ASUS Maximus II Formula - new P45 king?

after setting up my UD3P and my new E8400, it was very easy to get 533x8 with cellshocks running 5/6 divider.something which was virtually impossible for (me at least)to do on my new maxII that i got back from RMA.also after i got maxII out of my case i inspected it a little more closely,it is very bowed where the mosfets are and the i/o shield is.it just amazes me how bad these boards are.they look awesome,but performance wise, not that great.also my e8500 needs 1.32v to run 4250 8.5x500 on my UD3P yet on the maxII it needed 1.38-1.39v. same thing with my new E8400.so it seems that the 6phase power of the UD3P is much more better than the 12 phase of the maxII.maybe the A3 revision of the p45 is what makes the UD3P better,i dont know? but i do know that ive have had two MAXII and they are nowhere near as good as the UD3P. for instance how many bio's has the maxII had?how many made a difference?have any fixed the main problems? no.but my main gripe w/maxII is the craftmanship,maybe im unlucky to get two twisted and bowed boards, maybe there are flat ones out there?i dont know,but paying 270$ for a board that doesnt work and having to send it back only to recieve a warped and twisted one back makes me a little upset. and the board i bought(130$)to hold me over till i got my RMA backout performs it in every aspect.it just pisses me off.well enough venting guess ill just bight the bullitt on this one,im out 270$ with a board that gonna sit in a box from now on. edit-the one real great thing about maxII is all the sensors.

radaja
I`m agree with you ;)

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Originally Posted by WaterFlex

What is your temps of SB, POWER, NB, MB under linpack? And what is room temp.

Can you post your PC pic, please? ;)

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I haven't checked with Linpack but after 2hours prime blend and 21'C ambient temp, i got:
NB: 47'C (with 1.51v vNB)
SB: 46'C
Power: 46'C
MB: 39'C

BTW here's a quick shot of my system i took for u now... :)

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8...0168ft2.th.jpg

JoeBar
Wow. Amazing system. I like it very much!

Very nice temps of NB and SB. But Power (mosfets) and MB temps are quite high, aren they?

I ask you about it because I have a serious problem.
Before LCS I had TT BT VX which blew around CPU socket area. My system was totally stable. After installing LCS, I became totally unstable. To fix it, I had to place fan and put it on tubes:

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/8...0103952tc0.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/15/p10103962tl0.jpg

After using many asus motherboards with inaccurate mb temps i stopped taking them into consideration... :p:

As for pwr temp, i don't think that they're high if u consider the facts that i run with high vNB (which stresses the entire heatpipe system) and no active cooling on the mosfets. What do u get when priming blend?


BTW since u have the 120mm fan blowing u don't need asus crappy fan...

With fan when priming I have NB=50, Power=38, SB=46, MB=35. Ambient is 26-27. Stableness.
Without fan: NB=60, Power 44, SB=50, MB=40. totally unstable... Even 50 passes of Linpack with 200 RAM usage gives me 1 of 50.......

If i should point a possible reason for your instability, i would go for the high NB temp when without a fan.

But I start getting errors when NB is still 51, Power=40, SB=49, MB=35.

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Originally Posted by CryptiK

I am finding it almost impossible to get 666 MHz (DDR2-1333) bench stable. My CellShock GKX & TeamGroup GMH sticks all top out at 660MHz, and my Team Group can do 666MHz max screen but very unstable. More vdimm is not helping, neither is the DDR2 CHA/B ref or NB DDR Ref voltages.

Has anyone got over 666MHz on this board?

Asus need to improve the ram overclocking ability. The UD3P leaves the M2F in the dust in this regard.

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Yeah I have, slightly:p: This was 2 months ago so it must have been one of the first bioses out there. I don't have the board anymore so can't check it either. But yes 666+ is possible.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn7/OTHGendo/716.jpg

Edit: I know it says ddr3 but it is the m2f. This was when cpu-z was stil giving errors with P45 so yeah that proves it's old.
I believe the bios version I used was 0503, not 100% sure but looking at the list of bioses that version rings the most bells:p:
100% sure my bios was 0802 or older. (the roms are still on my usb:p:)

Edit2: And about the NB problem you're having: I've noticed that going higher than ~1.43v causes instability and lowers fsb overclocking. But trust me, 1.43v is enough for both high fsb and high mem clocking. Proof: http://hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=778618

i think after thanksgiving weekend im going to RMA my RMA. i'll take some pictures of it so they can see the crap they are sending out to paying customers.maybe my next one will be of some sort of quality standard.who knows?just maybe. i can hope.

new bios 1702 available

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Maximus II Formula 1702 Bios
1. Add "Intel(R) C-STATE tech" item
2. Revise CPU Speed when "Ai Overclock Tuner" is "Auto"

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Yep, old news, best out is still 1307........:shakes:

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Originally Posted by radaja

after setting up my UD3P and my new E8400, it was very easy to get 533x8 with cellshocks running 5/6 divider.something which was virtually impossible for (me at least)to do on my new maxII that i got back from RMA.also after i got maxII out of my case i inspected it a little more closely,it is very bowed where the mosfets are and the i/o shield is.it just amazes me how bad these boards are.they look awesome,but performance wise, not that great.also my e8500 needs 1.32v to run 4250 8.5x500 on my UD3P yet on the maxII it needed 1.38-1.39v. same thing with my new E8400.so it seems that the 6phase power of the UD3P is much more better than the 12 phase of the maxII.maybe the A3 revision of the p45 is what makes the UD3P better,i dont know? but i do know that ive have had two MAXII and they are nowhere near as good as the UD3P. for instance how many bio's has the maxII had?how many made a difference?have any fixed the main problems? no.but my main gripe w/maxII is the craftmanship,maybe im unlucky to get two twisted and bowed boards, maybe there are flat ones out there?i dont know,but paying 270$ for a board that doesnt work and having to send it back only to recieve a warped and twisted one back makes me a little upset. and the board i bought(130$)to hold me over till i got my RMA backout performs it in every aspect.it just pisses me off.well enough venting guess ill just bight the bullitt on this one,im out 270$ with a board that gonna sit in a box from now on. edit-the one real great thing about maxII is all the sensors.

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My board was not bowed. Perhaps I just got a good sample, every manufacturer has a few less than perfect samples floating around, like the UD3P's that blew up taking the cherry picked e8600's with them, and the other that blew running DDR2-1100 and took out 4GB ($300 worth) of G.Skill PI 9600.

I can't comment on the CPU VRM compared to the UD3P as I haven't used one, but mine seems fine, it requires the exact same vcore as my P5Q-Deluxe did for the same clocks.

When you say 533 FSB / 639.5 MHz was virtually impossible, do you mean you couldn't get it perfectly stable, or you couldn't bench, or you couldn't get into windows? I can bench at 534 FSB / 640 MHz at 1.40 vNB & 2.2 vdimm, but it's not stable, I'd need closer to 2.4 vdimm to get 640 MHz stable. I can also bench 550 FSB / 660 MHz but I would have to increase vNB & vdimm to stabilize that, but I think the NB temps at the required vNB would prevent stability.

I think the M2F is a good solid all rounder, and the temp/voltage readouts are a definite plus. Perhaps the UD3P is better at high ram clocks and high FSB (due to A3 rev. chipset) and I'd like to get one to try them out, but the M2F is a good 24/7 P45 board.

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Originally Posted by Gendo

Yeah I have, slightly:p: This was 2 months ago so it must have been one of the first bioses out there. I don't have the board anymore so can't check it either. But yes 666+ is possible.

Edit: I know it says ddr3 but it is the m2f. This was when cpu-z was stil giving errors with P45 so yeah that proves it's old.
I believe the bios version I used was 0503, not 100% sure but looking at the list of bioses that version rings the most bells:p:
100% sure my bios was 0802 or older. (the roms are still on my usb:p:)

Edit2: And about the NB problem you're having: I've noticed that going higher than ~1.43v causes instability and lowers fsb overclocking. But trust me, 1.43v is enough for both high fsb and high mem clocking. Proof: http://hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=778618

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Sorry mate but thats using the 3:5 divider so its really 2:3 giving 644.4 MHz (DDR-1289 MHz). Still nothing to be taken lightly, but I'm still yet to see someone get over what I can get with this board.

I have also found my GKX do not clock as well as my GMH. The GKX do lower clocks on less voltage, and clock better on CL4, but wont go as high as the GMH.

@cryptik, at even 500x8 let alone 533x8 i couldnt get it to even bootpast det ramduring boot cycle. i was however able to get it to boot into windows at 499x8.i really think that ive gotten two bad boards. i dont know if you remember my first one(very low volts issue) and every success i had on that one 466x9 priming for 1hr was followed by next reboot same settings fail prime after 1 second.it was a very flakey board.and now this board gets sent to me and its all warped is just plain frustating.i wish i had one that decent like yours. cause dont get me wrong i really liked the maxII thats why i bought it and sold my P5Q deluxe.anyway im just venting i do think the maxII is a great board,i mean just look at the newegg reviews its been the #1 p45 board for months now.i just wish i had a good one.cheers

That definitely sounds like a dodgey board, what a shame, and really bad luck to get 2 bad boards in a row. I do remember your first board's issues and it was very strange too. I have seen a few guys that also got UD3P's that could not do 500 FSB+ no matter what, and they RMA'd and the replacements did it without raising a sweat. I think perhaps there is a lot of variation in the FSB capabilities of the P45 chipsets, A2 and A3, some are great, some are decent, and some are terrible. If I were you I'd try and sell the M2F and get something back for it, I can understand why you're not happy after paying the premium for this board.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gendo

Yeah I have, slightly:p: This was 2 months ago so it must have been one of the first bioses out there. I don't have the board anymore so can't check it either. But yes 666+ is possible.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn7/OTHGendo/716.jpg

Edit: I know it says ddr3 but it is the m2f. This was when cpu-z was stil giving errors with P45 so yeah that proves it's old.
I believe the bios version I used was 0503, not 100% sure but looking at the list of bioses that version rings the most bells:p:
100% sure my bios was 0802 or older. (the roms are still on my usb:p:)

Edit2: And about the NB problem you're having: I've noticed that going higher than ~1.43v causes instability and lowers fsb overclocking. But trust me, 1.43v is enough for both high fsb and high mem clocking. Proof: http://hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=778618

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Really strange thing but try this. Whenever I run a 400 FSB and set the FSB strap to 400 then run my memory @ 1200...The PC boots into windows and my memory runs at 1333. I have no idea why this is. It is perfectly stable but the benchamarks are no better than than 1200 or 1066 for that matter.

Anyone else get this bug? It happens consistently on every BIOS I have used. I have DDR2 12000 PArtior Vipers 4x1GB.

--Rocks

@cryptik, looks like my mushkin redline pc8000 2x1 4-5-4-11 kit is bad as well. i cant get either board to boot with these sticks.both boards light up but wont even get into bios.so i guess more bad luck

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Originally Posted by Rocks

Really strange thing but try this. Whenever I run a 400 FSB and set the FSB strap to 400 then run my memory @ 1200...The PC boots into windows and my memory runs at 1333. I have no idea why this is. It is perfectly stable but the benchamarks are no better than than 1200 or 1066 for that matter.

Anyone else get this bug? It happens consistently on every BIOS I have used. I have DDR2 12000 PArtior Vipers 4x1GB.

--Rocks

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That's the 3:5 divider bug I'm talking about. You set 2:3 divider in bios, and in windows it looks like the 3:5 divider. It's a P35/P45 chipset bug.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by radaja

@cryptik, looks like my mushkin redline pc8000 2x1 4-5-4-11 kit is bad as well. i cant get either board to boot with these sticks.both boards light up but wont even get into bios.so i guess more bad luck

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Oh damn. Have you tried the sticks individually?

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Originally Posted by xaver

new bios 1702 available

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Posted days ago, so was bug it has.

Guys...help me please with my problem described above.

I'm not sure what it can be exactly, as my board is totally stable with a NB temp of 53*C, and my power has been up to 38 - 42*C on a hot day and it was still stable, and my southbridge has hit 51 - 52*C and it was still stable.

You are going to have to spot cool the mosfet sinks and retest, then spot cool the NB and retest, then spot cool the SB and retest. You have to figure out where the instability is coming from. When you do it bring each component (mosfets, NB, SB) down to the temp it used to be at when you were aircooling.

CryptiK
Thank you, bro! I`ll find out it soon.

To make it sure I'm ganna work on this oc ram issues next week ;) (as possible)

6 pairs of PC8500/9200 to compare with my old 680i an a P965 based Commando arrivin' soon...(Dominator/Geil/TeamXtream...& what I gat)

My crucials (gmh) don't even need more than 2,2v to boot @640 and they're pretty easier to increase than my OCZ Reaper & Flex...ahh sweet old times ^^


Do you think that better Bios would give us what we need mate ???

yea ive tried each stick seperatly. no go

Quote:

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Originally Posted by radaja

i think after thanksgiving weekend im going to RMA my RMA. i'll take some pictures of it so they can see the crap they are sending out to paying customers.maybe my next one will be of some sort of quality standard.who knows?just maybe. i can hope.

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Call them and demand a replacement.
I did it with my Max X38 and Asus paid for overnight shipping.
I sent photos of my bowed board and they were very quick to help me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eeky NoX

To make it sure I'm ganna work on this oc ram issues next week ;) (as possible)

6 pairs of PC8500/9200 to compare with my old 680i an a P965 based Commando arrivin' soon...(Dominator/Geil/TeamXtream...& what I gat)

My crucials (gmh) don't even need more than 2,2v to boot @640 and they're pretty easier to increase than my OCZ Reaper & Flex...ahh sweet old times ^^


Do you think that better Bios would give us what we need mate ???

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The board has alot of potential, once / if the bios matures I think it will be a solid performer.
Problem is most of the "special" bios features do not work and untill the Bios Engineers get them working we will never know the boards full capabilities.