** OFFICIAL ** Intel DX38BT & DX48BT2 BoneTrail Thread

[gtj]

running loose timings of 9 9 9 24...

Set them to automatic then run prime95 for a while to make sure you're stable at 333x10

[guest]

sorry, edited previous:

running loose timings of 9 9 9 24...1066 @ 1.7v as per man specs...
333x10
all default volts...
all eist watchdog ect disabled...

no post let alone go into windows...

perhaps some bad hardware?

[Randy]

running loose timings of 9 9 9 24...1066 @ 1.7v as per man specs...
333x10
all default volts...
all eist watchdog ect disabled...

no post. Time to consider possibility of bum chipset/ cpu?

Bump the memory voltage up to 1.78 or so and see where you get.

[guest]

hmmm 1.78 allows me to post, (and up) take to BSD when I try to let windows boot up

[Randy]

hmmm 1.78 allows me to post, (and up) take to BSD when I try to let windows boot up

Take it up to 1.8. I had to run 1.82 on my Patriot and it's rated @ 1.7V. What is your MCH at ?

[Manel]

Hey craftsman
It's funny (well, not really), but gtj is right, those are the temps available for this board. Still, according to Intel both the MCH and ICH should provide temp readings as well since both have internal diodes. However, we don't get to see those in hardware monitoring. The limitation I believe is in the aSC7621 which has no more diode inputs, one internal and 2 external. However, if Intel did it right I believe we could see them through SMBus I guess, in addition to those. Not sure why Everest can't see them though. This chip is very limited regarding available readings.

[gtj]

It's not really a limitation of the asc7621 but more a limit on Intel's part. Yes, both the X38/48 and the ICH9 have diodes but neither exposes them to the outside either via pinouts or registers. The ICH9 is also on the SMBus (it's the controller) but it's slave capabilities are limited to reading watchdog and rtc info. The ICH9 is also on the PECI bus with the cpu and asc7621 but the ICH9 and asc7621 are reading from the cpu. The ICH9 can't be read that way.

[craftsman]

Manel, i've considered giving the intel integrators toolkit a whirl because that seems like a possible way in. sorry though, i'm yea, nah,yea, nah, about it. you might like to try though, eh.

[xMrBunglex]

GTJ, does your BT2 use the same chipset drivers as the BT does?

[gtj]

GTJ, does your BT2 use the same chipset drivers as the BT does?

Hard to tell. It IS using the same drivers but I moved this hard drive out of the BT sytem into the BT2. It just started right up so I didn't look any further. Looking at the latest driver package though, there was no update for the X48, only the X38.

[Manel]

gtj, you really dig into this deep man. Yes, the IC9 is the SMBus controller and I was guessing that because of that there could actually be a way of accessing those readings. If you say that's not possible I'll buy that, you know what you're talking about for sure. And I thought maybe Everest could get it that way also but I guess not. But following that line of thought, what are those diodes there for? If they are not accessible from the outside and if their readings are not available they are of no use. Maybe just for internal control but what will happen if temp reaches higher limit, will the MCH/ICH shutdown? What about the rest of the system, will it be forced to shutdown as well? How will it know if the readings are not passed through? Well, too many questions here!!! PECI would indeed be another way but guess not too.
craftsman, I might try it. I have also been like go/no go with it, just to have a feel, see what additional potencial it can bring, if any. Let you know if I try it.
xMrBunglex, since the MCH is exactly the same, only renamed really and better binned, the drivers/INF should be the same, don't know why Intel hasn't updated them to reflect the "new" chipset though. It was time Intel would clarify the issue with the version of the INF files provided in their site and the CD that comes with the board, though. Never knew which are the latest and which should be installed.
Still, X58 has already been leaked, triple DDR3 channel controller is now integrated on the Nehalem CPU so no more MCH designation. QPI will replace the current interconnection finally, AMD had the advantage here with HT. Funny how Intel is always trailing after AMD nowadays, as much as it's hard to admit, but still wearing the performance crown. Also option for 2xPCIe x16 or 4xPCIe x8 seems nice. Too bad no SLI is still in the horizon. All this in Q4'08, near enough.

[gtj]

gtj, you really dig into this deep man.

I started reading hardware manuals for fun in 1970.

Anyway, the diodes are there for the internal shutdown logic and in the ICH9's case, it's actually a basic environment sensor and fan controller for lower end motherboards that don't have separate sensor chips.

The cpu, mch and ich can all signal an overheat which would cause the system to shut down.

[Anubi]

Guest if your still reading this, you didn't mention if your changing the FSB clock. You mentioned your memory is 1066 rated for 1.7v, that's not very good actually. Any reaonsable quality memory rated for 1066 should be able to do it at 1.5v, if your not changing the FSB clock.

[Miwo]

woohoo my $150 Bonetrail came in today.

Now I just need to transition from my BX2 and get some other hardware parts. I'm going to pick up an E8300 for $160 @ Ewiz. Do you think 470FSB is obtainable on this board with a dual core with the latest bios?

[down8]

Another BadAxe2 convert.

I'd liketo join that club, if I could get hardware that worked. I bought used DDR3 (Aeneon XTune 1333), and it won't POST. I get the 3-beep salute, no matter the slot or DIMM count.

Seller is working with me, so hope I'll get it going soon.

Letting hardware rots sucks.

-bZj

[Stilo]

Hello,

I would like to buy one of the Intel DX38BT - Motherboard.

Does anyone know, if MDT DDR3-Ram is compatible with this board?

Thank you

[Manel]

down8
There should be no issues with the Aeneon I guess, but if you can't POST you may be experiencing my initial nightmare with this board.
I had such a problem with my OCZ Plats but it was due to an early BIOS version which was very picky with the memory. Do you know which BIOS ver you have in this board? You need a stick of mem that works, in my case it was an Asus 1333 stick - go figure, didn't even know Asus had mem. Then flash to the latest BIOS and you're set.
You need to try some mem, OCZ has a reputation of being tough to boot, but maybe Corsair, Crucial, you need to try.
It took me over a month to get it to boot, just to find the right mem.
Good luck.

Stilo
Try Intel site for the compatibility chart, I believe MDT is not there. Try and get someone to try it on their mobo, it's the best way. You never know with this board. Latest BIOSes should be ok.

[down8]

I'm up!

The seller sent some Crucial to test with, and it's installing Vista now. I had some initial problems with video. Had to switch to another card, then boot and setup BIOS, then replace my HD3850.

Can't wait to play. I should have an X38 waterblock today, and a CPU block this coming week, too!

-bZj

[Manel]

Hey down8
Great to know you're steaming away already.
Let us know how it plays.

[down8]

IDCC won't start. EDIT: It starts now - sometimes.

RAM wont run over 1066. XMP shows in 1554, but when selected board drops back to 1066 JDEC.
EDIT: IDCC can change the RAM & CPU, but I can't change (reliably) from the BIOS.
EDIT2: CPU-Z reports 667MHz for RAM, IDCC reports 1600MHz. Which to believe?

Re-reading this whole thread for tools/tips....

-bZj

[Randy]

IDCC won't start. EDIT: It starts now - sometimes.

RAM wont run over 1066. XMP shows in 1554, but when selected board drops back to 1066 JDEC.
EDIT: IDCC can change the RAM & CPU, but I can't change (reliably) from the BIOS.
EDIT2: CPU-Z reports 667MHz for RAM, IDCC reports 1600MHz. Which to believe?

Re-reading this whole thread for tools/tips....

-bZj

I had problems with CPU-Z. Can you get a hold of a recent Everest ?

[down8]

I installed Everest 4.5, but it won't show me the CPUID - pay only function?

When I try to run it, or the mem benchmark, I get "Invalid floating point operation!" and an empty window.

-bZj

[xMrBunglex]

CPU-Z also incorrectly reports my memory as DDR 1333 when it's actually at DDR 1480. all other monitoring programs read it correctly. for the XMP profile, do you have your memory in slots 2 and 4? those are the slots you need to have your RAM in to use the XMP profile. and it sounds like your system isn't stable yet. it took most of us a while to get our systems running the way we wanted and i don't think there are any beginners in this group.

[oldsarge]

I have been happy to find that it is possible to run the XMP profile #1 with
4 x 1gb of Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800. With a FSB of 425 this puts the
memory at 1700mhz.

I have recently switched processors from a Q6600 to a E8500. The E8500
needs 1.35 volts to operate at 4ghz. While massaging the various parameters
in a effort to lower the core voltage, I decided to try a lower multiplier.
(500 x 8). I made the adjustment in the bios, leaving the memory on profile #1. The Bone presented me with a nice blue screen with instructions to run "disk clean" AND to reauthorize Vista! I had to do this, why I don't know
except some corruption must have happened to the ms files.
Later on I gave it another try, but this time I lowered the memory to a 1:1
ratio before changing the cpu. When it booted up it stopped before windows
with a notice that a file was missing or corrupted and that I needed to run
Vista startup repair. I did this and was able to boot into Vista this time.
Operation was as expected and passed all stability tests. However, it wasn't any better than the previous 425 x 9.5 setting.

As others have noted, this motherboard does not like changes! Almost any memory change will result in a "no boot" condition. Incidently, it has not been possible to make any changes at all in the gtl settings. One click off the automatic number = "no boot".

After the Bone has been adjusted to the settings that "it" likes, it is perfectly stable in all respects. However, it should not be such a hassle to get to this stage. This bios is by far the worst I have ever encounted, you would expect better from Intel!

[gtj]

Yeah, I was trying to goof with the GTL settings as well and came to the same conclusion.

Also, the "other settings" for memory don't work (tRFC, etc). You can set them to anything you want and they seem to be ignored.