*** Official ABIT NF7/S (nForce2) Thread ***

[AnandTech Moderator]

In an effort to make finding information about the Abit NF7-S motherboard easier for all forum members, please post and discuss your issues, problems, experiences, rants, raves and FAQs here.

AnandTech Moderator

 

[First]

Just to get things started....

Go to the nForcersHQ forums for a huge database of information on the ABIT NF7-S motherboard, in addition to every other nForce2 motherboard in existence. Specifically, go here for a large list of ABIT NF7-S reviews, in addition to just about every other nForce2 review on the net, and here for a forum completely dedicated to the ABIT NF7-S. I even post over at nForcersHQ occasionally.

By visiting these forums you may not even have to post a single word to find what you're looking for regarding the ABIT NF7-S.

 

[wicktron]

VDIMM and VDD mods for any of you warranty voiding, experimental, need to squeeze out every last MHz overclocker:

VDIMM: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10387&perpage=60&pagenumber=2
VDD: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9758&perpage=25&highlight=kingston%20sucks&pagenumber=2

For both you'll need to scroll down a bit. Happy overclocking!

 

[Insidious]

Been (patiently) waiting for newegg to be shipping V1.2 board consistantly before purchasing the NF7-S

Has anyone received a v1.0 or v1.1 from them lately?

I'm also seeing a lot of postings that the 512MB PC2700 from Crucial doesn't work with any NForce2 MoBo.... Experiences?

And finally, I see that there seems to be some affinity for BIOS corruption on this board for some users... Experiences?

-Sid

 

[przero]

It seems the BIOS corruption is mainly on the V 1.2 boards. Mine is fine. Running an 1800+ t'bred A @183*10. Stable as a rock with 2*256 PC2100 Crucial.

 

[KidChaos]

ExcaliberPC is shipping Revision 1.2 and they offer a combo that includes a BIOS survival kit.

 

[TimeKeeper]

Been playing around the V1.2 from newegg for days now.
I really think this so-call bios issue is mainly rediculous claim!!!!!!
Flash to Bios Beta 1.6 and Back to 1.5 and back to 1.6 like 3 times w/out problem.

It is clearly that nforce2 mobo will take longer time to save the bios after you select "save and exit".
During this time, simply do NOT turn off the power!
Overclocking? I have been trying to Overclock my RAM and XP1700 to sync at 200Mhz FSB.
Obvisouly, my system get hang and not boot into screen. (no big deal!!!)

Simply press the power button for 4 seconds to shut down the mobo. Hold "insert" key and power it back on.
I know some people out of patient start excessive power on and power off from the PSU, that obvisouly will cause problem.

Also, there is no such thing as "magic mobo"! If your cpu top out at 2.Ghz, don't expect it to run 2.1 Ghz on nforce2!

I also has MSI KT4 Ultra (KT400-mobo). OC w/ SAME CPU/ RAM, KT400 is just as good as nforce2 mobo.
My XP1700 still doesn't run more than 2.0Ghz unless I pump more than 1.725V into it.

If wasn't for that SATA / sound storm gadget, I really don't think NF7-S is such a big deal.

Stability-wise? Via has come long way, and MSI KT4 Ultra has been running 247 w/out crash.
As for this nforce2? so far so good, but I wouldn't dance over it.

 

[TAL0N]

Originally posted by: TimeKeeper
Been playing around the V1.2 from newegg for days now.
I really think this so-call bios issue is mainly rediculous claim!!!!!!
Flash to Bios Beta 1.6 and Back to 1.5 and back to 1.6 like 3 times w/out problem.

It is not a ridiculous claim, hundreds of users have experienced the problem, not only with the NF7, but across the entire nForce2 platform no matter who the manufacturer. Although you certainly can corrupt the BIOS from improperly flashing different BIOS versions, the vast majority of problems have occured after simply modifying the FSB and Multiplier settings with the system overclocked.

The latest theory is that the CMOS memory is too small to hold very many changes, AND/OR is prone to writing incorrect data in a highly overclocked or unstable system, this causes corruption of the EEPROM. There is a good discussion in this thread at AoA The consensus appears to be that to avoid problems you should only change one or two settings between saves, people have also reported fewer problems after swithcing to a higher voltage CMOS battery.

Here's an article at Sudhian that talks about the problem and recommends a "BIOS Saviour" solution.

 

[Noid]

Theres definately something amis with BIOS during changes ... not flashing.

I have had the system hang on reboot after BIOS changes, luckly no corruption yet.

eXcaliber.com offers BIOS saviors (2 BIOS chips) for 13 bucks.

I personnally ,,, am looking for a RCA jack Modification,, the optical jack is usless for my needs... (cant find a optical cable over 9 ft long)

On the other hand ,,, I do have a RCA jack digital cable 38 ft long.

So,, if anyone has seen info about adding a RCA digital jack ... let me know.

Oh... and does anyone know what the "Spread FSB spectrum" and "Spread AGP spectrum" BIOS settings do?

 

[KidChaos]

Originally posted by: Noid

Oh ,,, and does anyone know what the "Spread FSB spectrum" and "Spread AGP spectrum" BIOS settings do?

Source:

When the motherboard's clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the pulses create EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spead Spectrum feature reduces the EMI by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses are reduced to flatter curves. It does so by varying the frequency slightly so that the signal doesn't use any particular frequency for more than a moment. This reduces the amount of interference that will affect the other electronics in the area.

The BIOS usually offers two different levels of modulation - 0.25% or 0.5%. That's the amount of modulation (or jitter) from the baseline signal. The greater the modulation, the greater the reduction of EMI. Therefore, if you need to significantly reduce EMI in the surrounding area, a modulation of 0.5% is recommended.

In most conditions, frequency modulation via this feature shouldn't cause any problems. However, system stability may be slightly compromised in certain situations. For example, enabling Spread Spectrum may cause improper functioning of timing-critical devices like clock-sensitive SCSI devices.

Spread Spectrum can also cause problems with overclocked systems, especially those that have been taken to extremes. The slight modulation of frequency may cause the processor or any other overclocked components of the system to fail, leading to very predictable consequences. Of course, this depends on the amount of modulation, the extent of overclocking and other factors like temperature variation, etc... As such, the problem may not readily manifest itself instantly.

Therefore, it is recommended that you disable this feature if you are overclocking your system. The risk of crashing your system isn't worth the reduction in EMI. Of course, if EMI reduction is important to you, enable this feature by all means but reduce the clock speed a little to give this feature some "space" to modulate safely. If you are not overclocking, the decision to enable or disable this feature is really up to you. But if you ask me, unless you have EMI problems, it's best to disable this feature to remove the possibility of stability issues.

Some BIOSes also offer a Smart Clock option. Instead of modulating the frequency of the pulses over time, Smart Clock turns off the AGP, PCI and SDRAM clock signals that are not in use. Thus, EMI can be reduced without compromising system stability. As a bonus, using Smart Clock also help to reduce power consumption. The degree of EMI and power reduction will depend on the number of free (empty) AGP, PCI and SDRAM slots. But generally, Smart Clock won't be able to reduce EMI as effectively as simple frequency modulation.

Still, if your BIOS comes with this Smart Clock option, you should select it over the 0.25% or 0.5% options if you need some EMI reduction. It will allow you to reduce EMI without any risk of compromising stability.

In short, disable them. Especially if you're overclocking.

 

[Noid]

Thanks Kid ,,, I'm going to disable it now.

All I need is that RCA digital out modification now... I think the FPIO2 could be used ... then I could probably mount a RCA jack into a slot back plate ...

Any other ideas ????

 

[KidChaos]

According to the Dual DDR spec, one should run the FSB and MCLK (memory clock) in sync for optimal performance.

 

[Technonut]

I have managed to smoke the BIOS 3 times so far on my 1.2. I had an extra chip, so it was not a big deal to hot-swap and recover using the Windows flashing utility included on the CD. In each case the BIOS corruption was caused while saving FSB changes. Since I have found the FSB ceiling the issue has not occurred again after many Non-FSB BIOS setting saves.

The board will boot into Windows and run as high as 210MHz FSB, but will either freeze or black screen at 200MHz+ FSB while running 3DMark2001. This is NOT a processor/ RAM/video card/ limitation since I have eliminated those as the cause. I am fairly certain that the Northbridge is not receiving enough juice at maxed voltage.

I am currently 100% stable @ 195MHz FSB with 2 256MB sticks of Kingston HyperX @ 2-5-2-2. CPUZ reports the Barton 2500 running at 2453MHz/1.90V. (Prometeia cooled) The system is very fast and responsive.

 

[Noid]

Techno ....

Do you have chipset voltage at 1.70v?

I'm 11 x 209.9 = 2308 on my xp2600 with voltage at 1.90 (1.87 actual) using a Volcano7+

I did put a cyrstal orb on the NB thou .... (I always do this) (you'll need AS3 thermal adheasive thou)
Check the NB thermal paste.

I also cut my 3rd L12 bridge.

Been running Prime95 for a week now ... error free ... and WITH 3dMark2001SE running in DEMO mode on NON-DEFAULT with sound ON for 12 hours also ... (including the Hardware Doctor)

My full load temps never get over 55c.

I'm able to run 3dMark01SE at 215fsb easy ... but I'll fail Prime95 in less than a muniute,,, my CPU is the culprit

Good luck

 

[vailr]

There's a report of 250MHz FSB on the NF7-S (version 1.2) here: Text

 

[Technonut]

Yes, the chipset voltage is maxed. I checked the NB HSF before installation, and was impressed with the even amount of thermal compound applied at the factory. I left it alone, although it may not hurt to try a larger HSF.

I have already tried the Barton both with the L12 intact and cut with no difference. I reduced the multiplier and relaxed the RAM timings, switched from a Radeon 9700 to GF4... etc... It will not run 3D apps @ 200MHz FSB. 195MHz FSB is the ceiling.

I have heard of others with this issue on the v1.2. I guess some of the chipsets are a better yield than others. One person solved it on his v1.2 by a chipset voltage mod that I may try although I really am satisfied with the performance @ 195. The 2500 Barton is great @ 2453MHz also...

 

[sambao21]

Whats so good about nf7 1.2 say over a7n8x? or 8rda+???

 

[Vette73]

Are there any problems running a ATI video card (like a 9500) in these boards???

 

[KidChaos]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Are there any problems running a ATI video card (like a 9500) in these boards???

No. No problems mixing ATi and nVidia in the same system.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: KidChaos

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Are there any problems running a ATI video card (like a 9500) in these boards???

No. No problems mixing ATi and nVidia in the same system.

Cool, just making sure as I heard some RUMORS about Ati cards not working well in nForce2 boards, even though it seems everybody hat has a nForce2 board also has a ATI card

 

[TimeKeeper]

I really wish I could say I like my NF7-S 1.2 for a week now.

For $129 shipped, I was thinking I am buying $50 worth of Sound card/ $20$ worth of Firewire card/ $10 worth of NIC, $30 of SATA and $25 worth of SATA adaptor.

Besides that...................hmm.........even w/ Dual DDR score only 120pt more on Sisoft, I really don't think it is such a big deal comparing to KT400 in performance. I meant, I have a 1700XP top out @2.0Ghz w/ KT4 Ultra. It doesn't make exact same CPU going higher on this mobo.

My suggestion is...if you already on KT333CE, KT400..don't bother!
I sold my P4 1.6@2.4Ghz complete set up for the nforce2 combo...and I am really really regrating it.

 

[Insidious]

I found this article at theinquirer.net (not my favorite news source) that talks about the BIOS thing.

-Sid

 

[Noid]

Timekeeper :::

Sandra doesnt concider the second channel ...
If you use memtest86 ... dual channel gives over 50 percent increase in bandwidth ...

check it out for yourself .. use single channel ... check the MB per second ...
then ... Dual channel ... MB per sec....

 

[sambao21]

Originally posted by: sambao21
Whats so good about nf7 1.2 say over a7n8x? or 8rda+???

Can anyone answer this? i've heard that nf7 1.2 has more overclocking options like a raised vdimm over the 8rda+, any other reasons? Also, is that enquirer post concerning the problem with nf7 1.2 and bios dieing? So is it going to be fixed now?

 

[Insidious]

Whats so good about nf7 1.2 say over a7n8x? or 8rda+???

I'm not sure anyone is saying so much.... best thing to do is compare specs at the mfgr. websites