X48 Rampage Formula Preview.

[SoLoR]

Here the link!

By the way, it solved my issue with my PCIe RAID disk controller.

I haven't any responsability for troubles or damages caused by this BIOS in your systems.

thx, seems to work fine for me, hoped for few new options that i was missing tho, but no luck :<

[DEFLORATOR]

Here the link!

By the way, it solved my issue with my PCIe RAID disk controller.

I haven't any responsability for troubles or damages caused by this BIOS in your systems.

Also note that Adaptec has recently released new firmware for our 3405 raid controller.

[chris8325]

I get from Asus support the new 501 BIOS that would correct the "no boot" issue with many PCIe RAID disk controllers.
I will test it tonight and let you know.
Probably it wil be published very soon in usual channels.

so far 0501 undervolts more than 0407-0410 for me, its faster (a few seconds in superpi)
and the pci-e controller issue
now i can pass the post - but there is no controller detected anymore ......

[ElAguila]

Does anyone else have this issue with thie motherboard? After the system posts but before it starts loading Vista, there is a double wide, blinking, white cursor in the upper lefthand corner of the monitor for about 15-20 seconds and then it boots.

[kup]

That is to do with your OS booting. Possibly the Vista bootloader taking longer than normal? I get it when booting from a couple of CD Boot Discs.

Maybe check your boot options and see if it's attempting to boot from am empty CD drive before the HDD?

[mikeyakame]

I get a delay if DVD drive is set as #1 in boot order. Solution, set it after your primary OS disk. Then boot from DVD via the F8 bios boot selection window. If this isn't the issue then it probably wont help!

Also bios 0501 seems a little better over all. I managed to drop 0.06v vDIMM off and skewed my ram to -300/-250ps clock cha/chb. Dram controller ref -20mv instead of +10mv. vDIMM 2.28v -> 2.22v in bios for 5-5-5-15 1150mhz. I dont remember being able to do this on the 040x bios, maybe i Just selected the magic combination of settings and it passed tests who knows. It may or not be because of bios, probably pure luck!

[Ghostleader]

I got a bit dispointed when I flashed the 0410 BIOS in my Rampage, I had 0407.

My max OC with my Cellshock PC8000 and Kingston HyperX PC9600 went down with ~35MHz, not much but it get lower and I don´t like it, it was the same with 2x1 and 4x1.

I tried my 2x2 Corsair Dominator PC8500 and it went down with ~10MHz.

I flashed back to 0408 but it was the same as 0410, so I flashed back to 0407 and I got my max OC back.

It seems like Micro D9GKX don´t like the 0410 or 0408 BIOS.

I could not clock my E8600 any higher with 0408 or 0410 then with 0407, so for now I stay with 0407 until something better comes along.

[ElAguila]

One last question here. I have replaced the thermal pads and paste on the nb and sb cooler with as5. Should I replace the thermal material with ASC on the pwm's as well? Also is bios 0501 helping improve overclocks any?

[Brama]

One last question here. I have replaced the thermal pads and paste on the nb and sb cooler with as5. Should I replace the thermal material with ASC on the pwm's as well? Also is bios 0501 helping improve overclocks any?

I suggest not to use a thermal paste with any electric and capacitive effect (like as5) on pwm, as there are high voltages and frequencies.

I get 20 MHz more on FSB, passing from 403 to 501. Not sure if 501 is better than 410.

[mep916]

I'm still running BIOS version 0403...any major improvements with the latest BIOS'? Should I flash up to something more recent?

[ElAguila]

I was looking at using arctic ceramique on the pwm's rather than as5.

[chris8325]

I get a delay if DVD drive is set as #1 in boot order. Solution, set it after your primary OS disk. Then boot from DVD via the F8 bios boot selection window. If this isn't the issue then it probably wont help!

Also bios 0501 seems a little better over all. I managed to drop 0.06v vDIMM off and skewed my ram to -300/-250ps clock cha/chb. Dram controller ref -20mv instead of +10mv. vDIMM 2.28v -> 2.22v in bios for 5-5-5-15 1150mhz. I dont remember being able to do this on the 040x bios, maybe i Just selected the magic combination of settings and it passed tests who knows. It may or not be because of bios, probably pure luck!

how did you optimize your skew settings ?

[situman]

I was looking at using arctic ceramique on the pwm's rather than as5.

MX2 a one stop TIM solution.

[003]

I suggest not to use a thermal paste with any electric and capacitive effect (like as5) on pwm, as there are high voltages and frequencies.

I get 20 MHz more on FSB, passing from 403 to 501. Not sure if 501 is better than 410.

Brama, really?? the 0501 bios gets you an additional 20MHz on the NB?? Have any of the other bios updates increased your max FSB overclock?? What are your full specs?

[Darkstormz]

Q9550 E0 VID 1.25 - Rampage Formula Bios 0501 - 4x2GB Corsair PC8500

Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner: Manual
OC From CPU Level Up: AUTO
CPU Ratio Control: 8.5
FSB Frequency: 460
FSB Strap to North Bridge: 333
PCI-E Frequency: 110
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1105
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency: 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
RAS# Precharge: 3
RAS# ActivateTime: 13
RAS# to RAS# Delay: 50
Row Refresh Cycle Time: 1
Write Recovery Time: 3
Read to Precharge Time: 3

Read to Write Delay (S/D): 8
Write to Read Delay (S): 3
Write to Read Delay (D): 5
Read to Read Delay (S): 4
Read to Read Delay (D): 6
Write to Write Delay (S): 4
Write to Write Delay (D): 6
DRAM Static Read Control: Enabled
Ai Clock Twister: Stronger
Transaction Booster: Auto - PL7

CPU Voltage: 1.375
CPU PLL Voltage: 1.54
North Bridge Voltage: 1.41
DRAM Voltage: 1.94
FSB Termination Voltage: 1.40
South Bridge Voltage: 1.10
Loadline Calibration: Disabled
CPU GTL Reference: 0.65x
North Bridge GTL Reference: 0.67x
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage: Auto
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage: DDR_REF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage: DDR_REF
SB 1.5V Voltage: 1.50

All voltages set in bios.

[traveler]

I'm starting to play with the overclock settings.

I'm now cranked to 3.2 on my Q9450 with voltage settings at way below peak.
Zero errors Memtest86+. Zero errors after 6 hours of Prime95.

Big difference from my early build posts in this thread.



__________________
Asus X48 Rampage Formula / Intel Q9450 / 2 x 2GB OCZ Reaper HPC PC2 8500 / VisionTek Radeon HD3870X2 OverClocked Edition /
Western Digital Raptor X Hard Drive / Two Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5001ABYS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drives /
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite Pro 7.1 / Creative Gigaworks S750 7.1 Speaker System /
Lian Li 343B cube case / PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Crossfire Edition

[Timo92]

hi!
I have P5E+RF BIOS 403. and ?-data AD2800X001GU (D9GMH). max OC - 970 MHZ with any options, 2.2-2.5v. Why?
maybe i should update bios to 501?

[Timo92]

Why this memory don't O.C. on the p5e@rf bios? OCZ Flex O.C. to 1212 MHz PL6

[mikeyakame]

try skewing the clocks on the dram channels. micron needs strong DQ amplitude, so advanced the skews to 350ps ch b, 250 - 300ps ch a., the more recent bios' seem to be designed around the milder PSC ic's. Since we dont have data strobe drive amplitude adjustment in the bios to correct this all we can do is skew the clocks in relation to the data strobe. Advancing the clock address phase decreases the period between it and when the data strobe phase begins, kinda like increasing the drive amplitude voltage, and delaying the clock address strobe increases the period between it and the data strobe phase, doing the opposite of reducing the drive amplitude for the data strobe. It's not the most adequate method by far, but it works reasonably well if you have the patience to fine tune the skew values.

[Timo92]

I set advance 150-350, but it was not help me

[motopen1s]

Does anyone else have this issue with thie motherboard? After the system posts but before it starts loading Vista, there is a double wide, blinking, white cursor in the upper lefthand corner of the monitor for about 15-20 seconds and then it boots.

1) As kup suggested - make sure hdd is set as the first booting device.

2) Enable fast boot in boot menu.

[Brama]

Brama, really?? the 0501 bios gets you an additional 20MHz on the NB?? Have any of the other bios updates increased your max FSB overclock?? What are your full specs?

Really and now I am at 480 MHz, 30 MHz more than with 403.
But, as you know, MHz are not the ultimate performance indicator.......

Everest benchmark gives a lot of memory bandwidth more than with 403, but a synthetic benchmark, like PC Mark Vantage, gives the same results than at 450 MHz with BIOS 403.

I suppose that Asus BIOS engineers was able to find the trick to fool Everest benchmark.......

[Timo92]

mikeyakame, thanks for advice

[sxs112]

DDR2-667 +DDR2-1066 @DDR2-1140 2.128V +0501

[003]

Really and now I am at 480 MHz, 30 MHz more than with 403.
But, as you know, MHz are not the ultimate performance indicator.......

Everest benchmark gives a lot of memory bandwidth more than with 403, but a synthetic benchmark, like PC Mark Vantage, gives the same results than at 450 MHz with BIOS 403.

I suppose that Asus BIOS engineers was able to find the trick to fool Everest benchmark.......

I can't wait for 0501 then! If I could get the same increase, I would finally be able to get my Q9450 at or over 4GHz!! Right now my FSB tops off at ~490 no matter how much voltage I use on anything. I am currently using 0410.