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Foxconn Motherboards -> Any Good?

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If you go with good quality RAM, eg Corsair, you can prob go with tight timings.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Foxconn manual online. According the manual I read, this mb seems to have limited oc'ing options. Like the FSB can only be increased to 233. Also, I do not see any AGP/PCI lock, which could greatly reduce oc'ing potential.

Before spending a lot of $ on expensive RAM, you might want to be sure the board will be able to oc stable. The oc'ing may be limited by AGP/PCI speeds, and you might find that money spend on pc4000 doesn't make sense for this mb.

Of course, I do not have the board to play with, and so I could be wrong just based on reading the online manual.
 
Originally posted by: brainwave
If you go with good quality RAM, eg Corsair, you can prob go with tight timings.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Foxconn manual online. According the manual I read, this mb seems to have limited oc'ing options. Like the FSB can only be increased to 233. Also, I do not see any AGP/PCI lock, which could greatly reduce oc'ing potential.

Before spending a lot of $ on expensive RAM, you might want to be sure the board will be able to oc stable. The oc'ing may be limited by AGP/PCI speeds, and you might find that money spend on pc4000 doesn't make sense for this mb.

Of course, I do not have the board to play with, and so I could be wrong just based on reading the online manual.
Click to expand...

thanks for the insight, i am a newbie to o/c. when i have bumped up the fsb and used the foxconn utlilty that shows chip, pci and agp speeds, the pci and agp portions still showed the same speed. i will mess around with it later to verify. i am running pc2100 in it currently, so i am assuming even if i went with pc3200 i would notice a difference. yes, the fsb can only go to 233, but i only want to push the chip to 3.0 so that is only 214.

 
i just pushed the fsb upto 210 and the pci still shows as 33 and the agp still shows as 528. these 2 numbers are the same as 200fsb. in the bios i only have 3 options for ram - 266,333 and 400. i have selected the 266 in the bios and cpu-z normally shows it as 133, but now it is 140. i don't know which one is correct? or will the ram automatically go up when you raise the cpu fsb? or can it be locked? the temp for the chip is the same at 2940 as it is at 2800.
 
If the pci/agp speeds do not change as you increase fsb, then you have a pci/agp lock which is good.
With the i865 chipset, you will usually have most efficient and stable performance if the cpu and ram speeds are at a ratio of 1:1. Therefore the ideal cpu speed=200 (remember P4 is quad, so effective fsb=800), and ram speed=200 (ram is doubled so effective ram=400, which is normal for pc3200). When you use pc2100 (speed=133 x 2 (for DDR) = 266 setting in bios), your cpu:ram = 200:133 or about 5:3. This ratio will work, but when you start oc'ing, the ram speed will increase and stability will decrease. The bios may have preset ram speeds for certain fsb speeds which are most stable. So, as you incr fsb to 210, the ram speed increases from 133 to 140 (or 280 for DDR). Your P4 2.8c may be very happy now with a oc to 2.94 (210 x cpu multiplier of 14 = 2940). However, your ram is now oc'd from 133 to 140, and it may be less stable. Ram stability also depends on the quality of the chips and the timings. It is best to oc gradually step by step and test the system at each step for stability. If you haven't already, read the oc stuff on the OC forum which has links to stability tests. Sorry, f you already know all this. It sounds like you're doing fine with an amazing price for an 865 mb.
 
Originally posted by: brainwave
If the pci/agp speeds do not change as you increase fsb, then you have a pci/agp lock which is good.
With the i865 chipset, you will usually have most efficient and stable performance if the cpu and ram speeds are at a ratio of 1:1. Therefore the ideal cpu speed=200 (remember P4 is quad, so effective fsb=800), and ram speed=200 (ram is doubled so effective ram=400, which is normal for pc3200). When you use pc2100 (speed=133 x 2 (for DDR) = 266 setting in bios), your cpu:ram = 200:133 or about 5:3. This ratio will work, but when you start oc'ing, the ram speed will increase and stability will decrease. The bios may have preset ram speeds for certain fsb speeds which are most stable. So, as you incr fsb to 210, the ram speed increases from 133 to 140 (or 280 for DDR). Your P4 2.8c may be very happy now with a oc to 2.94 (210 x cpu multiplier of 14 = 2940). However, your ram is now oc'd from 133 to 140, and it may be less stable. Ram stability also depends on the quality of the chips and the timings. It is best to oc gradually step by step and test the system at each step for stability. If you haven't already, read the oc stuff on the OC forum which has links to stability tests. Sorry, f you already know all this. It sounds like you're doing fine with an amazing price for an 865 mb.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info, i am learning more about o/cing now as it will probably be a stable option. i am going to get some new ram, i just have to figure out which speed. i know i need atleast pc3200, but to go to 215-233fsb, do i get some pc3500 with tight timings or some pc4000 with loose timings. i have heard that i want to stay away from pc4000 with timings ilke 4-4-8 and would be better off with pc3500 with timings like 3-3-7 but am not sure. also, i don't want to spend and ton on the memory. would this ram be any good?
 
I dont have personal experience with OCZ, but the reviews look very good. I think you will be fine with pc3500 with your mb, but you might want to check the OCZ site to see if they list compatibility with different mb's. Most people find one memory brand they like and then stick with it. I have been happy with Corsair pc3200 dual channel running with timings 2-3-3-7 in my machine (Gigabyte 8IPE1000 Pro with 865PE chipset). I have been able to oc my 2.4c up to 3.0 without problem with this memory. At FSB >215, the bios sets the cpu:ram at 5:4. Go for it.
 
Originally posted by: baclips6
Is there an internal speaker connector? i cant find it
Click to expand...

i looked in my case and i don't have the case speaker hooked up, but it does beep when i start it. maybe those little leds that flash are for troubleshooting instead of beeps? also i can't find it in the book.

have you tried to update the bios? i d/l one from foxconn, but when i went to upate it, i got an error that said it was not for my board.... did you get the one with onboard video or no? have you had any problems?
 
Originally posted by: bob4432
Originally posted by: baclips6
Is there an internal speaker connector? i cant find it
Click to expand...

i looked in my case and i don't have the case speaker hooked up, but it does beep when i start it. maybe those little leds that flash are for troubleshooting instead of beeps? also i can't find it in the book.

have you tried to update the bios? i d/l one from foxconn, but when i went to upate it, i got an error that said it was not for my board.... did you get the one with onboard video or no? have you had any problems?
Click to expand...

I havent tried updating the bios yet. I will soon, still trying to figure out which way the leds go. I also had to reactivate windows. It boots fine, no other problems. I got the 865PE, no onboard video.

 
I have an antec 835ii case too. I gave up on the 3 pin power LED and used the extra "I" 2 pin LED. So instead of an always-on green light, its orange.
 
i have an older 835 case, so i have no power led at all. i will need to make a connector converter..... but still an excellent board.
 
Originally posted by: baclips6
Anyway to adjust the FSB / RAM ratio in the BIOS? I can only find the FSB adjustments for CPU.
Click to expand...

there is the option to set the ram at 266,320 or 400MHz = 266=3:2, 320=5:4, 400=1:1

under advanced chipset features in bios
 
after using for almost 20 days, i can say this is one reliable m/b. haven't o/c yet but will definately let you know how that goes 🙂
 
Here's my specs with this mobo with the help of CPU-Z:
(been stable for 20 days also, even while playing ut2004)

updated now...
1.8A northwood @ 2.2 ghz
multiplier 18
FSB 122


4 kingston pc3200 valueram dimms 1gb all dual channeled

3:4 ratio in cpuz
3:5 ratio in sandra
which program is right?

 
Bob4432,

It certainly looks like you got yourself a "Best Buy" with this mobo! 😎 That's wonderful. Great performance, stability and a cheap price. It just doesn't get better than that. Congrats. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: MichaelD
Bob4432,

It certainly looks like you got yourself a "Best Buy" with this mobo! 😎 That's wonderful. Great performance, stability and a cheap price. It just doesn't get better than that. Congrats. 🙂
Click to expand...

thanks 🙂

i just got my new ram - ocz pc3200 and will mess around with the settings and o/c a little. just want to be at 3.0 stable. this borad is great for ~$60 but if i was going to spend ~$80+ i would probably get a different board if you want to o/c as this one is limited to 233MHz fsb.

off to run prime95/memtest 🙂
 
on another note, the foxconn hardware utility is pretty unstable. the machine works excellent, but when i fire the hardware monitor up, 50% of the time it locks the machine up. it is the only problem i have had, otherwise very reliable board.
 
I'm curious to know if anyone purchased one of the foxconn matx P4 boards and whether they like it.
 
Originally posted by: bob4432
on another note, the foxconn hardware utility is pretty unstable. the machine works excellent, but when i fire the hardware monitor up, 50% of the time it locks the machine up. it is the only problem i have had, otherwise very reliable board.
Click to expand...


have you tried version 1.13?

link
 
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