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

[roger_h99.nor]

@Emperor:

Your HDD's looks like they gone to PIO-mode. After failing UDMA-mode for six (?) times XP forces PIO-mode.

Do what w2richwood suggest, then you probably have to force UDMA-mode back in your OS again (google it, it's a registry-tweak).

Check Administrative Tools\Computer Management\System Tools\Event Viewer\System. If you still have errors, they will show up here.

[Emperor]

@Emperor:

Your HDD's looks like they gone to PIO-mode. After failing UDMA-mode for six (?) times XP forces PIO-mode.

Do what w2richwood suggest, then you probably have to force UDMA-mode back in your OS again (google it, it's a registry-tweak).

Check Administrative Tools\Computer Management\System Tools\Event Viewer\System. If you still have errors, they will show up here.

will google to find out what those terms mean.

anyway i played ard and used the same sata cable and HDD on another port and i get like 70+mb/s avg and the faster drive plugged into that supposedly faulty port gets 78mb/s

for some reason taht drive does not like that 1 port.

[sesdave]

everyone, i need some help with this system.

What ports have you connected all the drives to and what is your CPU and other BIOS settings ? Best not to use the JMICRON controller by the way - tends to be slower. If no other problems to get the best form your drives a reinstall would probably be the quickest resolution. You cant switch to AHCI or RAID unlesss you install winxp with BIOS setting for SATA preset to AHCI or RAID. You want to run your drives in one of these modes to get the best out of them. If you want to get the best possible operating speed on the drives and data resilience then set them up MATRIX RAID. e.g RAID0/1 on your 2x1000GB drives. You wont believe the speed reported when you run HD tach or Tune-lol!. Dont forget to download the ICH9 drivers for F6 on install if you do chose a reinstall so you have all options covered. See this site for detail
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=467848 I did this setup a long time ago and would never use anything else.!
WInxp/Vista/Win 7 on RAID0(striped) will only need 80-100 GB max e.g 2x40Gb and the rest will be for DATA on RAid 1(morrored. You can uses the 320 for system and additional data backup.

On another note I have just installed Win7 Ultimate x64 on my setup and it runs like a dream - its what Vista x64 should have been . Easy install - (no need for RAID drivers load) Its very zippy , has nice features and seems very stable. No problems with drivers although had to maunually do the RT8187driver update - used Vista x64 drivers in most case except for my old SB xfi xtreme audio. Loads the latests driver okay but can only get 2 speakers as the creative console doesn't offer usual EAX CCSS options. There is a beta WIn7 driver forSB xfi cards but not for mine! I am sure the drivers will be coming cos this system is the way to go. Pity its going to costs as it should just be SP2 for vista - lol! For those that love their existing operating ssystem you can always do a dual boot install to Win7 out. Personally I wont be going back to either Vista x64 or Winxp cos for once this microsoft product seems to work the way it should even if it is beta-lol!

[Emperor]

What ports have you connected all the drives to and what is your CPU and other BIOS settings ? Best not to use the JMICRON controller by the way - tends to be slower. If no other problems to get the best form your drives a reinstall would probably be the quickest resolution. You cant switch to AHCI or RAID unlesss you install winxp with BIOS setting for SATA preset to AHCI or RAID. You want to run your drives in one of these modes to get the best out of them. If you want to get the best possible operating speed on the drives and data resilience then set them up MATRIX RAID. e.g RAID0/1 on your 2x1000GB drives. You wont believe the speed reported when you run HD tach or Tune-lol!. Dont forget to download the ICH9 drivers for F6 on install if you do chose a reinstall so you have all options covered. See this site for detail
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=467848 I did this setup a long time ago and would never use anything else.!
WInxp/Vista/Win 7 on RAID0(striped) will only need 80-100 GB max e.g 2x40Gb and the rest will be for DATA on RAid 1(morrored. You can uses the 320 for system and additional data backup.

On another note I have just installed Win7 Ultimate x64 on my setup and it runs like a dream - its what Vista x64 should have been . Easy install - (no need for RAID drivers load) Its very zippy , has nice features and seems very stable. No problems with drivers although had to maunually do the RT8187driver update - used Vista x64 drivers in most case except for my old SB xfi xtreme audio. Loads the latests driver okay but can only get 2 speakers as the creative console doesn't offer usual EAX CCSS options. There is a beta WIn7 driver forSB xfi cards but not for mine! I am sure the drivers will be coming cos this system is the way to go. Pity its going to costs as it should just be SP2 for vista - lol! For those that love their existing operating ssystem you can always do a dual boot install to Win7 out. Personally I wont be going back to either Vista x64 or Winxp cos for once this microsoft product seems to work the way it should even if it is beta-lol!

thanks for the tip. always thought the ahci drivers came installed.
so what other timings do u want to know abt?

[sesdave]

thanks for the tip. always thought the ahci drivers came installed.
so what other timings do u want to know abt?

Just wondered what your CPU was and and all BIOS settings were at . If you dont want to do a reinstall (although I would recommend the MATRIX setup) ) you could see if the following works. I remembered googling this when I wanted to try AHCI out but I ended up going MATRIX setup cos I found that as well and it looked more fun and a lot faster than AHCI plus all the speed/resilience benefits - lol!

There are two alternative methods to switch from IDE to AHCI if you already have Windows installed without having to reinstall or repair. This works for the P5B, should work for the P5K too:

#1 Shutdown the computer. Remove SATA cable from the Intel SATA Controller and plug it into the SATA port of the JMicron controller. Boot the computer after changing BIOS to reflect the changes (Jmicron set to IDE, Intel SATA set to AHCI, set JMicron for boot). Once in Windows, install the latest Intel driver for the AHCI controller. Shutdown the computer. Move back the SATA cable to the Intel controller. Power up, change BIOS to reflect change in boot drive location.

-OR-

#2 With the Intel controller set on IDE mode, go into device manager and locate the Intel controller that the drive is connected to. Right-click and select upgrade driver. Select browse my computer for driver software. Select let me pick from list. In the screen untick the box "show compatible hardward". Scroll down under the Manufactuer column and select the Standard AHCI driver and select next. This should install the Microsoft AHCI driver. (Alternatively, you can install the latest Intel AHCI driver at this time if you have it handy using the "Have Disk" button.) Reboot. Then go into the bios and change your Intel controller from IDE to AHCI. Once your reboot you can then install the AHCI driver for your particular motherboard. This is assuming you are running Vista, I'm not sure if XP has default Microsoft AHCI drivers available.

Either option will work. The first way is nearly fool-proof, but the second way allows you to skip diving into the case and switching cables around

[Emperor]

Just wondered what your CPU was and and all BIOS settings were at . If you dont want to do a reinstall (although I would recommend the MATRIX setup) ) you could see if the following works. I remembered googling this when I wanted to try AHCI out but I ended up going MATRIX setup cos I found that as well and it looked more fun and a lot faster than AHCI plus all the speed/resilience benefits - lol!

There are two alternative methods to switch from IDE to AHCI if you already have Windows installed without having to reinstall or repair. This works for the P5B, should work for the P5K too:

#1 Shutdown the computer. Remove SATA cable from the Intel SATA Controller and plug it into the SATA port of the JMicron controller. Boot the computer after changing BIOS to reflect the changes (Jmicron set to IDE, Intel SATA set to AHCI, set JMicron for boot). Once in Windows, install the latest Intel driver for the AHCI controller. Shutdown the computer. Move back the SATA cable to the Intel controller. Power up, change BIOS to reflect change in boot drive location.

-OR-

#2 With the Intel controller set on IDE mode, go into device manager and locate the Intel controller that the drive is connected to. Right-click and select upgrade driver. Select browse my computer for driver software. Select let me pick from list. In the screen untick the box "show compatible hardward". Scroll down under the Manufactuer column and select the Standard AHCI driver and select next. This should install the Microsoft AHCI driver. (Alternatively, you can install the latest Intel AHCI driver at this time if you have it handy using the "Have Disk" button.) Reboot. Then go into the bios and change your Intel controller from IDE to AHCI. Once your reboot you can then install the AHCI driver for your particular motherboard. This is assuming you are running Vista, I'm not sure if XP has default Microsoft AHCI drivers available.

Either option will work. The first way is nearly fool-proof, but the second way allows you to skip diving into the case and switching cables around

AWESOME!! cheers.

[sesdave]

AWESOME!! cheers.

did this help or do you still have performance problems?

[fatguy1992]

Hey could someone tell me what the max Vcore is? I'm thinking of getting one of these boards.

Thanks

[sesdave]

Hey could someone tell me what the max Vcore is? I'm thinking of getting one of these boards.

Thanks

I use BIOS 0702 and that has a max Vcore setting of 1.7. - might be a volt mod if u want higher. Dont think many (if any) are posting here anymore - they have all moved on to i7s and DDR3 system I suspect., I cant be botheed as this board still plays anything I want so I will wait for the high prices to come down before I think of going down that route.

[fatguy1992]

Thanks and yeah I want no less then 2.0v I'm sure there is a Vcore mod.

Thanks

[w2richwood]

im with you sesdave this board has been so good to me im not letting it go anytime soon
Rich

[KanGaXx]

i tryed a p5k premium with a q6600... i tested voltages with a multimeter and i found that PLL did not changes...
if i put 1,5v or 1,6 or 1,7 or... 2.2v the tester always says that there are 1,564v on PLL... what the hell is ?? i have used reading points that all know...
which is the best bios for high fsb ?
Thanks.

[w2richwood]

im using 1101 bios wooks good with my setup dont know where to reading pionts are good luck becareful with the reading pionts you can fry your board
Rich

[RichardRichard]

After a day or two my system starts throwing memory errors but the memory's brand new, could this be a northbridge heat problem or something because after the machine's been left off for a while it's fine again.

[sesdave]

After a day or two my system starts throwing memory errors but the memory's brand new, could this be a northbridge heat problem or something because after the machine's been left off for a while it's fine again.

Doubt its a north bridge heat problem. Are you overclocking anything -whats your bios settings -?. Have you tried running a memory test at boot to check the memory or superpi in windows.. Just cos its new doesnt mean it cant be defective. I have had numerous stick out of the box with faults. Try the test with each stick then individually to find the faulty one. If they are a matched pair return both if you get failures - they will have warranty.

[RichardRichard]

Doubt its a north bridge heat problem. Are you overclocking anything -whats your bios settings -?. Have you tried running a memory test at boot to check the memory or superpi in windows.. Just cos its new doesnt mean it cant be defective. I have had numerous stick out of the box with faults. Try the test with each stick then individually to find the faulty one. If they are a matched pair return both if you get failures - they will have warranty.

If it's not the northbridge I'm guessing something else is heating up, each stick passes fine when tested alone. However when the errors do start each stick will be bad.

It's been okay for 3 days straight now I've left the aggressive fan settings on for my gfx card, and left the tt120 fan at 100% but it's pretty noisey.

[w2richwood]

are you running you memory 1:1 with you cpu?

[sesdave]

are you running you memory 1:1 with you cpu?

Also please provide more details on your current HW setup all your current BIOS settings, cpu type, memory type - slots they are in , PSU and HSF etc. That way we can maybe work out what the problem is. Whats your current temps when running. You say the sticks test okay seperately - what about when they are dualled.

Still think its your sticks at fault if you are getting memory errors- have you cleaned the contacts and remounted?

[sesdave]

Anyone still on this thread or has everyone upgraded to x55s/x58s and DDR3 memory etc. Cant be bothered spending the cash yet myself as this still runs all the games I want. Need a new DX11 supported card but apart from that and maybe some overclocking fun cant see any reason to move yet. Unless someone can give me a good reaason to spend lots of cash on upgrading - lol!

[w2richwood]

still have my p5k-premium as back up it plays games for the grand kids real will keeping it forever lol but my r2e is nice
Rich

[ReverendMaynard]

went from this board to several platforms lol, but now on X58 even though the Black Pearl was a gem, it just gets destroyed on every level.

[roger_h99.nor]

Still got this board. Just fitted it with 4 x 2GB Corsair Dominator.
Planning a q9650 before switching to the X58 platform. Only thing that bothers is the SATA2 issue.

[sesdave]

went from this board to several platforms lol, but now on X58 even though the Black Pearl was a gem, it just gets destroyed on every level.

True in benches from what I read but I still cant see a real reason to spend lots of dough to upgrade - the pounds not worth a lot so everythings expensive over here -lol! I can still happily play all the latest games on this setup - even with my old 8800GTS although not all eye candy on in some. Most games are GPU bound anyway so I think upping the card will be my first move so I can switch it all on - does the PCIE 2.0/2.1 on your board make that much difference over 1.1 in real terms - yes higher bandwidth I know but whats that really mean in % increase in fps during games - would I really notice it?

[tz3p3]

Hey guys

I was a very happy owner of p5k premium for almost 2 years now



Full specs
Q6600 G0 / Tr ultra extreme 120 - both lapped ( termalright was incredibly convex initially ... not sure how got qc passed )
4x1G mushkin em ddr2 800
650W mushkin PSU initially / now upgraded to CoolerMaster 1100W
8800GTS640 initially / now upgraded to GTX295
APC UPS 1400INET/950W
...rest doesnt matter for OC

I have been running the config above for the last past 2 years or so 24/7 without any issues whatsoever ( working in the 3d industry )

Now decided to upgrade to 8G of ram till the new i7 970 will come out and do a platform switch,980x is a bit too expensive and i7 quad core doesnt seem to worth the upgrade over the current specs ( money/performance gain ).. so bought same mushkin 4x2G em ddr2 800 and everything collapsed ... not that oc wont work at all but for some reason i get prime errors after 10 -20 minutes even with cpu/ram at stock speed.
Upgraded to latest bios 1101 but same happens.

On the asus site i have noticed that they do not have 4x2048 ddr800 as supported ram only 4x2048 at 667.

I have been reading here and there that for bigger amounts of ram some of the timings need to be further relaxed
for instance tRFC>=54 ... on spd settings my mb sets it to 42 but tried larger latencies without any success.
Tried messing all night long with all the settings in bios but sooner or later will return errors. 4x1G works fine but when switched to 4x2 i get errors ... i will start checking/memtest 1 stick of 2g independently to see whats the issues... but i reckon is something to do with the latencies ...i gave up for the time being and got back to 4Gigs ...

Before returning the ram i would like to do more tests and i thought to ask here to see if anybody had any issues whatsoever with 8G of ram.
Any help would be appreciated.

[tz3p3]

Back after some testing ....

I know most of you have switched to i7 and do not read this thread but maybe there is someone else with same board and using 4g of ram and wondering if switching to 8g might raise issues on oc..

I had some memtest-ing today and got the source of the issue .. one stick of ram is faulty .. hence my problem

I will send the faulty ram back and get a working one.
In the meantime the oc is back to 3.7 and basically the same settings i used for 4G seems to work fine with 7G : 3x2G +1G ( Flex mode ) and the drop in performance due to asymmetric dual channel isnt noticeable in the apps i use: got the same render times in some heavy 3d scenes with 4-5G used only by maya when using 6g dual channel symmetric and 7G dual channel asym.

Will get back after will get the new 2g stick but am confident will work flawlessly with 8G the same way it did with 4.