8RDA+ high Vcore shutdown fix!

[Spartacus]

The 8RDA+ is a great board, about the best around for AMD overclocking right now. Even so, a lot of dedicated mobo abusers (myself included) have had a problem where the 8RDA+ would just shutdown at Vcore settings over 1.9v even though the board is rated to provide 2.2v Vcore.

The symptoms of this problem are that while running the CPU at 100% load (Prime) the system will totally shutdown. The system will often boot fine to the Windows desktop even with Vcore set at 2.0v. The shutdown can happen instantly upon starting Prime or sometimes not for 30 minutes. Generally, the higher the Vcore is set, the quicker the shutdown. My 8RDA+ would run Prime for quite a while at 1.925v but would shutdown eventually. Setting my Vcore for 2.0v guaranteed a shutdown in 30 seconds or less.

This problem makes it impossible to achieve a decent overclock because the 8RDA+ shuts down much too soon. I spent a lot of time looking at CPU temp problems, even going so far as to disable the AXP's internal diode for temp sensing. High CPU temp causing the shutdowns didn't make sense though because I was able to run the same 2400+ cpu at 57C (!) perfectly stable on my old KR7A. The 8RDA+ was shutting down with CPU temps only around 40C. Next I thought that maybe the 8RDA+ MOSFETS or voltage regulator were overheating. Nope, same symptoms with cold air blasting at the power section on the mobo.

OK, I've covered a lot of possibilities but no payoff yet. I started looking at the IRU3055 Vcore voltage regulator. It's job is to control the switching of the power MOSFETS providing power for the CPU. Looking at the datasheet:

http://www.irf.com/product-info/datasheets/data/iru3055.pdf

I found that the IRU3055 also has overvoltage and overcurrent protection. Hmmm, that's sounds like something I need to look at. I originally thought that maybe cutting or lifting pins 15 & 19 might keep the overvoltage circuit from shutting down the system. Then I realized that there is no overvoltage condition causing the shutdown. The voltage in the MBM log is always fine at shutdown. Ok, that leaves the overcurrent protection circuit.

Pin 16 of the IRU3055 is called "OCSet". It needs an external resistor to provide the threshold for the overcurrent shutdown. So Epox would need to pick a resistor value to protect the power section of the mobo (and CPU) and make sure that the value they select will allow high enough current for overclocked conditions but still shutdown the system before a meltdown. Could that be where the problem is? YES!

Due to mobo component variables and operating temp variables, the value of the resistor (I didn't measure it) that Epox selected is causing the system to shutdown when it should not. In short, the IRU3055 is being programmed to be over protective.

Here's the fix: Cut the trace leading to pin 16 on the IRU3055.
I used a flashlight, magnifying glass, and an X-ACTO razor knife to cut the trace. In my system, I pulled the power supply aside and could see the IRU3055 very clearly. It took about 30 seconds. Sorry, no pics. I don't have a decent digicam available.

Now the IRU3055 has no idea how much current is flowing through the MOSFETs. It will happily supply current until everything overheats, your system catches on fire, and burns your house down! That's the way every hardened overclocker wants it . YEAH!

Now I don't really think that will happen, but if it does, I will laugh at you and call you names! If you choose to do this mod, it is ALL AT YOUR RISK! This mod will also void your warranty (duh). The "right" way to do this mod would be to replace the resistor with a value that will allow more CPU power, but still provide some protection. Just cutting the trace completely disables overcurrent protection. You have been warned! The circuit is not a feedback/correction loop though, only a protection circuit.

Good luck guys!

NOTE: If you don't feel comfortable doing board mods and cutting traces, PLEASE don't do this mod yourself. Get help!

DDTUNG: Thanks for posting so many of your mods, I posted this mod here first.

[Jeff]

Nice find. :thumbsup:

[Wolf]

Good job on finding the fix but there is no reason you should have to do that to get the board to run at 2.2v. Looks like Epox screwed up the power regualtion again on this board. I was actually suprised when my 8k3a+ didn't have any power issues like the 8k7a or 8kha but it looks like they are back to their old ways. If it were me, I would have rmad it and waited for a better revision to come. I think it's rediculous you have to cut a trace on the board for it to run over 1.9v but I think your fix will make a lot of people happy that were having problems. :toast:

[DisposableHero]

hell yeah! nice work...

cant i just cut the pin on the chip? that way i could fold it back down making it look like nothing ever was changed if something went wrong?

[Spartacus]

Thanks guys.

I agree Wolf, I'm pissed that this was necessary too. I already RMA'ed my first 8RDA+ for the same reason. The fact is though that the 8DRA+ is the best AMD board around right now. I was determined to make it work or smoke it. :) If I had smoked it, I probably would have gone back to my ultra-stable KR7A-R, or maybe sprung for a KX7-333.

I wish Epox and the other mobo makers would build better boards. I wouldn't mind spending another 15% for the mobo if that's what it took to make the freakin' boards work!

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by DisposableHero
hell yeah! nice work...

cant i just cut the pin on the chip? that way i could fold it back down making it look like nothing ever was changed if something went wrong?


You can barely see the cut trace anyway. You'd have to really know what to look for. :D

I wouldn't cut the pin, it could snap off. If you cut the trace you can undo the mod by just soldering across the trace or use a short single strand of bare wire to connect the pin with the resistor again.

I've been running since earlier today with no shutdowns. :cool:

[DDTUNG]

Spartacus

Thanks for the info. I've taken a quick look at the data sheets and it appears that your way will work. However, a better way would be to replace Rset(2.2k) with say a 4.7k resistor. Since I don't own the board I cannot tell which resistor Rset is, but perhaps someone will take the time to find out which resistor is connected to pin 16 and post back here.

DDTUNG:cool:

[Spartacus]

Thanks DDTUNG,

I agree, the better way would be to change the value on the resistor. I think the resistor number was R678 and it's connected to pin 16 by a short trace. I envisioned a long testing process to find the right value to allow more current and still be functional for overcurrent protection. And how would you test to verify overcurrent protection? I hate the smell of burnt transistors. :)

Going up in resistor value would decrease current on pin16 so would that increase or decrease the actual shutdown threshold?

I'm happy with it the way it is. It's been running fine all day now with no shutdowns or other surprises. If somebody does take the time to re-engineer the circuit and come up with a better solution I'd be interested to see it. I'm not sure that the proper value for one board will work right on another board though. That's apparently what Epox did, but it didn't work.

Thanks again DDTUNG, it's fun to converse with a legend. :)

[DisposableHero]

is there anyway you could possibly take a POS picture of where u cut

or even draw it?

[DDTUNG]

Spartacus

The data sheet gives a formula for VOCset which leads me to conclude that the proper way is to increase Rset.

VOCset = 160m(icro)AxRset - Rds(on)xiL1

When VOCset turns negative the system restarts.

My thinking at this point would be to replace Rset(R678) with a 4.7k or 5k VR set initially to 2.2k(assuming R678=2.2k, which you can read off R678) and turn UP the resistance of the VR gradually to increase the trip current level.

DDTUNG:cool:

[DisposableHero]

is there really any point for this current monitoring... how would it get that high anyway...

and adding a resistor is no easy task let me tell you

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by DDTUNG

My thinking at this point would be to replace Rset(R678) with a 4.7k or 5k VR set initially to 2.2k(assuming R678=2.2k, which you can read off R678) and turn UP the resistance of the VR gradually to increase the trip current level.

DDTUNG:cool:


I knew you'd have the right answer. ;)

That makes sense, just turn up the pot little by little until the shutdowns stop. Now why didn't I think of that. :rolleyes:

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by DisposableHero
is there anyway you could possibly take a POS picture of where u cut

or even draw it?

The only digicam I have access to is my daughters toy camera. Trust me, it's no good to see any kind of detail work.

If you can post a close-up pic of the chip on the 8RDA, I'll grab it and draw in where the cut in the trace goes.

Let me know.

[SupaMan]

how deep do u have to cut? just skim it? or do ya actually have to do some pushing?

[Spartacus]

You have to use a little pressure but not much. The trace is copper foil thinner than a piece of paper and really just sits on top of the board. Four or five passes with the blade should do it.

Try to imagine if you glued a thin strip of tin foil to a flat piece of plastic. It would take just a few cuts at lite pressure to cut through it.

[muzz]

WTG Guys.........:toast: :thumbsup:

[Spartacus]

Thanks muzz!

Here's a screen cap showing the system running fine with Vcore at 1.975v. This would have caused a shutdown within 2-3 minutes before the mod.

[bendside]

OK, so I've got the same problem that you had, except much worse (unstable in prime95 at 1.75 volts!!!). I looked at the pdf file you linked to, and I think I found the chip on the mobo, but I want to make sure I'm seeing the right thing. It is way up in the top left corner of the board, right below the psu, right? And the 16 pin is the one on the top, the 3rd one from the left? And the trace would be the lighter green strip running to the pin? Sorry if I sound like a dolt, but I've never done something like this before.

[Spartacus]

This should help a little...

[bendside]

So all the trace is is the strip that's a diff color? And was my description of the location of the chip right? Sorry, and many thanks for the diagram.

[Spartacus]

You should really RMA that board if it's that bad. Is that running at stock speed?

If it is, please register over at AOA forums or AMDMB forums and drop a note to the Epox guys. They should hear about this one.

To answer your questions though, yes it sounds like you have the correct chip. It's the 36pin chip near the big MOSFET transistors and the coils, right behind the PS/2 connectors. Make sure you verify the part number before you do anything and have somebody with some experience give you a hand if possible.

The trace itself is a thin layer of copper foil with a protective layer of green stuff called solder resist.

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by bendside
OK, so I've got the same problem that you had, except much worse (unstable in prime95 at 1.75 volts!!!).

Just want you to know this will not fix instability in Prime95, as far as errors and things like that. We are talking about a system that can run Prime just fine but will completely shutdown under heavy CPU load.

If the only problem is errors in Prime DON'T DO THIS MOD! :eek:

[bendside]

Yeah, i know. The prob is a complete shutdown, not roundoff errors or anything like that. Thanks for the heads up, though.

[bendside]

It's not at stock speed, but it's at a speed where, with stock voltage, it is perfectly stable through hours upon hours of prime 95. It's pretty clear that the voltage is the problem.

[TechTones]

I have the same no can do over 1.90 problem. My 2400+ did 2500mhz in the 8K3a+ at 2.10v On this board is just shuts down over 1.90 I put a fan on the vcore VRM. Now it BSOD over 1.90

The highest I can take this chip is like 2200. Did cutting that trace allow you to OC the CPU higher?

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by TechTones

The highest I can take this chip is like 2200. Did cutting that trace allow you to OC the CPU higher?

Yes and no. The 2400+ I have is only good to around 2250Mhz with my AX-7 in a closed case. That's as high as I got with my KR7A-R too, 2250Mhz (180x12.5). Now after this mod I have the voltage to match that CPU speed 2258Mhz (214x10.5). I can run almost Prime stable at 2300Mhz (219x10.5) with the system cover off and 2v Vcore. The best I could do stable before the mod was 2200Mhz (220x10), I needed 1.9v to hold that speed. SO after the mod I got my 50Mhz back. Wow, what a bunch of crap for 50Mhz. :D

Water cooling would change everything of course. With WC you have the ability to run high power levels to the CPU. This mod won't improve on the power limitations of the board though, that remains the same. The mod only lets you run at the absolute maximum CPU power the board can deliver without shutting down due to tripping the overcurrent protection. Unfortunately, the maximum power may not be a stable power. If you really plan on pushing this board that hard, I'd definately add some heatsinks to the MOSFETs and the IRU3055.

If I was a betting man, I wouldn't bet on being able to match that 2500Mhz clock you had on the other board. I don't have a real warm fuzzy feeling about the quality of the power section on the 8RDA+. It's really a shame because this board is so close to being able to dominate anything around.

Let's hope the rumors of a suped up version of the 8RDA+ being in the works is true. I'd buy it.

[TechTones]

Yes I have the NB and CPU WC. Vdd 1.85v

[TechTones]

But 2500mhz CPU is at 2108 :mad:

[Spartacus]

So you get BSOD after 1.9v right, not shutdowns?

This mod will not fix that. Sorry dude. :(

[TechTones]

Only BSOD with fan on VRM. Shutdowns with no fans after 1.90v

[p0opyfac3]

BSOD stand for Black Screen On Display? because if it does then i dont wanna do this mod.... does it?

[TechTones]

Yes you get a black screen like me but I was getting Blue Screens of Death [ BSOD] after I put a fan on the VRM. It seems it helped a drop but not enough.

[p0opyfac3]

voltage regulator mosfets?

[TechTones]

The VCore Voltage Regulating Module and 3055 and the mosfets too.

[p0opyfac3]

uhmmm, im pretty sure this may be the problem....

i try prime95 at 1.8v 10.5*166 and it lasts like 15-20 tests
i try prime95 at 1.9, 1.95, 2.0v 10.5*166 and it lasts like 1 second.
but it doesnt shut off... the screen goes black...? could this be the problem?

i have already tried to cut the trace but i dont think i cut it all the way.

[p0opyfac3]

this makes no sense... prime95 will finish at 1.8v but my screen will go black at 1.825 wit prime95... sparticus? anyone?

[TechTones]

Well it seems to the same problem we're haing but yours is worse unless your ram is not up to par it might happen. Lower the setting and up the vdimm all the way to 2.9

Also try upping the AGP card voltage to 1.6v

If that doesn't help, it looks like you might have the same problem.

[TechTones]

I have some good news to report and a possible fix for this. *Maybe*

OK,

when I saw you could run the vcore at 2.2 but had to have the CPU at stock speed and not have a shutdown, this showed me it might NOT be an OVP issue. It looked like a heat issue to me.

I also read one guy touched his finger to the VRM at 2.2v and he got a giant blister on his finger it was so hot.

So in short, I took a 233MM anodized heatsink and cut it up to fit on top of the vcore VRM. The VRM is about the size of a ram chip.
But the little heatsink is pretty tall even though it's only six prongs big. I mixed epoxy with thermal paste 50%/50% and glued the sink over the VRM. I let it dry and put a 80mm fan over it. It also blows on the mosfets.

As of right now, I'm running Prime since 9:12 and it's 9:42 now
at 2.05v and it hasn't shut down yet

Before it would shut down right away. So glue a nice big heatsink on top of the VRM plus a fan. If you don't have an anodized heatsink, just put some tape over the little legs on the VRM so you don't short anything out. Most of the time if you glue it perfectly flat, it won't touch the legs at all.

Good luck

[TechTones]

Still running :banana: :wiggle: :toast:

[Spartacus]

Good job dude!

Extra cooling is a good idea. I did always have plenty of air flowing over the power section on my mobo. In my case the mod made the difference. I no longer get any shutdowns after the mod with no changes in cooling.

My system is running steady now at 1.975v after the mod. It probably would be a good idea for me to add a heatsink to the 3055 though, it certainly wouldn't hurt.

[TechTones]

You can follow the fun at this thread at AOA.

My name is Bondo there ;)

http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13331&perpage=20&pagenumber=1


BTW, I'm Priming away at 2.1v and my 2400+ at 2500mhz!!!!:toast:

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by p0opyfac3
this makes no sense... prime95 will finish at 1.8v but my screen will go black at 1.825 wit prime95... sparticus? anyone?

Like TT says, you may want to try added cooling. If you still get the shutdowns after that, you can still try the mod.

Make sure you're running the new 3117 BIOS too, some people have reported that made a difference.

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by TechTones
You can follow the fun at this thread at AOA.

My name is Bondo there ;)

http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13331&perpage=20&pagenumber=1


BTW, I'm Priming away at 2.1v and my 2400+ at 2500mhz!!!!:toast:


Nice! :banana:


You must be water cooling right?

[TechTones]

Yes I am. The NB too plus air cooling on the SB :banana:

Plus VDD at 1.87v

[TechTones]

Prime still running at 2.1v :slobber: :slobber: :slobber:

[TechTones]

I found an added benefit for this fix even if you don't use high Vcore's.

The CPU now runs using less Vcore then before more stable. My 2400+ is at 2400mhz right now and 1.85v. I know the CPU can do 2500 so I'll take it up slowly.

This mod stops the vcore fluctuations too.

[p0opyfac3]

the VRM is the IRU chip that spartacus was talkin bout right?

[TechTones]

yes

[KingInge2000]

Mhh, extra cooling sounds good. If it doesn't, is there a possibility to make the mod temporarily? I only need 2.1V 4 one 3DMark loop.

@TT
What's ur Ram timings? I'm running 224 MHz 2-3-3-4 with over 3,4 GB/s?

[TechTones]

I have one stick of TwinMOS 512.

In the Epox 8K3a+, I could run this ram at 223 2-2-2-5

But in the N2, I can only do 226 at 3-3-2.5-6

This board needs more Vdimm like at least 3.10v

What ram are you using Corsair?

[KingInge2000]

PC3500 corsair of course.
224 2-3-3-5 works a lot better 4 me than 225 2.5-3-3-5.

[TechTones]

That's pretty good King.

I just backed my ram down to 218 so i can top off the CPU at
2506mhz.

I think this is the sweet spot for the CPU and the ram together

218 x 11.5

Now I'll play with the ram timings. I should be able to tweak it better since it's down to 218 now.

[KingInge2000]

I'm running 2240 MHz with 10x224 instead of 2300 MHz @ whatever.
I need more VCore 4 running one 3DMark loop with 10.5x227 MHz (highest benchable FSB) but i need at least 2.1V to bench @ 2390 MHz. But cut a trace??? It isn't removable, or?

BTW : Never thougt a corsair PC3500 would hit his limit sync 2 the FSB. I love this board. With S-ATA, VDD, Soundstorm and a better Vreg it would be THE board!
Let us c, what 8RDA2+ will bring us?

[Penti]

I just put my system up with the 8RDA+ and i have the vcore shutdown issue. It dies over 1.9V. I think this suck and after the weekend i will put back my 8k3a+. Maybe i will mod the board but it sucks to have to mod a new board thats suppose to do 2.2V vcore.

[Grim Reaper]

I had posted some problems above and was wondering if anyone has heard of the vcore messing up and frying the processors. I have an xp2100+ tbred and i had upped the vcore to 1.75 to see if t could stablize the 8RDA+ to a high clock speed. It was working at 10x200 fsb. Temps were ok and when i changed the vcore the system bios booted and then there was a blank screen. I thought i had fryed the chip and shut down. I checked it out and it seemed fine, no melted spots and it did not smell burned. I reset the bios and tried again, but nothing. I loaded an Athlon 1.4 from an older system and tried it again but the same results, although when i placed the Athlon 1.4 back in the old system, Blank screen!
i took the chips to my friends and loaded them on his system and the same results although his chip loads fine, so it cant be the system. Im am thinking that this mobo fried both chips and am uneasy about trying another chip because it might or will fry again. Is there a way that this motherboard can stay stuck at a higher vcore and fry the chips???

Will they refund both the mobo and the chip cost- ?? any help here would be appriciated. thanks-

[glock19owner]

Just curious...are you guys running the REV 1 or REV 1.1...I had somewhat similiar problems (couldnt ran after 1.95v's) with the REV 1 board, but so far, have not had the same problems with the new REV 1.1 board. I can run 1.95v's and higher without a problem now.

BTW - My REV 1 board fried after running it at 1.9v's for a few weeks straight.

[[H]AMDGamer]

ok im having some serious issues with the High Vcore shutdown with my 8RDA+ and its very strange i was using my XP-2000+ Tbred at 1.85volts for a few weeks without any trouble at all but the other day i installed XP-1700+ Tbred A witch has a default voltage of 1.5 volts now when i try to change the Vcore from the default to 1.7/1.85/1.9 etc i will then save my settings but seconds into the POST my system completly powers down and i need to reset BIOS WTF is causing this?


now i found something very interesting the system only shuts off if i do big voltage leaps for example if i go from the default of 1.5volts right up to something like 1.85 or 1.9 i will get the system shutting off just seconds into post BUT if i increment the voltage slowly like start at 1.6 reboot go back into BIOS and keep increasing the Vcore by .5 volt increments it will let me get all the way up to any voltage i want

also if i power down the system it will shutdown upon post so the only way to keep it alive is to keep restarting


so WTF is going on here is this the case of the high Vcore shutdown problem?

[Spartacus]

GR,

Sorry to hear you lost a couple of processors, that sucks! :(

You can RMA the board to the place of purchase or EPOX if it's not modded in any way. I don't think you'll get any cash for the CPUs though. If either of them was retail boxed then you could probably get it replaced by AMD. I haven't seen any other reports of an 8RDA killing CPUs. Don't try any more!

Glock,

This issue affects both revs 1.0 & 1.1. I had one of each and they both had it. My rev 1.1 is still running fine with no shutdowns since I posted the mod.

[Naasar]

what i am experiencing is not a shut down, but more of a instant reset. the system stays powered on but instantly reboots to the bios post screen. this seems to happen when i run my vcore@2v+ is this the same thing as the overvolt problem?

[youthemandan]

I really need a photo of this how does this chip set when on the board???? I am doing LN expiriment tommorrow and i really need this
http://8rda.com/upload/8rda_vcore_mosfet1.jpg

[bowman1964]

ok here you go .you can see where i removed the resistor.....


and the rebooting problem will not be cured by this mod......rebooting....i bet it does it while you are benching the pc ..like 3d2001 ?
this comes from unstable memory.or cpu setting...but my money on the memory.been though that prob for weeks.just try lower memery timing and or lower the fsb untill you can bench with out the reboot.also helpped me when i got close and just rebooted slightly at times is to reload video and the reload bench program..
that seams to help..;)

[Naasar]

Originally posted by bowman1964
ok here you go .you can see where i removed the resistor.....


and the rebooting problem will not be cured by this mod......rebooting....i bet it does it while you are benching the pc ..like 3d2001 ?
this comes from unstable memory.or cpu setting...but my money on the memory.been though that prob for weeks.just try lower memery timing and or lower the fsb untill you can bench with out the reboot.also helpped me when i got close and just rebooted slightly at times is to reload video and the reload bench program..
that seams to help..;)

you are right. i experienced the rebooting while running 3dmark2003. i will have my TwinMOS 3200 tonight. (winbond -5ns) i will see if its the pc 2100 running at 147@ 2100 being the culprit.

what didi that mod do to your system then if it didn't resolve the rebooting issue?

[bowman1964]

you are right. i experienced the rebooting while running 3dmark2003. i will have my TwinMOS 3200 tonight. (winbond -5ns) i will see if its the pc 2100 running at 147@ 2100 being the culprit.

well some of us had problems running high vcore.anything close to 2.0v would cause a sudden shutdown of the system.i didnt have the trouble as bad but i wanted to get some high benches.and i was having reboots so i thought it might help that too.but only memery has anyhing to do with that.

but there are some nice people who like to help... but one thing i noticed.the guys who know and are at the top dont like telling all there secretes too easily.so i found out the hard way.and for benching thats another story.but memory will help your problem


P S i took that pic myself of my board.as all my posts only use my pictures.i dont mind people using mine.but i only use what i actually have done:toast:

[youthemandan]

How did u remove it i thought u were supposed to cut a line not actaully removie something

[Naasar]

Originally posted by bowman1964
well some of us had problems running high vcore.anything close to 2.0v would cause a sudden shutdown of the system.i didnt have the trouble as bad but i wanted to get some high benches.and i was having reboots so i thought it might help that too.but only memery has anyhing to do with that.

but there are some nice people who like to help... but one thing i noticed.the guys who know and are at the top dont like telling all there secretes too easily.so i found out the hard way.and for benching thats another story.but memory will help your problem


P S i took that pic myself of my board.as all my posts only use my pictures.i dont mind people using mine.but i only use what i actually have done:toast:

so its a total system shutdown, and not a system rebot people are experiencing?:stick:

[bowman1964]

yes this fix is only for a shutdown from the ovp chip.

and yes you can cut the trace as i did first.
but it is easer to remove the resistor i found with a soldering iron.
here is a pic that you can see the cut better in.you notice i connected a vr resistor to the solder points .this way you still get use of the shutdown.but in the end i just removed the vr and run without anything....i know now i can run up to 2.2vcore with no problems.

[Naasar]

Originally posted by bowman1964
yes this fix is only for a shutdown from the ovp chip.

and yes you can cut the trace as i did first.
but it is easer to remove the resistor i found with a soldering iron.
here is a pic that you can see the cut better in.you notice i connected a vr resistor to the solder points .this way you still get use of the shutdown.but in the end i just removed the vr and run without anything....i know now i can run up to 2.2vcore with no problems.

so, to test if i have this problem i would set the v core to 2.2 and try to run prime 95 or 3dmark. if it shuts the pc down totally, then i have to do the mod, but if it just resets the pcs and starts to boot on its on, then its maybe my 2100 sammy @ 150 thats the culprit?:stick:

[j813]

Is this d reason why my board shutsdown when I set my 1800+T-Bred A @ 170FSB?
I already change to water block cooling.
Some say its my power supply. Is it so?

Just like to know also is it safe to find the stable highest Real Clock Speed?
Is the CPU thermal protection effective, already E-mailed the EPOX headqrtrs but didn't give a helpful answer but said they don't condone overclocking & board water cooling.

Thanks for those who would help!

My gear:
300 Watts iCute(www.casepower.com.tw [model 42h-p CASE])
8RDA+ jan 29 Bios
Thoroughbred A 1800+ (RIRDA Stepping)
Samsung 256mb 2700 cas2.5
GeForce Ti 200 64mb
Maxtor 40 & 20gb 7200rpm
PLexwriter 16x, LiteON 52x writer
Internal Modem
Pinnacle TV Tuner
4pcs case fans

[TechTones]

Listen guys the real fix for all these probelms is the new revision 8RGA+ that use a separate 12v connector just for the CPU.
This is how the board should have been made in the first place for overclocking.

I fixed my problem by cutting Pin 16 on the 3055 IC vcore chip, putting heatsinks on the Vcore VRM IC, and on all the mosfets.

I'm not running my 2400+ at 2703 using a Prometeia and at 2.1v
I ran Prime yesterday for 11 hours at 2.1v

No shut down no reboots. I'm also using a Antec True Power 430 Watt PSU.

[youthemandan]

Worked great for LN2 expiriment and i ran 2.2 vcore at 3172, Removing r678 was the best mod i could done. Thanks for making my OC possible

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by youthemandan
Worked great for LN2 expiriment and i ran 2.2 vcore at 3172, Removing r678 was the best mod i could done. Thanks for making my OC possible


You're welcome! ;)

[DoGMaN]

Very interesting info guys! Thanks. Couldn't figure out why the board kept spontaneously rebooting for no apparent reason. Turns out that this Sparkle PSU is supplying more current than the Antec I was using. With the Antec I was fine at 1.95v, but with the Sparkle I get random reboots. I thought it was condensation, but the machine works fine at stock volts. I'll be doing the mod later on today. I'll keep you posted as to how it works.

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by DoGMaN
Very interesting info guys! Thanks. Couldn't figure out why the board kept spontaneously rebooting for no apparent reason. Turns out that this Sparkle PSU is supplying more current than the Antec I was using. With the Antec I was fine at 1.95v, but with the Sparkle I get random reboots.

DoGMaN,

I don't recommend this mod for the symptoms on your board. It's not for random reboots, only shutdown problems at high Vcore.

It's the other way around on the Sparkle vs. Antec issue. Power supplies have a certain amount of current that they are able to provide, but they don't push current through the mobo. The mobo DRAWS CURRENT from the power supply. The power supply does however PUSH VOLTAGE to the mobo. I know it's a subtle difference, but it can be an important concept to keep in mind when troubleshooting.

My Sparkle 400W works fine on my 8RDA+. Your Sparkle may be too weak (or not a 400W model). It's really critical to use a good quality, high wattage PS on this board.

[DoGMaN]

My Sparkle is a 460W. I don't think its having any issues keeping up with the board. Maybe I'll just pitch the Antec back in and let it be.

I guess the reason I thought it was over current protection, is that it has the symptoms as you described. Only the board does not shut down, it reboots. Only at 100% load and completely at random times. Very odd indeed.

[Spartacus]

There ya go. That's what I would do. ;)

[DoGMaN]

Well I guess you were right. Been running all day now with no problems. Must have been that Sparkle PSU. Still seems pretty odd though. But no matter, I'm back running at 203x13 at 1.925v so I'm happy.

[Iolao]

can I cut that track with a simple cutter and a magnifier?

[Spartacus]

Yes, it should be a very sharp razor knife or blade. Here in the states we have a popular brand of razor knife called "X-ACTO". It's the kind of sharp pen-knife that you would use to cut parts on plastic model airplanes or cars.

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by DoGMaN
Well I guess you were right. Been running all day now with no problems. Must have been that Sparkle PSU. Still seems pretty odd though. But no matter, I'm back running at 203x13 at 1.925v so I'm happy.

COOL! :banana:

Good job!

[j813]

Spartacus
Could ya help me w/ my prob?
Don't really know what could be my prob.
I have a 1800+ T-Bred w/ an RIRDA stepping, only 300wattsPSU, 256mb 2700 mem, Ti200, 4 case fans, 2 7200rpm HDDs, Modem, TV tuner.

1)Is it the PSU? My friend only has a 300 watts PSU(not exact rating), 8k3a board but do wonders on overclocking even though he has numerous parts in his PC (3pcs SCSI, 1 IDE, Ti4400, 6 case fans,etc.).

2)or Is it the Athlon T-Bred stepping? Now I'm running 1750 real clock @ 1.60 Vcore.

3)or We all have same prob? But mine's worse I run it @ 1833 real clk 11x166 @ 1.7 Vcore then it restarts or doesn't load OS. Is it because its hotter here in ASIA? Or my Vcore's too low, etc?

PS: already put small aluminum plates @ Mosfets & IRU3055 chip & my last try @ 1833 real clock is the same, could not load OS.

I would greatly benefit from anyone who cud help.
jo81370@hotmail.com

And thanks in advance!

[Spartacus]

Hi j813,

So the problem is "it restarts or doesn't load OS"?

I will say that MOST 300W power supplies are not able to provide enough power for a high performance computer these days. Some will, but most won't. With everything you have in your system, you should have a power supply rated for at least 400W.

I use a Sparkle 400W supply. It's a very solid, popular, AMD approved power supply. Antec also makes a good PS.

[morphling1]

I'm very fresh user of this mobo, and I've been busting myself with failed attemps in overclocking past my old 8k3a levels. The max stable with this mobo was 2.025 and I could bench at about 2.8G chilled water cooled. Then I just notice this thread to find out exactly my problems here :)
I'm doing the mod this weekend, thanks

[j813]

I noticed that the Mosfets is laying down.
Normally transitors that are hot are supposed to be standing & bolted to an aluminum plate, just like in the Amplifiers, PSUs, etc.

Would there be a way to make this transistors stand & have plates on them?

[Spartacus]

You know I had that same question. They used to stand them up in the breeze with a heatsink. They probably don't because of cost and because they could get knocked off if they were sticking up in the air. Also because they work fine at stock speeds.

It might be a cool mod to unsolder all of them and mount them on a single aluminum block and then wire them to the mobo. Sounds too much like work though. ;)

[spaceboy]

i think i have the same issue now
at first i could run 2.2volt on the cpu :(

so Removing r678 is 100% working for 24h on 24 2.2volt?

[BMORIN]

Stupid question, but how do you remove the resistor with a soldering iron like somebody said? I haven't done much soldering, but I do have a good small one that I used to do my vdd mod.

Can someone just give me a walkthrough on how to remove the resistor with soldering iron.

Much appreciated. I apologize for my newbiness

[Spartacus]

All you need to do is touch the resistor for a couple of seconds and it will probably stick to the end of the soldering iron. The resistor is only being held in place on the board by a very small amount of solder. It will come loose very quickly with a little heat.

I still prefer cutting the trace, much easier to undo. Once you unsolder that resistor, you'll either lose it or you'll never get it back on the board again if you wanted to.

[j813]

Are there any update on these problem?
Any other links I can go to?

morphling1 could you help me with your hardware add-ins?
Thanks a lot to all

[butthook]

Man I need help. I did this mod as described, and now everytime I exit bios the alarm I intended to get rid of goes off!! It PC Health Status says my vcore is 1.20 !!!! What gives? What did I do wrong and is there any way to fix it?

[TechTones]

Lower the FSB back to normal and the vcore should reset itself.

[Spartacus]

bh,

If you need to undo the mod for some reason, you can solder a small length of wire from pin16 to R678 (the side closest to the VR chip). That will effectively jumper the cut trace and restore the original circuit.

I've never seen anybody need to do that though. As TT said, try your BIOS settings or even reset CMOS and try again. Also, make sure you're running a current BIOS (3117 or better).

[morphling1]

Spartacus, in my case removing R678 didn't help, I still get the same freezes in prime95 as before the mod in anything above 2.05V the freeze is instant. And the only thing I change is Vcore clocks stayed the same
The cooling isn't the problem btw.
Got any clues ?

[butthook]

I think I maybe cut a little to far past the holes or a little to deep. I have reset all back to default, cleared cmos, tryed upping the voltage but there is no response in PC Health Status, it stays at 1.20 no matter what vcore I set.. what are the conections to either side of #16? Is there a chance I botched it and cut one of those?

Also: I'm using 12/31 bios...I haven't cleard the cmos but I'll try it....I just did'nt think it would fix a prob like this, and I wasn't OC'ed at the time.

[spaceboy]

something is changed but the mod isn't 100% working to my 8RDA+

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by morphling1
Spartacus, in my case removing R678 didn't help, I still get the same freezes in prime95 as before the mod in anything above 2.05V the freeze is instant. And the only thing I change is Vcore clocks stayed the same
The cooling isn't the problem btw.
Got any clues ?

There is no reason to expect this mod would fix a freezing problem in Prime, that's not what it's for.

Sounds like you're pushing the CPU too hard.

[spaceboy]

now i'm cooling the mosfet with a 120mm Fan and prime is running from 16 minutes.. Vcore 2.15v
let's hope..

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by butthook
I think I maybe cut a little to far past the holes or a little to deep. I have reset all back to default, cleared cmos, tryed upping the voltage but there is no response in PC Health Status, it stays at 1.20 no matter what vcore I set.. what are the conections to either side of #16? Is there a chance I botched it and cut one of those?

Also: I'm using 12/31 bios...I haven't cleard the cmos but I'll try it....I just did'nt think it would fix a prob like this, and I wasn't OC'ed at the time.

I've seen a lot of reports of this mod working as expected, and some reports that it didn't help but didn't hurt anything. Yours is the first I've seen with this symptom.

Solder a jumper from pin16 to R678 to undo the mod (like I said before). Flash to a current BIOS if you can (like I said before).

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by spaceboy
now i'm cooling the mosfet with a 120mm Fan and prime is running from 16 minutes.. Vcore 2.15v
let's hope..


Great!

Cooling is definately important.

[morphling1]

This is definetly mobo problem as I had same cpu at 2.1V on 8k3a running without problem.
Cpu has quite some room left because same thing happen if I unclock for 100 or more MHz, but from 2.05V on prime freezes instantly without any errors or similar. So definetly not cpu being unstable or ddr or unsufficent cooling on mosfets that voltage controler or anything else, all cooling is taken care off.

[Spartacus]

morphling,

You're overclocking the CPU by over 1Ghz though correct?
(Congrats on an awesome OC BTW!)

Minor differences in mobos become a big deal when you're pushing the hardware that hard. I don't think the Vcore power supply circuitry on the 8RDA+ matches the abilities of the 8K3A. Different boards, different designs. If you are convinced the CPU has more in it based on it's performance on other mobos, then I'd say you've reached the performance limits of the 8RDA+.

EPOX redesigned the Vcore supply on the 8RGA+, so that should tell you something. I see people getting very good numbers on the 8RGA+ and on the new Abit rev1.2 NFS7.

[morphling1]

Yep 2.6+ G here. And I thought that this is the mobo limitation.
Anyway thanks for replying and helping me & others, there are evidences that this mod works for some, but for me it exactly the same as before the mod.

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by morphling1
Yep 2.6+ G here. And I thought that this is the mobo limitation.
Anyway thanks for replying and helping me & others, there are evidences that this mod works for some, but for me it exactly the same as before the mod.


Happy to help.

Just to clarify this again though, this mod will not help fix freezing problems in Prime or any other program (it was never claimed to fix freezing either). The mod is only to fix shutdowns (system powers down by itself) related to high Vcore. It's not quite fair to say the mod didn't work for you, when you were having a freezing problem.

[morphling1]

Yeah but I relate to that problem because it acts exacly the same way, only without shut down. But it happens without any warning as soon as I start prime95 it locks. That's why I though it gotta be some sort of overcurrent protection too. The cpu shut down but the psu is still working and the mobo is powered.
Like you said, this must be the problem with mobo design.
Just a little bad taste on otherwise great mobo.

[Spartacus]

A bigger or different power supply MAY fix the problem. I think you are just running out of power and the CPU locks (not any kind of protection issue). Even with a bigger/better PS, you will still have a limit on how much current/power you can expect the Vcore supply to handle.

Good luck!

[morphling1]

Even that isn't the problem I had that same cpu at 2865@2.15V prime 95 stable with chilled water on 8k3a. So PSU is more then good.
Hey just a thought, what does that other resistor do, R657 ?

[Spartacus]

The reason I metioned PS is that it's not only the amount of power, but also how CLEAN the power is. Also, any given PS may work fine on one board but not another. There is a variation in how much power each mobo uses and a lot of complex details that determine if a PS will be able to power a given mobo running "at the edge". If you have other supplies handy it would be worth testing. I'm not saying to go out and buy another one though.

I don't know what R657 is for, I never traced it out. After I cut the trace on my board, there was no need for me to try anything further because the mod was working for me at that point.

[morphling1]

I have Antec truepower so the psu should give me clean lines.
I mention that resistor because I saw it on some japanese site circled in red, and the only thing I could read was Icurrent mod or something like that,web translators did't realy do the job fine so I could understand what the resistor do.
That's why I wonder what that resitor do.

[Learn]

hi



i've doing the "R678" mod , no shutdown for me , BUT my motherboard is unstable over 2.05v (v-core) .
i've a true antec 480w it's not a power supplie problem.


another thing:

v-core 1.8 max FSB stable 229

v-vore 1.975 max FSB stable 219...

it's strange

tested at 10.5 x 229 and 11 x 219
my 2700+ is stable at 2521 with 1.92v

i've found this :

what is this mod ?

http://holicho.lib.net/devilman/pc/8rda+_05.jpg

The R673 (the 2.6kohm) it substitutes in variable resistance. If value of resistance was reduced, it boosted.
(As for wiring of purple for tester)


the link: ( babelfish translation )

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?url=http%3A%2F%2Fholicho.lib.net%2Fdevilm an%2Fpc%2F8rda%2B.htm&lp=ja_en&tt=url


and original link:

http://holicho.lib.net/devilman/pc/8rda+.htm

[bowman1964]

this looks interesting....almost looks like he has found a way to increase the voltage to the mofsets. .......we need to check this one out closer.

but on closer inspection looks possible he found how to increase the cpu vcore beyond the 2.2v setting in bios.

and if you check his page looks like he is increasing the voltage to the agp slot.....i like it...........................

[morphling1]

Yes, that does look interesting, wonder if that just increase vcore or it makes it stable.
So if I understand correctly he put 2.6k vr on the that removed resistor. And he measured voltage on mosftet with that purple wire and GND (multimeter in between :))

[Holst]

Hes just doing what I do to my board to measure votages.

Rather than rely on the often innacurate winbond monitoring I solder a wire to the Vcore output, VDD output VDDR output and use those wires to measure voltages with a decent multimeter.

Although I solder to the CPU pins to get Vcore as I have no back on my case, so I could solder there without moving anything (plus it might be a bit more accurate there)



Originally posted by bowman1964
this looks interesting....almost looks like he has found a way to increase the voltage to the mofsets. .......we need to check this one out closer.

but on closer inspection looks possible he found how to increase the cpu vcore beyond the 2.2v setting in bios.

and if you check his page looks like he is increasing the voltage to the agp slot.....i like it...........................

[morphling1]

Yes he does that on voltage regulator, but variable resistors instead of original smd's show that he does a little more then just monitor voltages

[bias_hjorth]

hello everyone..

I also have this problem with any voltage above 2.0V!
I removed the resistor but it didnt help!
My cpu is standard a barton xp2800 and even when I select anything above or at 2.0V at standard speed (2.075Ghz) the computer frezzes instant or wont boot up.
The CPU can do 2.5Ghz with 1.975vcore but I need a bit more ;-)
Btw. my cpu i dangerden watercooled and my PSU is a thermaltake 400W

NB: when I am using higher vcore (1.950v) the 5V is down to about 4.66V

Any ideas anyone?:toast:

[bowman1964]

Originally posted by bias_hjorth
hello everyone..

I also have this problem with any voltage above 2.0V!
I removed the resistor but it didnt help!
My cpu is standard a barton xp2800 and even when I select anything above or at 2.0V at standard speed (2.075Ghz) the computer frezzes instant or wont boot up.
The CPU can do 2.5Ghz with 1.975vcore but I need a bit more ;-)
Btw. my cpu i dangerden watercooled and my PSU is a thermaltake 400W

NB: when I am using higher vcore (1.950v) the 5V is down to about 4.66V

Any ideas anyone?:toast:

its the barton chip my friend.not the board that i can see.

i have been running mine for a while.the barton doesnt like more than 2.0v the max mine will run stable is 1.975 226x12@2712mhz
the same board will allow me to feed my xp2600 to 2.2volts if i need.but most of the bartons will not take over 2.0v
sorry

[bias_hjorth]

damn that sux.. are U 100% sure?

[bowman1964]

Originally posted by bias_hjorth
damn that sux.. are U 100% sure?

well i am affraid so.:(

i tested mine by lowering the speed and uping the voltage.it just does not like 2.0v and above,at any speed.

man it wound be nice it mine would take up 2.2v but sorry no go for the bartons as of now

[morphling1]

Bowman, but did you try any mobo other then 8rda, because with this mobo the problem above 2V is not necesseraly in cpu.
Just try it, I'm getting Abit rev 1.2 and I'll soon know if I can get more the 2.025 V which is the limit with my 8RDA

[bias_hjorth]

btw. do you know why my computer instantly stoppes when I activate toture test in Prime95 at 1.975vcore..

and do you recommend me to change me PSU?

Current 5v at 2565mhz = 4.65

[morphling1]

Read my posts above, this is the mobo problem. Your 5+ is on low side but if vcore is holding then it's ok, try the same with lower frequency and same vcore, and you will see that same freeze will occur in prime95. I didn't have any of those problems on older 8k3a with same cpu, psu and everything else, with much higher vcore.

Oh yeah if 5+ get very low there is a danger that your atx connecors is getting very hot and could melt, realy. Check the wires and the connector if they are too hot, if they are just warm, then it's only your psu not giving enough juice.
But with good psu lower 5+ lines mean psu will pump more current and the wires get much hoter and can eventualy melt. I now had two of those incident just because of bad connection on atx.
http://www2.arnes.si/~mlivak/burned%20atx1.jpg
http://www2.arnes.si/~mlivak/burned%20atx2.jpg

and my fixup, all voltages much better with same psu since then (btw that was with my old 8kh+ mobo)
http://www2.arnes.si/~mlivak/new%20atx.jpg

[bowman1964]

Originally posted by morphling1
Bowman, but did you try any mobo other then 8rda, because with this mobo the problem above 2V is not necesseraly in cpu.
Just try it, I'm getting Abit rev 1.2 and I'll soon know if I can get more the 2.025 V which is the limit with my 8RDA

no i have only used my 8rda......time for me to take a break from spending money on my pc i think anyway.....

on a side note good to see you again morphling1 from procooling:D

i only had problems with prime locking up when i have pushed my overclock too far.this is only time this has happened to me.now i have a truepower 550 feeding the motherboard and my 5volt never drops below 4.99v and man i have more volt mods on this board than i care to look at anymore.but mine may be a good one as far as i know.

[shortcircuit]

I'm having trouble with my 8rda+ (yep it's back from the dead). I previously modded my board by removing the R678 resistor. All was fine until I got an xp3000+. At anything above 1.8v vcore in prime95 the screen will go blank. It acts just like how it used to before I removed R678. My 2500+ barton does this too, but not the 2700+ or 2400+. I do not think it's a problem with the processor - the cpu took 2v on air in another mobo (2.5ghz @ 1.9v stable). I have good mobo cooling... tweakmonsters ramsinks on the mosfets and voltage regulator with an 80mm fan right above it all. And also good power, I tried an enermax 431w and 550w.

It really seems like I'm tripping an overcurrent circuit somewhere....???

[bowman1964]

Originally posted by shortcircuit
I'm having trouble with my 8rda+ (yep it's back from the dead). I previously modded my board by removing the R678 resistor. All was fine until I got an xp3000+. At anything above 1.8v vcore in prime95 the screen will go blank. It acts just like how it used to before I removed R678. My 2500+ barton does this too, but not the 2700+ or 2400+. I do not think it's a problem with the processor - the cpu took 2v on air in another mobo (2.5ghz @ 1.9v stable). I have good mobo cooling... tweakmonsters ramsinks on the mosfets and voltage regulator with an 80mm fan right above it all. And also good power, I tried an enermax 431w and 550w.

It really seems like I'm tripping an overcurrent circuit somewhere....???

Well could be.do you think maybe by upping the voltage on the cpu we are pulling some from another area that needs it.
let me tell you guys something that has been happening to mine lately that i just didnt worrie about alot.but i noticed if i say push my r9700 core over 1.95 i get lock up.if i push my vdd over 1.95 i get lockups and not this has nothing to no with 1.95v but i am saying mayby i am on the edge of current overload myself and the slightest push will send mine over the edge to lock up.
now i tell you my radeon top core was 457mhz and i almost gave up.went got a truepower 550 and my core went to 490 max just by doing that.maybe we are dealing with a board that cannt handle the amps.i remember a old thick i used to do to the early epoxs. i would solder a wire to the mofsets from the 5volt line on the power supply and that would boost the 5vrail buy supplying a better 5v source for the mofsets....i used to have to fix posted on my old website i will look to see and show you what i mean.

[bias_hjorth]

I am truely looking foward to that :-)

[bowman1964]

well i found my old web page here (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/perl/709/id21.htm)
now this is a old mod ...at the time it was the latest.but o well i am getting older i guess.but you can see where i soldered a wire to the 5v feed for the mofsets.maybe this is a probem ?tonight if possible i will try to check the voltage at the mofsets and compair it to the output from the power supply.not sure if it is a problem but it is possible

[bias_hjorth]

so you are saying that this could actually give 5v and not 4.68v if I "hook" my board up this way?

I am looking forward to hear the results :-)

[bowman1964]

Originally posted by bias_hjorth
so you are saying that this could actually give 5v and not 4.68v if I "hook" my board up this way?

I am looking forward to hear the results :-)

Well thats how it used to work.say your power supply is putting out 5.07v measured at a molex connector.and the mofset only shows 4.85 measured at the mofset itself.now that tell us that the board is losing voltage somewhere.normally thats why you see the power feed plug close to the mofsets so they get better current.now i have before soldered a wire to the feed to the mofsets them self and plugged into the 5v side of the power supply.on the old motherboards i could pick up a few mhz and stablity doing so.but i havent had to do that latley because of better built boards.and to be honest i forgot about it until today.
i am not saying it will even work on these new boards but the principle is the same.and heat in the mofsets can be caused by resistance in the current flow to them.low voltage is a big cause of heat in a circuit.

but i will try to check mine tonight

[bito]

My 8RDA+ V1.1 will run 2.0v all day long......BUT, if i power off and then try booting up, i get no post......what gives???
I have to hold insert to get it to boot after this happens.
Any fixes welcome. VDD mod. done already.

[bias_hjorth]

Originally posted by bowman1964
Well thats how it used to work.say your power supply is putting out 5.07v measured at a molex connector.and the mofset only shows 4.85 measured at the mofset itself.now that tell us that the board is losing voltage somewhere.normally thats why you see the power feed plug close to the mofsets so they get better current.now i have before soldered a wire to the feed to the mofsets them self and plugged into the 5v side of the power supply.on the old motherboards i could pick up a few mhz and stablity doing so.but i havent had to do that latley because of better built boards.and to be honest i forgot about it until today.
i am not saying it will even work on these new boards but the principle is the same.and heat in the mofsets can be caused by resistance in the current flow to them.low voltage is a big cause of heat in a circuit.

but i will try to check mine tonight


thx man - until now you have been a great help.. cant wait to hear about your results tomorrow:toast:

[bowman1964]

well i checked my mofsets and mine are getting 5.02v at the mofset them self so nothing wrong with mine being low.still there has to be a cause.just dont know where to look at the moment.

[TechTones]

Man I read a dude is still having shutdown problems on his new 8RGA+. I thought for sure this new P4 style 12v line plug would fix that issue.

How come the Abit n2 doesn't have this shutdown issue or does it??

Man how come Epox dropped the ball on this a second time?

[Golias]

I´m really learning something on this thread.

Thank You

[NinCom]

Hm, nice reading .
I wonder one thing, You guys says that the fix will help for system shoutdown, My system dosent shoutdown when iam at high vcore (over 2,0v) its frying . I have Cut Pin 16 on the voltreg chip and removed one of the resistors ( www.8rdafaq.com ) but the system stills frying on high vcore ! Please help me .
(i have heatsinks on MOSFETS and the voltreg)

[TechTones]

The Abit N2 has a similar problem is many can only use say a vcore of up to 1.85-1.90v after say a fsb pf 185.

The Abit uses the HIP6301CB VRM for the vcore. I looked at the specs for it and it looks like either pin 10 or pin 19 has to be cut to do the same thing as was done for the RDA+. Can someone who knows about this stuff take a look at the specs and pins on the things and see what's what? Thanks

Here's a Pdf file for the chip.

http://www.intersil.com/data/fn/fn4765.pdf

[Matt McFaul]

Very nice collection of info here.....I have been following this thread since its start but havent posted to it since I have been taking the time to gather all of my gear for this project.
Step by step I will be doing all of the 8rda+ mods this week......my system is also geared around cosmetics and function so I highly doubt Ill get to far too quickly.
I too have hit the same wall at 2v, I thought that was strange since 1.975 would run super stable and loop 3dmark01 and 03 over and over with no crash, but then click it up to 2.0 and you all seem to know the outcome of that one.
Anyway, Ill be trying your cut mod tonight. Thanks guys for sharing this info!

[DivineEvil]

Originally posted by bowman1964
well i checked my mofsets and mine are getting 5.02v at the mofset them self so nothing wrong with mine being low.still there has to be a cause.just dont know where to look at the moment.

I've done the 5v mod. (wire to top-5V MOSFET, it previously had 4,62V on it, now 5,02V)
But the increase that i gained was 0,17Volts under load.
Now, i've been looking @ the scematics of the Volt-reg-chip, but i can't find what the 5V-outlet is on that chip.

could u or anyone else help me with finding it?
I think the volt-reg-chip is regulating a bit to good.
If we could find the 5v outlet of this chip, i'd try to cut the trace and solder a direct 5V wire from my PSU to that trace.
Since there shouldn't be any regulating chips further along the way in my point of view.
T.I.A.

[ppctx]

Reading thru the post, I see many people noting a low 5v when at high vcore. This is something that I have experence when running high vcore when at the limit of an overclock on my current board using and antec 412x 400w. I fixed the low 5v rail by adjusting the pot to increase the 5 volt line. If I reduce overclock, then 5v goes way up. While trying to eliminate problems with a 9700 (than never worked out for me) I put in a true power 550. even with that masive psu, the 5v line droped significantly when highly overclocked at high vcore. i really think it could be the psu possibly needing a little extra umph. I have a 8rda+ on the way and will see how it works out for me.

[causticVapor]

I've run this xp2400 all the way up to 2.2v without problems. also, VDD is at 1.85v. I have an R300 too, so you cannot say the voltage regulator is lightly loaded.

Truepower 550.

Of course, I have high case ventilation and heatsinks on the voltage regulator MOSFETS.

[mw0ca]

Hello My English is not good!
But I hope that their can help me! I have the 8rda+ with 1700xp JIUHB. The CPU on 2600MHZ with 1,875Vcore has. I cannot place on 1,9Vcore!
My PC freezes then. nix goes more even if I on 2400MHZ place can I not 1,9Vcore adjust! Property with 5Volt read 4,92Volt. I hope that one me can help!
Thanks Markus from Germany

[bias_hjorth]

could be a cooling issue..

[mw0ca]

I have water cooling! max temp. 38° .
NB also water cooling and voltage regulator also very well cooled

[bias_hjorth]

have you made the vcore mod on the 8Rda+ ?

[mw0ca]

have only VDD MOD made on 2,0Volt!
FSB to 235MHZ: -) however "High Vcore Shutoff fixed" did not make.
Because I do not know, what exact I must make? And whether it helps me!

[bias_hjorth]

well if you start at first page in this thread there should be an explanation how to do the vcore mod.. Its actually pretty simple..

[mw0ca]

have here seen under MOD
http://www.8rdafaq.com/8RDA/index.php
High Vcore Shutoff Fix

White not which exact I make must?!?! Do I have to remove pin 16??? or still more??

[bias_hjorth]

just cut the trace at pin16..

[bias_hjorth]

http://www.oc-central.dk/mods/mod5/iru3055.jpg

[TechTones]

Or you can take a exact-O knife and press on the metal leg itself and cut it. That's what I did when I had my Epox. it helped.

[mw0ca]

I separated pin 16!
But unfortunately is it still like that!
I do not come with the Vcore more highly! I have the Enermax 353Watt am much too weak?
Property already 5Volt MOD made
:mad:

[causticVapor]

My 8RDA+ doesn't shut down, even at 2.24vcore. :p

[causticVapor]

mw0ca, you sure you cut it completely?

[mw0ca]

I hope! Property with a measuring instrument the passage examined.

[shortcircuit]

I can confirm that this works on the 8RDA3+.

The resistor that pin 16 connects to has a different name (R119). I left it on and cut the trace instead. Previously I couldn't go much above 1.9v / 2.6ghz, but now I'm looping prime95 at 2.05v/2.8ghz with my xp3000... :)

[chopper]

This is a great thread thanks guys.
I thought I'd add to the debate with a problem I'm now having with my 8RDA+ 1.1 & Xp2600(333) combo.

I've recently done the vmod on this board and have also put a iceburq on the NB and Zalman on the SB. I haven't done anything with the Mosfets yet as I need some advice on that - is it ok to use the extra sinks that came with the iceburq.... and what do I stick them with??

At the same time I did the NB&SB upgrade (the vmod has been done for sometime) I upgraded to an Antec True Control 550w PSU.

Now,all of a sudden, I can't get my vcore about 1.7v without getting random shutdowns! I can only assume that this has been casued by previosuly having a bit of a dodgy PSU (unbranded 420w) and when running the vcore at 2v it wasn't actually anywhere near that or I've done something seriously wrong with the NB & SB upgrades??

I now can't prime at 180x12.5 and before on a completly standard setup I was getting 200x12.5.

Oh what fun. Any help greatly appreciated.

Chopper

[Matt McFaul]

nice to see such well respected names in here. I too am having a little problem with a 8rga. Its seems to be some sort of voltage regulation in that the vcore while set anywhere above 2.05v will always show up as 2.06v. I have pulled my hair out and switched from a vantec 520 to the new antec 550 true control just so I would have front case control......stability improved however Im still at 2.06 max vcore?
Am I missing something with the cpu? its t-b 2800+. The max I can get out of her stabily is 2,808mhz regardless of fsb verses multiplyer changes. Have I just hit the limits of this chip? Sure feels that way.


http://www.docmodgod.com
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=6534407

:(

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by chopper
This is a great thread thanks guys.
Chopper

Sure! ;)

Hi Chopper!

I was talking with you over on AOA the other day (I post as "Photon" over there) and I know you were about ready to do this mod. Just curious if you did it yet.

Good luck!

[chopper]

Yeah I've done it. Piece of cake although I've reseated everything and all is much better. Also re-lapped my SLK800 which seems to have helped as well.

[causticVapor]

Well, after replacing the 2400+ with a DLT3C 1700+, I was rather impressed - the chip did 2.2GHz at 1.5v. For some reason, however, above 1.65v the motherboard's overcurrent protection circuitry would shut down the board on this chip. The 2400+ did not exhibit any of these problems - I could run it up to 2.2v and the board would not shut itself off.

All I know is that the heatsinks I put on the voltage regulator were not hot even at 1.95v with the 2400+. They were also cool with the 1700+, initially.

After cutting pin 2 on the vreg IC, however, the MOSFET heatsinks were hot even with the chip running at 1.5vcore. Active cooling helps and Ive replaced the 80mm beta sl with a 120mm sunon on the MCX462+, overhanging the vreg area. That 1700+ is a sweet chip, it'll do 2.4GHz at 1.85v even if it's running at 47-50C load.

Yet another person's testament of this mod - do NOT do if you do not have the voltage regulator heatsunken and with active cooling!:eek:

[Matt McFaul]

when in doubt......slap a delta 68.9cfm bad boy on those puppies!

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by causticVapor
After cutting pin 2 on the vreg IC, however, the MOSFET heatsinks were hot even with the chip running at 1.5vcore.

Huh? Pin 2 ? :eek:

Hopefully that was a typo. Pin 2 is part of the voltage correction feedback circuit. The circuit will not function correctly with pin 2 cut.

That's strange about everything running hot at low Vcore too. I don't think cutting pin 16 would affect the overall power levels (heat levels) very much. Cutting pin 2 sure would though.

:confused:

[Matt McFaul]

I think he just inverted the numbers.....I understood it though.....now if someone could find a way to increase the voltage acceptance on the chip itself...lol. I cant put more then 2.1v on my 2800+. Regardless of timings as soon as I try to go 2.125 or above I get errors up the wazoo!

[causticVapor]

Yep, I just inverted the numbers. Pin 16 was exactly what I cut... and yes, the MOSFETs run rather warm even at 1.5v (the heatsink was cool to the touch before that, even at 2.24v)

Strange phenomenon, isn't it? :confused:

[causticVapor]

Originally posted by Matt McFaul
when in doubt......slap a delta 68.9cfm bad boy on those puppies!

Hell yeah!!! :D :D :D

[spaceman]

w00t, add me to the list of resistor-remover-type persons. :D I don't have any kind of real electrical background, just got brave after reading here in the forums. ;) After I did the vdd mod 3 times, using different fixed resistors, settling on 1.9v, (that's with a 470 ohm resistor) and did the vgpu mod on my 9700 Pro, I finally decided to try this one. I read through things a FEW times, and I was sure this was needed. In case anyone actually reads this far back into the thread, I didn't have vcore probs till AFTER the vdd mod. :confused: Anyhoo, my resistor must have been soldered to the mobo better than some, cause it was a little hard to remove. But I can use at least 2.0 vcore again, yippee. :banana:

[Pita^Norf]

I did the mod last week, and found that after the mod my rig was still cutting power at highish Vcore.

This pointed the finger to my PSU being a party to the shut downs and after putting a more powerful PSU in my problems have been cured and I think the disabling of the OVP has also helped with my OC as well.

:toast:

[Matt McFaul]

has anyone done this yet on a 8rga? I did and Im wondering if you have noticed any long term effects. I didnt even test it prior to doing the mod cause I was moving up (or so I thought) from a modded 8rda+.
Inncodentally I had a chance to chat with an electronics engineer designer in a think tank at kurz instruments today. Kurz instruments makes all sorts of devices for measurement at nuclear power plants and stuff.
I asked him about my burning 8rga coil and discolored pcb and he said that all of that stuff may be rated for the voltage that the board can supply but may not be rated for the wattage that Im drawing through it. Im like oh geez....so they make a board that can supply 2.3 volts to the cpu...then you have to ovp mod it anyway...then you cant draw more then so much wattage. Damned if you do and damned if ya dont. Intel is screaming my name now. If you can push a 3.06 to 4.2 with a mere 1.85volts then why am I going through this headache? Is this like an evolutionary process that every oc'er goes through or what? Have to learn on amd then relax with intel?:slobber:

[Spartacus]

Originally posted by Matt McFaul
Intel is screaming my name now. If you can push a 3.06 to 4.2 with a mere 1.85volts then why am I going through this headache? Is this like an evolutionary process that every oc'er goes through or what? Have to learn on amd then relax with intel?


My 8RDA+ met it's demise when I bumped up VDD from 1.85v to 1.88v. I was pissed but not surprised, the EPOX boards just don't seem to have much margin built into their power supply circuitry.

I didn't even think of moving to Intel when this happened. It was just a bad experience with a particular mobo. Also, in my mind, the Athlon XP is a superior processor to the Pee4. ;)

I moved to the Abit NF7-S and I've been very happy with it. It has none of the power problems the 8RDA+ did. It makes use of the extra 4-pin power connector, power is very strong and stable (also better OC voltages than 8RDA+). My NF7-S clocks to 225FSB out of the box too. No mods or hocus-pocus (like with the 8RDA+) to make it run fast. Now my 2400+ CPU/RAM are my weak links to more speed, the NF7-S has more in it.

I would suggest the NF7-S if you're not getting anywhere with the EPOX boards.

No reason to change platforms when Athlon64 is close anyway. We will all be starting over on a new platform this fall! ;)

[uwackme]

Anyone determine of the same thing is happening to other NForce2 boards...NF7-S, A7N8X ?

[Spartacus]

My NF7-S v2.0 has been extremely stable using all of the same components I used in my 8RDA+ system (Vcore power problems detailed in this thread).

No power problems of any kind on the NF7-S. :)

[Matt McFaul]

I have been runing my 8rga(non plus p.o.s.) vdd@ 2v for about a month now....and Ive been folding and playing ut2k3 with it and had no probs....i did however have the mobo cpu coil burn up pretty good. I chatted with a epox tech on another forums and he said that just because 2v(vcore) is available in the bios doesnt mean its capible of it....he compared it to having the settings for cas1 available. I held my opinion to myself at that point because that forum has been known to ban people for criticizing epox:eek:

[ns_ripper]

I suffer the same shutdown problem when i set my Vcore to 2V

Yesterday I removed that resistor but it didn't work for me. When I leave my bios, it just reaches the post procedure and shuts down. I also noticed a real gentle alarm going off. You realy have to be in a near silent room to hear it.

When that happens, I have to shut off my psu, put it back on and boot again.

weird §§§§ I suppose. Anyone who had the same problem and knows a fix for it?

thnx in advance.

edit:

are you guy's shure it's R578 we need to remove?

[Pita^Norf]

Originally posted by ns_ripper
I suffer the same shutdown problem when i set my Vcore to 2V

Yesterday I removed that resistor but it didn't work for me. When I leave my bios, it just reaches the post procedure and shuts down. I also noticed a real gentle alarm going off. You realy have to be in a near silent room to hear it.

When that happens, I have to shut off my psu, put it back on and boot again.

weird §§§§ I suppose. Anyone who had the same problem and knows a fix for it?

thnx in advance.

edit:

are you guy's shure it's R578 we need to remove?

I had a similar problem and I tracked it down to a weak PSU; the 420W ran out of watts with all the devices and OC I was running.

Got a 550W now and problems are fixed.

[ns_ripper]

I got a 460W enermax with a vapo running on it :s

today my system refused to work. When I normaly got my desktop I saw a black screen with a cursor. I solderd the resistor back on and the problem was gone :s

weird §§§§. I think I'm going to leave it like this. ( /me got scared)

[Holst]

its better to cut the leg ot lift it rather than just pull the resistor off.

[ctgilles]

Originally posted by Holst
its better to cut the leg ot lift it rather than just pull the resistor off.

that's something I don't get. Desoldering the resistor would normaly be the same as cutting the trace or lifting the pin on the IC. Since you also open the cirquit by doing that.

[ns_ripper]

sorry, that last reply of ctgilles is mine. He forgot to log out @ my pc.

[Pita^Norf]

Originally posted by ctgilles
that's something I don't get. Desoldering the resistor would normaly be the same as cutting the trace or lifting the pin on the IC. Since you also open the cirquit by doing that.

I think the wisdom behind that is that it is much easier to undo the mod.

[bias_hjorth]

I wonder if you could do the same thing on the Nf7-S..

anyone??:banana:

[Sick0fthelies]

I skimmed through this thread and only found a picture that says "you can see where the resistor was removed" but i cant tell how it was removed. If that is too hard i will just cut the brdige but with Just a slight cut with a knife or a major cut with say wire cutters?

[Swiftech]

Hi guys,

I have been using this 8RDA+ Rev 1.1 for some time and it's being doing great. I'm running on an ANTEC 430W PSU but whenever I set the Vcore to 1.875 and above, it hangs and during the RAM checking and doesn't get into the BIOS correctly as well

This is pretty weird because it shouldn't act so, am I right ? My question is, has anyone with the same motherboard as I do have such problems ? I understand that this motherboard has an 'OVP' so here I am with it eh ? *lol*

Appreciate your feedback guys and does this mod help ?

[tomiapk]

I have exactly same problem wit the Vcore voltage rise. I just cant get it above 1.850. Computer simply doesnt restart.

Epox support sayd the problem must be in CPU...

What do you think and have you found a cure????

Regards!!!

-Tomi-


(My cpu is xp 2500+ barton)

[ryssen]

I have a Rev 2,1 and the chip is CS 5301 and the resistor is not the same, any one have this board?

[tomiapk]

Yep!!!

I had same cs5301

[Swiftech]

I guess theres no cure for this problem and I don't think it's the CPU. Why isn't the NF7 users having problems like us ! :(

I need more Vcore !!!

[R.Rabbit]

i've got a rev 2.1 also, but with my mobo i cant run stabe for days(probably years) at 1.925vcore but once i go to 1.95 or above, it reboots flashes bios then nothing, complete dead mobo, but once i just reset the cmos everthings fine again, i emailed epox and they said exactly that this is the problem(but of course not how to fix it) but then i was pointed in this direction by another 8rda+ rev 2.1 owner on the ocforums, what im wondering is if i should/could try this on my mobo or is the layout just too different...

[Holst]

Originally posted by bias_hjorth
I wonder if you could do the same thing on the Nf7-S..

anyone??:banana:

I allready designed such a mod... have a search around.

As for the 8rda+ rev2 problems with the CS5301 its a problem with the boards design... one i was unable to solve when I had one... and I no longer have it.

[bias_hjorth]

Yes i´v seen holst. Nice job btw.
But its a long time ago now so I actually dont need it anymore ;-)

[R.Rabbit]

Originally posted by Holst
As for the 8rda+ rev2 problems with the CS5301 its a problem with the boards design... one i was unable to solve when I had one... and I no longer have it.
holst, so how did you solve it?

[Holst]

unable to solve it im afraid.

I think you may be able to get it to work if you set the vreg up manually (I.e. lift the pins and set the resistor devider and FID yourself) although this is someewhat complex.

Its a shame I got rid of my rev2 board as I quite fancy having another play with it now.

[R.Rabbit]

ahh that sucks maybe i'll do the pin voltmod if i bored

[The Byter]

at more then 1.9v i get boots... not shutdowns...even at stock speed.

will it help me ?

[trodas]

Hello, guys there :)

I was long time waiting to use this board and the mentioned CPU, so I borrowed it to my friend, who is mad overclocker, to test it/clock it and basicaly burn it in :) He managed 200 x 11 working, witch gives 3200+ rating...

...after almost half a year I was happy with my fanless watercooling, so I get my mobo & cpu expecting to get 3200+ speeds. For memory I used very expensive and kinda good Mushkin Hi-Performance 512MB PC3200 dimms, running at 2-2-2-11 and 216Mhz w/o a glitch (memtest 3.1a) :cool:
The problem - crash when running Prime95/folding as stress CPU testing :( Now I should mention that the crash is weird. Nothing like freeze, or such, just the mobo shut down completely, leaving me with black screen, weird sound (i use no fan, where the hell the sound getting?!) and the HDD let is light on :rolleyes: :mad:
I should note I using perfectly good Enermax 431W CPU (I borrowed the one to my friend too, so the package are almost complete :rolleyes: )
My ways how to fix the problem are these:
First I added a heatsink on the Mosfets:
http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=85&c=7&d=1&v=v2
No help.
Then I made MUCH better (with cooper bottom! http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=60&c=7&d=1&v=v2 ) NB cooling that the standard one, I even laped the NB!!! ( http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=52&c=7&d=1&v=v2 ) - see my monster heatsink!
http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=62&c=7&d=1&v=v2
Unsucesfull again.
Even as light change over 2100Mhz as 202 x 10.5 is unstable, in 3 days time (folding all the time) I got the weird crash... :rolleyes:
Yesterday I saw this tread and the mod, so at today morning I did it, together with raising the voltage of NB from 1.58V to 1.81V (using 8RDA+ rev.1.1 - so no changes of chipset voltage in bios, just mod ;) )
See there:
http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=73&c=7&d=1&v=v2

and there:
http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=74&c=7&d=1&v=v2

Now I has a very high expectations that the damn cpu will go to the 3200+ finally. I used 210x10.5 and 1.9Vcore (1.81Vchipset and 2.9Vdimms), starting at 31 degrees (ArcticSilver5 very thin layer applied and the CPU block tightened pretty hard:
http://ax2.wz.cz/show.php?p=wc&id=65&c=7&d=1&v=v2 ...with even tweakmonster CPUI shim) it made slowly to somehing like 50 degrees and then Prime95 report calculation error. Pissed I set 1.95Vcore (showing 1.98V in SpeedFan) and the calculations seems working for about 20minutes, and then - when I was almost certain I made it, the bloodyf*cking things again crashed as weirdly as it do all the time - everything blank, weird sound that fading quickly and that it is :rolleyes:
I almost want to write Spartacus a big thanks for the mod, but seems that my problem are different :(
As one can probably see from the pictures/setup and equipment, Im far from being HW noob, I modding everything and Im not affraid of any mod (next to do - Vdimm voltage mod to get over 2.9V in attempt to get about 250Mhz FSB :D ), however this one pissing me hard :(
Any chances this is caused by the CPU? :confused:
I mean - is possible that older unlocked Barton with Vcore 1.65 and 166x11 (1826Mhz) default clock can't suddently manage 2200Mhz and 2100Mhz are the absolute limit? :rolleyes:
I can't believe that! :(

I should note I believed with the shutdown, because the crash looking like shutdown (nothing except power switch holding for 4 sec reacting then), but since I desoldered the resistor, then It can't be...? :rolleyes:
In bios I even have disabled the thermal shutdown, BTW.

With help of one nice friend in US i obtained Barton mobile 2500+, default Vcore 1.45V and most ppls reporting at 1.8V about 2500-2600Mhz possible, so I waiting for it like for a miracle and hoping that it somewhat fixes my problems, however the post from US to middle of Europe seems take forever and Im getting more and more pissed at the current CPU :(
I even tried to burn the f*cker with 2.2V Vcore, but the crap survived it... :rolleyes: :(

I should note that this is before I did the Spartacus highVcore shutoff fix and when I keep the clock bellow 2100, the machine never fail :rolleyes: :mad: :(
2.2V is a lot, IMHO :(
But it still not allow the damn CPU to get over 2100Mhz...
...I did not care about it too much - it's overclocking, your mileage may vary - when Zbyna not reported it working at 3200+... I see this a next-to-impossible now, witch of course leading me to slight suspicion, if he tested the 3200+ properly, or what the hell... I complained to him and he told me, that 3200+ it manage only with VERY VERY nice thin layer of AS3 he used this time... He even say that when he repasted it, it not made 3200+ again...!
But I believe that Im better and can do nicer layer. Besides, I used AS5, witch is supposed to be better...? :rolleyes:

Hell, I don't know. If anyone there have any clues, please write down what is in your mind, even it can sounds pretty crazy, Im open to try it now, because I have spare older AXP 2200 and AXP 2600, so I can but this sucker down completely :(
Not to mention I avaiting the AXP mobile each day and waiting and pray for it like for a miracle, so when I exchange the CPUs, I hope I will be able to go at least to 2500Mhz (210x12 sounds cool to me ;) ) ...
...witch then show precisely where the problem is...

My last mad idea is, that cooling matter for this CPU most, so try to burn my todays assembly of AS5 with 2.2V and 2100MHz Pime95 torture and then let it go to about 1.875 or 1.850 to see, if the weird crash happens again at 2200Mhz (200x11) or not :rolleyes:

Better ideas? :rolleyes:

[trodas]

...after reading well the whole tread I see that I should also note that my bios is the latest, 02/12/2004 :rolleyes:

Hell, if this is the CPU - should not the "end" be BSOF?
(BlueScreenOfDeath)

...this black screen and reaction only to PowerSwitch - after 4sec it starting again - seems to me, that something triggers the shut-off protection :(
I would like to know what and mainly how to disable it :rolleyes:

In extreme case, I have one 2200AXP unlocked and one new, superlocked 2600 :rolleyes: Both 256k cache cores, tough...

[trodas]

I did some other checkings there. First I tried relaxed timings on memory. 3-4-4-8 did not boot, 2.5-4-4-8 did :rolleyes:
Then I tried how far I can go with FSB.

245Mhz - freeze at half of post screen :D
240Mhz - large errors with IDE during boot (ZIP)
235Mhz - ocassional errors with IDE (ZIP)
230Mhz - seems booting fine :D

That is intresting. Then I tighten the memory timings back to the fastest 2-2-2-11 and tried where I can pass memtest with what FSB - 216Mhz max. Not so bad for HI-Performance Mushkins with BH6 chips and 2.9Vdimm voltage only :p:

So, what now? Now I tried running 215 x 9.5 - this is even bellow tested and rock-stable 210Mhz for my CPU, so it have to work, yea? Yea, but nope. After 4 hours of CoD playing it started crashing miserably :mad:
Since CPU temp are bellow 60 degrees then I believe that its more likely any strange limitation that did not allow my CPU work well with over 200Mhz FSB, no matter if the FSB increase are only VERY light, like 202Mhz instead of 200Mhz :rolleyes: :mad:
Anyone with similar problems out there...?
Or at least ever heard that certain CPU can be "alergic" to over 200Mhz FSB? :rolleyes:

[STEvil]

I had a rev 1.1 board, took me 2.2vdd to be able to bench at 233fsb.. posted up to 245fsb.

never was stable over 200mhz fsb really. :rolleyes:

[trodas]

That sounds too bad... :rolleyes: :(

But I know few guys, who pushed the board (stable?) over 200Mhz and it worked for them :confused:

Not to mention that there is lack of alternatives and I already like the mobo a lot - instead of Abit NF7 it did not need modded bios to make multipliers 10 and 10.5 working, their voltage and temp readings are fine (unlike the Abit) and so far, I modded it too much, as you can see from pictures, so I did not want to give up on it :rolleyes:

2.2V on chipset sounds extreme to me, quite frankly I thinked about removing the chipset voltage mod, because it did not helping me reach more Mhz stable :(

I also can bench at very high frequencies, however the mobo, after all the changes, still tend to lockup weirdly, as described. :( My unfortunate attempts to drive my Barton over 3000+ ratings still failing. Finally I got BSOF when I trying absolutely stable and tested 3000+ (200x10.5) with 1.875V :D
Yes, finally a crash what I can undersntad :) Then I tried 1.9V and 3200+ (200x11) and the CPU show errors at Prime till the machine finally locked up (no mouse move, picture on screen, cool - another lock from overclocked CPU I can understand! :D ). So, I cranked the voltage to 1.95V - still errors. 2V - after 15min w/o a glitch, the strange shutdown come here again :mad: :mad: :mad:

I definitively don't like this. If anyone got any clue, what I should try to fix this, I try it :(

At this point I starting suspecting that any other protection kick-in :( Maybe cuting even more wires/desoldering more resistors?

Hmmm, for start I should add passive cooler, just like I have on the mosfets, on the protection chip next to them and then I thinked about cooling this little chip:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bubo/Little_Chip/little_chip.html

...as anyone can see, it getting pretty hot and maybe... Just maybe did not like my voltage experiemnts... The temperature is still about 63 degrees at MAX, even with the 2V and 200x11, so it should not kick in... :(

Any other suggestions, please, skiled dudes...? :(

[trodas]

I did another test today. With a perfectly stable 200x10.5 (3000+ rating) clock, I just cranked up the Vcore voltage from 1.9V (stable) to 2.0Vcore - unknown :)
Within 15min, the board weirdly crash - black screen, drive activity on, weird sound :(

Now I leaved it about 10minutes, and powered it on back again. In post I saw my CPU temp 37 degrees.
Way too low for 2.0Vcore, right? :D ;)

So, now it's obvious - the mobo shut down, thats why the temp is so low (using watercooling and watrcooling was running all the time ;) ), so weird crash = shutdown.
And yep, the problem is too high Vcore.
Hmmm.

Damn, I removed the resistor and still...? :( :rolleyes:
When I get my mobile Barton 2500+ finaly, I definitively try remove the pin completely and add cooling as well :(

Any other ideas, friends, please...? :confused:

[fabbro76]

Hi guys,
i bought an Epox 8RDA3+ Rev 3.1 and I have a problem.....the system hangs when I set the vcore over 2V
Exactly the systems doesn't boot over 2V (example 2,025 or higher)

How can I do?

I don't know if the trace cutting for the 8RDA+ works perfectly on my motherboard....

Any suggestions?


Thank You very much and....sorry for my English :smileysex

[trodas]

Aaaaaagh, I made it! :cool:
The suggestion about "just removing/desoldering the resistor" is bad. At least on v1.1 of the Epox 8RDA+ mobo it did NOT working!!! When I desoldered the chip pin and lifted it to the air, the shutdown is gone! :D
Oh, yes, I added heatsink on the chip too as well as I added one Tweakmonster BGRA ramsink on the "small chip" very close to the cpu:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bubo/Little_Chip/little_chip.html

So far, this working well and I now got Prime95 as well as folding stable at 2.0Vcore (reporting 2.02V) and my oldie Barton managed the 3200+ speed with bellow 65 degrees temps now - I used specialy made cooper shim, because it seems helping me very much with temps :eek: ;)

So far, great solution, thanks Spartacus!!!!


STEvil - well, I did not tried yet push the FSB more that 200Mhz (being happy that the 200x11 finally working rock-stable :D :cool: ) but I soon will try this ;)
I know personally ppls, who manage more that 200Mhz from this great mobo, 215+ mostly w/o big problems.
Dunno then, we simply see :rolleyes:

...even at 200Mhz "only" it seems to be so f*cking fast :D