*** Official ABIT IS7/G/E (865PE) Thread ***

[jhites]

computer
The IS7 is not faster than the IC7 unless you can get PAT to work on the IS7, which most can not. The P4C800-E Dlx and the IC7 (not IC7-G, unless you want graphics - most don't) would be the most stable and higher oc boards. I have four i865/i875 boards and the P4C800 is still the best IMHO. This is using the same chip, ram and etc on each board that I have to test. IS7-E, P4C800-Dlx, P4P800 and DFI PS83-BL are the one's that I tested. The canterwood chipset is still more stable than the springdale.

 

[computer]

IS7-G does not have graphics.

IS7 does have not PAT, (no 865 mobo's do) it (and the better 865 mobo's) have some kind of PAT "emulation" that is faster than the PAT of the 875 chipset mobo's. Most 865 mobo's are faster than their 875 counterparts of the same brand. Link

Which P4C800 do you have, the E-DELUXE?

 

[computer]

Jhites, is this correct? "2.6C - 3.4Ghz P4C800 - HyperX-PC3500 @ 2-2-2-5". Really 2-2-2-5??? I think that's even better than the HyperX PC3500 spec Kingston claims, isn't it? What memory divider/speed are you running?

 

[NordicNINE]

Originally posted by: computer
Jhites, is this correct? "2.6C - 3.4Ghz P4C800 - HyperX-PC3500 @ 2-2-2-5". Really 2-2-2-5??? I think that's even better than the HyperX PC3500 spec Kingston claims, isn't it? What memory divider/speed are you running?

PC3500 (at least mine) has SPD of 2-7-3-3

 

[mngisdood]

Originally posted by: computer
Same results with the 875 P4C800, however another site showed the P4C800 as practically smoking the IS7 at o'clock speeds.

FWIW, the P4C800E-Deluxe we tested here easily beat the IS7 in performance and overclocking on the tests (stock and o/c) we ran on the new Kingston HyperX 4000.

 

[jhites]

Originally posted by: computer
IS7-G does not have graphics.

Sorry, I confused it with the -M

IS7 does have not PAT, (no 865 mobo's do) it (and the better 865 mobo's) have some kind of PAT "emulation" that is faster than the PAT of the 875 chipset mobo's. Most 865 mobo's are faster than their 875 counterparts of the same brand. Link

I know it is not true PAT but everyone still calls it PAT, PAM, MAM or whatever. Sorry if you took it so literally and I still do not agree with i865 being faster. The canterwood chipset will still overclock to higher speeds with more stability than the springdale. I would agree that if running the same fsb speed that the springdale would sometimes be equal or slightly better but only by maybe (1% or less). Many people have changed boards from a IS7 to IC7 and got higher oc's. This is also true with my P4C800-Dlx vs P4P800; IS7-E testing that I did.

Which P4C800 do you have, the E-DELUXE?

I bought the first P4C800-Dlx back in April not the -E that came out later. The HyperX3500 is the Winbond BH5 chips from the same time period. It was actually rated at DDR434 @ 2-3-3-7 @ 2.5vdimm but I am running it at 262fsb 5:4 DDR420 @ 2-2-2-5-4 with 2.85vdimm. My 2.6C @ 3409Mhz is with 1.65v bios but holds around 1.60v under load. It is always under load (2 instances of seti 24/7) unless I am doing something else that is very processor intensive then I change it to only 1 instance.

edit: spell check

 

[Ogewo]

Hi guys,

i want to know if anyone uses 2x Geil 512mb pc3200 sticks in their IS7. just wanna make sure there aren't any speed or compatibility issues.

 

[porkbun]

Originally posted by: Ogewo
Hi guys,

i want to know if anyone uses 2x Geil 512mb pc3200 sticks in their IS7. just wanna make sure there aren't any speed or compatibility issues.

I have two GeIL PC3200 CL2.5 256 MB modules on my IS7-E. They run great at stock speed.

At 2.8 V, they will do 230 MHz (667, 1:1, 2.5-6-3-3) or 214 MHz (667, 5:4, 2.5-6-3-3).

 

[computer]

John (Jhites), I haven't done any tests personally, I'm just going by what all of the review sites are saying about the 865 boards being faster. The 875's may OC faster, but in the tests I don't know if the testers were using OC speeds or default CPU speeds....they may say in that Anand mobo roundup link I posted. (I've also seen the "pseudo PAT" called "GAT").

You're saying you have Kingston HyperX with Winbond chips? Those are some pretty good timings.

Thanks for the link mngisdood.

 

[jhites]

Originally posted by: computer
John (Jhites), I haven't done any tests personally, I'm just going by what all of the review sites are saying about the 865 boards being faster. The 875's may OC faster, but in the tests I don't know if the testers were using OC speeds or default CPU speeds....they may say in that Anand mobo roundup link I posted. (I've also seen the "pseudo PAT" called "GAT").
You're saying you have Kingston HyperX with Winbond chips? Those are some pretty good timings.

Actually, you can go to several different sites and get various results. The AT roundup was at default settings using a 3.0C chip. I think that a bigger issue with the IS7 gat is the memory compatablility and getting it to run stable with it enabled. Don't get me wrong, I think the IS7 is a great board for the price. I still have the -E in my pharm

Here is another review on the IS7-G
All in all, I think this is one hell of a motherboard from Abit. I like the red PCB and the great performance. Though I am not completely happy with the Abit IS7-G. I'm really not happy with the way Abit implemented Game Accelerator Technology. GAT seems to stress the memory to the point of instability. As stated before, to put performance over stability is not the way to go. There is also a problem with the motherboard being too picky about what memory modules it will run GAT with. Hopefully an updated BIOS can resolve these memory issues.

cpu_z 2-2-2-5_DDR420

 

[computer]

I see from that screen shot the memory frequency is only 419mhz which is less than the PC3500 spec. What cpu/mem ratio is that?

I was reading some P4C800-E Dlx reviews at newegg and from the sound of it, many can't use USB devices with that mobo! I guess they are USB 1.1, they didn't say. What about you? I have a USB 1.1 label maker I need to use and if that mobo won't work with it, I'll have to 'scratch that one from my list'. Newegg link
Thanks,
-Clint

 

[jhites]

I see from that screen shot the memory frequency is only 419mhz which is less than the PC3500 spec. What cpu/mem ratio is that?

The spec for it is DDR434 @ 2-3-3-7 with 2.5v. I am running my 2.6C rig at 3.4Ghz 262fsb 5:4 mem ratio with 2.85vdimm to get those timings. The overall system performance it better at those settings. The ram will also run DDR454 @ 2-3-3-7 but the lower fsb running 1:1 ratio PAT enabled is not as good.

I have 4 USB devices connected to my P4C800 (Printer, Scanner, Mouse and Keyboard) that are all usb 1.1 and have not had any problems. I use this rig for my seti queue server and have it networked to my other 5 pc's that share the printer and scanner. I have heard reports from some that said MemTest did not run stable with the legacy usb enabled in the bios but I did not experience this personally.

These are my current rigs (all are running default vcore except for my 2.6C rig)

2.6C@3406Mhz; Asus P4C800; 1Gb HyperX-PC3500 (5:4)DDR420(2-2-2-5)
Air Cooled - SLK900U - Panaflo 92mm 57cfm

3.06@3312Mhz; Asus P4G8X; 512Mb Corsair Value PC2700 (1:1)DDR288(2-3-2-5)
Air Cooled - Alpha 8942 - Sunon 80mm 50cfm

XP1600@Stock; ECS K7S5A; 512Mb Crucial PC2100
Air Cooled - SK6 - 80mm 32cfm

2.4C@3084Mhz; Abit IS7-E; 512Mb HyperX PC3500 (5:4)DDR412(2-2-2-5)
Air Cooled - Zalman 7000-CU

2.8C@3304Mhz; Asus P4P800; 1Gb TwinMos PC3700 (1:1)DDR472(2.5-3-3-7)
Air Cooled - Stock Heatsink/Fan

2.4C@3096Mhz; DFI PS83-BL; 512Mb Corsair PC3500C2 (5:4)DDR413(2-2-2-5)
Air Cooled - 3.06 Heatsink/Fan

 

[computer]

Could be they are using the orig. BIOS release, or just older than your version. Maybe that explains it. Nice to know though that you have USB 1.1 working ok.

Man...you gotta lot tied up in good mobo's & CPU's! Heck you could solve some of my indecisive issues on 3 mobo's. Which do you think is the better (faster & more stable) mobo out of the P4C and P4P Asus boards & IS7, and did you try different memory on them for more accurate comparisons? Have you done any benchmark comparisons on them? I'm also considering the P4C800-E Deluxe and P4P800-E. With the memory issues I've been seeing on the IS7x I'm now leaning more toward the IC7-G instead of the IS7.
Thanks....

 

[jhites]

The Abit boards use the award bios and has many more tweaking features but you better have a good understanding of the bios adjustments. Not for the novice by any means and Abit has been pushing their bios to the limits. They seem to be sacrificing stablility for speed. The Asus boards are using the AMI bios and get good speed but not at the expense of stability. I personally prefer the Asus boards.

I did run some tests comparing the different ram in different boards but did not get a large variance with the ram that I have available. The TwinMos3700(4.3ns chips) will run at the highest (DDR494) but forget any tight timings or PAT period. The other sticks (Corsair 3500C2, HyperX3500) were all about the same. Give or take a few Mhz and the bandwidth was negligable. Here I like the HyperX but mainly due to price. They are cheaper than Corsair in general with the same performance. Of course, now there are many new modules that have been getting rave reviews from many ppl. OCZ PC3700 Gold for one. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you want tight timings, then it would be the Winbond BH5 chips. If you want higher mem speed then it would be the CH5 chips.

 

[computer]

What i don't understand is which is preferable; tight mem timings or high frequency?????? I haven't even gotten any mem yet, still can't decide. OCZ Platinum and GeIL Ultra Platinum, Platinum & ULD look good (PC3200-4000). I'm also looking at TwinX 3200C2 or 3500, & Kingston HyperX PC3500. What looks like the best thing to do is (obviously) get the fastest timings you can with the fastest speed, and try and find something like PC4000 that will run 2-2-2-5 @PC3200-3500 speeds in case your CPU won't O'clock. That way you can run the mem @PC3200 with the tight timings. Best I've seen spec wise is GeIL Ultra Platinum PC4000 2.5-7-4-4 (or 4-4-7) at that rated speed (DDR500). It should easily run very tight timings @PC3500. It would be nice to find some DDR500 that's RATED at 2-2-2-5 but it doesn't exist.

Which do you prefer out the P4C and P4P?

 

[jhites]

What i don't understand is which is preferable; tight mem timings or high frequency??????

Both

Of course, you want the tightest timings at the highest speed and it would even be preferable to have it running at 1:1 ratio for the best bandwidth. A big part of the memory question would be which chip (2.4; 2.6; 2.8; 3.0) you would be running and the real uncertainty of how good is the chip that you get will it overclock. I would pretty much calculate that any of the chips could go to 3.0Ghz and run on up to as much as 3.4Ghz on air cooling. The higher the multipier then the lower the fsb would be thus making the memory need change.

I prefer the P4C800 over the P4P800 and the IS7.

 

[Nyquest007]

high freq.... for sure. Read the latest article at www.tomshardware.com (link) breaking the 500mgz barrier http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20030812/index.html
there is a part that talks about memory timings for the P4 and if they paly that much of a role in performance.
In the case of the p4, and briefly summed up, they do not play that much a role. Tom's review said something to the likes of 3-4 mghz would make up for the lower mem timings. If you running low on the dead presidents flash cards, I'd get the fastest mem. You will never see the difference, unless your going for the high scores in every benchmark.

 

[IntelInsideIdiotOutside]

jhites.

so instead of getting the p4p, a p4c would be better? and what about the delux or the e version?

 

[jhites]

Originally posted by: IntelInsideIdiotOutside
jhites.

so instead of getting the p4p, a p4c would be better? and what about the delux or the e version?

The P4C is my personal preference. The decision on the -E would be based on if a person wanted the ICH5 or ICH5-R southbridge and the benifits that it adds.

 

[IntelInsideIdiotOutside]

ops, you wrote that in a few posts before, didnt notice it.

jhites, do you know if the zalman cnps7000cu cooler fits on the p4c board you got? thanks

 

[Tom]

Just a comment- if people want to come in this thread and express opinions about some other motherboard being better than the IS7, that seems fair, but if you want to go further than that and get into setup details and other such discussions for other boards, how about posting them in the appropriate thread ?

 

[jhites]

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
Just a comment- if people want to come in this thread and express opinions about some other motherboard being better than the IS7, that seems fair, but if you want to go further than that and get into setup details and other such discussions for other boards, how about posting them in the appropriate thread ?

Exactly, right. Point taken and agree.
Back on topic and any questions on other boards should have a new thread or post in the sticky for that board.

 

[orion7144]

Originally posted by: Nyquest007
high freq.... for sure. Read the latest article at www.tomshardware.com (link) breaking the 500mgz barrier http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20030812/index.html
there is a part that talks about memory timings for the P4 and if they paly that much of a role in performance.
In the case of the p4, and briefly summed up, they do not play that much a role. Tom's review said something to the likes of 3-4 mghz would make up for the lower mem timings. If you running low on the dead presidents flash cards, I'd get the fastest mem. You will never see the difference, unless your going for the high scores in every benchmark.

This was a very good article and just proves what my test results were server pages ago. With a higher FSB the performance is better using the 5:4 ratio (if your memory won't do 1:1). The only difference was the memory benches and 100 pts difference does not make up for the pure speed you get with the higher FSB.

 

[orion7144]

Also updated the main page to include the new SATA driver for the Silicon Image chipset. (I think these are only on the IS7-G and IC7-G)

 

[gahh]

Quote

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Originally posted by: gahh
I am currently running a 2.6c with abit is7 mobo along with a gig of corsair xms 3700 ram. It will run fine at stock speeds but if I over clock at all, then it seems to crash. If i oc to anything like 210x13, then it will boot to windows but prime 95 is an instant error. It seemed fine playing games at 210x13 though. If i raise to 215x13 at vcore 1.65v, then it will not even boot to windows. I do not think it is a problem with memory because memtest will run fine. Is this a problem with the cpu or the motherboard? Or am I completely missing a very important setting in the bios? Any help would be appreciated.
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I updated my bios to 1.5. That didnt help much. I also tried disabling the last two GAT settings. That didnt seem to work either. I tried running my computer with only one stick of ram. Prime95 doesnt fail immediately at 210x13 but it sure doesnt seem like its completing any iterations.... although the computer does stay running. It does this with both sticks of ram so I dont think one stick of ram is bad. Any suggestions as to what I should do now? Any help would be appreciated once again!