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

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: skarkar
I've set AI tuning to manual, CPU freq to 334 and RAM to DDR2 668. BIOS boot screen shows 3.01 GHZ as expected, but also shows dual channel DDR2-4300(533) instead of DDR2 668. In memtest, I get 4198 MB/sec for RAM speeds. I've set CAS 4, RAS-to-CAS 4, RAS precharge 4, RAS activate to prefetch 12, Write recovery of 4, TRFC of 42, TRRD 10, write to read delay 10, read to precharge delay 10, write to precharge delay 11, Static read control to auto.

Let me know, if there's a way to optimize this setup any further. I'd like higher cpu, fsb+memory settings, preferably 400 fsb with DDR2-800 RAM speed, as RAM can run at 800 with 5-5-5-12 comfortably, so motherboard NB and cpu only could need some tweaking of voltages. How high can I raise the CPU+NB voltages on air with default hsf?

This is happening because probably your ram is set to AUTO in BIOS.
That is why it is running 533 Mhz.
You need to set in the BIOS DDR2 668 option.
And then you will be running your system 1:1.
Well since you are running E4300, I don't really know what ppl is getting with this C2D. But I would say that as long as you stay in the default vcore you are safe with your default hsf.
If you can't run 1:1 with the default vcore, it is not a bad idea to run assync. Running the memory faster than the fsb.
And then when you change your hsf you aim higher with your OC.

Regards,

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: dwillingm
Hi everyone.

I just ordered the P5B Deluxe today. I have heard that the stock bios of this board does not support the Core 2 Duo E6600. Is this going to be an issue if I ordered this processor, because I dont have another CPU to flash the bios with. I also got the Kingston DDR2 800 RAM.

I have also heard about some issues with using the IDE port for my CD drives. ANy input on this issue?

Any suggestions that you have to help with the install are greatly appreciated! I am going to read through this thread tonight.

Thanks!

This was on the first batch of the MBs.
Probably you are getting a 1.03g revesion of the MB, wich comes with 05xx BIOS. It already supports C2D CPUs.
The issues where with the JMicron controller of the IDE port. But I had none problems with my DVD/CD drives.
So I imagine you will not have much trouble to set up your system and get it going.

Rafael

 

[dwillingm]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am reading through this thread, and I do not understand this statement made on page 8

"1) When you set DDR800 and then overclock it has the memory on a 2:3 divider which goes way over spec. Put it on DDR2-533 and then overclock. "

Can anyone explain?

 

[n7]

Excepting the E4300:

All C2Ds run at a default FSB of 266 MHz quad pumped (266 x 4 = 1066)
Default 1:1 RAM speed is 266 MHz double data rate (266 x 2 = 533)

1:1 means the RAM is running at the same speed as the FSB (DDR2-533).
If you set it to DDR2-667 (4:5) or DDR2-800 (2:3) in the bios, it then runs at those ratios faster than the FSB, which tends to limit how high you can overclock.

Basically put, unless you are not overclocking or you have extremely good RAM, the RAM should always be set as 1:1, aka same speed as the FSB, or what will be shown as twice as fast as the FSB.

If you are not running overclocked, then set the RAM to it's rated speed.

But if you are, it's best to leave it 1:1 until you reach the CPU's max.

 

[dwillingm]

thanks n7, your post was very clear and I understand now.

i notice most people's builds with this board have the corsair ram. I picked the kingston KVR800D2N5K2 ram. I am second guessing that bc it looks like the corsair is $60 less and is more commonly used.

does anyone else use the kingston ram, and have you had good sucess with overclocking? is there a big difference between the two? the kingston is 1.8V and the corsair is 1.9V. does this voltage difference matter?

 

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: dwillingm
thanks n7, your post was very clear and I understand now.

i notice most people's builds with this board have the corsair ram. I picked the kingston KVR800D2N5K2 ram. I am second guessing that bc it looks like the corsair is $60 less and is more commonly used.

does anyone else use the kingston ram, and have you had good sucess with overclocking? is there a big difference between the two? the kingston is 1.8V and the corsair is 1.9V. does this voltage difference matter?

Voltage normally does not tell you much about the memory.
Timings would tell you more about your memory.
I have not seen much ppl with Kingston here.
Most ppl here go for memory that has Micron D9 chips on it.
BTW, what timings are your memory? Is it HyperX?
Normally when you OC you set your memory voltage (vdimm) @ 2.0 and above.
But since you got E4300 and you got enough room to OC with this memory.

 

[dwillingm]

The CL of the Ram is 5. I dont think it is hyperX. here is a link for it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...0134117&ATT=20-134-117&CMP=OTC-17exta6

i suppose with this ram i should at least be able to get to 400MHZ FSB, which would get my e6600 up to 3.6 GHZ. with my 8800 GTS this will be the fastest machine I have ever built. I am excited to get it up and running

 

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: dwillingm
The CL of the Ram is 5. I dont think it is hyperX. here is a link for it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...0134117&ATT=20-134-117&CMP=OTC-17exta6

i suppose with this ram i should at least be able to get to 400MHZ FSB, which would get my e6600 up to 3.6 GHZ. with my 8800 GTS this will be the fastest machine I have ever built. I am excited to get it up and running

Alright I see now.
Yeah you might check the chips on the memory and tell us what is written on it.
But since it is the value line I don't think it is Micron D9.
And since you got the E6600 it has a high multiplier, probably it will be enough for a while.

BTW, nice setup you got there.

Rafael

 

[skarkar]

Originally posted by: Rafael

Originally posted by: skarkar
I've set AI tuning to manual, CPU freq to 334 and RAM to DDR2 668. BIOS boot screen shows 3.01 GHZ as expected, but also shows dual channel DDR2-4300(533) instead of DDR2 668. In memtest, I get 4198 MB/sec for RAM speeds. I've set CAS 4, RAS-to-CAS 4, RAS precharge 4, RAS activate to prefetch 12, Write recovery of 4, TRFC of 42, TRRD 10, write to read delay 10, read to precharge delay 10, write to precharge delay 11, Static read control to auto.

Let me know, if there's a way to optimize this setup any further. I'd like higher cpu, fsb+memory settings, preferably 400 fsb with DDR2-800 RAM speed, as RAM can run at 800 with 5-5-5-12 comfortably, so motherboard NB and cpu only could need some tweaking of voltages. How high can I raise the CPU+NB voltages on air with default hsf?

This is happening because probably your ram is set to AUTO in BIOS.
That is why it is running 533 Mhz.
You need to set in the BIOS DDR2 668 option.
And then you will be running your system 1:1.
Well since you are running E4300, I don't really know what ppl is getting with this C2D. But I would say that as long as you stay in the default vcore you are safe with your default hsf.
If you can't run 1:1 with the default vcore, it is not a bad idea to run assync. Running the memory faster than the fsb.
And then when you change your hsf you aim higher with your OC.

Regards,

Rafael

I've set RAM to 4-4-4-12 in the Chipset section of the BIOS. Only the POST screen shows DDR2-4300. Inside windows cpu-Z shows DDR2-668 and 1:1 with FSB and CPU @ 3GHZ. 2 instances of SuperPI passes at this setting, while Orthos SP2004 failed after some 2hours 46 minutes. Do I need to up the RAM, FSB and CPU voltages a bit?

I tried DDR2-750, 375 FSB, 2V RAM, 1.550 Vcore, 1.45 V FSB Termination volt, multi 9, 5-5-5-15 for RAM timings. It posted and memtest completed 4 full passes. However, windows didn't load and hung at network settings one time, I rebooted and it gave BSOD showing unable to access hard drive or something. But, I've already set PCIE to 90 and PCI to 33.6 in the BIOS to lock the other buses. Do I need to buy a better HSF to run it stably at 3GHZ(its almost stable) or at 3.375?

 

[shroud72]

I've ordered all of my parts to build my first C2D system using a P5B Deluxe with an E6600 and 2 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer memory DDR2-1000 (PC8000). I've heard that the P5B Deluxe unofficially supports this type of memory but I'm wondering what I should set my memory settings to when I start building. Is DDR2-1000 even an option in the bios settings and the memory will run much faster then the FSB. I plan on overclocking to around 400 FSB but will only be using an Arctic Freezer Pro 7 so for heat concerns I don't want to go much faster then that.
The reason that I went with the DDR2-1000 is that I got it at a much reduced price and it was even cheaper then the Kingston HyperX which is slower. The P5B Deluxe was listed on Crucial's site for being compatible with the P5B Deluxe so hears hoping that it will post and then I can manually change the settings.

 

[Xvys]

Hi. I just built my P5B system last night and she is running like a champ. I flashed to the latest bios and upped FSB to 350, and it was rock solid at default voltages. Which I think this is pretty good considering I am running DDR533 ram @ 700mhz 4-4-4-12 @ 1.8 volts. (Although this ram's default timing is 3-2-2-8.) I willl try to tighten the latency timings when I get my FSB maxed-out and stable. I tried 400FSB but it would not boot and I had to remove battery and clear CMOS. I had thought there would be some o/c protection with this board so it would reboot at default settings? (like my AsRock board did), but it was dead. I backed off to 350FSB and will perhaps try upping the cpu and ram voltages and see what she will do. None of the installed Asus o/c programs and utilities seem to work at all and are a bit confusing. I know I should of probably bought the Deluxe version, but I'm not trying to set any o/c world records and I'm a bit of a cheapie and the base P5B was on sale. I will probably get the E4400 cpu in the summer ($133), so perhaps the max FSB will not be much of an issue.

----------------------------------------------
Asus P5B
E6300 /w Thermalright MST9775 heatsink
Cooler Master case /w Hec 420w ps
2 x 512 OCZ PC2-4200EB rev. 2 ltd. ed.
ATI X800 XL All -in-Wonder
Seagate Barracuda 250g - 16mg cache

 

[dwillingm]

What are the implications of having the Kingston Value Ram, vs the HyperX Ram? Since they are both rated at ddr2-800, I should be able to overclock to 400 FSB with both correct? Is the difference between the two involve going past a 400 Mhz FSB, or is there something else?

Is this Kingston Ram going to hold me back somehow? Would it be worth returning and paying a 15% stocking fee to get something else? The reason I got it was becasue the Asus information said only 1.8V ram was supported at DDR2-800, and it was one of the only 1.8V modules I could find. ALl the other ram was 1.9 or higher.

Thanks for helping me learn everyone. I really appreciate the help.

 

[dwillingm]

just to clarify...

is it true that if my FSB is 400Mhz, and I set my ram to DDR2-800, then the DDR2-800 setting is no longer a 2:3 ratio, it is a 1:1 ratio.

is it also true that, there is not a setting that will match 1:1 for each and every front side bus setting. you are only at 1:1 if your FSB is set to a speed that is 1/2 of the DDR-2 speed selection?

how does the auto speed work then?

do i have this correct?

 

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: dwillingm
What are the implications of having the Kingston Value Ram, vs the HyperX Ram? Since they are both rated at ddr2-800, I should be able to overclock to 400 FSB with both correct? Is the difference between the two involve going past a 400 Mhz FSB, or is there something else?

Is this Kingston Ram going to hold me back somehow? Would it be worth returning and paying a 15% stocking fee to get something else? The reason I got it was becasue the Asus information said only 1.8V ram was supported at DDR2-800, and it was one of the only 1.8V modules I could find. ALl the other ram was 1.9 or higher.

Thanks for helping me learn everyone. I really appreciate the help.

Hi dwillingm,

The difference is if you go beyond the 800 Mhz (FSB 400 Mhz). And probably you would achieve the 800 Mhz with lower timings.
But if you intend to go beyond the 800 Mhz barrier you should keep in mind the look for memory that has Micron D9 chips.
Depending on the chips you got on your memory you might achieve higher FSB speeds with more voltage on vdimm.
If you are interested in going beyond the 800 Mhz you might look @ the CPU/Overclocking section.
I can't find here right now, but they have a topic that has memories listed as Micron D9. Usually Crucial Basllistix uses Micron D9 chips.

About your second post asking about the memory. I didn't understand very well.
But it is right your affirmation about the FSB 400 Mhz and DDR2-800 = 1:1.
And if you set your FSB 401 Mhz, you will have DDR2-802 option and you will keep the 1:1 ratio.

 

[dwillingm]

Thank you Rafael. I understand from your reply that the ram selection speeds will change depending on what FSB I set.

Thanks again for your help. This forum has been a tremendous help for me. I am sure I will have some more tweaking questions once I am up and running.

 

[Rafael]

You are welcome!
Anything you need just ask here or send a PM.

You might check this when you set your OC.

Good luck!

Oh, about returning your memory it really depends on what are your intentions, where you want to reach with your OC.
So go for the 800 Mhz you will get a good OC and I would say to keep this memory.
But if you want some hardcore OC, then you might return it and spend more bucks on it.
And also change your HSF.

Rafael

 

[Ganimer]

First time poster. Great website.

One question (sorry if its already been addressed): Has anyone tried this board with the Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800? I see most are using it with the E6400 and E6600.

I'm loving the board and want to buy the P5B in combo with the x6800. Just wondering if anyone has any input on that.

Thanks-

 

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: Ganimer
First time poster. Great website.

One question (sorry if its already been addressed): Has anyone tried this board with the Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800? I see most are using it with the E6400 and E6600.

I'm loving the board and want to buy the P5B in combo with the x6800. Just wondering if anyone has any input on that.

Thanks-

Normally because ppl that buy P5B is on a tight budget! LOL
The X6800 is/was the big boys toy, and they go for the i975, not the i965P. And since the X6800 has the multipliers unlocked, you dont need a high FSB to achieve higher speeds.
And usually you get a better performance with the i975 when you compare to the same FSB set on the i965P.
So since the P5B achieves high FSB speeds, ppl on a low budget that get a E6400 or E6300 can set a nice OC just raising the FSB, since it has the multi locked.
But I don't know how it performs when it is paired with a X6800. I think other experts here can answer this question.

 

[Ganimer]

Originally posted by: Rafael
Normally because ppl that buy P5B is on a tight budget! LOL
The X6800 is/was the big boys toy, and they go for the i975, not the i965P. And since the X6800 has the multipliers unlocked, you dont need a high FSB to achieve higher speeds.
And usually you get a better performance with the i975 when you compare to the same FSB set on the i965P.
So since the P5B achieves high FSB speeds, ppl on a low budget that get a E6400 or E6300 can set a nice OC just raising the FSB, since it has the multi locked.
But I don't know how it performs when it is paired with a X6800. I think other experts here can answer this question.

Thanks for the information. So you would recommend maybe something like this: [LINK]. The Intel "Bad Axe" if you will. Although I see some reviews state having issues installing 64 bit Windows on that board.

Overclocking won't be a huge concern of mine. Sure it will be nice to toy with, but I'm definitely -not- trying to construct the overclocker's dream here or anything. Would you happen to have any suggestions as far as motherboards go to pair with the x6800?

 

[Brunnis]

So, is anybody else having problems with rebooting the comp after overclocking? Mine shuts down and then powers on again (as I wrote a few pages back). It seems to depend slightly on FSB, since 334MHz works fine, while 333MHz will shut down/power up upon reboot.

 

[skarkar]

Hmm I too had this problem. I upped the FSB to 1.45V and it went away.

 

[dwillingm]

I just ordered the crucial ballistix ddr2-800 ram for my board. Will the older bios that my board will have post with this ram, or is there a chance i will need a different kind of ram to post and flash the bios with?

Should I set up my SATA harddrive on the regular SATA inputs, or the Jmicron SATA input? CAn someone explain the difference?

Thanks.

 

[skarkar]

Originally posted by: dwillingm
I just ordered the crucial ballistix ddr2-800 ram for my board. Will the older bios that my board will have post with this ram, or is there a chance i will need a different kind of ram to post and flash the bios with?

Should I set up my SATA harddrive on the regular SATA inputs, or the Jmicron SATA input? CAn someone explain the difference?

Thanks.

I dunno about the RAM compatibility. Some search around in this forum and xtremesystems.org should help you find out. As for the SATA options, NVIDIA sata is the fastest and the next best is this Intel onboard one. So don't bother with the JMicron or whatever other option, except for the optical drives.

 

[dwillingm]

my zalman cnps9500 AT heatsink and fan has a PWM fan control. from what I have read it looks like the p5b will not support this pwm functionality, and the fan is going to have to run at 100% all the time.. does anyone know if this is true, or how to get around it?

 

[Rafael]

Originally posted by: Ganimer

Originally posted by: Rafael
Normally because ppl that buy P5B is on a tight budget! LOL
The X6800 is/was the big boys toy, and they go for the i975, not the i965P. And since the X6800 has the multipliers unlocked, you dont need a high FSB to achieve higher speeds.
And usually you get a better performance with the i975 when you compare to the same FSB set on the i965P.
So since the P5B achieves high FSB speeds, ppl on a low budget that get a E6400 or E6300 can set a nice OC just raising the FSB, since it has the multi locked.
But I don't know how it performs when it is paired with a X6800. I think other experts here can answer this question.

Thanks for the information. So you would recommend maybe something like this: [LINK]. The Intel "Bad Axe" if you will. Although I see some reviews state having issues installing 64 bit Windows on that board.

Overclocking won't be a huge concern of mine. Sure it will be nice to toy with, but I'm definitely -not- trying to construct the overclocker's dream here or anything. Would you happen to have any suggestions as far as motherboards go to pair with the x6800?

It was like I said.
It will depend on what you really want, not just OC.
But do you intend to SLI? Or XFire? I am not very familiar with the X6800, so I don't know what would be the best.
But I can tell you that most people with the X6800 go with the nv680i or the i975x, and you might ask the experts how the RD600 performs with it.
And if you go the SLI route you only got the option of nv680i or some versions of the nv650i.
And if you go the XFire route you got the i975x and the RD600. But I think the RD600 is a better option.
About brands, I think Asus (P5W DH or Striker Extreme) is a good brand, most used right now. I don't know how Universal Abit is going. The reviews are showing nice results, some good implementations. But I haven't seem the real world (users from here, other forums) results yet.

Rafael