BlackOps: Bios Issues

[InToGraphics]

I noticed this with P05 and G30 (my BlackOps current BIOS).
There is something strange with the names of the last 3 hard disks.

These are the names when the HD-controller is in IDE mode :
(These names are correct.)


But these are the names when the HD-controller is in either RAID or AHCI mode :
(From SCSI-3 it is a bit of mystery meat to determine which one is the second HD103UJ. If you want to move it to the top.)


While booting the correct names/sequence are shown :
(But it's difficult to select it at that stage.)



And while we're at it. How do I get rid off the "Press any key to continue ..." pause at the JMicron controller splash ?

Are the human readable GTL Ref voltages that were promised in this topic already in a public (beta) BIOS : BlackOps/Avenger: GTL Ref Table


Also it seems that none of the 1:4 CPU??? dividers works with 8GB RAM installed. Is this correct ?
1:4 CPU200 = OC recovery
1:4 CPU266 = Memory panick bleeps
1:4 CPU333 = OC recovery
1:4 CPU400 = Boots, but Memtest86+ v2.11 test #5 98% errors, Memtest86+ v2.11 test #8 instant errors, Vista will complain about hardware or software change : winload.exe (0xc0000221), 8GB@1780Mhz results in corrupted BIOS settings.

EDIT2: More about the 1:4 dividers over at OCZ : Help needed to stabilise 8gb OCZ3P20004GK on Foxconn BlackOps

Robert


Corrupted BIOS settings :

[Akrian]

Hey , could you share your complete bootable settings at 44x , I'm having a real hard time going up there with my Q9550 with no freezes
The funny thing is , that i've zoomed through your OCZ forum thread a while ago , and I can say one thing :
my system will freeze just like yours when :

The second column is almost stable. Because sometimes the system freezes. This can be a couple of minutes after logging in, or upto 10 hours after logging in.
I notice that it happens quite often when I open a folder with many photos or a render with CineBench.
Or when streaming a video from YouTube.

Exept I don't do CineBench.
I have only 4gb though of g-skill crap which can only run at 1:3.2. Did you manage to get stable with 4gb with anything more then 442 fsb ?

[InToGraphics]

Hi Akrian,

I dug up settings for 4GB from my OC Gear storage.
They are in the attachment. (All the way at the bottom of this reply.)
They should be stable because I bothered to save them to OC Gear.
But they are not tightened at all.
I never saved the tightened memory timings. I lost interest in OC for a while.
Look at them as a base.
You already know this of course, but use the trial version of Everest or MemSet to lookup the "Auto" values and enter them manually in your BIOS settings. Then start from there.

Watch your memory voltage!!!
Mine is rated as 1.9V, and I was already over.

If you want to discuss this further, PM me. I want to keep this one on topic.
Maybe, just maybe, someone from Foxconn will reply eventually. It's difficult to get replies from this forum.

My NB cooling is crap, that's why I could not take the FSB higher.

Also, with any of the four 1:4 dividers you are limited to a 500FSB with the BlackOps. 4x500FSB = 2000Mhz makes sense.
I think that I read it on this forum.

Robert

[ragingclue]

Also, with any of the four 1:4 dividers you are limited to a 500FSB with the BlackOps. 4x500FSB = 2000Mhz makes sense.
I think that I read it on this forum.

Robert

I think I saw a post around here yesterday where someone was running 2040 (510 fsb). Don't remember exactly where though. I know people have been stable over 500fsb on a 1:4 divider.

[InToGraphics]

I think I saw a post around here yesterday where someone was running 2040 (510 fsb). Don't remember exactly where though. I know people have been stable over 500fsb on a 1:4 divider.

I'm pretty sure that it was not with a Quad and 4GB or 8GB DDR3.

[ragingclue]

I'm pretty sure that it was not with a Quad and 4GB or 8GB DDR3.

Yes true.

[negev]

damn is that a CRT? i didn't think anyone used those anymore..

[InToGraphics]

damn is that a CRT? i didn't think anyone used those anymore..

Stop thinking then. Or rather : Start thinking then.

[InToGraphics]

Why is it so difficult to receive a reply from Foxconn staff to any of the topics I started ?

I bought the BlackOps in August 2008. I hope the warranty hasn't expired already.
This is supposed to be the Official Manufacturer Information & Support.
Or was it moved to another forum ?
What's up ?

Robert

[ragingclue]

Why is it so difficult to receive a reply from Foxconn staff to any of the topics I started ?


Robert

You don't own a BloodRage. And when the next big line of boards comes out, they will be SOL as well. It seems to be the pattern here. I've spent unbelievable amounts of time scouring existing threads here and it seems to be the best way to get information. Unfortunately, not everything has been covered.

As a former EVGA mobo proponent, I'm pretty surprised at the Foxconn support. I mean, they're nice and they know what they're talking about; they're good people. Howver, there are many issues and questions that simply fall into the void, many of them legitimate issues.... But I had been forewarned when looking into getting the BlackOps, so I can't blame anyone but myself. I'm actually a bit surprised by the lack of owners posting on here. Could the BlackOps really be that rare? It seems to be the most covered motherboard on here, but still there are only a handful of threads that are useful and/or helpful.

[InToGraphics]

Well, I'm already looking at other X48 boards.

I've had some bad warranty and support experiences with my previous motherboard manufacturer : Iwill. They were swallowed by Flextronics, which ended the 5 year warranty period of my DK8N motherboard instantly. After less than 2 years ownership!!! I was one of the first buyers of the board, had it on pre-order for months, and endured several lengthy delays before it was delivered. I lost 699 Euros for a Workstation board.
So I thought from now on, only lower priced. No more expensive Workstation "Class" promises promises.
This time I'm losing 275 Euros within 7 months. Which is an even higher loss, when multiplied by 3, to get near the 22 months before Iwill was gobbled up.
Lets call it inflation.
Flextronics (Iwill), Foxconn, the blacklist is growing.
Problem with Flextronics is they are such a huge company that it is very difficult NOT to buy a product manufactured by them.

Also at first my registration at these forums was rejected. I couldn't figure out why. And I contacted one of the admins about it. S/He only replied saying that my registration was not following board rules.
I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Dissapointment settled in and I lost interest.
An almost dead Quantum Force website, BIOS issues, unanswered questions and a refused registration at the "Official Manufacturer Information & Support" website. Good going!
I attempted a new registration a few months later when I was hitting a brick wall with overclocking and had noticed some BIOS issues. A colleague adviced me not to use my gmail address. And "whoopsy!" my registration was accepted.

But as we all know it was pointless. No "official" help and support.
I do not exist.

[InToGraphics]

Otis was spot on :

Sitting in the morning sun
I'll be sitting when the evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
And I watch 'em roll away again

Sitting on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
I'm just sitting on the dock of the bay
Wasting time

[Blizzie]

Well, I'm already looking at other X48 boards.

I've had some bad warranty and support experiences with my previous motherboard manufacturer : Iwill. They were swallowed by Flextronics, which ended the 5 year warranty period of my DK8N motherboard instantly. After less than 2 years ownership!!! I was one of the first buyers of the board, had it on pre-order for months, and endured several lengthy delays before it was delivered. I lost 699 Euros for a Workstation board.
So I thought from now on, only lower priced. No more expensive Workstation "Class" promises promises.
This time I'm losing 275 Euros within 7 months. Which is an even higher loss, when multiplied by 3, to get near the 22 months before Iwill was gobbled up.
Lets call it inflation.
Flextronics (Iwill), Foxconn, the blacklist is growing.
Problem with Flextronics is they are such a huge company that it is very difficult NOT to buy a product manufactured by them.

Also at first my registration at these forums was rejected. I couldn't figure out why. And I contacted one of the admins about it. S/He only replied saying that my registration was not following board rules.
I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Dissapointment settled in and I lost interest.
An almost dead Quantum Force website, BIOS issues, unanswered questions and a refused registration at the "Official Manufacturer Information & Support" website. Good going!
I attempted a new registration a few months later when I was hitting a brick wall with overclocking and had noticed some BIOS issues. A colleague adviced me not to use my gmail address. And "whoopsy!" my registration was accepted.

But as we all know it was pointless. No "official" help and support.
I do not exist.

I know how you feel. Buying this board is starting to become a mistake..

[Sailindawg]

I'm actually a bit surprised by the lack of owners posting on here. Could the BlackOps really be that rare?

It would seem that quite a few may have moved on to another board already. The OP is running 8G RAM. Very few have have tried to push this board with that much RAM. This board can clock well with 2x1 single sided RAM, but once one starts using 2x2G double sided, it's a whole new ball game. x48 chipset seems to be a constipated with anything over 4G RAM. So you're stuck with running a divider that may or may not run well at high FSB. I have found the 1.3 or 1.3.2 dividers good to 450 FSB with my quad, but only with 2x1G RAM. Forget 4x1G or 2x2G. Another thing holding things back may be the fact that very few here are water cooling the northbridge. x48 did seems to scale a bit with voltage, but one needs it to be water cooled. With my 2x2G kit, I was able to get a bit more performance out of it by increasing northbridge voltage. But I'm still air cooling the NB. I want to upgrade my water loop, but I have other priorities right now. What we are seeing are the drawbacks/deficiencies of x48 now x58 has arrived and running 6G is no problem with x58. We are also using the board as a 24/7 board, rather than a few times used uber FSB benching board under extreme cooling conditions.

And yes, I do believe that the BlackOps is not really a mainstream board, therefore I really don't think it's widely used. It would be interesting to see Foxconn's balance sheets on this board in regards to total volume sales and profitability since it's release.

[Blizzie]

It would seem that quite a few may have moved on to another board already. The OP is running 8G RAM. Very few have have tried to push this board with that much RAM. This board can clock well with 2x1 single sided RAM, but once one starts using 2x2G double sided, it's a whole new ball game. x48 chipset seems to be a constipated with anything over 4G RAM. So you're stuck with running a divider that may or may not run well at high FSB. I have found the 1.3 or 1.3.2 dividers good to 450 FSB with my quad, but only with 2x1G RAM. Forget 4x1G or 2x2G. Another thing holding things back may be the fact that very few here are water cooling the northbridge. x48 did seems to scale a bit with voltage, but one needs it to be water cooled. With my 2x2G kit, I was able to get a bit more performance out of it by increasing northbridge voltage. But I'm still air cooling the NB. I want to upgrade the water loop, but I have other priorities right now. What we are seeing are the drawbacks to x48 now x58 has arrived and running 6G is no problem with x58.

And yes, I do believe that the BlackOps is not really a mainstream board, therefore I really don't think it's widely used. It would be interesting to see Foxconn's balance sheets on this board in regards to total volume sales and profitability since it's release.

Going to give the board one last try when I go home for spring break.. if it fails to meet my satisfaction, then good bye to it. Why release a high end product if there's going to be no support for it?

[Sailindawg]

Why release a high end product if there's going to be no support for it?

I hear ya. One needs to really define their needs before they get this board. I'm not having an issue, but I'm also running a "dated" 65 nm cpu and running my RAM on a divider at the RAM's stock ratings, albeit, with much tighter timings than rated. I can be "satisfied" with this board at present because it's performing how I want it to. But I'm not very likely to upgrade my cpu anymore. Maybe I'll play with some more RAM, but the board will be run for about another year at present settings or slightly higher settings or until it starts choking on the few things I use it for or I get bored. I can squeeze out 3.9 Mhz out of the cpu without using ridiculous voltage. So, I'll run it for now.

[InToGraphics]

..... The OP is running 8G RAM. Very few have have tried to push this board with that much RAM. .....

Damn, someone noticed. Click the link in my signature, the one for OCZ DDR3. That's where my quest ended. For now that is.
Because I'm thinking of replacing the BlackOps.
But I need a board which will allow me to use 1:4 dividers with 8GB DDR3.
The quest continues. Sigh.

[Akrian]

Hmmm well I managed to stay at 440 =)))))) with some minor changes to your settings =) still thanks =) .
About RAM - 8gigs and 440+ fsb is really though to get on any mobo. Myabe you will have luck with EVGA's stuff though.
I found out that anything more then 440 - > reeaaaalllllyyyy unstable for me. Myabe it's 1:3.2 devider that I use . Because Voltages on NB CPU and RAM - no changes. Timings on RAM - no changes . But I'm happy with 440 ----> DDR3 1409 6-6-6-10 1T PL6 =) . = 10.5 k in EVEREST mem read

[Blizzie]

Hmmm well I managed to stay at 440 =)))))) with some minor changes to your settings =) still thanks =) .
About RAM - 8gigs and 440+ fsb is really though to get on any mobo. Myabe you will have luck with EVGA's stuff though.
I found out that anything more then 440 - > reeaaaalllllyyyy unstable for me. Myabe it's 1:3.2 devider that I use . Because Voltages on NB CPU and RAM - no changes. Timings on RAM - no changes . But I'm happy with 440 ----> DDR3 1409 6-6-6-10 1T PL6 =) . = 10.5 k in EVEREST mem read

The 790i doesn't like 8 GB of RAM either. Running 4 sticks will limit your CPU overclock.

[Wotcher]

x48 chipset seems to be a constipated with anything over 4G RAM. So you're stuck with running a divider that may or may not run well at high FSB. I have found the 1.3 or 1.3.2 dividers good to 450 FSB with my quad, but only with 2x1G RAM. Forget 4x1G or 2x2G.

I find this interesting, I had no problems running 4*1GB of 1333MHz memory at 500MHz FSB but I am having a hell of a time with 2*2GB 1600MHz, underclock it to 1333MHz and it is fine, I postulate that the Black Ops X48 has an inherent issue addressing memory above 1333MHz in quantities greater than 2 (3?) GB at high FSB settings?

I have recently aquired a second E8600 which I will trial in an Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @N with both sets of memory modules which should provide an interesting comparison.

[InToGraphics]

Hmmm well I managed to stay at 440 =)))))) with some minor changes to your settings =) still thanks =) .
About RAM - 8gigs and 440+ fsb is really though to get on any mobo. Myabe you will have luck with EVGA's stuff though.
I found out that anything more then 440 - > reeaaaalllllyyyy unstable for me. Myabe it's 1:3.2 devider that I use . Because Voltages on NB CPU and RAM - no changes. Timings on RAM - no changes . But I'm happy with 440 ----> DDR3 1409 6-6-6-10 1T PL6 =) . = 10.5 k in EVEREST mem read

I would say forget the extra 5MHz FSB, it's not worth it.
You can check the memory bandwidth "difference" between 440 and 445 with Memtest86+ v2.11 when Windows isn't stable at 445MHz. It's not worth the 40MB/s (maybe 60MB/s in Everest) or so.
Still having said that, on the mem bandwith you are still doing better than I am . PL8 is spoiling my party. Anything lower results in OC recovery.
My results 445FSB Q9550@3785MHz 8GB@1425 1:3.2 divider :
Everest mem read
Everest mem write
Everest mem copy
Everest mem latency

What sticks do you have ? 4x1GB or 2x2GB ? Asking because I had no problems at all with the 1:4 CPU333 divider and 2x2GB sticks.
Your sticks do not spark with any 1:4 divider ?
Also check the 2 links I posted here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...51&postcount=7.
There are some FSB ranges per divider tables. It's for 2x1GB, but maybe you get an idea.

The 790i doesn't like 8 GB of RAM either. Running 4 sticks will limit your CPU overclock.

You must be right. Received a similar warning from OCZ staff : "Don't sacrifice too much CPU speed though just to have a higher number in memtest.". Yeah and many memory chips.

I find this interesting, I had no problems running 4*1GB of 1333MHz memory at 500MHz FSB but I am having a hell of a time with 2*2GB 1600MHz, underclock it to 1333MHz and it is fine, I postulate that the Black Ops X48 has an inherent issue addressing memory above 1333MHz in quantities greater than 2 (3?) GB at high FSB settings?

I have recently aquired a second E8600 which I will trial in an Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @N with both sets of memory modules which should provide an interesting comparison.

1GB sticks are single rank (one side has mem chips), 2GB sticks are double rank (both sides have mem chips). Meaning twice as many chips to manage for the memory controller.
4 x 2GB sticks should earn the memory controller the title of hardest working employee of the year.
Still I think that tuning speciality/performance boards for 8GB@1500Mhz-1600Mhz at 1:3.2 or 1:4 should have been done by all manufacturers.
Show your potential by releasing it.

[ragingclue]

Notice the support in the BloodRage threads and the BlackOps threads are left to rot....

This board's going in the garbage. I can't believe I wasted money on it. Maybe I'll give it to a homeless person or something. Maybe they can get some support. I wish I would have figured all this out within the first 30 days instead of a month and a half. I have no one to blame but myself.

BloodRage has a P06 BIOS. And we still don't have an official BIOS to fix basic and glaring bugs still left by our fifth. If I had a Dreadnought, I would expect little to no support whatsoever. But we bought RETAIL boards which should come with retail support. I will never buy a Foxconn again, and they will never go in my customer's boxes from this point on, either. It's only 20 boards per year, but I'm sure I'm not the only customer walking away from the brand because of this.

In the NewEgg description of this item, it does state you can run "up to 8GB of RAM at 1600MHz." Sounds like there could be issues with the legality of the statement if it's completely not possible at all.... Not to mention the fact they say it supports CrossfireX when, officially, it does not....

Shady stuff, Foxcon.... Very shady....

[Blizzie]

I'm about to give it a go on overclocking.. Stay tuned for my thread.
I have 2x2 GB 1600 MHz Corsair RAM.

Where is the Foxconn support team.. this is their "official" forum, no?

[ragingclue]

I'm about to give it a go on overclocking.. Stay tuned for my thread.
I have 2x2 GB 1600 MHz Corsair RAM.

Where is the Foxconn support team.. this is their "official" forum, no?

We're left to fend for ourselves and help each other out.

There is no more support from Quantum Force for the BlackOps.

I would recommend reading through every thread on the BlackOps, and bookmarking the ones you find to be valuable for quick reference purposes. However, if you have an issue come up that has not yet been covered, I'm sorry to say you're probably S.O.L.

[Akrian]

I would say forget the extra 5MHz FSB, it's not worth it.
You can check the memory bandwidth "difference" between 440 and 445 with Memtest86+ v2.11 when Windows isn't stable at 445MHz. It's not worth the 40MB/s (maybe 60MB/s in Everest) or so.
Still having said that, on the mem bandwith you are still doing better than I am . PL8 is spoiling my party. Anything lower results in OC recovery.
My results 445FSB Q9550@3785MHz 8GB@1425 1:3.2 divider :
Everest mem read
Everest mem write
Everest mem copy
Everest mem latency

What sticks do you have ? 4x1GB or 2x2GB ? Asking because I had no problems at all with the 1:4 CPU333 divider and 2x2GB sticks.
Your sticks do not spark with any 1:4 divider ?
Also check the 2 links I posted here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...51&postcount=7.
There are some FSB ranges per divider tables. It's for 2x1GB, but maybe you get an idea.

I have G-skill 2x2 gb sticks rated as ddr3 1600 7-7-7-18 2T PL7 =) . Well the only 1:4 devider I can use -> 1:40 CPU400 other lead to incredebly loud beeped sound. And they arent stable at anything about 1700 with 8-8-8-18 2t timings which is slower then my current setting , so I've devided to go with tighter timings , lower speed , better performance =) .
P.S. sorry for my broken english , it's my second language and I had hard time finind the way to my bed for quite a while =)