The Unofficial ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Board Thread

[jkcheng122]

Originally posted by:Thanks for the score looks pretty decent. That is close enough for me.(forgot you have a E6300). I can rerun mine again @ 400 and drop the multipler down to 7. You would probably have to up your mem voltage if your having problems at 1T or go to 4-4-4-12 2T nb voltage is fine as I have clocked up higher without having to change it from 1.39. Watch for Vdroop it's pretty bad 1.32 vcore should do it. The Zalman heat sink is easy to put together, no need to take your board out. It is a little pain to line up just tighten the screws pretty tight so you can just about move the brackets and then set it place and adjust the brackets till they line up put some good thermal paste I use ARCTIC COOLING MX-1 Thermal Compound works as good or better than AS 5 and contains no metal, so no electrical conductivity. Then push the pins in and your done.

would it be better to go 4-4-4-12-2t or 5-5-5-15-1t? as far as mem voltage goes i wont be upping it anymore as it would pass the warranted level. i guess i can go as high as 2.2v + 5% which would be 2.31V.

i will try upping the nb volt a notch after i get the properly cooling stuff put in. i also talked to asus and they said there is indeed a new bios in the works. i'm trying to get an eta from him.

 

[chizow]

Putting together a new system based on this board, it'll be my first system build in about 2 1/2 years so I'm looking forward to it. Sounds like there's a lot of issues with RAM timings with this board and the current BIOS, and that's before you even start to touch the FSB for OC'ing. What would be a "safe" FSB speed for a healthy OC with the following components:

Asus P5N-E SLI
C2D E6400
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2 8000

From what I've read, its better to run this board/CPU with tighter memory timings @ 1T and give up a little on the FSB. Also seems like the current BIOS revision doesn't take well to FSB speeds over 400 atm. Running 400 FSB should put me @ 3.2GHz which is fine for the time being. Anyone have any issues with this set-up or any other suggestions on what to try? I wanna get this rig up and running ASAP and don't want to spend too much time tweaking right now, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Core2]

Drop my multipler down to 7 x 400 2800 4-4-4-12 2T 3Dmarks 06 5611 from 5663 @ 412.5x8 3300 not much different. Super Pi went up to 19.90 from 16.93 @ 412.5x8 3300 Memory Banwidth 7452 @ 7x400 2800

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: chizow
Putting together a new system based on this board, it'll be my first system build in about 2 1/2 years so I'm looking forward to it. Sounds like there's a lot of issues with RAM timings with this board and the current BIOS, and that's before you even start to touch the FSB for OC'ing. What would be a "safe" FSB speed for a healthy OC with the following components:

Asus P5N-E SLI
C2D E6400
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2 8000

From what I've read, its better to run this board/CPU with tighter memory timings @ 1T and give up a little on the FSB. Also seems like the current BIOS revision doesn't take well to FSB speeds over 400 atm. Running 400 FSB should put me @ 3.2GHz which is fine for the time being. Anyone have any issues with this set-up or any other suggestions on what to try? I wanna get this rig up and running ASAP and don't want to spend too much time tweaking right now, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

There is a good review that will answer most of your questions ASUS P5N-E SLI: NVIDIA's 650i enters with a Bang Yes tighter timmiings are working out better 4-4-4-12 1T only works in the black slots as of right now

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: jkcheng122

Originally posted by:Thanks for the score looks pretty decent. That is close enough for me.(forgot you have a E6300). I can rerun mine again @ 400 and drop the multipler down to 7. You would probably have to up your mem voltage if your having problems at 1T or go to 4-4-4-12 2T nb voltage is fine as I have clocked up higher without having to change it from 1.39. Watch for Vdroop it's pretty bad 1.32 vcore should do it. The Zalman heat sink is easy to put together, no need to take your board out. It is a little pain to line up just tighten the screws pretty tight so you can just about move the brackets and then set it place and adjust the brackets till they line up put some good thermal paste I use ARCTIC COOLING MX-1 Thermal Compound works as good or better than AS 5 and contains no metal, so no electrical conductivity. Then push the pins in and your done.

would it be better to go 4-4-4-12-2t or 5-5-5-15-1t? as far as mem voltage goes i wont be upping it anymore as it would pass the warranted level. i guess i can go as high as 2.2v + 5% which would be 2.31V.

i will try upping the nb volt a notch after i get the properly cooling stuff put in. i also talked to asus and they said there is indeed a new bios in the works. i'm trying to get an eta from him.

Try 4-4-4-12 2T and don't change the mem voltage or the NB voltage. Whats is your vcore at?

 

[jkcheng122]

Originally posted by: chizow
Putting together a new system based on this board, it'll be my first system build in about 2 1/2 years so I'm looking forward to it. Sounds like there's a lot of issues with RAM timings with this board and the current BIOS, and that's before you even start to touch the FSB for OC'ing. What would be a "safe" FSB speed for a healthy OC with the following components:

Asus P5N-E SLI
C2D E6400
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2 8000

From what I've read, its better to run this board/CPU with tighter memory timings @ 1T and give up a little on the FSB. Also seems like the current BIOS revision doesn't take well to FSB speeds over 400 atm. Running 400 FSB should put me @ 3.2GHz which is fine for the time being. Anyone have any issues with this set-up or any other suggestions on what to try? I wanna get this rig up and running ASAP and don't want to spend too much time tweaking right now, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

From what i've read, it's not that it won't go over speeds over 400, it's that it wont go over the memory's rated speed. so if u have pc2-8000, u can prob run at over 400. since u have not started building ur system yet, might best to wait for a new bios, or if sli isnt something u'll ever think about doing, go with a more matured chipset like the 965.

 

[jkcheng122]

Originally posted by: Try 4-4-4-12 2T and don't change the mem voltage or the NB voltage. Whats is your vcore at?

i'll have to tell u after i get home from work =)

 

[Ilikepiedoyou]

Will this work well http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227124

 

[jkcheng122]

i came across this review site earlier today. might be a good look as far as oc'ing memory are concerned. little disappointed my ocz's can only go 445. i went with ocz for this rig b/c my previous ocz memory oc'ed very well, taking my 3800+ x2 from 2.0ghz to 2.6ghz.

 

[Core2]

Will this work well http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227124

I like Corsair. Yes, they will work once you find the right settings. I have both corsair 6400 and 6400C4 both do 1000 at 2.1 2.2 volts same chips different spec voltages So don't spend more than you have to

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: jkcheng122
i came across this review site earlier today. might be a good look as far as oc'ing memory are concerned. little disappointed my ocz's can only go 445. i went with ocz for this rig b/c my previous ocz memory oc'ed very well, taking my 3800+ x2 from 2.0ghz to 2.6ghz.

You should get 950 to 1000 with those Test just your memory. Drop your multiplier to 6 lax your timings to 5-5-5-12 2T voltage start at 2.1 vcore 1.35 FSB 1800 mem 900 and work your way up slowly Don't forget the dividers setting mem at 800 1T and FSB 2000 works too. look at the review

 

[jkcheng122]

i had thought about doing that, but decided maybe i should wait for the upcoming bios b4 i do that.

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: jkcheng122
i had thought about doing that, but decided maybe i should wait for the upcoming bios b4 i do that.

Actually memory performance drops off at 425 FSB so your are good where you are. Let your board break in and enjoy.
424 fsb = 64ns latency.
425 fsb = 78ns latency

 

[jkcheng122]

Originally posted by: Core2

Originally posted by: jkcheng122
i had thought about doing that, but decided maybe i should wait for the upcoming bios b4 i do that.

Actually memory performance drops off at 425 FSB so your are good where you are. Let your board break in and enjoy.
424 fsb = 64ns latency.
425 fsb = 78ns latency

but i wanna hit 3.0ghz =(
gonna try messing around with the settings a bit more tonight, and i'm reporting all the issues straight to our rep at Asus, he said it'd help speed up the new BIOS release to have feedback on issues.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: jkcheng122

From what i've read, it's not that it won't go over speeds over 400, it's that it wont go over the memory's rated speed. so if u have pc2-8000, u can prob run at over 400. since u have not started building ur system yet, might best to wait for a new bios, or if sli isnt something u'll ever think about doing, go with a more matured chipset like the 965.

Ah ok, it can still run over 400 at the rated SPD specs and should be ok then? The parts have all shipped, and although I'm not going SLI now its not something I'm ruling out in the future. Have an 8800GTS otw with this system build which should be fine for now.

Also to the person who asked if the OCZ were any good. I was flip-flopping on those sticks, Buffalo Firestix and Corsair XMS TwinX and just decided on getting the Crucial Ballistix. There was enough info in that Memory thread in the OC'ing section to scare me away from chancing one of those memories so I just paid the extra $80-100 and got the sure thing.

$309 for the PC2 8000 was a pretty good deal imo, so essentially I went with a cheaper CPU and spent the difference on better RAM hoping I can make up the difference in an OC. A bit riskier, but I think buying better RAM gives you more options come upgrade time.

 

[Srfrbum]

Can anyone make a Overclocking guide to this motherboard, because everything I try, I can't get the FSB to get over 1380 without no boot, or no stability. THANKS.

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: jkcheng122

From what i've read, it's not that it won't go over speeds over 400, it's that it wont go over the memory's rated speed. so if u have pc2-8000, u can prob run at over 400. since u have not started building ur system yet, might best to wait for a new bios, or if sli isnt something u'll ever think about doing, go with a more matured chipset like the 965.

Ah ok, it can still run over 400 at the rated SPD specs and should be ok then? The parts have all shipped, and although I'm not going SLI now its not something I'm ruling out in the future. Have an 8800GTS otw with this system build which should be fine for now.

Also to the person who asked if the OCZ were any good. I was flip-flopping on those sticks, Buffalo Firestix and Corsair XMS TwinX and just decided on getting the Crucial Ballistix. There was enough info in that Memory thread in the OC'ing section to scare me away from chancing one of those memories so I just paid the extra $80-100 and got the sure thing.

$309 for the PC2 8000 was a pretty good deal imo, so essentially I went with a cheaper CPU and spent the difference on better RAM hoping I can make up the difference in an OC. A bit riskier, but I think buying better RAM gives you more options come upgrade time.

As I said in the previous page these ram companies are rating higher speed on there ram when in fact they are the same chips in lower speed ram with a different EPP profile. maybe they hand pick these chips but, I haven't noticed any difference. From Crucial's web site
DDR2 PC2-6400 ? 4-4-4-12 ? UNBUFFERED ? NON-ECC ? DDR2-800 ? 2.2V ? SLI-Ready ? 128Meg x 64
DDR2 PC2-8000 ? 5-5-5-15 ? UNBUFFERED ? NON-ECC ? DDR2-1000 ? 2.2V ? 128Meg x 64
notice both chips are 128 x 64 and they relaxed the timings to get 1000. Some up there voltage and relax timings.

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum
Can anyone make a Overclocking guide to this motherboard, because everything I try, I can't get the FSB to get over 1380 without no boot, or no stability. THANKS.

List your computer ram and spec with your bios settings

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Core2

As I said in the previous page these ram companies are rating higher speed on there ram when in fact they are the same chips in lower speed ram with a different EPP profile. maybe they hand pick these chips but, I haven't noticed any difference. From Crucial's web site
DDR2 PC2-6400 ? 4-4-4-12 ? UNBUFFERED ? NON-ECC ? DDR2-800 ? 2.2V ? SLI-Ready ? 128Meg x 64
DDR2 PC2-8000 ? 5-5-5-15 ? UNBUFFERED ? NON-ECC ? DDR2-1000 ? 2.2V ? 128Meg x 64
notice both chips are 128 x 64 and they relaxed the timings to get 1000. Some up there voltage and relax timings.

Well, my biggest concern was that some of those kits were no longer using Micron D9 ICs, particularly the Corsair XMS TwinX PC2 6400 kits. I also saw a recent feedback in that thread that the Buffalo Firestix wouldn't go 1 MHz over 400 with this board so it kinda scared me away from those.

From what I gathered, Crucial kits are guaranteed Micron D9 ICs, and the PC2-8000 kits, even if they are spec'd at relaxed timings and using the same ICs as the PC2-6400 kits, have been tested and guaranteed to run at DDR2-1000. So basically it was choosing between a crapshoot on 3-4 kits or buying a "guaranteed OC" for $80-100 more.

 

[jkcheng122]

big problem =(

after putting on the zalman chipset on sb and the asus chipset fan on nb. the system would not post when i powered it up. tried resetting cmos and nothing, it just powers up and doesnt go into bios at all.....

as of now still down. no bios whatsoever.

i also found out something. zalman heatsink in the sb is a no-go, it blocks the end of the 2nd pcie slot. the heatsink is too high and prevents use of SLI.

 

[donxvi]

Originally posted by: jkcheng122
after putting on the zalman chipset on sb and the asus chipset fan on nb. the system would not post when i powered it up. tried resetting cmos and nothing, it just powers up and doesnt go into bios at all.....

I have encountered some situations in which it would go stupid unless I cleared the CMOS by powering off, unplugging, moving the Clear CMOS jumper to the other two pins, trying to power back on, then off, replace the jumper where it belongs, then power back on. Not quite what the manual says, but it's worked for me.
Also, recheck the seating of the NB heatsink, give it a good solid seating pushing on the center of the heatsink.

 

[donxvi]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum
Can anyone make a Overclocking guide to this motherboard, because everything I try, I can't get the FSB to get over 1380 without no boot, or no stability. THANKS.

A few thoughts;
Make sure you're not trying to run your CPU to a speed that's unreasonable for whatever model you have.
make sure you're running CPU to Memory clocks unlinked.
Set the memory clock, and timings, by hand, to what it's rated for. You may have to run CPUZ to verify what to set and that it's taken. Set memory voltage by hand as well. Worry about OCing memory later.
Make sure you have good seating of the NB heatsink, put some cooling on it to help out.
Set NB voltage to 1.4
Put your RAM in the black slots
Note the amount the voltage drops from the setting in BIOS to measured; think about 1.4-1.425 setpoint
Finally, I found that I couldn't boot for some period of time above a certain speed (one I'd successfully run at before) after a CMOS reset but then kept adjusting some of the CPU Settings (odd things on the Speedstep page of the BIOS) and it booted again. Not sure if there's a correlation there or not.
Just a few things I've played with so far.

 

[jkcheng122]

tried some of those things and to no avail, i'm just gonna exchange it. will probably get a gigabyte ds3 instead, then sell the video cards and by a 8800gts to replace it.

that would require another damn reformat tho, sigh...

maybe i should reget the same board first.

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: jkcheng122
tried some of those things and to no avail, i'm just gonna exchange it. will probably get a gigabyte ds3 instead, then sell the video cards and by a 8800gts to replace it.

that would require another damn reformat tho, sigh...

maybe i should reget the same board first.

What Happened? I go away for a few hours and your down again. Don't give up will get you up and running again. First, don't rush aways plan out what you are going to do. Always wear an anti-static wrist strap when touching anything inside your computer. When applying thermal compound that contains metal, make sure you do not put to much where it ends up all over the board. Now check the heat sink make sure it is not touching any small components underneath . Than check all your wire connection especially the Q connector. I have pull that loose a few times and has caused a situation similar to yours. I finally routed the wires down to the bottom of the case and where it attachés to the header and I taped it to the case. If you need to remove the heat sink get a pair cutters I use tile nippers to cut the top of the plastic push pins remove the heat sink and if you have to trim the push pins and push it threw the back and retrieve the small pieces. Zalman and others make a lower profile heat sink so don't panic. The SB does not need that much of a heat sink, and think of it you just saved the next SLI owner a big headache when he builds his. Sorry didn't mean to pick on you. Also you can trim or grind off what ever you need to make it work. Thats a start. Lets us know how you make out

 

[Core2]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: Core2

As I said in the previous page these ram companies are rating higher speed on there ram when in fact they are the same chips in lower speed ram with a different EPP profile. maybe they hand pick these chips but, I haven't noticed any difference. From Crucial's web site
DDR2 PC2-6400 ? 4-4-4-12 ? UNBUFFERED ? NON-ECC ? DDR2-800 ? 2.2V ? SLI-Ready ? 128Meg x 64
DDR2 PC2-8000 ? 5-5-5-15 ? UNBUFFERED ? NON-ECC ? DDR2-1000 ? 2.2V ? 128Meg x 64
notice both chips are 128 x 64 and they relaxed the timings to get 1000. Some up there voltage and relax timings.

Well, my biggest concern was that some of those kits were no longer using Micron D9 ICs, particularly the Corsair XMS TwinX PC2 6400 kits. I also saw a recent feedback in that thread that the Buffalo Firestix wouldn't go 1 MHz over 400 with this board so it kinda scared me away from those.

From what I gathered, Crucial kits are guaranteed Micron D9 ICs, and the PC2-8000 kits, even if they are spec'd at relaxed timings and using the same ICs as the PC2-6400 kits, have been tested and guaranteed to run at DDR2-1000. So basically it was choosing between a crapshoot on 3-4 kits or buying a "guaranteed OC" for $80-100 more.

Lets us know how well you do with them and the board.