ASUS Maximus II Formula - new P45 king?

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Originally Posted by d3885u

Is there anyone of you could explain the function of vtt for dram and nb...???
Truely I'm little confused to set the gtlref menu in BIOS coz it's different with the other mainboard as usually I handle before...
Cryptik could you help me please how to "translate' and making the calculation for the gtlref for nb is the main important I think...???
thanks for your help and for the link of new BIOS from Ket...
And I had a little problem to make my rig going stable with FSB 500-550...
I could found stable setting at 533FSB/1066RAM...but not at the other FSB setting...
What is the best strap for this motherboard?

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Vtt is not controllable through bios it is 0.5x Vdimm. DDR Ref Channel A/B and NB DDR ref voltages are controllable, but I'm not sure what purpose they have at the moment, I'm researching it. I have mine on auto at the moment.

I also have left GTL for NB on auto (0.64x Vtt) and I have found changing it up or down didn't help me overclock higher (my board wont go above 570 FSB) however it may allow slightly less vNB to be used for 'normal' clocks - I'm yet to establish this.

I can be stable at 534 FSB, above that starts getting shaky, not sure why at the moment. I think these boards need more vNB than other P45 boards to get 530+ FSB stable, but other factors may also be playing a role.

I like the 266 strap, it's efficient (as a P45 can be) but 333 is also good. Whatever works for your FSB and desired ram clock I guess.

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Originally Posted by d3885u

Oh yeah Cryptik...Almost forgot...I just want to ask you...Is there any improvement with the modded BIOS from Ket?

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Yes there was an improvement, I could clock ram higher, but at that stage I didn't know how to clock ram high on this board. I changed back to Asus 1307 and have been on that since as I can get the ram over 650 MHz using it (now I know how to), but soon I will be using Ket's again and will do some testing.

Thx a lot cryptik for your explaination to me...hope it may help me a lot to "conquer" this motherboard...
I could make this motherboard stable at 550FSB but it just for CPU stressing but not for RAM...
maybe..our problem right now is on the NB setting...I also can't find the exact calculation for NB at this motherboard...
Hoping soon Asus could fix the BIOS for us...I still believe this motherboard will be the king of Intel P45 chipset...

Yes the MCH (NB) seems to be a little weak, it needs more voltage than the MCH on my P5Q-Deluxe did for the same FSB, ram speed and PL.

Oh btw the calculation for NB GTL Ref is the same as for the cpu GTL Ref. Standard (auto) is 0.64x Vtt + 0mv (Vtt is what you set for vFSB, vFSB and Vtt are the same thing), so if you are using 1.20v vFSB, and have NB GTL Ref set to auto (+ 0mv) it is
so 0.64 x 1.20v = 0.768v.
To make the voltage what a 0.67x multiplier would give you, it is
0.67 x 1.2v = 0.804v
0.804 - 0.768v = 0.036v
0.036v = 36mv
so select +40mv as it is the closest to 36mv in the bios.

Just substitute what you are using for vFSB for 1.20v I used in the above equation to work it out for you. If you have trouble, just tell me what your vFSB is and I'll work it out for you :up:

Anyone running this board with either a QX9650 or Q9650 that has gotten to 500FSB or 450x10? I am thinking about replacing my Blitz with this board, but if I am not going to get anything higher than my 4Ghz then I will just wait or try a different board. I did a search for these two chips and did not see anything higher than 4Ghz with this board.

Thanks,

Utnorris

Okay Cryptik I'll try that first...
Thank you anyway...

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Originally Posted by Utnorris

Anyone running this board with either a QX9650 or Q9650 that has gotten to 500FSB or 450x10? I am thinking about replacing my Blitz with this board, but if I am not going to get anything higher than my 4Ghz then I will just wait or try a different board. I did a search for these two chips and did not see anything higher than 4Ghz with this board.

Thanks,

Utnorris

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QX9650 was tried but 500FSB was not possible. It topped out @498 bootable from bios with both a Q9450 & QX9650. 495FSB was benchmark stable but 475FSB has proven prime stable for me. This is not the board to pair with a QX9650. The unlocked multiplier deserves a fast performing chipset i.e. x38 or x48. This board however is a perfect match for Q9X50's as it can reach 475+ FSB stable so you should be able to hit 4GHz stable with a Q9550 or greater. Performance wise though, its no match for the other chipsets.

The P45 does require some aggressive FSB speeds and lowest possible bootable PL to get decent performance. If you have a CPU that can run 550 x 7.5 (4125) stable you could pull some nice 3D bench scores. My CPU will do it on ~1.344v, but I'd have to give it ~1.36 - 1.38v for total stability in 3D, which is more voltage than I'm comfortable with. Someone with an E0 8400/8500 could do it no problem. A CPU that could do 550 x 8 and some nice D9's would be some real fun on this board :D

Everest @ 550 FSB, 660 MHz CL 5. Not bad bandwidth and latency for a P45 :D
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...SB660MHz_1.jpg

Max ram clock so far - 665.8 MHz (TeamXtreem 8500's at 2.3v real)
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i..._23vscreen.jpg

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Originally Posted by ATLNY

ok
I will try that as soon as I got my board back
I RMA it today due to the NB temp too high
I got the temp down to 55 C(idle) from 79 C
this is not a cheap board and I should be happy with it
I can't wait to try those setting

thanks

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I just got my board back from new egg

it seems that Asus is moding these board due to the NB temp too high
they have put two thick paper washers under the NB heatsink
and gave it a thick layer of coating (pc101) spray
the result is a much lower NB temp Idle 39, load 51

I will try to hit 4.0 now
I wil let you know

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Originally Posted by The Nemesis

QX9650 was tried but 500FSB was not possible. It topped out @498 bootable from bios with both a Q9450 & QX9650. 495FSB was benchmark stable but 475FSB has proven prime stable for me. This is not the board to pair with a QX9650. The unlocked multiplier deserves a fast performing chipset i.e. x38 or x48. This board however is a perfect match for Q9X50's as it can reach 475+ FSB stable so you should be able to hit 4GHz stable with a Q9550 or greater. Performance wise though, its no match for the other chipsets.

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Any suggestions? P5E Deluxe maybe?

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Originally Posted by Utnorris

Anyone running this board with either a QX9650 or Q9650 that has gotten to 500FSB or 450x10? I am thinking about replacing my Blitz with this board, but if I am not going to get anything higher than my 4Ghz then I will just wait or try a different board. I did a search for these two chips and did not see anything higher than 4Ghz with this board.

Thanks,

Utnorris

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I personally would grab a X48 board I have seen alot higher clocks with that board than the MIIF.
It is far superior than this platform. Zucker2K has shown some impressive clocks using the board.
If your looking for alot of bling and mediocre performance than P45 is your answer, otherwise I would look at Rampage X48
I have one here I was going to test to prove my therory but sadly it arrived DOA so it will have to wait alittle longer

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Originally Posted by Grnfinger

I personally would grab a X48 board I have seen alot higher clocks with that board than the MIIF.

I would look at Rampage X48. I have one here I was going to test to prove my therory but sadly it arrived DOA so it will have to wait alittle longer

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thats exactly along the same lines that ive been thinking, however id really like to get away from Asus.

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Originally Posted by ThugsRook

thats exactly along the same lines that ive been thinking, however id really like to get away from Asus.

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I sadly agree. Everytime I go to asus I have high hopes that get trashed. I guess I can not really complain. I have my E8400 @ 4.5Ghz stable, but it is knowing that you are not getting max performance that bugs me.

Well that's your fault then for picking a P45 based mobo... not Asus' fault... why would someone expect a chipset that retails lower than X48, be superior to the Intel flagship chipset... I get far better clocks with P45 then I did with P35 or X38... never got 500FSB there out of a quad...nor 600FSB with a duallie with an out of the box mobo and respectable voltages...

X38 and 48 are better ram performers clock for clock, but do you notice that in daily usage : nope... for benching : yes

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

Well that's your fault then for picking a P45 based mobo... not Asus' fault.

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P45 is not Asus' fault. half baked motherboards and lame bios updates are.

Ket is doing more for these boards by himself then Asus has since their release. that should tell you something right there.

maybe Asus should release more versions of the P45, they dont have enough yet ;)

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

Well that's your fault then for picking a P45 based mobo... not Asus' fault... why would someone expect a chipset that retails lower than X48, be superior to the Intel flagship chipset... I get far better clocks with P45 then I did with P35 or X38... never got 500FSB there out of a quad...nor 600FSB with a duallie with an out of the box mobo and respectable voltages...

X38 and 48 are better ram performers clock for clock, but do you notice that in daily usage : nope... for benching : yes

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I'm running both platforms currently, can I notice / feel a difference.....HELL YES.
There is a huge difference in feel, loading times and overall performance.
I dont need a benchmark to show me this.
I am somewhat happy with my purchase I got exactly what I wanted a 4.0GHz quad core 24/7 machine. What I am not happy with is a board in half the price out performing the ROG line, why did I pay 300 bucks for my board when a sub 200 board would probably perform on par? I dont think the pretty red heatsink are worth 150 bucks:rofl:

I have respect for Ket's work but on my boards they do almost nothing... I get just a tad better ram performance but really nothing earthshattering at all. Better clocks not here... ( I have 2 Dlx and 2 E boards...5 45Nm CPU's to work with) But imagine Ket having to do this for all P45 builds of Asus... will be a lot slower then...Asus is not like DFI or other brands, they put out a lot of mobo's , maybe too much but they want to sell as much as possible... Secondly Ket works with the code the engineers put in the bios, he just makes a nice mix out of it... (simplistically put, he's a very bright guy no doubt) and really you don't seem to be aware how many bios updates ( alphas and betas some of us have gone through on these boards to make them work better... Even DFI boards that come to the market months later then the competition still need updates to ensure compatability...

Some people never seem to be aware how much different hardware there is around and that Ocing is still not guarantueed... because ya neighbour can do it, doesn't mean you ca do it with exactly the same hardware... is it purely the mobo ? is it the bios ? is it the modded bios ? you tell me...

I didn't noticed anything different coming from P35 or X38 in daily usage... maybe I swap hardware to often (harddrives and co) but this board is way more stable then my Formula SE ever was... in benches I could feel the differences... daily sorry nope... I just love new toys but comign from a rock stable and good performing P35 (with one Gfx card) X38, X48 and P45 are not really a worthwhile step up for normal clocks (400-500FSB range, depending on CPU)

For the difference between the Dlx and the MFII think the PCB layout is pretty the same, you just pay extra for all the gimmicks and a few tweaks in the bios... between the E and Dlx boards there's a whole lot more clocking potential in the Dlx...

Ok,
Just curious at what sub $200 board you are referring to that is an x48. I looked, but the closest I could find was ECS, which I wouldn't consider, or the P5E Deluxe at $220. Maybe I am just misunderstanding what you are saying, please explain a little more.
Thank you,

Utnorris

I got exactly what I wanted a 4.0GHz quad core 24/7 machine Love it

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

I have respect for Ket's work but on my boards they do almost nothing... I get just a tad better ram performance but really nothing earthshattering at all. Better clocks not here... ( I have 2 Dlx and 2 E boards...5 45Nm CPU's to work with) But imagine Ket having to do this for all P45 builds of Asus... will be a lot slower then...Asus is not like DFI or other brands, they put out a lot of mobo's , maybe too much but they want to sell as much as possible... Secondly Ket works with the code the engineers put in the bios, he just makes a nice mix out of it... (simplistically put, he's a very bright guy no doubt) and really you don't seem to be aware how many bios updates ( alphas and betas some of us have gone through on these boards to make them work better... Even DFI boards that come to the market months later then the competition still need updates to ensure compatability...

Some people never seem to be aware how much different hardware there is around and that Ocing is still not guarantueed... because ya neighbour can do it, doesn't mean you ca do it with exactly the same hardware... is it purely the mobo ? is it the bios ? is it the modded bios ? you tell me...

I didn't noticed anything different coming from P35 or X38 in daily usage... maybe I swap hardware to often (harddrives and co) but this board is way more stable then my Formula SE ever was... in benches I could feel the differences... daily sorry nope... I just love new toys but comign from a rock stable and good performing P35 (with one Gfx card) X38, X48 and P45 are not really a worthwhile step up for normal clocks (400-500FSB range, depending on CPU)

For the difference between the Dlx and the MFII think the PCB layout is pretty the same, you just pay extra for all the gimmicks and a few tweaks in the bios... between the E and Dlx boards there's a whole lot more clocking potential in the Dlx...

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I agree with you on Kets bios mods, stellar work but it does nothing for my setup. I was hoping for better bandwidth but it did not happen

could someone please help me w/ overclock. i cant seem to get anything over 9x430 w/ my new e8400eo.i got this a week ago maximusII /E8400eo/g.skill pc-8800 pi 2x2g/true 120/radeon3650/wd320g /antec550w. for the life of me i cant get any kind of decent clocks. at this point i would be happy with 9x450 4050/mem@1081. please please some help

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Originally Posted by radaja

could someone please help me w/ overclock. i cant seem to get anything over 9x430 w/ my new e8400eo.i got this a week ago maximusII /E8400eo/g.skill pc-8800 pi 2x2g/true 120/radeon3650/wd320g /antec550w. for the life of me i cant get any kind of decent clocks. at this point i would be happy with 9x450 4050/mem@1081. please please some help

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post your current bios setup thats stable and suggestions can be made from there

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/q...arocs/Cap2.jpg

as you can see this is not stable, if i have it 430x9 stable. update i think i found a sweet spot i changed the Vcore to 1.385 in bios and prime going on 20 minutes now . i think when i went from the p5q -d to this iwas trying cpuvtt@1.26 today when i tried 1.16 it seems to have done the trickhttp://i436.photobucket.com/albums/q...arocs/Cap3.jpg

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Originally Posted by Utnorris

Any suggestions? P5E Deluxe maybe?

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If your just trying to save $70 then the P5E is fine. I personally would grab the Rampage. It's one of the fastest performing boards available and plays nice with 45nm Quads. Since we live in the same metroplex area however, you could run to Fry's. The now carry the full line of Asus P45 chipset motherboards. You could try one out and if not satisfied with the memory performance return it. The Maximus II is only $269.99 so with tax it would only cost about $10 more than ordering from the egg. I've been thinking about the P5Q Deluxe to refit my workstation. It is far time to retire my P5W DH and E6600 collection. On the other hand, with I7 so close is it really worth it to invest any further on this architecture?

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Originally Posted by The Nemesis

If your just trying to save $70 then the P5E is fine. I personally would grab the Rampage. It's one of the fastest performing boards available and plays nice with 45nm Quads. Since we live in the same metroplex area however, you could run to Fry's. The now carry the full line of Asus P45 chipset motherboards. You could try one out and if not satisfied with the memory performance return it. The Maximus II is only $269.99 so with tax it would only cost about $10 more than ordering from the egg. I've been thinking about the P5Q Deluxe to refit my workstation. It is far time to retire my P5W DH and E6600 collection. On the other hand, with I7 so close is it really worth it to invest any further on this architecture?

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It's funny you mention the Maximus II at Frys. I was just there and noticed they had one on hand. I went by Microcenter and they have the Maximus Formula still, clearanced out and only at, get this, ONLY $339.99. Someone is smoking some serious crack over there. Anyway, I was thinking about the Rampage, it would be an easy swap out with my Blitz.

Thanks,
Utnorris