Testing / comparing : Intel D975XBX2 / Asus P5B DX ***56K WARNING***

[LoneWolf]

You do remember that BadAxe 2 boards have a 3-year warranty, right?

[tjelaw]

Yep, I already requested a RMA, and its accepted. I can send the board back.

But, this board is end of life right? I'll probably get a much newer board or credit/money back. I'm thinking of how to get my data from the raid :P

[Comp-Freak]

Don't you know someone in your neighbourhood with the same board? You may come over to my place te recover the data if you don't get a xbx2 back for rma. I'm from "de achterhoek" in the east of the Netherlands.

(btw, do you have a nick @ GoT or another dutch forum?)

[tjelaw]

not anyone closeby.....

but check your PM, if possible I would like to accept your offer and also give you something as compensation for your time. my nick @ GoT = lawtje

[JZX100]

You can plug your raid array in any board with ICH7R.
I had a P5WDH, them exchanged to BX2 without a single problem.
If i'm not wrong, newer SBs are backward compatible with previous versions.

Sorry, english is not my native language...

[tjelaw]

I think you are right, but...the raid is not on the ICH7R.

The BX2 also has a Marvell sata/raid controller, my raid was on that one.

[JZX100]

I think you are right, but...the raid is not on the ICH7R.

The BX2 also has a Marvell sata/raid controller, my raid was on that one.

Man, why marvell?

In my opinion, intel's raid is the best onboard raid that i've tried

[Comp-Freak]

Marvell controller is slower, but if you use sata optical drives, you can run low on sata connections on the intel controller. IIRC the marvell didn't like optical sata drives.

[Blacklash]

I still have my BX2 in my secondary rig.

The IDT drivers with Sonic Focus enabled are the best I've used on any mobo from 975 to X58. Most mobos, and even sound cards, clip and drop audio intermittently with heavy bass turned up. Not the BX2. It's crushing with Vista x64 SP1 set to 24 bit 48k Hz. Sounds wonderful with a good pair of speakers or HQ headphones. I can't take more than 80% bass on Sonic Focus, it's ridiculously heavy under Vista x64 SP1. I like metal so I can't stand shallow or weak bass.

I'd probably still have it as my primary board if the BX2 could have clocked my Q6600 G-0 over 3.5GHz and if it had SLi support. It could run my old E6600 @ 3.9GHz though. nVidia's new sandwich card coming out should breath new life into my BX2. I'll probably buy one for it.

I love its one click BIOS updates, and stability/reliability. Board has been a work horse and it's probably my favorite of all time when you consider the big picture.

[LoneWolf]

Just confirming with y'all (I know this is an old thread that keeps getting revived)...

My family overseas has an Intel D975XBX that is failing, apparently due to some power fluctuations in their local grid (they have since added a heavy-duty voltage regulator to cure this, but too late for now). I built it for them in an attempt to create a system to survive harsh climates (hot, humid, salt air) with limited technical support, so I built it with two 320GB drives in a RAID-1 mirror on the ICH-7R controller (optical drives are plain IDE).

I have the D975XBX2. Knowing it also has the ICH-7R, will their RAID-1 array upgrade seamlessly if they plug this board in? As much as I love my board, I'm looking at shipping it to them, and incrementally upgrading my system to a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P, the only board that looks like it will really meet my needs.

I'm 99% sure the answer is yes --but I have to be 100%. If I can't guarantee it, I'll buy a used D975XBX off of eBay, as this board is being shipped 2-3,000 miles and I can't afford to be wrong.

[LoneWolf]

Welp, I decided 99% was good enough, and ordered a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P to replace the BadAxe 2 in my system. As soon as I've rebuilt, I'll be shipping the BA2 overseas, along with some other "in case of emergency" parts.

End of an era. Hope the Gigabyte board is as good as everyone is saying it is.

[bull pull]

the ps2 connectors on my P5B Deluxe died yesterday, I'm sad, I loved that thing.. now i can get into the BIOS because I disabled legacy USB a long time ago... im screwed

[LoneWolf]

the ps2 connectors on my P5B Deluxe died yesterday, I'm sad, I loved that thing.. now i can get into the BIOS because I disabled legacy USB a long time ago... im screwed

If USB legacy is on by default, can't you just clear CMOS?

Many boards have USB legacy on until after POST, when the OS starts to load, so I'd still try. Our fleet of Dells at work will let you use USB to get into BIOS even when USB legacy is disabled. USB just won't work in a DOS environment once the board has POST-ed.

[LaMpiR]

Has anyone tried running E6*50 with latest bios versions with 4DIMMS...