Athlon 64 X2 6400+ motherboard compatibility

[gamergrrl]

I just picked up a 6400+ black edition and got the cheapest compatible (so I thought) motherboard - the ECS A770M-A. I've been having semi-frequent BSOD's since putting it together. A lot of online searching found a dozen people who report successfully using the two together, but alarmingly, a couple people have claimed that the A770M-A only supports 89W and below processors. The 6400+ is a 125W processor and is not included on the motherboard's compatibility list (nor is the motherboard on its), although ECS claims they should work together.

I suspect the BSOD's may be unrelated to the CPU (still trying to figure out source), because they've only happened while running bit torrent applications. Still, I'm afraid that I may be damaging one or more parts here. Is it vital that I get a different motherboard?

All relevant drivers are fully up-to-date.. running Windows XP SP2, Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB, 2GB Corsair DDR2 low cas RAM, an 850W OCZ PSU.

Thanks!

 

[myocardia]

Welcome to anandtech. Most BSOD's are caused by RAM, or more specifically, either not enough vdimm, or having the timings set too tight (including subtimings). Of course, one of the other things that can give you a BSOD (I'm assuming no overclocking or undervolting here) is drivers, usually video drivers, among a few other drivers. So, are you giving your RAM it's recommended vdimm, and giving your 6400 1.40v of vcore?

 

[o1die]

This may not help you, but I got rid of my bsod's by turning off the cool and quiet setting in the bios. Now I can overclock or run at default with all 4 dimms filled. I would also try setting the cpu voltage manually if your board permits it.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Are you sure that your CPU isn't overheating? Try turning down the voltage if possible, or get a better cooler. Those 6400s run real hot.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: gamergrrl
I just picked up a 6400+ black edition and got the cheapest compatible (so I thought) motherboard - the ECS A770M-A. I've been having semi-frequent BSOD's since putting it together. A lot of online searching found a dozen people who report successfully using the two together, but alarmingly, a couple people have claimed that the A770M-A only supports 89W and below processors. The 6400+ is a 125W processor and is not included on the motherboard's compatibility list (nor is the motherboard on its), although ECS claims they should work together.

I suspect the BSOD's may be unrelated to the CPU (still trying to figure out source), because they've only happened while running bit torrent applications. Still, I'm afraid that I may be damaging one or more parts here. Is it vital that I get a different motherboard?

All relevant drivers are fully up-to-date.. running Windows XP SP2, Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB, 2GB Corsair DDR2 low cas RAM, an 850W OCZ PSU.

Thanks!

I would snag an Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz 65W Brisbane before buying a new mobo - thinking less heat and wattage = more stability and longevity of rig. 3-3.2GHz on stock volts (around 27c temps) is a good possibility.

ECS boards will fail over time due to heat and high wattage. They are not built to 'take it' like a more expensive board. You can probably get a good 2 years out of it but I wouldn't expect a great deal more ....

 

[unholy414]

Download Memtest86 to diagnose your memory.

Your memory might also not be getting the right amount of voltage. Have you set the voltage for the memory in the BIOS? It's common for new installs to run the memory below spec, manual configuration in the BIOS is needed.

 

[gamergrrl]

hey, thanks for the help guys!

The vcore is at 1.44v and i can only increase, not decrease it. So I left it at that.

The recommended vdimm is 2.10v, and the RAM was only getting 1.896v. I can increase it, but only up to 2.096v and no higher (even if i add more microvolts it remains at 2.096!)

I still have no idea how fast the RAM is running. I ran memtest86 in e820-std. There were no errors, but it said "SPD info not available." It did, however, say the memory speed was 2272 MB/s, which i think is a bit slow for DDR2 PC-6400!

The BIOS claims that the memory clock runs at 400mhz. When I try to adjust it, I get options from 200-533mhz, so I assumed that it actually means the I/O clock. Anyway, it claims to be at 200mhz, so I set it to 400mhz, but the "memory clock" didn't change, and neither did the MB/s on memtest86.

My BIOS options look something like this:
http://www.overclockersclub.co...a_review/images/49.htm
http://www.overclockersclub.co...a_review/images/50.htm

CPU temperatures idle around 30-40, don't really get higher than 50.

I only have a couple of days to return the motherboard, which is what I think I'll do if no one can help. Thanks again though.