Happy Birthday, Blackops. Your thoughts, a year later..

[XmikeX]

It's been one year (+ a few days) since the official release of Blackops. I realize that in computime this is already an eternity, and many who have used this motherboard have moved on. However, for the purposes of charting the relevant lifetime of a modern mobo, I'd like to hear some thoughts and comments about this product now, 1 year later. Did it meet or not meet your expectations? What predictions about it came true, and which did not? Any praises or complaints? Please, do tell.

XmX

[Akrian]

my only thought now : how to get my self past 442 fsb wall =)

[XmikeX]

my only thought now : how to get my self past 442 fsb wall =)

Nice

BTW, I wasn't satisfied with the temps my Q9650 was spitting out. So I decided to go back down to 444 again..and this time, with minimum possible Vcore/VTT/GTLs.

Well, Vcore and VTT had to stay pat, but GTLs i was able to get windows-stable +8 +5 +8 +8 ..and +5 on NB.

Is it prime95 stable?

No idea, but right now (as far as Real Temp is concerned) i'm about 4 C cooler per core (at idle) compared to 445 (+12 +6 +12 +12 +6)..

XmX

[EvoCarlos]

yay is it really one year omg
shame i never use due to the black ops never doing what i tell it
cant even do 500fsb with a e8600
back to the commando

[Akrian]

Ok so for the time being I'm going back to AMD camp, rebuilding my second rig...again ( this time Phenom II 955 will be on my side heh + after a month or so a new Gygabite mobo ^_____^ not that old M3A32 asus crap I have).
Anyway I've heard that in 2010 Intel will release 6 core CPU's for normal systmes and that they will be able to work in 1366 socket , and that they will have HT that will make another 6 virtual cores , now THAT what I call awsome , and that will be my base for the next rig. Hopefully Foxconn will work out all their past mistakes and make a kick ass Mobo for those monsters =)

[Sailindawg]

Nice

BTW, I wasn't satisfied with the temps my Q9650 was spitting out. So I decided to go back down to 444 again..and this time, with minimum possible Vcore/VTT/GTLs.

Well, Vcore and VTT had to stay pat, but GTLs i was able to get windows-stable +8 +5 +8 +8 ..and +5 on NB.

Is it prime95 stable?

No idea, but right now (as far as Real Temp is concerned) i'm about 4 C cooler per core (at idle) compared to 445 (+12 +6 +12 +12 +6)..

XmX

Not to hijack this thread, but I have seen the same behaviour with my Q6600 regarding temp. When stable overclock, the cores run cooler, when unstable, the cores run hotter. Keep at it XmikeX, you are on the right path. Also keep in mind, this board runs best on the 1:3.2 divider.

Overall, my impresions on the board after running it for the past 8 months, I have gotten out of it what I wanted. I'm able to run my Q6600 GO at a very reasonable 24/7 OC, my max OC is 4 GHz.

The 1:3.2 divider works well, however, the board needs a 1:1 divider. Auto stinks and doesn't work. The straps are hit or miss. However, the straps on other boards were not a guaranteed thing on P45 or x38. The board seems to have been really tweaked for the 1:3.2 divider. Saaya has alluded to this in past posts.

My 1600 OCZ plats can run on the 333 strap @1648-1700, but the best I can get is 8,8,8,24 timings, despite being rated for 7,6,6,18 at 1600 fsb. Maybe it's a hole in the divider for 417 fsb. I'm running the 1600's on the 1:3.2 divider @ 6,5,5,18 @ 1335 and the rig runs very well. Games run very quick. Overall, I have found a lower memory fsb and tight timings best for gaming.

I don't run raid or use ATI vid cards. My BOPs has been quad friendly, a stable 24/7 board. I probably will never use LN2, but I will push the board with water cooling to get the last bit of performance out of it. Funds are short, so I'll have this rig for a while. Performance wise / overclocking wise, it's not that far off from i7. I'd like to see the price of the 9650 or the xeon's start dropping because of i7. Maybe one more cpu for this board. However, AMD is starting to make a comeback with the Phenom II. For about the cost of an Intel cpu, I can get a board & cpu and play with that. Performance wise, Phenom II is starting to knock on the door.

It's too bad Quantum Force has imploded. Foxconn showed some potential here. I would find it entirely ironic if Foxconn was manufacturing EVGA's Classified board. At one time, Foxconn was making EVGA's AMD boards.

[XmikeX]

Overall, my impresions on the board after running it for the past 8 months, I have gotten out of it what I wanted. I'm able to run my Q6600 GO at a very reasonable 24/7 OC, my max OC is 4 GHz.

The 1:3.2 divider works well, however, the board needs a 1:1 divider. Auto stinks and doesn't work. The straps are hit or miss. However, the straps on other boards were not a guaranteed thing on P45 or x38. The board seems to have been really tweaked for the 1:3.2 divider. Saaya has alluded to this in past posts.

[...]

I don't run raid or use ATI vid cards. My BOPs has been quad friendly, a stable 24/7 board. I probably will never use LN2, but I will push the board with water cooling to get the last bit of performance out of it. Funds are short, so I'll have this rig for a while. Performance wise / overclocking wise, it's not that far off from i7. I'd like to see the price of the 9650 or the xeon's start dropping because of i7. Maybe one more cpu for this board.

[...]

It's too bad Quantum Force has imploded. Foxconn showed some potential here. I would find it entirely ironic if Foxconn was manufacturing EVGA's Classified board. At one time, Foxconn was making EVGA's AMD boards.

333 strap is what's working for me right now. Not much luck on the 1:3.2 so far. Also, as I work out this newer cooler GTL config, I think I've noticed significant improvements in stability by raising SB volts a little. I could be hallucinating on that but a quick scan of XS reveals an interesting post about SB and PLL's .. post #38 as seen on this thread..

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...=179757&page=2

About funds and Quantum Force .. The Foxconn people have far better data than we do, but it seems to me that there are still plenty of nuts willing to spend for the latest and greatest new shiny toy, even with all this economic noise all about.

So why get rid of QF? Things -should- improve as long as women give birth to more gamers and oc'ers.

Where's the fire, ambition, and fight in Foxconn? If these are gone, it's time to go back to being ye olde 1974_AD Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (serving only Taiwan) and forget ever being Foxconn (serving the World).

XmX

[Chris_redfield]

Jeez its been a year already?

I suppose its about time I stopped fannying around with AMD and treated myself to a new Intel motherboard

I have had a lot of fun OC'ing with this board. I've never got to try a quad on it though which is a bit of a shame but the rig I've been using it in has always been gaming orientated, and all the Intel CPU's I can get my hands on (my brothers, my own older ones,) are duo's.

As already outlined most of my success came with the 1:3.2 strap though I haven't had much stable success past 4.4GHz (mainly because I'm an idiot and always manage to buy the wrong RAM, and if I do get a good kit I become like Icarus, fly to close to the sun and burn up the kit.)

I've been running the board in a 24/7 rig for most of the time that I had it and apart from a strange technological belch somewhere in the middle of owning it where it would randomly freeze and give off the most god awful of electrical sounds its been fine.

[Sailindawg]

apart from a strange technological belch somewhere in the middle of owning it where it would randomly freeze and give off the most god awful of electrical sounds its been fine.

OOOOhhhhhh........I've experienced that one, only with unstable memory timings though.........I have had some pretty good crashes. Overclock recovery works like a charm. I have enjoyed working this board because of the way it can recover from bad timings. Just remember, press the reset & power buttons together top force OC recovery!