680i SLI is too expensive? Asus as the solution : P5N32-E SLI PLUS

[deathythe]

hey guys about the chipset of this board check this page:

http://publish.it168.com/2007/0125/20070125017104.shtml

it is a chinese webpage but you can enlarge the pictures of the NB/SB to see it more clearly. you can find out that the chipset is built with :

NB: C55-SLIX8N-A2
SB:NF590-SLI-N-A2

waht a interesting combination~

[renethx]

Sorry, but nothing new.

[Desert Eagle]

Anybody else tried SLI? Well I have and my results seem to show that it it severely bandwith restricting, it seems that in 3Dmark01 I get 12k less points than with my old P5W DH with hacked drivers. All the scores are much lower execpt Nature thats higher! And thats allmost exactly the same as the P5W DH without the SLI bridge. Without SLI bridge I got 53k with bridge 66k with bridge and the P5N32-E sli Plus I get 54k! Maybe its not a real 2x 16x pci-e board?!

I did, and it shows 2x 16 in cpuz. My former mobo was also a P5W DH Del., with hacked sli drivers.
In benchmarks my scores where about the same as with the P5W DH, so i didn't notice some difference.
Now i'm running Vista64bit, and i'm waiting on Nvidia's release SLI drivers to get my 7800Gt's running in SLI.
On the other hand, they released a Nforce driver for "it" (all the same for vista )??
Nf650i sli, Nf680i sli, and all other versions are the same driver 15.00 in Vista

650i sli: http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_...a64_15.00.html

680i sli: http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_...a64_15.00.html

[G.Foyle]

AT last a driver for Vista...
Given that most 6xx motherboards are C55 or C55XE, and the fact that some manufacturers put false info on their boxes/websites (yes, that's ASUS) they may have made just one driver package containing drivers for both C55 and C51 with MCP detection at the beginning of installation.

[renethx]

I wish people stop using the ambiguous, confusing term "C51", instead just use "MCP51". The C51 "SPP" (either C51G, C51PV, C51D, or C51XE) has never been used in the Intel platform (it lacks memory controller!). If it means C51 "MCP", then why not just use MCP51?

ASUS A8N-VM CSM GeForce 6150 Socket 939 motherboard

Northbridge C51-PV-A2 (GeForce 6150):



Southbridge MCP51-A2 (nForce 430):

[Sem]

i really want this board but im concerned about something

my E6600 needs 1.47vcore (actual) to run prime stable at 3.6Ghz

with the current bios will i be able to get 1.47vcore

if not i guess i will have to pass or wait for an bios update

bump

[G.Foyle]

Well with P5N32-E nonplus you have 5 bios revisions to choose from, of which 0302 and 0702 are probably best,, and with the Plus version you have only one bios.

[expreview]

where can i find the 0403 BIOS for P5N32-E SLI Plus?anyone can tell me?

now i just test 0702beta BIOS for P5N32-E SLI

[mit78]

from asus dowload site,and after update with ezflash or asusupdate.

[The Mutt]

I found out what made my results so low, one of the cores was disabled! But thats fixed now. Then I flashed to the 0402 bios and now its dead But maybe its just memory problems and if I can find someone that I can lend me som DDR2 sticks that will let me boot and flash back to 0302 bios.

[H0RM0NE]

I bought one from the Wiz and have only had it 3 days. So far I have managed 375 X 8 on my Sig Rig w/ Bios 0302. Anyone have settings to share that are stable 24/7 up around >450 x 8 with the E6400? I would like to get 1000 @ 4-4-4-12/2T run stock air safe max @ <1.5 Vcore and <2.5 Vdimm. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Edit: I'm using the EXCELLENT review from Eva2000 on the Striker to get my feet wet:

Quote:
AI Tuning: Manual
Nvidia GPU Ex: Disabled
LinkBoost: Disabled

FSB - Memory Clock Mode: Unlinked
x FSB - Memory Raio: N/A
FSB (QDR), Mhz: 1600 (means 400FSB)
Actual FSB (QDR), Mhz: 1600
MEM (DDR), Mhz: 800 (means 400mhz speeds)
Actual MEM (DDR), Mhz: 880.2

Vcore Voltage: 1.525 set (1.42v bios/1.41v windows idle/1.39v windows load)
Memory Voltage: 2.100v
1.2v HT Voltage: 1.3v
NB Core Voltage: 1.4v
SB Core Voltage: 1.55v
CPU VTT Voltage: 1.4v
DDRII Controller Ref Voltage: AUTO
DDRII Channel A Ref Voltage: AUTO
DDRII Channel B Ref Voltage: AUTO

tCL (CAS Latency): 4
tRCD: 4
tRP: 4
tRAS: 12
Command Per Clock (CMD): 2 clock (2T)

Advance Memory Settings
tRRD: AUTO
tRC: AUTO
tWR: AUTO
tWTR: AUTO
tREF: AUTO
Async Latency: AUTO

CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
MCP PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
SATA Spread Spectrum: Disabled
LDT Spread Spectrum: Disabled

CPU Internal Thermal Control: Disabled
Limit CPUID MaxVal: Disabled
Enhanced C1 (C1E): Disabled
Execute Disable Bit: Disabled
Virtualization Technology: Disabled
Enhanced Intel Speedstep Tech: Disabled
LDT Frequency: 5x

PCIEX16_1 Frequency (Mhz): 100
PCIEX16_2 Frequency (Mhz): 100
PCIEX16_3 Frequency (Mhz): 100
SPP<->MCP Ref Clock, Mhz: 200

[espionix]

After reading this thread and all the info on chipsets etc, would you say it's wise to go with the Plus over the Non-Plus then?

[H0RM0NE]

After reading this thread and all the info on chipsets etc, would you say it's wise to go with the Plus over the Non-Plus then?

espionix: As always that's a personal preference question...IMO I would say, "yes." I think it gives the most bang for the buck of any 16x16x SLI.

Pry0: What does BIOS 0403 give over 0302 any improvements? Did you flash with the non Plus or Striker 0403 BIOS?

Has anyone seen any official beta BIOS for this Plus board?

[Desert Eagle]

Has anyone seen any official beta BIOS for this Plus board?

Official beta bios for PLUS mobo 0402 :

http://dlsvr01.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/...0Plus/0402.zip

[espionix]

But both the plus and non-plus have x16 SLI?

On Scan.co.uk they are pretty much identical in price, but as you say 'personal preference' what is there for me to choose between?

[H0RM0NE]

Official beta bios for PLUS mobo 0402 :

http://dlsvr01.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/...0Plus/0402.zip

Thanks Desert Eagle I'll have to give it a try. Are you using it yet?

Naughty, how does 0402 work for you? Have you seen any real benefits?

[Pyr0]

@Pyr0: What does BIOS 0403 give over 0302 any improvements? Did you flash with the non Plus or Striker 0403 BIOS?

hehe, i still don't have one, i can't decide which 680i board to get
i was thinking about just getting the non-plus version of the p5n32-e just to get a proper 680i chipset cheaply

[H0RM0NE]

hehe, i still don't have one, i can't decide which 680i board to get
i was thinking about just getting the non-plus version of the p5n32-e just to get a proper 680i chipset cheaply

Define "proper." AFAIK the Plus is true 16x X 16x SLI and as far as cost, $215 USD is less then non Plus. Good luck with your decision either way, I just completed building mine.

[espionix]

Over here Non-Plus is &#163;141.46 and Plus is &#163;142.52 which is $278 and $280 respectively, which is nothing.

I share Pyr0's view having a 'proper' 680i board i thought would be better than this 'c55'. So if they are both same price, as I wont be using onboard audio with SLI, I have 3DMark 06 so the only difference is 'Tighter control and manipulation of voltages with lower vdroop' according to Asus.

I dunno

[Pyr0]

Define "proper." AFAIK the Plus is true 16x X 16x SLI and as far as cost, $215 USD is less then non Plus. Good luck with your decision either way, I just completed building mine.

sorry, i just meant a C55XE northbridge
over here they're pretty much the same price

i know the vcore selection is the fault of a buggy bios at the moment (i hope it can be fixed soon)... but i'm sure i read somewhere that the vcore on the non-plus was slighly higher @ 1.46 vs 1.42
(i need a little more than 1.42V to get 3.6GHz completely stable)

[edit] how bad was the vdroop on the non plus?
and how is the voltage control and manipulation actually improved on the plus?

[G.Foyle]

If teh price is same go for nonplus version.
Nonplus has 16x+16x+8x PCI-E slots and PLUS has 16x+16x IIRC (less PSI-E lanes!)

[H0RM0NE]

If teh price is same go for nonplus version.
Nonplus has 16x+16x+8x PCI-E slots and PLUS has 16x+16x IIRC (less PSI-E lanes!)

P5N32-E SLI From:
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...59&modelmenu=2

2 x PCI Express x16 slot, support NVIDIA&#174; SLI™ technology, at full x16, x16 speed (blue)
1 x PCI Express x16, at x8 speed (white)
1 x PCI Express x1
2 x PCI 2.2

P5N32-E SLI Plus From:
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...67&modelmenu=2

2 x PCI Express x16 slot, support NVIDIA&#174; SLI™ technology, at full x16, x16 speed (blue)
1 x PCI Express x16, at x8 speed (white)
1 x PCI Express x1
2 x PCI 2.2

Looks the same to me??? Am I missing something?

Now if you meant: P5N-E SLI 650i then I agree...either P5N32-E would be better
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...74&modelmenu=2
2 x PCI Express x16
- Single VGA mode: x16 (Default)
- SLI mode: x8, x8
1 x PCI Express x1
2 x PCI (PCI 2.2)

[Naughtyboy]

H0RM0NE About the 0402 bios...first thing I did when I got the board, after changeing NB and SB cooling was to flash the bios with 0402 and then installed the system. So I&#180;m sorry but I can&#180;t give you any comparison...because I simply just don&#180;t.

About your settings.....I would suggest you to set
1.2v HT = 1.55 (max in bios)
NB = 1.5 - 1.55 would be safe with default passive cooling. Put a little fan on it and you could go up to 1.6
SB = Around 1.6 would be safe. But I would suggest an additional fan added here to.

All other voltages except the ones above and vcore and vdimm ofcourse, didn&#180;t have any affect on my OC...however it might affect your hardware..so by all means try them out.

Disable all "Spread Spektrums"

In cpu settings disable everything except "Execute Disable Bit"..I also noticed some level of stability gain when lowering "LDT frequency" a little bit.

If you have an nvidia card then you can set the "PCIEX16_1-3 Frequency" to 115-120mhz...I can go al the way up to 125mhz. This gave me a little performance boost and it also gave me 5mhz more on the FSB.

Linkboost and Nvidia Gpu Ex disabled.


Good luck with your OC.

[H0RM0NE]

Naughtyboy, Thanks tons !!!! I'll give them a try tonight.

About cooling...NB/SB, I have an old HSF combo from my Cyrix days. I'm putting on either NB/SB and getting TT CL-C0034 for the other...which ever works best on NB of course.

[renethx]

Nonplus has 16x+16x+8x PCI-E slots and PLUS has 16x+16x IIRC (less PSI-E lanes!)

This is wrong. The fact is:

• The Plus and the non-plus are functionally completely identical, the same number of PCIe x16 slots (3) and speeds (x16, x16, x8), the same audio codec, LAN PHY, IEEE 1394 controller. The two manuals are also completely identical except for the motherboard and chipset names (I checked with Acrobat's "Compare Documents" feature).
• The same chipset drivers (680i SLI Drivers) for both.
• 100% solid capacitors in the Plus vs. only partial solid capacitors in the non-Plus.
• NB is C55 for the Plus and C55XE for the non-Plus. They are functionally identical. There is no official statement about the difference between them.

In the US market, the Plus is cheaper and comes with all solid capacitors, then why not buy the Plus?