The EPoX 4G4A+ seems very promising.

Page 31 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
P

Poohbee

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
787
0
71
my settings were:
(i'll list what is different from yours and mine)

jp1 = off (not connected)
Ram at Turbo -2,5,2,2
CPU throttle = 50%
CPU temp warning is I think 133 degrees or something like that
CPU Shutdown is at 143

For the CPU/Voltage (might differ in your case if you have a different CPU)

Auto Detect clock is ON
Spread spectrum is disabled.
CPU and FSB is at 150fsb (x19) = 2850ghz
Mem frequency is at 375 (Depends if you select the different ratio's) i chose the highest.
AGP/PCI Clock on Auto
Vcore at 1.650 (up from 1.500)
everything else is default.
 
P

Poohbee

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
787
0
71
I probably won't be able to reply for a bit. I RMA'd my epox 4g4a+ so I will be waiting for another new one soon i hope. The problem that my board had was that the HIGHPOINT ide connectors would constantly crash, stall, and lock up the computer. Everytime i moved files to the drives that were connected to the highpoit raid connectors (non-raid setup) it would crash the system... I finally put a promise ATA100 controller card into the pci slot and connected the HD's on to them and the computer has not crashed . So anyways.. i got a bum board. typing on the laptop is no fun. but I'm going on a 2 week vacation so i won' worry much ^^. anyways.. just FYI.
 
N

niktheblak

Junior Member
Oct 2, 2002
12
0
0
I have sad news for EPoX 4G4A series owners.

I recently emailed EPoX about the upcoming HyperThreading support regarding the 845G chipset used in 4G4A series. Their reply was saddening, 4G4A series uses the Stepping A 845G chipset and thus will not now or ever support HyperThreading in 3 GHz+ CPU's.

So no 3 GHz+ CPU's for me :(

Unfortunately I cannot include the full reply because a legal statement at the bottom of the message specifically denies it
rolleye.gif
 
W

wizz0bang

Senior member
Sep 28, 2000
290
0
0
Guess this board has fallen off the radar screens as of late. Mine is still running stable... though I have never used the raid, sound, video, ethernet features yet :) would have been nice to get all the stability/overclocker features without the unneeded stuff.

I'm still using the old, stock bios. Any reasons I should upgrade to the latest (8/24)? I haven't seen too much discussion on this thread.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,545
236
106
wizz0bang, everyone seems to love the original 4/24 bios. From what I can tell, it overclocks the best because it is the only bios that doesn't undervolt. I am using the latest BIOS (8/24), and I love it. I get a noticeable improvement in my 3dMark score when using it over the original bios (can't remember what the scores were, it has been so long since I have used the original bios.)

If you are overclocking your system, just add .05 volts after you flash to the 8/24 bios, and you should be able to overclock just as high as you could with the 2424 bios, and you should get some extra performance to boot!

Also, if you use RAID, it might interest you to note that the 8/24 bios also updates the Highpoint bios to the latest version.

 
J

Johnnychangs

Member
Jun 4, 2002
87
0
0
There's a new 9/20/02 and a newer 10/28/02 Bios available for the 4G4A+.

I tried the 10/28/02 Bios and the Realtek onboard LAN adapter wouldn't work at all after flashing. Instead of reverting back to the 8/xx/02 Bios I was using before, I flashed the 9/20/02 Bios and had the same problem. WinXP Pro detects a network card and can see it, but it doesn't transfer data properly.

Wierdness. I spent hours trying to figure this out last night. Hopefully flashing back to the 8/xx/02 or one of the 4/xx/02 Bioses will fix things.

Why release an update if its just gonna break stuff? I sent an email to Epox Support and will see what they say.
 
P

PSULion

Member
Jul 31, 2002
41
0
0
Man,
I have been trying to follow this thread. There's a ton of info here and thanks to all those who have gone before me!
I want an opinion on this board. I can get it today at fry's for $269.99 with a 533 FSB and a 2.24GHz processor. It's a bare cpu so I need a fan (any suggestions)? I am not that interested in O/Cing off the bat but want a flexible board to use for gaming and video editing. i also have a Maxtor ultra DMA 133 HDD I want to maximize (though t seems it may not be worth it to run this vial the RAID IDE channel (can I do this).

Is this a deal at $269?
 
P

PSULion

Member
Jul 31, 2002
41
0
0
Oh, and it would be great to get somme RAM advice. Is it best to get 1 512 stick or 2 256 sticks. Again, i am not looking to push the RAM but want to run stable. Sorry for the newbie questions!
W-
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,545
236
106
Whoa, I ran into big-time probs last night trying those new beta bioses Jonnychangs listed. (Guess that's why they are beta bioses.) AOA Files (where you can find all the bioses for this board including the 2424) says there is some sort of PCI issue with these bioses. I could only get into Windows in safe mode!

Anyway, this is a great board PSULion, no mistake about it. The question is, is is still the best out there for your hard earned-dollar? There is a newer version of this board Anand reviewed recently, the 4PEA+. It is almost identical to the 4G4A+ except with this new board you also get Serial ATA and support for Hyper-Threading. If I had to buy a board today, this is probably what I would go for.

As for memory, you can go either way since you are running stock speed, but the 512 MB stick will let you run tighter RAM timings, all other things being equal. If you upgrade a lot, you may want to grab 2-256's so that you can take advanteage of Dual-Channel DDR when Granite Bay comes out.

I personally cool my 2.4B with an Alpha 8942. Of course, I also overclock to 2.8 GHz. The stock Intel fan is more than adequate though, and it's almost silent.
 
P

PSULion

Member
Jul 31, 2002
41
0
0
Yes, it's a bummer this board does not support hyperthreading. I was hoping for a solid upgrade path but I am typically willing to sacrifice the latest for a solid performer. In my house what normally happens is my system gets passed to my wife and hers to the kids, etc. By the time I am ready to move past 2.2 GHz I will be looking to jump to the new (probably then old) technology.
I may even play with the boards O/C ability. I'm moving up froma PIII 1 GHz so I'll be in heaven with anything close to 2!!!

I appreciate all you cutting edge guys who clear the path for us newbies! Keep up the good work!!
 
L

Link

Golden Member
Jan 10, 2000
1,330
0
0
I've also got the Fry's deal on 4G4A+ and P4 deal like PSULion, except mine was 2.4B. So far so good, except USB2.0 isn't randomly working.
My 2.4B is currently doing 2.77@1.6V with idle temp of 39C. It goes up to 53C under full load. One very odd thing though, Sandra reports the memory timing at 2-6-2-2 when I set the bios to SPD. I know it was 2.5-6-3-3 with 8K3A+
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,545
236
106
Link, I have heard that you can't mix your USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices on the same port. For example, if you have one USB 2.0 device on one connector, put your USB 1.1 devices on the other port. I have heard this will fix the problem, while others flat-out say USB 2.0 doesn't work at all on this board. I don't have any USB 2.0 devices, so I am sorry I can't say for sure. Of course, having the latest drivers from Intel's website is always a good idea.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,545
236
106
If any of your with this awesome board and want to run around DDR 400 using the 3:4 divider, you may want to check out a new thread "4G4A+ 3:4 divider." I know everyone was having issue with this board when combining the 3:4 ratio with the Intel INF drivers. I have found a workaround, so you may want to check it out.
 
Muadib

Muadib

Lifer
May 30, 2000
17,916
838
126
Originally posted by: Johnnychangs
There's a new 9/20/02 and a newer 10/28/02 Bios available for the 4G4A+.

I tried the 10/28/02 Bios and the Realtek onboard LAN adapter wouldn't work at all after flashing. Instead of reverting back to the 8/xx/02 Bios I was using before, I flashed the 9/20/02 Bios and had the same problem. WinXP Pro detects a network card and can see it, but it doesn't transfer data properly.

Wierdness. I spent hours trying to figure this out last night. Hopefully flashing back to the 8/xx/02 or one of the 4/xx/02 Bioses will fix things.

Why release an update if its just gonna break stuff? I sent an email to Epox Support and will see what they say.
Click to expand...

They removed it from their site.
 
S

skriefal

Golden Member
Apr 10, 2000
1,418
3
81
I picked up one of these boards from the NewEgg refurb section a few days ago. It doesn't boot... the built-in POST display always hangs with a display of "C3" ("Expand compressed BIOS code to DRAM"). It's probably a bad board, but before I assume that and send it back... has anyone else encountered similar problem(s)? I'm using a 2.53GHz processor and a single 256MB PC2100 DIMM, and have tried moving the DIMM to each of the 3 slots, as well as clearing the BIOS settings using the jumper. I also tried a 512MB PC2100 DIMM that I temporarily pulled from my other PC. "C3" POST codes in all cases.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,545
236
106
Muadib, you are correct about Epox bioses, but only in reference to BETA bioses. Every official bios I have used from Epox has worked great (both on this board and previous Epox boards.) It's those pesky beta bioses you have to watch out for (usually posted at AOA Files .)

I am currently running the 2A31 bios, and it works great. I would say it is on par with the 2822, which I had been using previously. If you want the most performance out of your board, I would suggest you use one of these two bioses.

Skriefal, unless it is a VERY good deal, I wouldn't buy a refurbished board. There is just too much that can go wrong with it. It sounds like that you indeed have a bad board. I would RMA it and get a new one. It really is worth the extra few bucks. If you can't get a new one, RMA it for another refurbished one, and maybe you will have better luck. Newegg does test the stuff when you RMA it, so maybe they can tell you what the problem is. Fortunately you bought from NewEgg. They offer the best custmer service of any retailer I have dealt with, and I deal almost solely with them for my purchases.
 
S

skriefal

Golden Member
Apr 10, 2000
1,418
3
81
Yes, there is a risk in buying refurbished product. I decided to take that risk in the hopes of getting a working 4G4A+ for $59. Unfortunately, it doesn't work and my experience with NewEgg refurbs is now quite poor... out of 3 purchases, all 3 have been DOA or seriously defective. I've purchased an MSI 845PE board from a local dealer and it works well, so I'll be requesting an RMA refund on the Epox board.
 
M

MetroRider

Senior member
Jun 11, 2001
433
0
0
well, after all this time, i want to chime in with how my Epox 4g4a+ has been doing for me. after ~ 5 months in use for me, this has been one solid, rock-stable system for me. everything in windows 2000 is blazing fast, and handles everything i throw at it. it's my p4-1600 @ 2277....

and just for one more bit of proof, here's my current uptime and counting:

\\Epox-4g4a has been up for: 110 day(s), 3 hour(s), 38 minute(s), 47 second(s)

 
B

Bad Dude

Diamond Member
Jan 25, 2000
8,464
0
76
Does anyone knows if there is a new revision out? It seems that all of the boards are within 4 months of manufacture dates.
Thanks.
 
P

Poohbee

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
787
0
71
i haven't heard of any revisions yet... only lots of bioses. The only revision i know of is the changing of the heatsink on the northbridge chip.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom