[First Look] DFI 680i LT NF-680i LT SLI (56K Warning~~~)

[MikeMK]

i've found a new standard in stability testing ... its name is SUPREME COMMANDER and let me tell you this game will expose any faults in your clocking. all at once it tests cores, memory, NB, graphics, and audio all wrapped into one tight little package.

i had a clocking recently that proved OCCT stable 1hr test... it crashed within 1 minute of supcom play.

not only that it makes testing fun... although crashes can be annoying so remember to save often. prime blend is still the way to go for initial testing but the final proof is from supcom LOL

it won't show max temps for your OC though... it stresses one core very vigorously and 2 more cores provide audio and AI logic for your opponents... great way to test !!

Yes, i found this exact same thing benching my X6800 on the IN9. Thought i had it all buttoned down, couple of hrs Orthos stable @ 3.9ghz. Got bored with waiting for it to run and decided to play some sup com instead with the intention of running Orthos overnight. Within 5 mins of playing supcom I had BSOD. Definately a system intensive program.

[virtualrain]

tx VR for the link i've used prime95 before but that version you linked is better for quads. i've been running a lot of tests recently and getting much better results. BTW is there any way to have it monitor core temps and cutoff at a certain termp like OCCT does? that's the one feature i miss...

I don't think it has such a feature... I think Speedfan has an ability to execute commands based on temp. events (but I've never tried it). But by now, you probably know what temp your system is going to hit on PRIME... and know your system can deal with it.

With Supreme Commander, if you lower clocks to stock, will it play endlessly for hours without crashing? That's important so that you can rule out buggy code. If so, then it sounds like a hell of a lot more fun than watching a computer crunch away at FFT's.

[MikeMK]

With Supreme Commander, if you lower clocks to stock, will it play endlessly for hours without crashing? That's important so that you can rule out buggy code. If so, then it sounds like a hell of a lot more fun than watching a computer crunch away at FFT's.

Yes. At first i wasnt sure if it was the game or the overclock. Went back to stock to be sure... then had a good 3-4hr session on sup-com with no probs.

BTW - my DFI arrives tomorrow

[NeoGeo333]

I have played Supreme Commander on my Opteron 180 o/c to 2.6 and even it passed prime95 and orthos didnt make it with SC for more than 15mins. It sure can stress the cpu to it max and then some more specially when you have lots and lots of robots. Also NFS latest edition can also stress the whole computer.

[AlphaHeX]

Ok, you can use Supreme Commander to check stability of the whole setup, but if your PC will crash how you can check what has failed You need to stress test all your compontents separately first then you can use Supreme Commander. I'm using the following to test stability:

For CPU:

OCCT, Orthos, Prime, SuperPi

Running OCCT for hour if the results are fine then Orhos 8h, then you can run prime and superpi. Wprime is very good also

For Memory:

Memtest+ and Goldmemory. Goldmem is in my opinion the best memory software tester It can detect errors when in Memtest+ everything was fine.

I'm running memtest+ and goldmem for 8-14 hours.

One good thing with memtest+ is the information it provides. It is not stated in manual but I've collected in my mind years of other people experience with that software

Please look at that post for example:

http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=442

[AlphaHeX]

Ok, you can use Supreme Commander to check stability of the whole setup, but if your PC will crash how you can check what has failed You need to stress test all your compontents separately first then you can use Supreme Commander. I'm using the following to test stability:

For CPU:

OCCT, Orthos, Prime, SuperPi

Running OCCT for hour if the results are fine then Orhos 8h, then you can run prime and superpi. Wprime is very good also

For Memory:

Memtest+ and Goldmemory. Goldmem is in my opinion the best memory software tester It can detect errors when in Memtest+ everything was fine.

I'm running memtest+ and goldmem for 8-14 hours.

One good thing with memtest+ is the information it provides. It is not stated in manual but I've collected in my mind years of other people experience with that software

Please look at that post for example:

http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=442

Then if all above tests are fine run once the following sequence (it's even more useful if you have overclocked you graphics card):

3dmark 2001, then 3dmark 2003, 2005 and 2006. 3dmark 2001 is very sensitive to overclock If you are successful then loop 3dmark 2006 for few hours

If above test were ok you can play Supreme Commander with a pleasure

[Jobeo]

on another subject i'm wondering if anyone has achieved a proven stable quad overclock above 400 FSB ... i recall VR mentioning he was able to pull off 400x9 but not 450x8 ...

i run into big problems on meh quad above 400 FSB. right around 1630 things go haywire. has anyone pulled off a 450 FSB even with a lower multi ? if so what did ya have to tweak most was it all GTL fiddling?

something that could pass a few hours of prime blending ?

[virtualrain]

i recall VR mentioning he was able to pull off 400x9 but not 450x8 ...

i run into big problems on meh quad above 400 FSB. right around 1630 things go haywire. has anyone pulled off a 450 FSB even with a lower multi ? if so what did ya have to tweak most was it all GTL fiddling?

something that could pass a few hours of prime blending ?

That's correct. I couldn't get 440x8 to even boot. 430x8 and lower booted but I didn't try Prime.

With 9x multi 410 is not PRIME stable. I appear to have a hard wall at 400FSB.

[Jobeo]

ya ... i'm not sure. i'm wondering if there's something in the BIOS related to >400 fsb's for quads. like some automatic thing or a table that's different ...

maybe its not an issue since 400 is pretty decent but from what i've read quads need maximum memory bandwidth to get the best performance.

i was able to boot a couple settings higher than 400 FSB but all failed blend pretty quickly.... which is what made me think its related to GTL's...

[Grinch]

is there a program that will detect all the fan headers on the mobo? I have 2 waterpumps rpm sensor plugged into fan4 and fan5 on the mobo and would like to know their rpms...

[Grinch]

just got done water cooling SB...here is a screenshot at default:

[Grinch]

1 thing that I found out BIG time is that the foam type padding around the NB needs to stay on if you plan on watercooling...I am using the swiftech mcw30...I took it off thinking I would get better contact...found out within about 4 mins...gotta have it on..or computer will boot fine but hard lock after 2 mins or so...even in bios...this was all at factory defaults as well....so word from the wise...keep this on:

[Grinch]

here are my temps and what not after a slight overclock:



prime idle



prime load

[owcraftsman]

Grinch were you having problems at 1t with that memory while priming? and what is tjunction @ 85C* ?? looks like prime had only run there for ten or fifteen minutes am I wrong on that?

[Grinch]

Grinch were you having problems at 1t with that memory while priming? and what is tjunction @ 85C* ?? looks like prime had only run there for ten or fifteen minutes am I wrong on that?

did not try 1T...prime was only on for a few mins...my temps only go up about 8-10C under full load

[X.T.R.E.M.E_ICE]

More Direct comparisons with EVGA @ Identical settings.



Ok my earlier comparison with EVGA @ 800 3-3-3 1t, DFI was 24s faster at 32m http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...&postcount=162

Now at 1200 5-5-5 DFI still is way faster. 21s faster. This board keeps lookin better and better.
Could somebody post some 965/975 screenies with these exact settings? or as close as possible? Thanks!


Andre, I sure wish you had some 8800's to test 3d with. Oh well, maybe next time.
I'm tired of playin Pi. We should atleast get a ventrillo Super Pi server goin. Maybe get an X-Fire Plugin.... I wanna be on CT side

Here is a run i did last year on my P5B-Dlx

[Grinch]

looks like tighter ram timings on p5b-dlx

[X.T.R.E.M.E_ICE]

looks like tighter ram timings on p5b-dlx

Thats all i had to for a compare. Out of 680i-965-and 975x 965 is definatly faster for super-PI. But that says nothing for gaming.

[Borgod]

is there a program that will detect all the fan headers on the mobo? I have 2 waterpumps rpm sensor plugged into fan4 and fan5 on the mobo and would like to know their rpms...

I just use the CPU, NB and SB fan headers.
It would be fantastic if software also set an alarm if there is a drop in RPM to detect a dead pump.

[Grinch]

I just use the CPU, NB and SB fan headers.
It would be fantastic if software also set an alarm if there is a drop in RPM to detect a dead pump.

hell yes...that would be great

[killingspreez]

hi,
i got my board on tuesday and here are some little overclocks.
nothing maxed, i justed wanted to play a little bit. i'm going to wait for the watercoolingstuff to do the real-oc.

v-core is just higher because i didn't want the cpu to be a troublemaker. i dunno how high it can get









mfg

[GNU]

@grinch:

Very good temps. You have a watercooler (me too) and haven't high temps like my system (55°C at idle). Where do you life btw. how do you cooling your system better with your watercooler? I need some solutions to reach lower temps.

thx

[virtualrain]

I just use the CPU, NB and SB fan headers.
It would be fantastic if software also set an alarm if there is a drop in RPM to detect a dead pump.

AFAIK Speedfan can do all kinds of things such as execute commands, email you, etc. Unfortunately, I only think it recognizes 3 fan headers on this board, and I'm not even sure if it reads those correctly.

[MikeMK]

Finally Got my DFI! Took a couple of evenings to get setup, and had a few minor problems.

The good news is, it seems to work fine with my Galaxy PSU. I tested it outside the case with an old 6600 to make sure - booted first time.

However, did have a bit of a heart attack - thought i'd busted the board - got it all in the case - hit the on button and postcode came back 88 and nothing happened. After pulling it all down again, I think i located the problem.

The galaxy has 2 8 pin ATX connectors - one is a 4+4 connector and the other is a single piece 8 pin connector. When I had it setup outside the case i used the 4+4, when i then switched it to the single piece 8 pin connector when i put it in the case. I seems that unless you use the 4+4 pin connector it refuses to boot.

I will confirm this later, just to make sure it wasnt me not pushing the cable in properly or something stupid - im pretty sure i checked that though.

Im no likeing the NB mounting 'hooks' much prefer the holes that you get on the EVGA/Abit - especially for mounting my MCW30. As a result im on air for the minuite, as I need to get some tension out of the tubing - it was twisting the block slightly and i was worried about putting excess pressure on one point of the NB block.

Talking of the stock NB cooler - have people taken off the white shim on the underside of the cooler? It seems odd that both the NB and the Cooler have one - and im convinced that im not getting decent contact on the NB as a result. Only a minor thing, as it will be on water soon anyway.

Ive flashed to the 521 quad core bios for my Q6600 - do you guys seem to think its the best one?

Oh, and on a side note - it appears my Q6600 has an IHS thats about as flat as the alps! It really is shocking how concave it is. I have a feeling some lapping might be in order.

Anyhow, give me a few days and when its all properly up and running on water i'll post back with some results.

[Borgod]

Yeah my Galaxy has no problems with this MB. The manual of the Galaxy does state to use the 4+4 12v connector for the quadcores so with the DFI I have used nothing less. When I killed my QuadGT I used the single 8v connector. The fact that DFI spat out the code and didnt die speaks volumes about the quality of DFI over Abit!

Just to add, I will be selling my Galaxy soon as the voltage stability under load are pretty horrible - added that to the DFI's voltage stability issues and things aren't pretty at 1.5vcore underload.
It's too noisy anyway.

I lapped my QX6700 two weeks ago. If yours resembles the alps, mine was the Himalayas on silicon!