**OFFICIAL** Abit BG7 (i845G) Thread

[Rythan]

I did try the 28.90 drivers, no luck there either. I think our problem occurs anytime the system's overclocked and the OS is using full AGP access, which must only happen after both the Intel INF's and the video drivers are installed. Reports from anyone who doesn't have this problem under these conditions would be very interesting, I'd like to find what's different.

 

[The Wildcard]

Stupid question here, but by Intel INF you mean the intel "application accelerator"?

 

[Rythan]

No, the Intel Application Accelerator is basically an enhanced IDE driver. The Intel INF drivers are for AGP and other system devices...

From Intel: "INF Update Utility: This utility installs INF files that inform the operating system how to properly configure the chipset for specific functionality such as USB and AGP."

 

[5150Joker]

The Intel INF driver is akin to the VIA AGP driver that's available in their 4 in 1 drivers. I don't know why you guys are having this problem, it could be specific to your video cards. I have a leadtek ti4600 and haven't had any problems with the INF/detonator combinations. It's possible that maybe Rythan and Crapito just got bad boards. Rythan, you should RMA your board for another one to make sure. If it still doesn't work, then I'd just try a different brand of board like Crapito did. He's having luck with that 4G4A+ board.

 

[MeCalvin]

Help,
I am currently putting my BG7 and 1.6A together.

I have the Enermax 365P. I got the main power header connected to the MOBO's ATXPR1.

Then I saw that the PSU has two other connectors.
1 square connector which says 12V on it
1 AUX connector.

I connected the 12V to the only possible ATX1 port on the MOBO. Is this correct ? And what is this
connector for.

What do I do with the AUX connector (it looks like a molex connector)

Thanks

 

[GeoffW]

Hi

I have built my BG7 machine now, turned out fairly painless all seems to be working pretty well. I am happy with my 1.6A @2.24Ghz 140 FSB, 4:5 mem ratio.

The extra 12V Connector is I guess just to deliver the high 12V current straight to the CPU, reducing the resistive drop across the tracks. The extra AUX connector (molex type) I didn't plug in as it is not needed on the BG7.

I jotted down a few test results, as I noticed a problem with the Intel Application Accelerator program. I will post below if anyone is interested.


Disk tests under Win XP with Accelerator installed

Sysoft Disk C: 31,840
PCMark 2002 CPU 5520, MEM 5491, DISK 1070
2 Gig Folder copy 5 Min 18 secs


Disk tests under Win 98SE without Accelerator installed

Checked that DMA was enabled

Sysoft Disk C: 26,957
PCMark 2002 CPU 5376, MEM 5567, DISK 1194
2 Gig Folder copy 5 Min 42 secs


Disk tests under Win 98SE with Accelerator installed

DMA swiching menu now removed after installing IAA

Sysoft Disk C: 2,907 (took forever to complete)
PCMark 2002 CPU 5356, MEM 5542, DISK 240 :disgust::
2 Gig Folder copy heading to about 40 minutes till I gave up


Anyone else noticed that Win98SE and IAA don't seem to get on? I have removed IAA again now and my crippled disk performance has returned to the expected levels ? Weird !!

 

[5150Joker]

Our little BG7 won editor's choice award at Vr-Zone by beating out the P4x333, BD7-II Raid, and matching the 850E with 1066 ram performance

 

[easystreet]

Why do you blame the BG7 when you are unable to overclock your cpu and memory with a specific video card and go as fast as you'd like?
Overclocking has become much more complex in that the best balance of hardware, drivers etc is necessary.
Intellegence and creativity is a good thing..............which has been demonstrated in many of the threads here.

 

[MeCalvin]

OK,
finally got my rig up.

1.6A and BG7 in a Lian-Li

It's a beauty, my first self-built.

I have 2 questions.

1. Every now and then after saving and exiting the BIOS, the PC would try to reboot, but hangs and stay black screen.
I notice the light on the DVD-ROM blinks a few time. The reset swithc would not reset. All I could do is turn PSU power switch off,
and put it back on. The changes in the BIOS were saved though. What is going on here ?

2. I came from 450 Celeron on Abit BH6, and this rig seems to boot so much faster. I could not read anything on the screen. The RAM did not count through like the Celeron rig, and the new rig immediately boot into window after seeing the Primary IDE. Is this normal, or am I not setting some test functions in the BIOS.

Thanks, cann't wait to OC this baby.

 

[crapito]

for all those who have been following my Intel/nVidia/overclocking posts, I have some info that may help.

Q: is it better to run your system at the 4:5 RAM divider (ie 150FSB/375DDR) with the Intel drivers, or better to run at 3:4 ratio (ie 150FSB/400DDR) without the Intel drivers?

A: the 4:5 ratio with Intel drivers gives better overall performance.

details and benchmarks on my system...

4:5 w/Intel drivers: 150FSB/375DDR
CPU 16x150=2400 @ ~1.52v/+.1v; RAM 2/6/3/3 4:5 375 @ ~2.65v/+0.2v; nVidia 29.80 drivers @ ~1.49v/+0.0v AGP; Intel 4013 INF & 2.2 IAA
Prime95 2.14 torture test: completed, ~25hrs
Sandra2002 897: CPU 4672/2690; MM 9423/11806; RAM 2868/2875; C: 27008
SuperPI: 1:12
N-Bench v2: 1918/46.31
3DMark2001SE_b330: 7869

3:4 w/o Intel drivers: 150FSB/400DDR
CPU 16x150=2400 @ ~1.52v/+.1v; RAM 2/6/3/3 3:4 400 @ ~2.83v/+0.4v; nVidia 29.80 drivers @ ~1.49v/+0.0v AGP; no WinXP updates or Intel INF or IAA
Prime95 2.14 torture test: ok, 80 224k, ~12hrs
Sandra2002 897: CPU 4467/2924; MM 9445/11804; RAM 3024/3047; C: 24227
SuperPI: 1:12
N-Bench v2: 1866/45.73
3DMark2001SE_b330: 6550

I've posted this info to both the Abit BG7 and Epox 4G4A+ threads here on Anandtech, as I've personally experience this issue on both motherboards.

 

[crapito]

MeCalvin: my BG7 had similar weird BIOS issues like hanging, blinking, powering off after a warm reboot, etc. which is the real reason I RMA'ed mine. my current Epox 4G4A+ doesn't have any issues like that.

 

[The Wildcard]

Hey crapito, where did you get your Abit BG7 motherboard??

 

[The Wildcard]

Nevermind, I found your post. Damm, you also ordered from Googlegear. I ordered the same RAM and motherboard from googlegear. Man, now I am scared my motherboard will have the same problem!

I haven't fully put my system together cuz I have been busy with work and other things....

Did you get the RMA from googlegear or Abit? Which would you recommend IF I have a problem?

 

[crapito]

The_Wildcard: I got my BG7 from Googlegear. I got my 4G4A+ from Mwave.

if you have a problem with your BG7 and want to RMA it, I'd recommend going through Googlegear as it was quick and painless to do. of course, I still haven't received a credit for my BG7, and they got my RMA'ed board 6/26, but that should happen soon enough.

 

[5150Joker]

Wildcard, get the BG7 from newegg they have a good return policy and the price is good. Same for the ram.

 

[The Wildcard]

Well i already recieved and put together the cpu/heatsink/mobo into my case already and i ordered from googlegear.

Problem is, it's past the 15-day period for googlegear which I believe is the limit on when you can RMA stuff to them.

Oh well, I am suspecting that newegg is shipping bg7 mobos that don't have problems described by crapito and rythan.

First thing I'll do is try to see if I expierence any weird problems, such as hanging after saving the bios or during a reboot.

I'll then see if I can boot up to 160fsb at 4:5 ratio with my p4 1.6a. Can I reach that speed even if my motherboard had no potential problems?

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: The_Wildcard
Well i already recieved and put together the cpu/heatsink/mobo into my case already and i ordered from googlegear.

Problem is, it's past the 15-day period for googlegear which I believe is the limit on when you can RMA stuff to them.

Oh well, I am suspecting that newegg is shipping bg7 mobos that don't have problems described by crapito and rythan.

First thing I'll do is try to see if I expierence any weird problems, such as hanging after saving the bios or during a reboot.

I'll then see if I can boot up to 160fsb at 4:5 ratio with my p4 1.6a. Can I reach that speed even if my motherboard had no potential problems?

Reaching 160 fsb with 4:5 really depends on how lucky you got with your 1.6a/ram and the quality of your psu. If you're lucky enough you'll hit it with no problems. I think the hanging issue that MeCalvin is having might be a PSU problem.

 

[MeCalvin]

Should not be the PSU.

Checked the +12V and +5V lines, 12.05 and 5.06.

My PSU is ENermax 365VPE.

Anyway, still giving the Abit BG7 the benefit of the doubt.

New at OC.

Could someone please explain what I need to do with the PCI BUS Frequency in SOftMenu 3.

Got the 1.6A.

At the moment this is my effort:

cpu operating speed user defined
ext clock 133/66/33
pci bus freq 33mhz (fixed)
multiplier 16
fsb freq. h/w strap low
dram ratio 1:1
speed error hold disabled

I am booting in win2k OK. Temp is 41C. Will stress test with Prime95 soon.

Did try to go 150FSB. But got blue screen of death. Do I have to give more voltage to CPU, or did I have to fix up the PCI BUS frequency, which I left at default Extclock/3.

Thanks,

 

[easystreet]

MeCalvin.......sometimes when your mb won't handle the new settings you just made in the bios you will get a blank screen. New bios settings might be saved other than a default to 1:1 ratio which you wouldn't see as a change since that is the ratio you are using. You will have to shut off the power and reboot while you hold the "insert" key. My BG7 is set like yours in bios except I am using HW strap high, PCI fixed. When you overclock you will need to increase vcore and memory voltages. My BG7 is at 160, +10, 2.7 ,4:5.

 

[MeCalvin]

Thanks for the reply

Have a bit of a problem setting up MB5.

WHich winbond sensor to use for CPU.

BIOS says 42C.

Used Winbond 1: 27C.
Used Winbond 2: 93C!!!!!. SYstem warning, beeps....
Used winbond 3: -48C.

Which one to use.

And re the PCI bus, what is it max speed, and can I go higher than 33MHZ fixed.

 

[crapito]

MeCalvin: I've run my AGP/PCI buses over 80/40 before without a problem, but recently, with my current hardware, 80/40 caused data corruption (lost data) on my main HDD, so now, I only use the 66/33 lock, just to be safe.

my MBM5 settings on my Epox 4G4A+ (845G) motherboard...
n/a: Sensor 1
CPU = WinBond 2 Diode: Sensor 2
System = WinBond 3: Sensor 3

try these and see what they read.

 

[MeCalvin]

Crapito,
MB5 worked like a charm.

Thanks much.

What is better to stress test: Prime 95 or Sandra ?

 

[Bonglor]

Hello Everyone!

First post for me on here, although I've been reading for a short while.

I bought myself some new equipment last week. Specifically Abit BG7, retail 1.6a, samsung pc2700 256mg, 100 gb WD ATA/100 7200 rpm ($100 from compusa AR!), and a new case (from local place)

Anyway, I've got two case fans and the retail fan for the processor. After a few days of running no probs at 1.6, I am now at 2.4. I stepped it up over a period of two days to get there and haven't had one single crash or any problems along the way. Winbond is telling me my CPU is running about 53 degrees normally, up to 60 after a two hour marathon in SOF2. Should I be worried about the temp?

Thanks for all the help on the Anandtech forums! You people are awesome!

 

[The Wildcard]

For people who have the Abit BG7 running, are the two LED's on the motherboard supposed to be lit? I am talking about the green and red LED's on the lower-right hand corner of the motherboard if you are looking inside your case.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: The_Wildcard
For people who have the Abit BG7 running, are the two LED's on the motherboard supposed to be lit? I am talking about the green and red LED's on the lower-right hand corner of the motherboard if you are looking inside your case.

Yep they are supposed to be lit.