Testing / comparing : Intel D975XBX2 / Asus P5B DX ***56K WARNING***

@ Supertim0r,

The only things I don't like with this board so far are:
1. USB ports do not provide enough current to power my 80gb 2.5" USB drive. :slapass: My laptop can do it.
2. The capacitors on north side around CPU are higher than the CPU surface and a litte bit too close to CPU. Those obstructs TT120. I have to install the heatsink parallel to the viedo card, 90 degree different from yours. I just wonder how you managed to install TT120 that way without hitting the capacitors. I also had to remove the center tab (pilot tab for the H clip) on the heatsink to make more space for the H clip on the capacitor side. :stick:

Does anybody feed the alternate 5v molex socket which is located near the usb sockets?
I tried both way and found no difference. I had the 8-pin cpu cable.

It's an alternative PCI-E power connector. I understand you don't need to use it if your PCI-E video card is hooked up to the PSU directly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GPSeek

@ Supertim0r,

The only things I don't like with this board so far are:
1. USB ports do not provide enough current to power my 80gb 2.5" USB drive. :slapass: My laptop can do it.
2. The capacitors on north side around CPU are higher than the CPU surface and a litte bit too close to CPU. Those obstructs TT120. I have to install the heatsink parallel to the viedo card, 90 degree different from yours. I just wonder how you managed to install TT120 that way without hitting the capacitors. I also had to remove the center tab (pilot tab for the H clip) on the heatsink to make more space for the H clip on the capacitor side. :stick:

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the tower120 fit perfectly for me...weird :confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supertim0r

the tower120 fit perfectly for me...weird :confused:

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weird to me at least the way you installed it:)
I think you may need to check it to see if it hit the capacitors and all the screws stand vertical to the board :stick:

Dang - my Bad Axe 2 just came in today and I just ordered a Tuniq Tower this morning. That would suck if the two don't play together nicely. :( I wonder if I should order a second heatsink as plan B if the two don't work together?

If it doesn't fit I recommend Zalman 9700, fits quite nicely. Here's a good review: http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...articleID=2045

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loafer87gt

Dang - my Bad Axe 2 just came in today and I just ordered a Tuniq Tower this morning. That would suck if the two don't play together nicely. :( I wonder if I should order a second heatsink as plan B if the two don't work together?

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I don't know if Tuniq has different versions of this cooler. One possiblity is that Supertim0r has one with smaller foot print. :cool:
Mine defenitely needs some modificaton to fit the cpu area.:slapass:
Tuniq 120 is really good.:clap: I run it at lowest speed as Supertim0r does.
It's a kind of overkill for my xeon 3060 if I want to run it at 3.6Ghz with 1.40v v. However, overclocking with much less noise is a good thing anyways.:fact:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loafer87gt

I wonder if I should order a second heatsink as plan B if the two don't work together?

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I don't think you need another one. The bottom line: mod the heatsink:p:

Maybe they have done some changes to the base of the latest TT120's. GPSeek, did you purchase your Tuniq Tower fairly recently? I know that there were several users using the TT120 with their original Bad Axe 1, and from the looks of the area around the cpu socket, the cap locations are same on both generations of the boards.

Here's hoping I can get her to all fit together at the end of the day. :)

anybody got clockgen working on the board ?

my 2 tt120 are maybe 1-2 months old (bought from OPB)

it fit perfectly

pic 1
pic 2

where did you get the BX2?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supertim0r

my 2 tt120 are maybe 1-2 months old (bought from OPB)

it fit perfectly

pic 1
pic 2

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Well. Another possibility is the manufacturing variation of the position of center tab and the dimensions of the copper base. Yours varies to the good side, mine to the mod side;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by apt403

where did you get the BX2?

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Got mine from Clubit.com. They had the BOX retail version the week of Thanksgiving, for $234 + $7 shipping. :D

I ordered two BX2's from ClubIT too, but they have raised the price a few bucks (like $238).

Newegg is now selling the blk version for $259
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121060

Incredible that they still have the BOX version at $329!

The Gunny

I guess their figuring of it is that some HT speaker cables can be $1,000 for a meter, why not sell the BX2's cables for some extra cash too?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Teratism

I guess their figuring of it is that some HT speaker cables can be $1,000 for a meter, why not sell the BX2's cables for some extra cash too?

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I found the egg often jacks up the price if a product receives good user reviews.:mad: I simply don't bother to do any review for the bad egg again.:slapass:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GunnySpook

Incredible that they still have the BOX version at $329!

The Gunny

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...& they keep going oos at that price! :eek:

There's a sucker born every minute. Some people are so loyal to the egg that they will pay just for the peace of mind that they feel they are getting. I can get this board at my local microcenter for 70 bucks cheaper. That's pretty sad.

Do you all like this board so far? Any memory brand quirks? I plan on super talent 800mhz memory and an e6600. Just got the TJ09 on friday so i guess I will start ordering the other parts this week or next.

Hi, long time viewer - first time poster. Thought it was maybe time to join the forum. :banana:

I'm thinking of replacing my Asus P5W64 WS for this, as I'm sick of the cold reboot still not being fixed yet.

Can anyone tell me if the bios has the "power on by keyboard " feature, as the first badaxe didn't have this.:( Also, I'm fussy and like to see the detailed post screen rather than the intel picture on boot up. Can this be enabled like on most motherboards?

Cheers

Jamie

It does have wake on usb and ps2. Great board but for me was a little tricky to overclock because it took a little while to figure out the voltages properly. Once I got past that hurdle everything is going smooth. I personally need a larger PSU and that should solve my weird boot issues. It crashed once while playing BF2142 and I'm pretty sure that it's PSU related. Running a 8800GTX and the system is overclocked. I was hoping I could squeak by with an Antec 500w but I don't think it's going to give me the stability I REALLY want.

Great thread - thanks!

How about this then:

My Intel XBX2 MB has 2 frequency references in the performance/memory config section of the bios.

Reference Frequency (Default/333/266/200/133) currently at 266

Memory Frequency (800/667/533/400) currently at 533

My memory is Corsair DDR2-6400C4 and my FSB is at 334, running at 3:00 GHz.

CPU-Z currently reports the FSB:RAM as 1:1, which I thought was the ideal.

What is the difference between Reference freq and Memory freq?

And what should they be for best performance at this FSB?

Thanks!

The Gunny

ref freq = chipset strap control?

if so the lower you go on that the less latency on the memory controler, but not as much overclockability.

wow! very nice board!
I'm looking for a new board :) I have some problems with my P5WDH, so i need something new.


What for a Samsung display is that? It's very nice.I love black :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EvilMoe

wow! very nice board!
I'm looking for a new board :) I have some problems with my P5WDH, so i need something new.


What for a Samsung display is that? It's very nice.I love black :)

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I think it is a Sumsung 225BW the same one as mine:toast:

ohh thanks :)

It looks so good... :party3: :party2:
But there is no store in germany :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EvilMoe

ohh thanks :)

It looks so good... :party3: :party2:
But there is no store in germany :(

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Have a look here:

http://geizhals.at/deutschland/?fs=d975xbx2&in=

:toast:

Or were you talking about the monitor?

Hi,
What is your higher stable fsb frequency ? i'm thinking about jumping form my badaxe1 to the 2 because mine old my E6600 to 404mhz fsb

Quote:

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Originally Posted by celemine1Gig

Have a look here:

http://geizhals.at/deutschland/?fs=d975xbx2&in=

:toast:

Or were you talking about the monitor?

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Display :) in germany there are only stores with the silver display, not black...


But the BX2 ist really nice.

Some members were supposed to get their BX2 today, anyone have anything for the rest of us?

Just got my BX2 from ZZF. It's a 503. I may install it tonight or wait a few days when I have more time. It was 259usd and had free 2day FedEx. It did take them three and one half days to process the order and ship. It was out late Thursday of last week. Not too bad for this time of year. It has the three year warranty and is not bulk. Results incoming sometime this week surely.

I also ordered nov 30 from zzf, bx2, xeon3060, 8800gtx.
Still processing....:shrug: :yawn2:

I love the board and got a BFG 600 watt PSU today for safety's sake. I wish someone would do a reference "STICKY" for this board because it is difficult for noobies to this type of board. It took me forever to figure out how to overclock this beast. The only place with any kind of useful info on this board ANYWHERE on the net is here. Reference/starting voltages for overclocking is what I really need. Thanx for everyones input because without that I would be TOTALLY lost.....

malachi1313: Since you can't really find much you might have to start it all out yourself, don't forget to record your attempts and put them up for others to follow if they want to.

I havent gotten any further with my OC-ing with an 6700 ES, waiting for my singlestage in about 2 weeks. 1 note that I like to share:

With my P5W-DH I could boot @ 410x10 mhz with my Tuniq,
With this board, max seems to be about 370x10 no matter what voltages I set.

This well could be the vCore limitation because I was running 1,7 on the P5W, and the BX2 can only give 1,6. Hope there is a possibility to raise this with a bios, otherwise I will have to voltmod when my results with SS are also poor :(

It's in and there's going to be a delay in real benching. The tip on one of the thumbscrews for my Tuniq Tower decided to pop off :p I am using the crappy stock HSF currently. I am just running 3.0GHz because of that.

I will say one thing, if you get this board make sure you use memset. The tRFC comes in at a crappy 42! I've been down to 21 so for with no issues.

I got 16.890 on my first SuperPi1m run at 3.0GHz speed, mem @ 417 4-4-3-4.

I can set 3-3-3-4 fine in the BIOS if I am willing to volt my memory up to 2.64v. That gives me a little better in pi1m @ 3.0GHz. Note, I am not defeating background services or optimizing beyond memory manipulation for the bench.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/9...pi1msj8.th.jpg

Best so far @ flat 3.0GHz:

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/2...i1mbwo3.th.jpg

I got down to tRFC 12 before my system crashed. I can do pi1m @ 13 is which waaaay better than my Abit board which would crash @ tRFC 20.

Malficar, are you stable at 3G? I ask because I'm "tiptoeing" around setting trying to get mine stable there.

What settings are you using?

Currently I haven't been able to get Orthos to run more then an hour without stopping.

My settings are:

CPU Override: 1.425
Power Slope Enabled
FSB Override: 1.375
MCH/ICH Override: 1.575
Clock Freq: 334

My memory is Corsair 800-6400C4, running at:

800, 5-5-5-18 at 2.16V (to take memory timing out of the stability equation)

Temps are staying cool (Zalman 9500) at 29 idle, 44 running Orthos.

Any differences with what you're seeing?

Thanks!

The Gunny

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GunnySpook

Malficar, are you stable at 3G? I ask because I'm "tiptoeing" around setting trying to get mine stable there.

What settings are you using?

Currently I haven't been able to get Orthos to run more then an hour without stopping.

My settings are:

CPU Override: 1.425
Power Slope: Enabled
FSB Override: 1.375
MCH/ICH Override: 1.575
Clock Freq: 334

My memory is Corsair 800-6400C4, running at:

800, 5-5-5-18 at 2.16V (to take memory timing out of the stability equation)

Temps are staying cool (Zalman 9500) at 29 idle, 44 running Orthos.

Any differences with what you're seeing?

Thanks!

The Gunny

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Haven't done Orthos yet have just been playing with Pi. I am going to do Orthos testing when I replace this stock HSF. Tuniq decided to make the thumbscrews in two parts and one of the heads of said screw came off mine so I can't properly secure my Tower 120. I have another aftermarket cooler inc.

CPU Override: Disabled
Power Slope: Disabled
FSB Override: 1.275
MCH/ICH Override: 1.575
Clock Freq: 334

CPU is @ 1.325v

My E6600 is stable all the way to 3.2GHz without voltage increases. I've tested it extensively on the abit board. I don't trust this stock HSF to be able to deal with that so I am holding off on ramping up. You may need more juice on your memory. Mine will do DDR 1000 @ 2.25v 5-5-5-15. If I want 4-4-4-12 @ DDR 1000 I need 2.35v. If I want DDR 1150 on a 1333 strap I need 2.45 (<tested on P5B Dlx).

If I want 3-3-3-4 timings @ DDR 800 plus I need a full 2.64v to do it. I am noticing this board will tolerate a much lower tRFC than my Abit did, 13 vs 21.

I might try 2.25v in your case and if that doesn't do it skip to 2.35v.

I am assuming you are using the latest BIOS and software for the board. If not:

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scri...ProductID=2578

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GunnySpook

Malficar, are you stable at 3G? I ask because I'm "tiptoeing" around setting trying to get mine stable there.

What settings are you using?

Currently I haven't been able to get Orthos to run more then an hour without stopping.

My settings are:

CPU Override: 1.425
Power Slope Enabled
FSB Override: 1.375
MCH/ICH Override: 1.575
Clock Freq: 334

My memory is Corsair 800-6400C4, running at:

800, 5-5-5-18 at 2.16V (to take memory timing out of the stability equation)

Temps are staying cool (Zalman 9500) at 29 idle, 44 running Orthos.

Any differences with what you're seeing?

Thanks!

The Gunny

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You have the same ram and cooler I have. I just put a BFG 600W PSU in for stability. Your temps are ALOT lower than mine though. I'm idle at 44. I was able to post at 350 Mhz FSB but it crashed giving the processor overheat warning{Extremely loud and annoying}.
I was running the processor at 1.41 and mem at 2.16. I think the best starting voltages for overclocking are:
CPU:1.4v
MCH:1.6v
FSB:1.3v
DDR:2.1
If anyone can come up with a better start point thats safe please correct me!!!

From here you can probably experiment and see what your system will do. I think in my case I need to reapply the thermal compound between my heatsink and cpu. I usually use ceramique but I ran out and had to use the stuff Zalman supplied.:(

Hey GunnySpook what PSU are you using and what video card???

Malficar: In the bios it says power slope is used to provide more current to the processor and I have it enabled on my board. Is this synonymous with CPU throttling??? I also have my fan using the variable speed adjustment controlled by the motherboard because I didn't want the noise to get too annoying. Do you know what ASF does under the management options??? Thanx!!

Thanks, M & M :)

I'm running a PC P&C Silencer 750 P/S and an nvidia 7600GS video card (It was a Sunday local buy at CompUSA after my ATI card failed.....)

First thing I did on install was to up to the 2330 bios. Shouldn't be a problem there.

However, I think I'm going to drop back to basics like Malficar is running to try and duplicate. I just had a reboot under the last settings, so I'm going to 667, 2.12 on memory at 5-5-5-18 and just see how far I can get.

Perhaps see what happens to Orthos with those settings, then start trying to walk it up from there.

As for the cooling, I used the new Zalman stuff that comes in a bottle like a nail-polish bottle, with a brush. Paints on a thin coat very easily!

Max I'm going for is a stable 3.0 to 3.4 - not trying to set any records! :)

Thanks for your help, guys!

The Gunny

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malachi1313

Malficar: In the bios it says power slope is used to provide more current to the processor and I have it enabled on my board. Is this synonymous with CPU throttling??? I also have my fan using the variable speed adjustment controlled by the motherboard because I didn't want the noise to get too annoying. Do you know what ASF does under the management options??? Thanx!!

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Unfortunately I just got it up this morning so I am still learning. Intel did a good job with the manual as far as installation and setup goes. Its details on the BIOS settings are woefully inadequate. Here's what I know as of now.

ASF:

"Gives a remote administrator data monitoring and remote control of the PC
regardless of O.S. or even if there is no O.S. at all. Kind of a 'BIOS'
level remote control.

ftp://download.intel.com/design/netw...whitepaper.pdf

Remote-control capabilities allow an IT
manager to remotely power up, power
down, power cycle, reset or reboot. If
necessary, the managed system can be
commanded to reboot to multiple boot
paths – for example, to reboot the
system and change the boot device
from the hard drive to a diagnostics
routine on a CD-ROM, Floppy or Boot
ROM."


I believe Power Slope has to do with reducing vdroop. When you start adding to your vcore and overclocking I'd have it on. Mine isn't because I am not using additional vcore @ this time. I don't need that until post 3.2GHz.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malficar

My E6600 is stable all the way to 3.2GHz without voltage increases. I've tested it extensively on the abit board.

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So far, which board do you like better? (BA2 or AW9D-MAX)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by willow

So far, which board do you like better? (BA2 or AW9D-MAX)

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Way too early to say. When I get a good aftermarket HSF on the BX2 I will be able to really test it. Around 3.0GHz they look to be dead even performance wise. I do wish the BX2 had a tRFC setting from the BIOS like the AW9D-Max. I can easily set it with memset though.

When I get back around 3.6GHz-3.8GHz I will test the 1333 strap and higher memory speed on the BX2. The lack of said strap on the Abit is one of key things that drove me to try the BX2. My AW9D-Max was a dog trying to run even DDR 1000.

If I end up being dissatisfied with this board I am going back to a P5B Deluxe. That is my favorite board for memory speed plus stability so far. I had DDR 1150 on that thing with the memory in my sig.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malachi1313

In the bios it says power slope is used to provide more current to the processor and I have it enabled on my board. Is this synonymous with CPU throttling???

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No, that is EIST (aka "SpeedStep") under the "Power" menu in BIOS. PowerSlope is supposed to eliminate "vDroop" and probably should be turned on here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malachi1313

You have the same ram and cooler I have. I just put a BFG 600W PSU in for stability. Your temps are ALOT lower than mine though. I'm idle at 44. I was able to post at 350 Mhz FSB but it crashed giving the processor overheat warning{Extremely loud and annoying}.

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Malachi, what temp monitoring are you using?

I'm using 'TAT'.

The Gunny

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bofors

No, that is EIST under the "Power" menu in BIOS. PowerSlope is supposed to eliminate "vDroop" and probably should be turned here.

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Uh, bofors, you dropped a word after "turned...."

On or off? :)

The Gunny

On. ;)

Vdroop should be as low as possible and the BIOS option "Advanced PowerSlope", or whatever it's called, helps to reduce Vdroop.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GunnySpook

Uh, bofors, you dropped a word after "turned...."

On or off? :)

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Whoops... yes I meant turned on.

When you go from motherboards that effortlessly recover from a bad OC to having to play with the CMOS jumper again, it's no fun.

My Asus board would just stop at post and tell me to enter the BIOS to check it when I screwed up. With the Abit you could turn off the PSU for 5-10secs and it would reset.

Also enthusiast motherboards should not default the <insert expletive here> ram to 1.84v. Most high performance ram requires more to be stable even at very tame settings. So everytime my BIOS goes to default I have to pull a stick of ram in order to post. 1.84v on this board is not enough to fire up both my sticks in dual channel mode even @ 5-5-5-15.

I am wondering if this board is undervolting or if the Abit was overvolting as the ram would post with default voltage in the Abit which claimed to be below 1.9v.

I'll formulate a solid opinion about the BX2 when my new HSF arrives. Right now there are odd little things I dislike intensely. If it does well on the 1333 strap I'll endure it. Currently I don't feel like playing with the CMOS jumper and pulling a stick in and out every time my OC fails and I have to go to default settings to boot.

here is what I did to clear my cmos : installed a switch on the back of my case

I also installed 3 noctua 1200 120mm case (2 case fans, 1 on TT120)....REALLY silent, perfect for 24/7 rig :eek:

here's my actual vdroop : idle / load :slobber:

edit : I'll write to intel bios department tomorow. Let me know your problems / bugs and i'll communicate the "like/dislike" about the bios :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supertim0r

here is what I did to clear my cmos : [URL="http://simon.webideal.ca/Temp/XBX2/noctua%20fans.JPG"]installed a <snip>
edit : I'll write to intel bios department tomorow. Let me know your problems / bugs and i'll communicate the "like/dislike" about the bios :)

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Well, here's a compilation of the problems reported in this thread (could've missed one ...):

1st problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tjelaw

With my P5W-DH I could boot @ 410x10 mhz with my Tuniq,
With this board, max seems to be about 370x10 no matter what voltages I set.

This well could be the vCore limitation because I was running 1,7 on the P5W, and the BX2 can only give 1,6. Hope there is a possibility to raise this with a bios, otherwise I will have to voltmod when my results with SS are also poor.

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2nd problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malficar

I do wish the BX2 had a tRFC setting from the BIOS like the AW9D-Max. I can easily set it with memset though.

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3rd problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malficar

When you go from motherboards that effortlessly recover from a bad OC to having to play with the CMOS jumper again, it's no fun.

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4th problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malficar

Also enthusiast motherboards should not default the <insert expletive here> ram to 1.84v. Most high performance ram requires more to be stable even at very tame settings. So everytime my BIOS goes to default I have to pull a stick of ram in order to post. 1.84v on this board is not enough to fire up both my sticks in dual channel mode even @ 5-5-5-15.

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So, four problems. Some affect performance, some mental health. Do we (read "you guys") know which of these can be fixed with a bios update? How likely this is?

5th problem

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GPSeek

I wish Intel could publish a document explaining each item in the BX2 bios screen.:stick:

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6th problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GPSeek

USB ports do not provide enough current to power my 80gb 2.5" USB drive. My laptop can do it.

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121059

They dropped the box to a measly 300.... woo for 30 dollars less than before.

Being constructive :p

Yes, I'll reiterate and expand on some of what was quoted from me. Here are my ideas for a better board BIOS.

1. Add tRFC from the BIOS. If you want to be taken seriously by overclockers in addition to tRFC add the full range available under memset in the BIOS. If I must choose a few in addition to what is already available; tRFC, tRD, and refresh mode select (RMS).

Example:

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/5999/memsetexxx9.jpg

2. Make it so when you fail an OC it stops at the post screen and forces you to check the BIOS, ala Asus. "Your OC failed please check BIOS, F2". This is much more desirable than playing with the CMOS jumper for configuring and clearing. If the OC fails to apply it keeps what you had before the attempt, or rolls back to that last save.

Perhaps make is so with extreme failure overclocking cases turning the power off via the PSU for 5-10 seconds without a proper save and shut down causes a reset of BIOS settings to default. Or make that a selectable option for people that hate the idea, enable|disable.

3. Change the default ram voltage to at least 2.0v. Please. I am having to remove a stick and boot in single channel everytime I must return to default BIOS settings due to a failed OC. Oddly enough the Asus P5W DH Deluxe, P5B Deluxe Wifi and Abit AW9D-MAX at default settings still provided enough voltage to my memory below 2.0v for this to not occur. It's much easier for someone with lower voltage preferences to enter the BIOS and change 2.0v than it is for me to get failed post black screens and have to remove sticks due to low voltage. Enthusiast boards ought to be oriented towards performance ram. Said ram typically needs 2.25v-2.45v to be effective.

4. Make it so you can directly enter values rather than going up and down with + and -. tRAS would be a good example here.

5. Make 1T and 2T selectable in the BIOS ala, 680i.

6. Add a functioning downward multiplier adjustment. My board is stuck @ a 9x multi. 6-9 would be nice. The option is there in the BIOS and it's stuck to "automatic".

Finally, I noticed with memset one of my ram sticks is coming in with different settings than the other in some areas. For example; one will have tRD 7 and the other 6. This is with the most current BIOS. This doesn't happen all the time and not on the three other motherboards I earlier noted. I have been correcting it with memset.

IMO 1-6 will make the BX2 much "badder" in a good way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GunnySpook

Malachi, what temp monitoring are you using?

I'm using 'TAT'.

The Gunny

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TAT??? I use the intel desktop utilities and CoreTemp found here: http://www.thecoolest.zerobrains.com...p/history.html

Intel Thermal Analysis Tool

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/392

Google it, then read some of the reviews.....

The Gunny

Thanx

Well I can bench SuperPi and do regular tasks at up to 3.5GHz with the stock HSF on this board. 3.6GHz is just too much for the stock HSF to tame, and no it can't handle Orthos @ 3.5GHz on the stock HSF :p:

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8...pi1mal7.th.jpg

I am hoping to have my new aftermarket cooler by Thursday night, then I can get down to business.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malficar

Being constructive :p

5. Make 1T and 2T selectable in the BIOS ala, 680i.

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2T is default because it's a chipset limitation. If you want 1T, go get a 680i, as this option would never be available for any 975X.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reinvented

2T is default because it's a chipset limitation. If you want 1T, go get a 680i, as this option would never be available for any 975X.

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It's not that important to me and was just a suggestion. Thanks for the heads up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reinvented

2T is default because it's a chipset limitation. If you want 1T, go get a 680i, as this option would never be available for any 975X.

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While on that subject, and as we're drifting from reporting problems into wishful thinking, this would be nice (written regarding Bad axe 1 but I guess it mostly applies to Bad axe 2 as well):

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony

The ultimate system will allow the CPU strap to hit 1333 so you can push over the 370fsb wall, but the NB needs to be fooled into thinking it is still working with a 1066 CPU and stay on the 1066 strap to keep the internal latency low..so in theory we are engaging PAT on 975 etc.

<snip>

[PAT] really was a tweak to bring back some of the performance loss by using 2T command.

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Part of this post in this thread here on XS. You've probably already read it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by casse

You've probably already read it.

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I have and it's not clear if the BadAxe1's 1333 strap problems exist on the BadAxe2 yet. Furthermore, my problem with the 1333 strap on the BadAxe1 is that it does not seem to work with four sticks of RAM, the performance seems fine with two.

In order to unblock the bios in the BadAxe2, it must make the ocdebug?
Thanks
By

No, the OC-Debug mod. does not apply to the BadAxe2.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bofors

No, the OC-Debug mod. does not apply to the BadAxe2.

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ok. the bios is unblocked without to make nothing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dj883u2

ok. the bios is unblocked without to make nothing?

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Yes. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bobov

Yes. :)

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Thanks.
:)

when is it necessary to use the 4pin-power molex on the motherboard? the one next to the flame-heatsink
http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/badx2/9.jpg

I just finished hiding my cables and now found that the board has another socket for extra power :D

I didn't plug the 4pin-power molex.

is it just for the extra pcie cards?

CPUID didnt work to me even with EIST. other things like IDU doesnt work either (eg: voltages wont get read out). what could be the problem ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heikis

when is it necessary to use the 4pin-power molex on the motherboard? the one next to the flame-heatsink
http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/badx2/9.jpg

I just finished hiding my cables and now found that the board has another socket for extra power :D

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You don't need feed this 4 pin molex if you use a 8 pin CPU power supply.:fact: I tried feeding it along with the 8 pin cable without seeing any benefit.

Ok just installed my other HSF. Up to 366GHz so far. Running kinda of warm @ 59C idle so I may need to reseat the HSF. Vcore is @ 1.46v so that is contributing to it.

http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/9...m366as4.th.jpg

Up to 3.72 still too warm for my tastes.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8...1m37dq4.th.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malficar

Ok just installed my other HSF. Up to 366GHz so far. Running kinda of warm @ 59C idle so I may need to reseat the HSF. Vcore is @ 1.46v so that is contributing to it.

http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/9...m366as4.th.jpg

Up to 3.72 still too warm for my tastes.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8...1m37dq4.th.jpg

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Damn what kind of ram and volts are you using???:slobber:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GPSeek

You don't need feed this 4 pin molex if you use a 8 pin CPU power supply.:fact: I tried feeding it along with the 8 pin cable without seeing any benefit.

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Is that really to power the board? I had read that was output power for something like a graphics card.

EDIT2: It supplies additional to power to graphics cards on the board (see below).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GunnySpook

How about this then:

My Intel XBX2 MB has 2 frequency references in the performance/memory config section of the bios.

Reference Frequency (Default/333/266/200/133) currently at 266

Memory Frequency (800/667/533/400) currently at 533

My memory is Corsair DDR2-6400C4 and my FSB is at 334, running at 3:00 GHz.

CPU-Z currently reports the FSB:RAM as 1:1, which I thought was the ideal.

What is the difference between Reference freq and Memory freq?

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I am also confused by the memory performance settings in BIOS. While it certainly appears that the "Reference Frequency" is just the "strap", are these ratios perserved with adjusting the FSB? I mean, does memory frequency automatically change when one change the FSB? Your results CPU-Z seem to indicated yes, but I am looking for further confirmation.

I just two BadAxe2' today, I had no problem taking a Xeon 3060 to 3.8 GHz (425 FSB) but it was not stable in OS X. My system would not POST at 3.9 GHz (430 FSB).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bofors

I am also confused by the memory performance settings in BIOS. While it certainly appears that the "Reference Frequency" is just the "strap", are these ratios perserved with adjusting the FSB? I mean, does memory frequency automatically change when one change the FSB? Your results CPU-Z seem to indicated yes, but I am looking for further confirmation.

I just two BadAxe2' today, I had no problem taking a Xeon 3060 to 3.8 GHz (425 FSB) but it was not stable in OS X. My system would not POST at 3.9 GHz (430 FSB).

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you think the board is limiting you?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bofors

Is that really to power the board? I had read that was output power for something like a graphics card.

EDIT: The Intel BadAxe1 spec. makes this very clear:

Auxiliary PCI Express Graphics Power Connector (optional)

So, it is not for powering the board.

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i think the 4pin is for CF solution?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heikis

you think the board is limiting you?



i think the 4pin is for CF solution?

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The first time I powered up my BX2, I forgot to add power to the 4 pin molex. My raid array would not allow me to Ctrl-I. After I added the power, It functioned perfectly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malachi1313

Damn what kind of ram and volts are you using???:slobber:

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Ram is in my sig. It takes 2.36v for me to do 4-4-4-4. If I want to do 3-3-3-4 I have to go above 2.5v and I am not comfortable staying there.

To get 3.72 I need 1.525 vcore. For 3.8 1.575 vcore.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8...m382sp2.th.jpg

I list 3.6GHz in my sig because that is what I can do Orthos blend stable @ 8+ hours. 3.7-3.8 are "bench" speeds. If I wanted to bother with watercooling I could probably do 3.7 or even 3.8 24/7. I am limited by my cooling which can't handle the heat generated by the voltage required to hold clocks @ 3.7 and above with Orthos testing. That is compounded by using a case. An "open air" tech station style set up could shave another 4-5C off my temps. I am not wild about keeping 1.52v and up required for the higher clocks on my CPU so I don't bother.

If I was lucky like some of the fellows that have E6600s that can do 3.8GHz + on 1.42-1.45v it would be another story entirely. 3.8GHz @ 1.575v is a lot to ask of air cooling in a case. Again I can boot and run it fine. It won't survive the heat created by Orthos blend though.

Once Kentsfields have been out a while and been revised a few times, I'll try one of those.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heikis

you think the board is limiting you?

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I think boards are always a limiting factor, just as CPUs themselves are. But no, I think the really limit factor is here is that I am using air cooling (ThermalTake Big Typhoon with 100 CFM 38 x 120mm fan). I am sure I could take this box outside into the sub-freezing weather and POST at 3.9 GHz or higher.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heikis

i think the 4pin is for CF solution?

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What?

Here is the BadAxe2 Spec: ftp://download.intel.com/design/moth...D7364501US.pdf

See pages 14-15, Figure 1, Table 3:

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/1...2layoutyu7.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/619/itemjfh8.jpg

[Item] J : Auxiliary PCI Express Graphics Power Connector (optional)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bofors

Is that really to power the board? I had read that was output power for something like a graphics card.

EDIT: The Intel BadAxe1 spec. makes this very clear:

Auxiliary PCI Express Graphics Power Connector (optional)

So, it is not for powering the board.

---

There are the same statement for BX2 too.:fact:
I use a 7600GS video card that's not so power hungry so that I don't need it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by malficar

Ram is in my sig. It takes 2.36v for me to do 4-4-4-4. If I want to do 3-3-3-4 I have to go above 2.5v and I am not comfortable staying there.

To get 3.72 I need 1.525 vcore. For 3.8 1.575 vcore.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/3...m382fp7.th.jpg

I list 3.6GHz in my sig because that is what I can do Orthos blend stable @ 8+ hours. 3.7-3.8 are "bench" speeds. If I wanted to bother with watercooling I could probably do 3.7 or even 3.8 24/7. I am limited by my cooling which can't handle the heat generated by the voltage required to hold clocks @ 3.7 and above with Orthos testing. That is compounded by using a case. An "open air" tech station style set up could shave another 4-5C off my temps. I am not wild about keeping 1.52v and up required for the higher clocks on my CPU so I don't bother.

If I was lucky like some of the fellows that have E6600s that can do 3.8GHz + on 1.42-1.45v it would be another story entirely. 3.8GHz @ 1.575v is a lot to ask of air cooling in a case. Again I can boot and run it fine. It won't survive the heat created by Orthos blend though.

Once Kentsfields have been out a while and been revised a few times, I'll try one of those.

---

My 3060 can do stable Orthos at 3.60GHz with 1.375v. It can boot at 3.8GH with 1.425v. I did not change any other voltage settings like MCH or FSB. Memory runs at 2.2v that is listed by its specifications.

I don't think think cooling is a key issue here if you want stay in air. Subzero cooling is another story though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bofors

I think boards are always a limiting factor, just as CPUs themselves are. But no, I think the really limit factor is here is that I am using air cooling (ThermalTake Big Typhoon with 100 CFM 38 x 120mm fan). I am sure I could take this box outside into the sub-freezing weather and POST at 3.9 GHz or higher.

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I think the CPU is the limiting factor if you want stay in air. However, 3.60GHz on air is not too shabby for me at least. :toast:
I believe you can manage to boot it at 3.9 or even 4.0GHz. However it is not going to be stable if you use air cooling. I don't think water-cooling can help much for my xeon 3060 either.
C2D looks really good. It has much less thermal issues than P4. :)
However, I tends to think that once the processor hits its limit, improved air/water cooling won't help much. The Tuniq 120 is an overkill for my setup in terms of temperature. I set it to lowest speed for low noise that is almost inaudioble. The temperature difference between lowest and highest fan speed at 3.60GHz full load is less than 7 degrees.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bofors

What?


[Item] J : Auxiliary PCI Express Graphics Power Connector (optional)

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I meant that is it only in case of using 2 PCI-E (graphics?) cards (for example ATI in Crossfire or some other PCI-E cards). I dont think i need to plug anything in there when using one pci-e card (graaphics - x1900xt)

I know the Bad Axe 2 is Cross-Fire ready but does anyone know if you can run SLI on it too?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chaotic646

I know the Bad Axe 2 is Cross-Fire ready but does anyone know if you can run SLI on it too?

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You can not run SLI. It would be cool if this would get enabled though but I think Nvidia is saving this for other{IE 680i chipsets} rather than the 975 series.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by malachi1313

You can not run SLI. It would be cool if this would get enabled though but I think Nvidia is saving this for other{IE 680i chipsets} rather than the 975 series.

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975 supports SLI with certain drivers

The program Intel Desktop Control Center it works to you?
To me it does not work...
This is the error:

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6820/okrh5.th.jpg

I have arrived here:

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/31/3656ghzjy6.th.jpg

By

Auxiliary PCI Express graphics power – a 1 x 4 connector. This connector
provides the required additional power when using high power (75 W or greater)
add-in cards in either or both the Secondary PCI Express x16 (electrical x8) and
the PCI Express x16 (electrical x4) bus add-in card connectors.

If high power (75 W or greater) add-in cards are installed in either or both the
Secondary PCI Express x16 (electrical x8) and the PCI Express x16 (electrical x4) bus
add-in card connectors, the Auxiliary PCI Express graphics power connector must be
used. Failure to do so may cause damage to the board and the add-in cards.

I cant get IDCC to work with the d975xbx2 either. IDU works fine but IDCC will not load. Its too bad because IDCC is great for controlling/setting your fan speed thresholds.

Newegg has finally knocked the box version down to a semi-competitive price.

Will the Scythe Infinity fit fine over the capacitors?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by heikis

Auxiliary PCI Express graphics power – a 1 x 4 connector. This connector
provides the required additional power when using high power (75 W or greater)
add-in cards in either or both the Secondary PCI Express x16 (electrical x8) and
the PCI Express x16 (electrical x4) bus add-in card connectors.

If high power (75 W or greater) add-in cards are installed in either or both the
Secondary PCI Express x16 (electrical x8) and the PCI Express x16 (electrical x4) bus
add-in card connectors, the Auxiliary PCI Express graphics power connector must be
used. Failure to do so may cause damage to the board and the add-in cards.

---

I wish I kneww for sure on this. Is it an output or a input TO the motherboard and if you are using a powersupply that supplies enough power to your graphics card why is it necessary????

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by malachi1313

I wish I kneww for sure on this. Is it an output or a input TO the motherboard and if you are using a powersupply that supplies enough power to your graphics card why is it necessary????

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There is always gonna be some power supplied to the cards thru the pci-e slots.... I would assume that 2 cards pulls higher amperage thru the slots or something to that effect...

Its too bad that most of the cool INTEL stuff, like the bios updater, Intel control panel, ect. DO NOT WORK with XP-64.... WTF is that all about??? Let alone a CONTACT email to INTEL for any problems with this board...:rolleyes:

Mine lasted for 10 or so hours before giving up the ghost, gonna give it another shot when the RMA gets back, if it dies again, i guess ill just go the RD600 route.....:cool:

Question for all of the BX2 owners. What sata drivers are you all using, the ones that came on the cd (which are dated 2005) or the latest ones for the 975X chipset listed on Intel's website (which are from 2006)?

Under the download section for this board on Intel's sight, the older 2005 Intel Matrix drivers are still listed, but there are newer ones for the 975X chipset. Which ones should I install and run with?

Shawn

I have another question for the bx2 owners. Does the vdimm give more or less than the choosen in bios?

And also; I nicked 2x1024 ddr533 from my parents dell (don't worry I tested thourougly and solitaire did NOT slow down when they moved down from 4gb to 2gb ram :p: )
So I need to know what's the safest 24/7 vdimm setting for such low price oem ram?