Where Are The Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboards?

[imported_Arrakis]

First off, a resounding thanks to Mr. Beagle for providing consistent advice and help throughout this thread, Mr. Curr for explaining more about DRAM similar to what I am using (page 25 or so), and to the many others who have made this thread a polite and comprehensive read.

You folks and this site come well recommended by my friends at Lockheed - unfortunately I discovered the FSB limitations right after my Q6600 finished shipping! But what is concerning me right now is some kind of error with the stock Intel HSF. (Posting from my old laptop right now.)

I put together everything yesterday evening, and was concerned that the motherboard was going to crack with the HSF pushpin installation. Despite warnings about this from a number of people, it was irritating. Eventually it all snapped down, and everything seemed to run fine, except the CPU temperature was over 65C when the rest of the system reads at 35C. I took the HSF apart, reinstalled, and it idles at 55C right now.

Frankly, this seems too high for an idle temperature based on where everything else is sitting. I am using an Antec 900 (almost went with the 182SE though), and airflow is not a problem. I get cool air on everything even on low fan speeds.

The reason I'm rambling on here as opposed to elsewhere is twofold - first, you folks have proved very knowledgeable about a lot of issues, and secondly, I'm dealing with the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 motherboard. With the wonderful passive cooling system that unfortunately blocks or must be modified to install an aftermarket CPU cooler.

So, the main questions:

(1) is it really safe to keep my system running when the idle temperature is so high? My last desktop computer from about five years ago melted down one summer, so I am a bit paranoid about this.

(2) if I do leave the Intel HSF on until a new cooler arrives is their HSF going to permanently or dangerously adhere to the CPU? I know this is supposed to happen to some extent, but it would be a very bad thing in this instance. (I am thinking of using the Tuniq Tower based on reviews here by Gary, since there seems to be a bad production run on the Thermalright Ultra 120 as reported by newegg, and I do not have a lapper here...)

(3) have any of you tried to install one of these coolers without modifying the "CrazyCool" system but instead drilling four more holes through the mounting plate the MB is attached to and attaching the cooler's backplate between the steel wall and the side cover? I think it would handle the load fine (or else I should be worried, haha) and this would avoid accidentally shorting the MB (as someone at newegg did) or loosening the passive coolers... but I am not sure about the tensile strength of really long screws and so on. Or even if it is a good idea.

Just wondering! Keep up the good work!

Oh, and I've flashed the BIOS to F4.

edit: post was cut off in places, fixed)

 

[Smitty1705]

@smitty1705

If you want i'll be more than happy to adjust that other post for you as well, if you want. As getting to 30-3.2 on a E6600 is a breeze with these boards and even if you have a bad stepping CPU you should get it. If you can post everything you have in your rig that would be great.

Cheers[/quote]


SSKMERCER

Thanks a lot for your help!
I have the following.

GA-N680SLI-DQ6 (Rev 1) (Bios F4 from Gigabyte)
4 x 1 GB Crucial Balistix PC-8500
EVGA 8800 GTX (768 MB)
Sony SATA DVD burner (forget model)
Seagate 7200.10 320 GB Sata HDD x 2
Antex Tru Power Trio 650 PSU
Zalman 9700 LED
1 x 120 (exhaust) 2 x 80 (front)
Creative X-Fi Gamer sound card
Coolermaster Centurian 5 Case

I think that's all that's in there.


Thanks again for your help!

Smitty

 

[Smitty1705]

So, the main questions:

(1) is it really safe to keep my system running when the idle temperature is so high? My last desktop computer from about five years ago melted down one summer, so I am a bit paranoid about this.

(2) if I do leave the Intel HSF on until a new cooler arrives is their HSF going to permanently or dangerously adhere to the CPU? I know this is supposed to happen to some extent, but it would be a very bad thing in this instance. (I am thinking of using the Tuniq Tower based on reviews here by Gary, since there seems to be a bad production run on the Thermalright Ultra 120 as reported by newegg, and I do not have a lapper here...)

(3) have any of you tried to install one of these coolers without modifying the "CrazyCool" system but instead drilling four more holes through the mounting plate the MB is attached to and attaching the cooler's backplate between the steel wall and the side cover? I think it would handle the load fine (or else I should be worried, haha) and this would avoid accidentally shorting the MB (as someone at newegg did) or loosening the passive coolers... but I am not sure about the tensile strength of really long screws and so on. Or even if it is a good idea.

Just wondering! Keep up the good work!

Oh, and I've flashed the BIOS to F4.

edit: post was cut off in places, fixed)[/quote]



ARRAKIS -

It reguards to an aftermarket cooler. On Page 19 you will see reference to a Zalman 9700 used with http://www.newegg.com/product/...p?item=N82E16835118219 and it fits perfect on this board. You don't have to remove or modify the backplate at all with this setup. Check it out, it's a nice setup for this board. I looked at reviews for the 9700 on several sites and it was always in the top few spots. It was typically within 1 or 2 degrees of the best one which is fine with me considering the perfect match for this board.

Smitty

 

[imported_Arrakis]

Smitty,

Thanks for the reminder about the 9700 fitting correctly! I had noticed that adapter but did not remember it after going from page 19 to here. >_<;

I was not sure about the Zalman compared to the Tuniq based on performance for the higher price, but I suppose Mr. Fink's comments here (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2932&p=8) make me think the Zalman was not worth it. If drilling through the side panel to attach a Tuniq is a bad idea, or if it's really comparable and thus the hassle would not be worth my time, I will definitely go with the 9700.

Any idea if the Intel HSF is going to permanently lock itself on if I run at 55-60C for a few days?

-Arrakis

 

[Smitty1705]

I didn't run the stock fan at all so I really don't have any experience with it and don't want to give you bad advice. A smart Beagle once said something along the lines of " if you are going to buy all of this high end equipment why both with the stock HSF from Intel?" I never installed it, just went straight to the Zalman 9700 and it's working GREAT. I'm fine with losing 1 to 2 degrees considering the PERFECT flawless matchup it has with my board. I did not have to modify a thing and I know it's working fine. Again.. get 1 or 2 degrees better and have to hack up your board/fan setup or just have a nice easy clean working setup? I know a bunch of people have used this setup but to each their own. =)
I think as long as you get some decent cooling one way or another you will be much better off. Look around at a few different comparisons out there that actually show cooling at idle and peak. I don't remeber the sites I looked at, (there are quite a few out there for HSF "shoot outs") but MOST of the top 10 - 15 fans are REALLY close in performance. Honestly... how much different can they really be? You are taking some copper tubing, a fan, and a heatsink and blowing air over it. They are all within 5 degrees for the most part. Yea.. if you are overclocking and pushing everything to the PEAK it MAY make a difference but I think the Zalman will work for 99% of the people.

How often is your car getting the max MPG... does it really matter all the time? =)

Done jabbering away.. hahaha

Smitty

 

[imported_Arrakis]

Your line of reasoning along with the Beagle quote is flawless as far as I can tell. Better safe than sorry - it would be bad to convert the case and then find there's some other compatibility problem. Not skipping the Intel HSF was a major oversight on my part. A Zalman 9700 and installation components are ordered and on the way now.

Thanks again, Smitty! (and by extension, TheBeagle and eklock2000, with the pictures of it installed.)

 

[overpowered]

Originally posted by: Arrakis
if I do leave the Intel HSF on until a new cooler arrives is their HSF going to permanently or dangerously adhere to the CPU? I know this is supposed to happen to some extent, but it would be a very bad thing in this instance. (I am thinking of using the Tuniq Tower based on reviews here by Gary, since there seems to be a bad production run on the Thermalright Ultra 120 as reported by newegg, and I do not have a lapper here...)

(3) have any of you tried to install one of these coolers without modifying the "CrazyCool" system but instead drilling four more holes through the mounting plate the MB is attached to and attaching the cooler's backplate between the steel wall and the side cover? I think it would handle the load fine (or else I should be worried, haha) and this would avoid accidentally shorting the MB (as someone at newegg did) or loosening the passive coolers... but I am not sure about the tensile strength of really long screws and so on. Or even if it is a good idea.)

I bought a Zalman 9700 with the board. As others have said, if you buy the Zalman ZM-CS1 clip and use that instead of the supplied clip, you won't need to modify anything.

Keep in mind though that the 9700 does hang a bit over the edge of the board. I would guess you need at least 5mm of clearance in your case beyond the edge of the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 with the 9700. Keep that in mind with other coolers too. I have a Silverstone TJ06 case. There isn't quite enough clearance so I ended up bending the cooler a bit to make it fit (it was not mounted when I bent it). The case has really good air flow for the CPU with 120mm front intake and rear exhaust fans at the same level as the CPU. The 9700 fan is blowing front to back so they all help each other. At idle, my E6600 tends to run around room temperature.

The air flow in this case isn't so good near the top so my 5 disks are getting a little warm (and I want to add more). I'm thinking about cutting a hole on the top and putting on another exhaust fan in or maybe on the side with an intake fan blowing on my video card which is also running a bit warmer than I'd like.

Of course, there's always liquid cooling but I'm not sure I want to deal with that.

 

[imported_Arrakis]

Overpowered,

I can vouch that a top exhaust fan is really nice for getting hot air out of this board's northbridge just based on the last day of running my computer - raising the fan speed on my 200mm fan was quieter for the same efficiency compared to the rear 120mm and is helping the Intel HSF until a new one arrives. I'm not going to do anything strenuous with the system until then, and I stabilized around 50C mean temperature. (Not great, I know, but only maxing at 62C.)

I don't know if you can purchase standard fans of that large a size, though, since newegg and FrozenCPU just return cases and PSUs when searching. This one came with the case, an Antec 900 (though I could do without the LEDs). I think even if the fans were the same size, the hot air rising on its own should produce a similar effect. Seems you have a nice setup for everything else staying cool, though, that air duct is very nice!

I was just thinking about what you said with restricted airflow behind the 5.25" drive bays, since in my case the motherboard is raised (but not inverted) and the DVD drives block a fan slot. I got an extra Corsair RAM fan due to some kind of book-keeping error, and newegg told me to just keep it.

It took about two minutes and installed in the very top external drive bay and it's running fine, which should increase direct airflow across to the 9700 and out the back. Is there something similar you can do, or are the five drives in those five external bays already?

-Arrakis

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Evening Everyone, and Hello To Mr. Smitty.

Mr. Smitty asked that someone give him some mods of Mr. A's BIOS settings so that Mr. Smitty can try his hand at OC. Well, I will list the MODIFIED VALUES to Mr. A's post. Here goes:

IDE Channel 0 Master [ 1st hard drive ]
IDE Channel 1 Master [ 2nd hard drive ]
IDE Channel 2 Master [1st DVD-RW]
IDE Channel 3 Master [2nd DVD-RW]
IDE Channel 4 Master [Other hard drive]
IDE Channel 5 Master [ Whatever ]
IDE Channel 6 Master [ Whatever ]
IDE Channel 7 Master [ Whatever ]

Drive A [1.44M, 3.5"]
Floppy 3 Mode Support [Disabled]
Halt On [All , But Keyboard]

-> Advanced BIOS Features

Hard Disk Boot Priority [Press Enter]
1. Ch0 M. : 1st hard drive
2. Ch1 M. : 2nd hard drive
3. 1st Dvd-RW
Bios Flash Protection [Auto]
First Boot Device [Floppy]
Second Boot Device [CDROM]
Third Boot Device [Hard Disk]
Boot Up Floppy Seek [Disabled]
Boot Up Num-Lock [On]
Password Check [Setup]
Interrupt Mode [APIC]
HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability [Enabled]
Limit CPUID Max. to 3 [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) [Disabled]
CPU EIST Function [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology [Enabled]
Delay for HDD (Secs) [ 1]
Full Screen LOGO Show [Disabled]
Init Display First [PEG]

-> Advanced Chipset Features

LDT Frequency [5x]
System BIOS Cacheable [Enabled]

NVIDIA GPU Ex [Enabled - If you have a nVidia Video Card]
LinkBoost [Enabled]

-> Integrated Peripherals

On-Chip IDE Channel0 [Enabled]
IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]
NV Serial-ATA Controller [All Enabled]
Serial-ATA RAID Config [Press Enter]
NV SATA RAID function [Enabled]
x NV SATA 1 Primary RAID Disabled
x NV SATA 1 Secondary RAID Disabled
x NV SATA 2 Primary RAID Disabled
x NV SATA 2 Secondary RAID Disabled
x NV SATA 3 Primary RAID Disabled
x NV SATA 3 Secondary RAID Disabled
Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 [Enabled]
Onboard SATA-II Ctrl1 Mode [IDE]
Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 [Enabled]
Onboard SATA-II Ctrl2 Mode [IDE]
On-Chip MAC Lan [Auto]
On-Chip MAC1 Lan [Auto]
On-Chip SMART LAN [Press Enter]
Onboard LAN1 Controller [Enabled]
Onboard LAN2 Controller [Enabled]
Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]
Onboard Audio Function [Auto]
On-Chip USB [V1.1+V2.0]
USB Keyboard Support [Enabled - If you have a USB KB]
USB Mouse Support [Enabled - If you have a USB Rodent]
Onboard 1394 [Enabled]
Legacy USB storage detect [Enabled]
Onboard Serial Port 1 [3F8/IRQ4]
Onboard Parallel Port [378/IRQ7]
Parallel Port Mode [ECP+SPP]
x ECP Mode Use DMA 3

-> Power Management Setup

ACPI Suspend Type [S1(POS)]
Soft-Off by Power button [Instant-off]
PME Event Wake Up [Enabled]
Modem Ring On [Disabled]
USB Resume from Suspend [Disabled]
Power-On by Alarm [Disabled]
HPET Support [Enabled]
Power On By Mouse [Disabled]
Power On By Keyboard [Disabled]
AC Back Function [Soft-Off]

-> PnP/PCI Configurations

Resources Controlled By [Auto]
PCI Latency Timer (CLK) [64]
PCI 1 IRQ Assignment [Auto]
PCI 2 IRQ Assignment [Auto]
PCI 3 IRQ Assignment [Auto]

-> PC Health Status

Reset Case Open Status [Disabled]
Case Opened [No]
Vcore OK
DDR2 1.8V OK
+3.3V OK
+12V OK
Current System Temperature 46 C
Current CPU Temperature 22 C
Current CPU FAN Speend 410 RPM
Current SYSTEM FAN Speed 1182 RPM
Current POWER FAN Speed 1155 RPM
CPU Warning Temperature [Enabled]
CPU FAN Fail Warning [Enabled]
SYSTEM FAN Fail Warning [Enabled - If Fan connected]
POWER FAN Fail Warning [Enabled - If PSU fan connected]
CPU Smart FAN Control [Enabled]
CPU Smart FAN Mode [Auto]
System Smart FAN Control [Enabled]

-> MB Intelligent Tweaker

Spread Spectrum Control [Press Enter]
CPU Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
PCIE Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
MCP PCIE Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
SATA Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
LDT Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
System Clock Setting [Press Enter]
x SLI-Ready Memory [Disabled]
FSB - Memory Clock Mode [Unlinked]
x FSB - Memory Ratio [Auto]
x CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) 334 = 3.0 GHz - Starting Point
Actual CPU Clock (Mhz) 334
x Memory Frequency (Mhz) 1066
Actual Memory Clock (Mhz) Whatever

Memory Timing Setting [Press Enter]

Parameters Setting Current Value
Memory Timing Setting [Manual]
x tCL (CAS Latency) 5
x tRCD 5
x tRP 5
x tRAS 18
x Command Per Clock (CMD) 2T

** Advanced Memory Settings **
x tRRD Auto
x tRC Auto
x tWR Auto
x tWTR Auto
x tREF Auto

PCI x16 Slot 1 clock(Mhz) [Auto] 100 (might be 125 if Nvidia 8800)
PCI x8 Clock (Mhz) [Auto] 100
PCI x16 Slot 2 clock(Mhz) [Auto] 100

CPU Clock Ratio [ 9 X]
******** System Voltage Optimized ********
System Voltage Control [Manual]
DDR2 Voltage Control [+ .400]
NB/PCIE Voltage [Normal]
SB/PCIE Voltage [Normal]
FSB Voltage Control [Normal]
HT-Link Voltage [Normal]
SB Standby Voltage [Normal]
CPU Voltage Control [Try Normal - Otherwise 1.400]
Normal CPU Vcore 1.4000V

Mr. Smitty, this is a very reasonable starting point for OCing your rig. You can likely goose up the FSB to 361 = 3.2 GHz without too much more voltage tweaks. Let us know how this works for you. Best regards. TheBeagle

 

[sskmercer]

@smitty

Sorry i havnt replied to you yet as i've been offline for few days. I decided to get another Mobo to O/C my Q6600. So far it's working great.

Also what Beagle mentioned above is great, though you could probably tighten the ram settings a bit. I would say go for what he has mentioned, then just do little tweaks from there to see how it goes.

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello To Gary!!!!

Is there any word on either a "Revised/Corrected" F4 BIOS, or a F5 BIOS that resolves the shutdown problem? Inquiring minds would like to know. Also, what's the status of being able to use Quad-Core 1333 FSB on this board? Thanks for any info you can share. TheBeagle

 

[TheBeagle]

Good Evening Everyone.

Does anyone know how to activate the "teaming" feature for combining the NICs on the board? I am using Vista 64 bit (Ultimate), and that doesn't seem to load the nVidia Network Access Manager that Mr. FMR wrote about on 05/16/07 as being the utility that you use to activate "teaming." So if someone knows how to get it turned on in a Vista 64 bit OS, I'd like to hear about it. Thanks. TheBeagle

 

[imported_alcuin]

Nvidia's been dragging ass getting those features into their Vista drivers. When Vista first came out, there was no nic bonding/teaming in Vista for Nvidia nics. Keep an eye on the Nvidia forums, look for threads that mention Dualnet.

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=34707
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=32871

 

[Smitty1705]

Originally posted by: TheBeagle
Hello To Gary!!!!

Is there any word on either a "Revised/Corrected" F4 BIOS, or a F5 BIOS that resolves the shutdown problem? Inquiring minds would like to know. Also, what's the status of being able to use Quad-Core 1333 FSB on this board? Thanks for any info you can share. TheBeagle

Just bumpnig this up... Any updates Gary?

Thanks again for all of your help and info!

Smitty

 

[mfarbman]

Beagle thanks for your bios posting. I have been looking at my bios settings and they don't match, or give me the options you listed. I have the rev.2 board. Is there a difference? I am using crucial balistix DDR2 800 PC6400 that are running at 5-6-6-19. I could not find the location in bios to change the timings. Any help is appreciated.

 

[justinburton]

Does anyone here have to Rev. 2 who confirmed that the quad core over clocking is better? So far the only difference is the south-bridge chipset and the bios, right?

 

[Smitty1705]

Originally posted by: mfarbman
Beagle thanks for your bios posting. I have been looking at my bios settings and they don't match, or give me the options you listed. I have the rev.2 board. Is there a difference? I am using crucial balistix DDR2 800 PC6400 that are running at 5-6-6-19. I could not find the location in bios to change the timings. Any help is appreciated.

MFARBMAN

When you are in the bios setup at the main screen do a CTRL F1 and it will take you to the advanced settings.. (should be the same on a rev 2 I would think)... Don't have it in front of me.. but pretty sure it's CTRL F1... MIGHT be SHIFT F1 but pretty sure it's CTRL.

Smitty

 

[Ava1anche]

Originally posted by: Smitty1705

Originally posted by: mfarbman
Beagle thanks for your bios posting. I have been looking at my bios settings and they don't match, or give me the options you listed. I have the rev.2 board. Is there a difference? I am using crucial balistix DDR2 800 PC6400 that are running at 5-6-6-19. I could not find the location in bios to change the timings. Any help is appreciated.

MFARBMAN

When you are in the bios setup at the main screen do a CTRL F1 and it will take you to the advanced settings.. (should be the same on a rev 2 I would think)... Don't have it in front of me.. but pretty sure it's CTRL F1... MIGHT be SHIFT F1 but pretty sure it's CTRL.

Smitty

Yes it is Ctrl F1.

 

[Andrei80]

Hi all,

To any of you who wants to cool down the NB chipset, I fount out that the process is fairly easy. All you gotta do is remove the small plate with Gigabyte logo from the top of the north bridge heatsink. It took me less than 2 min - the plate is glued to the heatsink, so a small screwdriver should do it. Than, get a 40mm fan ( I bought an evercool 40mm fan from newegg for just 3 bucks) and attached it to the heatsink. The heatsink surface looks slightly bigger but i don't think you'll be able to fit a bigger fan. In any case, now i can touch the NB heatsink without burning my fingers :laugh:

Good luck and thanks to all the people posting so many useful information on this great board.:thumbsup:

 

[Andrei80]

Oh I almost forgot,

I tried to attach one more little fan on the SB heatsink, but I couldn't do it. However, the heatsink surface has a somewhat interesting layout so if any of you knows a way to cool the SB (excluding watercooling), I will definitely enjoy reading about it.

Thanks alot

Andrei.

 

[mfarbman]

Thanks Smitty,

That was the correct command. I was able to make the timing changes and have been running my E6600 stable at 3.0GHz, memory at 5-5-5-12 @ 524 MHz. Any other suggestions to push the memory further?

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello Mr. Mfarbman.

What is the manufacturer of your memory sticks? The reason that I inquire is to determine if you have EPP memory. If you do, there is a likelihood that you may have a dual-speed setting on your memory depending on the voltage it senses. For instance, Crucial DDR2 memory is EPP and has the ability to set itself at either of two sync levels, depending on the voltage being applied to the sticks. At the nominal 1.8V, the EPP sets the the memory speed to a lower level. However, at 2.2V and above, the EPP sets the memory to a much higher level. You might be able to observe this by simply setting the memory to unlinked, speed of 800, and add .400V to the DDR2 setting. That should yield a higher memory performance. Let us know how that works out. TheBeagle

 

[overpowered]

Just FYI -- I just today noticed that Gigabyte released a new version of the Realtek audio drivers for the Rev 1 board on June 12.

 

[mfarbman]

Beagle,

I am using Crucial Balistix DDR2 800 PC6400. I have 4 gig set to run at 2.2 and have the timings set to 5-5-5-18. I have been using the advanced bios settings that you posted on 6/15/07 since last night (Thanks for you post). So far it is rock solid and running around 40C - 41C CPU temp under load. Is it advisable to change the timing? Or, should I leave all as is.

 

[TheBeagle]

Hello Mr. Mfarbman.

I have 4 sticks of that same memory and it works like a charm in one of my PCs. You could try to reduce the fourth timing element to 15 from the 18 that you have it set at. However, memory timing is very much like a woman (no true offense to the women on this Thread), as it needs the right amount of attention, but without overdoing it. Now having said that (and probably gotten a few gals pissed off), the balance between memory overclock and stability is also a delicate matter, again much like making love with a woman.

The question for you to answer is quite simple. Do you want to try to squeeze every last drop of performance out of your components, and thereby probably reduce the useful life expectancy of that component by an inverse exponential factor? Or, are you satisfied with a reasonable performance boost brought about by an equally reasonable overclock, and the serious stability that almost always flows from stopping the quest at that prudent point. Some folks always want to push it until it breaks - which eventually it always does - and they they curse the darkness because the component crapped out. My rule of thumb is to find the probable edge of stability for a PC (or a discrete component thereof) and then back it down at least 10% to ensure stability and compatibility with the other components in the rig.

Obviously, it's your choice as to how to proceed with your memory sticks. You might just want to try linked memory to see if that produces a better result. In any event, enjoy you new toy, and always remember to fasten your seat belt when you fly that rig! TheBeagle