ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard Review

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

I'm currently writing up a review of the MSI K8N Diamond Plus, the only other nForce4 x16 SLI solution. Without giving too much away, I will say that I prefer the MSI to the Asus. Interesting though, the southbridge gets extremely hot to the touch, despite using a fan on the northbridge portion of the chipset heatpipe.

That actually looks like a sweet board! I'll be looking forward to reading your review :thup:

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

I'll be looking forward to reading your review :thup:

So is Rich - I've held his mobo hostage entirely waaaaay too long. :oops:

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

So is Rich - I've held his mobo hostage entirely waaaaay too long. :oops:

HAHAHA! Naughty, Naughty ;)

[Capper]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

So is Rich - I've held his mobo hostage entirely waaaaay too long. :oops:

No worries, I've been too busy trying to keep up with stuff on my end.
We really need a couple more people to pitch in so i can focus on making the site nicer and expanding our membership.

[Harry_Krishna]

Very excellent review. As I have the same board, and the same CPU, could anyone give me suggestions on the proper settings in the BIOS? As was mentioned, you almost need an Egyptianologist to decipher what the setting mean in the ASUS BIOS screens :)

Or would it be fine to just use the performance profiles that are already programmed in (like OC by 8%)?

Thanks guys!

[Capper]

Hey Harry, welcome to the forums!!!
I don't like the preprogrammed BIOS setting or the NOS feature, I honestly like good old fashioned tinkering with individual settings.
I'll see if we can get Paul to help you out as he is a big fan of this board.

[One4yu2c]

Most of this is cut/pasted from a post of mine on MaximumPC, but it should still make sense for the most part.
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I took some pics of my BIOS, so let's walk through this visually:

The Jumperfree menu is the first stop. It's in here that you can adjust your CPU multiplier, CPU frequency, and various voltage tweaks:


Now that we're in the Jumperfree screen, it should look like this. In my example, I have my CPU freq. set to 260, my multiplier is at x10, my CPU voltage is at 1.325, I have CPU overvoltage enabled (which I believe adds .20V), and my RAM voltage is at 2.95V:


Back to the previous menu, and this time I'll select 'CPU Configuration' instead of 'Jumperfree Configuration.'


Once in, I can select either a 1t or a 2t command rate. After I've done that, it's time to go into the 'Memory Setting' menu:


This is where the dividers are found. Select 'Memclock Mode' and change it from 'Auto' to 'Limit.' Once you do this, you gain access to the 'Memclock Value,' which is where you can manually select your dividers. I have '200' highlighted, which puts my RAM and CPU at a 1:1 ratio. :


Memclock Index (Dividers)
100 = 1:2 (frequency x .50)
133 = 2:3 (frequency x .66)
150 = 3:4 (frequency x .75)
166 = 5:6 (frequency x .83)
183 = 11:12 (frequency x .91)
200 = 1:1 (Stock frequency)

The all-important HT multiplier is found by going into the ADVANCED menu, then CHIPSET, then selecting the 'K8 to NB Frequency.' Here's a screenie:


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As far as specific overclocking advice goes, if you want to list your components and what kind of goal you want to set for yourself, most of us here would be able to give you some tips tailored to your needs. 8)

[gvblake22]

Damn, ^^^This guy is amazing :thup:

[Harry_Krishna]

Thanks guys. The components I have is listed in my SIG. The Silverstone PSU should be knocking at my door anytime now. The RAM is Corsair XMS PC3200 DDR400 - I have (2) 1 GIG sticks, and (2) 512 MEG sticks (why 3 GIG). It is set to CAS 2.5 as these were early versions.

I am using the 8% profile now, so am at 2.37 MHz. Don't need to go crazy wild, but would like to make sure I have some of the settings that are cryptic set to the right settings. Remember, I am only doing air cooling ha ha.


According to PC Probe at this moment:
CPU = 105F
NB = 104F
VCore = 1.39
+3.3 = 3.30
+5 = 5.08
+12 = 12.03

In the BIOS I set the memory voltage to 2.79, but AI Booster says it is at 2.80.

Thanks for any help!

[Harry_Krishna]

Ok, got the Silverstone ST75ZF installed. VERY QUIET! The CPU fan is louder.

Now, the PC Proble shows:

CPU = 113F
NB = 96F
VCore = 1.55
+3.3 = 3.33
+5 = 5.00
+12 = 11.84

As I am using the 8% profile, AI Booster shows this:

2375.83 MHz
multiplier = X215.99
FSB = 863.85

So it seems something is not correct. That is why I was asking for an actual configuration. I will be happy enough with a solid 2375, but if a 2400 is possible, cool (as long as no need for a chiller)

Thanks!