*** Official ASUS P5B / P5B Deluxe Thread ***

[daneel3001]

y2klam:
I've got a P5B + E6600 + 2GB of Crucial Ballistix PC6400 and a X1900XT 512mb.

Managed to overclock easily to 2.79ghz (FSB/RAM:2/3) but as I am no expert in this area I am not sure what to do to get higher than that.
Tried pushing CPU voltage to 1.4v and RAM to 2.1v but SuperPI would not work giving some errors I guess due to RAM being too overclocked.

At 2.79ghz I do 1M SuperPI in about 18 seconds.

Dan

 

[CrappyLuckMan]

LOL I told you to go here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109099&page=6
My e6300 is at 2.9ghz 415fsb. And I "only" have Corsair 675mhz PC5400 ram.
Skeeeelz.

 

[Red Storm]

Originally posted by: CrappyLuckMan
LOL I told you to go here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109099&page=6
My e6300 is at 2.9ghz 415fsb. And I "only" have Corsair 675mhz PC5400 ram.
Skeeeelz.

So you don't really need DDR2 800 for good overclocks?

 

[KnickNut3]

Originally posted by: Some1ne
Here's something that it would be helpful if people with this board tried:

1. Set a CPU ratio of 6.0 (requires the latest BIOS with unlocked multiplier).

2. Set a memory divider of 1:1 (i.e DDR2-533 if your FSB is at 266 MHz).

3. Choose an FSB setting in the 360 to 400 MHz range. Hopefully this will leave your CPU and RAM near (or even below) their rated speeds.

4. Boot to windows, open SuperPi (or prime95, or whatever you're preferred stress-testing app is), and run the '8M' (or higher) benchmark, and report back whether or not is is stable.


...I'm asking about this because there appears to be a glitch that is preventing the board from reaching high FSB speeds, even when the CPU and RAM are not being overclocked, so I want to see if it's a common problem, and where it typically starts to kick in (I've heard reports of as low as 310 MHz and as high as 380 MHz...on my board it's about 350 MHz).

Basically, if I set my CPU multiplier to 6.0, and my RAM to 1:1, and my FSB to 360 MHz, the system is not at all stable, and increasing the FSB just causes it to become increasingly unstable. Note that the settings described would clock my CPU at 2.16 GHz and my RAM at DDR2-720. My CPU is rated for 2.4 GHz (E6600 Conroe) and my RAM is rated for DDR2-800, so these settings should not be a problem. Using higher multipliers coupled with lower FSB settings, I have verified that my CPU is stable to (at least) 3.0 GHz at stock voltages, and my RAM is stable to DDR2-1000, so like I said, there's no reason why the settings above should have been unstable, unless the board is just unable to cope wit hthe higher FSB settings for some reason.

P5B vanilla, E6400, OCZ DDR2 800 Platinum

FSB craps out at about 325MHz! Stable at 8x320, Prime fails instantly at 6x325!

I'll try jumping to 400 to see if it helps. I'm using 0309 BIOS, FWIW.

RAM won't run above 1.9V. All voltages at Auto for now.

 

[CrappyLuckMan]

You guys are doing it all wrong, go the the xtremesystem link and in the first pages I took pics of my bios. Copy it exactly except where u need to change it (like latency). Don't be afraid to go to a non-noob forum -you might learn something.

 

[KreAture]

Help guys!
My new lovely machine isn't behaving. It hangs each time I quit BF2. The app starts to close and I hear sound stopping abruptly. Then it just sits there. Windows is still alive and I can run apps. I can't get em to go in front of the game however. Only "on top" apps and process manager does that. So computer doesn't really hang. Just the graphics and the UI as well as the game. I can't kill the process either. I try but it just takes ages and nothing more happens.

My system spec is...
Mainboard: Asus P5B Deluxe Wifi
PSU: NorthQ Godzilla (500w)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (while waiting for my E6600 to be back in stock.)
Memory: Crucial 2GB kit (PC2-4200)
GFX: Gainward BLISS 7900GT PCX
OS: Windows XP Pro
HD: 2x Seagate Barracuda 250 GB SATA set up as Striped with onboard intel controller.
CDROM: OEM DVD/RW SATA drive

I used the intel driver during install and had no issues installing WinXP on the raid.
Performance is very good, and I get 120-130 MB/s sustained reads.
It runns BF2 at 80-90 fps at 1600x1200 with everything set to max, and 2xAA active.

I have NOT overclocked anything yet, and don't see the need to.

Bios is updated to latest (as of 2006.08.20) and I have tried both 84.21, 91.28 and 91.31 drivers from Nvidia without any helping the matter.
I am starting to sweat here. This rig wasn't that cheap and I'd really like it to run well.
SuperPi runns the 8M calculation in 4 min and 56 seconds and has no stability issues.
I also get a 3DMark 2006 score of around 5500.

EDIT: I also tried setting my memory timing to absolute rock bottom. (Manually setting every delay as high as it would go.) It still hangs on exit from BF2. Maby it's audio related ?

EDIT2: OK... I disabled the audio chip in bios and tried BF2 again. No problems. Doesn't seem to crash at all. I can close and restart BF2 without issues. I can even disconnect in-game without it hanging. Never used to be able to do any of this.
So, how do I fix this then? IRQ or driver issue? I don't have any addon boards installed except for the graphics.

 

[CrappyLuckMan]

BF2 patch 1.3 is HORRID. They finished patch 1.4 and said it was stable, but they held it from the people because of some lame reason like it was leaked and/or they want to add stuff to it. So blame EA not P5B.

 

[KreAture]

So it's not a mainboard/audio problem?
My old comp ran BF2 without any such issues.

 

[KreAture]

On the SoundMax website I would a FAQ entry saying that versions of soundmax drivers from before 5.12.1.3030 may have issues in XP. The odd thing is latests driver on Asus site is 5.10.1.4530 and that seems older...
Hard to tell though as you never know how they decide to number their versions. Maby it has to do with phases of the moon?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: EastCoastn07
Ok, so I just opened the box for the first time tonight and was just looking over it and found something interesting. I noticed that the board had a 8-pin power connector above the CPU socket and that 4 of the pins were covered by this black cap. My question is, do I just keep this cap on and use a 4-pin connector or do I use an 8 pin? I didn't see anything about it in manual so maybe somebody can tell me what they did. I'll post pics for reference.

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/8336/dsc03941ec4.jpg -- Capped

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/1303/dsc03943fx8.jpg -- Uncapped

That's an EPS 12v connector. Some new PSUs and motherboards are using this so supply a little more juice.

 

[Z1000]

Hopefully I am not hijacking this thread with my problem.

I am not able to set up RAID on my P5B Deluxe/WiFi.

Here is what I did so far:
I changed MB (P4PE to P5B Deluxe/WiFi), Processor (from 2.8 P4 to E6700), Memory (OZC Platinium 800 Rev2), new Videocard (learned the hard way that AGP is not longer standard ). I kept my two Seagates SataI drives with everything installed and added two WD SataII. After installing them I switched in Bios to RAID with the expectation that during the next boot I would get the prompt for CTRL + I to set up the arrays. This prompt never came. In order to get the computer working I decided to run the Hardrives as IDE. I changed the setting in Bios and did a repair install of my XP Professional SP2. Everything works fine, unfortunatly not in the RAID configuration I want to have.

So my problem is that I never get the prompt for CTRL + I, whatever I do. I upgraded the BIOS to 0507 with no success. I called Asus, they told me to unplug the two WD and just try to build RAID with only 2 HD, no success either.
It feels like I do not have the Raid controller installed at all. Is that something in the Bios, or might the IRCH8 be defective? I pulled my hair over this, so hopefully I get some help in this place.

Thank you

 

[KreAture]

I had issues enabeling raid too. I was enabeling the Jmicron raid port (the single one between the card slots) instead of the intel one...
In the main dialog under your drives you'll see the IDE Config. In there you enable the Intel RAID. You also have to enable the intel ROM after enabeling RAID to get the ctrl-I option.

Godo luck

Now solve my audio-problem

 

[KreAture]

Good news!!!
Audio drivers version 5.10.1.4570 fixed my problem!
The drivers are only available from the Asus FTP. They are not linked from the website. I have the P5B Deluxe/WiFi board so I installed the 4570_DTS version. Worked like a charm! No more hangs. No more crashes.

To use the DTS link I enable 5.1 mode and turn on DTS-link in controlpanel.
Now I get 5.1 surround from my games (that support it) and I get ac3 audio from DVD's. All in 1 optical fibre link. No more messing with analog cables!
I love this mainboard!

 

[Rob9874]

OK, need to ask some noob questions here first:

1) Do I want to pay the extra $100 for the Deluxe? Why?
2) Is the onboard audio pretty good (no need for sound card?)
3) If I'm not overclocking, do I need Corsair XMS DDR2, or would Value DDR2 work?
4) Would I be disappointed with PC2 4200 or 5300? Remember, I'm not overclocking.(Looks like 2x1GB is $1 more for 5300 than 4200 on Newegg)
5) 400W PSU enough? Any recommendations?

Man, it's been so long since I built a PC. All my knowledge is so outdated. Thanks so much for the help.

 

[KreAture]

Well... It depends on what you want.
I for once LOVE the fact that the Deluxe can create a multichannel DTS stream that I can feed my receiver with a toslink cable. No more mess to get surround from games. Same toslink for ac3 surround from DVD's and DTS sound from games Can one do this with the non deluxe ? Can it do DTS Link ?

Diffs:
Deluxe has 8 (1 external) instead of 6 (1 external) SATA ports
You can run RAID 0/1/5/10 on the Deluxe version whereas on the non Deluxe you can only run RAID 0/1.
Deluxe has 2 Gigabit ethernet ports on the backpanel instead of 1.
Deluxe has Wifi.
Deluxe has 1 internal firewire port and 1 at the backpanel, non Deluxe has no firewire.
Deluxe has 2 PCIe 16x slots (only ATI Crossfire compatible not NVIDIA SLI) and 1 PCIe 1x slot, normal P5B has 1 PCIe 16x and 3 PCIe 1x slots.

With the right audio driver (version 5.10.1.4570) the audio appears to have less issues. The audio quality is great when you use an external decoder like I do.
Direct link to the audio driver that solved my BF2 problem:
ftp://dlsvr02.asus.com/pub/ASUS/misc/audio/ad1988/AD1988B_2KXP_510014570_DTS.zip
I don't think it will work on a regular P5B though. Notice it's from 2006.08.21 ! NOT old...

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
OK, need to ask some noob questions here first:

1) Do I want to pay the extra $100 for the Deluxe? Why?
2) Is the onboard audio pretty good (no need for sound card?)
3) If I'm not overclocking, do I need Corsair XMS DDR2, or would Value DDR2 work?
4) Would I be disappointed with PC2 4200 or 5300? Remember, I'm not overclocking.(Looks like 2x1GB is $1 more for 5300 than 4200 on Newegg)
5) 400W PSU enough? Any recommendations?

Man, it's been so long since I built a PC. All my knowledge is so outdated. Thanks so much for the help.

1) If you want the WiFi, heatpipe cooler, and the black PSB yes.
2) The onboard audio is "ok". But it won't support EAX HD in games like a Soundblaster card will.
3) You can get valu DDR2 if you don't want to overclock. The BIOS has settings to change the memory speed to match what you have. Meaning if you have DDR2-667 memory it will run the memory at 667 and won't try to force it to 800.
4) Faster memory would help almost always. If I remember righjt the C2D benefits from additional bandwidth more than getting tighter timings (although that helps too). I'd go for the fastest memory you can get within your budget.
5) 400w PSU is good IF and ONLY IF you aren't planning to add a big array of HDDs and extra devices. I'd say it's good to run everything with a DVDRW and a couple HDDs with no overclock. Brand plays a major role in the quality of a PSU as well. For instance a XG Vortec 600watt PSU will never be as good as a PC Power and Cooling 500watt PSU.

 

[KreAture]

I run a 500w PSU, but my system only draws 180w under full load.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: KreAture
I run a 500w PSU, but my system only draws 180w under full load.

My x1900xt draws about 2x that I bet

 

[KreAture]

I posted my HW list earlier, and the new Core 2 Duo draws very little power.
I use a meter with power factor checking and it appears I draw 100-130w idle, 180w at full. Spikes at 190-200w when both GPU and CPU are loaded 100% it seems. Also HD's need to be seeking to get that high.

 

[Rob9874]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Rob9874
OK, need to ask some noob questions here first:

1) Do I want to pay the extra $100 for the Deluxe? Why?
2) Is the onboard audio pretty good (no need for sound card?)
3) If I'm not overclocking, do I need Corsair XMS DDR2, or would Value DDR2 work?
4) Would I be disappointed with PC2 4200 or 5300? Remember, I'm not overclocking.(Looks like 2x1GB is $1 more for 5300 than 4200 on Newegg)
5) 400W PSU enough? Any recommendations?

Man, it's been so long since I built a PC. All my knowledge is so outdated. Thanks so much for the help.

1) If you want the WiFi, heatpipe cooler, and the black PSB yes.
2) The onboard audio is "ok". But it won't support EAX HD in games like a Soundblaster card will.
3) You can get valu DDR2 if you don't want to overclock. The BIOS has settings to change the memory speed to match what you have. Meaning if you have DDR2-667 memory it will run the memory at 667 and won't try to force it to 800.
4) Faster memory would help almost always. If I remember righjt the C2D benefits from additional bandwidth more than getting tighter timings (although that helps too). I'd go for the fastest memory you can get within your budget.
5) 400w PSU is good IF and ONLY IF you aren't planning to add a big array of HDDs and extra devices. I'd say it's good to run everything with a DVDRW and a couple HDDs with no overclock. Brand plays a major role in the quality of a PSU as well. For instance a XG Vortec 600watt PSU will never be as good as a PC Power and Cooling 500watt PSU.

Thanks for all the info! (KreAture too) I have a few more noob questions. I could probably search the forums to find the answers, but figured it would be helpful for other noobs who are reading this to learn about the P5B.

1) Heatpipe cooling: I'm assuming that replaces the heat sink? Still need fans though, I assume? Heatpipes are a new development during my PC building haitus.
2) Changing memory speed: Does it just change memory speed, or does it change the entire FSB of the motherboard (CPU included), therefore overclocking the CPU?
3) RAID: I have no plans to have an array of HDs. If I'm not gaming, is it something I'm going to want? I don't have any issues today with my HD speed.

Here's my application:
I run an online Christmas radio station, so I'm going to be doing some MP3 editing, and maybe making some soundbytes for it. I also store MP3s, but don't even have 20GB worth.
I also play guitar, and will be doing some recording. Will firewire provide much benefit over USB 2.0?
Might do video editing at some point, not in the near future.
Then the typical web surfing, etc.

 

[Soul Colossus]

Can anyone say how much of a difference the NB heatpipe really makes? $260 is still way too much for a board right now.

 

[KreAture]

The heatpipe setup on this board is really a bit odd...
Normally a heatpipe transfers heat from a hotter place to a colder place. The problem is the heatpipe in the P5B Deluxe seem to link the heatsinks on the chipset and a bank of voltage regs? The question will then be wich is colder.
In any case it seems to be fine.

The onboard audio quality is definately ok with my setup. (I use a Sony 830 surround receiver.) Onboard analog audio outputs seemed to be just the same as all others though. You can hear some noise in em when audio is silent. Possibly the amp is receiving some noise.

Raid can be usefull btw, if you need to store something with a bit of fault tolerance you can mirror it. You can also do raid-5 to get more space and redundancy without sacrificing 50% of the space like mirroring does.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: KreAture
The heatpipe setup on this board is really a bit odd...
Normally a heatpipe transfers heat from a hotter place to a colder place. The problem is the heatpipe in the P5B Deluxe seem to link the heatsinks on the chipset and a bank of voltage regs? The question will then be wich is colder.
In any case it seems to be fine.

The onboard audio quality is definately ok with my setup. (I use a Sony 830 surround receiver.) Onboard analog audio outputs seemed to be just the same as all others though. You can hear some noise in em when audio is silent. Possibly the amp is receiving some noise.

Raid can be usefull btw, if you need to store something with a bit of fault tolerance you can mirror it. You can also do raid-5 to get more space and redundancy without sacrificing 50% of the space like mirroring does.

If you look at where the heatpipe leads. It's right next to the CPU. Asus assumes everyone has a fan on their CPU which will blow air downward across the area. They also provide a small fan that you can attach to the heatpipe to facilitate cooling the fins if you won't have a fan blowing down such as in water cooling.

 

[Rob9874]

Thanks again. So for about the same price, why would I want the P5B Deluxe, vs. the P5W DH Deluxe? I've read rave reviews about that board on AnandTech, and various industry magazines. (Other than the fact that the P5W isn't in stock anywhere!)

 

[ScottFern]

Personally I am removing the entire heatpipe NB cooler when I receive my P5B Deluxe. I am just putting an aftermarket NB cooler on and leaving the mosfets bare. Why wouldn't that be ok since ASUS left the set of mosfets above the CPU open and bare?