Where Are The Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboards?

[TheBeagle]

Good Evening Everyone.

Well, I installed the F4C BIOS and it has improved things a bit. Vista will now load with a setting of 362 x 9 = 3.25MHz. That's with most auto settings enabled, spread spectrum turned off, unlinked memory (set @1000), power management settings enabled, and no boost to any voltages. So that's an improvement for this E6600 proc and Vista. Obviously there's sure more room to go on this OC, seeing as how everything is pretty much stock settings, except the FSB is set to 362, and it's still booting up.

I'll be waiting for some suggestions as to where to go from here - Gary are you listening?

Thanks in advance for any solid help that can be offered. TheBeagle

 

[Bayard]

The F4C bios is not a beta bios current? I don't want to beta test bios with my comp and wants something stable. Thanks in advance.

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello Mr. Bayard.

Unfortunately, the "latest" Final BIOS for this board is the F3. However, there are significant improvements in the F4C BIOS, as I personally witnessed last evening. You are quite correct to seek Final BIOS versions, where they are available, but in working with a high-tech board like this one, second or third re-revisions of a Beta BIOS are usually pretty stable. Enjoy. TheBeagle

 

[Curr]

Good Morning Beagle, et. al.,

I didn't get a chance to load up F4C last night, as UPS didn't bring me the NB fan, so I didn't fool around much with the computer (unless you count playing STALKER), but I just checked UPS and it will be here today, so I'll be playing around tonight, and will make a list of my bios settings and any new experiences I get with F4C.

 

[eklock2000]

So it sounds ok to flash to the F4c BIOS before OS install?

Another question/clarification...I downloaded the SATA/RAID drivers from Gigabyte which is an .exe file which self-extracts the following files...

COMMAND.COM
DISK1
IDECOI.DLL
NVATABUS.SYS
NVRAID.CAT
NVRAID.INF
NVRAID.SYS
NVRAIDCO.DLL
TXTSETUP.OEM

Do I just dump these onto a floppy and use F6 at startup? I'm really only interested in BIOS seeing the SATA drive for OS install and not concerned about RAID right now. Previous posts in here have suggested that this mobo does not natively have the drivers for SATA drives and they should be installed with F6.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

EK2K

 

[Curr]

Hi Eklock2000,

I would say it is very safe (providing you follow the directions) to flash to the F4C bios before installing your OS.

Yes, those are the SATA and RAID drivers that the NV SATA RAID controller will need when you load Win XP (or anything other than Vista), if you are loading Vista, then you do not need them. Also, under XP, if you aren't going to run RAID, you don't need to install the RAID driver (as I found out when I installed them both, and my installation hung up!) so just install the SATA driver. When you hit F6 and choose to install them from the floppy, you will see two options to pick, one says RAID the other doesn't It's pretty easy once you see it.

Good luck!

 

[eklock2000]

Thanks!

 

[Flankerspanker]

Originally posted by: Gary Key

Originally posted by: Smitty1705
So we still don't know how this board is going to overclock a quad core with the new F4 bios?

I am still stuck around 360.

Hmm.. does this mean that the uncertainty about use with future 1333FSB-native quad-cores is now resolved?

Or, will using those processors require overclocking the chipset, and advanced cooling hardware?

 

[Curr]

Well last night I spent time fiddling around with the F4c bios, and tried to go over my previous wall at 385MHz fsb, and I still couldn't do it. This is a week 44, f-code E6600.

I was able to boot at 400MHz fsb and get into Windows (XP Pro sp2) but after about 1 min in Orthos I got a reboot, and it refused to post until I cleared the CMOS and tried again. I had FSB/NB/SB/HT all at +0.15V, Mem at +0.425, CPU at 1.575V (which CPU-Z tells me is 1.38~ under load - anyone else seeing this kind of droop?! Gary? Beagle?)

I didn't have as much time as I wanted, so I still have a few things to play with, like relaxing memory timings (was trying 5-5-5-18 @ ~1000 MHz) so I may try and loosen those up to see if that will help. I got a bunch of no-posts with FSB/NB/SB/HT voltages at +0.2V, but that also may have been memory timings. I might also just leave them in auto, and try that.

 

[Smitty1705]

Does anyone who owns this board have faith that it can actually run a quadcore at an overclocked speed that's acceptable? I'm getting worried...

Smitty

 

[Smitty1705]

Wow... this board is not listed on NewEgg anymore either?!? (Was yesterday.. I had it on my wish list also)...

Odd...

 

[jwwill01]

Ummm... Newegg says it has been deactivated. Maybe not a good sign?

 

[ALV7]

meaning the motherboard is useless or defective???? hopefully nothing bad comes out of this with newegg removing the board from its site

 

[eklock2000]

Hmmm...I don't think the Board is useless or defective, at least I hope not. I just received mine yesterday and plan to build it up this weekend. I'll post back with regard to it actually working, but I'm not too worried as other users are reporting success.

To other builders using this board and using Zalman 9xxx series coolers. I had great success with this clip support last night mounting the 9700 cooler...

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835118219

Even though is says it is for the 7xxx series Zalman's, it worked like a charm. And for this particular board, the Crazy Cool backplate provides more than enough rigidity for the 9700 setup. Much easier than modding the 9700 backplate.

As a sidebar, the board is a beautiful piece of hardware. The crazy cool setup seems meticulously crafted and well thought out. There are also oodles of features, the only downside being the lack of explanation on the use of said features.

Peace

EK2K

 

[jwwill01]

I have had this board running for a little over a week now and everything seems to be good. I have the E6600 running 400x8 right now and seems stable. I am hoping for better quad core support for a future upgrade though.

Couple of minor issues, but overall, very satisfied so far.

 

[Curr]

Hi jwwill01,

Could you please list your settings for Vcore, NB/PCIE Voltage, SB/PCIE Voltage, HT-Link Voltage, CPU HT-Link Voltage, and SB Standby Voltage? Also what week and code E6600 do you have? What bios? Memory; linked, unlinked, speed, timings, brand/model?

I guess I will just make a list people can cut & paste to help us all out in comparing settings... For mine, I am just going to highlight things that I've changed from their default value. Hopefully this will help some folks.

CPU:E6600
Week:L644
Code:F262
Mult:9
FSB:385

OS:Win XP Pro x32

Cooling:Tuniq Tower 120

RAM:4x 1Gb Corsair 8500C5D
Speed: 1026MHz
Timings:5-5-5-18, 2T

Name : Default Value : My adjustment : My actual voltage : Adjustable Range

DDR2 Voltage: (1.8V) (+0.4) (2.2V) (+0.025V to +0.775V)
NB/PCIE Voltage: (1.2V) (+0.1) (1.3V) (+0.05V to +0.35V)
SB/PCIE Voltage: (1.2V) (+0.1) (1.3V) (+.05V to +0.75V)
HT-Link Voltage: (1.3V) (+0.1) (1.4V) (+0.05V to +0.35V)
CPU HT-Link Voltage: (1.2) (+0.1) (1.3V) (+0.05V to +0.35V)
SB Standby Voltage: (1.5V) (Auto) (1.5V) (+0.05V to +0.15V)
CPU Voltage: (1.325) (+0.225) (1.5V) (It's scary, you can easily blow up your CPU, be careful!)

NVidia's own guide warns about going above 1.5V for MCP/SPP/HT-Link Voltages, so be careful

CPU-Z reads 1.47, 7+ hours Orthos temps 52C max)


HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability Enabled
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) Disabled
Enable CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) Disabled
CPU EIST Function Disabled
Virtualization Technology Disabled
On-Chip MAC1 Lan Disabled
Onboard Audio Disabled
IDE Pre-fetch Disabled
Onboard LAN1 Controller Disabled
Onboard LAN2 Controller Disabled
All Spread Spectrum Disabled
Legacy USB Disabled
Onboard Serial Port 1 Disabled
Onboard Parallel Port Disabled
Link Boost Disabled


I hope I didn't make any mistakes in the table, if anyone sees one, please let me know or post here and I will change them ASAP, I tried to be as accurate as possible, but I'm only human.

 

[jwwill01]

I'm at work right now, so I'll update this a little later. Here is what I can remember for now:
Current BIOS: F3
CPU:E6600
Week:645
Code:G
Mult:8
FSB:400
Stepping:6
CPU Revision: B2

OS:Win XP Pro x32

Cooling:Zalman 9700

RAM:2x 1Gb Patriot DDR2 800Mhz (Not on approved list, but oh well)
Speed: 800MHz , synced
Timings:4-4-4-12, 2T


DDR2 Voltage: (+0.4) (2.2V)
NB/PCIE Voltage:
SB/PCIE Voltage:
HT-Link Voltage:
CPU HT-Link Voltage:
SB Standby Voltage: (1.5V) (Auto)
CPU Voltage: (1.425V) CpuZ: 1.392

HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability Enabled
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) Disabled
Enable CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) Disabled
CPU EIST Function Disabled
Virtualization Technology Disabled
On-Chip MAC1 Lan Disabled
Onboard Audio Enabled
IDE Pre-fetch Enabled
Onboard LAN1 Controller Enabled
Onboard LAN2 Controller Enabled
All Spread Spectrum Disabled
Legacy USB Enabled
Onboard Serial Port 1 Disabled
Onboard Parallel Port Disabled
Link Boost Enabled

PCIe1: 120
PCIe2 (x16): 100 (not used)
PCIe3 (x8): 100 (not used)

E6600, 400x8,DDR2 @ 800 synced, BFG 8800GTS OC 320, Raptor 150, Seagate 400, Lian Li 1200plusII case, Seasonic M12 600W PSU

 

[eklock2000]

Anyone care to give me a CPU lesson...

What do the week and code stand for? Are they printed on the CPU?

Thanks,

EK2K

 

[Bayard]

CPU:E6600
Week:29b
Code:
Mult:9
FSB:400

OS:Win XP Pro x32

Cooling:Swiftech Apogee GT with thermaltake Kandalf LCS

RAM:2x 1Gb OCZ DDR2-800 (PC6400)
Speed: 800MHz
Timings:4-4-4-15, 2T

Name : Default Value : My adjustment : My actual voltage : Adjustable Range

DDR2 Voltage: (1.8V) (+0.1.5) (1.95V) (+0.025V to +0.775V)
NB/PCIE Voltage: (1.2V) (+0.15) (1.35V) (+0.05V to +0.35V)
SB/PCIE Voltage: (1.2V) (+0.0) (1.2V) (+.05V to +0.75V)
HT-Link Voltage: (1.3V) (+0.0) (1.3V) (+0.05V to +0.35V)
CPU HT-Link Voltage: (1.2) (+0.20) (1.4V) (+0.05V to +0.35V)
SB Standby Voltage: (1.5V) (Auto) (1.5V) (+0.05V to +0.15V)
CPU Voltage: (1.325) (+0.1) (1.425V)


CPU-Z reads 1.32, 3+ hours Orthos temps 58C max)


HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability Disabled
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) Disabled
Enable CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) Disabled
CPU EIST Function Disabled
Virtualization Technology Disabled
On-Chip MAC1 Lan Enabled
Onboard Audio Disabled
IDE Pre-fetch Disabled
Onboard LAN1 Controller Enabled
Onboard LAN2 Controller Enabled
All Spread Spectrum Disabled
Legacy USB Enabled
Onboard Serial Port 1 Enabled
Onboard Parallel Port Enabled
Link Boost Disabled

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Evening Everyone.

A check with a reliable source indicates that the absence of these boards for sale is as a result of an unexpected high demand for the amount of product that was produced on the initial production run. Maybe Gigabyte should send us all a free board, since I'm quite sure that this thread on the Forum certainly helped spread the word about the board and its potential. Anyway, there is no indication of some ominous reason for the lack of boards for sale other than the time-tested principal of supply and demand.

I hope that everyone will enjoy the upcoming holiday to the fullest. Blessings to all. TheBeagle

 

[ALV7]

YAHOO!! thanks for the heads up Beagle. I had a feeling it would sound like that, i even checked the 2 websites where i get my computer parts from and the motherboard is sold out in both websites hehehehehe
oh btw have a small question, would my 8800 work well on windows XP?? (its just i noticed its best on Vista)

 

[Curr]

Good morning ALV7,

I think you'd find that the consensus would agree that the 8800 drivers are more "mature" on Win XP, than on Vista right now. My 8800 GTX is wonderful on Win XP Pro, I haven't found a game that I can't play with every bell and whistle turned on, even the just released STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl. I also recommend the 100.95 drivers, as I haven't had any issues with them in any games I've played (WoW, EQ, STALKER, Far Cry). I've heard all recent drivers have issues with the Source engines (HL2, CS:S) fog, but it needs a Valve patch.

To eklock,

The number you can find either on top of the IHS of your CPU, or on the outside of the box should look similair to L6XXFXXX - where the X's represent some number, and the "F" could be A, B, F, and now G are showing up. The first three numbers are the "week" of production for the wafer that the die of this cpu came from. 644, for instance, would indicate the year 200(6) and the 44th calendar week. The A, B, F, and G, combined with the last three numbers are the production code, and I'm not sure what they really mean. Possible options are fab location, fab lot number, wafer number, or even all the above. In my company (Analog Devices) we sometimes use production codes to tell us what wafer from a particular lot the die in that package came from, I'd assume it's something along the same lines with Intel.

To all,

I was able to get to 3600MHz last night, after unlinking my memory, increasing my Vcore to 1.575V, and my NB/SB/HT-Link to 1.5V. I'm still unsure what the actual Vcore I'm seeing is, as Speedfan, CPU-Z, Everest, Core Temp and Easy Tune all report different numbers. I ran Orthos for about 10 minutes, just to see if I would get any initial errors, and I didn't. Then I tried gaming, and got several crashes, in STALKER, which isn't uncommon, so I don't know if it was the zone I was in, or the fact that OC'ed and there were some instabilities. I changed fsb back to 375, and loaded a different zone, and it played ok for the rest of the night. I'll troubleshoot more this weekend, hopefully it was just the game as initially 3600MHz looked workable.

 

[sam1947]

Quick (dumb) question....have had this board for a few days now..upgraded to f3 bios, but for the life of me I can't find the memory timings anywhere. I'm NOT new to bios on any level, but this one puzzles me...where the timings located at ??? Thanks in advance

 

[Curr]

Hello Sam1947,

It's not a dumb question! If you aren't familiar with Gigabyte boards, you may not know to hit CTRL+F1 while at the main bios page to enable the "expert" settings that only enthusiasts would really look for. So do CTRL+F1 and you should see little triangles appear on some of the menu choices to let you know you've entered "expert" mode. Now enter the MB Intelligent Tweaker setting and you should see "System Clock Settings", and under here you will find all the frequency related options.

Good luck, and please come back and let us know how you do with this great motherboard!

 

[sam1947]

Thank You for the quick reply Curr. I have had one Gigabyte board in the past, but totally forgot about the CTRL+F1 thing.......now I can play..and thanks again.