Official eVGA 780i Discussion/Review/Overclock/Guide Thread

[GAR]

Reviews

http://www.guru3d.com/article/nforce...li_review/482/
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/13790

Vdroop Pencil Mod

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...3&postcount=16

Bios Updates

P03 - http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=...1&key=&#230745

Known Issues

- nVidia chipset drivers seem to have issues with Windows XP, if you are getting the nv BSOD, simply do not install the MEDIA SHIELD drivers when installing the chipset drivers.....nvidia should have a fix for this either with a newer bios, or newer drivers, Windows Vista does not have this issue........(this seems to be either an SATA cd-rom drive issue, or raid related, either way it has something to do with the sata ports)

Things to know when OVERCLOCKING

- The Vdroop mod above is suggested and does not harm the board, very simply reversible.
- Users with 4GB of memory, (4 sticks, or 2 sticks) use 1.5V on the NB when going over 333FSB or else you will run into stability problems.

Suggested settings for 400-450FSB

Voltage Settings
CPU Core - Whatever value your cpu needs, if a Q6600 G0, you can start with 1.38v and move up, this is the real voltage value you should be giving the cpu, if you dont do the vdroop mod, select 1.425 in bios to start with.
CPU FSB - 1.4V (1.5V for 450 and above)
Memory - whatever your ram needs.
SPP - 1.45V min. 1.5V recommended
MCP - 1.6-1.65V should be enough
SPP <> MCP - 1.3-1.4V
MCP AUX - Auto (P02 and up do not have this option anymore)

Other settings for better performance

PCI-E MHZ - when using a pci-e 2.0 card, frequency is automatically set to 125mhz and cannot be overclocked within bios, using ntune you can push a bit further, but it is not recommended.
SPP MCP Ref clock - 250MHZ is safe for 24/7, you can lower the multi to 4x and push it to 350mhz, this will give you a frequency of 1400mhz.

[2good4you]

The board seems good, let's the show begin. GAR you start Crank it up and se what she can do in FSB with tight strap.

[GAR]

The board seems good, let's the show begin. GAR you start Crank it up and se what she can do in FSB with tight strap.

so far i have been able to boot up at 475fsb with my quad, havnt done any stability testing, just set it up about 20 mins ago, my ram is running memtest at 1100mhz wich was previously unstable on my x38.............so far so good for this board ...................im sure it wont be long before someone gets 500fsb to boot with a reallllyyyyy good quad cpu.

[NaeKuh]

Im still in line for my replacement. Thank goodness i can say bye bye to my 680i.

Just a quick question guys, are there any mounting holes on the south bridge? The board layout with cooler is kinda funky, and its hard to tell on newegg. Would it be possible to mount waterblocks on the north and south bridge?

[GAR]

yeah its got mounting holes, its tightened from the bottom with screws.....very good idea, makes for good contact.....the build quality seems a bit better than the 680i did, but it could be my eyes fooling me.

[GAR]

ok, first issue I ran into, when i restart my comp i get an error A0, when i read the manual it says initializing mouse, lollll i need to figure this out...............

[2good4you]

so far i have been able to boot up at 475fsb with my quad, havnt done any stability testing, just set it up about 20 mins ago, my ram is running memtest at 1100mhz wich was previously unstable on my x38.............so far so good for this board ...................im sure it wont be long before someone gets 500fsb to boot with a reallllyyyyy good quad cpu.

Can't wait to see what this board is FSB capable of with good strap. Someone with an Penryn based CPU and nForce780i should really soon set new FSB WR.

Have you discovered your CPU's FSB wall yet with any previous board?

Maybe nForce7 is better than X38/X48 @ OC, what do you think?

[GAR]

Can't wait to see what this board is FSB capable of with good strap. Someone with an Penryn based CPU and nForce780i should really soon set new FSB WR.

Have you discovered your CPU's FSB wall yet with any previous board?

Maybe nForce7 is better than X38/X48 @ OC, what do you think?

My wall on the 780i is better than the one on my X38, but i cant seem to fix this issue i am having, everytime i restart my computer, or get into the bios it hangs on the code A0

[strange|ife]

ahhh would like to see some more results in this thread, hoping nvidia ironed out the kinks in the chipset, and this sucker will perform. Im not holding my breathe on this though, still doubtful.

[Aldy402]

hows the NB temps gar? runs hotter then the X38? silent?

[Roch]

Pics please!

[GAR]

hows the NB temps gar? runs hotter then the X38? silent?

runs hot bro, in my antec 900 with the nb fan and a 120mm fan right on it idles around 48-53c

[emu002]

EVGA have sent me an email offering me a step up from my 680i to the new 780i so im interested to see other peoples results with this new board before i make my decision to change or not

[Jupiler]

Mmmmh, new boards are always interesting.

Gentlemen, you know the rules.
Criticism is OK, as long as it doesn't end in another bashing and flamewar thread.

[Maxfly]

waiting on pins and needles here ive been waiting very very impatiently to see some max stable quadcore ocs.it looks promising so far.hope you get the mouse issue resolved(quickly)Gar.keep the results coming!

[froste]

My wall on the 780i is better than the one on my X38, but i cant seem to fix this issue i am having, everytime i restart my computer, or get into the bios it hangs on the code A0

When your in the BIOS the LED should say "01", "A0" is usually when the MB detects the CPU. Do you get "A0" only at overclocked settings? Do you have atleast 1.45 SPP voltage for 450FSB and above?

[Justifire]

Any word on FSB holes ?
Really hate those holes on 680i hope these are fixed.
If the 780i clocks as good as my 680i striker with watercooling i get myself an upgrade (read FSB 500+)

[Aldy402]

The only layout flaw i see is the NB fan blows the heat directly onto your GFX card

[Maxfly]

The only layout flaw i see is the NB fan blows the heat directly onto your GFX card

i agree,then again who amongst us will be using the stock cooler?

[Gunslinger]

I'm having a strange problem. There is only one PCI-E slot in bios (slot 3) I have 2 GTX's installed, and a 3rd scheduled for delivery tomorrow. The 2nd GPU appears to be seated good, so I'm kind of stumped.
As far as FSB, I've made 3DM06 runs up to 1700MHz so far, still tweaking to go higher.

[joe.denice]

I just picked up one myself, playing around at 4ghz with 2 8800gtx's. Should i go for another one?????

[BeastNotro]

3 way is only about 7&#37; faster then a 2 way, think of it like 3 chicks in your bed... only two can do so many things, where as the third will sit motionless unless needed to perform....

[JAG87]

I'm having a strange problem. There is only one PCI-E slot in bios (slot 3) I have 2 GTX's installed, and a 3rd scheduled for delivery tomorrow. The 2nd GPU appears to be seated good, so I'm kind of stumped.
As far as FSB, I've made 3DM06 runs up to 1700MHz so far, still tweaking to go higher.

Thats not a problem Gunslinger, I believe I read in a review that the bios only allows PCI-e adjustments to the middle 1.1 slot, which should be slot 3. I may be wrong thou.

On a side note, hows the qx9650 OCing. I'll have my 780i by the end of the week, and my qx9650 will be sitting under a GTX just like yours, and I am wondering what clocks, voltages you are settling for. Does the board over volt the MCH to 1.4 and the VCC to 1.45 when you use 400 FSB like 680i? Is the vdroop the same as 680i?

I was thinking of doing 400x10, 400x10.5, or 400x11 (optimistic), depending on how much voltage is needed to be stable, but I was wondering if the chipset latency is better at 333 FSB, because 333x12 or 13 could be a possibility as well, but I doubt it will give me better memory read and write readings in everest. Would you mind running a couple of tests gunslinger? the waiting is eating away at me

[Gunslinger]

3 way is only about 7&#37; faster then a 2 way, think of it like 3 chicks in your bed... only two can do so many things, where as the third will sit motionless unless needed to perform....

Not a very good comparison. If I had 3 chicks in my bed testing would be complete 187% faster than just 1, and 333% faster than 2. Wouldn't matter if the 3rd was idle, just her mere presence would be enough.

I will try when I get home from work, but my OC skills are nil compared to what you are used to seeing here. But compared to what I was able to do on my 680i, this board is light years ahead.

As far as the PCI-E problem, I would agree with you, but it is not giving me the option to enable SLI, and it appears as though my GPU is seated fine, so I assumed (probably wrongly) it had to do with only one PCI-E slot appearing in Bios. Vdroop appears bad, has some nice color coded voltage options, they don't seem go as high as 680i though.

[BeastNotro]

Not a very good comparison. If I had 3 chicks in my bed testing would be complete 187% faster than just 1, and 333% faster than 2.

Oh so your a 5 minute man.....