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INTEL D975XBX2 alias BAD AXE 2: INFO TREAD
Guys,
First of all, this thread is meant to be a supplement for the one here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=124131. So if you can't find what you're looking for in this thread, you may want to check that out.
The space in which these texts are is meant to be a one-stop shop for quick helpful information for a trouble-free computing (as if such a thing exists) experience with the Intel D975XBX2, aka Bad Axe 2. :banana: I will be editing this post often to update it with new info as it becomes available so watch it often for changes as members make new discoveries.
Helpful links:
Bios Glossary(I don't know who to thank for this) still, kudos to Blauhung for the find: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...1&d=1168030823
Intel's Bios Recovery Page: http://support.intel.com/design/moth...coverybios.htm
Support Page: http://support.intel.com/support/mot...ktop/d975xbx2/
Downloads Page: http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scri...=2578&lang=eng
Latest Bios 2507: (OCs Beware of the "Failsafe Watchdog." Otherwise, this has proven to be the best bios for overclocks (for me) http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scri...ional&lang=eng
Cool Wallpapers: ftp://download.intel.com/design/moth...as1024x768.jpg : ftp://download.intel.com/design/moth...db1024x768.jpg
D975XBX2 Online FSB/RAM Calculator: http://www.peakin.com/xbx2/calculator.html
Mods: http://sg.vr-zone.com/?i=4111&s=8
Known Issues
Please note that some, or all of the issues listed below may be fixed in an upcoming bios release.
1. There have been reported issues with freeze-ups in bios. While it is not clear what causes this, this issue has only occured in the case where people were using usb keyboards.
2. Bios 2395 has proven unstable for many forum members so unless you really have to, stay away from it for the moment. This is just an advice.
4. Certain system benchmarking tools eg. SANDRA, and Everest are causing fatal crashes on overclocked systems.
5. IDCC and IDU may experience problems if you run stress-testing software like orthos and prime95 immediately before running them.
Bios
I think the first thing of priority is Bios Recovery. There's no need worrying about all these if your system won't post. There are two known ways to recover from bios.
1a. The Intel (normal or official method), or jumperless. Simply remove the jumper and boot your system making sure you have a bootable diskette in the drive with the bios file. Remove all discs in the CD/DVD drive(s).
1b. I discovered this second method during a desperate session of recovering my board after the above method had failed. Simply switch the jumper to Configuration mode, that is, pins 2-3, and boot the system making sure to remove all discs from the CD/DVD drive(s). It'll take anywhere between 1-3 minutes for the floppy seek to kick-in so resist the temptation to chew on your finger nails while waiting. Once the process kicks in, your monitor should power on and you should be able to see the rest of the recovery process. Follow the prompt and turn of your system. Switch the jumper to normal mode and turn on the system. You're set to go.
Recovery Diskette Creation Guide
1. Download bootdisk file. I recommend this one here: ftp://ftp.abit.com.tw/pub/download/u...s/drdflash.exe
2. Run the file and create diskette. Note that all information on the diskette will be lost.
3. Download the 'IB' version of the bios you want to flash. Note that the bios releases come in 4 flavors with various extensions; there is a .bio, a .iso, and 2 .exe files. Normally, the last .exe file has the letters 'IB' I believe these are acronyms for Integrator Bios meant to be used with the ITK tool. The reason why we're interested in this particular file is because it will decompress it contents easily, all by itself.
Double-click the file to decompress it. Locate SW.exe. copy it to another location and double-click it to decompress. You'll be prompted after both double-clicks to press yes or no to continue.
4. SW.exe will decompress 5 files. Rename the file "EXECUTE.BAT" to "AUTOEXEC.BAT," and copy all but the .itk file to your diskette. You will be overwriting the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file on the diskette I have no idea what the "token" file does, but add it since it will not hurt anything.
VERY IMPORTANT. OVERWRITE the autoexec file with the one from the SW extract or the recovery WILL FAIL!
5. You're all set. You have your recovery diskette just in case something goes wrong. I strongly recommend you have one made and tucked away for emergencies. You can manually flash bios with this diskette. The entire process is automated.
* I have not included the creation of a usb recovery drive because the process has no access to the usb ports while in recovery mode. It does however, have access to the CD/DVD drive so you can create a recovery disc by downloading the iso version of the bios file, creating a bootable CD/DVD, and adding the 3 files outside of the linux folder. Burn to disc.
Check out the jpeg attachment below for how the diskette folder should look like if done right.
975x (BX2) strap evaluation
I'm selfish and wanted to start a fresh one for my work here. Please comment and i can send you my work if i can't get my thoughts across here. I probably made this too hard on myself and probably also need to try different multipliers, but here it goes.
Some background on the BX2:
As with a few other higher end 975x boards, the BX2 allows you to set the chipset strap independent of the FSB speed. In bios this option is referred to as the reference frequency. This reference frequency also sets the possible memory dividers. I am testing this because it was thought to be that running higher multipliers on tighter straps results in better performance at lower FSB speeds.
First off i ran a string of FSB for both the 800 strap and 1066 using 12x and 10x multipliers respectively that covered from ~3100 --> 3600 MHz on the cpu. In order to keep as much as possible the same, i held all memory timings constant and ran at all of the stable <1 memory dividers.
my chart
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...hung/chart.jpg
after setting all this up, i needed a way of comparing the cpu speeds on each strap at equal memory speeds. Although with the divider settings on 975x boards you can't get equal memory speeds across a range of different FSB speeds, i figgured out a way of at least getting a theoretical value. From each reference frequency/memory frequency combination, i calculated the CPU/Mem speed ratio and used that to set an average ratio between the 2 that I could use as my reference point. I had to extrapolate theoretical performance values at each CPU speed based on this unachievable memory frequency. When i did this I was able to compare how each strap would perform if it was able to scale memory frequency as a function of CPU frequency rather then FSB speeds.
i had to make the assumption that the latency changes that the board imposes when changing the divider still result in a linear relation between FSB and memory speed.
Here are my results.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...uhung/band.jpg
As you can see from the table here. The increase in FSB speed opens up much more memory bandwidth. This is completely to be expected.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/blauhung/lat.jpg
The tighter chipset latencies on the 800 strap take the cake here.
so bandwidth and latency are squaring off, who will win?
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/blauhung/spi.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ung/3dmark.jpg
from super Pi times and 3dmark06's CPU test, it seems to say that at these CPU multipliers both straps are performing exactly the same. I will have to test more multipliers so that I can get a better feel for this, and i should extend it to the 1333 strap that most are operating at above 400 FSB for Intel chipsets. But this gives you a good idea of what is going on at least between the 2 faster straps.
be aware that at a given FSB speed, the tighter strap will always be faster. thus its possible i just happened to fall on the break even point of where the 2 end up with equal performance and I will see the 800 strap doing better then same cpu speeds on a 11x multi and worse then same cpu speeds on a 9x multi
EDIT: Thread/post merged to keep very useful info in one place. Thanks! - bachus_anonym
