Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2

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jaml

Junior Member
Jul 4, 2009
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Hi people

Could you tell me if the ATI HD 4670 works on this motherboard 775Dual-VSTA? or do I need to install any update to the bios?
 

Hlafordlaes

Senior member
May 21, 2006
271
2
81
Originally posted by: jaml
Hi people

Could you tell me if the ATI HD 4670 works on this motherboard 775Dual-VSTA? or do I need to install any update to the bios?

Use the latest BIOS for your board here.
 

wasoethoudt

Junior Member
Jul 4, 2009
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just tried 4gb with high voltage, nothing, tried it with 266, nothing, tried it with 266 and cl5, nothing.

now im checking the other dimm, works fine alone (2gb), at cl4 with high voltage and 333mhz.
 

Hlafordlaes

Senior member
May 21, 2006
271
2
81
Originally posted by: wasoethoudt
just tried 4gb with high voltage, nothing, tried it with 266, nothing, tried it with 266 and cl5, nothing.

now im checking the other dimm, works fine alone (2gb), at cl4 with high voltage and 333mhz.

I'm outta suggestions. I can say that anytime I need to install in the 2nd DDR2 DIMM slot, I fear and tremble. It usually requires perfect seating followed by perfect CMOS clearing.

First, set BIOS to opt. defaults and power down. Try installing the 2nd stick by lining it up into the end locking tabs and pressing it in until both locks click automatically into place. If you need to lock them manually, then the stick isn't perfectly seated, AFAIK from my own attempts.

After installing, then:
- unplug PSU power cord and turn off PSU on back of unit
- power on PSU (!) to clear out last remaining juice, then off
- remove battery
- short CMOS with a jumper for at least 10 minutes (some say 30min)
- replace battery
- plug in PSU
- power on
- F2 into BIOS and choose opt. defaults, save, reboot
- F2 to set BIOS preferences

Good luck, but perhaps the use of mismatched sticks is not surmountable. Try beg/borrow a matching 2nd stick or full matched pair to test and see if that was the prob.

Edit: PS Nice CPU score on 3DMark; certainly beats my E4500 (only scores 2437 when OC to 280FSB)
 

rudenheimer

Junior Member
Jul 1, 2009
5
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Thanks - it got to the point where I threw up my hands, sent it back, and will just go with more up to date tech for the peripherals. Appreciate it!
 

Ileader36

Member
Aug 2, 2004
113
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This is the best my computer did, with Powercolor HD3850 agp @891/990, and e5200 @ 3632mhz

3DMark06 Score 12010 3DMarks
SM 2.0 Score 5098
SM 3.0 Score 5449
CPU Score 3193
 

kryptykal

Junior Member
Jul 8, 2009
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Hi guys i am new here and new to oc too.First of all sorry for my bad english but i try it at least :)

I am searching for a good upgrade and since i got a Club 3D HD 3850 AGP video card i was trying to find a mother board with AGP support.So i found the mobo of the topic : Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 . Ok for me : mobo with AGP , ddr and ddr 2 support.
Now i need CPU s775 , i said.So i tried to read a bit on the thread and saw that lot of ppl is using the e5200 . But i guess that almost 90% of the guys are using the BSEL mod and Vpin mod. I readed a bit about it here : http://www.overclock.net/intel...sel-vid-mod-guide.html and seems to be easy to do.

So i have videocard,mobo and cpu , now i need suggestions on

RAM , PSU and CPU Cooler

RAM :What can you say me about them? DDR 400 dual channel? DDR2 ?? which one? 533,667,800,1000,1066? as you see , here is where i am lost . My goal is do a normal (aka not extreme) oc since i dont want more coolers in my box or liquid stuff.Only want a system to play more smooth than in my actual . All in mind of the BSEL and Vpin mods.

PSU : Since i will have some "cool" RAM and want to oc the cpu , and i have the HD3850 i will need a good psu i guess.Which one could you say me?

CPU Cooler : Same , which one ?

I hope you understandme

Cheers.
 

Hlafordlaes

Senior member
May 21, 2006
271
2
81
@kryptykal,

This is a fun transition board, but do not expect to overclock any of the PT880 boards very much. Rarely do people get more than 300MHz FSB. Best volt modding guide for this board on VR-Zone still only achieves moderate results.

With such a low rate of return on OC efforts, the best thing to do with this board to get solid everyday performance is to install a 1066 CPU with a high multiplier, such as the new E7600.

Keep in mind any CPU not listed on the compatibility list on the Asrock site will require you to have access to a CPU that *is* on the list in order to flash the BIOS to support the newer CPU. Check a few posts above in this thread for a link to an unofficial, but excellent quality, BIOS that supports more things than Asrock's.

You may also need an older AGP card at first, too (check Asrock to see which BIOS update supported the 3850, and you'll need another AGP card if the board as purchased has a lower BIOS version).

As for RAM, the board you upgrade to after this one is likely to require DDR3, so getting "super" DDR2 and thinking of using it in the future is now a bad idea. Since you are unlikely to exceed 333MHz FSB, get DDR2 at 667MHz that has tight timings and is rated for 1.8v for best performance (setting it later to 266/533 in the BIOS actually seems to work better).

Doubt you'll need more than a 550W PSU; I'm partial to Corsair in that range.
 

kryptykal

Junior Member
Jul 8, 2009
3
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Hi Hlafordlaes ,

I guess i didnt understand nothing what i readed from this thread then :p

You spoke about a modding guide on VR-zone but i checked it and i saw its for ASRock 775dual-VSTA and here we are speaking about Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 , maybe its the same ?

About the e7600 , yes maybe its a good option , but more expensive and if i can mod the e5200 to get the 1066 ...

Anyway are good opinion , but here we go with something i dont understand and its a pain if its true : do i need extra-cpu and extra-agp? I dont understand why i need an older AGP card . the e5200 is not supported by the mobo with original bios?

For RAM : ddr2 667 for 1,8v , i take note ( maybe could be a good idea the ddr400 anyway? )

PSU : 550w corsair , i take note


Thank you for your reply , anyway waiting for others ;)

Cheers.
 

Hlafordlaes

Senior member
May 21, 2006
271
2
81
Originally posted by: kryptykal
Hi Hlafordlaes ,

You spoke about a modding guide on VR-zone but i checked it and i saw its for ASRock 775dual-VSTA and here we are speaking about Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 , maybe its the same ?

Sorry, linked to similar board. I know the PLL chip is the same as mine (4CoreDual-VSTA), but offhand I do not remember if the -SATA2 has it as well. The point remains: it's a lot of work for not much overclocking on these boards. The BSEL and CPU volt mods still can make sense, though.

About the e7600 , yes maybe its a good option , but more expensive and if i can mod the e5200 to get the 1066 ...
True. The only reason to go with the E7600 is for Win7 support (XP mode requires VT support in the CPU), and for playing around with virtual machines in general.[/quote]

Anyway are good opinion , but here we go with something i dont understand and its a pain if its true : do i need extra-cpu and extra-agp? I dont understand why i need an older AGP card . the e5200 is not supported by the mobo with original bios?

My error again due to my slightly different (older) mobo. The -SATA2 R2.0 board DOES have an official bios update that supports the E5200 (v2.10). What I do not know and you will need to check is which version is shipped in the box.

And it must be because it's the middle of the night (4:00 am) I am making all these mistakes. The AGP card is not a problem, an update is needed only for the 3850 PCIe.
 

Ileader36

Member
Aug 2, 2004
113
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I bought my board last year and had no problems with the E5200.

If You are going to BSEL mod the e5200 make sure You set it to about 1.36v by modding the pins.
You have to know the chip's default voltage (VID) to do this, use coretemp.
Alternatively get the e5300 or e5400 as they are RO revision silicon instead of the MO e5200.
You could also look at the new e6300 as it is 2.8ghz on a 1066 bus and 2mb cache.
 

kryptykal

Junior Member
Jul 8, 2009
3
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Hi again i just saw another solution:

what if ....

ASRock ALiveDual-eSATA2
AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition
DDR2 ? Which one dunno

Its more or less the same price for the 775 solution and no BSEL mods . What you think? maybe i must move this to another thread instead.

-cheers.

 

byndthegrv

Junior Member
Jul 9, 2009
1
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hello I'm new to the forum,

I just got this mobo and it doesn't want to boot up.

Here are my specs:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e2180
VGA: ATi Radeon x1650 pro 512mb agp
PSU: Coolmax 500watt
RAM: 2 gbs Kingston Ram 667mhz
MOBO: Asrock 4CoreDual-Sata2

I can't seem to get this thing to boot up at all. CPU fan, VGA fan, and all the tower fans seem to be up and running. Also the power button on the tower turns on by itself. Any suggestions on a way to fix this?

Thank you for reading.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I didn't get a beep either when I finished putting it all together.
 

sastusbulbas

Junior Member
Mar 5, 2009
15
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Hi all,

Still using this mobo, I am thinking of using it in an HTPC case, and going back to 2Gb of Corsair XMS Pro PC3500 with the HIS 3850 AGP?

Or should I buy 2gb of PC5300 or PC6400?

I am currently using Windows 7 7100 64bit, with a Saphire 4850 1gb Toxic PCI-E card, but feel this and the 4gb of Corsair PC6400 would be better put aside for another build.

If I go back to 2gb, would I be as well re-installing a 32bit OS?

I was also wondering IF a Blue Ray Sata connecting drive can be used with this mobo?

Steve

 

firestorm31

Junior Member
Jul 13, 2009
19
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hello all

I've read this thread from the beginning.

I'm gobsmacked that people in this thread were kevtching and banging thier heads on a brick wall knowing full well that the Asrock 4coredual-sata2 isn't a good OC board.

I'm totally amazed at this dedication to solving this boards quirks. :D

Why??? you guys have a glutton for punishment!

anyway, I'm looking to upgrade my AGP system from a P3-1g to a core2duo system.

From the looks of some of the comments, E7600 looks doable.

any suggestions on ram? I understand low voltage is highly suggested.

is there any benefit going from ddr2 667 (pc5300/pc5400) to ddr2 800 (pc6400)?

I've worked with Kingston rams, prolly time to try a different manufacturer. I've seen some good comments on OCZ & on some company that starts with a "C". Anyone know if PNY ram is any good?

oh btw, I won't be overclocking on this board considering E7600 is plenty fast! :D
 

Ileader36

Member
Aug 2, 2004
113
0
0
I would imagine the only reason to go ddr2 800 over ddr2 667, both 1.8v, would be that You might be able to get the
ddr2 800 to run at lower latencies.

I cannot imagine You had a high power AGP card with a p3 1g, so why not just get a pci-express motherboard
and video card as the pci-express slot in this mobo is 4x only vs 16x on a normal mobo, and even with the most
powerful Pci-ex video cards around, you will be limited graphically to about my HD3850 AGP's abilities.
 

firestorm31

Junior Member
Jul 13, 2009
19
0
0
Originally posted by: Ileader36
I would imagine the only reason to go ddr2 800 over ddr2 667, both 1.8v, would be that You might be able to get the
ddr2 800 to run at lower latencies.

I cannot imagine You had a high power AGP card with a p3 1g, so why not just get a pci-express motherboard
and video card as the pci-express slot in this mobo is 4x only vs 16x on a normal mobo, and even with the most
powerful Pci-ex video cards around, you will be limited graphically to about my HD3850 AGP's abilities.

I do have a BFG GeForce 7300GT AGP card.

as for the PCIE setup, that is for the 2nd machine I plan to build.
 

chorltan

Junior Member
Jul 22, 2009
1
0
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Hello everyone

Has anyone got ACPI wakeup working on this board?- if so please can you give me a clue:

Background

Been trying to use this board for a combined MythTv frontend/backend on Ubuntu Jaunty.
Rather than keeping it running 24x7 I thought I would get it to shutdown and wakeup when it needs to record (got this successfully working on a KT400 based board). I have managed to get it to wake up from LAN using a magic packet, but ideally would like to get it to wake up by itself (like in the KT400). I followed the instructions in http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/ACPI_Wakeup and only got so far:
* if I set the wakeup time in the bios (currently showing UTC time) it will wake up as expected with no problems
* Jaunty is recent enough to make use of /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm - so I disabled HWclock updates (HWCLOCKACCESS=no) and tried setting as follows:

sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm"
sudo sh -c "echo `date '+%s' -d '+ 5 minutes'` > /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm"
cat /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm
but it did not seem to work. Even with disabling/enabling RTC alarm in the bios. HPET was disabled and "$powersave -S" gives "ACPI". I was using the 2.10 bios, but tried the 2.16a and it made no difference.

Can anyone give me any help please?

Ta muchly

C
----------------------
Asrock 4Coredual SataII Rev2 2.16a bios
Intel E5200 @ 2.5Ghz
Ubuntu Jaunty
 

wasoethoudt

Junior Member
Jul 4, 2009
9
0
0
as you can read above, i'v tried to get 4 gb of kingston memory to work, but it didn't. Now i'v got me some OCZ reaper memory, 2x 2gb dimm's, cl4 800, a matching pair. Trouble is, only one works at the same time.

I think, as i'm just an hobby'ist, i'm doing something wrong. I got 4gb to work with my old cpu, the e4700. Worked fine, had set it to low voltage and 266mhz. Now I had already bought the e7600, so i installed it afterwards. Then i couldn't get the 4gb to work again. Every time a black screen at booting up.

I've tested both banks separately with the ocz memory, they work fine, no memory errors. At cl5 and 333mhz at low. This of course is much less than what they are capable of.

So could it have something to do with the e7600, and i'm guessing the 1066mhz FSB in stead of the 800 of the E4700, or is this nonsense?

Are there other settings i could try? Or was it just a lucky shot testing the 4gb and the E4700? Are some of the voltage settings wrong (e.g CPU or AGP)? Haven't got an idea what they should be, and why they could be wrong.