Official GIGABYTE X38-DQ6/X38T-DQ6 Info/BIOS Thread

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

nice Feichti, where you find those? are they expensive?

---

the North and Soudbridge are selfmade from the AF Guys in the Hardwareluxx Forum.

The SPAWA Cooler is an Mips cooler for the X38-DQ6 with an selfmade plexi top.

Also the Ram cooler you can see an the new pics.


http://www.hardware.feichti.com/gfx/...f/k/af-006.jpg http://www.hardware.feichti.com/gfx/...f/k/af-009.jpg

http://www.hardware.feichti.com/gfx/...f/k/af-018.jpg http://www.hardware.feichti.com/gfx/...f/k/af-019.jpg

if you wand to see more pics please visite my homepage

Greeds Feichti

Hi Guys,

Its a real shame gigabyte isnt releasing any bioses for over 2 months now :S
Im feeling like I should have bought the Maximus Formula, just look at the thread here on the forum.

And just to check:
Is it impossible to run 4x1GB of Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 @ 1066mhz?
Or is it impossible to run any 4x1GB setup @ 1066mhz?

@Feichti
Looking good with the blocks there (Y)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Frostybyte

I'm not sure I will go with Gigabyte again either to be honest. I've been a decent customer.. last two video cards + motherboards were gigabyte for example.

Is there any vdroop mods for this ?

---

we all get fooled once in a while
but gigabyte wont get me again:cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Juggernaut1987

Hi Guys,

Its a real shame gigabyte isnt releasing any bioses for over 2 months now :S
Im feeling like I should have bought the Maximus Formula, just look at the thread here on the forum.

And just to check:
Is it impossible to run 4x1GB of Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 @ 1066mhz?
Or is it impossible to run any 4x1GB setup @ 1066mhz?

@Feichti
Looking good with the blocks there (Y)

---

Alot of us Team.AU members provided alot of feedback on bioses for X38-DQ6/X38T-DQ6 recently - I send in alot of divider/memory related findings. Maybe they're busy implementing them.. well i hope so heh

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Juggernaut1987

And just to check:
Is it impossible to run 4x1GB of Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 @ 1066mhz?
Or is it impossible to run any 4x1GB setup @ 1066mhz?

---

I have 4*1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2 8500 running at 1066 at 3:4 with Q6600 running at 400*9 (water cooled). Bios is F5H I think - just stripped the system down so can't check at this time. Timings were pretty standard 5-5-5-15 with 2.24v (+0.4). Haven't really had chance to fully push or tweak the system as it's my ongoing water cooling project (still not finished).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Juggernaut1987

Hi Guys,

Its a real shame gigabyte isnt releasing any bioses for over 2 months now :S
Im feeling like I should have bought the Maximus Formula, just look at the thread here on the forum.

And just to check:
Is it impossible to run 4x1GB of Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 @ 1066mhz?
Or is it impossible to run any 4x1GB setup @ 1066mhz?

@Feichti
Looking good with the blocks there (Y)

---

I'm running 4 OCZ SLI 6400 sticks @ 1080Mhz in auto, which is the only way i can run them (probably because they're not optimized for this mobo). so I guess there must be others out there capable too.

Feichti Really nice blocks :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eva2000

Alot of us Team.AU members provided alot of feedback on bioses for X38-DQ6/X38T-DQ6 recently - I send in alot of divider/memory related findings. Maybe they're busy implementing them.. well i hope so heh

---

So you think we'll see the X38-DQ6 running great with 4*1GB D9 chips @good OC like the ASUS formula can? Also the ABIT seems to do quite well with this. You are the memguy, you must know :D

Just curious guys, but does everyone run their oc systems 24/7???
'Cause it makes sense to oc your system for gaming or encoding, but when your P2P client is running overnight, all that extra power is overkill, no good for your HW, your wallet or the planet.
I use the profiles in the bios to load default recovery settings with speed stepping enabled. 1.1v on bios instead of 1.55v lets me sleep with a clearer conscious at night. ;)
Then, when it's time to play, a simple reboot, F12 to load the oc profile, F10 to save settings and reboot into windows, load COD4, Crysis, Witcher whatever!

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Normally I prefer the rod over the fish but I need a quick point into the right direction. Have read most pages in this thread but did not find what I was looking for(or did not know what to look for...:rolleyes: ). Just changed to X38 Giga board from a P5W. On the P5W I got memread-speeds close to 8500 and on the Giga it's 6500. Memory is Team Xtreem PC6400 CL4. Bios is latest official, F6.

http://i6.tinypic.com/8fal1lg.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alcibiades

Just curious guys, but does everyone run their oc systems 24/7???
'Cause it makes sense to oc your system for gaming or encoding, but when your P2P client is running overnight, all that extra power is overkill, no good for your HW, your wallet or the planet.
I use the profiles in the bios to load default recovery settings with speed stepping enabled. 1.1v on bios instead of 1.55v lets me sleep with a clearer conscious at night. ;)
Then, when it's time to play, a simple reboot, F12 to load the oc profile, F10 to save settings and reboot into windows, load COD4, Crysis, Witcher whatever!

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

---

just run the c1 setting in the bios and the other speedsteppigns stuff ,no need for rebooty,2 easy. default 2.4 for me underload 3.6 yihaaaa.

Quote:

---

Just curious guys, but does everyone run their oc systems 24/7???
'Cause it makes sense to oc your system for gaming or encoding, but when your P2P client is running overnight, all that extra power is overkill, no good for your HW, your wallet or the planet.
I use the profiles in the bios to load default recovery settings with speed stepping enabled. 1.1v on bios instead of 1.55v lets me sleep with a clearer conscious at night.
Then, when it's time to play, a simple reboot, F12 to load the oc profile, F10 to save settings and reboot into windows, load COD4, Crysis, Witcher whatever!

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

---

I'm not exactly that green but a decent 24/7 oc of 8x400 was rock steady @2.66 is fine & easily achieved.

my system runs 24/7 @ oc@ 100% load @ boinc :)

Feichti

hello i've been watching and waiting so long to join in with your discussions regarding the x38-dq6....i got it today finally :rolleyes: :)

i RMA'd a system in early october (asus premium wifi what a nightmare)
to purchase this x38 -dq6 with dominator memory.

the first batch of dominator pc-8500 was duff from scan in october.

and this batch (dabs)is failing on mem test86 also...i havent even installed windows as i speak the machines monitor to my right is filling up with red fail warnings,

wondering if anyone might have a few moments to advise me on this mother board and ram.

would :

updating the bios help a memtest result? (these modules are supported,)

ive tested each stick individually in slot 1 and they are both duff.( with various fails test 5 and 6 mainly ...oh wait.... 7 and 8 too.) at 1066 mhz

should i just RMA and buy some Ballistix ? i would like to run at 1066+

i have some spare corsair 667mhz i can run on this board to see if i can pass memtest tonight using this mother baord /cpu...but im not sure if that is a sure sign these dominators are duff?

1066 is a high frequency ...but why i should lower it when i paid nearly 100 pounds for them?

any help would be sooo great .:up:

peace:)

freqy

x38- dq6
q6600
dual (just 2) dom pc8500 @1066 (fails memtest)
western sata 2
stock cooling for now
xp 32 and hopefully 64bit dual boot.

:welcome: to the wonderful world of the Gigabyte x38 :D

Have you set the timings manually or auto? If auto, try setting manually. You could also try relaxing the timings and/or frequency to see if it can pass the tests. The problem may not be the memory - it could be the motherboard (or psu, cpu, etc..).

What voltage are you giving the memory? May be worth checking if the voltage is correct or, if the memory allows, overvolting. Thankfully, the bios hardware monitor does report the memory voltage. Early bios revisions were known to undervolt some memory modules. I remember initially my modules (Ballistix PC8500) were given 1.8v with F3, but later revisions provided 2.2v. Saying that, this was only when auto timings were used. Any attempt to manually set the timings dropped the memory voltage back to 1.8v and I needed to overvolt by 0.3v or 0.4v.

I know a number of people are reporting problems running memory at 1066, but thankfully it's not a problem I have.

hi thanks for your advice

i had the timings set manual 5 5 5 15
and the voltage +.3 because i read somewhere this board gives 1.8v normaly.

the modules say 2.1v on the side.

i'm just testing at 800mhz. with 777 18 timings to slacken them as you suggest.

am i unlikely to get 1066mhz? is that the limit if lucky threshold?
i was hoping to overclock to 1200mhz, i bought a fan to fit ontop too . :ROTF:

its been three months since i bought my Q6600 still no use from it cpu :rofl:

it may be i just need to tweak the frequency +10 or something?

:clap: l they have just passed test 5 and 6 at 800mhz with very very slack timings.

maybe i should see if i can go higher than 1066mhz??

there is one thing very strange about this bios..

each time i open up the bios the 'memory frequency (mhz) ' changes

Some times the bios thinks i have 800mhz other times it says 1066mhz .

strange.

Sounds as though the memory is ok. I can't really say whether this board has problems running memory at 1066 as I haven't had chance yet to optimise my overclock (water cooling build still in progress). I managed to achieve my target of 3.6GHz on my Q6600 with the memory at 1066 (3:4) with standard timings 5-5-5-15. Once I manage to complete the build, then I'll try and tighten the timings a bit and see if I can push it a bit more.

I also bought a fan assembly to put over the memory, although the above was achieved without any additional ventilation on the memory.

From other posts in this thread, it seems that a number of people are having problems running their memory at 1066, which is strange. However, when you consider that a number of problems are being reported to Gigabyte about this board and there is still no new 'official' bios since F4 (all F5x and the recent F6x bios releases have been betas), then it's no wonder people are becoming somewhat frustrated.

I'd suggest loading windows with the memory running with stable timings, overclock the cpu as best you can (or what you are comfortable with) and then try and push the memory. It's quite possible that some frequencies/timings that may not provide stability at stock fsb could actually be stable with a higher fsb. You can also test different bios revisions. I'm running F5h (I think) and that seems to be ok for me. I believe the general consensus is that F3 provides the highest achievable fsb, but is limited on memory options and other stuff.

Here i am again with the cold boot issue and i have some further info after a whole night testing.

First i thought it was related to the high fsb, low voltage or memory timings, but i was wrong and many people still think its fsb or other tweaks related.

What did i do, it was simple, i loaded optimised defaults, system boots fine.

After that i only changed the fsb from auto to manual but i didnt change the fsb or other settings, i kept all on default and guess what, cold boot problem.

I tried and tried but i could not boot cold, so it's pure related to the manual / auto setting used for FSB enhancement.

Did anyone else noticed this too, and my question is, do i need to RMA the board and get a new one or is it just a bios fault.

My flash history is:
F4 default
F5b
F7d i still use

PLeasee help me this board drives me crazy.

AOE : thanks again , i updated my bios F7D about an hour ago and as you said upped my FSB i think to 333?? x9 multi and also slackened a bit ..now im on 1066 and memtest seems o.k so far... ...also like you said, the voltages are not obvious on this board, so i upped a little more. and well yep ..seems allot better.
i shall install windows and run cpuz prime and coretemp ect...see how i get on ...nice one mate!!. id would have been pulling my hairs out till the cows came home...thing is we don't have cows around here so erm, :ROTF: thanks peace:)

Feichti : thanks i'm hoping to buy a water cool system, i have this forum bookmarked ofcourse...they look like parts out of the original starwars, awesome
pieces

Wakuwaku : hope you sort your prob i'm so new to this board im not sure how to help ..other than clear cmos reinstall bios f7d unplug and re plug cables. take out ram and put it back in again, bios related im not sure.

waku take the battery out for a few minutes

theres no LED on this board. unless its hidden amongst the colour scheme. can anyone see it?

hi just setting up this DQ6 board for the first time today.(Q6600 with pc-8500)

in the bios ive set at

333fsb x 9
1000mhz for the memory freq. (using 3a multi)
5 5 5 15 timings ( passes memtest - wont pass at 1066mhz stock )

so bios wise im at 3ghz

im now in xp with cpuz : it says the cpu is at 1998mhz (not 3ghz) fsb 333 x6 (not 333x9) but the multiplier is fluctuating between 6 and 9 so the frequency is 1998 then breifly 2997mhz and back n forth every few seconds. ( so it wants to be 3ghz but only for a breif millisecond ...maybe its unwell? can i buy grapes?

even more weird is that in the gigabyte system utility it reads 2400.03mhz (not 3ghz) and 266.67 x 9 (6-9) ( not 333x9 like in bios)

everything is reading different things.

( when i right click my computer it reads 3.0 ghz- woo hoo windows is right)

im running manual in the bios although ive got a flashing red text saying system voltage not optimized...maybe that should be auto because ive enabled clock control??

im just typing out loud... 3am past my bed time.. but computer more important.

peace:)

freqy

Hey all, just wanted to pass this bit of info along, may have been specific to my setup, but if it helps someone else... :D . I have the X38T and could not get this board stable at any speed and was pulling my hair out until I decided to pull the 2nd radeon 3870 out, and my stability problems went away. After all manner of testing and moving and redoing things, I found the JMB36X (the J-Micron IDE controller) was having an IRQ conflict with the 2nd GPU, I disabled the JMB, and now my only problems are in trying to get a good fsb out of this bios, still tweaking and fooling around a bit tho...Anyhow I hope this helps someone out there.

that was a lucky find well done.isepick

i found more conflicts

core temp reads 47 degree C

at the same time

speedfan reads only 27degree C

thats 20 degrees out from each other.

am i the only one with these massive conflictions?

im on core temp .95 and
speed fan 4.33
cpu-z 1.41

Core Temp and Everest are reasonably accurate, speedfan needs to be adjusted to read correctly...I dunno about the conflicts with the speed readings, tho I know core temp on my system never reads it right, but everest does (there is a link to everest somewhere in this thread, good luck finding it :D ).

Anyone had any good FSB OC increases by changing BIOS ? Can't believe this is supposed to be a high end chipset.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zsamz_

waku take the battery out for a few minutes

---

Thanks i will try that, maybe i have to take it out then reflash the old bios F3 and start flashing until latest version.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

hi just setting up this DQ6 board for the first time today.(Q6600 with pc-8500)

in the bios ive set at

333fsb x 9
1000mhz for the memory freq. (using 3a multi)
5 5 5 15 timings ( passes memtest - wont pass at 1066mhz stock )

so bios wise im at 3ghz

im now in xp with cpuz : it says the cpu is at 1998mhz (not 3ghz) fsb 333 x6 (not 333x9) but the multiplier is fluctuating between 6 and 9 so the frequency is 1998 then breifly 2997mhz and back n forth every few seconds. ( so it wants to be 3ghz but only for a breif millisecond ...maybe its unwell? can i buy grapes?

even more weird is that in the gigabyte system utility it reads 2400.03mhz (not 3ghz) and 266.67 x 9 (6-9) ( not 333x9 like in bios)

everything is reading different things.

( when i right click my computer it reads 3.0 ghz- woo hoo windows is right)

im running manual in the bios although ive got a flashing red text saying system voltage not optimized...maybe that should be auto because ive enabled clock control??

im just typing out loud... 3am past my bed time.. but computer more important.

peace:)

freqy

---

You chiip is @ 3ghz ,but you have the intel speed stepping suff still enabled in the bios so when your cpu isnt under load it is defaulting the multi to 6x when your system is under load it will up the multi to 9x this is why your mhhz and multi are fluctuating.

If your going to oveclock turn all the speed stepping stuff off untill your 100% stable and comfortable with a setting for me 400fsb x 9 multi = 3600mhz intel speedsteping defaults it to 2400mhz when not under load on a Q6600 b3 stepping ,when you comfortable withy your overclock then enable the speedteping stuff in the bios .

Hope this helps

Freqy: Revhead has answered the changing multiplier question for you.

Regarding the temps, Speedfan is known to incorrectly report the temps due to an incorrect tjunction temp used to calculate the temp. This is fixed in the latest beta version of Speedfan. You will need to register on the Speedfan site if you want to use this beta.

I personally use Coretemp for monitoring the temps. 0.95.4 correctly reports temps and is stable (0.95 is known to crash on some systems).

NOW:

- BIOS F7D
- E6750 @ 3600Mhz (450x8) 1.36vcore
- KINGMAX MARS DDR2 800 (2x2Gb) @ 900Mhz 5-5-5-18 (1:1) 2.34v
(RAM sticks have ENZOTECH copper heatspredders installed)
- (G)MCH +0.05v for stability


TO TRY LATER:

- fastening timings to see if the RAM handles them
- lower DIMM volt to 2.20v and test for stability
- lower vcore to 1.35 and test for stability

So far, I'm nor surprised with the RAM performance of this board. Although I have a budget PC6400 2x2Gb kit which wasn't really made to push into overclocking, I thought I could do at least the 900Mhz with 1.98v but then the cold boot bug strikes again, vista 64bits freezes in just under 5 minutes of idling and I'm force to up the voltage.

Next week I'll try a different DDR2 kit, CORSAIR PC6400 DHX 2x2Gb CL5 to see if they overclock better.

thanks everyone.

i can't seem to see that 'speed step' option to turn it off?

i shall update coretemp and speedfan like you say. :)

i can now get my ram to pass memtest at 1000mhz but not 1066mhz it fails on test 5 and 6. so i'm trying other frequencies either side ( 1033 1099 ect)

domniator pc-8500 seems a bit fragile to me.(in CPUz it is labled as 6400 800mhz) like as iff someone has just changed the stickers.haha) i might send it back say it wont pass at stock (RMA) get some balistix or ocz. ?

thanks again

freqy

this is rather interesting

at 426fsb x7(2.9 ghz) with a 2.50a memory multi i get 1065mhz ram
and it passed memtest :)

at a lower 266fsb x9 on a 4.0a memory multi i get 1066mhz
and it failed test 5 and 6 :rolleyes:

at 333x8 (2.6ghz) with a memory multi 3.2b i get 1066mhz
at it passes memtest!!!:rofl:

so something is a bit gittery with this set up. When i get water cooling for the cpu i'll try and get to about 3.4 ghz

i havent tested prime95 yet on any of these but the system wont pass prime95 if my memory doesn't pass memtest. so i'll try and pass memtest first.

peace:)
freqs

The option for speedstep should be listed as 'CPU EIST function' (EIST = Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology).

The reason for the different results at different frequencies is due to the different fsb straps.

If you're looking for an excuse to swap the memory for Crucial Ballistix, then go for it :p:. However, the problem is more likely to be the limitations of the motherboard than any problem with the memory itself.

hi thanks, yep it seems like it may be a combination of things this problem, i mean the modules do pass at 1066 but only when the FSB is set high and the cpu multi low.

cant seem to see on a x38 dq6 the 'CPU EIST function' (EIST = Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology) option.

might be labeled something else.?

i shall keep testing

peace:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wakuwaku

Thanks i will try that, maybe i have to take it out then reflash the old bios F3 and start flashing until latest version.

---

I could not reach the battery so i put on a jumper to reset the cmos. I left it there for 30 min and my problem seems solved. Thanks!!!! I hope tomorrow it will boot on 3.6 for the first boot.:)

@freqy
See SEction 3) Advanced Bios Features 4th from bottom

hi great glad it worked thats called clearing the cmos.( you found a jumper then ...you only have to leave it on a few seconds ? can anyone clarify that?)

hey if i remember you saying about updating the bios ...you dont need to start on f3 and make your way up (ie update) you can just jump to the latest if you like. not sure if thats what you ment?

also i recommend checking your ram with memtest ( to make sure that is running sweet... without tuned ram everything else can go bye bye.!!

im running f7d it seems o.k.

you may know most of this , its good for others to read too anyway.,

:)

thanks supershanks shall go see..:)

hi supershanks ...my version does not have this option:confused:
im on f7D (80 percent sure),

also wow you have all those fields disabled..should i do that too?

i have

no execute memory protect enable
cpu enhanced halt (C1e) enable
cpu thermal monitor 2(TM2) enable
virtualisation technology enabled.

damn it might be this way because i didn't load optimised defaults in the begining i loaded fail safe i think? awww nooooo. maybe i should load optimised and start again?

haha

its all fun ..learning all the way. ;) :up:

Most people disable the settings when overclocking.
Sorry can't help re f7d, i 've not got my dq6 set up atm, but i would think you should have CPU EIST Function.

luck:)

Just got F7F bios for the X38-dq6 date code is 11/30/07 and it seams stable

I am running a Q6600 on 333 x 9 at 1.104 V

it seams that the load line calibration is fixed

Kevin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kevinali

Just got F7F bios for the X38-dq6 date code is 11/30/07 and it seams stable

I am running a Q6600 on 333 x 9 at 1.104 V

it seams that the load line calibration is fixed

Kevin

---

link please!!!! :D

i recieved it via email, so if anyone is using rapid share or any other file sharing site, give me your email so i can send it to you

Regards

Kevin

where can i get the f7f bios.

i'll have a go with the new bios too and post some results ;)

freqy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kevinali

i recieved it via email, so if anyone is using rapid share or any other file sharing site, give me your email so i can send it to you

Regards

Kevin

---

aeriolabehaviour at msn dot com

thanks dude :)

Im still on F3 bios work like charm..
http://bandwidth.se/imgs/nouser/018728843ec98e9.jpg

>>load line calibration is fixed?? should we disable it in our bios?

hey nice overclock chefnr1....how well you doing with the Ballistix?? what mhz you got too? im thinking of buying some my dominator are not dominating at all.

hello:)

does anyone know where there is a list that tells us what suggested voltages could be used for FSB and NB (its hard to know what to set them at)

when the fsb voltage is set to 'normal' what should the suggested FSB frequency range be ? 266? 333?

so if my fsb is 426 should i add .10v to the fsb or a bit more perhaps? i wouldn't leave it at normal rate id need to add something...would i?

same with the NB, maybe there are examples somewhere at which ranges of overclocking you could try to add some extra voltage to stable the system?

i just feel i'm blind to all these figures , im just throwing in voltages with little knowledge (fingers crossed) of how much i should add depending on how high im clocking.

with this ram its real hard to know if its my voltages or the ram playing up.

peace:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

that was a lucky find well done.isepick

i found more conflicts

core temp reads 47 degree C

at the same time

speedfan reads only 27degree C

thats 20 degrees out from each other.

am i the only one with these massive conflictions?

im on core temp .95 and
speed fan 4.33
cpu-z 1.41

---

no bro mine does the same thing with my qx9650 2 cores @ 41c and even under load they do not move, but the other to read13-15c and when i put a load to it they jmp right up. ct should be coming out with the 95.6 soon i hope, which is supposed to fix quite a few bugs i heard

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

>>load line calibration is fixed?? should we disable it in our bios?

hey nice overclock chefnr1....how well you doing with the Ballistix?? what mhz you got too? im thinking of buying some my dominator are not dominating at all.

---

Thanks! My BallistiX do wery well i think, this one was run at 4-4-4-4 1:1.
I have run them about 550 4-4-4-4 1:1 so they are quite good..

EDIT: forgott it's with v-dim v 2.5-2.6v aktive cooling.

hi yeah ive just been reading a bit about how timings are just as important as frequency. 4444 mmmmm nice. im stuck a bit high unfortunately 555 15 in most cases.:cool: haha oh well shall keep searching and posting stuff.
peace:)

supershanks you genius !!!:D ( and everyone else too of course:)

ive just been on your forum at clunk.org and read about your (g) MCH V control settings

http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/revie...q6-blog-3.html

it really stabilises !! wow... o.k ....i've only done 2 tests but, it stopped memtest going mental on me...woo hooo :up:

im adding +.100 at the moment on a low cpu overclock 400x7 (due to only having stock cooling) but it really helps me in memtest.

y see i thought only a few days ago that if your memory fails memtest its either faulty or you have the wrong memory voltage ...but no....its all interlinked memtest can fail due to low cpu voltage and fsb v and nb v too.....coool:) phew:)

hey im only a newbie on overclocking.:rolleyes:

shall be back later to tell all...

Glad it helped :D

My cold boot issue is back again, i get tired of this.

I will flash back to F3 and see what happens then.

If this doesn't solve my problem i will RMA the board and will get an ASUS again.

Cold boot is back again so i reflashed to F3 still same issues.

Now i have F7d again, i think i will rma this board and get an ASUS.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wakuwaku

Cold boot is back again so i reflashed to F3 still same issues.

Now i have F7d again, i think i will rma this board and get an ASUS.

---

The cold boot could be caused by "Not" clearing the cmos after a bios flash, I I think RMA could be a little premature.

I got cold boot probs before when flashing ,but now I make shure I do a cmos reset jumper after everytflash with this board ,and not a single issue at all.

Worth a shot ,let us know how you go..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by REVHEAD

The cold boot could be caused by "Not" clearing the cmos after a bios flash, I I think RMA could be a little premature.

I got cold boot probs before when flashing ,but now I make shure I do a cmos reset jumper after everytflash with this board ,and not a single issue at all.

Worth a shot ,let us know how you go..

---

I have done that before.

When i got to F3 i pulled out the battery and put a jumper on it for about 3 hours.

Then i tried to overclock a little and yes a clod boot problem.

Now i am on F7d again, did a jumper reset and till now it works ok, but i have to wait until tomorrow to see if it boots really cold.

I also send my reseller an email to exchange the board to an ASUS, but we will see tomorrow. Now it runs like charm at 3.6 Ghz with 1.44 Vcore and 40C idle temps.

yes, that cold boot thing can be a pain in the butt, but i'll live with it. at least until the gigabyte chaps put out a really bugfree bios.

i spent 3 hours last night trying to get the DDR3 board to play nicely with Corsair 1800MHz CAS7 XMS sticks

i even used the XMS profile and could not get them stable at stock

i flashed to a number of different bioses >> F2/F3G/F4a/F5d and all had many problems with RAM ratios. The ratios don't work properly and make the system really unstable even below rated timings.

After a bit of testing i used single sticks and determined which one is fastest and proceeded to test on the RAM slots. I found that the pink slot closest to CPU was by far better than others.....for example i was booting into windows on 1:2 ratio 333 or 400 strap can't remember now and 1st, 3rd and 4th memory slot failed 32M instantly while 2nd slot (or the pink slot closest to CPU) could do 32M no problems and in fact i overclocked the FSB in windows and pushed the stick to 925 which was stable >> 928 stopped on 4th loop.

this was all at 2v which is what this stick is rated for at stock.....

i also tested with the 4GB kit 1600MHz CAS7 which were also struggling

there is a huge difference for me between the DDR2 and DDR3 boards. DDR2 can easily max and surpass my RAM overclocks with any other board i tried and push the RAM to bench at monsterous CAS4 speeds.......DDR3 has many problems with RAM ratios. I will be doing some more testing but i tell you what....if i have to spend a few benching sessions to get my sticks to work at stock timings it's a pretty bad sign....maybe a rework of bios from scratch is needed here donno :( :shrug:

i tested these sticks on GB P35 DDR3 board so i know that can do rated timings easily on both 2GB and 4GB kits :shrug:

i noticed the french team used F4a bios and i saw them use specific straps which i find odd as for me F4a bios does not allow me to select a RAM Ratio at all.....and this was tested with few different CPUs

Did I say the wrong thing ? Wonder why my questions were all ignored.

just flash to F3 bios :)

is the f3 bios the best atm. for this board?
I've have a problem
When overclocking fails, it will not boot again until i remove 3 of my 4 kingston DDR2 RAM sticks?

Link to the memory: http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku...ed#ProductTabs

Any suggestions?

Where can i download the latest beta bios? the F7F one... cornelshs @ gmail . com

Edit:
What bios would you guys use with my hardware?

Gigabyte X38-DQ6
Intel Q6600
4 sticks of 1gb kingston ram
8800 GTX
4x harddrives.

even if you clear cmos? you have to remove ram to boot?

Yes, must adjust the voltage on the vdimm up to 2.3 or somthing before i add the 3 remaining sticks...

I think that this mainboard rocks. Before this I had an Asus NF 650i, which by the way is a pain in the A**. On Asus I could not set the CPU higher than 2,8GHz, and also with the memory, I could not reach 1066 without loosing stability. Another friend of mine has, Asus Striker Extreme (NF680i), and he also has problems ...
Over time I had a bad impression about Gigabyte, because I worked a lot in computer service and assembly, and for a long time gigabyte had many bad boards, but I must say that this board is very good. It has good overclocking capability, it's very stable, good design, it stil offers serial and paralel port (for those who still need it, like me for example :))
For those who wants to go on ASUS, You should think twice before making that move. If you want another X38 Mainboard I advice you to take a look at DFI's LANParty LT X38 T2R :up:

Did a little more overclock :) and now my cpu is at 3,6Ghz 1,525V and memory 1080 2,4V.

Here i am again and i tried my cold boot this morning.

Bad luck still the same issue, bios went on default again.

Btw i use the red memory sockets because my cpufan is right above the first, yellow socket. So i run dual channel on red, does it make a difference if i change to the yellow channel?

I've tried both sets of sockets but not noticed any difference.
What PSU are you using?? A number of people have had issues with Enermax Galaxy 850/1000 & Antec Truepower Quattro (TPQ-850) 850W lately re start up issues.

waku waku :

can you post your settings for the experts on here to see?

to be honest i had trouble at stock values...i could not boot at 266 x9 1066mhz ram.

if you dont think its your settings have you any other ram to try? even if its lower rated

have you another processor to try?

how about the psu? could that be the trouble?

what is your newest component? did you buy all the parts in one go?

or do you know that certain parts definitely work?

do you think its the motherboard? if so can you RMA it?

freqy

To whom it may help, here are my Specs and Bios configuration. It took me 3 days, well actually 2 days of reading, collecting information from web forums and a lot of trial and error but I finally got it running and stable, 12 hours prime95 no errors no heat problems (water cooled). I could have gone higher but I wanted to limit the core Temp to below 50°C under max load with prime95.:clap:
I am publishing this with the hope that it may help someone with a similar system setup, I read that the corsair PC8500 is troublesome memory when trying to configure it with this board.
I am quite happy with my system with one exception Everest Memory – read, write, copy - benchmark 64.5, Super PI 32M 14:26 seems very slow,:shrug: if any of you experts out there have a better suggestion for improving my Bios Configuration especially in the sections System Voltage Optimized or Advanced Timing Control, I would be truly grateful. If I can be of help just ask.

Your articles helped me immensely:up:



MY System
MB: GA-X38-DQ6, Bios F6B
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850
Cooling: Water Cooled
Memory: Corsair 2 x Twin 2X2048-8500C5D (4096 Mbytes)
Graphic Card: Nvidia GTX 8800
HD Drives: 4x WD Raptor X SATA 150GB (Raid 5), 4x Samsung 250GB

OC CPU to 3.45 GHz

Robust Graphics Booster: Turbo
CPU Clock Ratio: 10X
CPU Frequency: 3.45GHz (345x10)
CPU Host Clock Control: Enabled
CPU Host Frequency(Mhz) : 345
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) : 100
C.I.A.2: Disabled
Performance Enhance : Standard
System Memory Multiplier (SPD): (3.00A)
Memory Frequency(Mhz): 800 1035
DRAM Timing Selectable (SPD) : Auto
******** Standard Timing Control ********
CAS Latency Time: 5 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS#:7 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 7 5
Precharge Delay (tRAS): 24 15

******** Advanced Timing Control ********
ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD): 3 3
Rank Write to READ Delay: 3 3
Write To Precharge Delay: 6 3
Refresh to ACT Delay: 42 42
Read to Precharge Delay: 9 3
Static tRead Value: 6 6
Static tRead phase Adjust: 0 Auto
Command Rate (CMD): 2 Auto

****** Clock Driving and Skew Control ******
CPU/PCIEX Clock Driving Control: 800Vmm
CPU Clock Skew Control: Normal
(G)MCH Clock Skew Control : Normal

******** System Voltage Optimized ********
System Voltage Control: Manual
X DDR2 OverVoltage Control: +0.45V
X PCI-E OverVoltage Control: +0.20V
X FSB OverVoltage Control: +0.20V
X (G) MCH OverVoltage Control: +0.125
X MCH Reference Voltage Control: Normal
X DDR Reference Voltage Control: Normal
X DDR Termination Voltage Control: +50
CPU VOLTAGE Control: 1.40625
Normal CPU Vcore: 1.35000V



Advanced Bios Features
Hard Disk Boot Priority:
First Boot Device:
Second Boot Device:
Third Boot Device:
Password Check:
HDD S.M.A.R.T Capability: Enabled
Limit CPUID Max. To 3: DISABLED
No-Execute Memory Protect: Enabled
CPU Enhanced Halt(CIE): Disable initially, enable later
CPU Thermal Monitor 2: ENABLE
CPU EIST Function: Disable initially, enable later
Virtualization Technology: Disable
Full screen Logo Show:
Init Display First:

hi freight hog.

well done

im using the same memory as you . wow did you have problems too?

i was altering the bios then checking in memtest86 before i tried prime95.
it kept failing no matter what i did.

i found out on here to raise the north bridge X (G) MCH OverVoltage Control that helpes allot i'm at this currently below:

( stock cooling for now so i kept it under 3gig for now)
my main problem was passing the memory under memtest86 :eek: :shocked: :shrug: :down: errrrrgggg not easy


Robust Graphics Booster: Turbo
CPU Clock Ratio: 7X (f7d bios only allows me up to x9)
CPU Frequency: 2.80GHz (400x7)
CPU Host Clock Control: Enabled
CPU Host Frequency(Mhz) : 400
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) : auto
C.I.A.2: Disabled
Performance Enhance : Standard
System Memory Multiplier (SPD): (2.66D)
Memory Frequency(Mhz): 800 - 1066
DRAM Timing Selectable (SPD) : Manual
******** Standard Timing Control ******** low as i could go at 1066)
CAS Latency Time: 5 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS#:5 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5 5
Precharge Delay (tRAS): 18 7


******** Advanced Timing Control ******** no idea i left them at auto
ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD): 3 auto
Rank Write to READ Delay: 3 auto
Write To Precharge Delay: 6 auto
Refresh to ACT Delay: 42 auto
Read to Precharge Delay: 3 auto
Static tRead Value: 8 auto
Static tRead phase Adjust: 5 Auto
Command Rate (CMD): 2 (2t) < i read you need to make this manua 2t .

****** Clock Driving and Skew Control ******
CPU/PCIEX Clock Driving Control: 900Vmm < no idea i just set it to 900
CPU Clock Skew Control: Normal ( ??
(G)MCH Clock Skew Control : Normal (??

******** System Voltage Optimized ********
System Voltage Control: Manual
X DDR2 OverVoltage Control: +0.35V < makes it 2.15v (<<<<dom pc-8500)
X PCI-E OverVoltage Control: normal (no idea)
X FSB OverVoltage Control: +0.15V
X (G) MCH OverVoltage Control: +0.100v
X MCH Reference Voltage Control: Normal
X DDR Reference Voltage Control: Normal
X DDR Termination Voltage Control: normal ( <<is this o.k? or should it be 50?)
CPU VOLTAGE Control: 1.23750
Normal CPU Vcore: 1.23750V


2.8 400fsb with 1066mhz memory.
i hope that once i get a better cooling system i can simply change the cpu multi to x 8 or x 9
with no problems at all hahaha yeah right.

q6600
x38 dq6
dom pc 8500
and western digital drive
stock cooling :shakes:

hope this helps

CPU EIST Function: is not in the F7d bios!! im gonna try the latest bios on the gigabyte site.

also
just been on the gigabyte x38-dq6 website .co.uk
and it says Dual Channel DDR2 1200 memory support for outstanding system performance. so its not like 1066 is pushing the limits of this board.

when i push my ram over 1066 it always fails at the end of test 5!! why is that?
arrgg!! haha:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

when i push my ram over 1066 it always fails at the end of test 5!! why is that?
arrgg!! haha:)

---

It happens because youre using dual channel. Ill bet if you set your memory to single channel you'll not only be able to run the ram at higher speeds, but also never get the cold boot issue.

Theres a bug with this board in the way it handles dual channel and adjusts TRD. Gigabyte is working on it, and should release a working BIOS as soon as its sorted out. Until then, run your ram in dual channel below 950mhz, or in single channel at higher speeds. In most cases, you'll get the best performance with tight timings and below 950mhz anyway, so..

Most ddr8500 memory should do just fine on this board at 2.3v 950mhz 4-4-4-4 timings. Adjust up to 4-4-4-7 if unstable. Make sure TRD is 8 or above no matter what. Also, Use standard or turbo on the performance enhance setting,- extreme is unstable in most cases in dual channel mode.

Most of us are having trouble making this board run stable at ddr8500 with just optimized defaults, just because of this bug. Just reset bios and boot with a single stick so you can set TRD to 8 manually. After that youll be set...

Ive also noticed unstability when upping FSB and MCH voltages. The board seems stable at default values up to 475mhz, so no need to touch'em anyway unless your multiplier is below 8.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zicada

It happens because youre using dual channel. Ill bet if you set your memory to single channel you'll not only be able to run the ram at higher speeds, but also never get the cold boot issue.

Theres a bug with this board in the way it handles dual channel and adjusts TRD. Gigabyte is working on it, and should release a working BIOS as soon as its sorted out. Until then, run your ram in dual channel below 950mhz, or in single channel at higher speeds. In most cases, you'll get the best performance with tight timings and below 950mhz anyway, so..

Most ddr8500 memory should do just fine on this board at 2.3v 950mhz 4-4-4-4 timings. Adjust up to 4-4-4-7 if unstable. Make sure TRD is 8 or above no matter what. Also, Use standard or turbo on the performance enhance setting,- extreme is unstable in most cases in dual channel mode.

Most of us are having trouble making this board run stable at ddr8500 with just optimized defaults, just because of this bug. Just reset bios and boot with a single stick so you can set TRD to 8 manually. After that youll be set...

Ive also noticed unstability when upping FSB and MCH voltages. The board seems stable at default values up to 475mhz, so no need to touch'em anyway unless your multiplier is below 8.

---

for 950mhz 4-4-4-8 you only need 2.1v -2.2v max and 2.2 can get you to 1040 easy i wouldnt do 2.3v 24/7 on a gigabyte board unless i needed to
i lost 6 gigs @ 2.26v
with 2.26v i did 5-4-4-9@ 1150 on the dq6

Ok here are my specs again:

The one and only Gigabyte X38 board with bios F7d now
Q6600
OCZ Platinum 2 x 2GB memory
Corsair 620W ps
Antec P182 case with 3 fans
Scythe Mugen
Leadtek 8800 GTS 640
Hauppauge HVR1300 DVB-t tv card
Creative X-Fi extreme gamer sound
1 x 74 GB Raptor
1 x 500 GB Samsung
1 x 500 GB Thoshiba external, not connected on boot
G15 keyboard
G9 mouse
G35 steering wheel, not connected on boot

I just got home and tried to boot again, loaded 9 x 400 settings.
Boot failure.
I changed the strap, which i did before without succes, to A266 and it booted without problems.

I will see what happens tomorrow when i cold boot again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zsamz_

for 950mhz 4-4-4-8 you only need 2.1v -2.2v max and 2.2 can get you to 1040 easy i wouldnt do 2.3v 24/7 on a gigabyte board unless i needed to
i lost 6 gigs @ 2.26v
with 2.26v i did 5-4-4-9@ 1150 on the dq6

---

You ran 5-4-4-9@ 1150 in dual channel mode for 30 minutes in OCCT on the dq6 ?

What brand was this, and what bios ?

Make sure TRD is 8 or above no matter what

>hi do you mean static tread value set to 8 will everything else on advanced timing control be o.k at auto?

glad gigabyte is on the case of a more suitable dual channel bios.

peace.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

Make sure TRD is 8 or above no matter what

>hi do you mean static tread value set to 8 will everything else on advanced timing control be o.k at auto?

glad gigabyte is on the case of a more suitable dual channel bios.

peace.

---

Yes, thats the one. The rest is fine at auto apparently.

I get an error message when i try to install the drivers for my bgears soundcard, they're the latest drivers for my o/s (xp). It's inserted correctly and securely and completely into a pci slot.

it says please plug in c-media oxygen hd and try again.

is this a common issue?

does anyone have any suggestions before I try the other pci slot?

onboard is disabled and no audio drivers are currently installed.

i'll appreciate any help.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zicada

You ran 5-4-4-9@ 1150 in dual channel mode for 30 minutes in OCCT on the dq6 ?

What brand was this, and what bios ?

---

memtest passed 100% f3 bios
memory was my crappy mushkin xp-8500
my ballistix 8500 are way better
but i couldnt do 1200+ i could do 1300 on my p35
i only played 3 weeks with the dq6 before i gave up on it thats over 150 hours of testing

guys
Performance Enhance : Standard
it will hurt your performance at expense of little more stability

make sure you also test Turbo mode as it really improves memory performance a lot


Static tRead Value: USE LOWEST POSSIBLE STABLE VALUE HERE

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dinos22

guys
Performance Enhance : Standard
it will hurt your performance at expense of little more stability

make sure you also test Turbo mode as it really improves memory performance a lot


Static tRead Value: USE LOWEST POSSIBLE STABLE VALUE HERE

---

i was mostly running @ extreme but to be more stable i started running @ turbo
you right dinos anything lower than turbo is verry slow

Static tRead Value: USE LOWEST POSSIBLE STABLE VALUE HERE

>
coool ..huh hu yeah hmm ....(bevis impression) ...

at what value do you set static tread value? ..roughly?. does it make the memory run better? i have it at '8' at present. someone on here said dont take it any lower.

also testing my memory with turbo performance enhanced.in memtest as you sugested. seems o.k so far. at 1066 (400fsb)with pc-800 dominators..

peace:)

I have tried ALL bios revisions like most ppl
I SWEAR by bios rev. F5G and F5H
No other bios rev's allow me to achieve the same high performance and stability.

I clock in at 460fsb x 8, 333 strap @ 1104Mhz 5-5-5-14 trd 7 extreme
or 460fsb x 8, 400 strap @1224Mhz 5-5-5-14 trd 7 extreme

can't reach these high settings on other bios rev's

F5H is what I use now and no cold boots

Static tRead Value :

yeah if i have this set at 5 it wont boot at 6 its o.k .
i'm only running 400fsb x7 1066mhz 5 5 5 6 timings

im drooooling for water cooling..

.....i would use my droool but its a bit warm.:ROTF:

freqz

hi zicada

how did you find out there was a dual channel problem and that gigabyte are to release a bios to fix this?

:)

Static tRead Value depends whether you are running a quad core or a dual core

it also depends what your 24/7 FSB MHz settings are as well

basically this value seems to be part of the PL(performance level) value you see in maxmem but i'm not 100&#37; sure it's completely the same

i don't actually use a Gigabyte machine as my 24/7 system so i don't really set the same thing i am suggesting you guys

what i do on benching setups is loosen it up to 8/9 and then tighten back in windows....reason for that is that i've found a FSB boot wall on yorkfield for example while setting a lower value and it was doing my head in why i could not get the damn thing to boot past 410Mhz FSB in last set of testing for example.....after loosening it i was able to boot and bench at 450Mhz without any issues on water heh :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dinos22

Static tRead Value depends whether you are running a quad core or a dual core

it also depends what your 24/7 FSB MHz settings are as well

basically this value seems to be part of the PL(performance level) value you see in maxmem but i'm not 100% sure it's completely the same

i don't actually use a Gigabyte machine as my 24/7 system so i don't really set the same thing i am suggesting you guys

what i do on benching setups is loosen it up to 8/9 and then tighten back in windows....reason for that is that i've found a FSB boot wall on yorkfield for example while setting a lower value and it was doing my head in why i could not get the damn thing to boot past 410Mhz FSB in last set of testing for example.....after loosening it i was able to boot and bench at 450Mhz without any issues on water heh :)

---

Yes, i was wondering about these settings that are listed in memset that are not in the bios. Like the "refresh period" or "tref" in memset with a number like 3120T.

I think these are changed with "performance enhanced" setting in the bios, bcoz if you change it in the bios, memset will show different results. Memory timings seems to be the biggest issue to get this board running right.

Although i had some problems at first with this board, after a bios flash and a little tweaking i really love this board.

Realtek 889A codec drivers, version 1.83:

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/...&GetDown=false

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freqy

Static tRead Value :

yeah if i have this set at 5 it wont boot at 6 its o.k .
i'm only running 400fsb x7 1066mhz 5 5 5 6 timings

im drooooling for water cooling..

.....i would use my droool but its a bit warm.:ROTF:

freqz

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dinos22

Static tRead Value depends whether you are running a quad core or a dual core

it also depends what your 24/7 FSB MHz settings are as well

basically this value seems to be part of the PL(performance level) value you see in maxmem but i'm not 100&#37; sure it's completely the same

i don't actually use a Gigabyte machine as my 24/7 system so i don't really set the same thing i am suggesting you guys

what i do on benching setups is loosen it up to 8/9 and then tighten back in windows....reason for that is that i've found a FSB boot wall on yorkfield for example while setting a lower value and it was doing my head in why i could not get the damn thing to boot past 410Mhz FSB in last set of testing for example.....after loosening it i was able to boot and bench at 450Mhz without any issues on water heh :)

---

Guys, to use lower static tread value with high end video cards installed, back off on the sub timings particularly tRFC, tRTP, tWTR and tWR with all 4 values in bios set to 42, 5,8,5 respectively i can use static tread = 6 no probs so far :)

To go tighter on subtimings and/or lower static tRead you need more memory and GMCH voltage - alot more!

8x400FSB 3:4 533Mhz 4-4-4-8 on memory

http://fileshosts.com/intel/Gigabyte...quad32m_tn.png

this may seem a silly question :rolleyes:

is it possible to get a failed over clock ( prime or memtest86) with your timings to loose?? as in 7 7 7 20 are there situations where just a little tighter will make it work?

hi i posted my question before i saw your post ..thanks for your reply im gonna read it through properly now :)

Most important thing is to set tRD manually as the BIOS has bug when tRD=Auto. Although showing tRD=8 in BIOS for example it uses tRD=12 which kills performance.

Here's 400x8 1:1 tRD7:
http://www.abload.de/thumb/400x87z5.jpg

Settings:
400x8
2.0A Turbo
4-4-4-12-3-3-6-42-3-7-Auto-2T

460x8 1:1 tRD7:
http://www.abload.de/thumb/460x8_f7fg0r.jpg

Settings:
460x8
2.0A Turbo
4-4-4-12-3-3-6-42-3-7-Auto-2T

Board voltages are set to Auto but board overvolts Vmch automatically.

If you are having issues with F7 BIOS that your SATA optical drives are not recognized correctly set "SATA Port0-3 Native Mode" to "Enabled".

This morning i had a good cold boot again wow!!!!! Seems i found the solution now.

great waku waku!! glad for you ....now y can tune away! and then get some real use out of it at last.

you certainly were pateint with it. hope it meets all your expectations and more...

:up:

just read on a forum

Performance Enhanced > change the value (turbo or extream) only if you have EPP RAM.

Hey, ive tried to search for my problem but havnt found any good answers.
im currently using the f7d bios, but my problem has been there since ive got the motherboard. The optical sound out isnt working for me at all. analog is working as it should.. My vendor told me that they heard that it could be bios related. Just wondering if other has experienced the same as me. thanks in advance. (sorry for bad english)

sync internal on computer. frequency must be the same on both devices.
44.1k or 48k ect..

your amp or reciever must be on the correct optical input ( some have more than one.

what i would do is reinstal the drivers..but im sure you've done that ten times already. maybe there is a conflict somewhere?

re install windows from scratch ( dual boot so to keep your present xp)

if you can get the optical to work in a clean windows. then you know there is something on your other xp conflicting.

it could be your receiving device? the amp or desk your pluging into? can you test that with a mini disk player or something?

test with coaxial?