Mobo voltage & memory support?

924 Views 11 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Biomech, Jan 28, 2006

Biomech

Discussion Starter · Jan 22, 2006

Does this mean that my Mobo will not support the linked ram?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146845

Once my watercooling is in place I am hoping to get my FSB up to 1000Mhz and my CPU to 3.7 - 3.8.

Any constructive criticism is more than welcome!
:withstupi

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Taeric

· #2 · Jan 23, 2006

You can run the linked RAM. The "extra" speed (difference between DDR400 and DDR500) will just give you additional headroom for overclocking. You may want to check to see what the maximum voltage your motherboard can supply to the RAM as some of the reviews on Newegg indicate that the RAM is a bit voltage hungry.

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xie67

· #3 · Jan 23, 2006

Yes I too agree that the motherboard specs only list a 2.5Vdimm whereas the memory is rated to run at 2.8vdimm.

So to run it at that low voltage would most likely impeed the performance of the RAM.

cheers

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Taeric

· #4 · Jan 23, 2006

I'm guessing 2.5 volts is the minimum the mobo supplies, but many mobos max out in the 2.85-2.9 volt range. Some folks mention running that RAM at 3+ volts. Although some mobos push that much vdimm, many don't.

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Biomech

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 23, 2006

That's what I was worried about. Does this mean 2.7 is all this board is capable of?

Edit: Sorry, here is a more legible pic!

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xie67

· #6 · Jan 23, 2006

Yes it appears that way sorry.
Looks like you can only add +0.2vdimm to the original +2.5Vdimm. This should be enough to run the RAM reasonably but maybe not enough to get the best from it.
What frequency were you looking at running it at ?

cheers

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Biomech

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 23, 2006

Well to get me at a FSB of 1000Mhz and my CPU to 3.7 - 3.8, It would probably be at 500.

Taeric, what's your opinion on the board you have: Asus P4P800-E Deluxe
?
Is it worth switching to in this situation?

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Taeric

· #8 · Jan 23, 2006

I like my board pretty well. It can handle 250+ MHz, so the mobo at least will be able to reach your goal. The only drawback I've experienced is the ICH5R Southbridge is apparently a bit touchy when it comes to front USB connections. As I learned the hard way, in rare cases it's possible to fry the SB simply by plugging in a USB device to a front case port. Knowing that issues, though, makes it very easy to avoid. There's a well documented issue with the vcore drooping under heavy load. I've noticed the droop, but it hasn't yet hindered my overclocking at all. All in all, I have found it to be a very solid board at a reasonable price.

Are you planning on switching RAM, or are you going to go with the 2 GB you have now? The Gold you linked earlier may be limited on this board as well as it only pushes 2.85 volt vdimm max. Some TCCD would do you great if you want to upgrade, or your current RAM could probably do the job, possibly with a divider being necessary.

As far as the worthiness of upgrading, that's entirely up to you. If you are serious about breaking 1000 MHz FSB, it's probably a good choice.

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Biomech

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 23, 2006

I'm going to try and increase the voltage on my Corsair (rated at 2.75V) to see if I can get a more stable 1:1. My BIOS shows my Dimm Voltage measuring at 2.60 - 2.62 Volts at Default 2.5 setting. I get the same readings with Everest 2006 beta version.

I am hoping the board will allow me to get to 2.8V without any issues. If not, I may upgrade (Ram & Board). In the end, I am just looking to improve my load times for games (Half Life 2, COD2, etc.) and maybe speed up my video encoding. If I can end up with a stable 3.75 on my CPU with a 1:1, I would be ecstatic. Although, I don't see this ram and board getting me there.

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Biomech

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 25, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taeric

I like my board pretty well. It can handle 250+ MHz, so the mobo at least will be able to reach your goal. The only drawback I've experienced is the ICH5R Southbridge is apparently a bit touchy when it comes to front USB connections. As I learned the hard way, in rare cases it's possible to fry the SB simply by plugging in a USB device to a front case port. Knowing that issues, though, makes it very easy to avoid. There's a well documented issue with the vcore drooping under heavy load. I've noticed the droop, but it hasn't yet hindered my overclocking at all. All in all, I have found it to be a very solid board at a reasonable price.

As far as the worthiness of upgrading, that's entirely up to you. If you are serious about breaking 1000 MHz FSB, it's probably a good choice.

I'm gonna give this board a shot. This weekend is going to suck.

TO DO List:
1. Install Zalman fan on AGP card
2. Install NB heatsink/fan upgrade on Mobo
3. Install new PSU
4. Install Water Cooling for CPU
5. Swap Motherboard - I'm contemplating a full format/reinstall vs. Microsofts reccomendations:

Quote:

Upgrade an existing motherboard
This scenario assumes that your existing motherboard works and that you can start the existing Windows installation on the hard disk.

To replace a working motherboard with an updated motherboard and to then reconfigure Windows to work with the new motherboard, follow these steps:
1.Start Windows, and then log on as an administrator.
2.Insert your Windows CD in the CD-ROM drive or the DVD-ROM drive, and then let Autorun start.
3.Do one of the following:
For Windows XP:
a. Click Install Windows XP.
b. In the Windows Setup window, click Upgrade (Recommended) in the Installation Type list, and then click Next.
c. Follow the instructions on the screen until the computer begins to restart.
4.Just as the computer begins to restart, turn off the computer.
5.Replace the existing motherboard with the new motherboard.
6.Turn on the computer, and then allow the upgrade to continue.

Setup installs the HAL, the IDE controller drivers, and any other drivers that the new motherboard must have.
7.After the upgrade is completed, reinstall any service packs or hotfixes that you had previously installed.

The above or, format & reinstall?

I guess either way the updates will still need to be reloaded along with all hardware drivers.

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Taeric

· #11 · Jan 25, 2006

Reformat/reinstall is the best option, though sometimes you can do a repair install (off of the bootable XP CD). Although I've never seen it attempted, I'd be curious to see if uninstalling all of the drivers (chipset, video, LAN, audio, etc.) prior to swapping mobos would increase the success rate of reusing an existing installation.

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Biomech

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 28, 2006

Well, I went ahead and used the Microsoft procedures for upgrading a motherboard instead or reformatting and reinstallation. So far so good! I'm still waiting for the bugs to show up.

I did a reconfiguration with these procedures about 2 years ago when I put an Intel 865GLC board in a Gateway PC I had at the time. That system ran good for me then so I figured I'd give it another shot.

The worst part of the day was trying to bleed the air out of the water cooling I finally installed.

Glad that stuff is over. Now I just need to work this rig over to maximize it's stability and performance.

Oh, yeah! I followed the listed procedures in my last post to a T. Still had to reactivate windows (3 day period due to - "The system has had a significant change since the last time windows was registered" message). I did not delete any drivers whatsoever. My Catalyst driver is still in place. Haven't been up and running long enough to come across any errors, yet!

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