ASUS Maximus Formula SE

[cadaveca]

get some watercooling...1.575, L737B 3.8ghz...60c loaded under Fusion...

[safan80]

Um, no, the speedstep option is in all bioses I have tried, but only available when multi is set to auto. So you disable it before manually setting multi...

thanks for the info... the multi is usually the first thing I set lol

[sdumper]

This board is a lot of fun with Penryn....

http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=275720

Thats on a SS with 1.64 vCore

[cadaveca]

but is not over 400mhz FSB...i think maybe you are having much fun with PENRYN!!!! nice clocks, those! now imagine 635x8 1:1....

[sdumper]

My max FSB on my Q6600 was 476 FSB I posted that several pages back with one of my Q6600 G0 chips. Yes though the Penryn is a lot of fun. Cant wait until NOL finishes my 3 stage cascade

[cadaveca]

Does penryn not scale as well as the g0?

[giorgos th.]

i`m waiting for an E8400 ES to try it with the formula.
i believe i`ll have easily 500-550fsb under water..

[leoftw]

My goodness I am infuriated !!!!!!!!!! Not because of the Asus board because my Vista DVD is broken I don't know how it broke but now I have to run XP on it until I get another Vista DVD !!!

Here is pics of the madness !!!

Did I install the tower the right way ?

[NLight95]

I can't say anything about Abit but DFI is every bit as bad as you think Asus is, maybe worse. Their ICFX3200 T2R/G was a disaster. C1E memory errors with multiple known good sets ram. It also fried good parts for many. In my case a perfectly good x1950 crossfire card. Their P965 was no better. It couldn't run any version of Linux till a bios update released a few weeks ago. The P965 was also too PSU picky. I have a perfectly good PCP&C Silencer 750. 2 965 boards would not boot with it. ( 3 Asus boards have run great with the same PSU) Oddly the 3rd DFI 965 board booted and ran fine with a Silencer 610. I used to love DFI. No more!!! My experience... 5 of 10 DFI boards bad. 5 of 5 Asus boards have worked well. You might say 4 of 5 simply because I haven't OC'ed the Maximus yet. It ran fine for 10 days at stock settings folding 100% cpu 24/7 with a Q6600 G0 and Ballistix PC 8500 @1066. I'll know more about the Maximus in a couple weeks.

...rant mode on...

I've been monitoring this thread because I'm interested in the Maximus but I'm extremely wary of another bad experience. I, too, had problems with my ICFX3200 (C1, post lockups, etc, etc). I RMAed it to DFI only to have it sent right back to me the same day they received it. If this sounds like an isolated incident, it wasn't. The same exact thing happened to my brother a few weeks later (again, an ICFX3200). So after that very bad experience I won't revisit DFI for a while--I just don't trust them.

I had a Commando for a while but sold it due to the 400 strap issue. All things considered, it was not that bad of a board. At least ASUS issued BIOSes, even if some were buggy. DFI is very lax in BIOS updates.

I'll plainly state it: This Conroe platform of Intel's is not all it's cracked up to be. I know I'll get flamed for this, but never have I ever seen such a bad string of mobos across ALL manufacturers for a particular platform. Memory issues in particular have absolutely plagued this platform to no end.

My blame goes to Intel not having an integrated memory controller (which they've finally accepted because after X48, no more nb <about f'in time>). The most reliable setup I've ever had was my DFI LP UT nF4 with a humble A64 3000. Outside of a complex BIOS, the board & CPU overclocked extremely well and I never once had a C1 or any memory-related issue. Hell, I used an AC Freezer 64 Pro--certainly far from being top tier--to overclock my venice 3000 to 2700 MHz (50% oc, roughly equiv to an FX-55 at that time). No extra modding was needed, the LP nF4 was completely stock. I long for that now.

...rant mode off...

My current IP35 Pro ran my previous E6600 easily enough but since I've upgraded to a Q6600, the PWM temps have gone through the roof, despite Ace's heatpipe mod and both nb + pwm heatsinks being actively cooled. So I'm looking for a decent board for my Q66 where it won't have the related nagging heat issues. (I don't think 3.6 is too much to ask out of my cool running G0 Q66). I have not seen any board that is up to the challenge.

[NLight95]

OCCT uses all AVAILABLE CPU resources. ie. minus what other system resources are utilizing. p95 reports 100%, but that is probably a measurement of the current cpu level rather than what p95 is actually using. You can verify this by monitoring CPU performance under task manager while OCCT is running.

Theoretically, NO app. can utilize 100% CPU power because other OS resources always utilize some of that power all the time.

I've never seen prime report 100% even occt's cpu reporting is off I always go by the task Manager.

Prime small FFT most always pegs Task Manager @ 100%. I'd rather run OCCT than use Prime Blend--faster results and imho, a better indicator overall of stability.

[NysoO]

Could someone post a descent Q6600 @ 4ghz configuration with this motherboard?
Don't really know what voltages to put on CPU PLL, FSB termination etc. Pictures of the bios settings would be nice.

[ElEctric_EyE]

This is "stable" playing bioshock. These settings work, theyre not fine tuned yet. I'll get to that today maybe. Ambient is 22C, waterloop(unloaded) 27C. Bioshock about a 33&#37;cpuload, cputemp close to 60C(under bioshock)

[NysoO]

Thanks man, gonna try it out

[Leeghoofd]

I wouldn't run those settings 24/7, something will give in in a few months... better go for 3.6ghz daily and go for more when benching or having fun...

Just my thought...

[NysoO]

Yeah of course. But it is fun to see what the rig can do once in a while.

A question: I have been running this 450fsb x8 multipel for a day now and it seems to be rock solid, so i raised the fsb to 455, which worked fine as well.
BUT, when I changed to 460, the booting process was working properly, detecting ram aso, but when it came to loading windows, the windows logo appeared, and then it got stuck. How come? It is not like i'm getting bluescreens so I don't know what to do.

[Warboy]

what do you have booting with the OS?

I've tried it on Vista 64-bit and XP 32-bit SP3

In Task Manager it uses 100%, but It only reads 75% on OCCT.

Before, Like when a first got these board, It would do 100% in OCCT.

[Zucker2k]

Under the Processes tab, you should be able to see where the 25&#37; is going.

[kup]

Mine does the same, sometimes OCCT Beta doesn't even show 50% usage itself, but Task Manager shows OCCT to be at 100% so it's just a problem with OCCT!

[sdumper]

Does penryn not scale as well as the g0?

Hard to say...

I had trouble getting the Penryn to stabilize at FSB 455 with the same voltage settings as my Q6600 G0 but the Penryn is a different architecture so its too early to say if the board is holding me back with higher FSB. I suspect its the board which is handicapped by the bios...

Note im on 0901...

[Warboy]

Mine does the same, sometimes OCCT Beta doesn't even show 50% usage itself, but Task Manager shows OCCT to be at 100% so it's just a problem with OCCT!

Kup, was you able to get 100% with the Non-Beta OCCT?

[rangerone7669]

Yeah of course. But it is fun to see what the rig can do once in a while.

A question: I have been running this 450fsb x8 multipel for a day now and it seems to be rock solid, so i raised the fsb to 455, which worked fine as well.
BUT, when I changed to 460, the booting process was working properly, detecting ram aso, but when it came to loading windows, the windows logo appeared, and then it got stuck. How come? It is not like i'm getting bluescreens so I don't know what to do.

i had xact same issue, try upping sb volts abit. i'm running 8x multi 470fsb=3.760 with mem at 564 rock stable at these settings

[DMight]

NysoO, rangerone7669 and others. Are you able to post your BIOS settings for 450x8?

I started with the template offered by cadaveca, but i'm not able to make it past ~16min of OCCT blend without getting a code 1 or 4.

[Grnfinger]

This is my 450x8 settings. OCCT and prime stable

Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 8
FSB Frequency : 450
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 400MHZ
PCI-E Frequency: 110
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1199
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : AUTO
Row Refresh Cycle Time : AUTO
Write Recovery Time : AUTO
Read to Precharge Time : AUTO

Read to Write Delay (S/D) : AUTO
Write to Read Delay (S) : AUTO
Write to Read Delay (D) : AUTO
Read to Read Delay (S) : AUTO
Read to Read Delay (D) : AUTO
Write to Write Delay (S) : AUTO
Write to Write Delay (D) : AUTO
DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
Ai Clock Twister : Strong
Transaction Booster : Disabled

CPU Voltage : 1.55
CPU PLL Voltage : 1.60
North Bridge Voltage : 1.55
DRAM Voltage : 2.20
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.50
South Bridge Voltage : 1.10
Loadline Calibration : Enabled
CPU GTL Reference : Auto
North Bridge GTL Reference : Auto
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2_REF
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2_REF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2_REF
SB 1.5V Voltage : 1.5

NB LED Selection : NB Volt
SB LED Selection : SB Volt
CPU LED Selection : CPU VOlt
Voltiminder LED : Disabled

CPU Spread Spectrum : Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum : Disabled

Advanced CPU Configuration
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 9
C1E Suppport : Disabled
CPU TM Function : Disabled
Vanderpool Technology : Disabled
Execute Disable Bit : Enabled
Max CPUID Value Limit : Disabled


USB Configuration
USB Functions: Enabled
Legacy USB Support : Enabled

[DMight]

Thanks Grnfinger. Why do you have Execute Disable Bit ENABLED in Advanced CPU. Most have this disabled.

[sdumper]

Thanks Grnfinger. Why do you have Execute Disable Bit ENABLED in Advanced CPU. Most have this disabled.

Only needed if your running over 2gb of ram...