Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2

[doubleOseven]

A bad ide cable can certainly do that. The other thing to have played with, if you hadn't already, is the BIOS's IDE Drive Strength setting.... some people have increased it, and found that to help.... I keep mine at normal, and it seems to work ok.

I use bios version P1.80, and find it to be best for my needs -- stable.

 

[JonW]

Originally posted by: doubleOseven
A bad ide cable can certainly do that. The other thing to have played with, if you hadn't already, is the BIOS's IDE Drive Strength setting.... some people have increased it, and found that to help.... I keep mine at normal, and it seems to work ok.

I use bios version P1.80, and find it to be best for my needs -- stable.

I'm using P1.80 now. Man, I just went in circles with flashing the bios on this mb. From P1.80 (Turned out my PS/2 mouse was dying)>P2.0>P1.70>P1.90 (This one gives me the best oc)>P2.0(I don't know what I was thinking here, probably a little frustrated with the quirks )>P1.80 (Pulling hours of Prime95 again )

I've always had IDE drive strength to Ultra High. I thought it was the one causing the crc error. But there was no difference with the Low setting, just a little slower installing games and transferring large data files.

Do you have the APIC HTEL Table to Enable or Disable? You also notice that when you disable PCI Delayed transaction, the pc wouldn't boot to windows?

So far the best settings to have, when ocing past 300fsb is this:
*PCI-E Sync with Cpu
*V-Link to Fast
*Ide Drive Strength to Ultra High
*Setting the ram timings manually. Non of them in auto
*These 4 settings in Advanced Memory (CLKBUF BUFIN_A Skew set to 150ps) All 4 of them set to the setting of 150ps

 

[cpmee]

For some strange reason I replaced the gray ide cable that came with the asrock mb was previously using this, it looked like crap so I decided to replace it. Stability went downhill from there. Infact all of the Asus ide cable made my system unstable over 300fsb. I'm still baffled as to how could something as simple as an ide could do such thing. Whatever that gray ide cable that came with the asrock mb made was. It was sure magic lol

Yeah, you cant really tell if an ide cable is good or not by looking at it. Ive had lots that were bad when brand new.

 

[cpmee]

Do you run your ddr2 ram at 533mhz? Would running 533 just be better for overclocking just because of the 1:1, or would you see a performance increase in 667? Thanks for any help.

I run my dddr2 800 (pc6400) at 533mhz and get a higher memory score in Sandra. The main reason is, by lowering to 533 you can set the timings tighter and youll be running in a 1:1 ratio.

 

[cpmee]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Microsystem
Official asrock bios dose not support E7200. Only moded bios 1.93a and 2.0a support E7200 you can download here:
http://www.pctreiber.net/filebase.php?cat=143
It is better to use Dos for updating moded bios because windows software provided by www.pctreiber.net may lose your MAC address.
there is no different between dos or windows bios.

Different for pci-express 16x and 4x for your midrange card is negligible.

Will those hacked BIOSes work on the 775Dual-VSTA boards to support 45nm CPUs, or just the 4CoreDual-SATA2?

You dont want to use a bios intended for another motherboard. Check and see if PCTreiber has versions for 775Dual-VSTA boards .

 

[JonW]

I've finally found the root to the audo cut on/cut off. It starts at exactly 310fsb. 311/312fsb it's more frequent and it starts to crackle and pop. Like the other poster said earlier, ocing this board is a double edge sword. Find the best performance/ratio settings and enjoy what it has to offer. I've painstakingly pushed the mb to do more and kept forgetting it's only $62. Only to go in circles. For the mb to go higher 315fsb+ it requires some of the loosest timing. Sure the cpu clock might be higher but the efficiency has gone out the window due to poor ram bandwidth with this ddr that i'm using.

 

[doubleOseven]

Hi folks -- any idea what exactly does IDE drive strength do? is it a voltage thing or timings? What would ultra-high do compared to say normal? Thanks! (I keep mine at high, but I have no idea what it does)

 

[d0uble]

Originally posted by: cpmee

Do you run your ddr2 ram at 533mhz? Would running 533 just be better for overclocking just because of the 1:1, or would you see a performance increase in 667? Thanks for any help.

I run my dddr2 800 (pc6400) at 533mhz and get a higher memory score in Sandra. The main reason is, by lowering to 533 you can set the timings tighter and youll be running in a 1:1 ratio.

awesome. answered my question perfectly. now just to wait for my ram to arrive thanks.

 

[JonW]

After a bios flash gone sour . 4hours later after trying to get my usb flash drive to work with mb. I'm suprised to say, she's getting near the 2.8ghz I had earlier . Bios P1.90 really rocks. Now I mangaed to tighten my ram timings.
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/8291/shesbackqu7.jpg

 

[cpmee]

Originally posted by: doubleOseven
Hi folks -- any idea what exactly does IDE drive strength do? is it a voltage thing or timings? What would ultra-high do compared to say normal? Thanks! (I keep mine at high, but I have no idea what it does)

I have a feeling its voltage. I keep mine at normal. If I had a flaky drive that I was trying to get data off of, I may put it to high.

 

[doubleOseven]

thanks cpmee... the only other thing I can think of is that it plays around with the electrical impedance to/from the drives...

 

[doubleOseven]

double post... sorry -- please delete

 

[doubleOseven]

double post -- please ignore

 

[Budarow]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Budarow
I'm thinking of buying an E4600 from Microcenter for $106 (in store only) due to it's 12x multiplier and hoping I can raise my FSB to ~250 with a 4CoreDualVSTA for an OC of ~3.0GHz which should be pretty darn fast.

You won't be able to get to 3.0Ghz with only default vcore. You'll need to do a vcore mod on the CPU.
The highest I've gotten stable (with a different ASRock mobo, the Conroe865PE), with an E4400 is 2.8Ghz (280 x 10), with stock vcore.

You were on the money VL, I was able to increase my FSB from 226 using the PentD925 to only 234 using the E4600. Using Orthos (RAM and CPU mix), I couldn't push past 234 (234x12X=2.82GHz) without getting errors pretty quickly. It's rock solid for 11 hours plus using Orthos and the above settings though so I'm okay with that. I don't think <200 MHz of clock speed is gonna make a world of difference in performance anyway.

Also, looks like the VCore is reading only ~1.2V in the BIOS with the E4600 installed.

 

[d0uble]

alright... i finally recieved my ram and decided to take my chances and overclock. i got my e7200 to 2.79ghz (293 x 9.5) stable. [1:1] (i really just wanted to hit 3.0ghz)

Does this seem low at all? i know these asrocks are not the best for oc'ing, but should i be satisfied and just live with it untill i can afford another mobo? any suggestions? i read JonW's settings to get past a 300fsb but im kinda scared to mess with settings i have no clue about.

or... should i just go for it?

So far the best settings to have, when ocing past 300fsb is this:
*PCI-E Sync with Cpu
*V-Link to Fast
*Ide Drive Strength to Ultra High
*Setting the ram timings manually. Non of them in auto
*These 4 settings in Advanced Memory (CLKBUF BUFIN_A Skew set to 150ps) All 4 of them set to the setting of 150ps

 

[doubleOseven]

Originally posted by: Budarow

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Budarow
I'm thinking of buying an E4600 from Microcenter for $106 (in store only) due to it's 12x multiplier and hoping I can raise my FSB to ~250 with a 4CoreDualVSTA for an OC of ~3.0GHz which should be pretty darn fast.

You won't be able to get to 3.0Ghz with only default vcore. You'll need to do a vcore mod on the CPU.
The highest I've gotten stable (with a different ASRock mobo, the Conroe865PE), with an E4400 is 2.8Ghz (280 x 10), with stock vcore.

You were on the money VL, I was able to increase my FSB from 226 using the PentD925 to only 334 using the E4600. Using Orthos (RAM and CPU mix), I couldn't push past 334 (334x12X=2.82GHz) without getting errors pretty quickly. .

I think you mean an FSB of 234, not 334...

I have an e4600 with this board, and my CPU maxes out (without mods) at 231 FSB (using DDR1) x 12 ratio = 2.77Ghz.... so you're in the ballpark. If I go any higher, then the CPU fails Orthos / Prime... likely due to the vcore being too low... (it vdroops from ~1.33 to 1.264v)...

 

[Budarow]

Originally posted by: doubleOseven

Originally posted by: Budarow

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Budarow
I'm thinking of buying an E4600 from Microcenter for $106 (in store only) due to it's 12x multiplier and hoping I can raise my FSB to ~250 with a 4CoreDualVSTA for an OC of ~3.0GHz which should be pretty darn fast.

You won't be able to get to 3.0Ghz with only default vcore. You'll need to do a vcore mod on the CPU.
The highest I've gotten stable (with a different ASRock mobo, the Conroe865PE), with an E4400 is 2.8Ghz (280 x 10), with stock vcore.

You were on the money VL, I was able to increase my FSB from 226 using the PentD925 to only 334 using the E4600. Using Orthos (RAM and CPU mix), I couldn't push past 334 (334x12X=2.82GHz) without getting errors pretty quickly. .

I think you mean an FSB of 234, not 334...

I have an e4600 with this board, and my CPU maxes out (without mods) at 231 FSB (using DDR1) x 12 ratio = 2.77Ghz.... so you're in the ballpark. If I go any higher, then the CPU fails Orthos / Prime... likely due to the vcore being too low... (it vdroops from ~1.33 to 1.264v)...

You are correct

 

[Budarow]

I think too many peeps (myself included) make too big a deal out of hitting the magical 3.0GHz with a Core2Dual proc.

I know it's "tiddy" hitting 3.0GHz with a Core2Dual cause we can say "it beats all the AMD X2 proc out there (at games and video coding)", but in reality, the performance difference between 2.8 GHz and 3.0 GHz for a Dual2Core shouldn't be too great.

What's really COOL about the Core2Dual procs are the temps. I've got an AMD Opteron 165 (dual core) PC running OC'd at 2.46 GHz (verses the default speed of 1.8 GHz) and that sucker throws off the HEAT. Whereas my e4600 at 2.82 GHz is totally cool (peaks out at ~46-48 deg under load). Both the Opteron and Core2Dual are in the same HOT room in my house and both use the OEM HSFs.

 

[JonW]

Originally posted by: d0uble
alright... i finally recieved my ram and decided to take my chances and overclock. i got my e7200 to 2.79ghz (293 x 9.5) stable. [1:1] (i really just wanted to hit 3.0ghz)

Does this seem low at all? i know these asrocks are not the best for oc'ing, but should i be satisfied and just live with it untill i can afford another mobo? any suggestions? i read JonW's settings to get past a 300fsb but im kinda scared to mess with settings i have no clue about.

or... should i just go for it?

So far the best settings to have, when ocing past 300fsb is this:
*PCI-E Sync with Cpu
*V-Link to Fast
*Ide Drive Strength to Ultra High
*Setting the ram timings manually. Non of them in auto
*These 4 settings in Advanced Memory (CLKBUF BUFIN_A Skew set to 150ps) All 4 of them set to the setting of 150ps

Give it a shot, but before you do. Make a system restore point. If you freeze at win boot logo. Try loosening (trrd/twr/twtr/trtp) Don't try to tweak TRFC to a lower value, You will corrupt windows instantly. Btw, I found another quirk on this mobo. You may pass hours and hours of prime95 but if you decide to shutdown your pc. It will hang at shutdown screen. You'll hear a click from the psu but the pc wouldn't shutdown properly. Lowering the oc, fixes this issue.

 

[d0uble]

Originally posted by: JonW

Originally posted by: d0uble
alright... i finally recieved my ram and decided to take my chances and overclock. i got my e7200 to 2.79ghz (293 x 9.5) stable. [1:1] (i really just wanted to hit 3.0ghz)

Does this seem low at all? i know these asrocks are not the best for oc'ing, but should i be satisfied and just live with it untill i can afford another mobo? any suggestions? i read JonW's settings to get past a 300fsb but im kinda scared to mess with settings i have no clue about.

or... should i just go for it?

So far the best settings to have, when ocing past 300fsb is this:
*PCI-E Sync with Cpu
*V-Link to Fast
*Ide Drive Strength to Ultra High
*Setting the ram timings manually. Non of them in auto
*These 4 settings in Advanced Memory (CLKBUF BUFIN_A Skew set to 150ps) All 4 of them set to the setting of 150ps

Give it a shot, but before you do. Make a system restore point. If you freeze at win boot logo. Try loosening (trrd/twr/twtr/trtp) Don't try to tweak TRFC to a lower value, You will corrupt windows instantly. Btw, I found another quirk on this mobo. You may pass hours and hours of prime95 but if you decide to shutdown your pc. It will hang at shutdown screen. You'll hear a click from the psu but the pc wouldn't shutdown properly. Lowering the oc, fixes this issue.

i was just about to ask a question about this. as i said i got my fsb to 293 and primed overnight with no errors.

i booted up today and everything was fine. i restarted my comp and it would not even show the windows boot logo.

so i lowered it 1mhz at a time untill i could get into windows. i now hit a wall at 290 fsb. what is the deal? i didnt change any settings since i overclocked yesterday... this mobo is fustrating...

 

[Sewje]

Originally posted by: lowrider69
I read that the 9600GT will work on this board because Nvidia shipped them all with a compatible BIOS(for the Via PT880 chipset)..is this true? Anybody try one? I'm looking at a XFX 9600GT.

I've got the MB Asrock 4Coredual (not sata2) working with my new Asus 9800gtx.

All I can say is blazingly fast games!, works fine in XP and Vista.
I also have an Asus Striker Extreme as an upgrade for comparision and the Asrock did a pretty fine job on the speeds, amazing performance for the price.

Stock speeds, theres no real difference between the boards.

 

[Budarow]

Originally posted by: lowrider69
I read that the 9600GT will work on this board because Nvidia shipped them all with a compatible BIOS(for the Via PT880 chipset)..is this true? Anybody try one? I'm looking at a XFX 9600GT.

I've got a PNY 9600GT running in my 4CoreDual mobo. I tried running a 8800GT 256MBer, but it wouldn't display any image at all so I went back to the 9600GT. I think all the 8800GTs need the "old" BIOS (V1.0) to work on this mobo as I believe Engineer has indicated many times.

 

[JonW]

Originally posted by: d0uble

Originally posted by: JonW

Originally posted by: d0uble
alright... i finally recieved my ram and decided to take my chances and overclock. i got my e7200 to 2.79ghz (293 x 9.5) stable. [1:1] (i really just wanted to hit 3.0ghz)

Does this seem low at all? i know these asrocks are not the best for oc'ing, but should i be satisfied and just live with it untill i can afford another mobo? any suggestions? i read JonW's settings to get past a 300fsb but im kinda scared to mess with settings i have no clue about.

or... should i just go for it?

So far the best settings to have, when ocing past 300fsb is this:
*PCI-E Sync with Cpu
*V-Link to Fast
*Ide Drive Strength to Ultra High
*Setting the ram timings manually. Non of them in auto
*These 4 settings in Advanced Memory (CLKBUF BUFIN_A Skew set to 150ps) All 4 of them set to the setting of 150ps

Give it a shot, but before you do. Make a system restore point. If you freeze at win boot logo. Try loosening (trrd/twr/twtr/trtp) Don't try to tweak TRFC to a lower value, You will corrupt windows instantly. Btw, I found another quirk on this mobo. You may pass hours and hours of prime95 but if you decide to shutdown your pc. It will hang at shutdown screen. You'll hear a click from the psu but the pc wouldn't shutdown properly. Lowering the oc, fixes this issue.

i was just about to ask a question about this. as i said i got my fsb to 293 and primed overnight with no errors.

i booted up today and everything was fine. i restarted my comp and it would not even show the windows boot logo.

so i lowered it 1mhz at a time untill i could get into windows. i now hit a wall at 290 fsb. what is the deal? i didnt change any settings since i overclocked yesterday... this mobo is fustrating...

Trust me double This mobo was the most challenging out of all the mobo's i've owned. Just when you thought everything was fine and dandy, it comes back and bite you hard. When it does it's quirk it's even more difficult trying to get the mobo to run properly at stock speeds. That's why I made that speech earlier lol . Make the most ouf of your old gear. I have my eye on one of those P45 mb atm. Don't know when I pull the trigger though. My P4C800-E deserves a proper replacement imo

 

[Tedtalker1]

New BIOS 2.01 Out today on pctreiber.net. Supports ATI 4850.

"For AMD Radeon Hd 4850. Add Radeon HD 4850 in "PCIE downstream Pipeline? and ?PCIE VC1 Request Queue?

 

[lowrider69]

Originally posted by: Budarow

Originally posted by: lowrider69
I read that the 9600GT will work on this board because Nvidia shipped them all with a compatible BIOS(for the Via PT880 chipset)..is this true? Anybody try one? I'm looking at a XFX 9600GT.

I've got a PNY 9600GT running in my 4CoreDual mobo. I tried running a 8800GT 256MBer, but it wouldn't display any image at all so I went back to the 9600GT. I think all the 8800GTs need the "old" BIOS (V1.0) to work on this mobo as I believe Engineer has indicated many times.

Just installed a XFX 9600GT in this board about two hours ago and it runs like a champ. Upgraded from a 8600GTS which I should have never bought but I did because I wasn't sure what was a safe to stick in this board four months ago. Didn't want to get a 8800GT and have to flash the bios..etc... didn't want to take a chance and get a 9 series back then and look at a black screen. Anyway, this card is great for the $$, got the stock 9600GT..$139 with a $10 rebate from the egg(it's now a $20 rebate..oh well), very happy with it. It eats up the games(UT3 and GRID) that the 8600gts was struggling on and it runs cooler.