Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H

[Cheex]

Well I finally got it.
So here is the thread for it, where I will post my experiences with it and we can all discuss it.

 

[Cheex]

Ok...Everything seems fine so far but I can't seem to find my temperature sensors.
I'm using SiSoftware Sandra like I usually do.

However, I get an error now saying, "No environment monitors detected!".
How do I resolve this problem?

 

[Cheex]

Also...how long should I let this mobo settle before starting to overclock?

 

[Cheex]

SpeedFan currently doesn't work with this motherboard.
Does anyone know of a software that can accurately monitor cpu temperature in the tray?

 

[FireTech]

Don't you have their bundled monitoring package installed, FoxOne I think it is?
At least that should tell you if the sensors are working.

 

[Cheex]

Well...the sensors are working but i get the following values:

FOX ONE = 38C
BIOS = 48C
PC Wizard 2006 = 44C
SiSoftware Sandra = No environment monitors detected!
SpeedFan = currently doesn't work

I don't know what to believe and/or what to use.
I would prefer something like SpeedFan though (works in the tray).

 

[Cheex]

The board is running ok so far and is handling the overclocking.
Still having the temperature issue though.

I'm up to 3.50GHz still at stock volts.

I have run:
Memtest86+ (5 #5 passes, 2 complete passes)
Orthos quick test (10 minutes)
Dual Super Pi 32M (2 instances simultaneously) - failed - I'm not sure why this happened
Orthos Blend (6hr 47min and counting)

1. Is this enough Orthos?
2. Should I stop Orthos and try to run the Dual Super Pi again?

 

[acegazda]

This board is my top consideration. What RAM are you using with it?
As for the temps, for the stock hsf, the bios sounds about right. 38c is really good, too good for stock.

 

[you2]

Does this board use quality parts like the gigabyte ds3 ?

 

[Cheex]

Well my RAM is probably generic. I bought it from a friend. I ran some diagnostics and i think its made by Seimens and the chips are Infineon.
PC Wizard 2006 gives me a reading of 50C now with 8hr 5min (and counting) of Orthos which i think is remarkable.

What exactly you mean by quality parts?

 

[you2]

Cheex - the board itself does it use high quality capacitors et all?

 

[Cheex]

If you mean the solid capacitors that GigaByte has become known for...
Yes it does but only around the cpu socket where the power circuits are.

 

[acegazda]

what brand are the capacitors?
How is the layout of the board... do all the cables arrange themselves nicely?

 

[FireTech]

Originally posted by: acegazda
How is the layout of the board... do all the cables arrange themselves nicely?

Have a look here for yourself. There's also the EKRS version which adds RAID and firewire etc.
Do a Google, there have been reviews of both boards already such as here.

 

[acegazda]

I know what the board looks like... The reason I asked how the layout of the board was is to preface the question "do all the cables arrange themselves nicely?".

 

[Cheex]

Cables for me are nice and neat. Main power cable, IDE, Floppy (i don't have one) and SATA are basically all side by side. I just use a tie strap on them and then stick the extra length between my optical drives. Only 1 cable goes across the mobo and thats the 8-pin power connector.

 

[you2]

Dang that pcstat review is pretty good. Makes me want to buy this board over the gigabyte d3. ]

Hum -- it looks like the gigabyte has better and more (well a second) heat sink... but the foxconn has the external sata ..

one other difference - how does the marvell 88e8053 compare to the 88e8056 ?

 

[tedward]

Originally posted by: you2
Dang that pcstat review is pretty good. Makes me want to buy this board over the gigabyte d3.

What processor are you planning on using?

 

[Cheex]

S.M.A.R.T. is enabled on my hard drive but i don't see an option in the bios (maybe i'm overlooking it) to turn it off. Help me out please.

 

[you2]

e6300 - probably no over clocking.

 

[you2]

Cheex I tried finding the s.m.a.r.t setting in the on-line manual but it was pretty useless. While I was doing that I also noticed that the system has only 3 fan connectors - cpu_fan, fan1 and sys_fan. I was a bit confused as to what fan1 and sys_fan were. Er what I mean is I couldn't tell if they had 3 or 4 pins. Also the bios made mention to fan1 being a 'pwm' fan but I couldn't find such a device for sale at newegg.

Just how many fan connectors does this mb have and what type are they ?

 

[Cheex]

The board has 3 fan connectors.

CPU Fan = 4-pin
Fan 1 = 4-pin
Sys_Fan = 3-pin

 

[skirkham]

could you check your IRQ's and tell me if there is any irq sharing

 

[ChiPCGuy]

Originally posted by: skirkham
could you check your IRQ's and tell me if there is any irq sharing

I would like to know this as well...are the PCI slots sharing IRQ's with any of the other on-board devices or with each other? Is there at least one slot that does not share an IRQ? Reason is that I would prefer to put my X-Fi into a slot that does not share IRQ's. Thanks.

 

[you2]

Cheex two quick questions:

1) Does this board run hot when not oc ?

2) Are you happy with it?