[18th Anniversary] Asus Black Pearl - P5k-Premium Testing Report

[thefiddler]

Well, looks like I'm quite stuck in here.
I keep getting errors. Not that often, though.

If some of you have a bit of time to tell me what you think about this... might be useful...


Here are the errors I had:
1. "The device, \Device\Ide\iaStor0, did not respond within the timeout period." (twice the same, different times)
2. "An error was detected on device \Device\Harddisk0\D during a paging operation." (usually shows up 5 to 10 times at once)

After the BSODs, here's what the Event Viewer tells me:
1. "Error code 00000077, parameter1 00000001, parameter2 00000000, parameter3 00000000, parameter4 a44d1d24." (after first BSOD)
2. "Error code 00008086, parameter1 00000000, parameter2 00000000, parameter3 00000000, parameter4 00000000." (after second BSOD)


Now, all of those errors and BSODs happened while I was copying/moving large files from one partition/drive to another.


Here's my actual setup:
- P5K Premium (BIOS 0402, rev 2.00g, made in Taiwan)
- Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0
- Corsair DDR2-8500D C5 (2x 1GB)
- Seasonic S12+ 550w PSU
- SEAGATE 7200.10 320GB (x2 - model ST3320620AS - SATA2 enabled) in AHCI mode


OS: Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Intel Chispet Driver version installed is: 8.3.1.1009
Intel Matrix Storage version installed is: 7.6.0.1011

Mobo's BIOS was updated correctly.
SeaTools ran on both harddrives: both of them passed all tests.
Also, harddrives are both new (bought them less than a week ago).


I don't know what's wrong: mobo? memory? chipset drivers? matrix storage version? harddrive(s)?

Have you guys got any idea on what I could do to find the origin of this issue?



Thanks, this is bugging me...

[scaramonga]

- Seasonic S12+ 550w PSU

Bit 'borderline' PSU these days, and especially for this board. I'll hazard a guess that this may be the route of your problems

[Emperor]

hello gentlemen,

i've got my new p5K premium a while ago and i've some interesting issues which i require expert advice from u guys here.

abit of background story, the PCB comes with combo coloured caps and is Made in China (i HATE MiC stuffs) and the bios is 0204. I dont have a problem with my western digital drives (OS drive is a 2500JS while the rest are 5000AAKS).

Now to overclocking,

many times when i try to oc and try out settings to stabilize it and those settings that dont work often cause the board to get stuck in POST, simply refusing to boot. and I have unplug the power, plug back and press the switch again.

trying out different settings to make it post and boot is like shooting in the dark! i've no bearing as to what should i change to make it post and boot.


Now i am trying to overclock a set of Reapers PC6400 to run at 1050mhz but it keeps getting stuck in POST despite whatever i throw at it in the subtimings.
My settings are as follows.
CPU-6
FSB STRAP-333
FSB-525
PCI-E - 100
DRAM-1050
Command Rate 2T
5-7-7-17 (or 5-7-7-18)
tRRD - 4
tRFC - 42
tWR - 8
tWTR - 13
tRTP - 5
voltage 2.25v


i've tried tRRD = 8, tWR=10, tRTP = 3,5,6,8 but i still get stuck in POST.

Does changing to 0402 increase the stability of the overclocking?

How should i start relaxing timings from 5-5-5-15 onwards? 5-6-5-15?

this set of rams doesnt seem to like 2.35V, as there is a fair chance it wouldn't boot, BSOD or some form of instability.

[SiGfever]

hello gentlemen,

i've got my new p5K premium a while ago and i've some interesting issues which i require expert advice from u guys here.

abit of background story, the PCB comes with combo coloured caps and is Made in China (i HATE MiC stuffs) and the bios is 0204. I dont have a problem with my western digital drives (OS drive is a 2500JS while the rest are 5000AAKS).

Now to overclocking,

many times when i try to oc and try out settings to stabilize it and those settings that dont work often cause the board to get stuck in POST, simply refusing to boot. and I have unplug the power, plug back and press the switch again.

trying out different settings to make it post and boot is like shooting in the dark! i've no bearing as to what should i change to make it post and boot.


Now i am trying to overclock a set of Reapers PC6400 to run at 1050mhz but it keeps getting stuck in POST despite whatever i throw at it in the subtimings.
My settings are as follows.
CPU-6
FSB STRAP-333
FSB-525
PCI-E - 100
DRAM-1050
Command Rate 2T
5-7-7-17 (or 5-7-7-18)
tRRD - 4
tRFC - 42
tWR - 8
tWTR - 13
tRTP - 5
voltage 2.25v


i've tried tRRD = 8, tWR=10, tRTP = 3,5,6,8 but i still get stuck in POST.

Does changing to 0402 increase the stability of the overclocking?

How should i start relaxing timings from 5-5-5-15 onwards? 5-6-5-15?

this set of rams doesnt seem to like 2.35V, as there is a fair chance it wouldn't boot, BSOD or some form of instability.

Post #14

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=157023

[Emperor]

Post #14

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=157023

thanks but..erm 4-4-4-12??

isnt it abit too tight for high mem freq?

[scaramonga]

thanks but..erm 4-4-4-12??

isnt it abit too tight for high mem freq?

For your RAM....yes.......unless your running over 2.2v

[Emperor]

For your RAM....yes.......unless your running over 2.2v

i am running 2.35

[sesdave]

hello gentlemen,

i've got my new p5K premium a while ago and i've some interesting issues which i require expert advice from u guys here.

abit of background story, the PCB comes with combo coloured caps and is Made in China (i HATE MiC stuffs) and the bios is 0204. I dont have a problem with my western digital drives (OS drive is a 2500JS while the rest are 5000AAKS).

Now to overclocking,

many times when i try to oc and try out settings to stabilize it and those settings that dont work often cause the board to get stuck in POST, simply refusing to boot. and I have unplug the power, plug back and press the switch again.

trying out different settings to make it post and boot is like shooting in the dark! i've no bearing as to what should i change to make it post and boot.


Now i am trying to overclock a set of Reapers PC6400 to run at 1050mhz but it keeps getting stuck in POST despite whatever i throw at it in the subtimings.
My settings are as follows.
CPU-6
FSB STRAP-333
FSB-525
PCI-E - 100
DRAM-1050
Command Rate 2T
5-7-7-17 (or 5-7-7-18)
tRRD - 4
tRFC - 42
tWR - 8
tWTR - 13
tRTP - 5
voltage 2.25v


i've tried tRRD = 8, tWR=10, tRTP = 3,5,6,8 but i still get stuck in POST.

Does changing to 0402 increase the stability of the overclocking?

How should i start relaxing timings from 5-5-5-15 onwards? 5-6-5-15?

this set of rams doesnt seem to like 2.35V, as there is a fair chance it wouldn't boot, BSOD or some form of instability.

Have u had the CPU running with FSB over 500 before you started playing with your ram settings? quite a few have a 500FSB wall - like mine for instance.

[sesdave]

Well, looks like I'm quite stuck in here.
I keep getting errors. Not that often, though.


Have you guys got any idea on what I could do to find the origin of this issue?



Thanks, this is bugging me...

Scaramonga may have a point on the PSU. That would cause spurious failures if boarderline on supply. I would also run memtest86 on the RAM to check it and give disabling the paging file a try. Whilst some apps may need it turned on to use every performance improvement guide I have ever read suggests disabling it if you have 1GB of RAM or more. Suck it and see - you never know it may remove the problem!

[Emperor]

Have u had the CPU running with FSB over 500 before you started playing with your ram settings? quite a few have a 500FSB wall - like mine for instance.

thanks for the reply. I've managed to hit 520FSB so i dont think my wall is at 500 or at least not that near. I guess it's my rams.

[thefiddler]

Sesdave, Scaramonga, thanks for your answers.

Actually, most of the reviews I read about PSU's and PC power consumption say that a good 550w PSU is really enough. So... I'm a bit disappointed. Also, I'm not running an SLI configuration, and the errors I'm getting are showing up at moments where the entire PC isn't stressed (no gfx card load, cpu not loaded that much, etc).


As for the memory, I ran Memtest 1.70 over night, it did 22 full passes without erroring at all, so I guess my memory isn't responsible.

[sesdave]

Sesdave, Scaramonga, thanks for your answers.

Actually, most of the reviews I read about PSU's and PC power consumption say that a good 550w PSU is really enough. So... I'm a bit disappointed. Also, I'm not running an SLI configuration, and the errors I'm getting are showing up at moments where the entire PC isn't stressed (no gfx card load, cpu not loaded that much, etc).


As for the memory, I ran Memtest 1.70 over night, it did 22 full passes without erroring at all, so I guess my memory isn't responsible.

Yeah - my PSU is only 580 and it has no issues. Make sure you have all the latest Asus drivers installed especially the latest version of Intel's INF Update Utility - I believe its 8013. we can crack this! Do try disabling paging file. if none of these work some people have been switching of NCQ with some success - a last option.

[thefiddler]

Well I've got a 8800GTX gfx card, so I guess it'll consume more power than yours, but then again, the errors are showing up when the computer isn't that stressed, so power consumption at that point should be quite low...


Concerning ASUS drivers, there are two files on ASUS website, in the "chipset" section:

1/ 8.3.0.1013 2007/09/20 update
Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility V8.3.0.1013 for Windows 2000/XP & 64bit XP & 32/64bit Vista(WHQL).

2/ 8.3.0.1013 2007/08/02 update
Intel Chipset Inf Update Program v8.3.0.1013 for Windows 32bit 2000/2000 server/XP/MCE/2003/Vista & 64bit XP/2003/Vista(WHQL).


Whats the difference between those two files?
I didn't install the first file mentionned above from Asus website, since I rather installed the one found on Intel's website, which is newer: 8.3.1.1009

[sesdave]

Well I've got a 8800GTX gfx card, so I guess it'll consume more power than yours, but then again, the errors are showing up when the computer isn't that stressed, so power consumption at that point should be quite low...


Concerning ASUS drivers, there are two files on ASUS website, in the "chipset" section:

1/ 8.3.0.1013 2007/09/20 update
Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility V8.3.0.1013 for Windows 2000/XP & 64bit XP & 32/64bit Vista(WHQL).

2/ 8.3.0.1013 2007/08/02 update
Intel Chipset Inf Update Program v8.3.0.1013 for Windows 32bit 2000/2000 server/XP/MCE/2003/Vista & 64bit XP/2003/Vista(WHQL).


Whats the difference between those two files?
I didn't install the first file mentionned above from Asus website, since I rather installed the one found on Intel's website, which is newer: 8.3.1.1009

I dont suppose your problems coincided with installing that chipset driver by any chance? I am using 1013.
This indicates the cause being that the drive not supporting LPM being the possible casue - do seagates support it.?http://www.paulscomputerservice.net/...SataError9.php

[thefiddler]

Well, as I've always been recommended to install the Intel Chipset Utility right after WindowsXP install, I couldn't tell if the problems appeared at the same time...


That's why I asked Scaramonga if he's using the 8.3.0.1013 version or 8.3.1.1009. I hope he'll drop by and answer that question



By chance, do you know the difference between the two files listed on Asus website (and mentionned in my previous message)?

[jamiee]

That's why I asked Scaramonga if he's using the 8.3.0.1013 version or 8.3.1.1009. I hope he'll drop by and answer that question

Well I can give you my experience on these two INF versions (at least in how they related to my first board, I haven't tested on this newer board yet)

INF 8.3.0.1013 = ok but some occasional hard drive clicking sounds (like if the drive was momentarily shutting off).

INF 8.3.1.1009 = working fine on both boards (This is the latest version available for the P35 chipset).

[thefiddler]

Well I can give you my experience on these two INF versions (at least in how they related to my first board, I haven't tested on this newer board yet)

INF 8.3.0.1013 = ok but some occasional hard drive clicking sounds (like if the drive was momentarily shutting off).

INF 8.3.1.1009 = working fine on both boards (This is the latest version available for the P35 chipset).

Thanks jamiee.
So I guess my chipset driver version 8.3.1.1009 isn't responsible for my harddrives issues.

I'm still wondering what's the difference between "Chipset Software Installation Utility V8.3.0.1013" and "Chipset Inf Update Program v8.3.0.1013" as mentionned on Asus' website... filesize is different, though I do not see a difference between these two files on Intel's website.

[sesdave]

Thanks jamiee.
So I guess my chipset driver version 8.3.1.1009 isn't responsible for my harddrives issues.

I'm still wondering what's the difference between "Chipset Software Installation Utility V8.3.0.1013" and "Chipset Inf Update Program v8.3.0.1013" as mentionned on Asus' website... filesize is different, though I do not see a difference between these two files on Intel's website.

Read the link I posted re LPM and try the edit. It may be the solution.
Also look at this - I know it refers to Vista but it does seem to back up LPM enabling in the drivers as the cause of the problem http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...4&postcount=27
Nice to know there are no problem with 1009 - I must update mine.

[thefiddler]

Thanks sesdave, I didn't see your link at first.
I'll try that and see if it fixes the problem

[sesdave]

Thanks sesdave, I didn't see your link at first.
I'll try that and see if it fixes the problem

Hope it fixes it cos I want a cure if I ever encounter it - lol!

On another note re lapping. I had said that its not worth doing if it is already flat but that may not be strictly true - I hadnt considered the thermal transfer qualities of copper vs nickle
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...&postcount=161
so there may be some benefit in doing it anyway although I dont know if it would be worth it if we are talking minimal temperature gain.
Anyone got some figures from lapping an already flat CPU?

[sesdave]

thanks for the reply. I've managed to hit 520FSB so i dont think my wall is at 500 or at least not that near. I guess it's my rams.

so why not increase multiplier and lower FSB so the RAM run 1:1 slightly lower
with good tight timmings. It wont much difference in performance - a liitle bandwidth for speed.

[Emperor]

so why not increase multiplier and lower FSB so the RAM run 1:1 slightly lower
with good tight timmings. It wont much difference in performance - a liitle bandwidth for speed.

yea but even so, I want to try clocking the fsb a little higher...

[sesdave]

yea but even so, I want to try clocking the fsb a little higher...

Ballistix 8500c5 or tracers clock like no tomorrow and they are now bargain basement cheap this week - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MY-093-CR Lovely micron D9s.

[theonlybabyface]

Well I can give you my experience on these two INF versions (at least in how they related to my first board, I haven't tested on this newer board yet)

INF 8.3.0.1013 = ok but some occasional hard drive clicking sounds (like if the drive was momentarily shutting off).

INF 8.3.1.1009 = working fine on both boards (This is the latest version available for the P35 chipset).

Actualy, there's a newer version available that I've been using without any issues. It's version 8.4.0.1016.

[thefiddler]

Hmm, looks like this one is supposed to be for Intel Desktop Boards only, according to Intel's website.