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Mobo dying .... suggestions please on upgrading my system ...

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Carol Haynes:
Thanks dk70 - I have RMAed the Corsair sticks I have now for a replacement - if I get problems with those I will definitely try tweaking a bit.

The trouble is I can't find a clear guide on how to tweak memory timings and voltages. The RAM I had was 2-3-3-6-2T but the automatic BIOS values didn't reflect that (it was set to 3-3-3-8-Auto). As I understand it (which is not much) the BIOS auto settings are more relaxed and the suggested values are tighter therefore the auto BIOS ones should work and tweaking them to the tighter settings are only likely to make problems worse. I haven't checked the voltage settings and am not sure what they should be anyway!

Can anyone point me to a simple guide on how to set the correct timing values (there seem to be loads of cryptic values that can be tweaked but I am not sure if I set the standard values 2-3-3-6-2T whether or not I should tweak any of the other values or if they should be left alone) and how do I find the correct voltage settings?

The BIOS does seem to set the Crucial memory timings automatically to the suggested values on Crucial's site.

dk70:
Corsair is very well documented, except for a few details like with my ram. Look it up at their site, they will have a little pdf-file for each model but punch in keywords (searchbox works with no registration) at their forum. Popular motherboard and popular ram will have more than 1 "victim" :)

2-3-3-6 and 2.75v they say. Opposite of logic you should not expect slower to work, all depends on chip. Corsair will tell you to set up timings manually. What you see in Memtest86 must be correct. Default voltage could be 2.6 so also set voltage, bios cant do that automaticallly.

There are loads of other settings but no need to fiddle. But you should get on top of Asus features like AI NOS and PEG LINK. Check their website, see manual. If you go by default, install what you are told Im not sure pci-e video cards are not overclocked. Chipset can do that and more. Best to disable all that until more familiar with the beast. All these auto-tweaking features are not needed at all. Very easy to overclock/tweak manually. Your Nvidia drivers can take care of video, no need for Asus bios to get involved. At their website bookmark download page for AN832 SLI DELUXE. Get latest version of Asus Probe. Flashing bios should not be needed but keep eye on changelog. Beside that and chipset drivers you dont absolutely need more. Well you will want AMD cool&quiet driver http://www.amd.com/gb-uk/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html scroll down to "AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor Driver for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Version (exe) 1.3.1" Should also be on install cd.

Looking at manual:
(Im guessing most of it but will bet you can look what matters up at Corsair - or any Asus forum.

4.3.7
Here you see "Build date" of bios, probably also seen at bootscreen. Compare with Asus latest bugfixes at download page and see if any are relevant.

4.4.2
I would enable the Cool thing. I think default is mostly Enabled on NF4. Today there are few issues and it does lower temp/power consumption. Like it was not low enough ;) Should you start to use manual overclocking settings it can be disabled since it will have a hard time doing magic.

4.4.3 Where the fun are.
AI overclocking settings I have doubts about. Default is "Auto" but from manual it looks like you have to use "Manual" in order to "unlock" ability to change voltage. You can see that in menu straight away. Dont use "Standard", "Overclock Profile" or "AI NOS".

CPU FSB Frequency should be 200. Options determined by AI overclocking setting. "Manual" here lets you set 201, 202 and so on.

SB to NB - dont touch

Adjust PCIE Frequency - dont touch

PEG Link Mode - Auto is default, I would change to "Normal" = disabled, as said get to know what PEG Link does before using it. Is not needed at all. Again check some reviews like http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q4/asus-a8n32-sli/index.x?pg=1

A bunch of "Over-Voltage" settings - disable all of them.

DDR Vcore - is at "Auto" and could be wrong for your ram. Set it to 2.75v as Corsair say they have tested with. I would guess Auto means 2.6v.

FID/VID - no need to change "Auto" unless cpu is not detected properly. This is where you overclock manually. Manual unlocks next 2 settings.

Processor Frequency Multiplier - A 3700 will use 11 as multiplier.

Processor Voltage - should be 1.4v but I dont think all cpus, even same models, necessarily use same voltage. Dont remember what AMD calls it but something like "estimated". Could be 1.45v. Bios will pick that up automatically, is "written" on cpu so you can check with Asus Probe. But just keep FID/VID on auto and you cant fiddle with this.

DDR Clock Skew - definitely dont touch unless you find information at Corsair forum telling you.

4.4.4
1T/2T Auto will probably give you 2T. Test first with that, then try 1T. Gives a little boost and Im pretty sure most Corsair users will want 1T. Popular opinion is only crap ram cant do 1T. More about how well ram is in sync with bios/chipset than actual quality of ram. Not a matter of price either.

Memory setting - From the top: 200mhz, 2.5, 3, 6, 3. Rest is finetuning. Again, dont touch unless other users tell you it make sense. Check Corsair forum again.

4.4.5
Dont touch

4.4.8
Very important to disable "Legacy USB Support" since known to tricker false Memtest86 errors. Yes they say Auto means disabled if no devices detected but best to disable manually. Also mentioned in Corsairs guide on how to run Memtest86 http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38201

4.5.5
Asus Q-Fan should be enabled I think. Bios can control rpm according to what must be a preset of heat values. Some NF4 bios lets you select a value where fan should run 100% then 80% etc. Q-Fan might be controlled by software, Asus Probe perhaps. Even with overclocking you can probably make use of this since cpu runs so cool. No need for 3500rpm, more like minimum and medium during heavy load. May be newer bios than the one shown in manual have this, no reason not to enable. Also enable fan alarm should it get disconnected, same with cpu overheating. Might as well let bios do this.

Note what it says at 2.4.2 With 2 modules always use DIMM A1 and B1. Other combinations probably work but not so stable = Memtest86 errors or worse. Actually A1 and A2 could be the most stable but then you have not activated both channels and run single mode!

All the onboard gadgets you can disable/enable according to use. Best to do that before installing a million drivers in XP.

Silly bios if you ask me. Safe to fiddle with though, as safe as any other bios... Should it go all wrong then you just reset cmos and start all over with the many screens. May be 1/4 deserve attention, only a handful really important.

If all works out then you could go low power consumption and try 2.7v for ram, or 2.65v. Why use more than needed? Cant be sure what real voltage is delivered anyway. First checking Corsair forum for same mb/ram combination is good idea. For this you need more sensitive testing like Prime95 as I mentioned http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm Fire it up, chose Torture test and rest is matter of time. SP2004 has a better interface for P95 code http://sp2004.fre3.com/ does the same. Let it run while you zzzzzzz is best advice, 6 hours is minimum.

Should you get very experimental like trying 2-2-2-6 and 1T with 2.6v then remember it takes 1 second to blow up XP registry ;) Always use Memtest86 if you are not sure to get passed login. I would guess 1T works just fine but dont let XP be first program to test. Ram is about the only thing that is risky to play with, can be a pain to tweak/overclock. Cpu you and chipset can throttle up and down with mhz/multiplier not so with ram.

Btw, dont install Nvidia Firewall. Sometimes part of general chipset installation, sometimes separate.

Carol Haynes:
Thanks - that is really useful.

Actually one of the things I did was to go through the BIOS and turn all the autos off because I noticed the CPU was being auto overclocked and the FSB was too so I set them to stock values. I decided it was simpler to turn off most of the "Auto" settings even if I don't change the Auto value manually it is easier to debug instability if you know things are behaving properly.

Since doing this and changing to my Crucial PC2700 RAM 2x1Gb I have had a rock solid system. I have also managed to sort out the WiFi issues by updating the Hauppauge TV card drivers (after that there don't seem to be any issues).

Over the years I have given advice on troubleshooting new systems - especially knock back the hardware to absolute basics until you achieve something stable and then add items piecemeal - shame I haven't followed my own advice in this case  :-[ :-[ :-[

I have used Prime95 before and have downloaded the latest version, but I also found "Hot CPU Tester" which actually runs lots of different stress tests on different parts of the system (including memory) ... you can use the 'Lite' version free.

The nVidia firewall installed automatically but I have removed it again as it was very annoying - since then I have reinstalled Windows again so I have a clean system.

dk70:
There are many test programs but the most picky is Prime95 so that is why I mentioned it. Very sensitive, way too much actually but then you have some distance to where things gets unstable. Only relevant for you because of memory, cpu cant be unstable when not overclocked. Cpu temp you get can be compared to gaming on a summer day, not close to a problem with no overclocking. Memory is always tweaked in some way, not plug and play like cpu. Anyway, if you read P95 authors stress.txt which should be in download you know what to do. Cant test 3D so other tools or better games must be used. You got some SLI to test. Where it gets complicated is when any 2D stuff is perfect, P95 can run for days but 3D is shaky. Most likely 3D releated but can still be a timing settting like 1T/2T. Some games like those with Unreal engine are picky with memory timings. You should not notice or care that much when not overclocking but if memory dont really like chipset/bios/your settings then prepare yourself.

With so complicated bios and so many drivers it is not easy to do your own foolproof troubleshooting. Best to research a little and take advantage of others experiences (mistakes). Im assuming you have one of the later bios versions so flashing should not be needed - will bet Asus changelog have tons of fixes since original.

Asus have a little forum for each model, for AN832 SLI Deluxe http://vip.asus.com/forum/topic.aspx?board_id=1&model=A8N-SLI+Deluxe&SLanguage=en-us

Nvidia have made a pdf file about overclocking/tweaking for their NF5 chipsets www.nvidia.com/content/nforce5/DU-02451-001_v01_overclocking.pdf  Much is relevant for NF4 as well, a chapter about "Disable AMD C&Q" for example.

A really good overclocking guide which also explains chipset, bios terms and most importantly show how to test properly is http://www.short-media.com/printcontent.php?print=r&id=300 Manual overclocking forces you do know these things. Very few things really. Has never been easier to overclock/setup. So easy it is build into chipset/bios and motherboard makers throw oc-software at you. You could pick a "5%" Asus preset but I hope you change the 3-4 settings manually instead - then you get more like 20-25% :) They are not stupid and so keep maximum levels down to a point where it is unlikely to cause problems for people.

As said I dont like their auto stuff too much but check those who have actually used them. Perhaps they work better today after some bugfixing. Remember though that most speed of NF4 speed comes from cpu. Making memory stable is first priority, not overclocking/tweaking it. But do enable 1T, the memory tweak with most impact - except timings the only one! Overclocking pci-e gives very little if anything and directly overclocking video cards I think is best done by Nvidia drivers, alternatively Rivatuner or other 3rd party programs. Asus "dynamic" overclocking where 2D is cool/slow and 3D gets a boost sounds nice but I dont like it :) I do exactly the same for my video card though, a tool lowers rpm/mhz in 2D and go max in 3D. Make sense for video hardware (and my ears). Cpu, memory couldnt care less. Asus allows you to keep a Cool&Quiet setup while still doing some overclocking where any guide/advice would tell you to turn it off when leaving default. Dont make the 2 approaches conflict.

You have nTune? Nvidias diagnostic tool http://www.nvidia.com/object/ntune_5.05.18.00.html Not too bad and show all this in bright colours. Can overclock Nvidia video cards as well, anything can be monitored. Might be better than Asus tools. Compare readouts with Asus Probe.

Nvidia SLI Zone, join Club SLI??? http://www.slizone.com/page/home.html May be better to bookmark Nvidias regular user-to-user forums http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?act=idx&c=16,24,29,6&skinid=5&setskin=1 Pretty good. You should have at least 2-3 Asus/chipset related sources bookmarked.

Carol Haynes:
Thanks - there are loads of great links there ...

Now I am back using a wired LAN  :down: :down: :down: :down: :down: :down: :tellme:.

I really don't know what gives with my WiFi card - my system seems to run fine so long as I don't try and access the internet via WiFi !!!

I reinstalled my Corsair RAM and tweaked all the BIOS settings to the recommended settings and I still get memory errors - now I have sent it back for a replacement! I ran MEMTEST86+ overnight on my older Crucial PC2700 and get no errors at all.

I ran Prime95 Torture test for 3 hours this morning - no problems at all.

Tried to look at a webpage and crash!

It's really frustrating as it seemed to be sorted for a couple of days. I reinstalled windows but I am still getting the same crashes and I notice that even on a fresh install the NetGear app keeps popping up the TaskManager list with brief 16-20% CPU usage even when the system is idle. All very strange - I can only presume there is a driver clash somewhere but there are no conflicts in the device manager and it is running on an IRQ on its own.

The only other problem that I can see is if there is a PCI problem - but my Audigy sound card and HaupPauage TV card both work fine.

Any ideas how to troubleshoot this? I have emailed NetGear and posted a request at ASUS forums so we shall see what happens. (NetGear email tends to be pretty slow and unhelpful).

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