Ballistix and A8N-SLI Deluxe

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ryoanji

Member
Dec 21, 2004
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I have Ballistix DDR 500 A8N-SLI 3200+ and everything running fine stock. However, I have the feeling that Ballistix and A8N do not go well together. Memory overclocks poorly, i.e. 220 is the highest you can get with 1t. Relaxing timing has zero effect on this limit. Also with 5/6 mem divider, DDR333, I cannot raise memory over 198 mhz.

There is another person who has Ballistix 500 and A8N and the same problems. Also people had numerous problems with Ballistix 500 and other Asus board A8V

Help! Asus A8V deluxe rev2 + Crucial Ballistix problem...

I was just wondering what have been your experience with Ballistix 500 and A8N, or maybe Ballistix and Asus boards? Can I generalize that Ballistix is no-no if you decide to go with Asus?

Thanks a lot
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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Sorry, I got your PM, but I haven't had any time to try my other RAM. I've been too busy using converting AVIs with Tmpgenc. I'll try to get to it in the next few days.
 
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imported_kohai

Junior Member
Jan 24, 2005
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I have ballistix pc3200 cas2 running 2.5-2-2-7 at 480mhz (fsb 240-mem 1:1- 1T). and no problem. What I can´t do is going further than 230MHz with cas 2.
 
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npapanik

Junior Member
Dec 28, 2004
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I am running fine at 9x250 at 1/1 mem ratio (250MHz) at 2.5-4-4-8 2T.

Still running with BIOS 1005. I will upgrade to 1006 and see if I can get 1T...
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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The problem that ryoanji and I are both having is we cannot get over 220 mhz DDR at 1T with 2x512 of Ballistix PC4000 memory. I can get up to 250 at 2T. The other problem we're having is using the DDR333 divider, we can't even get to 200 mhz DDR at 1T (where we can easily get at DDR400 setting).

So I just put in my 2 256 Meg sticks of Geil PC4200. It's now running Prime95 at 240 Mhz HTT, 1:1 with memory at 1T. I could never even boot at that high a memory speed before at 1T with the Ballistix. So the preliminary result is that the A8N-SLI and the Ballistix PC4000 are not a good combo. I'll give it a while and try to boot at higher HTT/DDR speeds.
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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Another update. It just crapped out after 10 minutes of Prime95 at 240 mhz HTT/DDR at 1T with the Geil. So maybe it's just the board that can't do over 220 mhz at 1T.

I'm going to give the DDR 333 multiplier a try now out of curiosity.
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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Well, with the Geil RAM, the DDR333 divider is working. I am now running at 250 mhz HTT/208 mhz DDR at 1T and am running Prime95. This is something I couldn't do with the Ballistix. I couldn't even boot into Windows at 240 HTT/200 DDR at 1T before.
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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YAU (yet another update). It gave me a Prime95 error after 10 minutes at the settings in the post right above this one.
 
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tretneo

Member
Aug 4, 2004
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I have Ballistix PC3200 @ 2-2-2-7 1T and I have memory stability issues at stock clocks. But my issue is strange as I never have stability problems while gaming for hours and hours, but If I try to run PCMark04, Sandra 2005, Prime95, or Memtest It almost always ends in a hang, or reboot or blue screen during memory portions of the tests. I am not sure what causes this but as I said, I can game for hours without any problem so I don't know what to think. I may end up just buying some OCZ PC4000 GoldVX, I hear that works well,

tret
 
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Big Bunny

Member
Nov 19, 2004
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I have 2X 512MB PC3200 Ballistix in my A8N-SLI machine, running using the DDR333 divider at 2.5-3-3-8. System is at 285 MHz, CPUZ reports the RAM running at 233 MHz.

I had to bump my Vdimm up pretty high to get the 333 divider to work well for me, I am running with my RAM at 2.95V right now. Even 2.90V doesn't work too well. It runs warm but I have plenty of fan cooling so I haven't had any overheat issues. I have run it at 3.00V as well with no problems.
 
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ryoanji

Member
Dec 21, 2004
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Thanks a lot guys. I was very suspicious because both me and DerKaiser had exactly the same problems with Ballistix on A8N. So right now, it seems that the problem is with the A8N

Derkaiser,

I bought mine in mid January from Anatres Computers in NYC, where is yours coming from?

Also, what CPU you are using? I have CBBHD 0444XPEW 3200+.

EDIT: I tried it with one stick, still same problems. Also I upped vdimm all the way to 3.0 and it did not change anything
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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My board came from Ateck computers. My CPU is a 3200+ that I got from Monarch. I'm at work right now, so I don't know the details. The Crucial actually came from Newegg.

When I left for work the board had run Prime95 for over 30 minutes at 225 HTT/225 DDR 1T. So it looks like the Geil can at least run that fast. The fact that I saw Prime95 give errors using the DDR333 setting (250 HTT/208 DDR) means that the DDR333 setting is messed up regardless of the type of memory used. Of course, I need to see that Prime95 is still running when I get home from work, but I think it will be.

I've been running 2.9v on the memory. I didn't really want to go any higher than that.

I think ultimately, I'll just run at 2T or maybe consider getting another board. I'm not obsessed about running at 1T and I don't think the performance difference is that big, but this is the third different Asus board I have owned and they have all had crappy BIOSes.
 
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ryoanji

Member
Dec 21, 2004
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My CPU is also from Monarch, can it be that on-board controller is crapping out in our particular mobo + mem combination?

You see, there are a lot of people who have this board running fine with Ballistix. I do not think that this is a problem of the "crappy" BIOS in general
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
460
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The DDR333 divider does not work as it is supposed to. You can't get to speeds anywhere near what the memory is capable of at the DDR400 setting. In my opinion, that is a crappy BIOS.
 
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ryoanji

Member
Dec 21, 2004
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The DDR333 divider does not work as it is supposed to. You can't get to speeds anywhere near what the memory is capable of at the DDR400 setting.
Click to expand...


Yes, but only in the case of you and me. Quite a few people CAN do it, just those replies proove it. So, it is not BIOS in general, but BIOS with our particular combination: 3200+ from Monarch and A8N. Interesting enough, we have nearly identical problems. I am really curious to know more about your CPU.
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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I went home for lunch and Prime95 failed after 3.5 hours at 225 HTT/225 DDR at 1T. I am retesting at 220 HTT/DDR. So it's either a coincidence, or the 220 limit we're seeing has nothing to do with the type of memory.

All the people in this thread reporting success over 220 mhz are not running Ballistix DDR500, but rather Ballistix DDR400. Can you point me to a forum post somewhere where someone is running Ballistix DDR500 at high speeds at 1T?
 
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ryoanji

Member
Dec 21, 2004
61
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So it's either a coincidence, or the 220 limit we're seeing has nothing to do with the type of memory.
Click to expand...

I do not think it is, and I tend to believe that you will face the same limit with Ballistix DDR400 as well. I PM npapanik, the only person who responded with DDR500. Hopefully he or she would be able to prove or disprove this point. Lets wait.

Is there any way to get the particulars of the CPU without removing the heatsink?
Click to expand...

No to the best of my knowledge
 
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DerKaiser

Senior member
Feb 12, 2002
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npapanik is running at 250 mhz at 2T according to his post. That's exactly where I can run my memory.
 
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ryoanji

Member
Dec 21, 2004
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I know, but I asked whether 1T is possible in the range 220-240 and whether DDR333 works fine, as an experiment. Lets wait for the response.
 
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133bpm

Junior Member
Jan 19, 2005
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i had been running 233 x 11 = 2563MHz
w/ memory @ 2-3-3-7 @ 1T (DDR400)

i have also gotten the memory to max out at 242 x 10 = 2420 MHz
@ 2.5-4-3-10 @ 1T (DDR400 Setting)

both of those were prime stable for 12+ hours

taken w/ bios 1004.001 beta



 
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