Just got a Rampage Extreme, have questions

[dkm777]

Hi,

I found and bought a NIB Rampage Extreme for my Q9650 and since I never ever owned a high-end board before, there are some things that I'd like clarified.
First - my CPU is running hotter than in my previous P45-based board (1.23Vcore, 400MHz FSB) - 52 degrees instead of 45-48. Is this because the CPU soaks up the heat from the power regulation circuitry around it?
Second - how to extract more performance from my RAM? Which is the preferred method - AI Clock Twister or the Transaction Booster?
Third - is the stock thermal compound used for all the chipset and VRM heatsinks good enough or should it be replaced?
Fourth - is it at all possible to have SATA AHCI hot plug feature on an ICH9R? I have a case mounted eSATA header connected to one of the SATA ports and it really doesn't make sense to use it if I absolutely have to shut down the system when I want to connect a disk.

 

[Blitz KriegeR]

Hi there.

Your CPU might be running a litter warmer for a few reasons. First, don't forget most thermal compounds need several heating/cooling cycles to cure before they reach their peak. This could/should account for 1-2'C. Are you confident you mounted everything properly? Too much/too little thermal compound/mounting pressure can lead to higher temps. Did you properly clean both the CPU and HSF with either 100% isopropyl alcohol or an industrial CPU cleaner? Also, yes, the PWM circuitry on most extreme boards tends to be a little warmer. My ASUS board has an 8-phase power circuit, which is quite the degree of overkill but I love it.The affect this has on temps would depend on how much airflow is in your case.

Could you specify exactly what make/model board you have? The BIOS sounds like my AMI based ASUS x48 Rampage. If so, AI clock twister controls some basic timing settings. I have mine set to "strongest" and is still perfectly stable on my OC. The biggest boost will come from adjusting the tRD (under AI Transaction Booster, set to manual) which I think is called "performance level" in my BIOS. Default it is set to 10 or 12. I have mine set to 7 atm. This reduced RAM latency from 85ns to 60ns from this one option alone. Note tRD is powered by the MCH (Northbridge chip) on an x48 board so thats the voltage you adjust to tighten it. Mine runs 8 at default voltage, 7 with a bump to 1.27v and 6 I could never get stable, but I only tried up to 1.35v MCH. -->Could you post the exact Board/BIOS version/RAM+RAM Specs you have if you want me to help tune this?

I find the stock thermal compound used on my ASUS x48 Rampage is fine. My NB runs at about 32-35'C at full load. Very cool. The VRM/PWM heatsinks are pretty warm but they always will be. They are stable up to 100'C I think. Airflow in your case will affect this more than thermal compound. Also, if your board is like mine, the entire mobo cooling assembly is one huge heat pipe connecting the SB/NB/VRM/PWM circuits. It'd be a massive pain/risk to replace so I wouldn't touch it.

I'm not 100% on hotplug support on ICH9, but I think it will work as long as all the BIOS options for IDE/Legacy support are OFF and the system is running in full AHCI mode. Mine is set like this: SATA Mode: Legacy/Compatible/Enhanced Configure as: RAID/IDE/AHCI

I'll have another look when I get home (at work atm). Can post some BIOS screens if you like. Get back to me if you want more info.

Cheers

 

[dkm777]

Thank you for the reply.
M/B model: Asus Rampage Extreme, X48+ICH9R
P/N: 90-MIB5Q0-G0EAY00Z
BIOS: AMI, version 1301

Now that you mention it, I'm totally leaning on the not enough pressure theory, since I use Arctic MX-2 paste which is non-curing. The socket on this board is from a different manufacturer than on my previous board and is probably a little thinner. I surely remember how hard it was to attach the heatsink (Scythe with push pins...) to my previous board compared to this one. I bet the bracket was bent a little under tension and now no longer provides enough pressure. I guess it's time to make myself a ghetto backplate.

Edit: tightened the M/B heatsink screws, will test temperatures soon.