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

[virtualrain]

Hi Virtualrain, I read your guide for this motherboard and I really liked it, thank you for sharing so good information and for making many links .

I have an overclocking problem with the Q6600; if I use the 2CTST BIOS I'cant enter windows if I set 400Mhz FSB. I tried more the 40 and I say 40 different VTT - GTL settings, starting from VTT 1,60 200-115-95 and also settings like the one you suggested for 1600Mhz(VTT 1,60 195-195-95) and many more (also using lower values like VTT 1,40 and 170-95-85). I tried all the possibile settings I found and I also tried to make some new settings respecting the ruels for GTL values and also tring to do, as I said, something like your setting (with very close GTL1 and GTL2 settings). Nothing to do.

Then I tried the 4CTST BIOS (I also tried the last BIOS but I have many problems about VTT and LTD voltages, as I said befeore, so I am not using that BIOS) and I could enter Vista simply setting VTT 1,40 and 170-95-85. The problem is that I am not stable because the CPU Multi is fixed @ 9X (default).

So what I think (and I also opened a discussion in the DFI Club forums) is that the 2CTST BIOS is NOT good for Q6600 because it seems to be impossibile to enter in Windows with FSB400Mhz; and the 4CTST BIOS could be much better, because you can easly enter Windows, but it is difficult to find a Q6600 that can reach 3,6Ghz at voltages good for air or liquid cooling...

What do you think?

Personally, I really think that DFI's BIOS support for this board it pathetic. Even the guru's over at the club forums don't seem to have much of a clue as to what the differences in any of the recent BIOS's are... and DFI released a beta BIOS not long ago that fried boards... clearly indicating their internal testing is also pathetic. It's a total blind shot as to what BIOS might work better for any given situation... there is absolutely little credible fact to work with other than the fact that most people with working overclocks are using the 521 in one flavor or another.

AFAIK there are still folks with X6850's with no multi support.

Sorry to sound a bit bitter, but I use to rag on ASUS for their terrible BIOS support, but now I find DFI in the same boat.

Now back to your situation... what's the highest FSB you can run stable at x9? You may be just hitting a wall.

As you know I was able to run 400x9 on the 2CTST 521 bios so it could be just that your proc is not up to 400 FSB. Are you running Vcore at 1.6V and NB Volts at something similar? Keep in mind the droop on this board is insane so you need to overcompensate by similarly insane amounts.