Gigabyte DS3 3.3 thread

[redrol]

A couple days ago I got a DS3 which turned out to be a version 3.3. About 3 months ago I purchased a version 1 DS3 and a 6300 and overclocked to 3.2ghz no problem.

The new DS3 3.3 is *much* different than the version 1. For one thing it has 6 phase power regulation vs (this is from memory) 3 for the version 1 DS3. Huge difference there. The 3.3 is marketed as being QUAD core compatible all over the box so I figure that is where the extra 3 regulators come from.

The larger problem with version 3.3 is overclocking. Basically settings that worked for version 1 don't work the same on 3.3

Things I have noticed:

1. Vdroop, 3.3 has vdroop more like the ASUS p5b (deluxe), so if I set 1.375v in bios, cpu-z reports ~1.33v. DS3 version 1 had no perceptable vdroop.

2. PCI 1x issue (just like ASUS p5b). You have to set the northbridge up a voltage notch to get PCI 16x.

3. Overall bios wierdness. All kinds of wierd including non boots, half boots, double boots. Thing is once you are booted, it will stay up as long as you have the power on.

4. Power savings/sleep/resume. So far I have not gotten reliable S3 sleep working when overclocked. This sucks and is annoying. I use Vista though, which is different than when I had the version 1 I used XP. Bottom line is that so far it isn't working well.

5. Possible RAM destroyer. This is not different than version 1 but no , both of these boards killed one of two Corsair XMS Twin2x 5,5,5,18 1.9v DDR2 800. I am not a :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana: though, it could easily be that Corsair has had some bad batches of this RAM. Either way the replacements work %100 and overclocked quite a lot.

6. Northbridge heat sink is different. I don't have a picture but it is roughly the same size but has more fins. Either way the northbridge on the DS3 runs HOT. Definitely add a fan if you can.

7. Limited to bios f10. Version 3.3 simply has no other bioses available. I feel that a lot of these issues can and will be taken care of with a couple BIOS updates, still its annoying that after all the work done on version 1, 3.3 seems like a completely new board.

8. I am able to overclock at least as well as the version 1 board. It just takes more screwing around in the BIOS. Bottom line is once you are booted, this board is ROCK stable.


Feel free to add your observations. I feel the DS3 3.3 is a great board and it is different enough to warrant its own thread.

[jacky89]

I was playing around with my v3.3 board and realized that it is much slower if overclocking in bios compared to overclocking within windows. I spent the entire freaking day testing this and am certain that if I set the fsb to stock in bios and boot up to windows and o/c using Setfsb or Easytune5, I get way higher benchmarks. I use Everest Ultimate edition for benchmarking. It is a very nifty utility. Also I noticed Oblivion plays a bit smoother when I overclock within Windows eventhough the fsb is the same.

[joking]

My v3.3 using F10 running 2.8ghz stable at vcore 1.4, anything lower will become unstable, i.e: reboot after run orthos over an hour. Under full load vcore shows 1.36 in cpuz. I've tried all the combination but still can get it run stable at 400 fsb with vcore < 1.4

I've tried oc at 430 fsb but it gives me BSOD even at 1.5 vcore so I back down to 400 fsb. Still trying to find way to get it stable with less than 1.4 vcore.

[ahmad]

2. PCI 1x issue (just like ASUS p5b). You have to set the northbridge up a voltage notch to get PCI 16x.

How did you determine that?

3. Overall bios wierdness. All kinds of wierd including non boots, half boots, double boots. Thing is once you are booted, it will stay up as long as you have the power on.

4. Power savings/sleep/resume. So far I have not gotten reliable S3 sleep working when overclocked. This sucks and is annoying. I use Vista though, which is different than when I had the version 1 I used XP. Bottom line is that so far it isn't working well.

This is related to cold boot issues. I have them at 438 fsb.

[crspyjohn]

All the issues he has listed I had problems with my ds3. My ram died when I used the 3.3 for a week. PCI-E didn't work as 16x has to do +1 mch. Also noticed vdroop. Boot issues. perfer my 1

im selling my baord once it gets back from RMA. replacing with a better asus i think.

[Daveb2012]

mine is getting RMA'd also, I'm debating on selling it or not. It also killed a good set of memory at stock volts with a powerfully 120mm fan blowing over them at all times.

[redrol]

ouch fellas, bad Gigabyte!

[[XC]thewildblue]

I have problems with the ram voltage locking out in the BIOS after I adjust it to say +0.2, the BIOS just greys it out and I have to reset the BIOS or change with easytune. I couldnt get the board to boot with my x800xt, yet my 1600xt works fine. I wonder if thats becuase of the pcix 1 issue mentioned above. I will test that at some stage I think.

[Daveb2012]

I have problems with the ram voltage locking out in the BIOS after I adjust it to say +0.2, the BIOS just greys it out and I have to reset the BIOS or change with easytune. I couldnt get the board to boot with my x800xt, yet my 1600xt works fine. I wonder if thats becuase of the pcix 1 issue mentioned above. I will test that at some stage I think.

what type of memory are you using? on a pair of patriot ep sticks I could go as high as I wanted with voltage. But I tried a single stick by PNY during an RMA and I couldn't even use +1 voltage with out it crashing then not posting until a bios reset.

[ahmad]

I have problems with the ram voltage locking out in the BIOS after I adjust it to say +0.2, the BIOS just greys it out and I have to reset the BIOS or change with easytune. I couldnt get the board to boot with my x800xt, yet my 1600xt works fine. I wonder if thats becuase of the pcix 1 issue mentioned above. I will test that at some stage I think.

If you OC the FSB you might need to move PCI-E freq. upto 105MHz+. It should be fine at least until 110MHz.

I have to run it at 103Mhz+ or sometimes my x1900 won't go (computer boots, but no video). But it ALWAYS works when I up PCI-E freq.

[crspyjohn]

Anyone esle facing this issue?

[Death^Dread]

Mine only has weird boot issues with a bad OC. Hasn't killed my memory. The NB runs cool as frick once you put any kind of half-arse fan on it. i have a tiny low rpm fan taped to it and it's cool to the touch.

I wouldn't trust CPU-z voltage readings. It would be nice, however, if someone could provide a location to measure the vcore (readies multimeter) and possibly even a vdroop mod.
If the CPU-z voltage is right, then I could hit 3.05 GHz with about 1.28 vcore hehehe, and my current OC still isn't at stock vcore (CPU-z reports 1.3625v set in BIOS as 1.312v, but again, I'm not sure how much I trust that).

[crspyjohn]

How long have you had the board? My video card and ram died a week after i got the board.

[l393ndz]

Wuz up guys ^^... First of all, i hope im not thread jacking (& if i am, i apologize) I've looked @ a lot of threads & this 1 seemed appropriate ^^. Well, i got my ds3 rev 3.3 a few days ago & just recently mess wid it. To my dismay, my rig DID NOT BOOT. It runs 2-3 seconds & stops.. then repeats the same cycle again. Been doing all the research i can & only thing i can come up wid is my ram. - GSKILL DDR2 800 (same one newegg is selling for 129.99). Hope you mobo experts can help out.
Rest of my system specs- SEASONIC 600W (pulled from my older s939 rig), Turtle beach soundcard, evga 7600gt, & xp 90 heatsink w/ s775 adpater.

[CpuMan]

Wuz up guys ^^... First of all, i hope im not thread jacking (& if i am, i apologize) I've looked @ a lot of threads & this 1 seemed appropriate ^^. Well, i got my ds3 rev 3.3 a few days ago & just recently mess wid it. To my dismay, my rig DID NOT BOOT. It runs 2-3 seconds & stops.. then repeats the same cycle again. Been doing all the research i can & only thing i can come up wid is my ram. - GSKILL DDR2 800 (same one newegg is selling for 129.99). Hope you mobo experts can help out.
Rest of my system specs- SEASONIC 600W (pulled from my older s939 rig), Turtle beach soundcard, evga 7600gt, & xp 90 heatsink w/ s775 adpater.

I have almost the exact same setup as you have, although you did not say what cpu you are using. I do have the exact same board and ram as you, and have had no problems at all with G.skill on the ds3.

If you can, try and test the memory on another system just to be sure you did not get a bad stick. Also try reseting the cpu in the motherboard socket just encase one of the pins is not seated correctly to the cpu. Other then that you can double check all your cables and wiring.

Hope you find the problem.

[trans am]

ANyone with a p5b dlx and a ds3 3.3? how do they compare?

[crspyjohn]

op are you still using your ds3? Do you recommend using my when the rma comes?

[l393ndz]

I have almost the exact same setup as you have, although you did not say what cpu you are using. I do have the exact same board and ram as you, and have had no problems at all with G.skill on the ds3.

If you can, try and test the memory on another system just to be sure you did not get a bad stick. Also try reseting the cpu in the motherboard socket just encase one of the pins is not seated correctly to the cpu. Other then that you can double check all your cables and wiring.

Hope you find the problem.

welps, thx for the reply but i've already tried numerious things. I.E. reseating cpu ( e4300 btw ^^), double checking ALL POWER CONNECTORS are securely in place, trying out 1 stick over the other in ALL RAM SLOTS, booting w/o ram, booting w/ only ram + cpu + vid card..... I've even called CLUBIT tech support... no help either . I cant test out my sticks either cuz my current system is a s939 which uses DDR 1, not DDR2. So, ive decided to rma this board by tomorrow. Gawd, im so . This is my 1st Gigabyte in years & bloody hell, i get crap. I've not decided yet wether to get a replacement or rather an Asus board w/in the same price range. I'd appreciate more advice pls ^^.

OH yeah, forgot to mention but, I tried the 1333 mod wid my cpu... & it didnt seem to work... or rather, i didnt know if it even worked cuz my board didnt even boot. So, i dont know if i shorted sumptin or wut but i did take off the defogger repair fluid off & seated in the cpu back, & well, the board still didnt boot. The 1st time this crap happened, i check my board carefully for any burn marks, including smelling for anything burnt but found nothing. Pls help !!

[Death^Dread]

the symptoms you describe sound like what happens when I try to boot with a bad OC.

P.S. Can anyone find info on where to measure vcore on the DS3 rev 3.3 and anything about a vdroop mod?

[l393ndz]

the symptoms you describe sound like what happens when I try to boot with a bad OC.

lol.... ANY solutions tho? Just simply stating that its a "BAD OC" w/o posting any possible fixes is like telling me, "YOU'RE SO FUXORED like what happened to me.. TOO BAD " Anyways, wether or not my prob is indeed a bad oc seems irrelevant cuz even after i removed the WINDOW DEFOGGER SOLUTION off my e4300 processor (attempted 1333 strap mod) & put back my cpu, my board still doesn't post. Again... I've tried numerous 'fixes' & to no avail is my board any better than it was before i got the problem. Pls. more HELPFUL advice w/ DETAILS would be greatly appreciated. ^^
BTW, for any1 curious... i did check for any burnt components after my board refused to post when i initially tried to boot w/ my e4300 (1333 strap modded) & found nothing burnt

[redrol]

op are you still using your ds3? Do you recommend using my when the rma comes?

So far Im enjoying the ds3 3.3. I am 99.9% stable at 3100mhz and 433mhz FSB. The .1% remaining is s3 sleep. Its hard to complain about that however I got a crappy 6600. The DS3 3.3 itself isnt bad at all.

[badhabit]

I have a Rev 1 DS3 with an E6400 and now a Rev 3.3 DS3 with an E6300, but surprisingly I'm having more troubles with the 3.3 board. The most it wants to do is 433 FSB (at 1.4v, which I blame on my chip), after which it becomes very unstable and unresponsive to vcore and MCH increases. Even 1.5v+ vcore and +0.3v MCH don't help it stabilize at 450, and toying around with things like PCI-E frequency and voltage or FSB voltage haven't helped at all. Shooting for 500 FSB failed even worse, requiring me to clear the CMOS using the jumper.

The RAM (2x512 Ballistix Tracer) has no problem running at 1066 MHz on 2.2v, so I know the issue isn't memory related. Aside from the settings I listed, anyone who's worked with this board knows even the "extended" BIOS settings are pretty limited. Either I have a CPU that refuses to pass 3.03 GHz with as much as 1.55v (I refuse to believe that) or this board has only gotten screwier since its first version. Just waiting on Infinity P965 to hold me over until P35, I guess.

[sparkY1000]

I have a DS3 v3.3 board and its perfect! No funny reboots, no RAM killing its completely stable
I havent played with any other conroe boards so I cant compare it to anything but in my opinion its a cracking little board for the money!
Vdroop would be my only concern but after attempting the Vdroop mod on my version 1 board and killing it I dont fancy attacking this one with a soldering iron just yet lol!

[joking]

Wuz up guys ^^... First of all, i hope im not thread jacking (& if i am, i apologize) I've looked @ a lot of threads & this 1 seemed appropriate ^^. Well, i got my ds3 rev 3.3 a few days ago & just recently mess wid it. To my dismay, my rig DID NOT BOOT. It runs 2-3 seconds & stops.. then repeats the same cycle again. Been doing all the research i can & only thing i can come up wid is my ram. - GSKILL DDR2 800 (same one newegg is selling for 129.99). Hope you mobo experts can help out.
Rest of my system specs- SEASONIC 600W (pulled from my older s939 rig), Turtle beach soundcard, evga 7600gt, & xp 90 heatsink w/ s775 adpater.

Here is what I did before I rma when my ds3 rev3.3 died, you can try it if you want to

_ Remove the power and use the jumper to clear the cmos for 10 mins.

If it doesn't fix then you can try this weird solution, well for me.

_ Only remove the heatsink and cpu, leave all other hardware connect (hdd, video card, ram, dvd/cd drive, etc). Connect the power and boot up wait until you hear the beeps or 5 seconds. Turn off and remove the power wait 5 mins. Install cpu and hs back and see if your computer boot up.

Hope this help.

[Donnie27]

welps, thx for the reply but i've already tried numerious things. I.E. reseating cpu ( e4300 btw ^^), double checking ALL POWER CONNECTORS are securely in place, trying out 1 stick over the other in ALL RAM SLOTS, booting w/o ram, booting w/ only ram + cpu + vid card..... I've even called CLUBIT tech support... no help either . I cant test out my sticks either cuz my current system is a s939 which uses DDR 1, not DDR2. So, ive decided to rma this board by tomorrow. Gawd, im so . This is my 1st Gigabyte in years & bloody hell, i get crap. I've not decided yet wether to get a replacement or rather an Asus board w/in the same price range. I'd appreciate more advice pls ^^.

OH yeah, forgot to mention but, I tried the 1333 mod wid my cpu... & it didnt seem to work... or rather, i didnt know if it even worked cuz my board didnt even boot. So, i dont know if i shorted sumptin or wut but i did take off the defogger repair fluid off & seated in the cpu back, & well, the board still didnt boot. The 1st time this crap happened, i check my board carefully for any burn marks, including smelling for anything burnt but found nothing. Pls help !!

Have you tried using just one stick of Cheaper lower voltage RAM? I had to do this to get mine running. You install the cheap RAN, get into the BIOS, increase the voltage, save, shut down and then reinstall your current RAM. The default voltage for the RAM is 1.8v, most RAM needs more than that. My first set of GSKill was a joke

Clearing the CMOS shouldn't take more than 12 seconds.