**Official ABIT IX38 QuadGT Review/Overclock/Guide Thread**

[Supershanks]

is 12.b03 the latest beta for this board?

Yes but I wouldn't recommend it

Luck with build

From [URL="http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/4776-post181.html"]M704B_12.B03 Initial Feedback
/URL] for those with browser issues

1) Bench Comparison
Results show slower performance
....Everest PI32 Pi1M
.....Read
03 8642.....14m.42 14.266
02 8830.....14m.15 14.219

Pi & Everest Benches 12.B03


Pi & Everest Benches 12.B02


2)Vcore
On several occasions a selected vcore in this case 1.40v has been set back to the auto 1.265v value.
3) Vdimm overvolt.
1st notived this due to Guru alarm in xp

There are really 2 issues here:-
3-1) The alarm value in vdimm is 2.2v which seems a bit low as some performance ram will go up to 2.4v
3-2) I had set vdimm to 2.175 as shown in the vcore shot.
Both Guru XP & Guru Bios

show it overvolting to 2.20v. As i've said elswhere i've been able to run comfortably around 1080 at 2.175v as on load the board over volts a further .04v see Multimeter tests

So so far nothing particularly worthwhile. Have flashed back to 12.B02 if anyone wants something particular testing i'll try it, but otherwise I'll not be using it.

[Ace-a-Rue]

use 12.B02?

[Ace-a-Rue]

OK..up and running XP SP2 install with one stick of Gskill 2G of memory...bios installed is 11.B02...so far so GOOD!

cpu temp is absurdly low at 19C at default voltages...bios says the vcore is at 1.17v...the house is around 22C with windows open and ceiling fan going at medium.

the intel heatsink with the QX9650 is a beauty...it's going at full speed...we'll see in a short bit how well it does on default voltages.

[Ace-a-Rue]

up to 3960 mhz (11x, using 360 fsb) with about 1.29 actual vcore...ran wPrime 1024M stability bench with no problem...to give you a comparison, i have to feed 1.55 actual Vcore to my Q6600 at 3960 mhz on the Pro board to perform the wPrime 1024 stability bench.

[whitebrow]

I'm pretty much just waiting for your take on this board, ace. I'm very strongly considering moving to it from my P5B-E. I know we've already seen some Q6600 results, any chance you'll add yours to the mix in between some QX9650 runs? (that's what I'm running...)

[Ace-a-Rue]

do you mean, put my Q6600 on the IX38 to run some benches and see how high of overclock i get?

[whitebrow]

do you mean, put my Q6600 on the IX38 to run some benches and see how high of overclock i get?

of course also, the experience compared to your IP35 Pro since that'd be my second choice.

[DangeR!]

This is a known driver issue see
How to enable AHCI/RAID mode without reinstalling windows
if you see post#18 that might be a quick fix as well.
luck

Clever way around it, I will give it a go today.

I added the istor drivers to the xp cd via NLite

Is this easy to work?
I have just d/l XP (Apparently October edition) and I will add the driver you gave me in the above quoted post. Hopefully my XP key will work, it should do its legit.

Ace, cannot wait to see how those chips work on this board. I want me a Q9450 (need to prep the ram for 500Hz , should be achievable with these balistix)

[Ace-a-Rue]

of course also, the experience compared to your IP35 Pro since that'd be my second choice.

it'll be a while before i break this Pro board down...i am still experimenting with the QX9650 and the various heatsinks...intel's giant heatsink is on there now and it is very worthy!

[Ace-a-Rue]

what's the scoop on the Vcore offset???...it seems like abit did this to confuse the user...it does the very same thing as just raising the vcore to compensate for vdroop or vdrop

[2good4you]

Clever way around it, I will give it a go today.

Is this easy to work?
I have just d/l XP (Apparently October edition) and I will add the driver you gave me in the above quoted post. Hopefully my XP key will work, it should do its legit.

Ace, cannot wait to see how those chips work on this board. I want me a Q9450 (need to prep the ram for 500Hz , should be achievable with these balistix)

You got PM

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/private.php

[Supershanks]

what's the scoop on the Vcore offset???...it seems like abit did this to confuse the user...it does the very same thing as just raising the vcore to compensate for vdroop or vdrop

It puzzled me b4 i got my board, it's about the only difference I think to the ip35-pro bios. Got a birt exited expecting it might be a vcore voltage damper. But no, it does nowt much. not tried it but the guru alarm for vcore is set to 1.50v maybe setting it to 1.49 core voltage + x.xx offset bypasses the guru alarm.

Or maybe it's just as you say

it seems like abit did this to confuse the user

[Ace-a-Rue]

i flashed the bios to 12.B03 and realized it wasn't a good bios at least from the standpoint of allowing me to raise the multi...returned to 12.B02 and that works very well with the QX9650.

i am running wPrime 1024M stability bench to see what errors are induced as i climb the FSB ladder...so far, i am at 3870 mhz using 1.28 vcore set in the bios...it droops to about 1.25 under load (0.03 Vdroop under load)...Uguru's vcore readout is very close to actual vcore using a DMM to read off the board...as to vcore regulation, it is working a lot better than the IP35 Pro...first of all...i literally have no Vdroop for idle conditions...so...i guess the digital PWM has been markedly improved...that is a definite plus in my book.

don't know about temps since nothing is accurate as far as i can tell...Uguru is stuck on 13C for idle up to 3870 mhz...beta coretemp 095.6 is questionable as to accurate temps...cores 1 & 2 are showing 57C while cores 3 & 4 are showing 45C during the 1024M bench.

on a positive note, i'm feeling good with only making vcore increases...haven't touched MCH, CPU VTT, ICHIO and ICH...the only other one is Vmem and that is in auto so it is running around 1.97v (actual) with my GSkill's DDR800 in 1:1 setting at the moment...those are hanging decently with the 1024M bench...not going to toy with the timings until i find the top end of the overclock using this monster Intel heatsink....right now, they are running 5-5-5-15

EDIT...still searching for the upper limit of vcore for 4052 mhz to complete 1024M bench...i increaded the sub-voltages to a small degree with so far no help...i might need to jump a multi so i can lower the FSB down to around 404.

[DangeR!]

Finally I get the RAID drivers to take and have loaded XP on my Raptors.

Thanks a lot Super, couldn't of done it without your help.

I put the RAID drivers into the new XP cd I d/l'ed and its booted and worked perfectly. DIE floppy disk DIE muhahahaaarrrrr.

I have a 22GB boot and the rest storage/programs both RAID 0.
I enabled write back cache on both and I notice its much faster at loading stuff or am I dreaming?

Now that I have my RAID I don't care about the single drive XP now so I wont bother trying to get the drivers to work on it.
I think I will put Vista 64 on it and have a play around.

So, after all that overclocking and adding hardware and software and getting everything exactly how I want it.
Its time to take the whole lot apart and mod the case, cable management etc lol.
I just better make sure I write down my settings, other wise I'll have to do it all over again .

[bobov]

don't know about temps since nothing is accurate as far as i can tell...Uguru is stuck on 13C for idle up to 3870 mhz...beta coretemp 095.6 is questionable as to accurate temps...cores 1 & 2 are showing 57C while cores 3 & 4 are showing 45C during the 1024M bench.

My cores 2&3 showing 56C under load, while cores 0&1 are showing 40C.

[Supershanks]

No worries DangeR

I put the RAID drivers into the new XP cd I d/l'ed and its booted and worked perfectly. DIE floppy disk DIE muhahahaaarrrrr.

Feels good Huh
Write back cache is great I have it enabled on my raid0, but not on the raid5 yet.

Its time to take the whole lot apart and mod the case, cable management etc lol.

glutton fort punishment, i'd take a couple of days off

My cores 2&3 showing 56C under load, while cores 0&1 are showing 40C.

Is that with coretemp?? Doesn't sound so good, i'd check the heatsink.

[DangeR!]

hehe it does feel good and I will take a break.

Any one know of a good monitoring software for my hard drives. There in a silencing bay and they feel quite hot.

EDIT: Trying CPUID Hardware Monitor.
Do I have to enable S.M.A.R.T. and does it slow down performance?

[Supershanks]

don't usually have smart enabled. try seagate tools or hitachi fitness tools, think WD have a utility too.

[Ace-a-Rue]

My cores 2&3 showing 56C under load, while cores 0&1 are showing 40C.

the opposite..hmm!

oh well, my board died on me...will RMA for a replacement...i like it...i bumped the PWM heatsink while running and that shorted out one of the five PWM digial power circuits...the heatsink does wiggle some...bummer!

i topped out at 4500 mhz on the QX9650...4400 mhz was a workable frequency.

[Supershanks]

.the heatsink does wiggle some...bummer!

If youi fancy putting a fan on top, it has to, otherwise you can't access 1 of the fan retension wire holles toward the reart. Tough luck with the board Ace.

[bicycle_wreck]

That sucks. I just ordered an IX38 from Mwave... I guess I'll just try not to bump it.

What are the odds of it shorting after replacing the thermal tape with Cermaique? I had planned on doing sort of what Ace did with his IP35 Pro as far as replacing the plastic pins with bolts/nut and the thermal tape with Ceramique.

[Ace-a-Rue]

That sucks. I just ordered an IX38 from Mwave... I guess I'll just try not to bump it.

What are the odds of it shorting after replacing the thermal tape with Cermaique? I had planned on doing sort of what Ace did with his IP35 Pro as far as replacing the plastic pins with bolts/nut and the thermal tape with Ceramique.

if you re-use the plastic push pins, you should be ok....BUT...i found the cooling to be extremely good...as shanks said, just mount a little fan over the heatsink.

here are my results after moving the QX9650 over to the IP35 Pro board:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...postcount=3908

[bicycle_wreck]

if you re-use the plastic push pins, you should be ok....BUT...i found the cooling to be extremely good...as shanks said, just mount a little fan over the heatsink.

here are my results after moving the QX9650 over to the IP35 Pro board:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...postcount=3908

Hey, thanks for the reply Ace. I'll probably just leave it alone then, and rig up a fan. That QX9650 is a monster.

[Ace-a-Rue]

Hey SS, my problem is solved with clunks forum...i now can connect...HURRAY!

[Shalamay]

Does anyone know how to get this thing to read negative temps? Just if anyone is wondering 7c is as low as it reads for cores 1/3 and 12c for 2/4. Also has anyone gotten ugru to work with vista? Thanks