ECS K7S5A intrigues me...

[SunnyD]

Why won't my Crucial CL2 SDRAM do CL2 on this board? In fact, why won't it do CL3? It does CL4 as reported by Sandra (memory is running at 2-2-4).

I've tried every BIOS setting... even telling the BIOS to use CAS 2T. Still 2-2-4.

And why won't it run at 133MHz bus for memory?

Hehe, this board is truly NOT a performance board, is it.

Oh well, it'll hold me over on my second machine until I get some scratch together to upgrade it to a KT400 board.

SunnyD

 

[Ak]

SannyD
Why do you exoect so much from this cheap mobo. I have one , and it doesn't do what you are asking for.

Thanks

 

[adlep]

Flash the bios!!!

 

[SunnyD]

Heh... I'm just curious as to why it doesn't do what it's designed/supposed to do. Just kindof posting in case I'm missing something here.

I suppose I won't activate Windows XP on this machine.

Oddly though, rather than being annoyed or frustrated, or even angry, it gave me a giggle.

At least the GeForce GTS-V I got overclocked nicely to GTS levels. Of course it's manufactured by VisionTek, so what did I expect.

SunnyD

 

[SunnyD]

<< Flash the bios!!! >>



Haha, already have the latest and greatest from ECS on the board, unless there's a newer one then Feb '02...

Hrmm...

SunnyD

 

[johndoe52]

That board is nice for those that aren't ready to upgrade to ddr yet or those that are waiting to build a better system and need something to use until then. Mine worked fine while i used it but i couldn't wait to get my epox 8hka+. Nice performance but not as good as some.

 

[Buz2b]

I think you need to either take a second look at the RAM you got or again at the BIOS settings (or even possibly at Sandra setup). I never had a problem with what you are describing with the units I built with that board; not once. I'd venture a guess it is not the board, but stranger things have happened. Besides, it is a good, quick budget board that has excellent price/performance ratio. It is not ASUS or MSI or Epox. Of course, you didn't have to pay those prices for it either.

 

[rednose]

The board is OK. Try another stick of RAM

 

[tenoc]

Is it PC133 or 100?

 

[SunnyD]

Haha... I love the suggestion to check the RAM.

I really don't thing the RAM is the problem here.

After all, I pulled it from my IWill KK266-R which has been running 2-2-2 Turbo timings since day 1 last year. Come on people, it is Crucial, and it's PC133 CL2 rated memory.

Thanks for the thought though. It sounds like a good idea...

What gets me even more is that even if I force CAS 2 (CAS Timing 2T option, and enable Fastest DRAM timing options) is that I still get no better than 2-2-4.

And it's RAS - RAS-to-CAS - CAS when you read that right?

Like I said, it's intriguing. I'm not expecting the world from this board, but doing what it's designed for shouldn't be an issue should it?

SunnyD

 

[DAPUNISHER]

How did it do with the 2100DDR you had in there? I ask because there have been a lot of people over at OCworkbench claim that adding a blue orb or other HS/F combo and ASII or ASIII to the integrated bridges resolved issues running at 133FSB and others say it allowed them to break 150FSB as well. BTW, there have been many complaints concerning the latest bios revision for the K7S5A so perhaps flashing to a slightly ealier release would be in order. Also, what PSU are you using? have you tried the SDRAM in both slots? Just looking for possible issues since I've built several K7S5As and all would do 146.6FSB CPU/RAM rock solid out of da box.

 

[Buz2b]

<< Haha... I love the suggestion to check the RAM >>

Remember, you came here for suggestions. Not a good idea to criticize/mock others when they offer them to you. In a nutshell, you have a symptom/issue that it seems no one else has seen. That is why folks are trying to think of all possible items that could be responsible; including the RAM. You are quick to blame the board:

<< Hehe, this board is truly NOT a performance board, is it. >>

and

<< Heh... I'm just curious as to why it doesn't do what it's designed/supposed to do >>

It is entirely possible that it is the board I suppose, but if this were something that was rampant with the ECS board, others would have seen it or heard of it. You need to take a strong look at what Dapunisher suggested; "BTW, there have been many complaints concerning the latest bios revision for the K7S5A so perhaps flashing to a slightly ealier release would be in order. Also, what PSU are you using? have you tried the SDRAM in both slots?" The PS has always been an issue with the SIS 735 chipset and it is not unusual for new BIOS releases to have a few quirks and many have been reported on other forums concerning this MB. I think the suggestion about the chipset fan merits some consideration also, but it should do CL2 without that. Also, are you populating both slots with the RAM or just one? Try just one if you haven't and try different slots if you have (as Dapunisher suggested). And sorry, if I were you I'd try another stick of RAM in there also; to eliminate all possible causes. And if in fact you do, then RMA the sucker and get one that will do what it should; simple as that.

 

[SunnyD]

No quoting anyone here... just too much to quote.

Anyway, the BIOS issue might be a good place to start.

DDR? I ain't got no stinking DDR. Not one stick of it in the house. Half the reason I bought a K7S5A... plus memory prices are about as bas as gasoline right now. Rediculous. But if anyone wants to give me some DDR to play with (even PC1600) I'd be happy to fiddle with it.

Okay... so... let me lay out the machine for you.

ECS K7S5A flashed with the 02/02/2002 BIOS (the lastest one available on the ECS site)
AMD Duron 1.0GHz cooled by an Alpha PAL8045/Sunon 40cfm combo (which still runs oddly hot according to the motherboard)
1 stick 256MB PC133 CL2 Crucial Memory, all 3 that I own are identical
45GB Western Digital WD450AA ATA66 Drive Primary Master
Toshiba SD-1002 DVD-ROM Secondary Master
VisionTek GTS-V 32MB AGP
Enlight 7237 Midtower Case with Enlight 300 watt PSU

It could be the PSU, but I doubt that because the system runs dead-stable all the time (I'm using it right now). I don't have another PSU to test, so I won't bother.

Like I said, the RAM is fine, I pulled it from my KK266-R when I built this machine. It's seated fully in SDR DIMM 1.

I can try to move it. What gets me more though now that I think about it is the memory is SPD rated for CL2 at both 100 and 133MHz... so why does the motherboard set CAS 4 when I have SPD enabled. Why does it set CAS 3 when I have it set to 2? Why why why? Hehe.

I'm not going to take the board apart or anything, no reason to. It's just a stopgap until I pick up a "real" board. You'll be seeing it on the forums in a week or two. It works, that's all I'm asking of it right now.

But I'll dabble, because I'm sure you're all just as curious as I am... CAS 4... what a laugh.

SunnyD

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The only reason I mentioned the DDR is that you have it listed as being the ram in use in your rigz profile! I'll quote someone

<< Remember, you came here for suggestions. Not a good idea to criticize/mock others when they offer them to you >>

that's good advice, too bad you didn't take it :disgust:

 

[SunnyD]

<< The only reason I mentioned the DDR is that you have it listed as being the ram in use in your rigz profile! I'll quote someone

<< Remember, you came here for suggestions. Not a good idea to criticize/mock others when they offer them to you >>

that's good advice, too bad you didn't take it :disgust: >>



How the... why did I put DDR mem in my profile? I must have been smoking something at the time!

I guess I had better fix that. Thankee for pointing that out.

SunnyD

 

[LS20]

hrm.. im running fastest setting in BIOS with crucial cl2.5 and this is what sandra displays

i thought I had the cas set to 2 in the BIOS? atleast it should run at 2.5 ??


2.0-2-3CL

 

[SunnyD]

Heh, after some pondering and thinking, I decided to play with the memory setting and also decided to check up on Sandra's help file to make sure I wasn't going nuts. I guess since the last time I've used Sandra, the way they report the memory is different. I was always used to the last number being the CAS latency. It's no longer that way... the following is ripped right from Sandra's help file:

· SDRAM/DDR read/write/CL latency specification:

a-b-b-bR c-d-d-dW e-f-gCL
a - read page hit clocks for first item

b - read page hit clocks for follow-up items
c - write page hit clocks for first item
d - write page hit clocks for follow-up items
e - CL (CAS latency)
f - SDRAM tRCD (RAS to CAS delay)
g - SDRAM tRP (RAS precharge)


Notice e, f and g. The 4 I was getting is the RAS Precharge timing, which the only two options that the ECS board has for this is 3T and 4T. It corresponds to my testing too. This board indeed runs at CAS 2 just fine... it runs at 2-3-2 (according to my original numbers) or 2-2-3 according to the way Sandra reads it now. Thanks for all the tips guys, it just comes down to me being a little stupid and getting thrown for a loop.

In fact this board runs perfectly with the fastest timings at CAS 2. The onlly problem I have with it is running the memory async at 133MHz. I'm sure it's probably because I'm using a more inexpensive PSU or because of the inadequate chipset cooling (as mentioned before). I just not one of those people who takes things apart to make them work better, and I don't overclock.

Thanks for all the help again.

SunnyD