a7v333 vdimm adjustments ??

[Soulkeeper]

anyone own one of these boards and know how to adjust the vdimm ??

it's not in the bios and there are no jumpers/switchs on the board


thanks

 

[Buz2b]

There is a whole can of worms here on this. You can find more info than you could ever want at this location. Basically, the manual sucks a big one on this. Just read through on that link and you will find the info. I just set one up but it is late and I can't remember (accurately) the exact settings. Basically, it is the opposite of the early versions of documentation as far as "normal" settings go but read the info first. There is some mention of what settings equal what voltages. Be careful because you can fry your RAM if not correct.
BTW, you can PM me if you need more info.

 

[Nuggs]

Do you mean the a7v8x kt333 ?

 

[mechBgon]

I happen to have a direct link, so here it is: LostCircuits shows the jumper settings & voltages from my contribution to the all-inclusive A7V333 thread.

I hate to say it, but I really regret buying that board.

 

[Buz2b]

Thanks Mech, just added those to my list of info.

I hate to say it, but I really regret buying that board.

Really? I know this wasn't one of ASUS's best releases (seems to have been rushed to market) but as with many MB's today, it needed some "maturity". Has it really been that much of a PIA for you or are you reacting to the time it took to stabilize vs performance you recieved. Just curious as I have had one in my "closet of parts" for almost a year and have just started to build a system with it. I have gotten as far as the initial boot and all seems OK so far. Perhaps you could share more info with me; either here or via PM.

 

[mechBgon]

I'll recite the litany of grievences later, but let me start with a warning. Look between the CPU socket and the closest DIMM slot. See all those little surface-mounted devices? Beware when using a heatsink that has a wide, three-lug clip! :Q My A7V333-RAID lost one to my Thermalright SK-7, and the board was unstable for about a month before I finally noticed. So now I have a dead board.

I suppose I could solder another whatever-it-was onto the board if I knew what I was wanting to solder there, but I don't know if it was a capacitor, a resistor... *shrug* I replaced it with an A7N266-VM/AA and never looked back.

Other quick tip: enabling the USB 2.0 controller will give your PCI bus fits. If you're planning to use a PCI-based IDE or SCSI controller, this ain't the right board for it. Even disabled, the PCI bandwidth tops out at 72MB/sec, whereas my A7N266-VM is good for about 120MB/sec.

 

[Soulkeeper]

those articles point out where the vdimm (vdr) jumpers are but don't mention what settings make what voltage

 

[Buz2b]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
those articles point out where the vdimm (vdr) jumpers are but don't mention what settings make what voltage

**Edited for silly content**

Mechbgon, what version was your (now dead) MB? Mine is 1.04 and I don't see squat to worry about between the CPU socket and the first dimm. I suppose that is good because I have already mounted the SLK800, which uses the three prong clip. I guess you could be talking about those teeeny tiny little "retangular nipple-like" objects mounted flush to the board but not to worry. Long ago, after scraping a trace on an old AMD K-6 MB with a screwdriver, I learned to always cut/install a piece of "custom fitted" cardboard for the area around the CPU clip, prior to attaching the HSF. It only takes once; MB's weren't as cheap back then. Ouch!
As to point #2, I don't plan on using a PCI controller card. The thing has RAID onboard if I need it (not planning on it) so I'm good to go there. Thanks for the heads up though. Gotta love input!!

 

[mechBgon]

ii 2.59 - 2.63V (same with one or both jumpers removed completely)
i! 2.78 - 2.85V (default setting, out of spec according to JEDEC guidelines)
!i 2.88 - 2.96V
!! 2.95 - 3.06V

 

[Buz2b]

According to the article on AMDMB.com that I linked to in my first post,

The first unmarked jumper bank was located at the top center (as the motherboard sits in the tower) of the board just above the processor socket which had no reference in the manual for it that I could find. It was labeled on the motherboard: Overvolt
The choices were:

1-2 Enabled
3-4 Disabled

Counting left to right, pins 1-2-3

This would appear to be an overclocking feature that allows for higher voltage than normal when placed in the enabled mode. Since I would never set up a motherboard for first boot with overclocking features enabled, I left it on the default, Disabled for now.

The second unmarked jumper bank was JP1 and JP2. There is a reference for these jumpers on page 8 of the manual but it is only a location picture. The jumpers are designed to allow for memory voltage to be increased in overclocking and as noted above in another post, Asus has changed their default factory setting for this jumper to pins 1-2 for both banks. In the past it was 1-2 for JP1 and 2-3 for JP2. Be aware of that.

In addition:

Voltage Regulator (VID1-4)
VID4 = 1-2
VID3 = 1-2
VID2 = (no Jumper)
VID1 = 1-2

The above should be 1.72 / 1.75vdc. I have always set this manually on Asus motherboards but it is not necessary to do this. If you prefer, leave them all on pins 2-3 for jumperFree operation and have BIOS control over the setting.

I hope that helps clear things up a bit. If not, I will try to further confuse you later. J/K