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"Official" DFI nF4 Ultra-D / SLI-DR Thread

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scythe ninja fit on this mobo? I see that the layout isn't too great and it'll be no/tight fit. The northbridge is in a bad place so I won't be able to replace it with an aftermarket one, is it noisy, or at least can you turn it down and get good overclocking without overheating? any particular issues with this board? I'm really in frustration since I was going to buy an EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra which has an excellent layout for cooling options but that thing has USB 2.0 issues with external drives or large file transfer files on USB2, but I have a 30GB PMP in which I'll be doing large video trasnfers. Anything like that on the Ultra-D? Now that the EPoX is gone, I thought the Asus A8R-MVP would be good, but it seems Anand got a handpicked one and people are having all sorts of issues and not reaching the overclock of the review, so the Asus is out. The last thing I was going to purchase was a DFI, but that is my only choice now, so I would just like to make sure before I royally screw up on a long-term investment.
 
Originally posted by: Griffinhart
If it's the one I got, it shouldn't be a problem. The Lanparty UT NF4 SLI Expert has 3 PCI slots in addition to the PCIe slots. You should be able to add a soundboard and a PCI Wireless card and have plenty of room for an SLI set up. Well, for most videoboards anyway. What are you using for video boards? In my case I am using a pair of XFX 7800GT's and there is plenty of room.
Click to expand...

Are you getting accurate temp readings with your expert? I've seen some issues with this, and I'm holding off ordering until I can get more info on it. Also, any other probs you might have had. Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: Pens1566
Originally posted by: Griffinhart
If it's the one I got, it shouldn't be a problem. The Lanparty UT NF4 SLI Expert has 3 PCI slots in addition to the PCIe slots. You should be able to add a soundboard and a PCI Wireless card and have plenty of room for an SLI set up. Well, for most videoboards anyway. What are you using for video boards? In my case I am using a pair of XFX 7800GT's and there is plenty of room.
Click to expand...

Are you getting accurate temp readings with your expert? I've seen some issues with this, and I'm holding off ordering until I can get more info on it. Also, any other probs you might have had. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yep, Definately getting normal temperature reading. Nothing funky to report at all. I've been using the board for about a month now. It's been stable and solid. I'm extremely happy with this board.
 
Originally posted by: Griffinhart
Originally posted by: Pens1566

Are you getting accurate temp readings with your expert? I've seen some issues with this, and I'm holding off ordering until I can get more info on it. Also, any other probs you might have had. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yep, Definately getting normal temperature reading. Nothing funky to report at all. I've been using the board for about a month now. It's been stable and solid. I'm extremely happy with this board.
Click to expand...

What temps are you getting and how do you know that they are accurate?

If the temps are accurate, my SLI-DR Expert is running much cooler with a 4800+ than my old Asus MB did with a 3400+. I'm using a Big Typhoon heatsink and am getting temps of 25-28 deg idle and 34-38 deg when I push it (but I have the BIOS set to turn off the CPU fan at 25 deg and turn it on full at 34 deg).
With the same heatsink, I remember the 3400+ in an ASUS MB running about 45 deg/55 deg.
 
At stock, I'm running 26c at idle and I peak out at about 38c at load. I'm using a Zalman cooler in an Antec P-180 case.

From everything I've read, that temp is consistant with what I should be seeing, so I'm pretty comfortable with calling the numbers accurate.

My 3000+ (939) in a shuttle box idles around 28c and after being on continuously for a year (it's my media center PC) and running at 100% CPU (It's also my folding PC since it's on anyway) it averages 42c.

So, given both CPU's don't seem far off from eachother in temp and the p-180 is a cooler case, I'm confident in the numbers.

Now, my old Abit 939 board was terrible for accurate readings. On a cold boot it would read 20c higher than actual temps, then usually after a cold boot it would show lower temps.
 
swapping from a 3200+ to a 146 Opteron on a NF4 SLI-DR.....

Do I need to set the CPU settings to Auto in the bios, or just leave it on conservative manual settings?
 
Originally posted by: nealh
Expert version is supposedly under reporting temp by about 10C
Click to expand...

Do you have any sources for this? I asked about it on the DFI forum and was answered that it really does run that cool.

Thanks!
 
Originally posted by: nealh
Originally posted by: Griffinhart
A link would be helpfull. my 4400+ is reporting similar temps in the expert that I saw on the Giga-Byte board.
Click to expand...

go to post 1210..eva200 does alot of testing..you could pm her for more details

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho...p?p=1207595&highlight=dfi+expert+temps
Click to expand...


I just put a RadioShack DMM temperature probe against the CPU chip and ran prime95 in both cores for 20 minutes (see sig for system and cooling). The DMM read 1 degree higher than the CPU temp reported by the MB (using MBM5 -- 35 vs. 36 deg C). This seems pretty good to me -- you tell me which one is accurate 🙂. Does anyone have any links to specific measurements -- not suppositions and comparisons to other MBs which may be in error the other direction or which may just run hotter because they have poorer voltage regulation!
 
Originally posted by: DavidK21770
Originally posted by: nealh
Originally posted by: Griffinhart
A link would be helpfull. my 4400+ is reporting similar temps in the expert that I saw on the Giga-Byte board.
Click to expand...

go to post 1210..eva200 does alot of testing..you could pm her for more details

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho...p?p=1207595&highlight=dfi+expert+temps
Click to expand...


I just put a RadioShack DMM temperature probe against the CPU chip and ran prime95 in both cores for 20 minutes (see sig for system and cooling). The DMM read 1 degree higher than the CPU temp reported by the MB (using MBM5 -- 35 vs. 36 deg C). This seems pretty good to me -- you tell me which one is accurate 🙂. Does anyone have any links to specific measurements -- not suppositions and comparisons to other MBs which may be in error the other direction or which may just run hotter because they have poorer voltage regulation!
Click to expand...


wow sorry you think what I posted was supposition...The problem is you are still getting a mobo measurement...not from the chip and some mobos report temps wrong...not sure if how you tested is anymore accurate than the software reading

I have had numerous mobos report incorrect temps and when the a temp diode is setup by trusted on the chip thetemps reported are found to be wrong

I would suggest you look over at thread I posted the users there are very extreme in the way they abuse there chips and many go to significant lengths to learn vcore, vdimms, and temps

I would pm Eva for more info on this...but seems pretty common feeling there the Expert has reported incorrect temps..I do not own one so a new bios may have fixed this ..but just a word of caution

if I am wrong so be it

here is a link from user at DFI street..post 247..why would everyone states this is it is wrong
http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?p=359235#post359235
 
Originally posted by: nealh
Originally posted by: DavidK21770
I just put a RadioShack DMM temperature probe against the CPU chip and ran prime95 in both cores for 20 minutes (see sig for system and cooling). The DMM read 1 degree higher than the CPU temp reported by the MB (using MBM5 -- 35 vs. 36 deg C). This seems pretty good to me -- you tell me which one is accurate 🙂. Does anyone have any links to specific measurements -- not suppositions and comparisons to other MBs which may be in error the other direction or which may just run hotter because they have poorer voltage regulation!
Click to expand...


wow sorry you think what I posted was supposition...The problem is you are still getting a mobo measurement...not from the chip and some mobos report temps wrong...not sure if how you tested is anymore accurate than the software reading

I have had numerous mobos report incorrect temps and when the a temp diode is setup by trusted on the chip thetemps reported are found to be wrong

I would suggest you look over at thread I posted the users there are very extreme in the way they abuse there chips and many go to significant lengths to learn vcore, vdimms, and temps

I would pm Eva for more info on this...but seems pretty common feeling there the Expert has reported incorrect temps..I do not own one so a new bios may have fixed this ..but just a word of caution

if I am wrong so be it

here is a link from user at DFI street..post 247..why would everyone states this is it is wrong
http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?p=359235#post359235
Click to expand...

I did read down the link, but only saw mention of someone who wanted to make a measurement (what gave me the idea). I have yet to see a single report of an actual measurement. Lots of "this chip in that MB", but no measurements. With other chips, I've seen actual measurements where some MBs just run hotter than others (actually, a particular MB -- the one that I was running 🙂) -- in that case it was attributed to MB power regulation to the chip. Since this is a top MB (ie., good power regularion, I hope) and the chip itself has been redesigned to run cooler, the temps could be measured ok.

I did recognize that I was reading the temperature of the chip's thermal conduting layer and not the CPU die itself. I don't know the thermal conduction characteristics of it (steady state temperature drop across it), but I speculate 🙂 that it's good.

Thanks for the follow-up.
 
Hey its your call..I was passing along info that seems accepted regarding the incorrect temps reported by the mobo sensors

Good Luck
 
Originally posted by: nealh
Hey its your call..I was passing along info that seems accepted regarding the incorrect temps reported by the mobo sensors

Good Luck
Click to expand...

Sorry if I was cranky.

I did some more research and found a calibration procedure that gives linearity and offset. http://www.silentpcreview.com/article191-page2.html ?Calibrate Your CPU Temp Reporting?. The approach in the article looks reasonable. Based on it, my temperature reporting is linear and the offset is +/- 1 degree; i.e., it?s not off by that much (if at all). The limiting factor is that both of my temperature measuring devices have a 1 degree resolution. The CPU, I can look at the toggle rate between two temps to get an extra 1/2 digit, but my probe (for ambient temp) is just 1 degree.

I'm going to continue to keep my eye out for more backup one way or the other 🙂
 
F YOU PLAN ON PURCHASING THE ULTRA-D AND MODDING IT TO SLI BE WARNED THAT THE ULTRA-D DOES NOT COME WITH THE SLI BRIDGE AND DFI WON'T SELL ONE TO YOU!
Click to expand...

This is wrong, and needs to be edited out of the first post. DFI will sell you one, I and many others bought one from them directly.
 
I got a problem with my new SLI-DR Expert.
I can't install my RAM in the yellow slots - The computer will POST and won't BOOT and I get all these funny errors or simply a black screen.
Only the orange slots are good to go, and even then, I get blue death screens from time to time. The RAM is ok, I tested it for a week on a different MOBO (GB K8N-Ultra SLI).
Plus, I also tried to boot with Kingston Value and it didn't boot either.
Btw, I'm using 704-2 BIOS - One that's supposed to support BH5 chips better than the original DFI BIOS.

I'm using a TR2 430W PSU, and without OC for now. I plan to replace it soon with a 550W normal PSU, perhaps with EPS.

Anyone got an idea what may be wrong? Anyone saw a situation like this before?

I know the yellow ones are better for BH5 Chips, so I wanna use them.
 
Originally posted by: tratz
I got a problem with my new SLI-DR Expert.
I can't install my RAM in the yellow slots - The computer will POST and won't BOOT and I get all these funny errors or simply a black screen.
Only the orange slots are good to go, and even then, I get blue death screens from time to time. The RAM is ok, I tested it for a week on a different MOBO (GB K8N-Ultra SLI).
Plus, I also tried to boot with Kingston Value and it didn't boot either.
Btw, I'm using 704-2 BIOS - One that's supposed to support BH5 chips better than the original DFI BIOS.

I'm using a TR2 430W PSU, and without OC for now. I plan to replace it soon with a 550W normal PSU, perhaps with EPS.

Anyone got an idea what may be wrong? Anyone saw a situation like this before?

I know the yellow ones are better for BH5 Chips, so I wanna use them.
Click to expand...

I've read in several places to fill the orange before the yellow (WHY DON'T THEY NUMBER THEM THAT WAY!!!). That is true for my expert. memtest fails if I use the yellow. Works great in the orange.

I also had major problems when I had a weak memory stick. The pair worked fine in another MB. Wouldn't work fine in this MB. I tried one stick at a time to make sure that it wasn't the MB. OCZ RMA'd both for me so that I'd have a matched pair for paged mode 🙂. Have you tried one stick at a time?

AND (finally), on the DFI Street forum there's a post with suggested memory. Kingston is marked as "not recommended" without any explanation. (Surprised me!) YMMV.
 
Tratz Did you ever get your memory problems sorted out? I have a new LanParty nF4 Ultra-D on the way and want to learn as much as I can about install and startup errors/fixes before I try to put it togehter this weekend.

Anyone else have any other issues for this Mobo (other than chipset coolers vs PCIE card?)?? Looks like a lot of good positives in this thread but not heavy on issue -fixes. Could it be that this is really one mobo with no issues to speak of?
 
Guys, we have a computer noob that was instructed to purchase a DFi and he is completely lost. I thought it would be a good thing for you guys to go help him out since he bought the board on the advice of people here. Follow the link please......

DFi mobos are NOT for noobs.
 
Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
Guys, we have a computer noob that was instructed to purchase a DFi and he is completely lost. I thought it would be a good thing for you guys to go help him out since he bought the board on the advice of people here. Follow the link please......

DFi mobos are NOT for noobs.
Click to expand...

This guy is worse than a noob. He isn't answering questions. He's just wringing his hands and whining. Until he starts giving feedback, he can't be helped. He would have had problems with any MB.
 
Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
DFi mobos are NOT for noobs.
Click to expand...

And like a fool I'm going to buy one anyway 🙂

At DFI-Street, there are good guides for PSU/RAM requirements on the Ultra-D. However, it says quite specifically that the PC 4000+ is a requirement if you are going to overclock. I know you guys will think I'm a wimp, but... I don't want to overclock. I just got an X2 3800+ from Flickerdown and I just want a good system with quality components that runs well at stock.

I bought 2 X 512 OCZ Premier Series PC 3200 2.5-3-3-7... this was before I knew that 2 GB is getting to be the standard. I was planning on buying two more (1 matched set) for 4 sticks = 2 GB.

Is this RAM in this board a really bad idea? Also, is 4 sticks to get 2 GB asking for trouble for a newb builder using this board?

Thanks in advance

Nik
 
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