965 Boards confirmed to be either work or not working with 7950GX2 GPU

Hello folks. Been a long time lurker of the [H] forums and recently stumbled on a link to this website in one of their posts. Registered for an account a week ago and there was some delay with the mail server in getting my account setup but I am finally set up and am able to post what I originally wanted to post. I must say I've been lurking these forums for a week now and I really like what I see here! Compliments to all of you.

Ok so I have purchased, like many people right now, every part for a new pc accept for the processor and motherboard. I am planning on an E6600 and was hoping for an asus P5B Delux HOWEVER I have heard that the Asus P5B does not support the 7950gx2 video card I have already purchased. From what I understand the card won't function in SLI mode on this board.

I would like to start a thread to keep track of which new 965 boards are compatible with the 7950GX2 as I am sure there are many others out there that have this card and are planning to upgrade to C2D.

This is what I have gathered so far. Please add or correct any information here.

Asus P5B Delux(not functioning)
Asus P5B Vanilla(not functioning)
Gigabyte DS3(functioning)
Gigabyte DQ6(not functioning)
Abit AB9(Unknown)
Intel BadAxe(funtioning with beta bios)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thunderstruck!

The GX2 is one card, it will work on any 965 board.

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most of the motherboard need a bios update to support it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thunderstruck!

The GX2 is one card, it will work on any 965 board.

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I know it is one card but the motherboard must be compatible too otherwise you end up not being able to configure it for SLI mode and it only uses one GPU on the card. From what I have heard the Asus P5B boards are both not functioning with the 7950gx2 with their current BIOS's. Asus does not have an ETA for a fix.

Most boards should be able to handle the GX2 with a simple bios update. The BIOS update is needed to ensure that it is able to see the second GPU that is hidden behind the internal PCI-Express switch on the card. I'm surprised Asus is still having an issue with this. It should be an easy fix.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mdzcpa

Most boards should be able to handle the GX2 with a simple bios update. The BIOS update is needed to ensure that it is able to see the second GPU that is hidden behind the internal PCI-Express switch on the card. I'm surprised Asus is still having an issue with this. It should be an easy fix.

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Yeah but how long does it take for them to release a bios update to support it?

Do you think they'd only need one BIOS update for all future GX2s? I was thinking maybe I'd get an 8800GX2 (just speculating its existence) once they're out. My P5B Deluxe comes on Thursday. I'll see if the manual says anything about it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HeadShotWI

I know it is one card but the motherboard must be compatible too otherwise you end up not being able to configure it for SLI mode and it only uses one GPU on the card. From what I have heard the Asus P5B boards are both not functioning with the 7950gx2 with their current BIOS's. Asus does not have an ETA for a fix.

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I called Asus today, dude said that the Asus P5WD DH Deluxe won't support the 7950, and there is no ETA on any bios fix lol how gay is that? :slapass:

The badAxe 304 supports the 7950, that is the only reason i'm buying the Intel Motherboard.

Don't you need haxor drivers as you would use for 975x chipset boards,
since there is an sli bridge already on an single 7950GX2 ? :)

this is the sli bridge im referring to:

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/438...bridgedrx5.jpg

I Dont think those drivers work with the 7950GX2. At least Big Sam said they wont.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=106212

There might be different drivers that do no idea thou.

I just remembered 965 does not support dual gfx config. at all. :(
Thus, means not only can you not run regular sli (2 x 7900 gt/gtx) but even an 7950GX2 would run half of its full potential.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dynasty

I just remembered 965 does not support dual gfx config. at all. :(
Thus, means not only can you not run regular sli (2 x 7900 gt/gtx) but even an 7950GX2 would run half of its full potential.

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I'm not sure that is the case. The SLI bridge is internal, and I could swear I saw the DS3 was compatible with 7950GX2 FULLY...

Anybody have proof one way or another?

I have the DS3 and the P5WDH. I am going to be pissed if both are duds with the 7950GX2. :(

there is nothing special needed for 7950 cards. one 16x slot on a motherboard. im runnin 7950 on P5WDH with no issues, from day ONE. yeah i have two slots, but its x-fire anyway.

the motherboard wont have a clue you have two cards. they communicate with each other, and act as one to the mobo.

as long as you have 90 series drivers you should be fine. not guaranteed, but i think manufacturers are being slow in testing this.

nvidia has a listing on their site, which i think is total blah.

Q: Will the NVIDIA® GeForce® 7950 GX2 work with any motherboard?
A: With a properly configured SBIOS, the NVIDIA® GeForce® 7950 GX2 will work with any PCI Express-compliant motherboard. Please see for a list of compatible motherboards and SBIOS that have been tested by http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce_gx2_sbios/us.asp

my board is not on the list. yet it works.

SBIOS? :confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dynasty

I just remembered 965 does not support dual gfx config. at all. :(
Thus, means not only can you not run regular sli (2 x 7900 gt/gtx) but even an 7950GX2 would run half of its full potential.

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Are you sure, ive seen threads where someone got quad SLi working on a 965 mobo:

I got the Quad SLI to work on a Conroe setup

From what QuadDamage says, it works with 965, but just not all motherboards....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phillyb

there is nothing special needed for 7950 cards. one 16x slot on a motherboard. im runnin 7950 on P5WDH with no issues, from day ONE. yeah i have two slots, but its x-fire anyway.

the motherboard wont have a clue you have two cards. they communicate with each other, and act as one to the mobo.

as long as you have 90 series drivers you should be fine. not guaranteed, but i think manufacturers are being slow in testing this.

nvidia has a listing on their site, which i think is total blah.

Q: Will the NVIDIA® GeForce® 7950 GX2 work with any motherboard?
A: With a properly configured SBIOS, the NVIDIA® GeForce® 7950 GX2 will work with any PCI Express-compliant motherboard. Please see for a list of compatible motherboards and SBIOS that have been tested by http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce_gx2_sbios/us.asp

my board is not on the list. yet it works.

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Well I have heard from multiple sources and review sites that the asus P5B vanilla and delux do not allow the 7950gx2 to function in sli mode.

Well if anyone has any information on getting the 7950GX2 to function properly on an Asus P5b board let me know or if anyone has confirmation that it works on the Giga DQ6 board let me know.

Tested ok on the gigabyte P965-DS3 :

http://pageperso.aol.fr/misteroadster/10K2006.JPG
http://pageperso.aol.fr/misteroadster/17K2005.JPG
http://pageperso.aol.fr/misteroadster/38K2003.JPG

Does anyone have any new information to add? Bumping.

I ahve a P5B Deluxe. Maybe you coudl just sedn me your 7950GX2... to... um... test it! Yeah, I'd test it for you! You might not get it back though.

On the page in my P5B Deluxe that talks about the secondary PEG, it shows a pic of a Crossfire mastercard and a normal one, but doesn't show the dongle nor does it mention Crossfire anywhere on the page. Well, 945Ps worked at x16 by x4, why can't P965?

According to nVidia the Intel975xbx has support for it with Bios 1073.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce_gx2_sbios/us.asp

Course, they could be high.

my friend have p5w dh and asus 7950 and it worked without any issue. and i know more ppl here in germany with this setup.

i will buy a evga 7950 next week or so.

The MSI 7950GX2 I have works fine on the D975XBX with the BETA Conroe BIOS.
Runs in Dual Card mode.
I have a P5W DH in and will test it out there soon.
As well as a GA-965P-DS3 Board from Gigabyte. I belive it has been tested on that one already though.
it should work on just about any board.

last 3 posts: You are talking about 975X chipset, not 965P as requested by the post starter.

He asked about the Intel 975XBX in the first post.

Quote:

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This is what I have gathered so far. Please add or correct any information here.

Asus P5B Delux(not functioning)
Asus P5B Vanilla(not functioning)
Gigabyte DS3(functioning)
Gigabyte DQ6(not functioning)
Abit AB9(Unknown)
Intel BadAxe(Unknown)

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I was just trying to add to that information.

Ath.

975XBX = Badaxe

yes he has the 975XBX listed as Unknown, I was adding that it works with the Intel supplied BETA Conroe BIOS for the board.
The Gigabyte should be here shortly I will test the MSI 7905GX2 I have on that and add more.

yeah mine works in SLI mode. im getting around 8700 or so in 3dmark06. the sli thing in the driver controlpanel works.

nvidia is taking their time in getting boards certified to work with sli. there are only like 4-5 boards that wont work with the 7950. im guessing they are older and maybe 8x pciE.

i would hazard a guess to say that most 16x slots on mobos for xfire or sli would work fine with one 7950. ive even seen someone had a 7950 quad, on a dfi mobo. its not certified to work, but it does.

mine works. works well, does what i want it to, nothing more. read my sig for my system. yes im going conroe. yes its a 7950 on an xfire board. 8700 points with a 940 chip seems like about normal for this setup, really need a conroe to get more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by misteroadster

Tested ok on the gigabyte P965-DS3 :

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those are some harsh e6300 scores there man! good job on that.

now, did you need any special drivers? or did any 90.xx ones work?

thanks.

Ugh, this is nuts, can't Asus just plug a 7950 into their motherboards and test them? I mean how long would it take to test?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Artmic

Ugh, this is nuts, can't Asus just plug a 7950 into their motherboards and test them? I mean how long would it take to test?

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I hear that brother. Looks like my only choice is the ds3....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Athildja-Px64

yes he has the 975XBX listed as Unknown, I was adding that it works with the Intel supplied BETA Conroe BIOS for the board.

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Just FYI for Bad Axe.

The 7950GX2 works on Bad Axe with official BIOSes 1181, 1304, 1334. It does NOT work with BIOS 1073 or earlier. This is based on my own testing with ALL of the official BIOSes.

Post one needs to be corrected.


Additionally, whether the 7950GX2 works on 965 chipset or not has nothing to do with SLI inherent capabilities of the chipset. The only issue is whether on not that the chipset can handle the PCI Express switch being on the video card and allowing for both resulting PCIE channels to work.

I do think it is interesting that the 965 chipset on the Gigabyte boards can handle it but the 965s from Asus cannot (for now).

edit- woops! hit edit instead of reply. Sorry I messed up your post!!- mdzcpa

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Athildja-Px64

I do think it is interesting that the 965 chipset on the Gigabyte boards can handle it but the 965s from Asus cannot (for now).

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I think Asus just needs to get off their collective asses and get it fixed. I would bet its nothing more than allowing the BIOS to see the PCIE switch on the video card.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Artmic

I called Asus today, dude said that the Asus P5WD DH Deluxe won't support the 7950, and there is no ETA on any bios fix lol how gay is that? :slapass:

The badAxe 304 supports the 7950, that is the only reason i'm buying the Intel Motherboard.

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Working fine on my mine

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Artmic

Ugh, this is nuts, can't Asus just plug a 7950 into their motherboards and test them? I mean how long would it take to test?

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P5WDG2-WS (0513)
P5WD2-E (latest)
P5WDH (0602)

they are working very well with GX2

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PcCI2iminal

P5WDG2-WS (0513)
P5WD2-E (latest)
P5WDH (0602)

they are working very well with GX2

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Hi thanks for the info, Are you sure it would work with the P5WDH?
I Can't understand how the ASUS tech person on the phone said none of the BIOS support that card, when you are saying it does :)

The shipping P5WDH has bios version 0602 ? Or do we need to flash it first?
If it needs flashing does it mean it wont' boot with the 7950 :P do i need some garbage PCI-E graphics card to flash the bios? LOL

Also does this motherboard recognize the retail Conroe right out of the box? Or do we need to send out for replacement Bios Chip?

LOL Damn, so many things to worry about, give me a Orchid Righteous 3D 3dfx vid-card from 97 any day, lol life was so much simpler back then.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Artmic

Hi thanks for the info, Are you sure it would work with the P5WDH?
I Can't understand how the ASUS tech person on the phone said none of the BIOS support that card, when you are saying it does :)

The shipping P5WDH has bios version 0602 ? Or do we need to flash it first?
If it needs flashing does it mean it wont' boot with the 7950 :P do i need some garbage PCI-E graphics card to flash the bios? LOL

Also does this motherboard recognize the retail Conroe right out of the box? Or do we need to send out for replacement Bios Chip?

LOL Damn, so many things to worry about, give me a Orchid Righteous 3D 3dfx vid-card from 97 any day, lol life was so much simpler back then.

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here my friend

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3...03408109bk.jpg

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=106142

Quote:

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The shipping P5WDH has bios version 0602 ? Or do we need to flash it first?
If it needs flashing does it mean it wont' boot with the 7950 :P do i need some garbage PCI-E graphics card to flash the bios? LOL

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you will need to flash it and no problem to boot using a GX2 with a suported ou unsuported bios ,you just can`t install the forceware properly

Quote:

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Or do we need to send out for replacement Bios Chip?

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http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=106563

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PcCI2iminal

you will need to flash it and no problem to boot using a GX2 with a suported ou unsuported bios ,you just can`t install the forceware properly



http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=106563

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THanks for the help, wow that is an awsome score for the 3DMark, i'm just drooling to get that graphics card, and some 975X motherboard. Hmmm, now i am for sure tilting towards getting the Asus board if i can have the 7950 running on it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PcCI2iminal

you will need to flash it and no problem to boot using a GX2 with a suported ou unsuported bios ,you just can`t install the forceware properly



http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=106563

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Oh god, what a pain this Motherboard shopping has become, the damn ASUS board don't have parallel port, so i need to purchase an add-on parallel port card. I do work with old and "Specialized Thermal Label Printing" printers, which some models only support parallel port printing. LOL this whole business is becoming fugly :)

FYI posts on forum.abit-usa.com say the Abit AB9 does not work with the 7950GX2



To think I sold my SLI setup so I would have better choices when the Conroe boards came out...................HOW WRONG WAS I?

Just an FYI, I bought a DFI infinity 975x/g and emailed DFI about it.. they said at this time they are unaware as to whether it will work or not with the 7950, and didnt think it would.

Other than the Intel 975xbx I have not seen much confirmation on 975 chipsets, and since the 965s are just starting to trickle out, I have heard almost nothing on those either..

Oh, and to the previous comment about what happens if you dont update the bios before installing a 7950, I cant say on other boards, but on my asus A8N it would reboot when it tried to POST before I updated the bios. The same goes for a friend with the Asus A8N32-SLI. Not that it would just no recognize the second GPU on board, but that it would not even get past POST.

Thanks for the input from people that have confirmed on 965 chipsets.. I am trying to find a decently priced mobo to run a 7950 and e6600. The DFI was for a work computer, and the only CPU I have gotten my hands on is the 6300. I will not be running high end 3d graphics on this machine so I didnt care about compatability, but my brother wants a new computer now and I will be upgrading soon myself to the new CPU's, and dont want any suprises..

hi -the P5B works with a 7950Gx2 after a bios flash 0213 until u restart the system.Is not perfect but u can test youre grafikcard on a P5B!if some one like this beta 0213 please send me a mail and u get it. superfast@email.de
greetings from germany

Asus P5B(Zalman 9500 LED)
-Core2 x6800 Extreme
-SyncMaster 243T (Digital)
-2GB OCZ Platin Cl-4-5-4
-WD Raptor X - 150 GB - 16 MB Cache
-XFX 7950GX2 M520
-Stacker 830 7x12cm Fan
-Dark Power Pro 530 Watt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jazz

FYI posts on forum.abit-usa.com say the Abit AB9 does not work with the 7950GX2



To think I sold my SLI setup so I would have better choices when the Conroe boards came out...................HOW WRONG WAS I?

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WRONG. it works with the 1.1 Bios.

dudes, asus p5w dh and 7950gx2 works fine!
Loads of people using them, works straight out of the box (0701 bios) and goes like stink.
Mine works perfectly, although my temp d820 really chokes the 7950, i borrowed a e6600 and that gave nice 3dmark scores so yes the card is running both cores.

It works on Asus P5B Deluxe with 0502 and 0507 BIOS.

Got it to work on P5B Dlx, D975XBX and P5W DH.

You have same experience????


This is an open letter adressed to the people in charge at the Asus Support. Its goal is to provoke an open and active discussion between us, the Asus costumers and international hardwareboard community, and the Asus respectives about the issues adressed hereby.

Asus Support in general
The Asus Support in general, especially in the german-speaking countries, has been, simply put, a catastrophy in the last couple of years.
Emails send to the support usually take weeks, even months to be answered, if they are answered at all, most question remain without any kind of response.
The situation in the Support Forums is the same, the offical regional as well as offical international Asus Support Forums are full of threads containing all sorts of question. Still, only a few of them get answered by the Asus Support.
It is also almost impossible to get a usefull answer from Phone Support, the techincans, if they can even be called that way, are mostly incompetent or, as it seems, unwilling to help. Most Users consider the Asus Phone Support a waste of money and time.

The P5W-DH dilemma
The Asus P5W-DH is a great motherboard, at least in theory. There a hundreds an hundreds of reports from users having all different kinds of troubles with this piece of hardware. For most of those problems the Asus Support was not able to provide a solution yet, if the have adressed those problems at all. The following will list some of those problems:
Conroe / Core 2 Duo Support:
The P5W DH provides, accoridng to its specifications, "out of the box" support for Intels new Core 2 Duo aka Conroe CPUs. That attribute is even advertised directly on the motherboards packaging. Still, a great number of boards have been shipped with bios-version 0401. With this biosversion it is impossible to run a Core 2 Duo CPU on that board. You will need an older Sockel 775 CPU, such as the Pentium 4, Pentium D or their Celeron counterparts, to flash a new biosversion to be able to run a Core 2 Duo. The question is: How to do so, if, as most users did, you bought the P5W DH specificly to run a Core 2 Duo and don't have another Sockel 775 CPU?

ASUS P5B Deluxe Support now.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=111514

Quote:

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Originally Posted by misteroadster

Tested ok on the gigabyte P965-DS3 :

http://pageperso.aol.fr/misteroadster/10K2006.JPG
http://pageperso.aol.fr/misteroadster/17K2005.JPG
http://pageperso.aol.fr/misteroadster/38K2003.JPG

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So the DS3 works with 2 lanes running a x8 (not x8 and x4?)

I'm thinking of eventually getting maybe 2 19" LCDs and thinking I'll probably need the extra video card power. Two monitor screens just sounds too nice (play game on one and surf the web on the other..........lol)