Asus A8N32-SLI initial impression....WOW!

[craig588]

Yes it can.

You should do a 3.3=Vdimm mod and if you have a dual core CPU you should do a Vcore mod.

[cronic]

wouldn't it be better to say if you have a dual core that likes more than 1.58v you should do the vcore mod. i have a dc 3800x2 with no mod at 1.52v and it is fine.

[bullit]

Cronic ,fortunately you have a good chip because mine(rma) usualy gave 2750 but with 1.6 and fried.

[SVTSnake]

i know this sounds crazy but my friend actually FRIED a brand new X2 4400 on this mobo when he was installing windows. He doesnt even know what happened the computer reset and then his chip was dead. i tested it in my system and i have a A8n32 as well and the chip is definetely dead. could have been a bad chip i guess.

he was using an older thermaltake psu with a 20-24 pin adapter.

I don't think it sounds crazy! Fried a perfectly good Opty 175 last night in this board. I am using an PC Power & Cooling 850 SLI power supply that is 24 pin native. I did notice as Craig the chokes and surrounding mofsets got VERY hot.

I tested the 175 today in my other system and she is dead! Also tried it in my Expert before reverting back to my 4400+ and no go!

[MAXIMILIAN]

well i have been considering either the opteron 165 opteron 275, or the athlon 64 fx 57, the 165 is 400$ and the other two are 1000$ but people have been telling me that with my watercooling loop I could get the 165 to outperform the other two. can anyone verify this for me?

[craig588]

I using some random crap power supply that I've thrown together from 3 other power supplies. (Sure it can put out about 1000 watts, but it's not any real brand name or anything)

This board does run very hot though, people should be sinking everything as soon as they get this board. If you do the 3.3 = Vdimm mod the memory regulators turn off so they stay cold and don't need any sinks.

[HKPolice]

Craig, I don't think the 3.3v rail = vdimm mod is a viable option because most people would want to use 2GB and this board limits 4x512MB UTT to 100Mhz memory divider.

I was still getting warm boot issues with 166Mhz memory divider, forcing the ram to run at 229Mhz which should be able to post even at 2.5v or whatever the regulators are giving it.

To the people who fried their CPUs, I think it's because of overheating mosfets. The first thing I did when I got the board was pop off the heatpipe. There was NO thermal grease on the mosfets, only some crappy grey thermal pad which insulates more than anything. Dab on some AS5 and you'll be good to go. My chokes never get hot.

[craig588]

Yeah, that's another issue. Mine was annoying to get off, someone at Asus had the idea to cover the pins with hot glue and the glue embedded itself on the pin in such a way that it's impossible to squish down the sides of the pin to pop it out. I needed to cut them off and replace them.

[HKPolice]

What 2GB kit were you using with the 3.3v=vdimm mod? I don't know of any that likes more than 2.9v

[MAXIMILIAN]

hmm, when i get my mobo i think il need to pm you to do the mod with thermal grease.

Also anyone know the answer to the question i posed in my last post?

Thanks gents
-Maximilian

[craig588]

I wasn't I'm using 2x512MB of BH5. I'm going to continue using BH5 untill DDR2. I'm convinced there isn't anything that can beat it in the life DDR1 has left.

I meant that anyone that's using 2GB of memory might need more wires because mine was already getting slightly warm.

[specofdust]

This is just a stupid question from a newby, but, couldn't you just use a better/higher capacity wire?

[craig588]

I don't feel like doing that, but yeah that's the easier way if it was done in the first place. I'm using the stock 16-14 gauge wire that's coming out of the PSU.

[jinu117]

I don't feel like doing that, but yeah that's the easier way if it was done in the first place. I'm using the stock 16-14 gauge wire that's coming out of the PSU.

Wow... that 16-14 gauge wire shouldn't really get that warm... But than not sure what you are really running there for memory :P
Awesome job Craig on finding out this v-mods. I really appreciate this pioneering type of activity and your willingness to share knowledge

[craig588]

I think I just killed my board. I did the VTT in parallel mod and now it doesn't boot up. That's not what I think killed it though, while I was working I moved my hand into the heatpipe cooler and it got tilted. After it didn't boot up I checked under it and the NB is chipped.

Time for something else, I guess.

[jinu117]

I think I just killed my board. I did the VTT in parallel mod and now it doesn't boot up. That's not what I think killed it though, while I was working I moved my hand into the heatpipe cooler and it got tilted. After it didn't boot up I checked under it and the NB is chipped.

Time for something else, I guess.

Awww and you were flying with it... -_-; How does Asus CF mobo sound to you? have one here now but no spare CPU really to test until I am done with my opty burning in on A8N32. My son stepped on brand new 3200+ venice yesterday and it is irreparable really... -_- (that was spare cpu I got 2 days ago to play with while burning in opty...-_-)

[craig588]

Send me photos and I'll ask you for numbers on the chips. I'll ask you for resistance values and I'll send you the mods.

I don't have the money to buy another board right now so I'd have to mod it remotely like that.

[MAXIMILIAN]

ok so just to clarify, the new asus sli mobos(with modding) are better in almost all aspects including oc'ing and can fit dual 7800gtx 512's with waterblocks?

Thanks again
-Maximilian

[situman]

Craig, did you even have the board for a week yet? Chipping the NB is a tough way to lose a board like that.

[craig588]

Nope, I didn't.

The crappy heatpipe is worthless. It just makes it really easy to dump alot of torque onto something. They definatly were not transferring heat, the little blocks were hot and the pipes were only mildly warm. I'm still opposed to the idea of them and have been from the beginning.

[MAXIMILIAN]

Is this refering to the asus A8N 32? and what exactally happened?

[specofdust]

It is, and he chipped his northbridge by tilting his heatpipe cooler accidentally while doing a voltmod. Don't really get that much more exact then that :|

[MAXIMILIAN]

sheety thaqts no good
I noticed that he started a new threa asking about a new sli mobo and the one recomendd is not out yet, Is it worth waiting or should i get DFi or asus

[Jailer]

I'm with craig588 concerning the heatpipe. Take it off and look at the blocks where the pipes are. They are squashed down and crammed in with some thermal past around it. Very poor design. Good idea, poor execution.

I'll post picks as soon as my coolers get here and I take the heatpipe back off so you can see what I mean. It's going in a Lian Li V2000 so I had no choice but to replace it. Unfortunately the spacing of the mounting holes and proximity of the video card limits your choice in a cooling solution.

[MAXIMILIAN]

oh i am going for the exact same case, wil this mobo fit?