Where Are The Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboards?

[overpowered]

Originally posted by: Gary Key
NewEgg is scheduled to have the boards available again this Friday or Monday. They are due in on Thursday but you never know about timing in customs. New BIOS hopefully next week.

Thanks for the tip. As a result, I ordered mine within an hour of it showing up at the egg on friday. I had been waiting in frustration for a month. I had been bitching at the egg because Gigabyte support had been telling me they shipped to Newegg two weeks before.

I'm so glad I found this thread. There seems to be an amazing wealth of information about this board here. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to it so far.

Have you heard any more about the new BIOS?

 

[Smitty1705]

Okay Beagle you are costing me a lot of money! =) (kidding)
I just ordered up that clip and a Zalman 9700 AND paid to have it shipped overnight so I have it ALL by Friday and I can dig into this project! =)

The PAIN of seeing all of my parts in a box and I can't put it together until the Zalman 9700 shows up.. THE PAIN! hahahaha

Thanks again for the tips... =)

Smitty

 

[overpowered]

Originally posted by: TheBeagle1. If the Final F4 BIOS is out, use it. If not, use the F4e that Gary posted (on Page 23 of this Thread, 04/17/07). Do this BEFORE installing the OS, so that your OS install routine detects all the proper and latest BIOS features.

Check. Right now I'm hoping F4 will be out this week so I can just do my install with it. My 9700 arrives today (Newegg shipped it from Tennessee so it's behind the rest of the stuff) but I didn't order the alternate bracket for it until last night when I read about it in this thread so it will still be a couple days.

2. Start by getting a decent OC using mostly "auto" setting or the simplest setting if auto is not available. Remember to use the Ctrl-F1 to gain access to the advanced features in the BIOS. Set your FSB to obtain between 3.0 and 3.2 GHz to start, with linked memory. That will give you a good starting point. THEN install the OS.

Thanks for that tip too. Is Ctrl-F1 documented or do you just have to read the right message boards? I didn't notice it when I was going through the docs (though it wouldn't be the first time I glossed over something like that).

3. I would definitely install the latest nVidia drivers when installing the OS. Get them from the nVidia web site. You will have to completely decompress the nVidia package to get at the install drivers to place on the floppy disk to activate through F6 during the initial stage of the OS install. Unless you are using a RAID array, do NOT install the RAID driver, only install the SATA driver.

Is there some special reason you recommend getting them from the nVidia site rather than the Gigabyte site? They appear to be the same version on both. I'm planning to do my C drive as a RAID 1 so I'll be going with the RAID drivers

 

[justinburton]

I just got my board today!!!!!!! I plan to take off work and school tomorrow to install it. I can't wait until Gary posts the F4 final bios. I have a feeling it will be soon.

 

[Smitty1705]

Congrats on your new purchase!

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Evening Mr. Over-P.

In regard to your final inquiry as to why I recommended the nVidia SATA (and now RAID drivers) instead of the Gigabyte ones, I offer the following. You are correct that the drivers "APPEAR" to be the same. However, I have encountered situations where the drivers "appeared" to be the same, but in reality, they were not quite the same.

When you initially asked for some advice, I carefully reviewed the list of components that you posted. Aside from the obvious need to utilize the nVidia chipset ensemble for the N680SLI chipset on the board, I also noticed that you intended to utilize the top-of-the-line dual 8800 GTX cards for your SLI video. Since Gigabyte would not likely be providing driver ensembles for those screamer video cards, it was most prudent to find a common denominator for all of these very high-tech items. That common denominator is plainly nVidia.

I have always found that whenever you are venturing out close to the edge of the ice, it is a very good idea to have a single source for your software issues as kind of a life vest. That way, you won't be easily sold a bills of goods from different vendors who conveniently point the accusing finger at someone else when you have a problem. Not that I'm suggesting that you will have a problem, but, as they say, "stuff happens" (I cleaned that up a bit).

The likelihood that you will have the greatest integrated success using one vendor's software is quite enhanced in a bleeding-edge situation as the one you are about to enter. THAT is why I suggested staying exclusively with nVidia software, at least for the time being, until you get that rig rock-n-rollin. Enjoy. TheBeagle

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello Mr. Justin-B & Mr. Smitty.

Sounds like both of you are just about ready to meltdown. May I suggest that each of you take a cold shower (NOT with each other), then hop in bed with a very intimate friend (of the opposite gender) and get your testosterone level reduced by a couple hundred points, and then take a long nap, and then thoroughly read the Gigabyte User's Manual (twice), and THEN embark on building your new rig. Enjoy. TheBeagle

 

[overpowered]

Originally posted by: TheBeagle
Good Evening Mr. Over-P.

Same to you

In regard to your final inquiry as to why I recommended the nVidia SATA (and now RAID drivers) instead of the Gigabyte ones, I offer the following. You are correct that the drivers "APPEAR" to be the same. However, I have encountered situations where the drivers "appeared" to be the same, but in reality, they were not quite the same.

Interesting. Good to know.

When you initially asked for some advice, I carefully reviewed the list of components that you posted.

Whoa. I think you have me confused with jester99. Understandable since I responded to your response to him. I didn't list my components and I'm not going SLI initially (budget issues -- I'll probably add another gfx card next year). Thanks though. I'm sure he'll appreciate it as your comments probably do apply to what he's doing.

 

[imported_alcuin]

OOS at ClubIT. Here are some alternative sites that are currently showing in stock at the time of this post. I don't know what their service standards are like though; maybe look them up on reseller ratings first just to be sure.

http://www.pcsuperdeals.com/ProductView...2-319f-4750-a4f7-df96671330fe&Refer=11
http://www.excaliberpc.com/GIGABYTE_MB_...GA-N680SLI-DQ6/partinfo-id-574770.html

Also XPCGear no longer shows pre-order, seems to be in stock there too.
http://www.xpcgear.com/gan680sli.html

 

[imported_alcuin]

Originally posted by: overpoweredThanks for that tip too. Is Ctrl-F1 documented or do you just have to read the right message boards? I didn't notice it when I was going through the docs (though it wouldn't be the first time I glossed over something like that).

No one could fault you for missing it. It's worded very badly, on pg 37. "1. If you don't find the settings you want, press "Ctrl+F1" to access advanced options." lol.

 

[overpowered]

Originally posted by: alcuinIt's worded very badly, on pg 37. "1. If you don't find the settings you want, press "Ctrl+F1" to access advanced options." lol.

Thanks.

 

[cdfire]

Beagle could you tell me if before you flash the BIOS do you load fail safe defaults or not? I used the @BIOS software last time but that just makes me nervous, would rather do it threw Qflash in the BIOS but I am a little unsure about when to load fail safe defaults, before or after? Just got a floppy drive installed today, so I would prefur the Qflash way from here on out. Thanks in advance.

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Evening Mr. CD.

That's a very good investment (1.44 floppy drive). Some folks seem to forget that a lot of programs (bootup stuff especially) need access to a floppy drive. The BIOS flash instructions from Gigabyte are a bit ambiguous, however I have always interpreted them to mean that once you have flashed the BIOS with a new version, THEN you should select the "optimized defaults" item, but then carefully go through each subcategory and each item in each subcategory, and reset that particular option to the exact value that you want. After you have completed all of that, THEN save the whole lot, exit and reboot.

Without a doubt, the Q-Flash method seems to be the safest method to flash a BIOS, since you avoid all the Windows code, etc from interfering with the flash. I realize that flashing a BIOS is a downright scary procedure for anyone who has never done that before. However, there are a few basic steps that will usually guarantee success.

First of all, NEVER flash a BIOS without having a very reliable uninterrupted power supply (UPS) providing power to the PC. The reason is simple. If (God forbid) you experience some sort of power failure, surge, etc at the exact time you are executing the flash, then the whole procedure is likely to be corrupted. However, since you are working with a modern Gigabyte BIOS, there's a backup to save your butt in such cases.

But if you somehow mess up the backup BIOS copy as well, then you are TRULY SCREWED!!. So, don't mess around. ALWAYS have the good UPS feed power to the PC BEFORE you even attempt a BIOS flash!!!

Secondly, if you somehow mess up the initial BIOS flash, don't shoot yourself in the head. Instead, just follow the steps outlined in the trusty User's Manual (written by some person who is NOT very familiar with the English language!), and you should be able to restore the original BIOS without too much trouble.

The Q-Flash option (F8), selectable from within the Setup routine, is the most reliable method of BIOS upgrade, and I would strongly suggest that method above ALL others.

Enjoy. TheBeagle

 

[cdfire]

Thank You Beagle.

 

[Gary Key]

Originally posted by: justinburton
I just got my board today!!!!!!! I plan to take off work and school tomorrow to install it. I can't wait until Gary posts the F4 final bios. I have a feeling it will be soon.

On the phone with Gigabyte right now, trying to get an answer, the final was due yesterday.

 

[MraK]

can anyone suggest on what (free) monitoring software is good with this board, since gigabyte's version sucked ass, i wanna use a different more reliable program that can accurately monitor my system most especially the cpu and videocard.

any help would do me much, thanks!

 

[Warpx9]

Hey guys, just wanted to introduce myself. I just got my N680SLi-DQ6 up and running now for about a week, and loving it. Found this forum/post and have been playing catchup with the last 30 pages. Which has been very informative. Was able to get my Crucial Ballistix memory up to 2.2V by adding the dreaded AMBER +.400 number, but it works great.

 

[Gary Key]

Originally posted by: MrAK
can anyone suggest on what (free) monitoring software is good with this board, since gigabyte's version sucked ass, i wanna use a different more reliable program that can accurately monitor my system most especially the cpu and videocard.

any help would do me much, thanks!

As far as temps go, Core Temp is very good and actually nTune is decent for monitoring NV chipsets and video cards when fully supported by the motherboard. Otherwise, Everest has really improved as of late. For the video cards, RivaTuner or ATITools are what we use the majority of time.

Final F4 BIOS has been delayed to next week but Gigabyte came through today instead.

 

[Gary Key]

For our AnandTech Readers -

F4F

 

[Smitty1705]

NICE... thanks Gary!
Any comments on this bios? Perfect for my build tonight!

BTW - Is anyone running Vista on their setup or sticking with XP? If you are running Vista.. how is that working for you?

Thanks..

Smitty

 

[cdfire]

TY Gary. Can you tell us if this BIOS covers the Critical Core 2 Duo / Quad update stepping I have seen mentioned on a few sites?

 

[dlbetz]

Thanks, Gary

 

[dlbetz]

I am running vista. I really love the eye candy of vista but am not very pleased with the reliability of it. I am giving it a little longer before I switch back to xp pro.

 

[Warpx9]

Originally posted by: Smitty1705
NICE... thanks Gary!
Any comments on this bios? Perfect for my build tonight!

BTW - Is anyone running Vista on their setup or sticking with XP? If you are running Vista.. how is that working for you?

Thanks..

Smitty

I actually have both 32bit and 64bit versions of Vista. Right now for the first week of my build I've been running the 32bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate. I haven't had any problems, had a clean install, loaded the NVIDIA Chipset drivers version 15.00, and NVIDIA Video Drivers version 158.24, and no BSODS to report. Vista Recognized everything except for my HP Photosmart 7150 Printer, which I had to just do a workaround to get it to work. Performance wise it has been flying, very quick.

 

[Ava1anche]

Originally posted by: MrAK
can anyone suggest on what (free) monitoring software is good with this board, since gigabyte's version sucked ass, i wanna use a different more reliable program that can accurately monitor my system most especially the cpu and videocard.

any help would do me much, thanks!

I like PC Wizard 07 PCWizard2007

Originally posted by: Smitty1705
NICE... thanks Gary!
Any comments on this bios? Perfect for my build tonight!

BTW - Is anyone running Vista on their setup or sticking with XP? If you are running Vista.. how is that working for you?

Thanks..

Smitty

I am running Vista And I have no problems with it at all. The more and more I use the more I like it. I don't see why people are complaining about it.

Originally posted by: Gary Key
For our AnandTech Readers -

F4F

This is the same file name as the last one. Is it the same file just named final or is it different?