A8N-SLI SATA Lock Problem?? Need help and advice!!

[Mcklain]

Hi,

I just got my a8n-sli mtb last week and started to test it out abour 4 days ago.

Specs as followed:

fx-53
pc power and cooling turbo cool 510 deluxe (20 pin) (a 24 pin psu is comming my way next month)
2xraptor 74gig raid 0
ati 4 mb vga pci card (still waiting for pcie cards)
1x Audigy 2 zs
1x xp-90
2x512mb ocz pc 3200 rev 2 platinum TCCD chips

Now for now I am running at 12*208 wich give me 2500mhz with 2-2-2-10 timmings and auto for the voltage in the bios with 4x htt.

System is fully stable with prime 95 over 20hrs straight with no errors.

Now I want to add more bandwith so I try 10*240 with ram at 2.5-3-3-10, 3x or 4 x htt, cpu voltage (tried auto all the way up to 1.65 in bios) my ram voltage is at 2.85v and then when it arrives to boot on my hard disk array the system freezes (so I never get into a working OS and then usuallay after that I go back to stock settings and my OS is corrupted etc... so I have to reinstalled. I tried that on the nvidia on chip controller as well as on the onboard silicon image controller using sata 1&2 and also 3&4. Cause I remember that on my msi neo 2 board the locks were not on the sata port 1&2.

So I think there is a major problem with SATA lock on this board(maybe its only my board, luck of the draw etc..)

What do you think, I saw people doing 280htt. Were they using Pata drives??

BTW I also checked ntune when I am at 12*208 and the pci is at 33.33 mhz. And also the silicon image controller is suppose to be able to run at 33-66mhz so if there were no pci lock, that controller should still work if the pci bus is overclocked. So maybe this is due to my vga pci card or sound card??

LMK

Any suggestions anyone??

Mcklain

[jinu117]

It is not SATA issue from what I've seen. It was an issue with LDT bios setting not taking effect. You can verify it by using various software other than Asus supplied one. (well for me at least on bios 1.03 2) Go into windows, use ntune to lower LDT (HTT multi to x3 or x4 or something) and ramp it up using the asus supplied thing. Went up to 290mhz fine. (Tool shows you can go more but it doesn't take effect after 290mhz... once bios is fixed, and we figure out v-core, this will be nice board for sure)

[fagin]

I have exactly the same problem - just to let you know you're not alone!

[Mcklain]

You mean that when I put htt 4x or 3 x in the bios, it doesnt take affect when I save and exit the bios and thats why I cant boot into windows using 10*240 and that my SATA drives corrupt at that moment??

So the only solution is to manage my HTT, fbs and multiplayer using a windows based program like ntune etc??

Thanks for the help and BTW jinu, can you explain me in detailed what happend in youre case (curious)

Thanks

Mcklain

[jinu117]

Couple reinstall of windows one low level format of HDD, etc. Loss of USB devices, which is all sympton of actual HTT going well over what bus can handle. The fact we were fooling around with over 1200 HTT was scarey idea to begin with....
For now until they fix the bios, stick to windows software and when you exit out, make sure you lower back the FSB to make sure as it writes back to bios! (and 5x times your FSB is what your HTT is going to be set for)
And don't ever trust that Asus stuff for HTT multi or actual HTT as it reads back from bios not from SMbus. Central Brain ID and ntune will report you back correct multi and HTT for you to base on.
I've ran up to 290FSB so far priming (of course cpu running @ x8 instead stock x11) to confirm that it runs fine. Past that, I can't even set the speed as there are no tools to allow me to do that -_-; BH-5 in this case worked as good as it did on Neo2 well upto 250 2-2-2-5 or 290 with 166 divider 2-2-2-5 (you calculate memory speed out but its lower than 250 i think :P)
Considering how stable it was @ 290FSB, it definitely do seem to have more room but only when the bios is patched or the clockgen comes out we shall find. For me, even 290FSB is sufficient as the CPU that will be used is idling FX-55 (waiting to make sure nothing I do on board will kill it such as vdimm cap mod which is running good so far). This poor 3500+ newcastle is going through a lot of fun time... I should really trade this one down with someone's cheaper CPU+$$$ so I can test things with less suspense

[quicksilverXP]

I keep getting this warning through Ntune that my PCI Clock is set to track with the HTT. How do I do it so that the PCI remains locked? Also.. is the PCI clock supposed to remian at 19 Mhz?