*Official* ASUS P5Q Deluxe Intel P45 Board Thread

[FingerDemon]

Well, I ordered XP Pro 64-bit last night. I may be wrong, but I think they may stop selling it very soon per Microsoft's instructions. I just couldn't bring myself to commit to getting Vista, yet. I also changed up my list of stuff. I'd appreciate it if more knowledgeable folks took a look and alert me if they see anything that might not work. I selected a memory on the ASUS manual and that others on this thread have mentioned.

ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard
Q6600 (already bought)
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply
ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speaker
Acer 22" LCD (already bought)
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Case (already bought)

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far, and any forthcoming.

P.S. Also, I wasn't going to get a floppy disk drive. Is that crazy? It seemed like ASUS made it possible to boot from USB keys and even do BIOS from them, so I didn't think floppies were necessary anymore.

 

[tenax]

i like where you're going with your picks..i have the g.skill on p5q and i like it. i would have gone with a quad or dual penryn rather than 65nm quad for a bit cooler system but, your choice. in regards to winxp 64..did you consider a subscrip to ms tech? 249 bucks after the code for a 100 dollar discount..10 licenses for EACH available product..i was considering getting a couple more copies of winxp for same concern about it not being available from retailers as of january 2009, but this seemed the better option plus i believe you get acess to download and keys for more than one windows os. i'll find out within a week but i was tipped off on this by a guy who's running windows server, winxp etc thanks to ms tech subscription.

 

[Mucker]

I am running an Asus P5Q-E, very pleased with the switch from my Abit IP-35 Pro. I am now able to run my Q6600 at 3600 MHz. The Abit only allowed 3400 MHz. I only needed to bump the cpu voltage to 1.4685, everything else was left in auto. I love it when overclocking is that easy!

P5Q-E (bios 0704)
Q6600 G0 @ 3600 MHz @ 1.4685v (max temp <70C in 82F ambient)
Thermalright Ultra 120 with MX2/Scythe 120mm
Mushkin 2 x 2GB @ 5-5-5-15 @ 2.00v @ 1000 MHz
Seagate 320GB 7200.10 x 2 boot (Raid 0 using Drive Expert not ICHR10)
Seagate 250 7200.10 x 1 data
VisionTek 4850 x 2 (650/1070) both with Accelero S1's (<65C max temp)
X-Fi ExtremeGamer
Samsung SH-203N
Antec TPQ-850
Antec NineHundred
Vista x64
Acronis TI11

Vista install and overall build was a breeze, everything is super stable. Crossfire is outstanding. Very happy with this setup.

m

 

[aamsel]

I will receive a P5Q Deluxe, Q9450 and Corsair Dominator tomorrow to replace my Badaxe2 and E6600.

I am going to use an Ultra 120 Extreme.

Are people who are air cooling the P5Q Deluxe removing the heatpipe assembly?

If so, what are you using on the Northbridge and Southbridge?

Thanks!

 

[n7]

TRUE fits on the board w/o modifying.
High rez pics i took of the P5Q Deluxe + TRUE installed

it's a purty mobo
it's a tight fit, but it works

 

[aamsel]

Originally posted by: n7
TRUE fits on the board w/o modifying.
High rez pics i took of the P5Q Deluxe + TRUE installed

I meant other than the TRUE, has anyone done any air cooling requiring replacement for ASUS' heatpipe assembly? i.e. something different for northbridge/southbridge cooling?

 

[n7]

Ah sorry...that i can't speak on.
Don't think cooling for either is going to be an issue unless you're looking to break records.
Board clocks insanely well with very little voltage; it's already easily the best Intel-based mobo i've ever had the pleasure of playing with.

 

[aamsel]

Originally posted by: n7
Ah sorry...that i can't speak on.
Don't think cooling for either is going to be an issue unless you're looking to break records.
Board clocks insanely well with very little voltage; it's already easily the best Intel-based mobo i've ever had the pleasure of playing with.

That's great.
I had planned on at least pulling of the heatpipe assembly and replacing ASUS' TIM with AS5 or Arctic Cooling MX-2. If this is not necessary....great!!

I will receive mine tomorrow, can't wait!

 

[Mucker]

Originally posted by: n7
TRUE fits on the board w/o modifying.
High rez pics i took of the P5Q Deluxe + TRUE installed

it's a purty mobo
it's a tight fit, but it works

Nice pics!

I have my TR 120 Ultra mounted so that it blows directly into the 200mm fan on top of my Antec 900. There is no interference from the board sinks.

 

[mlosee222]

I am having problems with the P5Q Pro! It is crashing when I have my 2x2GB G-Skill DDR2-1000 ram running at 1000mhz. I have the voltage set to 2.1 in the bios and the memory OC thing enabled. I am running the 0703 bios. Everything is at stock speed except for the ram which is currently underclocked at 800mhz.

If I set the memory speed to "auto" then it seems to run just fine.

specs:
P5Q Pro
2x2GB G-Skill DDR2-1000
Q9300 stock


Perhaps a bios update would fix it?

edit:
it seems totally stable at DDR2-1066mhz, but it crashes as soon windows loads at DDR2-1000. anyone know of any reason for this or how I can get it to run at 1000? thanks in advance.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: mlosee222
I am having problems with the P5Q Pro! It is crashing when I have my 2x2GB G-Skill DDR2-1000 ram running at 1000mhz. I have the voltage set to 2.1 in the bios and the memory OC thing enabled. I am running the 0703 bios. Everything is at stock speed except for the ram which is currently underclocked at 800mhz.

If I set the memory speed to "auto" then it seems to run just fine.

specs:
P5Q Pro
2x2GB G-Skill DDR2-1000
Q9300 stock


Perhaps a bios update would fix it?

Take a look at my RAM settings here: http://n7.slayernine.com/files/bios/

It's for my 8 GB Mushkin, but these should help with the basics.

Leave the all the subtimings i don't list @ Auto

Assuming FSB Frequency - 333

Try:
FSB Strap to North Bridge - Auto
DRAM Frequency - DDR2-1000 (2:3 ratio)
tCL - 5
tRCD - 5
tRP - 5
tRAS - 15
Row Refresh Cycle Time - 60 (Very important)
DRAM Static Read Control - Disabled
DRAM Reading Training - Disabled
Mem. OC Charger - Enabled
AI Clock Twister - Light or Moderate, try Light first
AI Transaction Booster - Auto (Enabled means you control "Performance Level - tRD" manually. This greatly affects memory performance scores...beware though, too low of a value will result in no POST. You can try for 6 with all pull-ins enabled @ FSB 333 MHz, but initially leave @ Auto or leave high, then tighten after getting RAM stable.)
NB Voltage - 1.24-1.3v, lower when you get stable

If you are staying at stock speeds, leave all the voltages auto, but if not, manually set to low values.

Test stability with Memtest86+ & then HCI Memtest in Windows.
Use Prime 95 25.6 for checking CPU/mobo/basic RAM testing.

 

[zzglenn]

Hi P5Q guru's,

I am brand new to Overclocking, but I really want to learn to Overclock my Asus P5Q Pro with my Q6600 G0.

I have read many overclocking guides on other sites including graysky's. Unfortunately with this board there are many more settings and tweaks than those guides provide.

Current specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
ASUS P5Q Pro (bios 0506)
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)
CORSAIR 550VX 550W
ATI ASUS 4850 512MB
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 750GB
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit

I was hoping you could provide me a template of Bios settings for a decent overclock. I don't need to push it as far as it goes (goal around 3.6ghz would be fine), but I wouldn't mind a fast, safe template to try. I know each setup requires testing and that not all CPUs are created equal, but even knowing what to turn on and off and what to set to automatic would help greatly. The manual is horrible on descriptions.

I have CPU-Z, prime95, and coretemp ready to go.

This is something I found on another site, but its taylored more for an E8400. Could someone with a similar setup help me tweak this a bit before I start messing with the settings.

SETTINGS:
JumperFree Configuration Settings
AI Overclock tuner: MANUAL
CPU Ratio Setting: 9x
FSB Strap to North Bridge: AUTO
FSB Frequency: 435
PCI-E Frequency: 101
DRAM Frequency: 1044 (due to my 5:6 ratio)
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A2: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B2: AUTO
DRAM Timing Control: AUTO

1st Information :

CAS# Latency: 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : AUTO
Row Refresh Cycle Time: 55
Write Recovery Time: AUTO
Read to Precharge Time: AUTO


DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
DRAM Read Training: AUTO
MEM. OC Charger: AUTO
AI Clock Twister: AUTO
AI Transaction Booster: AUTO

CPU Voltage: 1.35
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): AUTO
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): AUTO
CPU PLL Voltage: AUTO
FSB Termination Voltage: AUTO
DRAM Voltage: 2.1
NB Voltage: AUTO
NB GTL Reference: AUTO
SBridge Voltage: AUTO
PCIE SATA Voltage: AUTO

Load Line Calibration: Disabled
CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
CPU Clock Skew : AUTO
NB Clock Skew : AUTO

Advance CPU Settings
CPU Ratio Setting: Manual
C1E Suppport: Disabled
Max CPUID Value Limit: Disabled
Intel® Virtualization Tech: Disabled
Vanderpool Technology: Disabled
CPU TM Function: Disabled
Execute Disable Bit: Disabled

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[tr1kstanc3]

the first thing you want to change is the FSB Frequency from 435 to something lower. your target speed is 400 with the 9x multiplier. at this bus speed you should have your memory at 1000mhz. i would also start off with slightly lower cpu and dram voltage. start smaller and move up in increments until you hit your target frequency. good luck.

 

[aamsel]

Originally posted by: tr1kstanc3
the first thing you want to change is the FSB Frequency from 435 to something lower. your target speed is 400 with the 9x multiplier. at this bus speed you should have your memory at 1000mhz. i would also start off with slightly lower cpu and dram voltage. start smaller and move up in increments until you hit your target frequency. good luck.

After you do hit a target frequency, if you intend for this setup to be "rock steady" you will normally need to back off a bit for everyday use. How far? This again can vary, some amount of FSB, voltage, etc.

Why?

I have MANY times seen setups that pass burn in testing for days of Orthos, Prime95, memtest, etc. etc. only to fail a few hours, days, or weeks later in real world use.

Perhaps the day-to-day programs hit a combo of things that the burn in tests can't.

Also, the ambient temperature in your environment may go up or down.

So, if you are doing important work, you don't want it to freeze, reboot, blue screen, etc.
If you are gaming, same thing.

 

[zzglenn]

Originally posted by: aamsel

Originally posted by: tr1kstanc3
the first thing you want to change is the FSB Frequency from 435 to something lower. your target speed is 400 with the 9x multiplier. at this bus speed you should have your memory at 1000mhz. i would also start off with slightly lower cpu and dram voltage. start smaller and move up in increments until you hit your target frequency. good luck.

After you do hit a target frequency, if you intend for this setup to be "rock steady" you will normally need to back off a bit for everyday use. How far? This again can vary, some amount of FSB, voltage, etc.

Why?

I have MANY times seen setups that pass burn in testing for days of Orthos, Prime95, memtest, etc. etc. only to fail a few hours, days, or weeks later in real world use.

Perhaps the day-to-day programs hit a combo of things that the burn in tests can't.

Also, the ambient temperature in your environment may go up or down.

So, if you are doing important work, you don't want it to freeze, reboot, blue screen, etc.
If you are gaming, same thing.

The template above was posted by someone running an E8400 so the frequencies there are a bit higher to high for a Q6600. I would like to get the CPU to 3.6 stable. Is that going to be possible or will I have to back it down to a safer zone of like just 3ghz? I do mostly gaming.

 

[aamsel]

Originally posted by: zzglenn

Originally posted by: aamsel

Originally posted by: tr1kstanc3
the first thing you want to change is the FSB Frequency from 435 to something lower. your target speed is 400 with the 9x multiplier. at this bus speed you should have your memory at 1000mhz. i would also start off with slightly lower cpu and dram voltage. start smaller and move up in increments until you hit your target frequency. good luck.

After you do hit a target frequency, if you intend for this setup to be "rock steady" you will normally need to back off a bit for everyday use. How far? This again can vary, some amount of FSB, voltage, etc.

Why?

I have MANY times seen setups that pass burn in testing for days of Orthos, Prime95, memtest, etc. etc. only to fail a few hours, days, or weeks later in real world use.

Perhaps the day-to-day programs hit a combo of things that the burn in tests can't.

Also, the ambient temperature in your environment may go up or down.

So, if you are doing important work, you don't want it to freeze, reboot, blue screen, etc.
If you are gaming, same thing.

The template above was posted by someone running an E8400 so the frequencies there are a bit higher to high for a Q6600. I would like to get the CPU to 3.6 stable. Is that going to be possible or will I have to back it down to a safer zone of like just 3ghz? I do mostly gaming.

Here is the real point:
You are unlikely to be able to tell the difference in 3.0GHz and 3.6GHz.
Some chips are better than others, but there is a limit to the silicon. Even the engineering samples (unlocked, premium chips) can only get so far.

I had heard that the average for a Q6600 was much lower, around 3.2 but could be wrong.
3.6 would be a really great chip. 3.0 would be good.

I have a great Conroe E6600, but have never found the perfect motherboard for it. The best I had was an ASUS P5W64 WS Pro, but I sold it. The E6600 was a faster o/c chip than the Q6600 or at least equal. It is rated faster frequency. I have never gotten close to 3.6 out of an E6600, so, no, you are not going to get 3.6 on air or water. Extreme only.

You are asking for a 50% overclock, which may happen, and may not. Once you have run your benchmarks, what difference does it really make?

There are time consuming tasks on a PC that benefit from more CPU power, and that may matter to you. A task that takes 42 minutes that now takes 39 may matter.

However, if the machine reboots, locks up, bluescreens, or whatever 35 minutes into that 39 minute task, it is now not worth it?

That's why when I find a maximum stable overclock I then decide how much I want to back off for everyday use. A combination of lower fsb and less/same voltage, after trial and error.

 

[mlosee222]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: mlosee222
I am having problems with the P5Q Pro! It is crashing when I have my 2x2GB G-Skill DDR2-1000 ram running at 1000mhz. I have the voltage set to 2.1 in the bios and the memory OC thing enabled. I am running the 0703 bios. Everything is at stock speed except for the ram which is currently underclocked at 800mhz.

If I set the memory speed to "auto" then it seems to run just fine.

specs:
P5Q Pro
2x2GB G-Skill DDR2-1000
Q9300 stock


Perhaps a bios update would fix it?

Take a look at my RAM settings here: http://n7.slayernine.com/files/bios/

It's for my 8 GB Mushkin, but these should help with the basics.

Leave the all the subtimings i don't list @ Auto

Assuming FSB Frequency - 333

Try:
FSB Strap to North Bridge - Auto
DRAM Frequency - DDR2-1000 (2:3 ratio)
tCL - 5
tRCD - 5
tRP - 5
tRAS - 15
Row Refresh Cycle Time - 60 (Very important)
DRAM Static Read Control - Disabled
DRAM Reading Training - Disabled
Mem. OC Charger - Enabled
AI Clock Twister - Light or Moderate, try Light first
AI Transaction Booster - Auto (Enabled means you control "Performance Level - tRD" manually. This greatly affects memory performance scores...beware though, too low of a value will result in no POST. You can try for 6 with all pull-ins enabled @ FSB 333 MHz, but initially leave @ Auto or leave high, then tighten after getting RAM stable.)
NB Voltage - 1.24-1.3v, lower when you get stable

If you are staying at stock speeds, leave all the voltages auto, but if not, manually set to low values.

Test stability with Memtest86+ & then HCI Memtest in Windows.
Use Prime 95 25.6 for checking CPU/mobo/basic RAM testing.

thanks for the good advice! i tried those settings and still its a no go. At this point I'm just wondering if this ram won't run at its rated speed... time to swap different sticks in various machines it seems

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: aamsel
You are unlikely to be able to tell the difference in 3.0GHz and 3.6GHz.
Some chips are better than others, but there is a limit to the silicon. Even the engineering samples (unlocked, premium chips) can only get so far.

I had heard that the average for a Q6600 was much lower, around 3.2 but could be wrong.
3.6 would be a really great chip. 3.0 would be good.

It really depends on what graphics solution you have as well. There's strong evidence that if you're running SLI/CF or one of the faster single GPUs (GTX or RV770) you may experience bottlenecking with a slower CPU. Many reviews show little difference between the parts at 3GHz but scale as CPU speeds are increased to 4GHz+.

Part of my reason for upgrading to a P45 chipset was to get to 400FSB+ and 3.6GHz with my G0 Q6600. I could get it 80-90% stable at 3.5GHz or so and pass Prime95 stable overnight, but it'd flake out or BSOD in normal usage. It wasn't just in apps/games either, simple stuff like USB drives or devices could set it off. I eventually had to back it down to 3GHz 100% rock solid stable, with 3.2GHz stable with occasional flaky behavior from peripherals.

Anyways, I have been able to get my Q6600 stable at 3.6GHz and 400FSB, however, there is a massive temperature delta at 3.6 compared to anything lower than 3.480 or so. It requires me to crank up Vcore more than +.1000. I'm at 1.3750 now. I was able to run at 1.2500 and ~3.5GHz. This contributes to a massive temperature spike with temps hitting 75-80C at full load @ 3.6GHz with OCCT or Prime95. Temps under load at 3.48GHz were in the 62-65C range. Idle temps are fine however even at 3.6, idling anywhere from 35-40C. Under normal usage, even at 80-90C utilization, temps never go over 70C at 3.6GHz.

I may back it down to 3.5GHz or lower to keep temps down, but running at 3.6GHz and my GPU on a PCI 2.0 slot has finally allowed me to match published benchmarks and 3DMark scores. My scores were always a bit off on my 650i boards. I wouldn't care all that much except I have noticed some improvements in actual gameplay as well.

 

[secretanchitman]

425FSB (3.4Ghz) is definitely doable on this board with 1.25vcore, if you are on a Q9450. i can do 450FSB (3.6Ghz) but i need a ton more vcore which is pointless for a 200mhz increase.

 

[n7]

Well, i've spent hours & hours changing timings & rebooting, running HCI & rebooting...etc.

Doesn't really help that i've updated bios pretty much every time a new one is out.

There are three sets of subtimings on this mobo, & unfortunately for my tweaking, one (or a few) of those timings affects HCI Memtest stability in a big way.

So i'm presently running the 1st set manually set to the same timings as auto puts them at, & the second & third set i've set one notch looser for each one, since auto sets one (or more) of them a wee bit too tight...just haven't figured out which one(s) wrecks stability...there's only like 12 to pick from

I've gotten to somewhere i'm pretty happy with in terms of performance, but also stability, though i'm still going to eventually try to figure out which of those remaining 12 subtimings prefers being set looser.

HCI Memtest stable bios settings for bios 0901:

AI Overclock tuner: Manual
CPU Ratio Setting: 8
FSB Strap to North Bridge: 333
FSB Frequency: 442
PCI-E Frequency: 101
DRAM Frequency: 1061
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A2: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B2: AUTO
DRAM Timing Control: Manual

1st Information:
CAS# Latency: 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 3
Row Refresh Cycle Time: 55
Write Recovery Time: 6
Read to Precharge Time: 3

2nd Information :
READ to WRITE Delay (S/D): 9
Write to Read Delay (S): 4
WRITE to READ Delay (D): 6
READ to READ Delay (S): 5
READ to READ Delay (D): 7
WRITE to WRITE Delay (S): 5
WRITE to WRITE Delay (D): 7

3rd Information :
WRITE to PRE Delay: 15
READ to PRE Delay: 6
PRE to PRE Delay: 2
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: 7
ALL PRE to REF Delay: 7

DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
DRAM Read Training: Disabled
MEM. OC Charger: Enabled
AI Clock Twister: Moderate
AI Transaction Booster: Manual
Common Performance Level: 08
All Pull-Ins: Enabled

CPU Voltage: 1.4
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): AUTO
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): AUTO
CPU PLL Voltage: 1.52
FSB Termination Voltage: 1.22
DRAM Voltage: 1.96
NB Voltage: 1.24
NB GTL Reference: AUTO
SBridge Voltage: 1.1
PCIE SATA Voltage: 1.5

Load Line Calibration: Enabled
CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
CPU Clock Skew : AUTO
NB Clock Skew : AUTO

Q6700 @ 3536 MHz DDR2-1061 5-5-5-15 HCI Memtest stable

Everest Read - 8061 MB/s | Write - 8038 MB/s | Copy - 8748 MB/s | Latency - 57.4 ns

I can get it quite a bit higher, but it'll fail HCI then...

 

[Mustanggt]

Does this board the pro not deluxe have the same tRD settings in bios as the Rampage has in AT s review??

 

[GMon]

Hello all. Just purchased my P5Q Deluxe today and really have everything I need except for memory. CPU is the E8500 and I will be oc'ing it to around 4.0GHz, which I hear is very easy to achieve. Anyhow can someone recommend some RAM given my oc'ing goals? I would maybe like to go for 4GB (2x 2GB) even though I will be using XP Pro 32bit. I was thinking of THIS, or it that overkill?

The E8500 has one of those .5 multipliers (9.5) so not too sure if that makes a difference regarding type of memory to use. I'm still learning about overclocking so forgive my ignorance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tr1kstanc3]

Originally posted by: GMon
Hello all. Just purchased my P5Q Deluxe today and really have everything I need except for memory. CPU is the E8500 and I will be oc'ing it to around 4.0GHz, which I hear is very easy to achieve. Anyhow can someone recommend some RAM given my oc'ing goals? I would maybe like to go for 4GB (2x 2GB) even though I will be using XP Pro 32bit. I was thinking of THIS, or it that overkill?

The E8500 has one of those .5 multipliers (9.5) so not too sure if that makes a difference regarding type of memory to use. I'm still learning about overclocking so forgive my ignorance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i purchased this memory for my p5q deluxe and am running it at ddr2-1000 speeds. it works great and i have had no memory issues. i bought it when it cost $84 though =[ i have never used mushkin memory so i can't comment on that.

regarding the multiplier it should not make any difference other than 4000MHz (target speed) / 9.5 multiplier = ~421fsb. the mainboard will have dividers for the memory so you should be okay.

 

[secretanchitman]

flashed to the 803 bios...apparently some people at the XS forums are reporting funky cpu temps..i havent gotten that bug on my mobo fortunately. no problems to report here.

 

[GeordieLife]

Which memory should I use with my P5Q deluxe?