Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2

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jimmor

Member
Dec 16, 2007
179
0
0
Originally posted by: RonaldWan
So here's a question: Does this board use the Pro or the Ultra? I'm here thinking they're the same chip, who in the right mind whould make two chips that does the same thing targeting this AGP/PCIe crowd. (it seems like they're mixed, is there a way to identify the Ultra from the box?)

If its the pro, then isn't this a DOWNGRADE from the 4CoreDual-VSTA?

*confused*

According to the 4coredual-sata2 spec, it can come with either a Pro or Ultra northbridge chip. And it doesn't matter that the "ultra" is a better spec'd chip, since either are good enough to provide for the design requirements of this mobo.

And yes, a 4coredual mobo fitted with a "Pro" chip is essentially a "downgrade" to any 4coredual mobo which uses the "ultra" chip ---> but ONLY as far as consideriing max overclocking potential outside the 4coredual spec is concerned ?

Only way to identify which version is fitted is to remove "northbridge" heatsink and look ?

:)
 

jimmor

Member
Dec 16, 2007
179
0
0
Originally posted by: Kosmatik
Hi,

Seems like this is the best place to ask my question.
I'm running an x1950pro agp card and I want to upgrade to c2d. Seems like the best cpu for the board is the e4600. I have 2x1gb kit of kingston hyperx ddr 400 ram and a 400W antec power supply. Since money doesn't grow on trees I can't afford a whole overhaul so thats why I decided on the 4coredual board. Do I need a bigger psu to upgrade? If not then should I either get an arctic freezer 7 or a 2gb ram kit? If it's a 2gb ram kit then something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231098 ? Feel free to suggest different ram, but this motherboard is going to be just a transition until I can afford the pci-e vid card.

Thank you

A E4600 is a good choice for this mobo, because it's 12x multi should allow overclocking to around 2.9GHz with minimum effort?

However, to overcome certain inadequacies of this mobo if wanting to overclock even higher, it may be necessary to do a cpu "1066 BSEL" mod; and more than likely also a increased Vcore mod --->both of which are well discussed throughout this thread ?

Of course, if contemplating 3Ghz plus overclocking, then it becomes very important to fit better heatsink than provided by intel ---> your suggested arctic freezer 7 pro should be ok ?

This mobo only provides DDR2 Vdimm options of 1.8,1.9 and 2v. So, If considering changing to DDR2, the "G.SKILL" type you linked would be the better choice for these default levels.

:)
 

fritzfield

Senior member
Mar 4, 2003
389
2
81
Originally posted by: Kosmatik
Hi,

Seems like this is the best place to ask my question.
I'm running an x1950pro agp card and I want to upgrade to c2d. Seems like the best cpu for the board is the e4600. I have 2x1gb kit of kingston hyperx ddr 400 ram and a 400W antec power supply. Since money doesn't grow on trees I can't afford a whole overhaul so thats why I decided on the 4coredual board. Do I need a bigger psu to upgrade? If not then should I either get an arctic freezer 7 or a 2gb ram kit? If it's a 2gb ram kit then something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231098 ? Feel free to suggest different ram, but this motherboard is going to be just a transition until I can afford the pci-e vid card.

Thank you


I have had this board for 6 months, running an e6600 at 305 FSB with no mods and with stock HSF., using a Radeon 9600 AGP video card. Any higher than 305 and OCCT crashes very quickly. I have transitioned from DDR to DDR2, and since DDR2 is so cheap, I've loaded up on a total of 4 x 2GB sticks. That means that I can't use this board anymore if I want to use the DDR2 ram I have. So I have bought the Foxconn P35A and I'll be geeting a new video card.

If you're interested in a proven board, please private mail me and I'd be happy to comply.
 

Kosmatik

Senior member
Jan 3, 2008
261
0
71
Should I get 1066 fsb ram and just bsel mod the cpu for a 1:1 ratio?
@fritzfield I'd rather order from newegg with the billmelater option.
 

Sl4yer

Member
Feb 5, 2008
28
0
0
Originally posted by: RonaldWan
So, this is a guess and check deal? Do you know if is it more likely to get the PRO or the Ultra?


CPU-Z reports mine as PT880 Pro. Does anybody have one claiming to be an Ultra?

I thought Pro/Ultra meant Pro OCd to Ultra speeds...
 

cpmee

Senior member
Dec 3, 2007
303
0
0
Originally posted by: Kosmatik
Hi,

Seems like this is the best place to ask my question.
I'm running an x1950pro agp card and I want to upgrade to c2d. Seems like the best cpu for the board is the e4600. I have 2x1gb kit of kingston hyperx ddr 400 ram and a 400W antec power supply. Since money doesn't grow on trees I can't afford a whole overhaul so thats why I decided on the 4coredual board. Do I need a bigger psu to upgrade? If not then should I either get an arctic freezer 7 or a 2gb ram kit? If it's a 2gb ram kit then something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231098 ? Feel free to suggest different ram, but this motherboard is going to be just a transition until I can afford the pci-e vid card.

Thank you


I would wait on the Artic Freezer Pro until you see what heatsink comes with your e4600. They seem to use 2 kinds in the retail package. If you get the thick one, its pretty darn good until about 3.2ghz (the practical limit without going volt mod crazy). However the thin one is only good for about 2.8ghz.
Either way, I'd get the ram first and do the bsel mod.

For a psu when you decide to get one, I would get the Corsair 550VX at newegg, about $80 after rebate. It has a 41A 12volt rail and a 5 year warranty.
 

cpmee

Senior member
Dec 3, 2007
303
0
0
Originally posted by: RonaldWan
So, this is a guess and check deal? Do you know if is it more likely to get the PRO or the Ultra?


I would say the chances are 90% that you would get a Pro. I checked mine when I redid the thermal paste on the northbridge and its a Pro and most of the users posting here had Pros too.


But that doesnt mean an Ultra will necessarily overclock more. As with most chips, its the luck of the draw, some are better than others.
 

Phatjayunoi

Junior Member
Mar 6, 2008
19
0
0
Just like to say Hello to everyone here since I have been lurking on this thread for a while now.

I got this motherboard as a Christmas present and have been very happy with it since it allows me to still run my older stuff. Will be planning to upgrade my CPU sometime soon, the Q6600 is what I am aiming for. Currently on a Celeron D which is good enough for the things I want to run.

Just like to say, I wonder if ASRock could manage a BIOS upgrade to support the newer 45nm CPUs, especially with how ridiculously cheap many of the prices are. If not then oh well, no biggie.
 

ojrules

Junior Member
Feb 12, 2008
16
0
0
nah i dont think they could make it for 45nm processors, i think its a rather different architecture..
 

Ratti3

Junior Member
Mar 6, 2008
9
0
0
Hi all,

Been watching this topic for a while now, lots of useful info.

I just did a BSEL mod with a E2200 (and some milky bar chocolate foil) and its now running at 2.93 GHz.

Can anyone confirm if DDRII 800MHz RAM will work? According to crucial it will.
I was thinking of getting Crucial or Kingston (CL5's). Or should I stick to 667Mhz?

Thanks
 

bigsnyder

Golden Member
Nov 4, 2004
1,568
2
81
Originally posted by: Kosmatik
Hi,

Seems like this is the best place to ask my question.
I'm running an x1950pro agp card and I want to upgrade to c2d. Seems like the best cpu for the board is the e4600. I have 2x1gb kit of kingston hyperx ddr 400 ram and a 400W antec power supply. Since money doesn't grow on trees I can't afford a whole overhaul so thats why I decided on the 4coredual board. Do I need a bigger psu to upgrade? If not then should I either get an arctic freezer 7 or a 2gb ram kit? If it's a 2gb ram kit then something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231098 ? Feel free to suggest different ram, but this motherboard is going to be just a transition until I can afford the pci-e vid card.

Thank you

Your PSU should be fine. I am running a similar setup with an Antec 430W psu. Video card
is X1900XT. Does fine.
 

jimmor

Member
Dec 16, 2007
179
0
0
Originally posted by: Kosmatik
Should I get 1066 fsb ram and just bsel mod the cpu for a 1:1 ratio?
@fritzfield I'd rather order from newegg with the billmelater option.

For mobos like this, PC2-6400 (DDR800) memory is cheap and goodenough for most peoples requirements. Will allow 1:1 at any overclock you are likely to achieve with your 4coredual ?

:)
 

jimmor

Member
Dec 16, 2007
179
0
0
Originally posted by: Sl4yer
Originally posted by: RonaldWan
So, this is a guess and check deal? Do you know if is it more likely to get the PRO or the Ultra?


CPU-Z reports mine as PT880 Pro. Does anybody have one claiming to be an Ultra?

I thought Pro/Ultra meant Pro OCd to Ultra speeds...

CPU-z indicates my "ultra" chip mobo as having a "Pro", so indication obviously means very little. CPU-z made same mistake with a 4coredual-vsta I used to have !

Being essentially designed as a 200Mhz chip, the "Pro" was not meant for the 266MHz (1066 type cpus) fsb mode of this mobo, so only achieves it through overclocking beyond spec. This also means max fsb overclocking will be somewhat determined by "quality" of individual "Pro" chips. Whereas the "Ultra" chip was designed for a 266MHz fsb, and will therefore likely be more stable at the 280-320 overclocking levels that people are looking for.

:)
 

jimmor

Member
Dec 16, 2007
179
0
0
Originally posted by: Ratti3
Hi all,

Been watching this topic for a while now, lots of useful info.

I just did a BSEL mod with a E2200 (and some milky bar chocolate foil) and its now running at 2.93 GHz.

Can anyone confirm if DDRII 800MHz RAM will work? According to crucial it will.
I was thinking of getting Crucial or Kingston (CL5's). Or should I stick to 667Mhz?

Thanks

DDII 800MHz memory would be excellent for this mobo and very useful towards the time you consider upgrading to a better mobo.

And to achieve improved memory performance at the speeds you are likely to overclock this mobo at, you will find it best to run any CL5 memory you buy with CL4, or possibly even CL3, bios settings ?

:)
 

cpmee

Senior member
Dec 3, 2007
303
0
0
Originally posted by: Ratti3
Hi all,

Been watching this topic for a while now, lots of useful info.

I just did a BSEL mod with a E2200 (and some milky bar chocolate foil) and its now running at 2.93 GHz.

Can anyone confirm if DDRII 800MHz RAM will work? According to crucial it will.
I was thinking of getting Crucial or Kingston (CL5's). Or should I stick to 667Mhz?

Thanks

Yep, works great. Im using the value Adata 800mhz ddr2 at 3-3-3-9 on low voltage (1.8v). Works great and stable and I get 5700 mb/s in Sandra. Review here : http://www.iax-tech.com/ram/50bucks/09.htm

To go higher than your present 2.93ghz, youll need to do a volt mod to the cpu to get to like 3.1 ghz. Then after that, the vagp mod to go higher on the fsb.
 

Ratti3

Junior Member
Mar 6, 2008
9
0
0
Thanks for the replies.

I ordered some Crucial Ballistix 4-4-4-12 2x1GB 800MHz for a good price, i'll see how that runs.
 

jimmor

Member
Dec 16, 2007
179
0
0
Originally posted by: cpmee
New temperature monitoring program Real Temp, download here:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=179044

Interesting tool, however found it to provide less believable idle temps than Everest and Coretemp when checking E4400 setup. Regardless of "calibration selection", RealTemp always shows Idle temps too low !

With room ambient of 19C, and a E4400 3.2GHz setup at Idle (CEI enabled, therefore 6x), the "CPU" temp of Everest usually within plus 2-3C of my case's internal Ambient Sensor reading of approx 5C above room; with Everest/CoreTemp Core0/1 temps being typically 4-5C above cpu temp ---> reasonably believable ?

Whereas using RealTemp's "0" calibration setting, Core0/1 temps are way below case and room ambients. And even when using "++" setting, Core0/1 readings just barely show same as case internal ambient ---> so not logically acceptable ?

Impossible to check "Core load" temp accuracy of any software program since NO WAY to measure actual core die temps inside cpu "casing" ---> of course you could just use linear extrapolation between your guessed idle value and whatever max temp value the cpu manufacturer quotes for the triggering of some important event that can be measured/observed, eg. throttling ? ;)

And since, according to author of RealTemp, all core temperature reading programs involve a bit of guesswork on the part of their producer, all that really matters for the moment is whether people want/need to believe RealTemp methodology/arguments over that of CoreTemp, Everest, etc ---> And as indicated above, I have already chosen my corner?

:)

 

cpmee

Senior member
Dec 3, 2007
303
0
0
With my e2180, I get 35C idle core temp with Real Temp in a 22C room, which sounds about right as I estimate the cpu case temp to be about 25-28C. Better than the Core Temp readings or Everest, even though it says I have a TjMax of 95C which may or may not be right for my M0 stepping, but probably better than 85C or 100C setting in Core Temp versions.

The Test Sensors works correct for me, as I get a 10 in Sensor Movement on both cores.
Its interesting to note that quite a few processors have "stuck" sensors which would prevent overheat shutdown.


Yeah, without complete data from Intel, its impossible to determine exact temp readings.
 

cpmee

Senior member
Dec 3, 2007
303
0
0
Originally posted by: Ratti3
Thanks for the replies.

I ordered some Crucial Ballistix 4-4-4-12 2x1GB 800MHz for a good price, i'll see how that runs.


You like the LED bling I take it.


The only thing that worries me about that ram is that it is high voltage 2.2 volts ram . On this mobo, the high setting is only about 1.9 volts.
 
Feb 23, 2008
36
0
0
Originally posted by: cpmee
If youre using AS5 or Ceramique or something similar, the thermal paste may have settled.


If youre stable for 16 hours, I would say thats good enough. Besides, after that length of time running good, it could have just been a power line qlitch that upset the stability.



Hi,

I missed this post, been busy ocing this other system, my system is asrock system is sitting in the family room waiting for some fans so I can do my final test.

Anyway, we do get bad power around my area, when the power sort of like go's off for a millisec. Only once in years has this actually make the pc turn off. But that was more like a sec (blackout) and my ups turn on.

When I was doing that 17+ hour test the pc was in the family room not plugged into my ups. So you really think a glitch like that could have upset the testing?

As for the as5, I think you?re totally right, I forgot that it takes a while for it to settle.

later :p
 

Ratti3

Junior Member
Mar 6, 2008
9
0
0
Originally posted by: cpmee

You like the LED bling I take it.


The only thing that worries me about that ram is that it is high voltage 2.2 volts ram . On this mobo, the high setting is only about 1.9 volts.

This is the one without the LEDs, from what I have read here other people have used 2.2v sticks ok.

--------------------


I've just come across a new problem, when I run 3DMark it reboots during testing, no bsod.
When I run games it freezes and I have to reboot.

CPU temps are about 40.
I'm using crucial DDR400 512mb x2
Ati X1950XT AGP

I have left all other settings at default (auto). I just did the BSEL mod. I'm gonna get some thermal paste and then remove the BSEL mod and see if that fixes it.
 

Sl4yer

Member
Feb 5, 2008
28
0
0
Originally posted by: anhnguyen
anyone might think 2gb of RAM is too little?

Going forward, yes it may be. But this board is all about economical upgrades, using an existing AGP card, and maybe DDR1 RAM. 2GB is plenty for most people at the moment, including me.

I must admit that I'm regretting this upgrade a little now - I expect this board will be history within a year, but I'm sure it will be a good foundation for someone else when I'm done with it. And I'll never use a VIA chipset again!