DQ6 - new build problems

[Richard Dower]

OK so i setup the Gigabyte DQ6 with a Celeron D 326 as my E6600 has STILL not shipped from Overclockers.co.uk (scumbags).

My memory is G.SKILL 2GB ZX kit, here are my observations:
The board comes with F2 bios, i install the ZX kit and it would not POST, it would power up (fans spin up) and power down, in a continious cycle.

So i knew what to expect, had a 256MB stick of Nanya DDR2 4200 ready, installed and the PC boot. Once i entered bios i change the VDIMM to 0.4V, that's 2.2V on the ZX.

G.SKILL tech told me 2.2V is OK for this memory, but my problems start here and the Intel 965 chipset and how to install a SATA optical drive?

I've got a Plextor 716SA and it's connected to thr Intel SATA2 port, but if i try setup a RAID array and have the SATA optical on the yellow Intel SATA connectors the RAID array disappears from the boot sequence in bios?

I've tried everything possible but for some reason i cannot use a two drive RAID 0 on ports 0/1 and install the SATA optical drive on port 2?

I don't understand why this is happening as Intel dropped IDE and SATA optical should work...can anyone offer advice?

[Richard Dower]

OUCH! , man this board runs HOT, you could fry an egg on this thing. The Northbridge gets VERY hot, Southbridge is a little cooler...the Gigabyte SATA2 chip (Jmicro) !!!...smoldering hot!

That chip need a heatsink on it, it gets very hot to the touch....the MOSFETS are also warm, think somr sir cooling might be needed, like an SI-128 or something blowing down.

Board is lovely, but it's still early days for me yet

Thread 2 merged - bachus_anonym

[K404]

Mind if I ask how the BIOS is?

[xgman]

here is what I did to mine to try to keep it a bit cooler.

[dandragonrage]

Is it HOT HOT HOT! or cold?
HOT HOT HOT! or cold?

Sounds like you need to do some custom heatsinking there.

[Richard Dower]

I have a Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 using the F3e beta bios and a temporary Intel Celeron D 326 overclocked to 3Ghz. My issue is with the Intel RAID bios and setting up a RAID array + using a Plextor 716SA SATA optical as a boot drive.

Basically they don't work together and i have tried everything, if i disbale the Intel RAID option in bios my Plextor is detected and so are both my Western Digital Raptors 74GB ADFD drives with 16MB cache, firmware 00NLR1.

I can install Windows XP on one of the Raptors + i am able to boot + install Windows from the SATA optical drive. But if i enable the RAID option and setup a RAID 0 array and also plug in my Plextor into one of the yellow Intel SATA ports the RAID array dissapears from the boot sequence and the RAID array is no longer detected?

If i plug the Plextor out again the RAID array is detected and i can boot from said RAID array...can anyone offer any explanation or is there some bios settings or ports i should be using?



Thread 3 merged - bachus_anonym

[Lestat]

you have to install the raid drivers when you install xp

when you boot to the cd you'll see a message at the bottom of the screen saying Press F6 to isntall alterante drivers

wel..... hit F6 a few times and then you will be prompted for the drivers.

you need to have the raid drivers on a floppy. which can be done using the gigabyte cd and creating a boot floppy.

you've never seen nor heard of this before ???

sata drives go in the standard sata ports. not the raid ports.

[Richard Dower]

Lestat, i've installed a RAID array many times on many boards since the Gigabyte Granite Bay board. I know about F6 and the RAID drivers. I have the Plextor 716SA connected to the JMicron controller and i use that as my boot drive to install Windows XP and the OS copied.

I have a floppy and the drivers, i load the nesscary drivers off the floppy at the F6 stage. You are not getting what i am asking above at all.

The Intel 965P has 6 SATA ports, 0/1/2/3/4/5. I have the Raptors on ports 0/1, the Intel Matrix RAID bios displays when i have two drives installed and detected, i enter the RAID bios and create a RAID 0 stripe, the RAID array i set in the boot sequence.

I can install and use the RAID array OK, i am using it as i type. The PROBLEM is when you connect the SATA Plextor drive to one of the Intel SATA ports such as port 2 the already created RAID array DISAPPEARS.

The Intel Matrix RAID bios no longer appears and the RAID array is missing in the boot sequence and the bios completely, when i disconnet the Plextor it returns.

WHY is it not possible to have two drives in RAID and have a SATA optical drive connected also ?, when you enable the RAID option for Intel do all 6 ports only work for RAID/hard drives?...why can you not use say two ports for hard drives and two for SATA opticals?

My nForce4 Ultra motherboard had four SATA ports running over the nForce controller, they were split into two channels. When the first channel was enabled you could connect two hard drives and set RAID 0 and boot. The other channel and ports could be set to disable, as disable the RAID option, and they would allow SATA opticals to be connected.

[Richard Dower]

As reported by others, G.SKILL memory will not boot on the DQ6 without voltage modification in bios first. As Lestat reported, the 2GB ZX kits needs 2.2V to just boot/get stable.

G.SKILL techs confirm it is safe to run said memory with 2.2.V, i have a cheap 256MB stick of Nanya DDR2 PC4200 memory. She allows for POST and bios modification, the voltage with the Nanya is 1.8V.

Set voltage manually to +0.400V (0.4V, standard 1.8 + .0.4 = 2.2V), manually change timings to 4-4-4-12 (this is nesscary and expalined below).

Be advised the memory gets very hot, i would recomend some air cooling such as this:

http://www.xoxide.com/neon-crab-memory-cooler.html

I have also heatsinks on the MOSFET's surrounding the DIMM slots and clock generators. There is also another quirk, if you leave the memory timings to Auto and look at CPU-Z it will at first report 4-4-4-12, other times it will report 4-3-3-10 and also 3-4-4-12...very weird.

So settings timings manually would be advised, and keep an eye on it to see if it changes. I'm using F3e and hopefully the bios will mature and fix some of the issues, it's a real PAIN to keep taking the memory out and swaping, and if you have to reset the bios for any reasons you'll have to start from scratch.

Thread 4 merged - bachus_anonym

[orion23]

I have similar issues with my DDR2 800mhz 2GBHZ

I never had any problems getting into the bios, but I do get the DDR2V 1.8V FAIL error message under pc health status.

My timings also fly all over the place when left auto and EVEN if I set them to the default 4-4-4-12 manually, they sometimes become 3-5-5-15 or 3-4-4-12

I'll be testing some DDR2 800mhz CL4 4-4-4-12 by Corsair on monday evening and hopefully my problems will go away!

[Richard Dower]

That's because the HZ allows for CAS 3, i think...i am undecided if it's a voltage issue or SPD data contained within the memory modules.

I also have the DDR2V 1.8 FAIL showing, anything over 1.8V shows a fail in red...i'm not worried about that, it's just notification.

[guess2098]

As reported by others, G.SKILL memory will not boot on the DQ6 without voltage modification in bios first. As Lestat reported, the 2GB ZX kits needs 2.2V to just boot/get stable.

G.SKILL techs confirm it is safe to run said memory with 2.2.V, i have a cheap 256MB stick of Nanya DDR2 PC4200 memory. She allows for POST and bios modification, the voltage with the Nanya is 1.8V.

Set voltage manually to +0.400V (0.4V, standard 1.8 + .0.4 = 2.2V), manually change timings to 4-4-4-12 (this is nesscary and expalined below).

Be advised the memory gets very hot, i would recomend some air cooling such as this:

http://www.xoxide.com/neon-crab-memory-cooler.html

I have also heatsinks on the MOSFET's surrounding the DIMM slots and clock generators. There is also another quirk, if you leave the memory timings to Auto and look at CPU-Z it will at first report 4-4-4-12, other times it will report 4-3-3-10 and also 3-4-4-12...very weird.

So settings timings manually would be advised, and keep an eye on it to see if it changes. I'm using F3e and hopefully the bios will mature and fix some of the issues, it's a real PAIN to keep taking the memory out and swaping, and if you have to reset the bios for any reasons you'll have to start from scratch.

i think you probably have early none-D9 HZ

[Richard Dower]

0605, Micron D9.

[Richard Dower]

Anyone got screenies of Device Manager?...if possible System Devices, i wannna check if what others have with my own, thank you.


Thread 5 merged - bachus_anonym

[guess2098]

0605, Micron D9.

wait
you have ZX
that is not D9
sry my bad

[Richard Dower]

G.SKILL tech says ZX with 0605 and above are Micron D9, 0604 and below are Elpidia.

[Ace-a-Rue]

are you saying the Plextor works ok on the JMicron controller without affecting your raid array that is on the Intel Sata ports???

[Richard Dower]

Yes, the Jmicron controller is separate and uses it's own IRQ and resources, i am trying to use LESS resources and be able to disable the Jmicron controller and save resources.

The Jmircon also has everything set to DMA mode, no PIO issues here, SATA optical is running at DMA mode 4, ATA66.

[Richard Dower]

FYI...the SATA optical is detected as a normal ATA optical drive, actually the Plextor 716A ( non SATA) did in fact run at ATA66, the 716SA use a bridge chip..it'll never run 150MB's anyways, no optical drive will.

[xgman]

same problem with dq6 and corsiar 6400c3

[sissy]

Anyone got screenies of Device Manager?...if possible System Devices, i wannna check if what others have with my own, thank you.

hope it helps

[sissy]

richard id be a little bit wary of the intel raid as i original set mine up on that in raid 1 (DQ6) and tested the rebuild process by degrading the mirror and it wouldnt for the life of me let it rebuild. i even wiped a drive so it was total clean and it still wouldnt let me rebuild.

so in the end i started from scratch using the giga raid, done the same test as above and worked perfectly.

it may have been a bios issue as it was using F2 at the time i dont know but im certainly not taking that risk again on the intel controller.

[Richard Dower]

hope it helps

Yes, all expect PCI-E Root Port 5...i assume that's for the Marvell PCI-E LAN controller.

[Richard Dower]

I would also suggest the Intel RAID bios is immature.

[gotheb1ues]

boots fine with my DQ6 541MHz 3-4-3-9 2.4v

http://imageshack.us]