X48 Rampage Formula Preview.

[Rickpatbrown]

I should have come here for some answers, but thought I knew something about computers and can do it myself. Anyway, I'll post what has happened in hope that it helps someone.

I got Rampage Formula, E8400 and 2x2gig DDR2 800 crucial ballistix in the second week of April.

I was dissapointed in my overclock. I need 1.4v to hit 3.91Ghz. When I first did this, I was prime 95 stable for about eight hours.

I started getting freezes and reboots, but I thought it was because of my 8800GTS (G80) being clocked too high. It would reboot and not even get to the Windows logo before it would reboot again. If I weren't around to turn the computer off, it would do this for hours. Eventually, windows was corrupted due to the turning on and off.

I ran memtest and was unable to pass any of the four sticks in any of the four slots. I called crucial, and they sent me four new sticks (crucial ). I installed new sticks, but still couldn't pass memtest. Crucial is off the hook.

So I talked to Asus, they didn't really try to help me with the problem, they just gave me an RMA number. I procrastinated taking the MB out of my system because it is a PITA. Also, my system was running. I didn't have any games installed and it wasn't overclocked. I didn't have any freezing or rebooting, but still couldn't pass memtest with any stick or RAM.

I finally took the MB out and was about to package it up when I realized that I hadn't updated the BIOS. I felt so stupid when I realized this. So I put the board back in the case and hooked everything up. Passed memtest. I thought I saved myself twenty bucks in shipping and two weeks without a my computer.

I was wrong. I was later trying to test each stick of memory to see which would clock the highest and send the rest back to crucial. It turns out that none of the sticks could pass again. WTFFFF!

I have everything set to auto accept the RAM timings and voltage. These are set to 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v.

My biggest fear is that ASUS will not be able to find a problem and send me back the same board. My next fear is that the RAM is incompatible. Of course, I could be a moron and not be doing something so very simple. In that case, I will call God to set up an RMA on my brain.

Am I overlooking anything here?

[Vixen]

performance level 12??
and i thought i was nuts....
thers no gain then on ure rams.. infact might be worse than stock

try this
fsb strap at 333
mem at 800mhz
pll at 1.6
nb at 1.35
ai clock twister at moderate/strong/very strong
transaction booster performance level at 8
fsb termination at 1.2v
gtl at 63 for both nb and cpu's

Thanks for your help, but I don't think you've read my post entirely (or haven't understood what the problem is) : the settings I posted are indeed very 'soft' (FSB 400 / strap 400 / perf level 12), but even with these I got a DET RAM issue, thus I don't think tightening the timings or the strap will help (I've also tried to raise all the voltages, without any success)

So actually, I'm not searching for the best o/c, I'm only trying to succeed with even a slight o/c without having this DET RAM issue.

[RealTelstar]

I have everything set to auto accept the RAM timings and voltage. These are set to 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v.

My biggest fear is that ASUS will not be able to find a problem and send me back the same board. My next fear is that the RAM is incompatible. Of course, I could be a moron and not be doing something so very simple. In that case, I will call God to set up an RMA on my brain.

Am I overlooking anything here?

Yes you are and you should have posted much earlier here or on another good forum.

The rampage may not like crucials*, or your timings (it wouldnt be the first board). Before rma i would test
1) 5-5-5-15, trfc 55+, all rest auto
2) a different brand of ram. Check this thread to know which ones go well with this board.

*If your ram are the single-sided die they are just poor clockers.

[Droperidolum]

Hey guys! Please check out what steps on CPU Voltage between 1.60-1.90V. Mine board have 0.5V step, e.g. 1.60-1.65-1.70-1.75-...-1.90.
Before 1.60 and after 1.90 steps are normal - 0.0625V.
I tried to clear CMOS, take off the baterry, flashing RF bioses by EZFlash, Afudos229es /pbnc - no result. Tried Kentsfield and Wolfdale.
Only one thing helped me - when i flashed MF bios, step has become normal. Than flashed RF again ant they again becomes 0.5V...
But i dont wont to use MF bios.
WTF with mobo? Help me please.

[bigslappy]

anyone with a QX9770 & this MoBo plz Pm me your settings on your over clock's..
soo far i'm at 3.5GH
with Level Up at Crazy
AI twister at moderate
& memory at ddr2-1002
all else is stock

[phelan1777]

I too am looking for settings/advice/suggestions, posted so earlier in the thread.

Get to 3.5, with just the CPU multi, but doesn't like higher than that.

[cstkl1]

Thanks for your help, but I don't think you've read my post entirely (or haven't understood what the problem is) : the settings I posted are indeed very 'soft' (FSB 400 / strap 400 / perf level 12), but even with these I got a DET RAM issue, thus I don't think tightening the timings or the strap will help (I've also tried to raise all the voltages, without any success)

So actually, I'm not searching for the best o/c, I'm only trying to succeed with even a slight o/c without having this DET RAM issue.

eh actually did but didnt explain fully
the problem is strap 400.. its buggy since maximus formula..heck same goes for the dfi x48
thats y a lot of ppl dont even bother overclocking on that strap as
although it reduces the strain the nb voltage.. but u take a hit on performance levels compared to strap 333:667...

thats y the det ram..check the maximus thread..

[JumpingJack]

I ran memtest and was unable to pass any of the four sticks in any of the four slots. I called crucial, and they sent me four new sticks (crucial ). I installed new sticks, but still couldn't pass memtest. Crucial is off the hook.

Am I overlooking anything here?

I get memtest errors on both x38 and x48 boards, regardless of ram used. I can test it in other chipsets and memtest 100% fine, but start getting errors on these chipsets. It is most likely random jibberish from the memory controller.

I then use right mark memory analyzer and stressor ... passes no problems. I think memtest may have problems on this line of chipsets. I have no other stability issues with either chipset running windows xp or vista, OC or stock.

This has been my experience anyway.

EDIT: FYI memory tried on this baord, Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 C4 2x1, XMS2 DDR2-1067 C5 2x1, and Corsair Dominator DDR2-1067 C6 4x2 .. same memtest results, same rightmark results on all modules. Never had a MEM DET fault.

Jack

[DEFLORATOR]

Hey guys! Please check out what steps on CPU Voltage between 1.60-1.90V. Mine board have 0.5V step, e.g. 1.60-1.65-1.70-1.75-...-1.90.
Before 1.60 and after 1.90 steps are normal - 0.0625V.
I tried to clear CMOS, take off the baterry, flashing RF bioses by EZFlash, Afudos229es /pbnc - no result. Tried Kentsfield and Wolfdale.
Only one thing helped me - when i flashed MF bios, step has become normal. Than flashed RF again ant they again becomes 0.5V...
But i dont wont to use MF bios.
WTF with mobo? Help me please.

Hi m8, your mobo is ok. I have "real" RF, and vcore steps just like yours. Within 1.60 - 1.90 range vcore changes by 0.05v, before and after - 0.00625v

[Droperidolum]

DEFLORATOR, Okay, Maybe thus is only russian RFs?
Could you tell here about it in russian?

[Vixen]

eh actually did but didnt explain fully
the problem is strap 400.. its buggy since maximus formula..heck same goes for the dfi x48
thats y a lot of ppl dont even bother overclocking on that strap as
although it reduces the strain the nb voltage.. but u take a hit on performance levels compared to strap 333:667...

thats y the det ram..check the maximus thread..

Oh ok, you taugh me something ^^
I didn't know the strap 400 was buggy (someone with a high FSB above 460 will have to use the 400 strap, so what if its buggy ?)

Gonna try the 333 strap instead, see if this is gonna fix the DET RAM hangs..

[Fillthee]

Guys having some issues with the CPU Voltage.

I have my Q6600 at 3.3ghz with everything on auto apart from CPU Volts and ram volts.

RAM is at 2.2v as thats what it said it should run at, no problem..

CPU tho is another matter I had it set to 1.40v or so in bios and yet in CPUZ it was showing at around 1.3v so went back in to bios to check the setting sure enought 1.40ish, upped it to 1.5v and in CPUZ and sisofts sandra it shows up as 1.4v? is this a known issue? was wondering why I kept getting BSOD when running 3Dmark 06 and vantage at 3.3ghz with a 1.4v as it was in fact running it at 1.3v?

Any ideas?

Fillthee

[OVERK|LL]

I get memtest errors on both x38 and x48 boards, regardless of ram used. I can test it in other chipsets and memtest 100% fine, but start getting errors on these chipsets. It is most likely random jibberish from the memory controller.

I then use right mark memory analyzer and stressor ... passes no problems. I think memtest may have problems on this line of chipsets. I have no other stability issues with either chipset running windows xp or vista, OC or stock.

This has been my experience anyway.

EDIT: FYI memory tried on this baord, Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 C4 2x1, XMS2 DDR2-1067 C5 2x1, and Corsair Dominator DDR2-1067 C6 4x2 .. same memtest results, same rightmark results on all modules. Never had a MEM DET fault.

Jack

Memtest gives me no errors on mine though, X38 chipset. Crucial Ballistix 667 sticks at 1113Mhz.

I don't think it's the software, I think it's likely a compatibility issue with the chipset and the RAM.

[DaLiu]

Guys having some issues with the CPU Voltage.

I have my Q6600 at 3.3ghz with everything on auto apart from CPU Volts and ram volts.

RAM is at 2.2v as thats what it said it should run at, no problem..

CPU tho is another matter I had it set to 1.40v or so in bios and yet in CPUZ it was showing at around 1.3v so went back in to bios to check the setting sure enought 1.40ish, upped it to 1.5v and in CPUZ and sisofts sandra it shows up as 1.4v? is this a known issue? was wondering why I kept getting BSOD when running 3Dmark 06 and vantage at 3.3ghz with a 1.4v as it was in fact running it at 1.3v?

Any ideas?

Fillthee

I have the same problems, but i take BSOD in OCCT and i passed 8 hours of SMALL FFT in Prime95.

[Fillthee]

Would it be safe then to set the CPU voltage to say 1.55v'ish in bios so that it is in fact getting 1.45v?

Assuming that the board is in fact under volting? as I cant see 3 different programs reading the volts wrong, but I would not want to fry my rig for the sake of an extra few volts to get the CPU to 3.4ghz?

Fillthee

[Eurasianman]

Did you try enabling LoadLine Calibration? Works fine with my QX9650.

[bigslappy]

got my QX9770 up to near 4GHz tonite stable

[Rickpatbrown]

I feel that if I pay 300$ for a motherboard, it should run as advertised. The QVL lists crucial ballistix, just not the higher density (they don't list any sticks with 2Gigs per stick) How can you populate 4 slots with 8GB RAM without using 2GB sticks?

The rampage may not like crucials*, or your timings (it wouldnt be the first board). Before rma i would test
1) 5-5-5-15, trfc 55+, all rest auto

The RAM is listed as 4-4-4-12, I didn't even know what trfc is. The sticks have chips on both sides.

One thing I find very strange is that it passed memtest after I flashed the BIOS with 0403 and then a day later it was failing again.

[DaLiu]

One thing I find very strange is that it passed memtest after I flashed the BIOS with 0403 and then a day later it was failing again.

I had a strange problem too, looks like bios 0403 is not the best choice for some people, i get random bsod with 0403 so i moved last night to 0401 and everything is ok till now.

[RealTelstar]

I feel that if I pay 300$ for a motherboard, it should run as advertised. The QVL lists crucial ballistix, just not the higher density (they don't list any sticks with 2Gigs per stick) How can you populate 4 slots with 8GB RAM without using 2GB sticks?

The RAM is listed as 4-4-4-12, I didn't even know what trfc is. The sticks have chips on both sides.

Calm down the frustration.

It's listed at 4-*4-4-12 but it may NOT work at the declared timings on your mainboard, for instance with the current bios.

tRFC is in the memory timings page of the bios and it is one of the most important settings to achieve stability. This is the very fist thing that you need to do. Set it at 55 or even more.

Read here:
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...ad.php?t=35435

First change the tRFC then if still you get errors, loosen your timings, starting with CAS to 4.

One thing I find very strange is that it passed memtest after I flashed the BIOS with 0403 and then a day later it was failing again.

For how long?
A newer bios may fix this, but i suspect that what i suggested in this and my previous post will do it. Also try 0401 as suggested.

[DaLiu]

Final result:

[Rickpatbrown]

Thanks for the suggestions. I wish I had asked before I sent the board back. It should be at ASUS's door now. I hope that it is their problem, but after hearing your suggestions, I feel like I'll get the same board back.

I am amazed at how little I know about computers. It weird how when you just start out something, you feel like you got it. Than you start realizing how big the world is that your entering. Is kinda of like the difference of being 18 years old and 28 years old. It's cool though that there is so much more to learn. I just wish it wasn't so expensive.

What are the real-world performance effects of raising tRFC ?

[RealTelstar]

Today hardware is like this, they sell beta products and all the troubleshooting and most compatibility testing is in the (power-)user's hands.

the real world impact of tRFC is minimal, theres ppl using as high as 100.

I believe asus support just send u a new board like they did with other ppl. Anyway i dont think it is your mainboard, so even if u get the same back...

[qujck]

i think i grapped a wonderful Rampage.
I need only 1,29V in Bios for 525MHz FSB.
Screens are following tomorrow!!
Heres a screen of a pre test with 1,31V. on NB V:

[DaLiu]

qujck tell me please what bios version are u using?