SK8N AMD64 FX-51 (need help)

[Cole_abx]

Hello all,

I have recently purchased an SK8N ASUS Motherboard, AMD 64FX-51 CPU, 2x512MB (1Gig) Corsair XMS Registered ECC PC3200LL RAM. (as well as the additional hardware shown in my siggy)

I have no major problems to speak of but a few things arent quite right with it.

Ever since first boot I have gotten a " PXE-E01, PCI VENDOR AND DEVICE ID'S DO NOT MATCH" message that I cant seem to get rid of for some reason.


My Harddrive is a Barracuda 120Gig 7200 rpm SATA drive, which I think is the reason for the next issue I think needs to be fixed if possible of, Every time I boot up my computer displays a message about the RAID controller and a DETECTING DEVICES message comes up as it has to scan to find my Harddrive which it does but why do I have to set and wait for it to detect my Harddrive every time I boot up? When I dont even have a RAID array installed? If I did then maybe I could understand the reason for this.
What do I need to change in order to avoid the added 30 seconds of boot time it takes?

And last but not least I am getting below average marks in Sandra for Cache and Memory bandwidth (I mean really low below a 2.2 GHz P4 32bit proc.) Is this because of ECC RAM? I would like to use non ECC RAM if possible and I know that the SK8N supports it but does the FX-51 CPU support it? I dont understand why I was told that I had to have ECC RAM for my configuration yet the ECC function is disabled in the BIOS and everything still works fine (aside from problems listed) Does ECC RAM still function different than non ECC even when it is disabled?

Thanks for reading and welcome any sugestions.

Signed,
Just switched from Intel to AMD and hoping to stay here, Cole

[Sierra_abx]

Originally posted by Cole
I would like to use non ECC RAM if possible and I know that the SK8N supports it but does the FX-51 CPU support it? I dont understand why I was told that I had to have ECC RAM for my configuration yet the ECC function is disabled in the BIOS and everything still works fine (aside from problems listed)

All you need to run an FX51 is registered RAM. It does not have to be ECC registered. Enabling ECC will probably hurt performance.

[Cole_abx]

Thanks for the reply Sierra Bound.

You got you a good little thread going with yours .
Got lots of good info in quite a few post there. But just wondering how much of it could be applied to my board?
What is the difference between SK8N and the SK8V?
Thanks ,
Cole

[Sierra_abx]

Hi Cole. Thanks for the compliment. As you probably know, the two boards have different chipsets. The SK8V uses VIA, whereas the SK8N has the Nvidia nForce3 chipset. The one big downside to the SK8V is that the AGP/PCI bus is not locked. But this hasn't stopped people from overclocking. Tests I've seen show the SK8V is a little faster than the SK8N. But I've also seen some good overclocks with the SK8N. There's some debate about whether the AGP/PCI bus is locked on the SK8N. An article in Rojakpot suggests it isn't, but others swear it is.

[Cole_abx]

Hey could you tell me where to get the best BIOS for my board and let me know the best method for flashing it .
I remember reading about how certain methods that ASUS has available do cause problems but supposedly their is a stable method that can be used , I just dont know what it is and I aint gonna do nothing till I figure out which method to use and where to get it from.


Thanks , Cole

[Cole_abx]

Oh yeah I almost forgot would I be better off to send back the ECC RAM and get Registered DDR or is there no difference in performance since the ECC is disabled and not needed unless I go above 1Gig of RAM?

[Sierra_abx]

I don't know enough about your board to tell you which is the best bios. I noticed the latest version (1004) requires a special flash method. This is from the bios notes for 1004:

**Please flash BIOS using SK8N1004.exe, and do not flash through EZFlash/AFUDOS/LiveUpdate**

On my board, I generally use Afudos or LiveUpdate. But with LiveUpdate (Asus Update), I download the file first, then choose "Update bios from a file." This is much safer than flashing over the internet.

It's up to you whether to send the RAM back. I have ECC registered sticks. In hindsight, I probably should have bought just registered RAM. Would have saved a few bucks. With ECC disabled in the bios, performance should be the same as non-ECC registered RAM.

[Cole_abx]

How about your Cache Memory benchmark in Sandra?

What kind of marks are you getting?
Here is a screen shot of mine.

There is definatly something wrong with my system wouldnt you say?


Thanks, Cole

[Sierra_abx]

Your results are similar to what I get. Have you run any other benchmarks like Sandra memory bandwidth, Super Pi, 3DMark01?

[Cole_abx]

Yes I have and they all come out thousands less than my old rig that was an 875PBZ with a 3.2 Ghz CPU except for on 3Dmark2001?
Why is this the case as the FX-51 has so many reviews of being so much faster and even edges out the P4EE in almost every review I have read about it but mine cant even out do my 3.2?

I think something is wrong with my system.

Also in my BIOS I have a red displayed fan RPM as if it is too slow or something.
Which I wouldn't normally worry too much about as long as I could feel it moving air but this one is the fan for my power supply that is showing as slow in the BIOS. Could this mean I have a bad power supply?
I have no Idea how to check actual voltages with certain locations on my board but maybe this could be something causing me trouble?

Cole

[Sierra_abx]

What power supply are you using? I see in your profile it's 420W, but it doesn't say which brand. A bad PSU can cause all sorts of problems with your system. Also check your rail voltages. They shouldn't dip and spike by more than five percent.

I usually run my FX at less than 2.5GHz and I still get over 6300 in the Sandra buffered test. My Super Pi results are usually in the 33-34 range.

Hope you get your system running the way you want it.

[Cole_abx]

This is my best 3Dmark01 score yet with 9800 AIW and not my XT. That would probably be slightly better but even still not 2000 points better!

I still think that I should be able to keep a better average score than what I have gotten on other benchmarking software like Aquamark3 and PCmark04.
My Power supply is a Chieftec?

Max load of 400W

This system is from Alienware and it is on its way back just as soon as I can get them to give me an RMA number. It was way too much money and not enough of a brain with their tech support to provide ample service so I am just gonna give it back and build my own again.

(hopefully)

Cole

[Cole_abx]

The link didnt work so I took it out

I will put it in the next one

[Sierra_abx]

Sorry it didn't work out for you, Cole. With a high performance system, it's better to build it yourself.

[Cole_abx]

Yes I would have to agree.

I have built one complete system ironically it was a ABIT NF-7S with an AMD Barton 2500 with 1 Gig of Corsair PC2700 333MHz, For my wife to play with and have only had a few minor problems with it. It is stable as all hell could be going on and it just scoots along doing its own thing minding its own business.


I know that PCI express is coming out real soon but I am not clear on exactly what MOBO's will support it?
Or is PCI express going to take advantage of the same old style PCI slots with some sort of new controller device?
Exactly what is going to be required for it to work?

Also was wondering about RAID Array's and what is the best possible way to hook them up?
Cause I was thinking 3 HD Raptors,
2 of them in RAID 0 with 10000 rpm drives of maybe the 36 Gig'rs and an 80 Gig to mirror them for saftey. But if I go with a slower 7200 rpm drive for mirroring the 10000 rpm drives is this gonna slow me down?
Or is it even possible at all to set one up like this?

Basically could you explain RAID Arrays to me and what the pros and cons are of each set up configuration.?

Thanks Sierra Bound I appreciate you keeping my thread going. It has been kinda cool just the 2 of us in a "non private message" ha ha

I also noticed your Aquamark 3D score of 53???

Damn thats a good score!

And it also tells me that I have got a serious problem with something cause I ran with an O/C of 2472MHz CPU and an O/C 9800 AIW at like 458 core and 365 memory with all knids of artifacting and still only scored 48??? and there is no way that the difference if the V and the N can give you a 5000 point advantage over a pretty much Identical system how much does the fan set up you have installed let you overclock your card?
Was it worth what they cost you or is it not enough to notice any difference?

Oh yeah I did get ahold of Alienware and they have sent me an RMA number and as soon as they recieve my system back they will credit my account back all but 15% restocking fee of $3148 which is somewhere in the range of $2675.80 do you think I might be able to build an *** Kicken rig for that much? And still have enough left over to buy my wife a FPD monitor as well?
I think I shouldnt have any problem at all doing just fine and probably even have enough left over to get my RAID array set up too huh?

Let me know what you think as you seem to know your stuff and Im interested in what someone else's opnion of a top notch system in this range consists of.


Cole