DFI Expert….. Enough is enough!

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03-09-2006, 01:09 PM
pcdoc1

DFI Expert….. Enough is enough!

DFI Expert….. Enough is enough! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Now I’m ticked…. Shut down the box today at noon to run a few service calls. Got back an hour later, hit the switch and no lights, fans, pump, nothing… Pulled the OZC 520 and in plugged up another PS, still nothing. Replaced the video card, replaced the ram, disconnected all devices and cleared CMOS, still nothing. Replace the opty with another opty, still nothing.

Grabbed another board (MSI) and put the box back together, put in all the original parts and still nothing. Pulled the original opty and replaced it and now all is well.

Set the expert up on the bench with a working 4800 and some tccd and the board is dead. So for the second time in about six weeks, both a new 170 and an expert are history! This is exactly what happened last time. Screw these guys this is ridiculous.

I can’t wait to see AMD’s response, they’re not gonna be thrill ‘bout replacing another 170. And I’m sure Monarch isn’t going to be thrill ‘bout the expert…

Guess it’s time to look closer at the 580 options…

Thanks for letting me rant. Damn I’m pissed!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:
03-09-2006, 01:17 PM
Mickey Padge

I feel for you man, that just sucks :(

Once bitten, twice shy.
03-09-2006, 01:28 PM
oicurafox2000

Hmmph,I've always seen you sticking up for DFi in every thread too.

Anyways,I thought this was standard procedure for most DFi boards. You know,unplug this,don't take battery out,do this,don't do this,run around in a circle singing "I'm a maniac" and thats just to start that darn thing. :p:

I was burned twice. First time shame on them,second time shame on me. Never again. Sorry for your loss,better luck next time.
03-09-2006, 01:51 PM
perry_78

I think the sapphire boards are looking quite good to be honest.

As long as I dont have to run in circles (lack of space in my room) I'm happy. Thank god my nf4 sli-dr only requires half an hour of that upon cpu change, then its only ~1min.

I just called back my order on the expert, cant be bothered with this mess. Will go for the 580s instead.
03-09-2006, 01:55 PM
pcdoc1

Yeah, I think you may be right on the sapphire boards... Seems like the options right now are pretty slim... The Asus 580 board appears to have some bios problems and the DFI 580 is now out of the question.
03-09-2006, 01:55 PM
stone_cold_Jimi

That's really not very good. I'm using a AA0 Expert and have a AB0 to sell... at this rate, nobody will want it. :(

At least I can swap it out when the AA0 dies taking everything with it. :)
03-09-2006, 02:21 PM
ben805

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcdoc1

DFI Expert….. Enough is enough! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Now I’m ticked…. Shut down the box today at noon to run a few service calls. Got back an hour later, hit the switch and no lights, fans, pump, nothing… Pulled the OZC 520 and in plugged up another PS, still nothing. Replaced the video card, replaced the ram, disconnected all devices and cleared CMOS, still nothing. Replace the opty with another opty, still nothing.

Grabbed another board (MSI) and put the box back together, put in all the original parts and still nothing. Pulled the original opty and replaced it and now all is well.

Set the expert up on the bench with a working 4800 and some tccd and the board is dead. So for the second time in about six weeks, both a new 170 and an expert are history! This is exactly what happened last time. Screw these guys this is ridiculous.

I can’t wait to see AMD’s response, they’re not gonna be thrill ‘bout replacing another 170. And I’m sure Monarch isn’t going to be thrill ‘bout the expert…

Guess it’s time to look closer at the 580 options…

Thanks for letting me rant. Damn I’m pissed!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

man sorry to hear about your ordeal, as soon as you get your expert back from RMA if I were you I would sell it, don't bother to open or test it, maybe give the previous gen DFI-SLI DR a try, or perhaps consider Venus? hope that expert didn't take out your 170...
03-09-2006, 02:29 PM
Diverge

Just don't power off your dfi boards - i guess that is why i've been lucky so far. It kinda scares me knowing there is issuses with them killing cpu's upon reboots/power_on's... don't want to loose my opty 170 some day as well - it's oem too.

sucks about your cpu though. i guess rma and sell the mb and go with something else.
03-09-2006, 02:38 PM
pcdoc1

Yeah it took out the 170.... Explaining this to AMD again may be a project. The last return I sold to Major, thankfully he hasn't any problem with it. The next return will immediately go out the door also. Your Venus post look real good but I'm of a mind right now to not screw with another DFI product of any kind. I won’t even tolerate a emply DFI box in my shop at this point. Screw ‘em…

Regards-
03-09-2006, 02:56 PM
masterofpuppets

DFI messed up majorly with the Expert, they better learn their lesson for their next release.
03-09-2006, 03:51 PM
NickS

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcdoc1

DFI Expert….. Enough is enough! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Now I’m ticked…. Shut down the box today at noon to run a few service calls. Got back an hour later, hit the switch and no lights, fans, pump, nothing… Pulled the OZC 520 and in plugged up another PS, still nothing. Replaced the video card, replaced the ram, disconnected all devices and cleared CMOS, still nothing. Replace the opty with another opty, still nothing.

Grabbed another board (MSI) and put the box back together, put in all the original parts and still nothing. Pulled the original opty and replaced it and now all is well.

Set the expert up on the bench with a working 4800 and some tccd and the board is dead. So for the second time in about six weeks, both a new 170 and an expert are history! This is exactly what happened last time. Screw these guys this is ridiculous.

I can’t wait to see AMD’s response, they’re not gonna be thrill ‘bout replacing another 170. And I’m sure Monarch isn’t going to be thrill ‘bout the expert…

Guess it’s time to look closer at the 580 options…

Thanks for letting me rant. Damn I’m pissed!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Ack. That sux man. All I have to say now is, MSI FTW. (Because I'm in love with MSI board's haha.)

Go buy yourself a Diamond Plus. :D
03-09-2006, 04:46 PM
pcdoc1

Well I'm running the same board you are for the time being... (MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum) The Diamond Plus may be OK but I'm thinking ATI...
03-09-2006, 05:15 PM
thunderstruck!

What revision of the expert did you have?
03-09-2006, 05:56 PM
pcdoc1

thunderstruck! - Sorry I don't remember and it's not here with me... I'll post back on it tomorrow.
03-09-2006, 06:44 PM
003

None of my two ultra-d's have ever killed anything or otherwise damaged anything. None of them have ever had any problems posting either, even with a heavy overclock and high temps. There are a lot of reports of the experts killing cpu's,
03-09-2006, 06:53 PM
Charloz24

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003

None of my two ultra-d's have ever killed anything or otherwise damaged anything. None of them have ever had any problems posting either, even with a heavy overclock and high temps. There are a lot of reports of the experts killing cpu's,

Same here! I have 2 NF4 Ultra-D and they run perfectly! I never had better motherboard than those 2. With more than one year of use, this mb beat my favorite that was Abit NF7........
03-09-2006, 06:58 PM
pcdoc1

Thanks guys, just makes ya wonder though what Ultra-D's have to do with this thread...:)
03-09-2006, 07:09 PM
Major

Sorry about your troubles pcdoc1 !

I've not had any problems with my Expert, but everytime I come home and the comp has shut down I get a funky feeling in my gut ;) but its always booted back up. There has to be something up with all the reports of dead gear.
03-09-2006, 07:59 PM
pcdoc1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

..... but everytime I come home and the comp has shut down I get a funky feeling in my gut ;) but its always booted back up. There has to be something up with all the reports of dead gear.

I know the feeling and I'm not dealing with it anymore... The thing is I don't run big OC's, high voltages, or really pound the box. I wasn't testing, benching, or screwing around with anything. Had the box on for a few hours checking email, doing a little surfing and hanging out here. Shut it down and walked away, an hour later I hit the switch and you know the rest of the story. It's been damn stable since I rebuilt it a few months ago. And there's no common denominator as when I did this rebuild I switched to the OCZ520, your HZ's, and of course the new 170... So I think I just leave DFI for the REAL MEN around here and see if I can get an old Commodore or Tandy out on the net... :) :)

See ya-
03-10-2006, 09:19 AM
palehorse

woohoo! I want to see an OC'd commodore 64!
03-10-2006, 12:02 PM
The Stilt

Just killed my FX-60 with A00 rev. Expert.
UCCC sticks and 1.45V vcore, so theories about too big voltage differences are something that I wipe my ass with.
03-10-2006, 12:20 PM
pcdoc1

Mine was also A00, UCCC sticks and 1.50.... But damn I'm sure it's not a DFI problem! :eek: :eek:
03-10-2006, 12:46 PM
thegoatman

good thing I've got an AB0 with no visible problems/flaws. Anyone had problems with an AB0? I haven't started OCing yet...
03-10-2006, 01:12 PM
stone_cold_Jimi

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegoatman

good thing I've got an AB0 with no visible problems/flaws. Anyone had problems with an AB0? I haven't started OCing yet...

I ran my x2 4600 in my AB0 for a few hours no problem (pretty meaningless), but I read some Russian guy getting his stuff eaten by one. Can't find a link though.
03-10-2006, 03:13 PM
NickS

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcdoc1

Well I'm running the same board you are for the time being... (MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum) The Diamond Plus may be OK but I'm thinking ATI...

Well hell this is a great board imo. Can do VERY high HTT, has ok voltage options, and has a good ram config.
03-10-2006, 03:15 PM
pcdoc1

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegoatman

good thing I've got an AB0 with no visible problems/flaws. Anyone had problems with an AB0? I haven't started OCing yet...

Oh yeah, no visible problems (like the trace cut by the audio connectors) tells the story... The A00 had no visible problems after the first batch... I'd guess I'll see you back here sometime soon... :) :)
03-10-2006, 03:18 PM
pcdoc1

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickS

Well hell this is a great board imo. Can do VERY high HTT, has ok voltage options, and has a good ram config.

Well then maybe someone besides OPB should test the Diamond Plus!
03-10-2006, 06:45 PM
NickS

I meant the Neo4 Plat is a helluva board ;).

I'm sure the Diamond Plus is too. 4.1v vDimm :slobber:.
03-10-2006, 06:47 PM
FragTek

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickS

Well hell this is a great board imo. Can do VERY high HTT, has ok voltage options, and has a good ram config.

You make "VERY high HTT" sound like it could rival a DFI... 430 htt stable here :)
03-11-2006, 10:38 AM
NickS

NICE. What nF4 voltage? :)
03-11-2006, 10:59 AM
pcdoc1

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickS

I meant the Neo4 Plat is a helluva board ;).

I'm sure the Diamond Plus is too. 4.1v vDimm :slobber:.

Yeah it is a good board, I've never run HTT higher than 340 with it although I've never tried taking it higher.

The board does have a ton of options, easy to setup, gets along well with any memory I've ever tried in it, and will take any cpu I have to it's know max with little effort... Additionally it's unbelievably stable and never misbehaves...

I'm wanting to test the 580's but the options aren't looking very good right now. If that doesn't change in the next few weeks I'll take the Diamond Plus for a test drive...
03-11-2006, 11:12 AM
dogsx2

Quote:

Originally Posted by FragTek

You make "VERY high HTT" sound like it could rival a DFI... 430 htt stable here :)

Is that 10x or 9x?

I can do high HTT on mine too but who really cares if it's not at least a 9x. How many guys do you know that run 7x430? Or worse yet I've seen guys show ss of 400+x4 or 5. That's real world stuff.
03-11-2006, 11:21 AM
pcdoc1

Funny stuff..... :p: :p:
03-11-2006, 12:30 PM
joek71

How do find out whar model you have? AB0 or A00
03-11-2006, 02:17 PM
dogsx2

Quote:

Originally Posted by joek71

How do find out whar model you have? AB0 or A00

Type in ADO in search and hit enter. Here's the link this time.http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...&highlight=ado
03-11-2006, 03:53 PM
oqvist

Well how long does it generally take for boards to crap out. I have had mine for some months now so maybe I am home free :).

Got the nforce 4 one not the ATI crossfire version I have seen less issues with that expert... Still nervous though but having it running 24/7 is it really safer then shutting them down at night?
03-11-2006, 05:52 PM
thegoatman

I shut mine down. AFAIK, the problems don't start until you up the vcore.
03-11-2006, 06:05 PM
FragTek

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickS

NICE. What nF4 voltage? :)

+.2v :)
03-11-2006, 07:19 PM
NickS

1.7v, nice. My board can do ~360Htt @ 1.7v. Never had the bawls to go higher, voltage wise. Don't want toasty nF4 for breakfast ;).
03-11-2006, 09:34 PM
wesleys_dad

expert took out my 3200

well i just sold my expert today after my rma came in.same situation shut down and hit the switch and nothing.ran fine for 4 weeks.i wresled with trying a dfi board for so long and pcdoc1 always had good things to say about them.he used to flame me a little bit cause i was down on dfi having so many problems.i finally decided to get the expert hoping it would be better than the previous models.better compatability,better power regulation etc.i just put my asus back together again and im up and running.i was so mad when the expert took out my cpu.dfi dosent seem like there going to help me out with it.settings were all stock or close to it.i havent tryed to o/clock yet.it took me 4 days to get it to boot into windows.i was just happy to get it stable.i had to buy another set of ram to get it to boot.as far as i can tell the ram survived.i sold the expert for 150.00 to a computer tech in my neighborhood and he is aware of what happened.he reads the forums too.he has a 3000 to set it up with.i have a feeling that my dfi days are over.ill stick with what has worked for me in the past.asus,abit,gigabyte.ive never had a board take out a cpu before,with stock voltages no doubt.i feel sorry for pcdoc,i feel your pain.my investment isnt as big as yours but its alot too me.so now im back to a new 3200 venice and my corsair xms ram and the system runs great.at least i know it wont kill all my hardware.my thoughts were always these dfi boards sure have alot of problems but i gave in to try one and i guess i picked the wrong one.should have gone with the ultra d,almost did but thought the expert would be newer and better.live and learn.got to start saving for am2 at the end of the year.had to buy another 3200 with the money from the expert as i was out of computer money.dfi sucks and you know why i feel this way.pcdoc i hope it all works out for you.if you get dfi to replace your cpu let us know.id have a better opinion of them if they would own up to the fact that they put out a problem board,but they wont do that.
03-11-2006, 10:30 PM
pcdoc1

Quote:

Originally Posted by wesleys_dad

well i just sold my expert today after my rma came in.same situation shut down and hit the switch and nothing.ran fine for 4 weeks.i wresled with trying a dfi board for so long and pcdoc1 always had good things to say about them.he used to flame me a little bit cause i was down on dfi having so many problems.i finally decided to get the expert hoping it would be better than the previous models.better compatability,better power regulation etc.i just put my asus back together again and im up and running.i was so mad when the expert took out my cpu.dfi dosent seem like there going to help me out with it.settings were all stock or close to it.i havent tryed to o/clock yet.it took me 4 days to get it to boot into windows.i was just happy to get it stable.i had to buy another set of ram to get it to boot.as far as i can tell the ram survived.i sold the expert for 150.00 to a computer tech in my neighborhood and he is aware of what happened.he reads the forums too.he has a 3000 to set it up with.i have a feeling that my dfi days are over.ill stick with what has worked for me in the past.asus,abit,gigabyte.ive never had a board take out a cpu before,with stock voltages no doubt.i feel sorry for pcdoc,i feel your pain.my investment isnt as big as yours but its alot too me.so now im back to a new 3200 venice and my corsair xms ram and the system runs great.at least i know it wont kill all my hardware.my thoughts were always these dfi boards sure have alot of problems but i gave in to try one and i guess i picked the wrong one.should have gone with the ultra d,almost did but thought the expert would be newer and better.live and learn.got to start saving for am2 at the end of the year.had to buy another 3200 with the money from the expert as i was out of computer money.dfi sucks and you know why i feel this way.pcdoc i hope it all works out for you.if you get dfi to replace your cpu let us know.id have a better opinion of them if they would own up to the fact that they put out a problem board,but they wont do that.

Sorry you had a problem with the expert, I’m feeling guilty now that I defended these guys and based on that you stepped out there and got burned… Bummer. :mad: :mad:

I wouldn’t even attempt to get DFI to help with the cost of a smoked cpu, they’re in denial. They have yet to step up to plate since these boards were released and acknowledge that there has ever been a single problem with this board. That’s their decision and it fine with me. Additionally their arrogance defies reason, any problem someone experiences with their product gets tagged as user error or ignorance. If you go to their support site, DFI-Street, it’s run with the very same arrogant fricking attitude. Well that’s fine too. I’ve been a member here for three years, I started building in 1989 and have made my living in Tech ever since. I’ve built 1000’s of boxes and never in that 17 years have I lost a cpu until I met DFI and the expert. People vote with their money and I like you won’t ever give them another 50 cents. Oh yeah, one more lesson learned, if you’re gonna use a DFI board, be certain to purchase a retail boxed cpu so you can turn to AMD when everything goes to hell.

There’s a ton of first class knowledgeable people here that have forgot more than I know and believe in the DFI product. So I’m not willing or interested in taking on the community. I would argue though that Xtreme doesn’t mean blowing :banana::banana::banana::banana: up!

Regards-
03-13-2006, 05:27 PM
wesleys_dad

dfi wont help on cpu replacement or any compensation

well i talked to dfi today on compensation for my 3200 that the expert board took out.their attitude sucks,must have benn something i did setting up voltages is their attitude.according to them there is no problem with this board doing this.i told them to read the forums and the reply was there was alot of people that dont know how to set up dfi boards correctly.im an A+ certified tech,make my living building computers and how could this happen on auto settings.had to be user error.BS user error.
you know if they would own up to the fact and give some kind of compensation,even like a future board or something id think alot more of them.as of now as long as i live i will never buy another dfi product and as far as word of mouth goes its gonna be bad news from me.no customer of mine will have a dfi board in his rig.good riddance to a bullsh** company.i really hope they go out of business,so i can dance on there grave.
hello asus,msi,gigabyte,abit,biostar.never been screwed by these companies,always replaced bad hardware no questions asked.if its bad they replace it,like it should be with a reputable company.dfi is not in that league.my codolances to all who have lost hardware to this board not due to incorrect settings.pcdoc1 has lost a boatload of money due to these people putting out an inferior product as well as alot of other people.pcdoc1 knows what he is doing for gods sake and some compensation is owed to him from this incompetent company.nuff said.
dfi i dance on your grave.............
03-13-2006, 09:30 PM
thegoatman

Was this a Rev AB0?
03-13-2006, 09:44 PM
thunderstruck!

Considering selling my Expert for an Ultra-D now:cool:
03-13-2006, 09:56 PM
thegoatman

lol thunderstruck you were gonna buy mine. maybe I should take a bad omen before my luck runs out? I'm sorry but I feel I just gotta test this board before I toss it... I'll do some more research over the next week. If I find out anything subsantial, I'll post it. (I'm gonna post a question about the temp sensor, that has nothing to do wtih this)
03-13-2006, 10:33 PM
wesleys_dad

rev number on expert

im sure it was an aa0,the replacement was an ab0 which i sold rite away,never even fired it up,no dfi board will ever have any of my hardware in it.from what i know about the replacement board it wont boot as yet,he is still playing with ram.i may go over this weekend and see if i can get it to boot for my friend.he has 3 different types of ram he is playing with.these boards have me gunshy at the moment.its hard to believe that dfi put out such an unstable board and their attitude is its never our problem,has to be your setup.yea rite everything on auto defaults and ram at 2.8 and the cpu french fried.running fine for 4 weeks and pop on a fire up.never over clocked one bit.i was just happy to get it stable enough to load windows.then start reading about settings and such.i was weeks from o/clocking any thing and then just mild o/clocks.
i was really looking foreward to enjoying this board for a year or so and had to believe it would be better than the former generation but oscar missed the boat on this board.i can honestly say as im 53 yrs old that i will never again but any dfi product.i build computers for a living and work part time in a large computer store here in orlando and they have now refused to sell any dfi products.we used to sell them on request and have had more problems with them than any other brand.the asus and msi seem to give us the best results.ive had good luck with the 4 systems ive built with the msi diamond plus.very stable and easy to set up.ram compatability is good.ive used corsair ,super talent and pqi.all have worked fine.its easy to get that board to 300htt.the asus a8n 32sli has been good to.no failures so far.my next board will be one of those.i like the layout of the msi,but the asus is a fine board also.when i do a build for a customer within my own company i generally use asus and the failure rate is next to none.thats hard to beat.ive had a few msi boards go down but not enough to see a pattern.ive posted some of the clips from the forums about the dfi board failures and it makes people take notice.the expert is for sure without a doubt a defective board and dfi will never admit it.they are a spineless no care about their customer company.they have seen the last penny from me and any body that i can influence as not to buy dfi.a company like this should be starved out of business.call them with a problem and see their arrogant attitude.its not our problem its your.adios dfi..........
03-13-2006, 10:38 PM
ben805

IMHO, DFI did have an answer and a fix for the Expert....it's called the Venus.

Make no mistake about it... no way in hell DFI would ever disclosed or admit what went wrong with the Expert, if those issue can be easily overcome and fix with new bios, they would of done it already. For those who don't have issues with the Expert, consider yourself very lucky and let's hope everything still hold true in couple months down the road. So far my Venus is problem free and by far this is the BEST s939 board I've ever get my hands on, even if it end up killing something (or killed everything) in couple months, then so be it! This is the last AMD board I would ever purchase, just take a look around.... Intel users rarely killed their cpu or ram, atleast not as often as us AMD owner!! Not trying to knock on AMD but it looks like all s939 boards are inferior one way or another, either we choose to live with it, or do something about it. I know one thing for certain, when Conroe roll out in Q3 I'll be the first to convert...even if it perform on par with the upcoming AM2, I want my shiit to last instead of blowing up every other months!!! :lol: