Abit IP35-E Review (500MHz FSB board)...$90 @ NewEgg + $6.61 ship

[SerpentRoyal]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127031 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127031)

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie...a=BA23929&RSKU=BA23929 (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA23929&RSKU=BA23929)

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/spechr/rebates/ba23929d.pdf

Comes will all Japanese capacitors and low-profile solid caps at the CPU power regulation circuit. The IP35-E uses the same PWM RT8802A IC as the top-of-the-line IP35 Pro. There was no buzzing or ringing from the board's power circuit during Orthos and S&M's test sessions. Blue board with blue southbridge, northbridge, and MOSFET passive heat sinks. RAM slots are color-coded (white/black) for dual channel operation. Plenty of clearance around CPU area, although I had to trim 1/4" from the Big Typhoon's top bracket to clear the northbridge heat sink.

There's a molex plug to provide additional juice to the video card. Make sure that the proper 12V rail is connected to this molex plug to avoid overloading a 12V in a multi-rail PSU. The 24 pin power plug is located at the middle front of the board, just above the PATA connector. The floppy connector is positioned at the bottom front, next to the front panel header (with speaker output). There are 4 USB jacks at the back, plus four USB 2.0 port headers to the left of the front panel header for a total of 12 possible USB ports. The 8-pin/4-pin power plug is located just above the MOSFET heat sink. Use the lower 4-pin plug if the PSU lacks an 8-pin plug. Starting from the bottom rear, we have three PCI slots, one PCIE x1 slot, one open slot to provide clearance for a larger PCIE graphic card, one PCIE x 16 slot, and one PCIE x1 slot.

Abit includes a S/PDIF output and a rear panel optical out. Audio is 7.1 channel HD audio by Realtek. This board employs a single Gigabit LAN port using the Marvell 88E8056 PCI Express chip, which should yield a slight improvement in throughput speed vs the IP35 Pro. The big brother Abit IP35 Pro's Gigabit LAN is connected thru the PCI bus, not PCIE! As a result, the maximum throughput will probably be lowered by about 35% with higher CPU load. This should not affect real-world performance because the bottleneck is still the 50MB/s write speed of the HDD. USB 2.0 performance is on par with the best boards; 31.7MB/s continuous write throughput (via external USB hard drive).

This is a 4-phase P35/ICH9 board will full support of 1333MHz FSB, capable of keeping up with the 8-phase Asus P5B Deluxe. One JMicro JMB368 PATA port on the PCI-E, 4 SATA 3Gb/s ports just above the floppy connector in a 2 x 2 layout. One LED for power, one LED for standby. No 1394. No RAID.

Installation is straightforward with WXP Pro SP1. No need to hit F6 for special drivers. Vista auto detects all drivers except for the Intel INF chipset utility. The shipped 11 BIOS (5/24/07) is very stable. To return to the previous stable setting, disconnect power to the board, re-apply power, and hit DELETE to access BIOS.

This board overclocks a little better than the Asus P5B Deluxe...at least with my E4300. Only need to bump up Vcore, Vdimm, and change memory divider to 1:1.25 (Kingston DDR2 800 ValueRam @ 477MHz 5-4-4-12-2T 1.95Vdimm). Chip is stable at 3.58GHz (398x9) with 1.505Vcore. Vcore in CPUz is 0.02V lower than BIOS. Vdroop is 0.02V. No FSB hole between 200 and 425MHz. My 800MHz FSB chip would not boot above 425MHz FSB with lower multiplier, but I'm sure that this board is capable of driving the E63xx chip to at least 480MHz FSB.

CPU and SYSTEM fan headers incorporate speedfan control with 2-pin, 3-pin, or 4-pin fan. Other two fan headers run at +12VDC. The sophisticated FanEQ will accept a target temperature, tolerance, and start/stop control from 30% to 100% of rated fan speed. Thanks to the MOSFET-driven fan header, my 2-pin 120 x 38 mm Panaflo ramps up/down smoothly with this ABIT fan control system. SB and MOSFET heat sinks run cool. NB is warm under full-load, but not as hot as the Abit IB9.

The six memory divider settings provide adequate fine tuning of the memory speed. Owners of ValueRAM will appreciate the 1:1, 1:1.20, and 1:1.125 memory dividers, starting as low as 200MHz FSB. C1E and EIST speedstep works well. The BIOS permits manual adjustment of Vcore, Vdimm, CPU VTT, Vnorthbridge, Vsouthbridge, CPU GTLREF, PCIE frequency, CAS, RAS# to CAS #, RAS # precharge, precharge delay, refresh cycle time, write recovery time, write to read delay, act to act time, and read to precharge.

Boot time under WXP Pro SP1 with one 7200 rpm PATA Seagate 7200.8 and 2GB RAM is a speedy 26 seconds (power ON to first appearance of desktop). Haven't discovered any major fault with this board after several days of testing.

Finally, let's take a look at power consumption. The power measurement was taken with a calibrated ammeter connected in series to the AC line. The test rig includes Windows XP Pro SP1, one EVGA 7100GS PCIe video card, one 80GB WD HDD, 2GB Kingston DDR2 800 ValueRAM (1.95Vdimm), one E4300 at 3.44GHz (1.465Vcore), one floppy drive, one Microsoft 4000 keyboard, and one Logitech optical mouse. The power supply is an Antec SP350. To obtain the approximate true load of these components, simply multiply these numbers by 0.73 (average efficiency of the Antec PSU).

C1E/EIST ON:
-Idle...121 watts
-Load (orthos Large test)...262 watts

C1E/EIST OFF:
-Idle...134 watts
-Load (orthos Large test)...262 watts




This same setup with an Asus P5B deluxe yields the following numbers...

C1E/EIST ON:
-Idle...160 watts
-Load (orthos Large test)...305 watts

C1E/EIST OFF:
-Idle...160 watts
-Load (orthos Large test)...305 watts

I suspect the 16 to 32% increase in power consumption is due to the Asus' 8-phase power circuit, plus on-board bells and whistles. CPUz shows a drop in multiplier and Vcore when iding, but the actual current draw at the AC line did not decrease. C1E/EIST were enabled in Asus' latest 1101 BIOS.

I don't have a good E63xx for evaluation, but based on my experience with this E4300, I believe that Abit has put out a highly overclockable board at a very attractive price. This board is the Intel evil-twin of EVGA/XFX's 650i Ultra. The Nvidia boards have RAIDs, but are populated with lower-quality capacitors. Abit's fan management system is one of the best in the business. Now Intel has a low-cost solution to compete with Nvidia.


UPDATE 07-07-07

Managed to overclock an E6320 to 3.415GHz (488MHz FSB x 7 multi) with 1.51Vcore. NB, SB, and VTT were bumped up one notch to 1.29, 1.55, and 1.2375 respectively. Memory divider @ 1:1 with 5-4-4-9-2T timing. Again, there was no FSB hole between 266 and 488MHz.

Speedfan and CoreTemp 0.95 report 53C under Orthos Large mode (75F ambient). S&M shows 68C with 85C TJunction. The same program reports 100C TJunction on my E4300, which may explain why I'm seeing an additional 14C under load with the 4300. 1M Super Pi time of 14.860 seconds. CPU will boot into Windows at 494MHz FSB x 6 multi and run 1M Super Pi, but the system is not stable at this level of overclock. Memtest is OK.

This Abit IP35-E board has a minimum useable FSB frequency of 488MHz with a slight bump in NB, SB, and VTT. I suspect +500MHz FSB is possible with a better chip. My E6320 sample appears to have a 495MHz FSB wall. This board earns a 10 for value, 10 for stability, 9.5 for overclock capability, and 9 for general performance (minus 1 point for the double post issue).

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...1&posted=1#post2314971 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2314971&posted=1#post2314971)

UPDATE 8-18-07

Another forum user was able to hit 500MHz FSB with E6550.

http://www.navig8r.net/pics/e6550.jpg

I've seen reports about the Abit IP35 Pro's inability to remain stable with four sticks of RAM north of 510MHz. Fortunately, the Abit IP35-E has no problem running four sticks of Kingston DDR2 800 "N5 OEM" up to 564MHz (DDR2 1128 with 1:1.50 memory divider). Timing is set at 5-5-5-15-2T with 2.1Vdimm. System is Orthos and Memtest86 stable.

UPDATE 8-24-07

Review pitting the Abit IP35-E against the high and mid-range P35 boards. IP35-E had no problem keeping up with the ASUS P5K Deluxe or the Gigabyte P35-DQ6. Again, no big surprise with all boards falling within a tight deviation of +/- 2%. This is the 3rd best overclocking board, 7MHz (2%) below P5K Deluxe and 3MHz (1%) below IP35 Pro.

Bottomline, it boils down to features and price. At $70 AR, Abit IP35-E remains the undisputed KING in value and performance.

http://www.techspot.com/articl...5-motherboard-roundup/ (http://www.techspot.com/article/61-intel-p35-motherboard-roundup/)

UPDATE 9-04-07

There's a new BIOS for IP35-E/IP35

-Fixed double post during cold boot but only if standby power to MB is not interrupted. If you disconnect the PSU from the wall, then board will double post at the next restart.
-Added FP Audio selector...HD audio/AC97
-Added more RAM timing options (as low as 3, plus 1T/2T)
-Fixed CPU temp (+1 to +3C higher than Coretemp)

To switch to latest Beta BIOS, download from link below and also the official 11 BIOS from the Abit global website. Copy all five files from official 11 BIOS to floppy. Rename Beta BIOS to M630A_11.BIN and replace it with the 11 BIOS on floppy. You should also edit the ABITFAE.BAT file to include the WB switch.

Command should look like this>>> AWDFLASH.EXE %1 /py /sn /wb /cd /cp /cc

http://www.abit.com.cn/bios/IP35-E/M630A_13.zip

UPDATE 9-15-07

Another new BIOS for IP35-E/IP35

-Added more RAM timing options (as low as 1, plus 1T/2T)
-Added S1 suspend mode
-Fixed CPU temp to reflect true core temperature
-Fixed Super Pi speed issue of previous Beta BIOS (above)

It appears that the double post patch and the FP Audio selector menu were omitted from the Beta BIOS. No double post during restart. The system will double post after the PC is shut down.

http://file.abit.com.tw/pub/download/bios/ip35/

UPDATE 9-26-07

X38 isn't going to yield any improvement in system performance when coupled with DDR2 RAMs. Therefore, P35 should remain the preferred overclocking platform for those wishing to stick with DDR2 modules. Note that board will also support the new 45nm quad-core Peryn CPUs. Below is a quick summary of my overclock settings:

-CPU...E4300 with L2 stepping built on 1/18/2007
-PSU...Ultra V 400/500, Ultra X-Finity 500/600, Enermax EG495P-VE
-RAM...4 x Kingston "N5" 1.8V DDR2 800 ValueRAM, 4 x HP/Crucial 1.8V DDR2 667 (always use 1.8V JEDEC 667 or 800 RAMs from Crucial or Kingston for best compatibility)
-CPU cooler...Big Typhoon with one 120 x 38 mm medium speed Panaflo and one 80 mm low speed Panaflo to cool RAMs

-C1E and EIST enabled
-9x default CPU multiplier
-388MHz FSB (3.49GHz core speed)
-1:1.25 memory divider with 1GB x 2 Kingston N5 1.8V DDR2 800 ValueRAM (485MHz RAM speed)
-1.465Vcore (1.46 idle and 1.42 Orthos Large load per Speedfan)
-2.00Vdimm
-5-4-4-11-2T timing
-Default VTT
-Default NB voltage
-Default SB voltage
-GTLREF 67%

UPDATE 9-28-07

Installation and overclocking tips...

I would recommend flashing to 14 BIOS (link at the bottom of this post) although the default 11 BIOS is fine for overclocking.

1. Assemble only CPU/CPU cooler, GPU, mouse, keyboard, RAMs, and boot HDD on non-conductive surface. Zero fill HDD if it contains old data. Use Master/Slave jumper if two devices are connected to IDE. For best compatibility, use JEDEC compliance 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800 RAMs from well-known vendors such as Crucial or Kingston.

2. Disconnect power from PSU and hit power switch on motherboard to discharge caps. Reset CMOS.

3. Boot into BIOS and manually adjust RAM voltage and timing per the mfr's specs. Change USB keyboard and mouse support from OS to BIOS. Change memory divider to 1:1 (FSB speed = RAM speed). Set optical drive (name of drive near the bottom of the list) as 1st boot, HDD as 2nd boot, and disable boot support for ALL OTHER DEVICES. Hit F10 to save BIOS.

4. Install OS. No need to hit F6 to load special drivers. Upon completion, load Intel chipset, sound, and LAN drivers from CD. Make an image file of this partition if you have DriveImage, Ghost, BING, or TI for safe-keeping.

5. Go into BIOS and change Vcore to 1.465 (dual core) or 1.400 (quad core).

6. Increase FSB by 5MHz. Hit F10 to save BIOS and boot into windows. Launch CPUz to verify the new FSB speed, and RAM speed. FSB speed should be the same as RAM speed. Also confirm RAM timing. Make sure that FSB speed is within the rated speed of your RAM. Run Memtest86 test #5 for 50 loops as required to check for RAM stability.

7. Boot back to BIOS and repeat step #6 until you can no longer boot into windows. You may need to bump VTT, NB, and SB up one notch if FSB is above 430MHz, or if you have inferior RAMs. Restart the PC about 5 times and you should be able to hit DELETE key on keyboard to access BIOS. Enter the previous bootable FSB setting. Save BIOS and boot into windows.

8. Run Memtest per step #6 to check RAM. If okay, then run Orthos Large mode for one hour. If you cannot pass Memtest or Orthos, then drop FSB by 3 MHz and retest. You may want to add more RAM voltage to overclock the memory. Quality 1.8V modules should be able to absorb 2.0-2.1V. Watch the peak CPU temperature as reported by Coretemp 0.95.4 or S&M V1.90. 60C max for 85C Tjunction chip, and 75C max for 100C Tjunction chip. You need to lower Vcore and FSB if your temp exceeds the maximum safe limit. Load voltage is 0.04-0.05V lower than BIOS for dual core, and 0.07-0.10V lower for quad core. I use Speedfan or Abit EQ to V1111 to check Vcore.

9. Once you've achieved stability with Orthos and Memtest, use the memory divider to overclock the memory. Do this only if you have high-performance RAMs.


UPDATE 10-16-07

Overclocking a quad north of 3.2GHz will elevate the temperature at the CPU, MOSFET, North Bridge (NB), and South Bridge (SB) heat sinks. A heat pipe cooler is useless without cold air flowing over the fins (active cooling).

The down-draft Big Typhoon provides a solid platform for my active cooling solution at the MOSFET, NB, SB, GPU, and RAM slots.

1. cooling fan...purchase one 92mm fan used in Zalman 7000 CPU cooler and two fan fixing screws from Zalman USA.

2. fan bracket...I use 0.06" thick aluminum cut to 3.50" x 0.50". Drill three holes. Two to secure the 92mm Zalman fan to the bracket. The third hole is used to affix the bracket to one of the four 120mm Big Typhoon fan retaining screws. Remove the fan's grille.

Position the 92mm Zalman fan above the NB. This fan puts out enough air flow to cool the NB, MOSFETs, GPU, SB, and RAM at 2700 rpm (full speed). It idles around 1600 rpm (virtually inaudible under normal use). Let the SYSTEM FAN header auto adjust the fan speed based on 50C CPU temp (12 BIOS).

http://forum.abit-usa.com/atta...tid=20538&d=1194759483 (http://forum.abit-usa.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20538&d=1194759483)


UPDATE 10-25-07

I've seen quite a few confirmed reports about Antec Trio and Corsair 520/620 not playing nice with some Asus and Abit boards. Either no light/no fan, or light + fan but no POST. Some say that the problem can be fixed when you disconnect the floppy. There are people without floppy, and still no boot!

My current advice is to stay away from ANTEC TRIO and CORSAIR 520/620 if you plan to use IP35-E/IP35/IP35 Pro. There is no need to play Russian Roulette when there are many quality PSUs out there for $50 or less. Antec Earthwatts 380, 400, and 500 (80+ efficiency) are compatible with this board. You can find the 500 at Staples. All built by Seasonic with a single +12VDC rail (marketed as dual rail). My sample comes with one Nippon Chemi-con as the main filter cap. I've seen these priced between $20 and $50 after rebate. 380 should be sufficient for a basic rig without high-end GPU.

http://forum.abit-usa.com/show...6ec8e25c30bda&t=129727 (http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?s=368d1c793628c18ff076ec8e25c30bda&t=129727)


Update 11-03-07

13 BIOS for IP35-E/IP-35 with DOUBLE POST patch

-Fixed double post during cold boot but only if standby power to MB is not interrupted. If you disconnect the PSU from the wall, then board will double post at the next restart.
-Added FP Audio selector...HD audio/AC97
-Added more RAM timing options (as low as 3, plus 1T/2T)
-Fixed CPU temp (+1 to +3C higher than Coretemp)
-IEEE1394 performance improvement (claimed)
-Added FP-Audio function
-Added Wolfdale/Yorkfield processor support

You should also edit the ABITFAE.BAT file to include the WB switch.

Command should look like this>>> AWDFLASH.EXE %1 /py /sn /wb /cd /cp /cc

NOTE: 13 BIOS is slower than 11 and 12. My 1M SP time went from 16.250 to 16.610 with 13 BIOS. 32M SP went from 15m 6s to 15m 42s.

http://file.abit.com.tw/pub/download/bios/ip35/


UPDATE 11-10-2007

-Resolves double Post as long as PSU is not disconnected from AC outlet.
-SP time is just a hair slower than 12 BIOS. This deficit amounts to about 8MHz core speed.
-Adds HD audio support.
-USB keyboard works after BIOS reset since the default setting has changed from OS to BIOS.
-Includes 1:1.60 memory divider.

14 BIOS appears to be a revised version of the slower 13 BIOS.

http://www.abit.com.cn/bios/IP35-E/M630A_14.BIN


UPDATE 12-04-07

Official 1.4 release from Abit. Been testing it for 1/2 day. No problem.

http://file.abit.com.tw/pub/download/bios/ip35/

[theprodigalrebel]

Very nicely done review. :thumbsup: Looks like a nice board with a nice price-tag.

[SerpentRoyal]

Thanks. Installation was a breeze. I use the drivers from the installation CD. Everything work as advertised, right out of the box. I don't RAID, and the lack of 1T timing is no big loss with my ValueRam. Yup, I could live without 1394, COM, and printer ports in exchange for an all Japanese cap board.

Didn't detect any "hot spot" on the board with my IR thermometer. I had to bump Vnorthbridge to 1.45 with the Asus P5B Deluxe to run this chip at 3.42GHz. This IP35-E is rock solid at default voltage on CPU VTT, Vnorthbridge, Vsouthbridge, and CPU CTLREF up to 425MHz FSB (upper limit of my E4300 chip)! The northbridge will warm up after 15 min of S&M HEAT, but nothing like the heat output on the Gigabyte DS3.

I've seen this board for $95 or lower after rebate.

[postmortemIA]

No RAID is not good thing... :(
Essentially nowadays having two drives is cheap, and RAID0 is free performance upgrade.

ICH9R version with better NB cooling is $30 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127029 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127029)

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal The Gigabit LAN is connected thru the PCI bus, not PCIE! As a result, the maximum throughput will probably be lowered by about 35% with higher CPU load.
throughput is till way above what anyone will be getting with residential broadband though.

[postmortemIA]

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal The Gigabit LAN is connected thru the PCI bus, not PCIE! As a result, the maximum throughput will probably be lowered by about 35% with higher CPU load. </end quote></div>
throughput is till way above what anyone will be getting with residential broadband though.


scenario of sharing data between local computers?

[SerpentRoyal]

Yes, no big deal with broadband. It's only a concern if a massive chunk of data is swapped between networked PCs. Note that all the networked PCs must be equipped with high-performance LAN to maximize I/O speed.

Having RAID is nice, but you're not going to notice a huge performance pop with normal activities. There's also an higher risk of data corruption with the speed boost.

The passively-cooled NB heatsink should work well up to 450MHz FSB with no additional air flow. Most overclockers will also have an 80 mm low speed Panaflo above the RAMs for cooling. This should take care of any heat issue on the northbridge. A heat pipe cooler still require air flow across the radiator to cool the chipset. The southbridge and Mosfet heatsinks run cool. $95 to $150 is a big pop in price.

[tenna]

memory divider 1:1 possible with this board?

[Heidfirst]

yes.

[SerpentRoyal]

Yes, 1:1 divider is supported.

[rich168]

Originally posted by: tenna
memory divider 1:1 possible with this board?

it should

[rich168]

does this have 4 phase Digital PWM??

[SerpentRoyal]

The power supply's output is ANALOG. It is very expensive to accurately convert a high current analog power source to digital PWM. Unless the device require absolute precision metering of voltage, current, and time (like a resistance spot welder), adding a digital power ciruit will only generate more heat, which will lower the efficiency. The Asus P5B Deluxe uses an 8 phase design, but it doesn't overclock better than this basic 4 phase board. The Vdroop under load on the Asus board is 0.05V, vs 0.04V for this Abit. BTW, it's normal to see 0.02-0.04Vdroop when loading the CPU with Othos or S&M's heat.

If you're concerned about Vdroop, then use C1E and EIST to lower Vcore when the CPU is not running at full load on both cores. With C1E and EIST enabled, you can bump up Vcore by 0.02 to compensate for Vdroop. Yes, the CPU will run hotter with the higher voltage, but only when the CPU is under full load (about 10% of the time).

IP35-E has 4-pin PWM/3-pin fan plug.

[ultra laser]

I'm considering buying this board for my new computer and I have one question. Since I plan on using two IDE harddrives I have lying around, I've decided to buy a SATA dvd burner. As I've never used a SATA optical device before, I'd like to know if I'd have any problems booting from it to install windows.

[SerpentRoyal]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ultra laser
I'm considering buying this board for my new computer and I have one question. Since I plan on using two IDE harddrives I have lying around, I've decided to buy a SATA dvd burner. As I've never used a SATA optical device before, I'd like to know if I'd have any problems booting from it to install windows.</end quote></div>

http://www.xpcgear.com/ide2sata.html

http://www.satacables.com/html/sata-acessories.html

You can purchase a SATA/PATA adapter which will allow you to hook up your PATA HDD/optical drive to the SATA port. Abit includes this device in the IB9 since the board does not natively support PATA. Set the optical drive as the 1st boot device in BIOS. The SATA optical drive will probably cost more than the adapter.

It is also possible to connect the boot HDD as Master and optical drive as Slave on the IDE cable when installing windows. Go into the BIOS and set the optical drive as 1st boot, and HDD as 2nd boot. Save and reboot PC with windows CD in optical drive. When done with the installation, swap the optical drive with the 2nd HDD.

I don't have any issue with two IDE devices connected to the IDE port (MASTER/SLAVE).

The Abit IP35 Pro has 90% positive review @ Newegg. This is amazing when you consider the large number of novice NewEgg customers. Per my previous post, this MB overclocks like crazy, without the need to tweak a bunch of parameters like most DFIs. It also comes with a lot of options for the extreme overclockers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127030)

[ultra laser]

I'd rather not use any adapters or anything like that. Since I have two IDE harddrives, shouldn't they be okay connected to the single pata port? That's why I'm getting a SATA optical drive, so both IDE slots will be free for my HDs.

[SerpentRoyal]

There is virtually zero performance hit with the use of an adaptor for the optical drive (even with 18x DVD drives).

Yes, two IDE drives will work fine on the single PATA connector. Set them as SLAVE/MASTER or CS/CS.

[ultra laser]

Thanks for your input and this review. It has been very helpful.

[aka1nas]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Heidfirst
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal The Gigabit LAN is connected thru the PCI bus, not PCIE! As a result, the maximum throughput will probably be lowered by about 35% with higher CPU load. </end quote></div>
throughput is till way above what anyone will be getting with residential broadband though.
</end quote></div>

scenario of sharing data between local computers?

Even then, you will need RAID on both machines to push enough data to max out the PCI bus. Remember, hard disk write speeds are usually substantially slower than their read speeds.

[SerpentRoyal]

No RAID on the IP35-E. The maximum continuous read/write speed is capped to about 50MB/sec with the current crop of HDDs. Real-world throughput speed would only be affected if there are audio, video, and broad band devices in full use at the PCI ports.

A lot of fancy stuffs found on high-end boards are there for the WOW factor. You'll have to spend an arm and a leg to achieve that last 3% improvement in speed.

[postmortemIA]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
No RAID on the IP35-E. The maximum continuous read/write speed is capped to about 50MB/sec with the current crop of HDDs. Real-world throughput speed would only be affected if there are audio, video, and broad band devices in full use at the PCI ports.

A lot of fancy stuffs found on high-end boards are there for the WOW factor. You'll have to spend an arm and a leg to achieve that last 3% improvement in speed.</end quote></div>

I disagree.

1. Onboard RAID feeds straight off south bridge SATA controller, which is not bound to PCI speeds, in other words it can effectively use both (or 4, depending on RAID setup) channels.
2. If discrete card is used for RAID, then PCI-e card would not be bound to PCI limit of 133MB/s
3. SATA drives are capable of over 50MB/s transfer, Raptors 74 and 150 can for sure.

[SerpentRoyal]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: postmortemIA
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
No RAID on the IP35-E. The maximum continuous read/write speed is capped to about 50MB/sec with the current crop of HDDs. Real-world throughput speed would only be affected if there are audio, video, and broad band devices in full use at the PCI ports.

A lot of fancy stuffs found on high-end boards are there for the WOW factor. You'll have to spend an arm and a leg to achieve that last 3% improvement in speed.</end quote></div>

I disagree.

1. Onboard RAID feeds straight off south bridge SATA controller, which is not bound to PCI speeds, in other words it can effectively use both (or 4, depending on RAID setup) channels.
2. If discrete card is used for RAID, then PCI-e card would not be bound to PCI limit of 133MB/s
3. SATA drives are capable of over 50MB/s transfer, Raptors 74 and 150 can for sure.</end quote></div>


You're talking about burst read speed. To trasfer data between two PCs, we need to measure continuous read and write speed. Even the Raptor could only manage 54MB/sec. Quoting maximum read speed is meaningless since the destination HDD is capped at 34MB/sec write speed. RAID may bump the maximum continuous throughput to 65MB/sec. I have yet to see real-world number above 100MB/sec.

http://techreport.com/reviews/...a-7200.10/index.x?pg=6 (http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q2/barracuda-7200.10/index.x?pg=6)

[rich168]

ip35 pro

thats my target right now

i will still have to wait for DFI's P35 and see

[Shimmishim]

the pro is a sweet board... i just got mine! been testing it out.

the vdroop on this board is a bit much. 1.53 bios = 1.47 100% load... = 0.06 volt droop (measured with a DMM)

[SerpentRoyal]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Shimmishim
the pro is a sweet board... i just got mine! been testing it out.

the vdroop on this board is a bit much. 1.53 bios = 1.47 100% load... = 0.06 volt droop (measured with a DMM)</end quote></div>

Are you sure you have the correct probe point (originator of that Xtreme post)? The IP35 Pro should not drop more than 0.04V max. Most are seeing -0.02Vdroop. Perhaps your power supply is not up to the task. Make sure the 2nd 12V rail is connected to the GPU's molex connector. Many novice users will overload one 12V rail, causing excessive Vdroop on the CPU.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...0&posted=1#post2286940 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2286940&posted=1#post2286940)

[Shimmishim]

yeah, i have the correct point.

one possibility is that my ground may not be good with the DMM i have.

i just measured it again and it's still about 0.06 lower on load.

[SerpentRoyal]

Interesting. What about CPUz and Speedfan? I have a calibrated DMM, so I'll see if I can locate the probe point on the IP35-E. The maximum Vdroop under load per Speedfan and CPUz is -0.04 under Orthos Large file and S&M Heat mode. I suspect you should see similar or better result with the Pro.

[Shimmishim]

cpu-z will not report correct voltage above a certain point.

also, i think it might be dependent on the voltage you use. IIRC, the higher the vcore, the more droop you get.

i didn't test at or around 1.35 but I have a feeling it might be less at a lower vcore.

[SerpentRoyal]

True...CPUz is good up to 1.475Vcore. However, you should be able to extract something from Speedfan. Power = VA. Perhaps the board's power module is designed for tight regulation up to 1.5Vcore. Voltage above 1.5 will result in major heat output from my E4300, even with the Big Typhoon and one medium speed 120 x 38 mm Panaflo. Therefore, it is possible that Vcore>1.5 may place a substantial load on the PSU's 12V rail. Perhaps the use of an 8-pin power plug and GPU's Molex plug may alleviate Vdroop.

Not sure if Abit's 4 phase power section is at fault since I see worst voltage regulation from the 8 phase Asus P5B Deluxe board. To date, the Abit P35-E is definitely the most efficient high performance C2D board that I've evaluated. One should be able to run most C2Ds up to 400MHz with default Northbridge and Southbridge voltage settings.

[Shimmishim]

The Asus boards have droop built into their design from what I've read and understood from others.

Every single Asus board does this... it has something to do with intel spec.

The new P5K Deluxe has a bios option called something damper that removes this droop feature.

I can run the Pro board at 400 with stock voltage as well.

The Non-pro, pro, and -E appear to pretty much be the same board but with more or less features.

I went with the Pro for uguru or else the non-pro would have been fine for me. :)

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: Shimmishim
The new P5K Deluxe has a bios option called something damper that removes this droop feature.
probably similar to the 0.1V overvolt feature on the P5N-E SLI which seems to compensate nicely for droop under load. ;)

Originally posted by: ShimmishimThe Non-pro, pro, and -E appear to pretty much be the same board but with more or less features.
I would say that the -E & standard are pretty much the same board but the Pro looks to me to be noticeably different.

[SerpentRoyal]

Hmmm...the engineers at INTC must be on crack with that logic. Why lower Vcore when the CPU is at full load? This goes against the logic of CnQ and CIE/EIST. I think Asus is coming up with a lame excuse for a design flaw that cannot be fixed with a BIOS update. I don't see such large Vdroop with several other P965 boards.

IP35-E loses RAID, 1394, and two SATA ports. It's probably the coolest running high performance C2D board to date. Actual idle load with one HDD and 2GB RAM is just under 90 watts. Abit's FanEQ is a big hit for me because I don't want to hear any fan noise unless the CPU is working at full load. A lot of Intel boards claim support for 3-pin fan, but most don't work as advertised. With this Abit, I can set the CPU fan at 50% speed and the RAM/northbridge fan at 70% speed when the CPU temperature is under 45C. Above 50C, both fans will start to increase speed for better cooling.

[SerpentRoyal]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Heidfirst
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Shimmishim
The new P5K Deluxe has a bios option called something damper that removes this droop feature.[/quote]
probably similar to the 0.1V overvolt feature on the P5N-E SLI which seems to compensate nicely for droop under load. ;)

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ShimmishimThe Non-pro, pro, and -E appear to pretty much be the same board but with more or less features.</end quote></div>
I would say that the -E & standard are pretty much the same board but the Pro looks to me to be noticeably different.



</end quote></div>


Basic IP35 and IP35-E share the same MB. IP35 uses an "R" southbridge for RAID. It also add two more SATA ports, 1394, and heat pipe cooling for NB and MOSFETs.

The Pro is based on the same design, plus 100% solid capacitors. The power section appears to be nearly identical, with some minor mods for two PCI-E x 16 cards.

[StopSign]

Id' say the IP35 is worth the extra money over the IP35-E. The ICH9R southbridge is a huge improvement over the basic ICH9. It has native AHCI support so you don't have to use the crappy JMicron thing.

[SerpentRoyal]

None of the INTEL P965/P35 chipset support PATA out of the box. That's why manufacturers went with the low cost JMicron solution. AHCI is worthless since the true bottleneck for read/write is still the HDD...50-60MB/sec read/write under IDEAL condition. AHCI is about bells and whistles like NCQ that don't do squat for everyday real world performance.

Again, even the IP35 Pro is equipped with the JMicron chipset.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=1498561

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Basic IP35 and IP35-E share the same MB. IP35 uses an "R" southbridge for RAID. It also add two more SATA ports, 1394, and heat pipe cooling for NB and MOSFETs.
yes, they are pretty obviously the same board apart from those & share a PCB.

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
The Pro is based on the same design, plus 100% solid capacitors. The power section appears to be nearly identical, with some minor mods for two PCI-E x 16 cards.
Now this, I'm not so sure about.
Compare the IP35 (as it has ICH9R & firewire) to the Pro.
If you bring up the 2 enlarged images from the abit.com.tw site & flip back & forward between the 2 (possible in Opera at least) you'll see an awful lot of components move.
Obviously the PCI/PCI-E slot mix/config changes incl the position of the ATXP1 socket, the 2nd realtek nic chip, uGuru, the firewire headers move, there's a lot more components around the DIMM slots, SATA ports relocated etc. & it clearly isn't the same PCB as the -IP35/-E.

[SerpentRoyal]

Per my previous post, only the 35 and 35-E share the same MB. The Pro version uses a slightly different layout. However, the core design of the main power module is still very similar (per my training and what I could compare at the local Fry's). Don't forget that the Pro has TWO PCI-E x 16 slots. There may be some additional circuits for tighter voltage regulation due to other add-ons.

Unless you're pushing the FSB well beyond 520MHz, I doubt that you'll see any gain with the IP35 Pro (same core speed and FSB speed). The power draw of the 35-E should be lower by at least 5 watts due to a more minimalist approach. It's a shame I don't have access to a good 6xxx chip to explore the top speed of this 35-E board. My cheap RAM is stable up to 540MHz @ 5-5-5-18-2T.

[StopSign]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
None of the INTEL P965/P35 chipset support PATA out of the box. That's why manufacturers went with the low cost JMicron solution. AHCI is worthless since the true bottleneck for read/write is still the HDD...50-60MB/sec read/write under IDEAL condition. AHCI is about bells and whistles like NCQ that don't do squat for everyday real world performance.

Again, even the IP35 Pro is equipped with the JMicron chipset.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=1498561
Hot plugging is pretty useful if you use eSATA drives.

[postmortemIA]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
None of the INTEL P965/P35 chipset support PATA out of the box. That's why manufacturers went with the low cost JMicron solution. AHCI is worthless since the true bottleneck for read/write is still the HDD...50-60MB/sec read/write under IDEAL condition. AHCI is about bells and whistles like NCQ that don't do squat for everyday real world performance.

Again, even the IP35 Pro is equipped with the JMicron chipset.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=1498561

Intel's DP35DP uses Marvell's chip.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
None of the INTEL P965/P35 chipset support PATA out of the box. That's why manufacturers went with the low cost JMicron solution. AHCI is worthless since the true bottleneck for read/write is still the HDD...50-60MB/sec read/write under IDEAL condition. AHCI is about bells and whistles like NCQ that don't do squat for everyday real world performance.

Again, even the IP35 Pro is equipped with the JMicron chipset.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=1498561</end quote></div>

Intel's DP35DP uses Marvell's chip.


If you're that concerned about getting the most performance out of the rig, then you should focus on the slowest component inside the PC...HDD. There is virtually zero price difference between PATA and SATA HDDs at many retailers. Since Intel chipset does not natively run PATA, just spend about $25 AR for a small Seagate SATA boot drive. It is virtually impossible for anyone to notice the speed difference between a JMicron and Marvell chip, under normal use.

It is important to distinguish between real world performance and marketing hypes.

[postmortemIA]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: postmortemIA
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
None of the INTEL P965/P35 chipset support PATA out of the box. That's why manufacturers went with the low cost JMicron solution. AHCI is worthless since the true bottleneck for read/write is still the HDD...50-60MB/sec read/write under IDEAL condition. AHCI is about bells and whistles like NCQ that don't do squat for everyday real world performance.

Again, even the IP35 Pro is equipped with the JMicron chipset.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=1498561</end quote></div>

Intel's DP35DP uses Marvell's chip.</end quote></div>


If you're that concerned about getting the most performance out of the rig, then you should focus on the slowest component inside the PC...HDD. There is virtually zero price difference between PATA and SATA HDDs at many retailers. Since Intel chipset does not natively run PATA, just spend about $25 AR for a small Seagate SATA boot drive. It is virtually impossible for anyone to notice the speed difference between a JMicron and Marvell chip, under normal use.

It is important to distinguish between real world performance and marketing hypes.


I just stated that Intel's board uses other, probably better chip- as in more stable, better engineered, probably trouble free, and you are reading between lines.

I have two raptors, in RAID0 ( I know already your response - RAID0 doesn't work, well guess what - it does, and I notice the difference) so I am happy with my IO performance.

[StopSign]

It's not about performance. It's about feature set and quality - something the JMicron controller lacks when it comes to SATA/RAID. That's why the ICH9R is more expensive, and why manufacturers cheap out by getting the JMicron chip coupled with basic ICH8/9.

[SerpentRoyal]

But you haven't show me any real-world gain if I don't need RAID. Why pay more for feature when one doesn't need it? As for quality, can you provide data to support the low reliability of the JMicron chip? The most elegant solution is to dump that ancient PATA HDD and go with a modern $40 SATA Seagate/Maxtor 7200.10 HDD.

[postmortemIA]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
But you haven't show me any real-world gain if I don't need RAID. Why pay more for feature when one doesn't need it? As for quality, can you provide data to support the low reliability of the JMicron chip? The most elegant solution is to dump that ancient PATA HDD and go with a modern $40 SATA Seagate/Maxtor 7200.10 HDD.</end quote></div>

JMicron vs. Marvell, Marvell is better bet, not much of comparison between company entering the market and one of market leaders.

I have EIDE 250GB Maxtor drive and Pioneer DVD-RW that I would be nuts to get rid of.

[SerpentRoyal]

You still have not provided others with real world data to support your claim about the superiority of the Marvell chip. The maximum speed of the DVD drive doesn't even tax DMA mode 2! The old Maxtor can always be used as a slave to a cheap modern SATA boot HDD.

[SerpentRoyal]

Bump...updated OP. Board is stable up to 488MHz FSB with possible higher overclock potential.

[dolenc]

What kind of soundcard does this board have exacly, on their paige it only says 7.1 hd and in the first post realtek is mentioned. Does it support Dolby digital live?

[uiojkl]

IP335 has RAID,but it's more expensive

[SerpentRoyal]

Get a sound card for Dolby.

[Aznguy1872]

Anybody know much about the IP35 non Pro? I been trying to find reviews for it everywhere but can't. Im in a debate whether to go with the IP35 Pro or non pro. Does the IP35 overclock just as well as the Pro does? Is the 30 dollar in price difference worth it?

[dolenc]

Review (http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/ip35economy/), for now i think its the only one.


It says it uses Realtek ALC888, but nothing about dolby live, can someone please look in the control panell if they have this simbol. Picture (http://www.motosvet.com/album/images/2007/20070712110218_dolby.JPG)

Im asking becaus there realy isnt any good card on pci that support dolby live i found only one and it uses some cmedia chip, so it makes no diference if its onboard and it saves me money :)

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Aznguy1872
Anybody know much about the IP35 non Pro? I been trying to find reviews for it everywhere but can't. Im in a debate whether to go with the IP35 Pro or non pro. Does the IP35 overclock just as well as the Pro does? Is the 30 dollar in price difference worth it?

IP35 is virtually identical to IP35-E...about 488MHz FSB with my sample. I've seen post with 500MHz. I don't see the need to push FSB speed higher than this unless you have a water cooler rig with +1.55Vcore and a 7x multi chip.

[jjsole]

Mwave has the IP35 (middle flavor) for $113AR + shipping. (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA23928&RSKU=BA23928) The link says $138-$20 rebate, but the pdf download (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/spechr/rebates/BA23928.pdf) is actually a $25 rebate.

[jvhb]

New review of basic IP35 (non -e):
http://www.overclockersclub.co...views/ip35_darkraider/ (http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/ip35_darkraider/)

[Aznguy1872]

Wow, 138- 25 dollars MIR. I think thats actually worth going for rather then the IP35 Pro. The Ip35 does have fancier heatsinks, but doesn't make a big difference in cooling. I would only go for th IP35 pro if I was gonna use all of its features but I don't plan to. IP35 is I think the best choice at this price. Save that 60 dollars and invest it into another component.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: jvhb
New review of basic IP35 (non -e):
http://www.overclockersclub.co...views/ip35_darkraider/ (http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/ip35_darkraider/)


I don't think that reviewer was a capable overclocker. You'll also need a chip and RAM capable of running @ +480MHz FSB. My E6320 sample and IP35-E had no problem with 488MHz (Orthos/S&M/Memtest stable). See the bottom link of my original post.

[WolfLover]

dolenc, IP35 uses Realtek ALC888. The output options are 2/4/6/8 channels at 44.1/48/96/192 kHz - no Dolby Live.

[WolfLover]

I have been following this thread for a while. It was the first review of the IP35-E that I could find on the web. (Much thanks to SerpentRoyal for his detailed comments!) I was looking for a replacement for a P5B-Plus board that failed to post after attempting to flash the BIOS. Whoops :shocked:. I decided to spring for the IP35 when I found the rebate offer at mwave. I received and installed the board a week ago.

With the IP35 Dark Raider I am overclocking my E6420 at 425 X 8 for a stable speed of 3.4GHz - not a single crash during several days of use and hours of testing (memtest/orthos). In the BIOS Vcore is set at 1.41V, DDR2 at 2.0V, with all other voltages at default (lowest) settings. For the CPU abit EQ reads 1.38V at idle and 1.34V at full load with maximum core temps of ~55C (20C ambient). One odd thing I found was that if I set Vcore any higher that 1.41V in the BIOS that the monitored voltage drops to around 1.31V even with EIST disabled. I don't understand this behavior. Has anyone else encountered this?

Due to their relatively low power consumption I think the IP35 series boards are a good foundation for a quiet PC. My only disappointment with the IP35 was discovering that the two auxiliary fan headers are not voltage controllable. I solved this problem by making a wiring harness to drive the 3 case fans from the system fan header. Under abit EQ all the fans run at 30-50% of their max speeds most all of the time for a quiet system.

Overall I am very pleased with the stability and performance of the IP35 Dark Raider.

P.S. (off topic but relevant) I absolutely love the Hyper TX - it is an excellent match for this board. I spent days researching coolers on the web and found several reviews where its holds its own against much larger heatsinks. The fan is reasonably quiet at full speed and nearly inaudible at 30-50% speed and the shroud blows air directly onto the PWM heatsink of the IP35. Check it out if you are looking for cool and quiet!

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: WolfLover
I have been following this thread for a while. It was the first review of the IP35-E that I could find on the web. (Much thanks to SerpentRoyal for his detailed comments!) I was looking for a replacement for a P5B-Plus board that failed to post after attempting to flash the BIOS. Whoops :shocked:. I decided to spring for the IP35 when I found the rebate offer at mwave. I received and installed the board a week ago.

With the IP35 Dark Raider I am overclocking my E6420 at 425 X 8 for a stable speed of 3.4GHz - not a single crash during several days of use and hours of testing (memtest/orthos). In the BIOS Vcore is set at 1.41V, DDR2 at 2.0V, with all other voltages at default (lowest) settings. For the CPU abit EQ reads 1.38V at idle and 1.34V at full load with maximum core temps of ~55C (20C ambient). One odd thing I found was that if I set Vcore any higher that 1.41V in the BIOS that the monitored voltage drops to around 1.31V even with EIST disabled. I don't understand this behavior. Has anyone else encountered this?

Due to their relatively low power consumption I think the IP35 series boards are a good foundation for a quiet PC. My only disappointment with the IP35 was discovering that the two auxiliary fan headers are not voltage controllable. I solved this problem by making a wiring harness to drive the 3 case fans from the system fan header. Under abit EQ all the fans run at 30-50% of their max speeds most all of the time for a quiet system.

Overall I am very pleased with the stability and performance of the IP35 Dark Raider.

P.S. (off topic but relevant) I absolutely love the Hyper TX - it is an excellent match for this board. I spent days researching coolers on the web and found several reviews where its holds its own against much larger heatsinks. The fan is reasonably quiet at full speed and nearly inaudible at 30-50% speed and the shroud blows air directly onto the PWM heatsink of the IP35. Check it out if you are looking for cool and quiet!

Turn off C1E and EIST in BIOS. Save and reboot to windows. Go into Power Options and change to Desktop mode. Now check Vcore with CPUz. Note that CPUz will not properly detect voltage above 1.46. You'll need to download Speedfan.

[WolfLover]

I am happy to report that the CPU voltage setting irregularity is solved.

First I loaded the optimized settings in the BIOS and disabled the C1E and EIST functions, but the problem reoccured at all CPU Core Voltage settings above 1.41. The voltages strangely wrapped around - 1.43 same as 1.35, 1.45 same as 1.37, etc.

Then I cleared the CMOS, reconfigured the BIOS, and ran the tests again. Now the CPU voltage settings are working as expected with the idle readings being 0.04V less than the BIOS settings all the way from 1.35 to 1.53.

I had cleared the CMOS during the installation of the board but somehow the voltage settings had gotten corrupted. Now I should be able to push the FSB a little higher for stability testing but will probably leave it at 425 for daily use.

Thanks SerpentRoyal for your prompt reply and suggestions. I like SpeedFan and have used it for years on my abit BM6 board to control the fans. However on the IP35 I prefer to use the onboard fan control in conjuction with abit EQ in part because it kicks in right away. The CPU voltage reading in abit EQ coincides very closely with the temp that SpeedFan (and CPU-Z at the lower settings) report so I have confidence in it.

I will be glad to answer any specific questions that forum members have about the Dark Raider.

[SerpentRoyal]

Thanks for the update.

Still waiting for new BIOS to eliminate the double post during cold boot....

[Thor86]

How much Vcore droop on this board from idle to full-load on the cpu?

[WolfLover]

Vcore consistently drops 0.04V from idle to full load (orthos) on my board at 1.41V - 1.45V setting in the BIOS.

[SerpentRoyal]

Vdroop on my IP35-E is also around 0.04. E4300 @ 3.46GHz, 1.465Vcore. C1E and EIST enabled in BIOS. Speedfan's reading is closest to BIOS setting.

One way of minimizing Vdroop is to use C1E and EIST to drop CPU voltage and multiplier at low load. This will allow you to overvolt in BIOS by 0.02Vcore without forcing the CPU to run at this higher voltage level all the time. Stick with the default CPU multiplier when using this strategy. Lowering the multi can cause voltage mis-match.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: WolfLover
I am happy to report that the CPU voltage setting irregularity is solved.

First I loaded the optimized settings in the BIOS and disabled the C1E and EIST functions, but the problem reoccured at all CPU Core Voltage settings above 1.41. The voltages strangely wrapped around - 1.43 same as 1.35, 1.45 same as 1.37, etc.

Then I cleared the CMOS, reconfigured the BIOS, and ran the tests again. Now the CPU voltage settings are working as expected with the idle readings being 0.04V less than the BIOS settings all the way from 1.35 to 1.53.

I had cleared the CMOS during the installation of the board but somehow the voltage settings had gotten corrupted. Now I should be able to push the FSB a little higher for stability testing but will probably leave it at 425 for daily use.

Thanks SerpentRoyal for your prompt reply and suggestions. I like SpeedFan and have used it for years on my abit BM6 board to control the fans. However on the IP35 I prefer to use the onboard fan control in conjuction with abit EQ in part because it kicks in right away. The CPU voltage reading in abit EQ coincides very closely with the temp that SpeedFan (and CPU-Z at the lower settings) report so I have confidence in it.

I will be glad to answer any specific questions that forum members have about the Dark Raider.


Do you have an external 1394 HDD? Firewire performance on the Abit IP35 Pro is low, according to one website. My IP35-E lacks 1394 and RAID. USB 2.0 performance is on par with the best boards; 31.7MB/s continuous write throughput.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardwa.../07/12/abit_ip35_pro/7 (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/07/12/abit_ip35_pro/7)

[WolfLover]

No, I don't have any Firewire components so am unable to test the performance. I may never use the Firewire port but I can see that the lackluster performance mentioned in the review would be of concern to anyone who is dependent on it.

[SerpentRoyal]

I'll repost some 1394 numbers if I can find a buddy with an IP35.

[SerpentRoyal]

Had some bench time with an Abit IP Pro. 1394 connection is very slow...only about 14.4MB/s with my external HDD. One would expect 1394 to be 10% faster than USB 2.0, somewhere in the range of 34MB/s.

The Pro version lacks a selectable 4-pin/3-pin fan option found in the IP35-E. Therefore, this "Pro" board cannot control the speed of a 2-pin fan. To take advantage of the onboard fan speed control, the fan must come with a 3rd RPM sensing wire. Additionally, the 4-pin CPU plug will only trim the speed of a PWM-capable fan. The NB runs a tad cooler, thanks to the copper-bottom heat pipe. Overclocking capability (E4300 @ 1.465V), however, is still the same as the IP35-E.

The Abit IP35 Pro is still a fine board, but the tests don't show any performance gain over the much cheaper Abit IP35-E. Perhaps the E4300 @ 3.46GHz is the bottleneck, and I need to test with a +500MHz FSB CPU to explore the true capability of this MB. Yes, the board is not affected by the double post problem found in IP35/IP35-E, but most PC users don't need to push their CPUs much above 460MHz FSB. If you must have RAID, then go with the IP35.

[cyrusm]

looks like an awesome board but
tigerdirect doesnt have it
canada computers doesnt have it

...any canadian store have this? :(

[SerpentRoyal]

NewEgg doen't ship stuffs to Canada?

[WolfLover]

Originally posted by: cyrusm
looks like an awesome board but
tigerdirect doesnt have it
canada computers doesnt have it

...any canadian store have this? :(

Have you tried NCIX online? They have an online store as well as stores located in BC and I believe they stock all three IP35 series boards.

[cyrusm]

no i wish they did. id buy everything there.
and wolfy thanks for the response; ncix online DOES have it :D

[SerpentRoyal]

Fry's had IP35-E on sale last month for $95 AR. Best price now is @ MWAVE ($108 AR). There's a difference of 4% between US and CAN $.

[amking]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
No RAID on the IP35-E. The maximum continuous read/write speed is capped to about 50MB/sec with the current crop of HDDs. Real-world throughput speed would only be affected if there are audio, video, and broad band devices in full use at the PCI ports.

A lot of fancy stuffs found on high-end boards are there for the WOW factor. You'll have to spend an arm and a leg to achieve that last 3% improvement in speed.

so does that mean that on an ip35 pro with a small x-fi xtremegamer and potentially some sort of tv (hd?) tuner card in the pci slots, i will have a performance hit due to the lan issue?

the gfx card is separate from this, right?

[SerpentRoyal]

NO. The HDD's write speed is normally capped at 40MB/s. US broadband is good up to 10MB/s. The addition of sound and a HD TV tuner will not overload the 133MB/s PCI pipeline.

Video card is connected to PCI-E x16, which is independent from the PCI slots. Also note that you have two PCI-E x1 slots...ideal for HD TV tuner card or any other bandwidth-intensive devices.

[bryanW1995]

I'll let you know how the ip35 pro does above 500 fsb when/if my e6750 shows up.

[SerpentRoyal]

Not sure if you chip can run much higher than 500MHz FSB. Core speed is still KING. It's best to stick to the 10x multi to discover your maximum core speed while maintaining 1:1 memory divider. Once you've discovered the maximum stable core speed, then use the 1:1.20, 1:1.25, or 1:1.50 memory divider to increase RAM bandwidth for a little more performance. Most of these C2D E6xxx chips will top out between 3.4 and 3.6GHz on air.

I want to take advantage of C1E and EIST. Therefore, I favor a high multiplier CPU to get the most drop in voltage and core speed when the CPU is idling. The lowest power state for desktop C2D is 6x.

[Gepidae]

Maybe Im blind but is there a BIOS update for the dark raider?

[SerpentRoyal]

11 BIOS for IP35 and IP35-E. 10 BIOS for IP35 Pro. There are also several BETA stuffs for the Pro with 1T timing.

11 BIOS is perfect for me, minus the double post during cold boot.

[Gepidae]

Is the 11 BIOS the one that comes with the ip35? If not where do I get it?

[SerpentRoyal]

IP35/IP35-E should come with 11 BIOS. Use CPUz or boot splash screen to check.

http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en...=LGA775&pPRODINFO=BIOS (http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=IP35-E&fMTYPE=LGA775&pPRODINFO=BIOS)

[Gloryfieldzi]

does this, together with an Antec P180B, fit an ultra 120 extreme?

[SerpentRoyal]

Ultra 120 will work. P180 should work with this standard ATX MB. About the only issue is the length of your PSU's power plugs. Note the location of the 24-pin and the 8-pin/4-pin connectors.

[Gloryfieldzi]

i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed :(

[wingzeroismine]

Hi there, I just recently purchased an IP35-E and an E6320 but am having issues with them. The board restarts itself 2-3 times (aparently a common P35 issue) and when it finally displays anything I get the message CPU unworkable. I see it listed as a 1.6 Ghz cpu and the ram Geil PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz, CAS 5-5-5-15, 1.8V - 2.2V has shown up as DDR 600 and DDR 798.... On top of that regardless of whether I use a PS/2 or USB keyboard, I can press a key once and then at no point will keyboard presses do anything at all. I also have an EVGA nVIdia 7200 and was wondering if I would need to plug in that 12v connector for a lower end card such as this. Any help would be greatly apreciated.

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: wingzeroismine
Hi there, I just recently purchased an IP35-E and an E6320 but am having issues with them. The board restarts itself 2-3 times (aparently a common P35 issue) and when it finally displays anything I get the message CPU unworkable. I see it listed as a 1.6 Ghz cpu and the ram Geil PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz, CAS 5-5-5-15, 1.8V - 2.2V has shown up as DDR 600 and DDR 798.... On top of that regardless of whether I use a PS/2 or USB keyboard, I can press a key once and then at no point will keyboard presses do anything at all. I also have an EVGA nVIdia 7200 and was wondering if I would need to plug in that 12v connector for a lower end card such as this. Any help would be greatly apreciated.

its normal on first boot for the CPU/memory information to be wrong, often times you have to set this information manually in the BIOS.

however the keyboard problem is odd.

only thing i can think of is doing a CMOS reset.

[wingzeroismine]

Yes I changed the ram settings manually and Geil's site mentioned increasing voltage to 1.9V the system is functioning now, I was able to do the bios upgrade also (and then reset everything...).... but it appears to work now. I tried to make the driver disk for the SATA but the cd said it doesn't support this model.

[SerpentRoyal]

Board should start-stop-start. Total delay is about 14 seconds. You need to reseat the CPU. Remove the battery for 10 minutes. Clear CMOS. Put back battery and CMOS jumper and turn on PC. Some RAMs require 2.0 to 2.2V. This can be problematic if the BIOS uses the 1.8V as the default voltage. If you cannot POST with +2.0V rated RAM, then you need to install 1.8V RAM to access the BIOS. Change Vdimm to 2.1 and timing to 5-5-5-15-2T. Save and exit. Now replace the 1.8V stick with +2.0V stick.

Go into the USB section in the BIOS and change USB mouse and keyboard support from OS to BIOS. Save and exit.

You must connect the two power plugs to the MB. The molex plug next to the PCI-E x 16 slot can provide additional current to the GPU. Don't know if you will need to connect this with that GPU...probably not.

[wingzeroismine]

Well the system is functioning now, but what I need to figure out is how to get the SATA flopy disk made. It says the model is not supported and won't write the disk. The manual gives the location of vista drivers but I don't know if I should try those with XP.

[SerpentRoyal]

IP35-E doesn't require SATA driver. Read the manual. Only INTEL chipset, LAN, and audio drivers. Manual covers IP35 and IP35-E. You have the -E model.

http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en...GA775&pPRODINFO=Driver (http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=IP35-E&fMTYPE=LGA775&pPRODINFO=Driver)

[wingzeroismine]

Yes you were right, XP is able to detect the hard drives and is installing fine.

[shiznit]

I am seriously considering this board, I have a Q6600 G0 on the way and would like to save some $ on the mobo so I can invest in watercooling. I already have 4x1GB Ballistix pc8000, will I have issues running the board with 4 sticks?

[SerpentRoyal]

No issue with 4 modules. Note that Windows will only detect up to 3GB unless you have 64-bit version.

[wingzeroismine]

What about PAE? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension I think it's simply /pae in boot.ini

[SerpentRoyal]

Ain't gonna work but repost if you have success with your rig.

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: Gloryfieldzi
i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed :(

I have this motherboard and just got an Antec p182B. With the NeoHE 500, the 8 pin connector reached the top port near the cpu just barely. I have it routed under the motherboard tray and coming out of the top port and it just barely reaches. You'll probably be fine, even if you have to go over the motherboard. I've personally never achieved cabling as clean as I have with this case and motherboard.

As for the motherboard itself, I'm very impressed with how it's performed over the last 2 weeks. I've not a veteran overclocker, but I was easily able to get 3.6 Ghz out of my 2.4 Ghz e6600 just by bumping the voltages a little. It really scared me to get that much so easily, so I lowered it to 3.0 Ghz with a 333 Mhz FSB until I get some time to properly test things. It's been running completely stable for the last week.

SerpentRoyal, thanks for your overview of this board. It was part of why I chose to buy it, and I'm definitely not regretting it so far. Hopefully I can offer something to this thread.

[shiznit]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
No issue with 4 modules. Note that Windows will only detect up to 3GB unless you have 64-bit version.
Vista x64 and XP Pro x64 here :D
How is the vdroop? On XS they are saying as bad as .07 on the pro. I have a G0 from NCIXUS on the way, some of those are hitting 400x9 and I don't want the board to hold me back.

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: shiznit

Vista x64 and XP Pro x64 here :D
How is the vdroop? On XS they are saying as bad as .07 on the pro.
I think that you'll find that the difference betwen the setting in the BIOS & the actual measured value is a couple hundredths (so it's easily compensated for, you just pick an appropriately higher BIOS setting to get what you really want)) & the actual drop under load is another couple hundredths which imo isn't bad at all.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: Gloryfieldzi
i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed :(

I have this motherboard and just got an Antec p182B. With the NeoHE 500, the 8 pin connector reached the top port near the cpu just barely. I have it routed under the motherboard tray and coming out of the top port and it just barely reaches. You'll probably be fine, even if you have to go over the motherboard. I've personally never achieved cabling as clean as I have with this case and motherboard.

As for the motherboard itself, I'm very impressed with how it's performed over the last 2 weeks. I've not a veteran overclocker, but I was easily able to get 3.6 Ghz out of my 2.4 Ghz e6600 just by bumping the voltages a little. It really scared me to get that much so easily, so I lowered it to 3.0 Ghz with a 333 Mhz FSB until I get some time to properly test things. It's been running completely stable for the last week.

SerpentRoyal, thanks for your overview of this board. It was part of why I chose to buy it, and I'm definitely not regretting it so far. Hopefully I can offer something to this thread.


Thanks for your input. I don't post review unless I come across a board that offer exceptional value AND performance. The board must run cool and stable throughout testing. I like to KISS. No RAID or bells and whistles to inflate the price of the board. This board can also control a 2-pin fan. This would be my top choice for a high-quality HTPC.

I'd download S&M 1.90 and run the memory test section. If okay, then run Orthos for one hour.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: shiznit
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
No issue with 4 modules. Note that Windows will only detect up to 3GB unless you have 64-bit version.
Vista x64 and XP Pro x64 here :D
How is the vdroop? On XS they are saying as bad as .07 on the pro. I have a G0 from NCIXUS on the way, some of those are hitting 400x9 and I don't want the board to hold me back.

Between 0.02 to 0.04...E4300 @ 3.46GHz. 1.465 in BIOS. CPUz reports 1.42. C1E and EIST enabled. Board is good to at least 488MHz FSB. No need to bump up Vnorthbridge, Vsouthbridge, and VTT till 450MHz FSB. Course YMMV with any CPU and RAM.

[AlucardX]

i'm a little confused about AHCI and using CD/DVD IDE's on the JMicron.

1. To get AHCI working, I have to enable it under the SATA section of the BIOS. From here, I then have to hit F6 while installing XP to load AHCI drivers? Where would these be at. I'm guessing this would be some sort of Intel driver since the SATA ports run off the Intel chipset.

2. I'm not use to running CD/DVD's off addon controller. Will the board support booting off CD if its attached to the JMicron controller and not a SATA CD drive? I'm used to controllers like this needed drivers before XP can do anything with it. I also have an old Promise Ultra66 PCI card I could use, but again I'm not sure if the system would support booting from CD as my primary drive would be on an addon controller. Also, I've read of issues using the JMicron and CD/DVD emulation software in windows because they both use SCSI emulation drivers to make them work. Does it make sense to use my Promise PCI card for my CD/DVD drives since this should have native support and I don't believe uses any SCSI emulation nonsense.

3. Is there any disadvantage to setting USB Keyboard/Mouse support to BIOS instead of the default of OS? Maybe responsiveness or speed? And if not.. why shouldnt' this always be set (and the default) for BIOS for maximum compatibility.

Thanks

[SerpentRoyal]

Avoid AHCI. Generally don't do squat for desktop PCs. Why would you want to hot plug your internal HDD? Get a 10K rpm drive or separate the OS and system files over two HDDs if you need more speed! KISS.

Connect optical drive to IDE port (master or slave). Go into BIOS and set the optical drive as the 1st boot. Save and exit. PC will boot from the optical drive. You can also get an adaptor which will permit direct connection from a CD/DVD drive to any SATA port on the MB. No need to load ANY driver. Again, this is a KISS board. No fancy F6 to load windows. Did you read my original post?

No bandwidth issue with mouse and keyboard in 'BIOS" mode. Some BIOses have this as the default setting. Most of the Abit boards use "OS" as default. That can cause problem for novice users with USB peripherals.

[AlucardX]

Thanks for the information. I guess having the IDE controller as an 'add-on' confused me.

Have you experienced any issues using Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120% with virtual drives, if you've used them?

[SerpentRoyal]

Don't know.

[jjsole]

I wound up settling on the IP35-pro board after I ruined some socket pad pins on my IP35 board. :o

I bit the loss but am glad I went pro due to the couple extra bells and whistles, including the lcd status readout, in case I had problems.

I think going Abit p35 here has been the best motherboard decision I ever made [so far]. :thumbsup:

I had absolutely no configuration/compatability/installation issues, hardware, and wow, even a 100% seemless OS and software installation. :Q Can't say that has ever happened before... My e6850 was quickly overclocked to 3.8ghz, but I hope to do better soon with more time and patience, and knowledge. :P

I went abit because of the few user issues that people have discussed in the posts and reviews I read, even tho it was a hair slower on most benchmarks from Gigabyte and usually asus too, but I'm lovin' it.

[SerpentRoyal]

So you want to unload the defective IP35 for cheap?

[jjsole]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
So you want to unload the defective IP35 for cheap?

I destroyed (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/Abit_IP35.JPG) it. :(

I had to or else I'd be too tempted to try the cpu on it anyways, risking perhaps shorting the cpu... so I pummelled the rest of the socket pad with a screwdriver, ripped out the bios chip and threw the board away (and quickly ordered a PRO overnighted. :D)

/edit: removed from trash for pic. :)

Btw, are bent pins (or whatever they are, I couldn't figure them out) fixable?...

[SerpentRoyal]

From the pic, no. It's terminal. I was thinking about salvaging some parts.

[jjsole]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
From the pic, no. It's terminal. I was thinking about salvaging some parts.

Yes, I know it's beyond repair at this point. ;)

[kajko]

First, let me say that this thread has been the most useful review/discussion regarding the abit ip35 series boards I have seen after much searching, so thanks SerpentRoyal; this thread was the reason I joined Anandtech :) I have a noob question before I pull the trigger on this board-

SerpentRoyal said that "lack of 1T timing is no big loss with my ValueRam"...what is 1T timing referring to? I am planning on using the ip35-e with some performance ram (4GB of OCZ platinum rev.2 PC2-6400), which has 4-4-4-15 timings at 1.9V-2.1V So basically, will I be able to use this memory with this board or do I need to go with the abit ip35? (I'm guessing this is related to the 1T timing)

Thanks in advance.

[SilentAssassin]

I just set up my new rig tonight and I must say this board is awesome. Got my E6420 running at 400x8(3200) and it's been orthos stable for 3 hours so far and I'm still running all default voltage settings. 49c load atm and should drop a few degrees after the paste sets. I have a question about the fan controls on this motherboard though and the EQ program it comes with to monitor temps, volts, ect. I can't seem to get the Fan EQ settings I select to save. I turned it all off cause I want the fans to just run at 100% while I'm testing overclocks but anytime I restart the pc the program comes up with Fan EQ back on. I even have it disabled in the bios but it still lowers fan speeds. Also are the temps it reports accurate? Other then that though, I'm very impressed with this board so far.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: kajko
First, let me say that this thread has been the most useful review/discussion regarding the abit ip35 series boards I have seen after much searching, so thanks SerpentRoyal; this thread was the reason I joined Anandtech :) I have a noob question before I pull the trigger on this board-

SerpentRoyal said that "lack of 1T timing is no big loss with my ValueRam"...what is 1T timing referring to? I am planning on using the ip35-e with some performance ram (4GB of OCZ platinum rev.2 PC2-6400), which has 4-4-4-15 timings at 1.9V-2.1V So basically, will I be able to use this memory with this board or do I need to go with the abit ip35? (I'm guessing this is related to the 1T timing)

Thanks in advance.


In layman's language, 1T/2T affects the speed of your RAM. With C2Ds, the use of 1T vs 2T is equivalent to adding about 20MHz to the CPU core speed. You'll never notice 1T vs 2T in real-world use. Furthermore, the system will probably default to 2T with four sticks of RAM due to the additional load on the memory controller.

Also note that RAM will overclock higher with 2T timing. A stick may top out at 450MHz with 1T, and 500MHz with 2T. In this case, 2T is preferred due to the higher RAM clock speed. 1T/2T can significantly affect AMD K8 chips, but not such much with C2Ds.

I'm not a fan of OCZ RAM (high price). A better choice would be KINGSTON DDR2 800 ValueRAM with "N5" code in the part number. I've owned four pairs and all were good up to a minimum of 580MHz @ 5-5-5-15-2T/2.1V, and 475MHz @ 4-4-4-12-2T/2.1V. Naturally, it's YMMV with any ValueRAM or overclocking RAM

These Kingston modules appear to be very high quality DDR2 800 chips, conservatively rated at 400MHz/1.8V with 5-5-5-18 timing. They will run at 4-4-4-12-2T with 1.8Vdimm.

You only need high-performance overclocking RAM if you purchase a 7x multi CPU. High-quality DDR2 800 RAMs rate at 1.8V will easily hit 440MHz speed with 2.0Vdimm. That's good enough to push an 8x multi CPU to 3.5GHz.

Finally, you need windows 64-bit to fully detect 4GB of RAM. 32-bit OS will detect up to 3GB. I use a pair of 2GB and 1GB.

The OCZ will work, but you may need to boot the PC with 1.8V RAM, change the voltage and timing to the OCZ's, save BIOS, then reboot with the OCZ RAMs.

Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134117 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134117)

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: SilentAssassin
I just set up my new rig tonight and I must say this board is awesome. Got my E6420 running at 400x8(3200) and it's been orthos stable for 3 hours so far and I'm still running all default voltage settings. 49c load atm and should drop a few degrees after the paste sets. I have a question about the fan controls on this motherboard though and the EQ program it comes with to monitor temps, volts, ect. I can't seem to get the Fan EQ settings I select to save. I turned it all off cause I want the fans to just run at 100% while I'm testing overclocks but anytime I restart the pc the program comes up with Fan EQ back on. I even have it disabled in the bios but it still lowers fan speeds. Also are the temps it reports accurate? Other then that though, I'm very impressed with this board so far.



Are you using 2-pin, 3-pin, or 4-pin fan? Which version of IP35? IP35-E should accept changes in BIOS. Avoid the use of windows software to make changes to the BIOS. Remove the sofware and reboot PC. There's an option in BIOS to switch from 4-pin to 3-pin/2-pin support. On the same menu, you will see option to turn-OFF CPU fan control and turn-OFF SYSTEM fan control.

I use a 2-pin fan. Therefore, I set the fan option to 3-pin support. Both CPU fan control and SYSTEM fan control headers are set to use the CPU temperature to control the speed of the fan. Hysteris at 3C. Low temperature limit of 40C. High temperature limit of 47C. Low speed at 70%. High speed at 100%. Save settings by hitting F10 and exit BIOS. The fan will run at 70% speed when the CPU temp is under 40C, and 100% speed when the CPU temp is over 47C. No reason to have the CPU fan running at 100% speed all the time, even when you test for maximum overclock speed.

If you want to run the fan at full speed all the time, then connect the fan to the other two "un-controlled" fan headers. The IP35-E has four fan headers.

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: Gloryfieldzi
i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed :(

I have this motherboard and just got an Antec p182B. With the NeoHE 500, the 8 pin connector reached the top port near the cpu just barely. I have it routed under the motherboard tray and coming out of the top port and it just barely reaches. You'll probably be fine, even if you have to go over the motherboard. I've personally never achieved cabling as clean as I have with this case and motherboard.

As for the motherboard itself, I'm very impressed with how it's performed over the last 2 weeks. I've not a veteran overclocker, but I was easily able to get 3.6 Ghz out of my 2.4 Ghz e6600 just by bumping the voltages a little. It really scared me to get that much so easily, so I lowered it to 3.0 Ghz with a 333 Mhz FSB until I get some time to properly test things. It's been running completely stable for the last week.

SerpentRoyal, thanks for your overview of this board. It was part of why I chose to buy it, and I'm definitely not regretting it so far. Hopefully I can offer something to this thread.


Thanks for your input. I don't post review unless I come across a board that offer exceptional value AND performance. The board must run cool and stable throughout testing. I like to KISS. No RAID or bells and whistles to inflate the price of the board. This board can also control a 2-pin fan. This would be my top choice for a high-quality HTPC.

I'd download S&M 1.90 and run the memory test section. If okay, then run Orthos for one hour.


I'm also a big fan of KISS. Elaborate schemes and tweaks for performance never seem to be worth it in real-world performance.

I had already tested overnight a few times with Prime95 and Orthos. I hadn't heard of S&M though, thanks. 3.0 Ghz with 1.37V and 333 Mhz FSB seems completely stable.

I decided to try testing 3.6 Ghz with a 400Mhz FSB and 1:1 again. I wasn't able to run S&M more than 5 minutes until I pushed the voltage up to 1.55. After seeing S&M run for 15 minutes, I turned my fans on high and went out for a while. When I came back, S&M had a message that the test was interrupted at 38 minutes because the temp had reached 85C. The processor was idling at 33C-what a crazy difference. Is 1.55v too high? And how hot can I comfortably allow the CPU to be?

I figure I'll just run at 3.0Ghz until I can get my hands on a good CPU cooler (I'm using the stock) and some intake fans for the p182. 3.0 Ghz is already insanely fast.

Any tips on a good, quiet cooler? I hear a lot about the Tuniq Tower, but I just don't want to have to pay $50. I'd rather put that money toward a new video card. Maybe this is off-topic though.

Edit:
The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 looks like it fits the bill. I'll try to get one soon. Once I have it and my other case fans, I'll try again.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: Gloryfieldzi
i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed :(

I have this motherboard and just got an Antec p182B. With the NeoHE 500, the 8 pin connector reached the top port near the cpu just barely. I have it routed under the motherboard tray and coming out of the top port and it just barely reaches. You'll probably be fine, even if you have to go over the motherboard. I've personally never achieved cabling as clean as I have with this case and motherboard.

As for the motherboard itself, I'm very impressed with how it's performed over the last 2 weeks. I've not a veteran overclocker, but I was easily able to get 3.6 Ghz out of my 2.4 Ghz e6600 just by bumping the voltages a little. It really scared me to get that much so easily, so I lowered it to 3.0 Ghz with a 333 Mhz FSB until I get some time to properly test things. It's been running completely stable for the last week.

SerpentRoyal, thanks for your overview of this board. It was part of why I chose to buy it, and I'm definitely not regretting it so far. Hopefully I can offer something to this thread.


Thanks for your input. I don't post review unless I come across a board that offer exceptional value AND performance. The board must run cool and stable throughout testing. I like to KISS. No RAID or bells and whistles to inflate the price of the board. This board can also control a 2-pin fan. This would be my top choice for a high-quality HTPC.

I'd download S&M 1.90 and run the memory test section. If okay, then run Orthos for one hour.


I'm also a big fan of KISS. Elaborate schemes and tweaks for performance never seem to be worth it in real-world performance.

I had already tested overnight a few times with Prime95 and Orthos. I hadn't heard of S&M though, thanks. 3.0 Ghz with 1.37V and 333 Mhz FSB seems completely stable.

I decided to try testing 3.6 Ghz with a 400Mhz FSB and 1:1 again. I wasn't able to run S&M more than 5 minutes until I pushed the voltage up to 1.55. After seeing S&M run for 15 minutes, I turned my fans on high and went out for a while. When I came back, S&M had a message that the test was interrupted at 38 minutes because the temp had reached 85C. The processor was idling at 33C-what a crazy difference. Is 1.55v too high? And how hot can I comfortably allow the CPU to be?

I figure I'll just run at 3.0Ghz until I can get my hands on a good CPU cooler (I'm using the stock) and some intake fans for the p182. 3.0 Ghz is already insanely fast.

Any tips on a good, quiet cooler? I hear a lot about the Tuniq Tower, but I just don't want to have to pay $50. I'd rather put that money toward a new video card. Maybe this is off-topic though.

Edit:
The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 looks like it fits the bill. I'll try to get one soon. Once I have it and my other case fans, I'll try again.


S&M is a nasty torture test...very high thermal load on the CPU, especially if you set it to 100% stress load. You normally don't want to run S&M with a stock cooler above 1.44V. No permanent harm to the CPU, though. For testing, you can run S&M up to 80-83C, but only for about 1/2 hour.

The comfort range for C2Ds is 3.2-3.4GHz with 1.44-1.46Vcore. I recommend the Big Typhoon because it's cheap ($25 open box at the Egg). Real world performance is about 4C shy of the best air cooler today. The downward-firing fan provides additional cooling to the MOSFETs and NB. I also strap a small 80 mm low speed Panaflo to the BT to cool the RAM.

Freezer Pro is noisy. Performance wise, it runs 6C hotter than the BT at full load.

[Kupe]

1.46 huh? I don't think I could hope for any sort of stability at that voltage, at least not if the Vcore was the only thing I changed.

So would you say this guide at corsair's website is wrong?

http://tools.corsairmemory.com...report_id=78237&sid=10 (http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=78237&sid=10)

Here's the relevant part:

"VCore Voltage is our CPU voltage. Default is 1.325V, we're going to go to 1.55V, which is really about the highest you should go on aircooling. Memory is rated at 2.1V, and the closest this BIOS allows is 2.178V. Since we aren't going to overclock the memory yet, we'll just leave it there.

The NB Core is the northbridge, which houses the FSB connection to the CPU and the Memory Controller. Since we're going to be raising the FSB from it's standard 266 MHz (Intel "quad pumps" this up to 1066, but it's still 266 at board level) to some astronomically high number, we're going to want to increase that voltage. A safe number for the top end is around 1.5, any higher than that and you're going to want to put a fan on the northbridge to cool it."

And I'll check out that Big Typhoon, thanks.

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: SilentAssassin
I just set up my new rig tonight and I must say this board is awesome. Got my E6420 running at 400x8(3200) and it's been orthos stable for 3 hours so far and I'm still running all default voltage settings. 49c load atm and should drop a few degrees after the paste sets. I have a question about the fan controls on this motherboard though and the EQ program it comes with to monitor temps, volts, ect. I can't seem to get the Fan EQ settings I select to save. I turned it all off cause I want the fans to just run at 100% while I'm testing overclocks but anytime I restart the pc the program comes up with Fan EQ back on. I even have it disabled in the bios but it still lowers fan speeds. Also are the temps it reports accurate? Other then that though, I'm very impressed with this board so far.



Are you using 2-pin, 3-pin, or 4-pin fan? Which version of IP35? IP35-E should accept changes in BIOS. Avoid the use of windows software to make changes to the BIOS. Remove the sofware and reboot PC. There's an option in BIOS to switch from 4-pin to 3-pin/2-pin support. On the same menu, you will see option to turn-OFF CPU fan control and turn-OFF SYSTEM fan control.

I use a 2-pin fan. Therefore, I set the fan option to 3-pin support. Both CPU fan control and SYSTEM fan control headers are set to use the CPU temperature to control the speed of the fan. Hysteris at 3C. Low temperature limit of 40C. High temperature limit of 47C. Low speed at 70%. High speed at 100%. Save settings by hitting F10 and exit BIOS. The fan will run at 70% speed when the CPU temp is under 40C, and 100% speed when the CPU temp is over 47C. No reason to have the CPU fan running at 100% speed all the time, even when you test for maximum overclock speed.

If you want to run the fan at full speed all the time, then connect the fan to the other two "un-controlled" fan headers. The IP35-E has four fan headers.



where in the bios is the ability to switch from 4 pin to 3pin/2pin support? is that not available in the pro? I just went through every menu/submenu of bios and couldn't find it.

[SerpentRoyal]

In the Fan EQ control menu. You can select 4-pin or 3-pin. Instruction is also in the manual (BIOS section). This option is NOT available with the Pro board.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
1.46 huh? I don't think I could hope for any sort of stability at that voltage, at least not if the Vcore was the only thing I changed.

So would you say this guide at corsair's website is wrong?

http://tools.corsairmemory.com...report_id=78237&sid=10 (http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=78237&sid=10)

Here's the relevant part:

"VCore Voltage is our CPU voltage. Default is 1.325V, we're going to go to 1.55V, which is really about the highest you should go on aircooling. Memory is rated at 2.1V, and the closest this BIOS allows is 2.178V. Since we aren't going to overclock the memory yet, we'll just leave it there.

The NB Core is the northbridge, which houses the FSB connection to the CPU and the Memory Controller. Since we're going to be raising the FSB from it's standard 266 MHz (Intel "quad pumps" this up to 1066, but it's still 266 at board level) to some astronomically high number, we're going to want to increase that voltage. A safe number for the top end is around 1.5, any higher than that and you're going to want to put a fan on the northbridge to cool it."

And I'll check out that Big Typhoon, thanks.


High voltage and temperature can permanently toast your CPU. I would never instantly bump Vcore to 1.55 without prior testing. Almost all C2D chips will put out more heat @ 1.46Vcore than the stock CPU cooler could remove.

As an example, Coretemp shows 76C under S&M with 1.465Vcore and the Big Typhoon. This is with an E4300 @ 3.46GHz and 77F ambient. We're looking at a minimum of 85C under this same condition with the stock cooler...way too toasty because this CPU has 100C Tjunction. I would consider 80C short term as the maximum safe temperature.

[kajko]

Regarding the double boot issue during startup, is the -E the only one of these in the series that has this problem, or is the abit ip35 plagued with this issue as well? Also, is it realistic to expect a bios update that would take care of the issue? thanks

[bryanW1995]

I don't have a double post issue on my pro, but I would like to power up over 440 fsb... or even remain stable higher than 8x430... :(

[Kupe]

From what I hear, it's not a bug, it's a characteristic of the chipset. I don't really see it as a problem at all.

I think another person was concerned about IDE DVD burners. I'm using one, and I've had no
trouble burning anything so far. It behaves just like it did on my Nforce 4 system.

And thanks again, Serpent. I'll do some more testing and see what I come up with. I'll probably just stick at 3 Ghz for quite some time though.

[SerpentRoyal]

Abit IP35 and IP35-E share the same BIOS...so both will double post. This is normal for P965 and P35 chipsets. Some BIOSes will alter the boot sequence to minimize or eliminate this delay, like the IP35 Pro.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
From what I hear, it's not a bug, it's a characteristic of the chipset. I don't really see it as a problem at all.

I think another person was concerned about IDE DVD burners. I'm using one, and I've had no
trouble burning anything so far. It behaves just like it did on my Nforce 4 system.

And thanks again, Serpent. I'll do some more testing and see what I come up with. I'll probably just stick at 3 Ghz for quite some time though.

No problemo. Glad to help.

[jjsole]

Having a couple days of fiddling, the only thing I'm disenchanted with is the IDE performance. I don't have comparison benchmarks from my previous nf4 system but some hdd intensive applications simply aren't running as efficiently or quickly, like doing imaging backups and restores using acronis true image.

Overall its encouraged me to finally try SATA hdd, but with the 500gb perpendicular drive specials going on, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[SerpentRoyal]

Did you run HDTune? Can you copy a large image file from one partition to another (same HDD) and check for throughput speed? My speed is 28MB/s using Seagate 7200.8...707MB image file from partition F to partition G.

TI is a boat's anchor. Patches on top of patches. Over 60MB download file for an imaging application! If you want a windows-based program, then check out Drive Snapshot. I prefer to image my data outside of windows using BootIt NG (BING). BING fits on a floppy and includes an imaging, non-destructive partitioning, and boot-loader in one program! Be back in a few minutes for throughput test.

OK...Abit IP35-E/E4300 @ 3.46GHz/250GB 7200.8/BING

OS partition size...947MB
Image creation speed from partition C to partition F...22.8MB/s
Image restoration speed from partition F to partition C...26.2MB/s

This is on par with my main ECS KN1 Lite/Opteron 146 @ 2.97GHz/250GB 7200.8/BING rig.

You can download the FULL trial version of BING and use it for 30 days. Run the software directly from the boot CD or floppy outside of windows. No need to install the program.

[jjsole]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Did you run HDTune? Can you copy a large image file from one partition to another (same HDD) and check for throughput speed? My speed is 28MB/s using Seagate 7200.8...707MB image file from partition F to partition G.

TI is a boat's anchor. Patches on top of patches. Over 60MB download file for an imaging application! If you want a windows-based program, then check out Drive Snapshot. I prefer to image my data outside of windows using BootIT NG (BING). BING fits on a floppy and includes an imaging, non-destructive partitioning, and boot-loader in one program! Be back in a few minutes for throughput test.

I'll run it in the next day or two and post the throughput.

You must be referring to an older version of TI...its around 100mb for v.10. ;)

Thx for the alternative image suggestions, but I wouldn't use anything else tho. It includes incremental backups, scheduling, mounting, easy restoring, and editing of images which adds to the installation size. Unfortunately they do require numerous services running simultaneously, but I find that a minimal inconvenience. Mainly tho, the easy scheduling has been a lifesaver multiple times over the last few years, running incremental updates about 2 days a week so a restoration will include most if not all important files and updates, etc.

[bryanW1995]

ok, I'm through at 8x438. Had to use 1.47v to get that. full load temps only 50c, however. I got up to 6x468, couldn't get windows to load any higher than that. had an fsb hole from 440-450, computer wouldn't power up or even attempt to post, went away at 451.

[SerpentRoyal]

I've had friends with bad TI image files using the incremental approach. TI works well for some but not for others. I suspect your problem is with the TI software, and not the limitation of the JMicron device. HDTune's throughput graph should quickly show any performance anomaly. BING has been 100% reliable for us since 2001. Not much has changed in the software except for additional support of USB, etc.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
ok, I'm through at 8x438. Had to use 1.47v to get that. full load temps only 50c, however. I got up to 6x468, couldn't get windows to load any higher than that. had an fsb hole from 440-450, computer wouldn't power up or even attempt to post, went away at 451.

440 FSB link:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...ad.php?t=147163&page=5 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163&page=5)

444 FSB link:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...d.php?t=147163&page=18 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163&page=18)

450 FSB link:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...d.php?t=147163&page=11 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163&page=11)

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...d.php?t=147163&page=23 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163&page=23)

It appears that there may be some sort of issue with your chip/RAM interaction. Based on the four links above and my personal experience with the IP35-E, there is no FSB hole between 440 and 450MHz (IP35-E, IP35, and IP35 Pro).

[SerpentRoyal]

Now only $98 AR at MWAVE!

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie...a=BA23929&RSKU=BA23929 (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA23929&RSKU=BA23929)

[garikfox]

No double boot on mine unless I put the voltages to there defaults while OC'ing. :)

FYI: Im at 8 x 400, health check = CPU Volt 1.30, mem 1.92, VTT 1.22, NB 1.44

[pwnagesarus]

How much better is the NB cooling on IP35 when compared to the IP35-E?

Just curious.

[SerpentRoyal]

I'd say about 10C max. I'm using the IP 35 Pro as the reference board. Don't have IP35 for evaluation. That said, the IP35-E's NB is warm at 488MHz FSB. I can touch the heat sink all day without issue. MOSFET and SB heat sinks are luke-warm. There should not be a thermal issue if you have a 120mm rear exhaust fan.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: garikfox
No double boot on mine unless I put the voltages to there defaults while OC'ing. :)

FYI: Im at 8 x 400, health check = CPU Volt 1.30, mem 1.92, VTT 1.22, NB 1.44




Only double-post during cold boot. No problem when you restart the PC from windows.

Perhaps Abit has shipped your board with a newer BIOS. Latest version is 11 (5/24/07).

[garikfox]

yep I have ver. 11 and still no double boot never no matter what. :)

[SerpentRoyal]

OS? Which HDD? Wanna swap board? What's your exact config? Perhaps this board doesn't like my EVGA card.

[garikfox]

If you look closely youll have the answer to your ?'s, lol

[SerpentRoyal]

What about fan settings and other parameters in BIOS? Trying to duplicate your exact setting. Could be a bug with the BIOS.

[garikfox]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
OS? Which HDD? Wanna swap board? What's your exact config? Perhaps this board doesn't like my EVGA card.

heres my BIOS setup:

8 x 400

PCI-E - 100Mhz

Mem - 1:1

C1e/EIST - Disabled

Mem volts 1.95

NB 1.45

SB 1.55

VTT 1.23

CPU 1.34

MEM at Manual = AUTO

Fan settings at defaults 4 pin etc.

:)

[garikfox]

Yes its a BUG in the BIOS you just have to find the so called "Switch" to disable it which I found obv. :)

[Kupe]

Ok, I've been experimenting some more. After turning off EIST alone, overclocking is way easier, as I'm sure everyone already knows. I figured this would disable the ramping between low and high voltages, but with EIST off I retain this functionality. I'm pretty happy about it, but I'm confused. What is the point of the EIST setting if my processor behaves the same way with it off? Anyway, I now seem to be stable with these settings, although I need to do more testing:

8 x 400 = 3200Mhz

PCI-E - 100Mhz

Mem - 1:1

Virtualization technology/EIST - Disabled

Mem voltage: 2.2 (What crucial suggests)

NB default

SB default

VTT default

CPU Set to 1.41, reads as 1.35

Memory timings:
4
4
4
12
24
5
auto
auto
auto

With these settings I haven't gone above 55C on the stock cooler.

And I always have the double post on a cold boot. Pretty crazy, garikfox.

[garikfox]

yeah I know guess its a "boot" thing, I do use SCSI.

But I SWEAR i have not had a Double boot, I did have one like I said when I OC'ed and set the CPU,NB,VTT at there bare min. with 8 x 400.

So guess I got a updated mobo then, hehee sweet !

[garikfox]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Ok, I've been experimenting some more. After turning off EIST alone, overclocking is way easier, as I'm sure everyone already knows. I figured this would disable the ramping between low and high voltages, but with EIST off I retain this functionality. I'm pretty happy about it, but I'm confused. What is the point of the EIST setting if my processor behaves the same way with it off? Anyway, I now seem to be stable with these settings, although I need to do more testing:

8 x 400 = 3200Mhz

PCI-E - 100Mhz

Mem - 1:1

Virtualization technology/EIST - Disabled

Mem voltage: 2.2 (What crucial suggests)

NB default

SB default

VTT default

CPU Set to 1.41, reads as 1.35

Memory timings:
4
4
4
12
24
5
auto
auto
auto

With these settings I haven't gone above 55C on the stock cooler.

And I always have the double post on a cold boot. Pretty crazy, garikfox.


Try NB 1.45, SB 1.55, VTT 1.23 see if yer double boot stops. :)

[Kupe]

Nope, still the same. It doesn't bother me though.

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Ok, I've been experimenting some more. After turning off EIST alone, overclocking is way easier, as I'm sure everyone already knows. I figured this would disable the ramping between low and high voltages, but with EIST off I retain this functionality. I'm pretty happy about it, but I'm confused. What is the point of the EIST setting if my processor behaves the same way with it off? Anyway, I now seem to be stable with these settings, although I need to do more testing:


Oh, I guess it's C1E that's responsible for this. I don't really understand what EIST offers me in addition to C1E. Hopefully not much.

[garikfox]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: Kupe
Ok, I've been experimenting some more. After turning off EIST alone, overclocking is way easier, as I'm sure everyone already knows. I figured this would disable the ramping between low and high voltages, but with EIST off I retain this functionality. I'm pretty happy about it, but I'm confused. What is the point of the EIST setting if my processor behaves the same way with it off? Anyway, I now seem to be stable with these settings, although I need to do more testing:


Oh, I guess it's C1E that's responsible for this. I don't really understand what EIST offers me in addition to C1E. Hopefully not much.

EIST = Intel Speedstep Tehcnology, It basicly drops the GHz on the CPU when u dont need it. Kinda like a "Automatic" CPU, lol

C1E = Enabled this lowers wattage/CPU PWR consumption.

[SerpentRoyal]

Thanks. Will do some tests this weekend. I'm running 2-pin fan, C1E/EIST enabled, 1:1.25 divider, and 5-4-4-9-2T.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: garikfox
Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: Kupe
Ok, I've been experimenting some more. After turning off EIST alone, overclocking is way easier, as I'm sure everyone already knows. I figured this would disable the ramping between low and high voltages, but with EIST off I retain this functionality. I'm pretty happy about it, but I'm confused. What is the point of the EIST setting if my processor behaves the same way with it off? Anyway, I now seem to be stable with these settings, although I need to do more testing:


Oh, I guess it's C1E that's responsible for this. I don't really understand what EIST offers me in addition to C1E. Hopefully not much.

EIST = Intel Speedstep Tehcnology, It basicly drops the GHz on the CPU when u dont need it. Kinda like a "Automatic" CPU, lol

C1E = Enabled this lowers wattage/CPU PWR consumption.


Yes, C1E manipulates Vcore, EIST alters the CPU multiplier on the fly. Set your power option to Desktop if you disable these features, and minimal power if you enable them.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: garikfox
yeah I know guess its a "boot" thing, I do use SCSI.

But I SWEAR i have not had a Double boot, I did have one like I said when I OC'ed and set the CPU,NB,VTT at there bare min. with 8 x 400.

So guess I got a updated mobo then, hehee sweet !


I think the solution may be SCSI. So you're running RAID with IP35-E?

[garikfox]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: garikfox
yeah I know guess its a "boot" thing, I do use SCSI.

But I SWEAR i have not had a Double boot, I did have one like I said when I OC'ed and set the CPU,NB,VTT at there bare min. with 8 x 400.

So guess I got a updated mobo then, hehee sweet !


I think the solution may be SCSI. So you're running RAID with IP35-E?


yeah SCSI RAID-0, I only do 72mbs a sec max though but not bad at 15k RPM/5.2ms :)

[SerpentRoyal]

Lowly IDE users gotta put up with the double post. Still a fantastic board out-of-the-box...probably the best sub $100 board deal for C2D. Nearest competitor is Gigabyte $130 P35 offering.

[garikfox]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Lowly IDE users gotta put up with the double post. Still a fantastic board out-of-the-box...probably the best sub $100 board deal for C2D. Nearest competitor is Gigabyte $130 P35 offering.

I just gave up a GA-P35C-DS3R, for this and THIS is much better. :)

[SerpentRoyal]

But it's a GIGABYTE with solid caps! Defector will be executed at high noon.

[pdawg1717]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Yes, C1E manipulates Vcore, EIST alters the CPU multiplier on the fly. Set your power option to Desktop if you disable these features, and minimal power if you enable them.


Why does enabling/disabling EIST/C1E affect how you set your power setting in windows?

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: pdawg1717
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Yes, C1E manipulates Vcore, EIST alters the CPU multiplier on the fly. Set your power option to Desktop if you disable these features, and minimal power if you enable them.


Why does enabling/disabling EIST/C1E affect how you set your power setting in windows?

C1E and EIST are designed to save power and reduce heat output. To take full advantage of these features, you need to set the power mode to MINIMAL. If you set to DESKTOP mode, then the system will assume that you want to run the PC at full power all the time. This and cause problem with C1E and EIST.

[Kupe]

Man, I never knew that about the power schemes. Sure enough, what you say is on Intel's site:

http://www.intel.com/cd/channe...asmo-na/eng/203838.htm (http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/asmo-na/eng/203838.htm)

This has all been very educational so far. I'll be getting one of those Kill A Watt monitors in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday, so I'll do some testing and see if it's even worth worrying over. It seems that I have to increase my voltage quite a bit to use EIST, which I feel may negate the power savings it would bring. Not to mention the extra cooling needed.

[Wicked Akuba]

Got dammit. It really has no RAID. I just have been thinking about it as one of the best M/B's for new Intel Cpu's. Doh...:(

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Lowly IDE users gotta put up with the double post.
Seems odd though as afaik it's something to do with strap initialisation that's at the root of this - I don't see why having a SCSI card would change it :confused:. Would be interesting to see if others could replicate it.

Originally posted by: Wicked AkubaGot dammit. It really has no RAID. I just have been thinking about it as one of the best M/B's for new Intel Cpu's. Doh...
So get the IP35 rather than IP35-E, mwave has it for $113 after rebate.

[Aznguy1872]

Just get the Pro, its the more higher end one. I feel too cheap getting the Abit IP35E for some reason. OH well, saves alot of money though.

[Gloryfieldzi]

I have 2 stix of ballistix pc6400, they work fine in P5B

I put them in dimm 1 and 3, or dimm 2 and 4, but windows would only detec 1 GB

[Gloryfieldzi]

edit: double post

[SerpentRoyal]

Need to take out the battery and reset CMOS again. Use same colored slot. These sticks need at least 2.1Vdimm. Also manually set the timing to 5-5-5-15. You should see a memory check screen when you turn on PC. If not, then go into the BIOS and set to display memory self-check. If you see 2GB during POST, then the problem is with windows. Did you wiped the HDD and clean-installed windows? Try one stick at a time to see if windows will boot.

Also reseat both sticks.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Man, I never knew that about the power schemes. Sure enough, what you say is on Intel's site:

http://www.intel.com/cd/channe...asmo-na/eng/203838.htm (http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/asmo-na/eng/203838.htm)

This has all been very educational so far. I'll be getting one of those Kill A Watt monitors in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday, so I'll do some testing and see if it's even worth worrying over. It seems that I have to increase my voltage quite a bit to use EIST, which I feel may negate the power savings it would bring. Not to mention the extra cooling needed.


Not if it's properly executed. My rig still require 1.465Vcore to run stable at 3.46GHz, INDEPENDENT of C1E/EIST. Always stick to default multiplier or you will confuse the speedstep protocol.

So why run C1E and EIST? When your PC isn't running at 100% load, the CPU can throttle back to a lower multiplier and voltage. The result is lower core CPU temperature when the CPU is not under full-load. It is possible to run at a higher Vcore with this strategy because the CPU doesn't have to work at the full-load voltage all the time.

That's the beauty of dynamic overclocking. Higher Vcore on demand. Lower Vcore when idling. Power savings is about 10 watts at the wall.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Aznguy1872
Just get the Pro, its the more higher end one. I feel too cheap getting the Abit IP35E for some reason. OH well, saves alot of money though.


Only your accountant will know the difference. Once inside the case, there is virtually no speed/performance difference between IP35-E and IP35 Pro...minus the extra bells and whistles, of course.

I could live with the double post, because it's an Intel thing. However, it would drive me crazy knowing that I spent 80% more $ for a board that could only do 14.4MB/s via 1394!

[pdawg1717]

I have E1ST/C1E turned on but have been using "maximum performance mode" mainly because I don't want my hdds turning off or my comp going to sleep...what is the setting that is different between the two? Then I could leave it on maximum performance but still have the cpu management correct for enabling EIST/C1E...

[SerpentRoyal]

Vista is not my main OS so I'm going by memory. Are you sure that the balance mode will turn-off your HDDs? C1E and EIST work well in balance mode. Unlike WXP, I don't think there's an option to manually set the power state of monitors and HDDs.

ON/OFF shouldn't affect the life of your HDD during the first 5 years of use.

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: Kupe
Man, I never knew that about the power schemes. Sure enough, what you say is on Intel's site:

http://www.intel.com/cd/channe...asmo-na/eng/203838.htm (http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/asmo-na/eng/203838.htm)

This has all been very educational so far. I'll be getting one of those Kill A Watt monitors in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday, so I'll do some testing and see if it's even worth worrying over. It seems that I have to increase my voltage quite a bit to use EIST, which I feel may negate the power savings it would bring. Not to mention the extra cooling needed.


Not if it's properly executed. My rig still require 1.465Vcore to run stable at 3.46GHz, INDEPENDENT of C1E/EIST. Always stick to default multiplier or you will confuse the speedstep protocol.

So why run C1E and EIST? When your PC isn't running at 100% load, the CPU can throttle back to a lower multiplier and voltage. The result is lower core CPU temperature when the CPU is not under full-load. It is possible to run at a higher Vcore with this strategy because the CPU doesn't have to work at the full-load voltage all the time.

That's the beauty of dynamic overclocking. Higher Vcore on demand. Lower Vcore when idling. Power savings is about 10 watts at the wall.


Yeah, I see what you mean about the confusion. Many different programs detect that I'm running at 3.6 when I'm running at 3.2. So, against your suggestion I ordered a freezer 7 pro and I'll try 3.6 with C1E and EIST again. It was only $25 shipped, so I figure if it doesn't work out it's not too big of a loss. I'm just biased against Thermaltake for some bad experiences with previous products of theirs I've owned.

[SerpentRoyal]

FP is an okay cooler back in the days of A64. C2D puts out tons of heat with just a minor bump in Vcore. I need a balance of high performance and quiet operation found in the BT. Since my RAM is running at 480MHz, the BT's platform allows me to strap another 80 mm Panaflo to its side to cool the RAM, NB, and SB.

High voltage and heat kill CPUs. C1E and EIST address these issues, with mininal impact on speed.

[AlucardX]

I recently built mine on Sunday, and also experience the double boot. im really glad i read this thread before i built it, because the first time i booted it outside the case it did it, but i knew exactly what it was and didn't freak out ;)

specs:
IP35
e6850
Thermalright Ultra-120 extreme
2x1gb Crucial Balistix Tracer DDR2-1066
evga 8800 gts 320mb
ocz 600w p/s
1x 74gb raptor, 1x 300gb SATA seagate, 2x IDE cdrw/dvdr

Everything is default right now, I haven't had time to play around with it, I don't even have any games installed yet. I currently have Vista 32bit up and running, but at some point in the evening my computer powered off, died, or went to sleep mode. I was too busy with a lady friend to play around with it but i'll investigate it tonight. I'm hoping its just a stupid Vista power setting (even though i put it on high performance mode).

[SerpentRoyal]

Vista will put your PC to sleep. Move the mouse/hit the keyboard. It should come alive. You may crack the 3.6GHz barrier with that rig.

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Vista will put your PC to sleep. Move the mouse/hit the keyboard. It should come alive. You may crack the 3.6GHz barrier with that rig.

yea i'm going to be playing around with it all night.. its the first time i've used Vista so i guess i can expect this.

I need to dig further into the advanced properties for power management. also, I want to keep my harddrives running but didn't see an option for "never" (for idle time), it only has a number box for number of minutes to wait until spin down. maybe 0 will turn it off?

not sure when i'll be stress testing and overclocking, i think i'll just enjoy some games that always played like crap, and some ET:QW beta tonite. even at stock speeds, this thing is so much faster than my old athlon-xp-m 2.3ghz, nV 6800

[SerpentRoyal]

0 should disable HDD spin-down. Easy to test with this option.

[AlucardX]

Vista Users:

i know this is offtopic but we all have very similar hardware and i need some help.

i'm having a problem in utorrent (or any bt client) where i'm getting a "Listen error" down on the bottom, its a red " ! ". I can DL but not upload anything. i've tried every suggestion i found by searching google to no avail.

1. router: forwarded default listen port (8080), forwarded a custom one
2. disable windows firewall
3. went into windows firewall adv settings (start->type firewall in search, first item). did custom inbound/outbound rules for UDP + TCP for port 8080
4. disabled IPV6 and QOS
5. rebooted

this never happened with WinXP

EDIT: well after spending all night on this nonsense, i tried bitcomet instead and that seemed to function properly. so i went back to utorrent to see what's different and it didn't like the '49152' port i was using. i switched to 49180 which is not in my router settings and it started working. then added to this router firewall and everything's still ok.

what a waste of a night. :|

[SerpentRoyal]

I'm still using WXP Pro SP1 after spending two months with Vista Business. I'll wait till Vista SP1 before restoring the Vista image file. IMO, Vista is not ready for prime time.

[Kupe]

I completely agree there. I've tried going to Vista for my HTPC a few times, but I can't even get hardware acceleration for DVDs on my geforce 8500GT in media center, let alone HD OTA or anything else. There are just too many programs and drivers that aren't up to speed, in addition to whatever other problems there may be with Vista itself.

Anyway, in an attempt to stay somewhat on topic, I was able to see what my power usage was today. 131 Watts idle, 206 Watts load with C1E on and EIST off. I'm not doing anymore experimentation until I get my other cooling items.

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: Kupe
I completely agree there. I've tried going to Vista for my HTPC a few times, but I can't even get hardware acceleration for DVDs on my geforce 8500GT in media center, let alone HD OTA or anything else. There are just too many programs and drivers that aren't up to speed, in addition to whatever other problems there may be with Vista itself.

Anyway, in an attempt to stay somewhat on topic, I was able to see what my power usage was today. 131 Watts idle, 206 Watts load with C1E on and EIST off. I'm not doing anymore experimentation until I get my other cooling items.

hmm that's pretty good i think.. i wonder how much is attributed to the video card.

just goes to show you really don't need a really high wattage power supply for these builds.

[Gepidae]

Hey I hope you guys dont mind me posting my ocing here for eval. and help =). So I got it up and running and I just did some quick oc-ing to check for temps, nothing to crazy as of now.

Temp at 3.0 ghz on my e6550 (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tempsfg9.png)

This is the IP-35 along with default volt on everything. How what does everyone think of the temps?

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Hey I hope you guys dont mind me posting my ocing here for eval. and help =). So I got it up and running and I just did some quick oc-ing to check for temps, nothing to crazy as of now.

Temp at 3.0 ghz on my e6550 (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tempsfg9.png)

This is the IP-35 along with default volt on everything. How what does everyone think of the temps?

i'm assuming that's at idle.. that's pretty good but you should stress test it and then report temps at load.

[Gepidae]

Yup sorry I forgot to mention that IS on IDLE. I did orthos for about 20 mins and I got temps at around ~50 (give or take 5 degrees up and down). Ambient was fairly cool I would say around the ~70 degree area

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Yup sorry I forgot to mention that IS on IDLE. I did orthos for about 20 mins and I got temps at around ~50 (give or take 5 degrees up and down). Ambient was fairly cool I would say around the ~70 degree area

what kind of cooling are you using?

i get about the same idle temps with my thermalright ultra-120 extreme

[AlucardX]

I'm having trouble getting Abit's uGuru to show or do anything under Vista. I'm not sure on the version but I downloaded all my abit stuff from this link: http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=147163 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163)

When I open it, I get the window, the buttons, but no actual status text. the lower/big window is all blank, and the top portion that has cpu mhz, and the turbo/normal/user stuff is just 0's.

[Heidfirst]

You do have a Pro?
Only the Pro has uGuru.

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
You do have a Pro?
Only the Pro has uGuru.

well that explains that.. I have the IP35.

I believe anything reproted in uGuru I can get through other utilities. except perhaps all the voltages.

[Gepidae]

Im using stock intel cooler AlucardX, my coolermaster hyper tx should come in by next week. Im not sure of Vista but Abit EQ works fine for me under xp pro. Hey does anyone know where I can make my fan spin at 100%. In BIOS I see fan control but all I see mainly is target temp (30 degrees C being the lowest)

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Im using stock intel cooler AlucardX, my coolermaster hyper tx should come in by next week. Im not sure of Vista but Abit EQ works fine for me under xp pro. Hey does anyone know where I can make my fan spin at 100%. In BIOS I see fan control but all I see mainly is target temp (30 degrees C being the lowest)

it should be on that same bios screen, if not i think its called something like Abit FanEQ.. in there you can just turn it off.

[Gepidae]

Well I dont need to turn it off, rather I need to make it spin at 100%

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Well I dont need to turn it off, rather I need to make it spin at 100%

yes exactly, your turning fan control off, hence it always runs at 100%

[Gepidae]

O ok got it thanks. And what option did you end disabling in bios to achieve your oc?

[AlucardX]

i haven't oc'd yet, i haven't had time to play with it.

theres a few things you need to disable. i recommend reading through this thread, http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=147163 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163)

[pdawg1717]

When using EIST/C1E, can someone explain why power options should be set to "power saving"? I have always had it on "maximum performance" and have not seen any problems but what should I be looking for?

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
I completely agree there. I've tried going to Vista for my HTPC a few times, but I can't even get hardware acceleration for DVDs on my geforce 8500GT in media center, let alone HD OTA or anything else. There are just too many programs and drivers that aren't up to speed, in addition to whatever other problems there may be with Vista itself.

Anyway, in an attempt to stay somewhat on topic, I was able to see what my power usage was today. 131 Watts idle, 206 Watts load with C1E on and EIST off. I'm not doing anymore experimentation until I get my other cooling items.


Actual power used by the PC is 20% lower, assuming that your PSU is 80% efficient at those loads. I usually use 0.73 as the correction factor. 131 x 0.73 = 95 actual watts.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Yup sorry I forgot to mention that IS on IDLE. I did orthos for about 20 mins and I got temps at around ~50 (give or take 5 degrees up and down). Ambient was fairly cool I would say around the ~70 degree area


Good numbers.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: pdawg1717
When using EIST/C1E, can someone explain why power options should be set to "power saving"? I have always had it on "maximum performance" and have not seen any problems but what should I be looking for?

Look at my post on 07/30/2007 10:29 PM.

[Gepidae]

Ok guys ran into probs ocing. I cant seem to push my fsb further. Im still on stock volts. When I try to up my fsb to 1.4 something it still wont boot with fsb of ~460. What do you guys recommend? Im still on stock intel cooler. Temps are fine around 27, 24

Temps (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/jensros/Newtemps.jpg)

[pdawg1717]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: pdawg1717
When using EIST/C1E, can someone explain why power options should be set to "power saving"? I have always had it on "maximum performance" and have not seen any problems but what should I be looking for?

Look at my post on 07/30/2007 10:29 PM.



Sorry...I actually did read that post and you stated it can "cause problems"...that's what I'm not clear on as I haven't seen any noticable problems but maybe I'm not seeing something...

[Gepidae]

Does anyone think there might be a FSB wall?

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: pdawg1717
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: pdawg1717
When using EIST/C1E, can someone explain why power options should be set to "power saving"? I have always had it on "maximum performance" and have not seen any problems but what should I be looking for?

Look at my post on 07/30/2007 10:29 PM.



Sorry...I actually did read that post and you stated it can "cause problems"...that's what I'm not clear on as I haven't seen any noticable problems but maybe I'm not seeing something...


1. You need to use the default multiplier when you engage C1E and EIST because the CPU may receive the wrong voltage during CPU throttling.

2. C1E and EIST are specifically coded to work with WXP's Minimal Power Management mode. If you set the PC to ALWAYS ON or DESKTOP mode, then the CPU will think that you want to run at full power ALL THE TIME. For example, my rig will not reduce the core speed if I set to DESKTOP mode. Vcore will also stay above 1.3 when it should drop to 1.1V (CPU is at 0% load).

Vista will also behave in a similar manner, although I didn't spend that much time with that OS...too slow and buggy. Will re-evaluated after SP1.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Ok guys ran into probs ocing. I cant seem to push my fsb further. Im still on stock volts. When I try to up my fsb to 1.4 something it still wont boot with fsb of ~460. What do you guys recommend? Im still on stock intel cooler. Temps are fine around 27, 24

Temps (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/jensros/Newtemps.jpg)

Bump Vcore to 1.4 or 1.45. Also raise northbridge voltage up two nothches, and southbridge voltage up one notch. Even with the lowest 1:1 memory divider, your RAM is already pushing 455MHz. That's DDR2 900! Use CPUz to confirm memory speed. You may need to bump vdimm up to 2.2 and manually adjust timing to 5-5-5-15. Use Memtest to verify that RAM is stable at this speed.

You may have hit the FSB wall of that particular CPU. I also recommend people to avoid 7x multi. Too much stress on RAM and CPU. This board should be able to hit 488MHz.

[bryanW1995]

that's interesting that you get correct readings in coretemp. mine has the 15c offset, it's showing idle of 15c at 3.2 and 21c at 3.7. My load temp right now running orthos at 3.704 is 66c on both cores (after adjusting for the 15c offset). I had to REALLY jack up the voltage for these last few mhz, I think I'm about done with this guy.

[SilentAssassin]

Is there a fix for the double post yet? I got everything running flawless on my IP35-E except for the double post now.

[SerpentRoyal]

CoreTemp can be off by 15C. If you're seeing 15C at idle, then add another 15C for the correct temperature. Corrected temps should be 30C and 36C, respectively. It's never a good idea to push C2Ds above 1.5 without water.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: SilentAssassin
Is there a fix how the double post yet? I got everything running flawless on my IP35-E except for the double post now.


No new BIOS or BETA BIOS to address the double post issue.

[kajko]

Where can I find a list of compatible memory for this board (ip35-E)? Many mobo manufacturers' websites list the compatible/recommended memory brands but I do not see this information anywhere on the Abit site. Am I just blind? THanks

[SerpentRoyal]

No list. Board works well with Kingston ValueRAM, Crucial, Super Talent, Patriot, and OCZ (not a fan of OCZ stuffs cause they are overpriced). If you have brand name memory rated at 1.8V, then there's a good chance that it will work with IP35-E. I would avoid Centon, PNY, PQI, and Rosewil.

Guarantee compatibility with those $20 HP DDR2 667 modules and these Kingston VRs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134117 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134117)

[kajko]

Alright thanks for the quick response. I agree about memory being overpriced but I was actually able to pick up some OCZ for $90 (OTD), which is actually cheaper than much of the ValueRAM, so I figured why not. I just ordered the board for my new build...can't wait to witness the double boot lol. Now the wait for the e6750 to get closer to its projected $183 price point.

[SerpentRoyal]

You can get Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 for $60 to $70 AR. Much better memory. My slowest Kingston DDR2 800 stick is okay up to 580MHz with 2.1V and 5-5-5-18-2T timing. Why pay $183 for E6750 when you can get most E4xx0 up to 3.2GHz? Put the extra $ in the bank. Re-engage 45nm chips next year.

Just remember that you may need to pop in 1.8V RAM and set Vdimm to 2.1V before you can boot with the OCZ.

[AlucardX]

Originally posted by: kajko
Where can I find a list of compatible memory for this board (ip35-E)? Many mobo manufacturers' websites list the compatible/recommended memory brands but I do not see this information anywhere on the Abit site. Am I just blind? THanks

again.. this information is posted on the link i already provided, first page:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=147163 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=147163)

[Gepidae]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: Gepidae
Ok guys ran into probs ocing. I cant seem to push my fsb further. Im still on stock volts. When I try to up my fsb to 1.4 something it still wont boot with fsb of ~460. What do you guys recommend? Im still on stock intel cooler. Temps are fine around 27, 24

Temps (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/jensros/Newtemps.jpg)

Bump Vcore to 1.4 or 1.45. Also raise northbridge voltage up two nothches, and southbridge voltage up one notch. Even with the lowest 1:1 memory divider, your RAM is already pushing 455MHz. That's DDR2 900! Use CPUz to confirm memory speed. You may need to bump vdimm up to 2.2 and manually adjust timing to 5-5-5-15. Use Memtest to verify that RAM is stable at this speed.

You may have hit the FSB wall of that particular CPU. I also recommend people to avoid 7x multi. Too much stress on RAM and CPU. This board should be able to hit 488MHz.



So I did this and it doesnt boot. I gave my sticks of ram to a friend and he was able to run it at DDR2 ~1100 so I know it cant be a ram. I even put cpu volt up to 1.49, bumped SB by 2 and still no luck. I cant seem to go beyond 452 fsb. I thought maybe it was a strap issue to I pushed to 500 and still no luck. Is my chip a dud or what? I also have cpu vtt voltage and I have no idea what to do with that. I set pci-e freq. to 105 as well and still nothing.

[SerpentRoyal]

Keep PCI-E bus at 100. You can bump VTT up two notches, Vsouthbridge up one, Vnorthbridge up two. Use CPUz to confirm that your RAM is at 452MHz with 5-5-5-15-2T and 2.2Vdimm. Did you run memtest to check the RAM in your rig? I've seen post of E6750 stuck at 3.5GHz. Perhaps your chip is stuck at the lower range of the overclock bell curve.

[Gepidae]

When I get back home Ill post the cpuz screeny of my ram so you can check me. Im not even sure how to set it at 2T, all I know is that Im setting it as 1:1. I will try what you recommend but what fsb do you think I should try? and I really hope to god my cpu isnt stuck at that point otherwise Im going to have to buy another e6550 and swap it with my current one and return it back to the local store =P

[sagis]

Hi All, this is a great thread, and i read through all of the posts here, looking for an answer.
I'm considering buying this board today, and i'm trying to get some feedback regarding using this board with crucial balistix ram (6400) ( which i already got )

There were some people saying that you *might* need to pop in a 1.8v rated ram in order to get the board to post, so you can change the voltage to 2.2v - can someone who actually tried this let me know if the crucial ram can post or not? I just don't have extra ram around, so i'd hate to get the board and see that it won't post with the crucial sticks.

[SerpentRoyal]

I didn't have a problem with these RAMs, but you should always plan for the worst when you deal with any RAM that's rated @ 2.0-2.2. A good strategy is to try to boot with one stick. If no go, then switch with the other stick.

[Dethfrumbelo]

Originally posted by: sagis
Hi All, this is a great thread, and i read through all of the posts here, looking for an answer.
I'm considering buying this board today, and i'm trying to get some feedback regarding using this board with crucial balistix ram (6400) ( which i already got )

There were some people saying that you *might* need to pop in a 1.8v rated ram in order to get the board to post, so you can change the voltage to 2.2v - can someone who actually tried this let me know if the crucial ram can post or not? I just don't have extra ram around, so i'd hate to get the board and see that it won't post with the crucial sticks.



I came across a thread on another board where the reviewer was able to get an IP35 Pro to boot at stock volts with 2.2V (Crucial Anniversary, same as Ballistix) and 2.3V rated RAM (Cellshock). The BIOS will likely use slow/loose auto timings to get it to boot at 1.8V.

Text (http://67.90.82.13/forums/showthread.php?t=149024)

[sagis]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
I didn't have a problem with these RAMs, but you should always plan for the worst when you deal with any RAM that's rated @ 2.0-2.2. A good strategy is to try to boot with one stick. If no go, then switch with the other stick.

Thanks for the suggestion. i got 4 sticks total, so i hope at least one of them will post :)

[ksource]

Wanted to let people know that mwave price for the ip35-e has dropped some $20+ and still has the $20 MIR that I am aware of.

This happened last night (I was checking the price, it stated 91.30 or so but added to cart it was 117 or so) then in the morning it was 91.30 or so added to cart.

Just thought I'd let some people know.

[sagis]

Originally posted by: ksource
Wanted to let people know that mwave price for the ip35-e has dropped some $20+ and still has the $20 MIR that I am aware of.

This happened last night (I was checking the price, it stated 91.30 or so but added to cart it was 117 or so) then in the morning it was 91.30 or so added to cart.

Just thought I'd let some people know.

Yes, it comes out as 100$ shipped, 20$ MIR = 80$.
It's listed as out of stock atm, but should be back in next monday according to mwave.

[SerpentRoyal]

Already have one. I'll wait for $70 or lower.

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: sagis
Hi All, this is a great thread, and i read through all of the posts here, looking for an answer.
I'm considering buying this board today, and i'm trying to get some feedback regarding using this board with crucial balistix ram (6400) ( which i already got )

There were some people saying that you *might* need to pop in a 1.8v rated ram in order to get the board to post, so you can change the voltage to 2.2v - can someone who actually tried this let me know if the crucial ram can post or not? I just don't have extra ram around, so i'd hate to get the board and see that it won't post with the crucial sticks.



I have 2GB of Crucial Ballistix PC-6400, and haven't had any problems. I originally booted at 1.8V with the SPD timings because I didn't check everything out first. I had no problems with these settings though. I'm now running at 2.2V with the recommended 4-4-4-12 timings.

[SerpentRoyal]

It's always prudent to run the RAM at the lowest stable voltage. Use Memtest and S&M to check for memory stability.

[Gepidae]

Yup I think I give up. I tried all possible configs and it will not post over 451. I think Ill have to end up returning it and getting a e6750. Ill let you know how that goes. So here is the pic of the ram speeds:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3480/ramspdag3.th.png (http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ramspdag3.png)

[sagis]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: sagis
Hi All, this is a great thread, and i read through all of the posts here, looking for an answer.
I'm considering buying this board today, and i'm trying to get some feedback regarding using this board with crucial balistix ram (6400) ( which i already got )

There were some people saying that you *might* need to pop in a 1.8v rated ram in order to get the board to post, so you can change the voltage to 2.2v - can someone who actually tried this let me know if the crucial ram can post or not? I just don't have extra ram around, so i'd hate to get the board and see that it won't post with the crucial sticks.



I have 2GB of Crucial Ballistix PC-6400, and haven't had any problems. I originally booted at 1.8V with the SPD timings because I didn't check everything out first. I had no problems with these settings though. I'm now running at 2.2V with the recommended 4-4-4-12 timings.

Thanks! just ordered a board, hope to get it early next week. :cool:

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Yup I think I give up. I tried all possible configs and it will not post over 451. I think Ill have to end up returning it and getting a e6750. Ill let you know how that goes. So here is the pic of the ram speeds:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3480/ramspdag3.th.png (http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ramspdag3.png)

Back-off to 5-5-5-15 with 2.0 to 2.1Vdimm. You may be able to squeeze another 50MHz with a good chip. My Kingston VR is okay at 480MHz/4-4-4-12-2T/2.1V and 580MHz/5-5-5-18-2T/2.1V.

I normally don't waste time overclocking 7x or 8x multi CPUs.

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
It's always prudent to run the RAM at the lowest stable voltage. Use Memtest and S&M to check for memory stability.

Just for power savings or cooling, or are there other reasons? I'm just running at 2.2v since that's what it says to use on Crucial's website.

http://www.crucial.com/store/p...ODULE=BL2KIT12864AA804 (http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=BL2KIT12864AA804)

If I was going beyond 400 mhz, I'd certainly do some testing, but I'm not that ambitious.

[SerpentRoyal]

They all run HOT at 2.2V. The industry's standard is 1.8V @ 400MHz. Good chips can hit +550MHz with 2.1V. High temperature is bad. For optimum stability and performance, you should run at the lowest voltage while maintaining the same level of stability.

[Password]

I have 2 ATA Hard Drives and 2 IDE DVD writers that I want to connect to the IP35-E. Would it be better to buy a PCI IDE adaptor card or SATA to IDE adator cable?

2 more questions:

1) Will the MB recognize a PCI IDE card with the HD attached on the initial install?

2) Can the MB recognize a slave drive attached to a SATA to IDE adaptor cable?

TIA

[SerpentRoyal]

Get an IDE to SATA adapter for each optical drive. They max out at DMA mode 2 so you'll never see any bottleneck.

KISS. Attach the master HDD to the onboard IDE connector.

Connect 1st HDD as Master. Connect 1st Optical drive as slave. Set 1st Optical drive as 1st boot in BIOS. Format the 1st HDD and install windows. Remove 1st optical drive and replace with 2nd HDD. Put both optical drives on IDE to SATA adapters. I do not see any advantage with burning data on the fly. For the highest quality burns, always save data to HDD, then burn data from HDD to media.

[jjsole]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
I've had friends with bad TI image files using the incremental approach. TI works well for some but not for others. I suspect your problem is with the TI software, and not the limitation of the JMicron device. HDTune's throughput graph should quickly show any performance anomaly. BING has been 100% reliable for us since 2001. Not much has changed in the software except for additional support of USB, etc.

Hdtune ide results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3120026A_2.png)

Hdtune sata2 results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3500630AS.png)

Looks like good throughput, altho cpu usage is high (not sure if that's accurate tho, taskmanager didn't seem to show cpu usage that high.)

Aside from throughput I get occassional choking on initial hdd writes, eg. where the mouse briefly freezes. I've since installed a sata2 drive to boot from and those brief stalls have gone away.

Speaking of TrueImage, and my defense of it, it doesn't recognize SATA during cd bootup on this board. :frown:

[Password]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Get an IDE to SATA adapter for each optical drive. They max out at DMA mode 2 so you'll never see any bottleneck.

KISS. Attach the master HDD to the onboard IDE connector.

Connect 1st HDD as Master. Connect 1st Optical drive as slave. Set 1st Optical drive as 1st boot in BIOS. Format the 1st HDD and install windows. Remove 1st optical drive and replace with 2nd HDD. Put both optical drives on IDE to SATA adapters. I do not see any advantage with burning data on the fly. For the highest quality burns, always save data to HDD, then burn data from HDD to media.

Just what I wanted to know. Thank you....

[bretto]

Does anyone know if the IP35-E supports DDR2 1066 or only 800?

[SerpentRoyal]

No issue with Crucial DDR2 1066. Should also work with many other overclocking RAMs. You may need to use 1.8V RAM to manually set Vdimm in BIOS to 2.1 since some overclocking RAMs will not boot at 1.8 default voltage.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Password
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Get an IDE to SATA adapter for each optical drive. They max out at DMA mode 2 so you'll never see any bottleneck.

KISS. Attach the master HDD to the onboard IDE connector.

Connect 1st HDD as Master. Connect 1st Optical drive as slave. Set 1st Optical drive as 1st boot in BIOS. Format the 1st HDD and install windows. Remove 1st optical drive and replace with 2nd HDD. Put both optical drives on IDE to SATA adapters. I do not see any advantage with burning data on the fly. For the highest quality burns, always save data to HDD, then burn data from HDD to media.

Just what I wanted to know. Thank you....

No problemo. Good luck with the build. Note that the MB will double post when cold. 100% normal.

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: jjsole
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
I've had friends with bad TI image files using the incremental approach. TI works well for some but not for others. I suspect your problem is with the TI software, and not the limitation of the JMicron device. HDTune's throughput graph should quickly show any performance anomaly. BING has been 100% reliable for us since 2001. Not much has changed in the software except for additional support of USB, etc.

Hdtune ide results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3120026A_2.png)

Hdtune sata2 results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3500630AS.png)

Looks like good throughput, altho cpu usage is high (not sure if that's accurate tho, taskmanager didn't seem to show cpu usage that high.)

Aside from throughput I get occassional choking on initial hdd writes, eg. where the mouse briefly freezes. I've since installed a sata2 drive to boot from and those brief stalls have gone away.

Speaking of TrueImage, and my defense of it, it doesn't recognize SATA during cd bootup on this board. :frown:


Those numbers may be a little low. My 250 Seagate 7200.8 starts at 66MB/s. Your 500 Seagate 7200.10 should run a little faster. Something is capping the speed of that HDD during the first 80% of the total capacity (horizontal line).

I've used BING since 2001. Not a single failure. I continue to evaluate new imaging proggies, but BING is still the undisputed KING in my book. I'll gladly trade convenience for an ultra reliable application. This program is fully functional for the first 30 day. No need to install anything.

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: bretto
Does anyone know if the IP35-E supports DDR2 1066 or only 800?
officially only upto DDR2 800 because that's the highest DDR2 that Intel support (because it's the highest JEDEC spec. for DDR2 too) on P35.
Of course what is officially supported & what actually runs are 2 different things ;)

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
Originally posted by: bretto
Does anyone know if the IP35-E supports DDR2 1066 or only 800?
officially only upto DDR2 800 because that's the highest DDR2 that Intel support (because it's the highest JEDEC spec. for DDR2 too) on P35.
Of course what is officially supported & what actually runs are 2 different things ;)



I have a pair of single-side 512 x 2 DDR2 800 Kingston ValueRAM capable of 602MHz at 2.1V/5-5-5-18-2T on this board. These are my new reference RAMs.

[jjsole]

n/m

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: jjsole
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
I've had friends with bad TI image files using the incremental approach. TI works well for some but not for others. I suspect your problem is with the TI software, and not the limitation of the JMicron device. HDTune's throughput graph should quickly show any performance anomaly. BING has been 100% reliable for us since 2001. Not much has changed in the software except for additional support of USB, etc.

Hdtune ide results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3120026A_2.png)

Hdtune sata2 results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3500630AS.png)

Looks like good throughput, altho cpu usage is high (not sure if that's accurate tho, taskmanager didn't seem to show cpu usage that high.)

Aside from throughput I get occassional choking on initial hdd writes, eg. where the mouse briefly freezes. I've since installed a sata2 drive to boot from and those brief stalls have gone away.

Speaking of TrueImage, and my defense of it, it doesn't recognize SATA during cd bootup on this board. :frown:


Those numbers may be a little low. My 250 Seagate 7200.8 starts at 66MB/s. Your 500 Seagate 7200.10 should run a little faster. Something is capping the speed of that HDD during the first 80% of the total capacity (horizontal line).

I've used BING since 2001. Not a single failure. I continue to evaluate new imaging proggies, but BING is still the undisputed KING in my book. I'll gladly trade convenience for an ultra reliable application. This program is fully functional for the first 30 day. No need to install anything.



The numbers are indeed low. It's strange that your speed seems capped at 55MB/sec until 80%. If you look at my HDTune results with a 320GB 7200.10, it also starts dropping below 55MB at 80%, but it's a constant downward slope until that point.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com...93299_53186e4e0a_o.jpg (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1020693299_53186e4e0a_o.jpg)

Make sure you take the jumper off that limits you to SATA I speeds. Of course, that should really only limit your burst rate, not your transfer rates since they don't get anywhere near 150 MB/sec anyway. Strange.

[Gepidae]

Realized I cant get the e6750 afterall since my 14 day return has expired =(. If I can get the freaking cooler to go onto the mobo w/o snapping it in half Ill try out your idea serpent

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Originally posted by: jjsole
Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
I've had friends with bad TI image files using the incremental approach. TI works well for some but not for others. I suspect your problem is with the TI software, and not the limitation of the JMicron device. HDTune's throughput graph should quickly show any performance anomaly. BING has been 100% reliable for us since 2001. Not much has changed in the software except for additional support of USB, etc.

Hdtune ide results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3120026A_2.png)

Hdtune sata2 results:
link (http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jjsole/HDTune_Benchmark_ST3500630AS.png)

Looks like good throughput, altho cpu usage is high (not sure if that's accurate tho, taskmanager didn't seem to show cpu usage that high.)

Aside from throughput I get occassional choking on initial hdd writes, eg. where the mouse briefly freezes. I've since installed a sata2 drive to boot from and those brief stalls have gone away.

Speaking of TrueImage, and my defense of it, it doesn't recognize SATA during cd bootup on this board. :frown:


Those numbers may be a little low. My 250 Seagate 7200.8 starts at 66MB/s. Your 500 Seagate 7200.10 should run a little faster. Something is capping the speed of that HDD during the first 80% of the total capacity (horizontal line).

I've used BING since 2001. Not a single failure. I continue to evaluate new imaging proggies, but BING is still the undisputed KING in my book. I'll gladly trade convenience for an ultra reliable application. This program is fully functional for the first 30 day. No need to install anything.



The numbers are indeed low. It's strange that your speed seems capped at 55MB/sec until 80%. If you look at my HDTune results with a 320GB 7200.10, it also starts dropping below 55MB at 80%, but it's a constant downward slope until that point.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com...93299_53186e4e0a_o.jpg (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1020693299_53186e4e0a_o.jpg)

Make sure you take the jumper off that limits you to SATA I speeds. Of course, that should really only limit your burst rate, not your transfer rates since they don't get anywhere near 150 MB/sec anyway. Strange.



Probably a bad cable or software glitch. Try a few other SATA ports or remove the driver from device manager.

[Gepidae]

O and if anyone is interested in buying my chip and dont care for max oc please let me know =)

[JCGhz]

Great to see this much interest in Abit .. I was a big fan during the BX board days and just before.

Im going with the pro version of this board.. Bye bye buggy 680SLI :)

[SerpentRoyal]

You'll never regret that decision. Be aware that the maximum throughput of the Pro's 1394 is only 14.4MB/s. USB 2.0 is fine at 30.0MB/s.

It takes a few quarters for new leaderships to fix this boat. Competition is good for the consumers.

[SerpentRoyal]

IP35-E is back @ MWAVE. $72 AR. I'm waiting for $60 before engaging my 2nd board. PM me if you want to unload your used IP35-E for $65.

[SilentAssassin]

Is there a way to get the light on my optical mouse to turn off when I shut down the computer? It's connected through the ps/2 port and it stays on all the time. I didn't find anything in the bios to fix it so far. I'm gonna try taking off the adapter and plugging the mouse in through the usb port instead and see if that makes a difference.

[kea]

Great thread, thanks SerpentRoyal.
I've got a few questions about fan control. You said the board can only control the cpu and system fans, and the other 2 fans can't be controlled. Does it mean they can't be controlled by the hardware, but it can be done by software (speedfan?), or that they can't be controlled at all and will be running at 100% no matter what?
Also, it seems the nb is passively cooled. So, I guess the system fan header can be used for any user mounted case fan. Right?

[SerpentRoyal]

No issue with my Logi optical USB mouse (built in 2000). Could be a setting in BIOS (power options) to turn-off the mouse.

[WolfLover]

Originally posted by: kea
I've got a few questions about fan control. You said the board can only control the cpu and system fans, and the other 2 fans can't be controlled. Does it mean they can't be controlled by the hardware, but it can be done by software (speedfan?), or that they can't be controlled at all and will be running at 100% no matter what?

The 2 aux fans cannot be controlled at all and will run at 100%.

Also, it seems the nb is passively cooled. So, I guess the system fan header can be used for any user mounted case fan. Right?

Yes, the system fan header can be used to power one or more case fans. In my setup I run 3 case fans from the system header with custom wiring.

[WolfLover]

I would like to share a chart that I made for my IP35 / 6420 system showing the minimum VCore voltages needed for stability (at least 15 minutes each of small FFTs and large FFTs using ORTHOS in XP). All other voltages except VDimm were at their lowest settings. The G.Skill memory timings were set to 4-4-4-10. The ambient temperature was 20C +/-0.3C and C1E and EIST were disabled in BIOS during the tests. Perhaps this chart will be helpful to someone OCing a similar system.

| --- Speed --- | ------------ VCore ---------- | - VDimm - | - TCore - |
FSB --- CPU --- --- BIOS --- Idle --- Load --- -------------- --- Load
425 --- 3400 --- --- 1.39 --- 1.36 --- 1.32 --- ---- 2.10 ---- --- 50C
430 --- 3440 --- --- 1.41 --- 1.38 --- 1.34 --- ---- 2.10 ---- --- 51C
435 --- 3480 --- --- 1.43 --- 1.40 --- 1.36 --- ---- 2.10 ---- --- 53C
440 --- 3520 --- --- 1.45 --- 1.42 --- 1.38 --- ---- 2.10 ---- --- 55C
445 --- 3560 --- --- 1.47 --- 1.44 --- 1.40 --- ---- 2.10 ---- --- 57C
450 --- 3600 --- --- 1.51 --- 1.48 --- 1.44 --- ---- 2.20 ---- --- 59C

From this you can see that each 5MHz increment in FSB required a 0.02V bump in CPU voltage, VDroop is consistently 0.04V, and the load temp increased by ~2C for each step. VDimm could have been lower at the start but needed to be set at 2.20V to hit 450 FSB. I did not try any higher FSB speeds as maximum OC is not my goal. I have settled on 440 FSB for daily use and with Enhanced Intel Speedstep (EIST) enabled in BIOS and Mimimal Power Management set in XP - VCore drops to 1.26V during idle and light CPU usage. As I type this ambient is 22C and core temps are ~30C. FYI, I am using a trial version of Sensors View to monitor temps, fan speeds, and voltages - its readings are consistent with abit EQ, Core Temp, and Speedfan.

[bryanW1995]

THAT is why I am disappointed in my e6750. I am at 1.56 in bios and 1.52 after vdroop and I am not stable for more than 2.5 hrs running small ffts. I'm seriously thinking that I'll just steal my cousin's e6600 and give him my e6750.

[Kupe]

I had to be at 1.55 in BIOS and around 1.51 after vdroop on my e6600 to be stable at 3.6ghz and 400Mhz FSB. The AC freezer 7 pro kept me below 56C at all times too. I'm just sticking with 3Ghz because I'm sort of paranoid about running at voltages that high. I don't even seem to see any improvements at 3.6 Ghz in current games at the resolutions I run at right now anyway.