The Unofficial ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Board Thread

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Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
27,730
8
0
Originally posted by: Core2
Originally posted by: Bateluer
So, whats the overall word on this board? Worth buying?

For the money, Yes Here's a review ASUS P5N-E SLI: NVIDIA's 650i enters with a Bang

I do wish it had more than 4 SATA connectors. If I choose this board when I upgrade to C2D, I'll have all the SATA ports filled right from the get-go. It'd be nice to have some open SATA ports for additional HDDs and optical drives.
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Bateluer
Originally posted by: Core2
Originally posted by: Bateluer
So, whats the overall word on this board? Worth buying?

For the money, Yes Here's a review ASUS P5N-E SLI: NVIDIA's 650i enters with a Bang

I do wish it had more than 4 SATA connectors. If I choose this board when I upgrade to C2D, I'll have all the SATA ports filled right from the get-go. It'd be nice to have some open SATA ports for additional HDDs and optical drives.

there is one external port too which make 5.

 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
Is the NB default voltage 1.2V? An increase all the way to 1.39V for overclocking like suggested seems pretty damn high.
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Is the NB default voltage 1.2V? An increase all the way to 1.39V for overclocking like suggested seems pretty damn high.
I assume your are referring to the overclock recipe I put up. How to you come to that conclusion? The next voltage option for the NB from the default 1.2 is 1.39 and at a 1600 FSB with memory running at 800 you won't be to stable providing you could even boot with the NB set at 1.2. I suggest you take a look here Asus P5N-E SLI small review and then tell me if it is to high.

 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
Ah, I didn't realize the first option is 1.39V. I haven't started any OCing yet. And yes I was referring to your post.
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Ah, I didn't realize the first option is 1.39V. I haven't started any OCing yet. And yes I was referring to your post.

Make sure you have plenty of cooling especially on the NB if you do
 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
What sort of temps (if it has a sensor) are considered reasonable? I don't have any active cooling per say, but I do have a Freezer 7 Pro mounted blowing up, so it is pulling air straight across the heatsink. And I have that blue Zalmon on the southbridge.
 

Sublime98

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2007
10
0
0
Originally posted by: jkcheng122
note on the blue zalman, if it's the tall one, u will need to replace it if u go SLI with this board.

I got a blue Zalman but didn't install it because of that... if you have a good case with a lot of air flow the SB should be OK, I think Asus knew what they were doing
 

donxvi

Member
Jan 15, 2001
126
0
0
Originally posted by: Sublime98

I got a blue Zalman but didn't install it because of that... if you have a good case with a lot of air flow the SB should be OK, I think Asus knew what they were doing

I think Asus was trying to get the first product out on the market in a budget category. Right there are 2 very real world reasons that a product may have deficiencies. Finally, the board isn't required to run over 1333 FSB, so the cooling really only has to be sufficient for that speed.
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
What sort of temps (if it has a sensor) are considered reasonable? I don't have any active cooling per say, but I do have a Freezer 7 Pro mounted blowing up, so it is pulling air straight across the heatsink. And I have that blue Zalmon on the southbridge.

With out an extra fan blowing on the NB your temps are about 120 - 130 F even with case fans and your freezer Pro. No offense but, blowing warm air into you PSU intake is something I won't recommend. The power supply is one of the hottest components you have, and one of the most important.

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by: jkcheng122
note on the blue zalman, if it's the tall one, u will need to replace it if u go SLI with this board.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I got a blue Zalman but didn't install it because of that... if you have a good case with a lot of air flow the SB should be OK, I think Asus knew what they were doing

-------------------------
my rig
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 w/ Zalman CNPS9500 @3.10GHz
Mobo: ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i
RAM: 2GB (1GB x2) Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 4-4-4-12
Video: BFG 7950GT OC 512MB
Sound: Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
HDD #1: Seagate 7200.9 160GB SATA2
HDD #2: Seagate 7200.10 400GB SATA2
Optical Drive: MD MegaSTOR 16x/4x DL DVD +/-RW
PSU: BFG 650W
Case: Antec Nine Hundred

They put special heatsinks and cooling on the 680i's. Look at all the heat pipes. Even my P5B Deluxe has a heat sink on it. I won't take a chance if you are going to try any high OC at least put a fan on both

I found a chipset cooler for you SLI people

Thermalright HR-05-SLI Copper Heatsinks
16.99 hereThermalright HR-05-SLI

with the zalman heatsink on, temps for the SB range from 80 - 91 degrees F
somebody else will have to chime in with temps for the SB without a heatsink.

 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
No offense but, blowing warm air into you PSU intake is something I won't recommend.

Meh, this way it'll keep my PSU fan running full speed all the time. :laugh: I really didn't have much of an option because I don't have the tools here to cleanly cut out part of the fan bracket. Next time I take it off to redo the thermal paste I will turn it the correct direction.
 

Ilikepiedoyou

Senior member
Jan 10, 2006
685
0
0
I upped my fsb to 1500 without a problem, when I hit 1600 it won't boot. I don't want to touch the memory settings because I ordered different memory from newegg. My question is that now every time I start the machine it does nothing. It sits there. If I hit the reset button then it will boot up. I will have to f1 to continue. Why won't it boot the first time?
 

idiotekniQues

Platinum Member
Jan 4, 2007
2,572
0
76
i bookmarked this thread, great stuff.

i ordered this mobo last week along with my whole set-up, and had been reading about the chipset heat issues so in anticipation i did order a small SB heatsink, and the TT HR-05 (not the sli version) for the NB. that is a serious chipset heatsink. i also have the p180B on its way and i plan on building this very diligently to keep cable management good and airflow excellent.

i do plan to OC this with an e6400 & 2x1gb of the OCZ plat. rev. 2 pc 6400 RAM so ill let you know how the cooling does assist. everything should be here on tuesday. my first build in a few years but it should be fun :)
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: idiotekniQues
i bookmarked this thread, great stuff.

i ordered this mobo last week along with my whole set-up, and had been reading about the chipset heat issues so in anticipation i did order a small SB heatsink, and the TT HR-05 (not the sli version) for the NB. that is a serious chipset heatsink. i also have the p180B on its way and i plan on building this very diligently to keep cable management good and airflow excellent.

i do plan to OC this with an e6400 & 2x1gb of the OCZ plat. rev. 2 pc 6400 RAM so ill let you know how the cooling does assist. everything should be here on tuesday. my first build in a few years but it should be fun :)

Welcome aboard idiotekniQues, you brought up some good points to remember when building a system

Planning ahead
Cable Management
Airflow and cooling


Good Luck
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Ilikepiedoyou
I upped my fsb to 1500 without a problem, when I hit 1600 it won't boot. I don't want to touch the memory settings because I ordered different memory from newegg. My question is that now every time I start the machine it does nothing. It sits there. If I hit the reset button then it will boot up. I will have to f1 to continue. Why won't it boot the first time?
Your memory is fine. I don't think you had to replace them unless you were getting a lot of blue screens

If I understand you right. Your timings are set at 4-4-4-12 1T or 2T ? The only way I could run 1600/800 is if I relaxed my timings to 5-5-5-12 2T or as I just found out 5-4-4-15 2T runs real (better mem performance) well too. If you can get into the bios and relax those timings you should be alright. If you can't than you have Clear the CMOS to make the changes. Make sure you pop the battery out first before jumping the pins on the header. Also put you system build and settings FSB/Mem, CPU speed, timings, vcore voltage, mem voltage, and NB voltage in your signature so we can resolve your problems easier and so new members can get a head start when settings work well. That goes for everyone. Just saves a lot of time and confusion when a question like this is asked
 

Sublime98

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2007
10
0
0
Originally posted by: Ilikepiedoyou
I upped my fsb to 1500 without a problem, when I hit 1600 it won't boot. I don't want to touch the memory settings because I ordered different memory from newegg. My question is that now every time I start the machine it does nothing. It sits there. If I hit the reset button then it will boot up. I will have to f1 to continue. Why won't it boot the first time?

in the BIOS, did you select "synch" instead of "1:1"? I am saying this because if it shows the same number for the FSB and RAM, it will try and push your RAM beyond its limits. Be sure to select manual, and "synch," then set your desired FSB and it will adjust the RAM number to half for you... then when you boot and run CPU-Z you'll notice your RAM is, in fact, running 1:1 with your FSB and your CPU is OCed etc...

 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
No offense but, blowing warm air into you PSU intake is something I won't recommend.

Meh, this way it'll keep my PSU fan running full speed all the time. :laugh: I really didn't have much of an option because I don't have the tools here to cleanly cut out part of the fan bracket. Next time I take it off to redo the thermal paste I will turn it the correct direction.

Did you take off the MX-1 thermal paste that the Freezer7 Pro comes applied with? MX-1 is great thermal compound and last for 8yrs. No need to reapply like AS 5. All you need is to heat up a utility knife or an old knife to trim it. I just used a hacksaw blade.
 

jkcheng122

Member
Dec 31, 2006
186
0
0
Originally posted by: donxvi

I think Asus was trying to get the first product out on the market in a budget category.

not to mention this is currently the only 650i board available. and yeah, at default speeds the cooling is sufficient, they dont encourage oc'ing so those who do will have to do their own extra shopping and hardware changes.
 

jkcheng122

Member
Dec 31, 2006
186
0
0
Originally posted by: Ilikepiedoyou
I upped my fsb to 1500 without a problem, when I hit 1600 it won't boot. I don't want to touch the memory settings because I ordered different memory from newegg. My question is that now every time I start the machine it does nothing. It sits there. If I hit the reset button then it will boot up. I will have to f1 to continue. Why won't it boot the first time?

same thing happens to me with clocks set too high, and when it does boot, the memory is usually not at the timings you gave it. for 1600 try 5-5-5-12 2T first. you might also wait a couple of weeks before going that high like i am doing right now, simply b/c the thermal compounds take some time to reach their full potential.
 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
Originally posted by: Core2
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
No offense but, blowing warm air into you PSU intake is something I won't recommend.

Meh, this way it'll keep my PSU fan running full speed all the time. :laugh: I really didn't have much of an option because I don't have the tools here to cleanly cut out part of the fan bracket. Next time I take it off to redo the thermal paste I will turn it the correct direction.

Did you take off the MX-1 thermal paste that the Freezer7 Pro comes applied with? MX-1 is great thermal compound and last for 8yrs. No need to reapply like AS 5. All you need is to heat up a utility knife or an old knife to trim it. I just used a hacksaw blade.

I used the MX-1. From some other posts I had heard it was good stuff, but I had no idea it lasts 8 years! I have a tube of AS3, and I hate how it dries out. I think I'll just live with it blowing into my PSU. My PSU has some big heatsinks in it and a 120mm fan, so I think it'll be alright. It's well built.
 

Sublime98

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2007
10
0
0
Originally posted by: Core2
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
No offense but, blowing warm air into you PSU intake is something I won't recommend.

Meh, this way it'll keep my PSU fan running full speed all the time. :laugh: I really didn't have much of an option because I don't have the tools here to cleanly cut out part of the fan bracket. Next time I take it off to redo the thermal paste I will turn it the correct direction.

Did you take off the MX-1 thermal paste that the Freezer7 Pro comes applied with? MX-1 is great thermal compound and last for 8yrs. No need to reapply like AS 5. All you need is to heat up a utility knife or an old knife to trim it. I just used a hacksaw blade.

Hey Core2, your NB voltage is super low... do you ever experience performance hits during benchmarks or games? If you read the official OC guide at Tom's Hardware as well as the Core 2 Duo stickied guide in the forums, they recommend a NB voltage of 1.55
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: Sublime98
Originally posted by: Core2
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
No offense but, blowing warm air into you PSU intake is something I won't recommend.

Meh, this way it'll keep my PSU fan running full speed all the time. :laugh: I really didn't have much of an option because I don't have the tools here to cleanly cut out part of the fan bracket. Next time I take it off to redo the thermal paste I will turn it the correct direction.

Did you take off the MX-1 thermal paste that the Freezer7 Pro comes applied with? MX-1 is great thermal compound and last for 8yrs. No need to reapply like AS 5. All you need is to heat up a utility knife or an old knife to trim it. I just used a hacksaw blade.

Hey Core2, your NB voltage is super low... do you ever experience performance hits during benchmarks or games? If you read the official OC guide at Tom's Hardware as well as the Core 2 Duo stickied guide in the forums, they recommend a NB voltage of 1.55

I had posted some 3Dmark 06 scores somewhere on this thread and so has jkcheng122
running SLI mode. I' am going to guess and say 5700 for me at 3300MHz for me and over 8000 for jkcheng122 at 2800MHz with 1.39 NB Voltage. Run some on your machine and compare them and let us know. I also had a Super PI Score of 16.93 sec for a 1mb run with a E6400 @ 3300MHz

 

PoopyPants

Platinum Member
Jun 3, 2004
2,403
0
0
if you guys cant boot at like 1600 you gotta crank the NB voltage to MAX.
yeah i know pretty freaking stupid isnt it, but that is the ONLY thing that allowed mine to work.

im at 475 x 8 1.47v in windows and 1.42v droop. (this is 100% on par with the voltage this chip needs for 3.8ghz)

lastly where the hell is this 0307 bios Shamino is talking about over at VRZone ?

and where is Gary i bet he has a bios.
 

Core2

Senior member
Dec 28, 2006
991
0
0
Originally posted by: PoopyPants
if you guys cant boot at like 1600 you gotta crank the NB voltage to MAX.
yeah i know pretty freaking stupid isnt it, but that is the ONLY thing that allowed mine to work.

im at 475 x 8 1.47v in windows and 1.42v droop. (this is 100% on par with the voltage this chip needs for 3.8ghz)

lastly where the hell is this 0307 bios Shamino is talking about over at VRZone ?

and where is Gary i bet he has a bios.


I don't think a lot of people here are looking for an Extreme Overclock or else they would be over at XtremeSystems Forums I would think, maybe I'm wrong, well they have the link now. There is alot of strap holes between 400 - 500 one is around 422- 423. I have had mine at 500x6 but I wouldn't' recommend it. Stay Away from that Beta Bios nothing but, bad posts about it (check the Asus Forum out for one). Wait for a official release our a good review on a beta. Thats why I didn't post it here.