NF7 - dont want to go over 225

Hi!

My config:
Abit NF7 rev. 2.0 (with black dimm slots) Vdimm and Vtt modedd (Dirty_Punk method)
512 BH-6 in one stick (they were going 238 with 3V on DFI s754)
AthlonXP 1700+ (stepping A0 :()

I can't get stable FSB over 225. My BH-6 are doing 225 with 2.9V (3.05 real) in bios, raisinig it to 3.34 V doesn't help them, I tried VDD 1.6 and 1.7, but it doesn't change anything also. I tried diffrent bioses (TaiPan, BlackMantaray, d10b4), but I can't get anything more than 225 stable. APIC off, I tried diffrent ram slots (it works best in the one, which is furthest from the CPU). CPU is watercooled, NB is cooled with Zalman heatsink + 5x5 fan @5 v. I will do Vdd mod on my mobo in the near future.

Can someone help me breaking 225 wall?

Screen of 225 stable: http://members.lycos.co.uk/entfrompl/225_bh6_stable.jpg

hate to say this, but not many nforce2 mobos go over 225fsb. consider yourself lucky... many will only do 210fsb.. some only 205... i know it sucks hard but its true.. The problem lies in the nforce2 chipsets memory controller... it just cant take a whole lot more than 200mhz... it very quickly becomes unstable.

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Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer

hate to say this, but not many nforce2 mobos go over 225fsb. consider yourself lucky... many will only do 210fsb.. some only 205... i know it sucks hard but its true.. The problem lies in the nforce2 chipsets memory controller... it just cant take a whole lot more than 200mhz... it very quickly becomes unstable.

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Well, I can't agree with you. I saw a lot of NF7 that go over 240 and it wasn't problem for them and I haven't saw any nforce2 board which maxxed out on 210... I think my Abit can do more, but I'm running out of ideas, what to do to push this mobo to the limits.

EDIT: I have of course L12 mod (to 166 FSB).

ive had both the black slot and the blue slot bard...blue clocked better, got 255x10 on air but (sig) is best OC...bios has ALOT to do with it...check Sens massive bios thread over on OC if you need a bios or 2 (200)

GOOD LUCK

PS my black slot topped out @ around 225 :stick: ;)

ent, alot of ppl do get those boards but way more people got boards that didnt hit much higher than 220... Trust me on this one, ive done everything to try to get more speed out of this mobo. (everything short of hardmodding it anyway)

my nf7-s 2 (blue Ram slots) hit 245 fsb on ratios, im using a modded BIOS, before i could do 228 max. i believe it's a BIOS by Tictac or Merlin

Argh.... I got a prime error at 225 :(, so now Im not sure if 225 is rock stable... it was with vdd=1.6, now prime is running with 1.7 V, maybe it will help.

I tried a lot of bioses (3DFire, Merlin bioses, d10b4) but it didn't help me. Those new mobos (with blue dimms) seems to be better OCers, maybe I will try to change my NF7 for one of those new (or buy Infinity). I will do Vdd mod in the near future.

MaxxxRacer >> Maybe You're right, but why the ppl go higher with their FSB> Do they have other mobos or ram sticks?

...or just sell the nf7 and your AXP and get some money together and go a64...

mine DFI goes over 245 easily.....vdimm is limiting me....hehe

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Originally Posted by Aphex_Tom_9

...or just sell the nf7 and your AXP and get some money together and go a64...

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:D hehehe.... I dont have any money at this moment and probaly I won't have in the near future :D In Poland computer stuff is really expensive.

Mine did about 270 (nf7-s rev2 with the black dimm ports)

Touch the Southbridge on the motherboard. If it's really hot the that's your problem.
Many NF7-S stops at 220-230ish. I had to have 2,1vdd @ 270. Although that was only windows stable. Make sure that you cool the mosfets too.

Good luck

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Originally Posted by LorD_Kvadd

Mine did about 270 (nf7-s rev2 with the black dimm ports)

Touch the Southbridge on the motherboard. If it's really hot the that's your problem.
Many NF7-S stops at 220-230ish. I had to have 2,1vdd @ 270. Although that was only windows stable. Make sure that you cool the mosfets too.

Good luck

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My SB is cooled by a radiator from some old Pentium, its warm, but not hot (stress test).

My mosfet cooling is also quite good :) :
http://members.lycos.co.uk/entfrompl...t_cool_new.jpg

did you do the L12 wire mod in the cpu socket? that gave me a few more mhz on the fsb. have you tried the black mantaray XT D26 CPC On bios? what about the d10?

i don't have the same setup, but i have no volt mods done to my board and have hit over 500mhz on the fsb. had to run lower fsb and higher multiplier due to random restarts at that high of an fsb though.

1. try up to 2v vdd;
2. try up to 3.5vdimm AND do PSU mod if necessary to make sure 3.3 rail is actually 0.2v higher than your vdimm (i.e 3.7v) otherwise she won't be stable.
3. try CPC off modded bios.
4. if your PSU ain't too good, go for at least a TTGI.

good luck

i said it once and ill say it again.. these nf2's are known for their horrible fsb overclocking. that is just a fact. ive dealt with that.. and so have many many many others. sometimes you get seriously lucky but the other 99percent of the time u get a chip that wont go over 225. and that is what yours is. I dont mean to be a downer, but your gonna waste your time. Ive tried every mod under the sun to get this mobo to get high fsb but nothing...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer

i said it once and ill say it again.. these nf2's are known for their horrible fsb overclocking. that is just a fact. ive dealt with that.. and so have many many many others. sometimes you get seriously lucky but the other 99percent of the time u get a chip that wont go over 225. and that is what yours is. I dont mean to be a downer, but your gonna waste your time. Ive tried every mod under the sun to get this mobo to get high fsb but nothing...

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untrue.

most nf7-s wont do over 225 stock, in fact thats how high mine went on stock. you have to do various things including mods, and bios flashes to get it higher. i got mine to 255.

i would recommend the Merlin bios's (D25 or D26), they were considerably better than anything else i used. keep ur ram voltage high on the bh-6 to give u room for clocking, as with 2.9v u will hit a wall around 235-240mhz. and try out the vdd mod using 1.9-2v vdd. the chipset mod can be left to last as it will only give u 3-5mhz more at the most. the merlin bios is most important, then ram voltage

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Originally Posted by blinky

untrue.

most nf7-s wont do over 225 stock, in fact thats how high mine went on stock. you have to do various things including mods, and bios flashes to get it higher. i got mine to 255.

i would recommend the Merlin bios's (D25 or D26), they were considerably better than anything else i used. keep ur ram voltage high on the bh-6 to give u room for clocking, as with 2.9v u will hit a wall around 235-240mhz. and try out the vdd mod using 1.9-2v vdd. the chipset mod can be left to last as it will only give u 3-5mhz more at the most. the merlin bios is most important, then ram voltage

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Blinky, I did all of that fun stuff. I tried every mod bios that tic tac and merlin have made. none got me higher fsbs on any of the athlon chips I have. like i said. some people get lucky, but most dont. you got lucky.

And if you dont trust my thuroughness I even went to the extents of doing a full benchmarking sweet that took many hours testing 5 or 6 different bios that merlin and tic tac have made. I went nuts trying to squeeze the performance that I was seeing from other ppls nf7-s. but to be honest, there were only a few ppl that got those great clocks. And im not just talkign about over here at xs. I used to frequent nforcers too.

There is something in what everone has said. Sometimes the cpu is not up to it. The ram may not be up to it. And it can take time to try and find what it is.My old 2500+-m did 238 x 11.5 with only bios mod ( Manta Ray L12 CPC on). L12 did nothing. After playing for days, hours I finaly killed my cpu L12 short.I am now running old 3000+ 8-2-98 and itwill only run at 234 x11.5 with Manter Ray D26 L12 bios OZE DDR booster 3.3v


Regards Vapo

Hi!
I have done the L12 mod (modded my 1700+ to 166). I tried diffrent bioses (Merlin, Tictac, d10) but it didn't help me. I think that this is not caused by too low Vdimm, cause my rams overclock the same with 2.9 and 3.3.

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Originally Posted by amilian

2. try up to 3.5vdimm AND do PSU mod if necessary to make sure 3.3 rail is actually 0.2v higher than your vdimm (i.e 3.7v) otherwise she won't be stable.

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I have a direct 3.3 Vdimm mod, so it will be hard to keep it 0.2 V under 3.3 PSU rail.

I will try 26 BlackMantaray XT, cause it is probaly the only bios I haven't tried long enough.

It seems u got unlucky like i did. I tried all the same with no luck. Some people get really lucky with the manatray or merlin bios but we most certainly did not. The only thing i gained from them is a few points in sandra.

I wouldn't recommend doing the 3,3v rail modd. My board refused to be overclocked when I increased the 3,3rail. Keeping it just below 3,3 was just right :)

Yes some ppl get lucky and some don't. I'm going to try some OC on my NF7-S later today. I'll probably kill the board (vdd @ 2,1V+ :D)

Try some of TicTac BIOS look the photo there it was a Barton based system 7 months ago......
Also set a lower multiplier (your CPU is unlocked OK??) to push faster your mobo to its limits of course a very good in quality PSU is recommended.
Sorry I don't remember which TicTac BIOS version was... :confused:

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Originally Posted by MrSeanTsontas

Try some of TicTac BIOS look the photo there it was a Barton based system 7 months ago......
Also set a lower multiplier (your CPU is unlocked OK??) to push faster your mobo to its limits of course a very good in quality PSU is recommended.
Sorry I don't remember which TicTac BIOS version was... :confused:

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My PSU is good enough for my rig (Chieftec 420W). My CPU is unlocked. Im trying new bioses but it doesn't give me any boost.

Well, you're well and truly in the realm of frustration, as many people have been with the NF7. After countless hours I managed to get 249x10 with cpc off, but it wasn't stable. max stable fsb of 234 and that's where I left it. I've now ordered a neo2plat and 3000+ and will see if I get lucky. Performance wise, 939 64-bit is the way to go. Why don't you give it up, sell that POS on eGay and upgrade. You'll be a lot happier with the result I think.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amilian

Well, you're well and truly in the realm of frustration, as many people have been with the NF7. After countless hours I managed to get 249x10 with cpc off, but it wasn't stable. max stable fsb of 234 and that's where I left it. I've now ordered a neo2plat and 3000+ and will see if I get lucky. Performance wise, 939 64-bit is the way to go. Why don't you give it up, sell that POS on eGay and upgrade. You'll be a lot happier with the result I think.

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Huh....

Prices in Poland:
DFI UT 250Gb - 450 PLN
A64 2800+ - 500 PLN

I can get about 400-450 PLN for my CPU and mobo, so I would need about 500 PLN more..... and I have now about 60 PLN ;], and Im gonna upgrade my WC setup...

I have just tried D26 BlackMantaraysXT and Merlin's SpeedFire, but it didn't help me.

Can anyone tell me, what exactly does mod called VDD Booster on this image? (attachment)

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Originally Posted by ent

Huh....

Prices in Poland:
DFI UT 250Gb - 450 PLN
A64 2800+ - 500 PLN

I can get about 400-450 PLN for my CPU and mobo, so I would need about 500 PLN more..... and I have now about 60 PLN ;], and Im gonna upgrade my WC setup...

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Forget yer watercooling upgrade :stick:. You won't need it with the 939 setup since they get great oc's with stock cooler - much better performance than what you're getting watercooling for.
And I wouldn't bother with 754, it's not that big of a jump in performance to make it worth it. But 939, that's a different story. Definately worth it. 939 will pawn your setup. And if $$ is an issue, get refurb board and chip.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amilian

Forget yer watercooling upgrade :stick:. You won't need it with the 939 setup since they get great oc's with stock cooler - much better performance than what you're getting watercooling for.
And I wouldn't bother with 754, it's not that big of a jump in performance to make it worth it. But 939, that's a different story. Definately worth it. 939 will pawn your setup. And if $$ is an issue, get refurb board and chip.

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$$$ is a very big issue! :D 939 is even more expensive than 754.

What do You mean by "refurb" ?

Refurbished, as in someone had malfunctioning hardware, RMA'd it, it was "repaired" and then resold as "refurbished."

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Originally Posted by Torin

Refurbished, as in someone had malfunctioning hardware, RMA'd it, it was "repaired" and then resold as "refurbished."

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This kind of hardware isn't popular in Poland. I don't even know where can I buy it :(.

I have tried 3D Fire D23, but it failed after 30 seconds prime @ 233 (like other bioses). I have to vdd mod it for a try, but I won't have time until next weekend :(.

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Originally Posted by ent

$$$ is a very big issue! :D 939 is even more expensive than 754.

What do You mean by "refurb" ?

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Yes, more expensive, but worth it......assuming you can get a decent price like what Newegg.com offers (refurb board for US$110 and new 939 3000+ for US$149) That's only $260 (less what you sell your current board for)......for a board that will blow the socks off your NF7.

How much was your watercooling going to cost you by the way?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ent

This kind of hardware isn't popular in Poland. I don't even know where can I buy it :(.

I have tried 3D Fire D23, but it failed after 30 seconds prime @ 233 (like other bioses). I have to vdd mod it for a try, but I won't have time until next weekend :(.

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Do the pencil vdd mod, only takes a few minutes....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amilian

Yes, more expensive, but worth it......assuming you can get a decent price like what Newegg.com offers (refurb board for US$110 and new 939 3000+ for US$149) That's only $260 (less what you sell your current board for)......for a board that will blow the socks off your NF7.

How much was your watercooling going to cost you by the way?

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That is a good idea, but I'm living in Poland and here the reality is diffrent than in the USA :D.

For my WC I gave about 450 PLN, so its about 130$ probally.

Doing the pencil mod will also take me a while, because to do I will have to take my WC out of my case and I need some time to do it :D.