know maybe I'll push alittle harder !

Thought I'd see what I could do in single channel with both sticks

230mhz and runs 3dmark just fine ! same timings 8-3-3-2.5

:mad: update CTD on 3dmark loop during 2nd pass, but so close !!! maybe 2v or more on NB ?

[Creative]

I think I might joint the party guys :D

Here are some prelimanary results of what my NF7-S is doing unmodded(except AS3 on NB - Default NB fan too)


Prime stable for 1024K, 8K and 10K tests and 896K tests(approx 1 hour);

This was run with following settings;
11*200
1.75vcore (1.72real)
2.90vdimm (2.98real)
1.6vdd (havnt found a program that records this yet)
2-6-2-2 (2-5-2-2 didnt post so I put to 2-6-2-2 and worked)

Prime Stable for 1024K, 8K and 10K tests and a few 896K tests(approx 45 mins);

10.5*210
1.75vcore (1.72real)
2.90vdimm (2.98real)
1.7vdd (havnt found a program that records this yet)
2-5-2-2

I had it at 2-6-2-2 and at 1.6vdd for the 210fsb but it rebooted after 10 prime tests. I then put it to 1.7vdd and then though bugger it ill try 2-5-2-2 again also. I was then able to prime for 45 mins at 2-5-2-2 @ 210fsb :)

http://users.bigpond.net.au/creat/abit/217fsb2.jpg

and can run PCmark at this speed too
http://users.bigpond.net.au/creat/abit/217fsb.jpg

But heres where I am hitting my limits.

219fsb for some strange reason doesnt post. 220 posts and then gets into windows and then the screen turns into all corruption lines like a 9700 is dead....and freezes. 225 boots me to Windows splash screen and then the bar just keeps sliding across the screen. Ive tried all different ram timings and none seem to make a difference. Im going to add a Zallmann to the NB over the weekend probably and might look at getting somerhing on the SB, not sure yet.

That was the results for the first one. It died after 4 hours.....pathetic imo...I put it at 2.20vcore and the thing wouldnt post again....pfft :mad:

2nd one is rock solid at 210 for an hour of prime while I was at Physio today. 217 primes for about 5 mins and then I get a flash of the monitor and a Windows error saying a Device has failed and I need to restart and the machine is fine.....but prime ocntinues? Wierd .....Anyways, i think Ill leave her here at 210 rock solid and put a zalmann on the NB maybe this weekend and see if that gets me 217+ stable.

The main gripe with this board, and it happens with both. I have the jumps in FSB all over the place. Im missing some in the 16x, 17x, 19x and then it gets really bad in the 200.....210, 212, 217, 219, 220, 225, 230, 235 etc etc.....very annoying and something that a CMOS clearance is not fixing.....anyone got any ideas? Maybe flash the bios again?

Major Slaughter, I give her 7/10 so far, cos 1 died on me after 4 hours, and it missing some fsb, crucial to me, I think I could get 215 stable, but I dont have it :(

Here is 217fsb Dual Channel 2-6-2-2 sandra results. Windows isnt tweaked, just 24/7 install;

http://users.bigpond.net.au/creat/abit/217.GIF

ps
havnt put the board in the Vapo yet, this is all on air on the desk :)

[BrainStorm]

Originally posted by Entuscan
Go with the left one, I used it on all my mobo's and it's a great cooler.

Doesn't interfear with my Prommy coolinghead either

Entuscan, did you epoxy it down or use some other method like drilling holes in it and attaching that way?

[OPPAINTER]

Nice board:)
I gave up at stock out of the box though. I managed 225 4-2-2-2 but I had a Video problem. I didn't spend much time trying to lighten up on my mem timings.
I can't do 237 out of the box so thats all it takes for me to start modding and cooling, not enough Patients :)

I have to do a Review on the NF7 soon, so when I get that mobo, the review will be a play by play out the box, might as well not do it twice.

I can say this bugger is way different from the Rev 1, maybe more aggressive, which is a good thing for higher 3D scores:D

On a good note, with the extra voltage (v-core) I can do 3D03 runs at over 2930 MHz :) Also, the mem voltage is well over volted, I get 3.01 at 2.9 in the bios. I don't think I'll need a v-mem mod, we'll see.

OPP

[mook]

Would that video problem be something along the lines of the screen flickering on and off intermittently? Seems that anything over 220fsb for me causes that problem. I'm not sure if that's due to lacking in the VDD department or not.

Memory voltage is fabulous...I'm getting 2.97-2.99 at 2.9 in the bios, which is great for breaking in this new Twinmos memory.

I've got mine breaking in at 200x12 right now at 1.85 volts....I may have to send it off to have someone do the VDD mod....considering these new A3 cores seem to run extremely cool.

Who knows....maybe Abit would be gracious enough to include a 1.8 and 1.9 VDD in their new bios....as well as fix those stupid jumps in the FSB *cough 212--->217?!?!?!?!* :D

[Emericana]

Here is what my Northbridge Heatsink looks like (i have a 12cfm 50mm Fan on it as well as plently of case flow)

[mook]

Pretty decent heatsink you got there....what kind of voltage you running through the core/vdd/memory? And have you tried going past the 212fsb barrier that most of us seem to have a problem with?

[Major]

Well I'm back on my Asus now :rolleyes:

Aparently I have stumbled across the max voltage that the vdd can handle before getting red hot and smoldering !

I was running along fine at 2.1 vdd doing some memtest after playing with my memory settings and by the time I smelt the all too familure odor of burning componets all went blank never to return. Wish I had a digital camera cause it must have got real hot before dying.

Maybe Epox 8RGA+ next..................

[Svenn]

Opp, what cooling are you using? Does anyone know if a chipset Waterblock and Prometeia will fit on this thing?

[BrainStorm]

Originally posted by Emericana
Here is what my Northbridge Heatsink looks like (i have a 12cfm 50mm Fan on it as well as plently of case flow)

Emericana,

WOW...you must have meant PIV Celeron! BIG sink :thumbsup: Maybe I should use the larger of the 2 P3 sinks I have ;)

It really made 25 mhz difference in stable 3D? I'm really hoping so cause I'm now itching to epoxy that sucker to my Epox :D

What kind of epoxy? Arctic silver? Arctic Alumina?

[Emericana]

I used Artic Alumnia Epoxy. I used a somewhat thick layer cause i did not have the time to lap the base of the heatsink. I installed it by pushing down on it real hard for around 10minutes. Then when it was probably about 75% set after 10mins i put a real heavy book on it.... a hour later it was ready to go.

the heatsink is real light cause it isnot copper but it still does a real good job.

in bios i have APIC DISABLED. that was the only way i could get above 166mhz in windows. yes i can get above 212mhz....

i dont use extreme voltages as i only have air cooling
vcore=1.85
vdimm=2.7 (would def pump 3.0v into the ram but i cant do the vmod)
Vdd= 1.7v
Agp= 1.6v

the vdimm is acutally around 2.8v as it overvolts but the vcore is actually around 1.82v as it undervolts :( yeah i know the vmod is easy but i dont wanna go through the hassle for around 50mhz more

Edit: the southbridge cooler is merely the copper heatsink that came w/ the vantec iceberg it is only applied using thermal tape the southbridge does not even get warm anymore so its all good

[spaceboy]

Originally posted by Svenn
Opp, what cooling are you using? Does anyone know if a chipset Waterblock and Prometeia will fit on this thing?

you should put up to a 5x6 WB on it ;)

[Svenn]

What I mean is on my 8RDA+, with the waterblock and Prom, I had to squeeze the prom in there. Will there be any problems with that? Prom will fit fine? Not too close to anything including NB?

[CyNix]

If I use artic silver epoxy, can I take off my heatsink in the future? or It will just stick there forever?
Just bought myself a tbredB 1700+ retails. I already have a slk800 so I'm not going to use the stock heatsink for my cpu. I'm planning to use it to cool my NB instead of just leaving it aside. Besides AS epoxy, are there any other ways to mount it on my NB? It's would be great if you can show me a pic :)

[fibonaccov]

I agree with mickeymouse on that one ...

Major, nice achievement but 9 out of 10 given you had to mod the mobo? - I don't get it - what's exceptional to this board really? - most modded 8rda+ can achieve this and some do without any mod (true for the Abit too)...

Anyhow, I'll pass on that Abit and keep my 8rda+ :)

Major, yes the 8rGa+ looks like a good one...

--fibo

[Svenn]

Originally posted by fibonaccov
I agree with mickeymouse on that one ...

Major, nice achievement but 9 out of 10 given you had to mod the mobo? - I don't get it - what's exceptional to this board really? - most modded 8rda+ can achieve this and some do without any mod (true for the Abit too)...

Anyhow, I'll pass on that Abit and keep my 8rda+ :)

Major, yes the 8rGa+ looks like a good one...

--fibo

My problem is my 8RDA+ won't do over like 170 or 180 FSB stable without vmods... Since I have to buy a new board for my girlfriend, I figured I'd try a different board for me and give her my 8RDA+... I just need to make sure the Prom won't be a problem with the water-cooling. I've got another question, is that serial ata RAID or no? I thought when I was looking at it before it said it was, but now nothing says anything about it. I've got a RAID card but I was gonna try both and see if the serial ATA helped any with 2 converters to IDE drives...

[fibonaccov]

Svenn,

Sorry to hear you could not reach higher - have you tried all the tips/suggestions posted at Epox AmdForums? (Muzz has some great ones in some thread)...and it did work for quite a bit of people who could not reach high fsb's....just mentioning...

--fibo

[Hallowed]

It is SATA Raid, though you do not necessarily need to use RAID (duh.)

Its faster than IDE by a mile, and it comes with the converter so you dont need to buy anything. Only bad thing is that drivers are a bit scarce, although I have a newer set given to me by the kind folk at LostCircuits.

[Svenn]

These are the only forums I read... so no. To be honest I didn't mess around with it as much as I'd have liked, but I did notice my cpu would run higher if I raised the mult and lowered FSB. I could only get into windows at 2600-2700 Mhz with strictly raising FSB. When I raised mult I made it into windows at 2800 Mhz easily. Couldn't bench 3dmark though.

[fibonaccov]

Originally posted by Svenn
These are the only forums I read... so no. To be honest I didn't mess around with it as much as I'd have liked, but I did notice my cpu would run higher if I raised the mult and lowered FSB. I could only get into windows at 2600-2700 Mhz with strictly raising FSB. When I raised mult I made it into windows at 2800 Mhz easily. Couldn't bench 3dmark though.

Here we go - some info here (http://www.amdforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=196731)

--fibo

[Svenn]

Thanks, most of that I've tried. I haven't done any vmods yet because I need money to buy a soldering iron... The clips I have aren't working either, they're too big. I haven't taken off the jumper yet though, so maybe I'll try that. I've got the stock nb heatsink on the southbridge and I'm water-cooling the northbridge. I have heatsinks on all the mosfets and the voltage regulator. I'll still be getting a NF7-S to play around with. Might as well if I'm buying a new board. I'll just keep the better clocking one.

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by fibonaccov
I don't get it - what's exceptional to this board really? - most modded 8rda+ can achieve this and some do without any mod (true for the Abit too)...


http://www.liquidninjas.com/mdzcpa/reviewphotos/NF7/225.JPG

This NF7 1.2 does 225 no mods...dual channel of course.

My budddies 1.2 which arrived yesterday is burning in at 220 dual channel.

And that's Out of the box...no mods. That's exceptional....for me at least. I've been through a ton of NF2 boards (asus and epox) trying multiple boards of each band...none did very well. 1 died and I sold all the rest. They made good every day boards, but poor tweakers boards for those who like to be in the BIOS all the time.

Not only is FSB and speed important, but just the smoothness of the board. And in that department both the Epox and Asus had numerous issues. BIOS exit freezes, settings not sticking, cold and wrm boot issues, sporadic multipliers working, some mutlipliers not allowing high fsb, all sorts of weird §§§§.

Not saying the NF7 is perfect. The early versions had a lot of trouble too. But so far the 2 1.2s I've tried have none of these issues so far. So it's hard for me to beleive it is not the better board at the moment .

It could be true that the 1.2 is just like every other NF2, but somehow I just don't get that feeling.

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
[I've been through a ton of NF2 boards (asus and epox) trying multiple boards of each band...none did very well. [/B]
Well,

If by a ton, you mean 7, that's how many I've been through also... All died, and I only RMA'd one of them!

I'm currently running stable, and reliable @2949MHz. 14X210 with an 8K9A2+. But alas, it's bench performance is not up to a nforce 2... If the speed is the same.

I'm putting a lot of hope in this board for the Prome/Lian-Li Pro. After being promised one from GameVe, and being sent a Rev 1.1 (which was promptly returned, at least they gave me a full refund), My only hope is a big computer show upstate. There is supposed to be 175 tables, so I'm going to have to play Peek-a-boo, and go Rev 1.2 hunting...

Wish me luck....
http://www.maximumoc.com/img/hardware/promli/3Qtr3_middle.jpg (http://www.maximumoc.com/guides/promli.html)


http://www.maximumoc.com/guides/promli.html
RoydRage

[Jeff]

Where's the show at Royd?

[WxChaser]

Good luck finding the mobo at the show, Tony. By the way when I did the upgrade to 1.2 revision board, I installed the 510W PC Power & Cooling yesteday, it rocks. The pots are nothing short of outstanding (such fine adjustment, I started adjustments and looking in bios to see changes and it was like - why aren't they changing, then I realized how fine the adjustments were - and the PSU is ROCK STABLE). Thanks for your help with all that, Tony.

You'll love the 1.2 NF7-S in the Mean Machine.

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by Jeff
Where's the show at Royd?

Middletown... Orange County Fair Arena...

But OMG! not only did they not have an NF-7 S Rev 1.2.... THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE AN NF-7 PERIOD!

What a bunch of hicks! But then I guess I shouldn't say that... Cause I drove all the way to Yonkers Raceway to the other circuts show... And they didn't have one either! What a blip... I just have to wait till I can get one online... :(

RoydRage
www.maximumoc.com/guides/promli.html

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by WxChaser
Good luck finding the mobo at the show, Tony. By the way when I did the upgrade to 1.2 revision board, I installed the 510W PC Power & Cooling yesteday, it rocks. The pots are nothing short of outstanding (such fine adjustment, I started adjustments and looking in bios to see changes and it was like - why aren't they changing, then I realized how fine the adjustments were - and the PSU is ROCK STABLE). Thanks for your help with all that, Tony.

You'll love the 1.2 NF7-S in the Mean Machine.

Wx,

I'm sure I will whenever I get one:mad:

You're Welcome on the PSU.... You know the old saying... "Buy The Best", "You'll Never Be Dissapointed".

www.maximumoc.com/guides/promli.html
Best, Royd

[WxChaser]

You may want to try Azzo, Tony - (where I snagged mine and they were great making sure I got the right revision of the mobo), or I think Excaliber is supposed to be getting another shipment this week.

[Hallowed]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
It could be true that the 1.2 is just like every other NF2, but somehow I just don't get that feeling.

Most noticeable change I noticed between the A7N8X / 8RDA+ and this board is definately the weight. The 1.2 feels much heavier. Perhaps its a higher PCB layer count?

[twiggy]

OPP where you at?! Hows it going. :)

[fibonaccov]

mdzcpa,

I realize what you got is great - btw, you had to mod your cpu if I recall, no? The 1.2 seems like a good board indeed but it seems like a VDD mod is still required to go above 220'ish fully stable...like I said some 8rda+'s are running 230fsb dual-sync stable with and without VDD mods...Obviously, having a VDD of 1.7v in bios helps - I just wished they has made it available to higher values like the 8rGa+ ...I'm also looking at this board and will wait for more feedback...

--fibo

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by fibonaccov
mdzcpa,

I realize what you got is great - btw, you had to mod your cpu if I recall, no?

Yep...sure did....but that CPU mod helps on just about all NF2 boards. This has been very well documented around the net by now:)

The 1.2 seems like a good board indeed but it seems like a VDD mod is still required to go above 220'ish fully stable...like I said some 8rda+'s are running 230fsb dual-sync stable with and without VDD mods...

Yep...but we both know that that kind of performance is the very remote exception....is it not? Most 8RDA+ boards run much much lower I thought. At this point only a handful of NF7 1.2 boards are out there so it's really too early to tell whether we'll see some 230mhz v1.2s. I expect we will.

The point isn't to look at the highest performers from each brand...nor the lowest. The best board, in my opinion of course, is NOT the one that has a very slim chance of running the highest FSB. Instead, the best board is the one that consistently puts many users in the highest range of stable FSB speeds.

Just based on the early results of myself (2 boards now that run 220s), MrLavender, Equito, Shadco, RacerX, a others, it seems running at least 217 is almost a given. I think you'd be hard pressed to say this of the 8RDA+.

But...perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps the two 8RDA+ boards I tried were just bad examples of the board, and that the two NF7 1.2s I've tried are great performance flukes. You never know:confused:

Either way...I'm not going to get into a pissing match about which board is better on this thread...at least not any longer that is;) If I recall, this was meant to be an NF7-S 1.2 thread I think...that is until some users decided to bring the 8RDA+ into the discussion:)

Sorry about crappin on your thread OPP :(

[xgman]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
Wow...this is very surprising. I would have thought all steppings of the NB on the v1.2 to be A3. Just for reference here's a pic of my NB:


How about everyone else?

A3 here.

[xgman]

Op, what vdd are you planning to run at after mod? I have mine set at 1.85 so far and I am wondering if she will benefit from more?

[Major]

I think that 1.8-1.9v are optimal, just burned mine nb up at 2.1v with no gain after 1.9v, might have been my fault though, not sure if the water block was making good contact with the NB. You should make sure you have better cooling on the nb if your going to crank it up. Some people have reported getting better fsb just by improving cooling so you might want to try that first.

[OPPAINTER]

I did a little moding, I’m on straight water for the NB. This mobo needs more Volts then the Rev1.
I ran into a snag, the Dimm 3 sucks, and that’s the one I need for good dual channel. I can run all day stable at 237 one stick, and check out these timings 3-2-2 Cas2 :D That’s right, completely loaded a new OS and everything at these settings. The problem is, Dimm 1 and 2 work fine at 237 then I switch the stick to Dimm 3 and no go, Urhh.
My voltage is 1.96 VDD, and 3.1 v-mem.

I may have to resort to a pelt and up the VDD to get the Dimm 3 working at 237.

By the way, I did a mem mod, very easy on this Rev1.2 J the reason that everybodies mem voltage is over volted, is because Abit took our mem mod and did one themselves to this mobo :D, right off of pin 19 they suck a resistor in the trace to the Mosfet, there’s your extra voltage :D And this my friends makes for a easy break in the trace for us, just take out the resister and put in your own :D

OPP

[twiggy]

Sorry to hear that Major :(. It took ~1.97v on my chipset to get 237 fsb and this was with the stock hs and no as3.

[Emericana]

opp lets see some sandra benchies w/ 3-2-2-2 at 237! kick ass!

[twiggy]

OPP- Yeah I noticed that this thing loves more voltage then the rev1 and 1.1's also. The dimm3 sounds fuct up, whats the highest you can get with a stick in dimm3?

Gonna have to get down and do a vdimm mod now :D. Thanx for the heas up. :)

[Major]

Thanks twiggy, no big deal, not the first nor the last time I'll trash a mb. I just ordered another NF7-S v1.2 suppose to be instock on tue. Thought about an Epox this round but everone seems to be doing great with the Abit. I've been back on the A7N8X finally got it stable at 212mhz DC sync but just doesnt seem the same after running the abit !!!!:p I'm hopeing the new NF7-S will have an A3 on it I think it makes a difference.

[OPPAINTER]

Here is a single channel with mem at 3-2-2 Cas 2.

OPP

[OPPAINTER]

Heres my mem mod, no touching the pin 19 for this one. I used a 10ohm resister, then attached a 100ohm VR (green) to it.

OPP

[RoydRage]

Great Work OPP!

You always get there first, and give us all the low down... Thanks man.

If you can't get the 3rd dimm working, this effectively lets out Dual Channel @ high FSB, Correct? How much of an effect would this have in real world performance, and programs like PiFast that emulate it? And People seem to be saying that the NB is not getting that hot... How is your temps there?

I should have my 1.2 by Wed... Try'ed as hard as I Could but I was not able to lay my hands on one before then.

Best, RoydRage

[OPPAINTER]

The NB is pretty cool actually. Not sure whay the Dimm 3 is so tough. I can get about 233 with it.
I don't know about real world, 3d mark 2001 takes a hit though. I think it's pretty fast at 237 single channel myself, seems so anyway:D

OPP

[Svenn]

Don't mean to jack the thread, but got a question about NB cooling for when I get my NF7-S...

I have water right now, but it's on the same line as my GPU w/ 80W pelt... I'm thinking of switching to just air. On my 8RDA+ it seems that the NB sits at 31-32 degress in BIOS... Is that good or bad? Can I get lower with air?

Now I was looking at a few things:
1. Zalman ZMNB32J (http://www.sharkacorp.com/cgi-bin/TLSstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=zmnb32j)
OR
Zalman ZMNB32 (http://www.sharkacorp.com/cgi-bin/TLSstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=zmnb32)
OR
NB MAXX Blue Anondized Northbridge Cooler (http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=840556046011&Category_Code=CPC-ChP)
With
Sunon 40x40x20mm Fan (http://www.inflowdirect.com/sun40fan4pin.html)
2. Stock NF7 cooler
OR
PCToys ICEChip (http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=840556017158) (just about same thing as NF7 stock cooling)

Eventually, after I get my soldering iron and a pelt PSU (probably a meanwell) I may put an 80W Pelt on the NB just for the hell of it.

Also, anyone cooling their southbridge? I'll probably end up sticking the stock hsf on the sb like I did with my 8RDA+.

Looking good though guys, can't wait to get my NF7! Opp, I wanna see you hit 237 Dual Channel!

[OPPAINTER]

Originally posted by Svenn


Looking good though guys, can't wait to get my NF7! Opp, I wanna see you hit 237 Dual Channel!

Been there done that on the rev1, only problem is that I could only use the 11 and 11.5 multiplier.
Timings were at 7-2-2 Cas2.5

OPP

[Svenn]

Got a mem bench, Opp? And what do you think about the NB cooling?

[Nico]

Originally posted by Svenn


Now I was looking at a few things:
1. Zalman ZMNB32 (http://www.sharkacorp.com/cgi-bin/TLSstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=zmnb32)

With
Sunon 40x40x20mm Fan (http://www.inflowdirect.com/sun40fan4pin.html)

Also, anyone cooling their southbridge? I'll probably end up sticking the stock hsf on the sb like I did with my 8RDA+.

Looking good though guys, can't wait to get my NF7! Opp, I wanna see you hit 237 Dual Channel!

Svenn, I've got One of these on my NB and one on the SB of my 8RDA+. the Sunon 40X20's I have are vapo bearing 10cfm about 6000rpm. Seems to do the trick though :D

[xtreme]

mhmm what changed for vdimm mod on rev 1.2 ? is this pic above for rev 1.2 ? and how do you attached the 10ohm resistor on this little leg ? ^^ and how do you attached the VR on the 10ohm resistor ?... sorry for the questions, but im a newb ;)

[MrLavender]

Originally posted by OPPAINTER
Here is a single channel with mem at 3-2-2 Cas 2.

OPP Does lowering the Row-active Delay actually help very much? I can't see any difference in bandwidth between 7-2-2-2 and 5-2-2-2 in either Sandra 2003 buffered or Memtest86 unbuffered tests. :confused:

[Major]

yep 1.2, dont have unsoldier or cut pin 19 now, they put a resister btween pin 19 and mosfet so you can just soldier to pad now

[xtreme]

hm but opp said, he didn't touch pin 19

[Major]

right dont have to do anything to pin 19 now just soldier to the pad of the resistor they put between pin 19 and the mosfet leg looks like they did the same thing Opp did in his mod to begin with.

Edit I think i remember him saying he took the resisor off the board and replaced used a 10 ohm in his v1.2 mod.

[OPPAINTER]

Originally posted by MrLavender
Does lowering the Row-active Delay actually help very much? I can't see any difference in bandwidth between 7-2-2-2 and 5-2-2-2 in either Sandra 2003 buffered or Memtest86 unbuffered tests. :confused:

It helps in 3D mark 2001 benching.

OPP

[spaceboy]

Originally posted by OPPAINTER
Here is a single channel with mem at 3-2-2 Cas 2.

OPP



238 x what multiplier?


seems faster than 8RDA here
i can get the POS to 241 in single(240 in bios)

[Dissolved]

Originally posted by OPPAINTER
Heres my mem mod, no touching the pin 19 for this one. I used a 10ohm resister, then attached a 100ohm VR (green) to it.

OPP

OPP can you make us a lil guide on vmem and vdd mods for the nf7-s 1.2? i should get mine next week, and i wanna buy the parts needed for the vmod so i can use her right away.

[Major]

Really need a sticky for all the different mods on the different versions of the NF7-S, sorta hard to find.

[mdzcpa]

Wow...OPP great work. 3-2-2 CAS 2 at 237 is sweet.

Well, you guys have convinced me....I'm off to radio shack for the modding supplies:)

[Creative]

I cant get 217 stable atm in my 1.2 board.

It will prime and then all of a sudden it will freeze, then 10 seconds later return, with it in 4 colours and saying that a Devie Failed and i must restart. I restart and all is fine? :confused:

I also am very annoyed at the jumps in the fsb range above 210....I might flash the bios again.

Better board than the Epox but nothing spectacular imo.....1 died after 4 hours so they cant be THAT great ;)

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by Creative
I cant get 217 stable atm in my 1.2 board.

It will prime and then all of a sudden it will freeze, then 10 seconds later return, with it in 4 colours and saying that a Devie Failed and i must restart. I restart and all is fine? :confused:

I also am very annoyed at the jumps in the fsb range above 210....I might flash the bios again.


A few thoughts:

Is it possible that you might be near the end of the rope with that 3200 memory. Running 400mhz memory at 434mhz could be the problem.

BTW, those FSB "jumps" are the way it is supposed to be. The clock generator used by Abit has those choices. A flash will not help....unless it is to a new BIOS that Abit manages to unlock a few other FSb choices (which is not likely)

[OPPAINTER]

Running two sticks solid at 238 in dimms 1-2, I had to change the Cas to 2.5 for the two sticks. I can't get Dimm3 any more then 230 solid and at very low timings. I guess I'll go to a pelt tomorrow and see If I can get Dimm 3 working better.

OPP

2 x Kingston HyperX at 3-2-2 Cas2.5

[Merenfreak]

Opp

Any difference of the highest CPU clock compared to 8RDA+ ?


thx n`cya

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by OPPAINTER
Running two sticks solid at 238 in dimms 1-2, I had to change the Cas to 2.5 for the two sticks. I can't get Dimm3 any more then 230 solid and at very low timings. I guess I'll go to a pelt tomorrow and see If I can get Dimm 3 working better.

OPP

2 x Kingston HyperX at 3-2-2 Cas2.5

Very nice OPP:)

This is encouraging. I'll be doing the vdd mod once I get the Nb water cooled.

Keep up the good work:)

[Creative]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
A few thoughts:

Is it possible that you might be near the end of the rope with that 3200 memory. Running 400mhz memory at 434mhz could be the problem.

BTW, those FSB "jumps" are the way it is supposed to be. The clock generator used by Abit has those choices. A flash will not help....unless it is to a new BIOS that Abit manages to unlock a few other FSb choices (which is not likely)
I should update my sig, Im running Dual Channel HyperX atm, 256meg sticks with blue heatspreaders so they are 434 sticks :)

Good summary on the fsb jumps but they still annoy me.....iirc someone on this forum said they had ALL fsb options, and no jumps, thats why I am thinking theres something wrong :)

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by Creative


Good summary on the fsb jumps but they still annoy me.....iirc someone on this forum said they had ALL fsb options, and no jumps, thats why I am thinking theres something wrong :)

Someone on iirc is pulling you leg than:) I find the jumps to be pretty darn inconvenient too....but unfortunately that's just a limitation of the board.

EDIT- what did I just say:rolleyes:

[NorthernYankee]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
Someone on iirc is pulling you leg than:) I find the jumps to be pretty darn inconvenient too....but unfortunately that's just a limitation of the board.

Mike iirc=If I Remember Correctly;)

--NY

[Major]

The early Asus bios where that way too, after 200mhz the increments took some leaps, but with bios 1002 they now have 1mhz increments up to 250mhz. It might be a limitation of the board but I hope it will be a bios thing. :) (Im an optimist)

[dykz34]

Hopefully Abit will have 1mhz FSB increases in the next BIOS update... 5mhz is a HUGE jump when you are already so high...

[Major]

Well my NF7-S was only up for a couple of days b4 I killed it but definetly was MY fault, during that short period of use I'd say its a great board ! ordered another (didn't RMA) no problems with it at all.

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by NorthernYankee
Mike iirc=If I Remember Correctly;)

--NY

hehe...that's what I get for posting before my first cup of java:D

EDIT- BTW...this really is a great board:) Still running 24/7 at 220! (no mods)

[twiggy]

Finally got the vdimm done. The mod is cake. Thanks for the info OPP. :toast: :toast:

Hopefully I'll be able to get cas2 and tight timmings at 237 now. :cool:

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by twiggy
Finally got the vdimm done. The mod is cake. Thanks for the info OPP. :toast: :toast:

Hopefully I'll be able to get cas2 and tight timmings at 237 now. :cool:

Keep us posted twiggy:) I'm watching with interest. What's your NB cooling again?

[twiggy]

I just took off the stock one and put on a AOC copper one that looks exactly like the stock one. Nothing special.

btw my NB was a A3.

[mdzcpa]

Originally posted by mdzcpa
BTW, those FSB "jumps" are the way it is supposed to be. The clock generator used by Abit has those choices. A flash will not help....unless it is to a new BIOS that Abit manages to unlock a few other FSb choices (which is not likely)

WRONG:D Check out the new BETA BIOS 16 which provides 1 mhz increments to 233, then and then 236/37/40/42/44/45/50.

Go Abit!

[dykz34]

Sweet!!! :D :D :D :D

[RoydRage]

OPP,

Got my Rev 1.2... But this is my first NF-7... So I was hoping you could bring me up to speed...

What is the value you would use for a single resistor vDDR mod?

Do you know Of a thread that details the vdd mod... I can't find one... And what value would give me about 1.9v?

My NB Stepping is G31861.1A

025A3... I hope this is the latest...

Thanks,

Royd

[spaceboy]

A3 KOREA or TAIWAN ?

[WildKard]

About the FSB jumps, the 8rda+ is the only board that has TRUE 1mhz increments to 250mhz even the Asus is like 202/04-10/12-33/36/38/41/45/48/50 or something close to that

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by spaceboy
A3 KOREA or TAIWAN ?

Taiwan....

RoydRage

[spaceboy]

Originally posted by RoydRage
Taiwan....

RoydRage

thanks

VDD

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9758&perpage=25&highlight=hyperx%20sucks&pagenumber=2

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by OPPAINTER
Heres my mem mod, no touching the pin 19 for this one. I used a 10ohm resister, then attached a 100ohm VR (green) to it.

OPP

Can anyone give me a resistor value to replace the VR... That gets 3.2v Vmem? I only have resistors to work with, and I favor them

Thanks,

RoydRage

[twiggy]

I think a 100ohm resistor would do it.

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by twiggy
I think a 100ohm resistor would do it.

Twig,

I know 100Ohm would be a safe bet, but it probably would yield little, or no increase. It's got to be somewhere near the middle of the range..... But exactly where?

Thanks,

Royd

[twiggy]

A friend of mine is running a 10ohm and 100ohm resistor and hes on a rev1.0 and it gives him over 3.1v.

I have a 1k pot set to ~120ohms and it gives me 3.05v at 2.9v in BIOS.

[RoydRage]

Twiggy,

Ok, Thanks. That gives me an idea about what to go with. To start I'm going to go with a 60 Ohm...


Regards,

Royd

[RoydRage]

Bingo...

A 56 Ohm Resistor got me exactly 3.20 Vmem!

Now If anyone has any ideas as to why my vCore voltage it stuck on 1.6v Please let me know!

I've disconnected all the mods.... And it's still won't budge...

this is my 7th nforce2 board.....

JUST KILL ME, PLEASE!

Royd

[WxChaser]

JUST KILL ME, PLEASE!

Tony I know the feeling...on my 2nd board now here (lots of catching up to get even with you though, not sure I could afford it, lol).

So you can adjust Vmem and your other voltages in bios, but not Vcore? That sounds very strange. My rev 1.2 would let me adjust the Vcore easily (till the bios chip died on save, the bastage).

[RoydRage]

Wx,

Yes. Everything else is normal. I have full range adjustments for the Chipset & the Memory....

But the Vcore is Locked!

Royd

[twiggy]

Glad you got it RoydRage. :)

About the vcore, its shadowed in BIOS?

[NapalmV5]

RoydRage,

"A 56 Ohm Resistor got me exactly 3.20 Vmem!"

That's 5.6k ohm ?


About the vmem on the NF7-S, what exactly has to be done ?

[wolfgang]

56 ohms sounds like alot dont it ive got a 10 ohm from the mosfit to the chip and a 100 ohm from ground to the chip no k's for this mod

[NapalmV5]

Ok, i get the mod, so there's no way around cutting pin 19 ?

[wolfgang]

yes if u have a v 1.2 abit added a resistor in the trace your breaking when u lift the pin i have a ver 1.0 so i lifted the pin was kinda easy i lifted pins 19 and 20 cuz they are so small just stuck 20 back down made sure there was no contact between the pins with my muti meter sodered the 10 ohm resistor to the mosfit and pin 19 fan plug to ground and pin 19 pluged a 100 ohm resistor into the fan plug and bam 3.12 vdimm

[NapalmV5]

Wait a minute....

Oppainter, what exactly you did here,

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=114766

[OPPAINTER]

The latest Nf7 Bandwidth. Did this at 11.5 x 250, 1 stick Kingston at 6-2-2-2 timings, 3.12V, VDD at 2.12V.
Can't get past 238 on Dimm3 with this board so high dual channel is shot. I wonder if other people are have problems with Dimm3.

OPP

[OPPAINTER]

Originally posted by NapalmV5
Wait a minute....

Oppainter, what exactly you did here,

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=114766 \

You don't need to cut the pin, there is a small resister in the trace you can just take off, this gives you a cut in the trace. Then do the 10 ohm and 100 ohm VR combo.
I'm thinking now that all you really need to do is solder a 100 ohm VR to the Pin side of the mobos resister without taking it off the board.

OPP

[wolfgang]

this is what i got useing dimms 2and3 insync 1.95vcore 3.1 vdimm
1.95 vdd oh the timmings were 2.5 2 2 7 i cant boot at 250 probably need more vdd what is your thoughts oppainter

[OPPAINTER]

I'd say go for 2.1 VDD, I've been useing it a while with no problems YET:D

OPP

[Major]

Not Yet! hehe

Good going Opp ! that stinks about your dimm 3 not up to speed would like to see some DC runs from you, you're probably tired of being asked this but are your running a tec on the Nb ?

[NapalmV5]

OPPAINTER,

"I'm thinking now that all you really need to do is solder a 10Ohm VR to the Pin side off the mobos resister without taking it off the board."

Actually that's what i thought you did in the pic. So, just solder a 10Ohm VR to one end of that resistor on the mobo, right ? Is that the one closest to the WB...... chip ?

"Can't get past 238 on Dimm3 with this board so high dual channel is shot. I wonder if other people are have problems with Dimm3."

Right now i'm @ 240fsb and the 2 x 256mb samsung pc3200 @ 2.9v boots @ 480 DDR but not stable to boot in windows.

[NapalmV5]

Would a 10k pot @ 10ohm work cause i don't have anything 10ohm right now ?

[wolfgang]

i have noticed a problem with the vdimm volts when at 3.1 it drops big time to 3.06 up to 3.15 the only thing that comes to mind is capaciters not handling the volts correctly 3.00 is rock solid or is this a board to board problem.

[OPPAINTER]

Originally posted by NapalmV5
Would a 10k pot @ 10ohm work cause i don't have anything 10ohm right now ?

First off, it would be a 100 ohm VR not 10 ohm, secondlly I wouln't use a fixed resister unless I knew the mod worked already.

OPP

[NapalmV5]

Oh yeah...

lol

[RoydRage]

Originally posted by NapalmV5
RoydRage,

"A 56 Ohm Resistor got me exactly 3.20 Vmem!"

That's 5.6k ohm ?


About the vmem on the NF7-S, what exactly has to be done ?

No..... a 5.6k is 5,600 Ohm... it's a 56 OHM And it did give me exactly 3.2 vMem...

As far as what has to be done.. OPP detailed it nicely earlier in the thread.

Royd

[NapalmV5]

RoydRage,

Sorry i thought it was a typo, i've just started reading on this mod minutes ago.

Ok, i looked @ the resistor on the mobo closest to the WB..... chip & saw the trace. I took a 10k VR to ~100 ohm cause i don't have anything else & i'm gonna go ahead and do it, i'll let you guys know.

Thanx to everyone for the info, much appreciated.

[NapalmV5]

Well, the mod does indeed work.

Took the voltage up to ~3.4v, anymore than that and the board wouldn't boot, i guess that's the max.

I was able to run Sandra @ 233fsb, 2x256mb samsung pc3200 cl3 @ 466DDR @ 3.3v & got this bandwidth,

3508/3256 - mem timmings @ SPD, 12, 6, 6, cas 3.0

Though windows booted the windows registry blew up when @ 240fsb/480DDR ram.......bummer.

[bowman1964]

hey guys quick question....i am looking at a nf7-s today at a local retailer..now does the nf7 have two different nothbridges like the 8rda coded A2 or A3 because all i can find is a A2 nothbridge.
sorry if its poster somewere else but i am on someone elses pc and all i can see is nothing of this page she has a old pc...this kills me 480x600 daxxx old stuff....any way if any of you know off hand i would like to know before i go and purchase it.

[bowman1964]

well i see there is a a3 nothbridge so i will keep on looking i guess ,
thanks guys

[MrLavender]

Most (not all) of the v1.2's have the A3.

[Madril]

Congratz OPP :D 250Mhz FSB is "GOD LIKE" :D
Till what FSB gan u go Dual Channel MAX Stable ??

[bowman1964]

hey guys where can i buy a nf7-s online that has the a3 northbridge.i mean who has gotten one and from where.because i am ordering one this weekend and i want to get the best stepping i can.
thanks:D

[mdzcpa]

I've ordered 2 from excaliber and both have been A3 NB. Both were on seperate orders. I don't think you can request A3, but chances might be good with these guys.

[shadco]

2 NF7-S's and a NF7-M all had rev A3.

I don't know if it matters.

Shad

[OPPAINTER]

This NF7 1.2 of mine is stuck on stupid for dual channel. The Dimm 3 can only do 218 with agressive timings so Dual channel is shot. I guess I try a different mobo.

Running 2 sticks in dimm 1 and 2 right now at 242 with 3-2-2-Cas2 timings, still, the dual channel is what give the mobo performance.

OPP

[WxChaser]

I've had 2 from Azzo both with the A3 NB.

[Svenn]

Originally posted by OPPAINTER
\

You don't need to cut the pin, there is a small resister in the trace you can just take off, this gives you a cut in the trace. Then do the 10 ohm and 100 ohm VR combo.
I'm thinking now that all you really need to do is solder a 100 ohm VR to the Pin side of the mobos resister without taking it off the board.

OPP

Yeah, I don't understand this... I'm fairly new to vmods. Do you have a pic of the resistor that you take off? Then where exactly do you solder the wires to? The only vmod I've done is the KX7 mods... Also, I only have 500 Ohms and up VRs, and no fixed resistors... Can I just use a 500 Ohm VR, set it at 100 and lower it from there? And do I really need the 10 Ohm fixed resistor?

[bowman1964]

well OPP i am taking you advise my friend.ordered me one from excaliper because looks like he has be shipping alot of a3 revision 1.2 chipsets.so i will see middle of next week.:D
i would like to see if it can pass the epox i have. i have a good one of those but i have modded it to death lol.i needed something else to mod...:p

[althes]

You guys have too much fun

[spaceboy]

it was the NB layout i suppose!