Hardware questions!

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

Jdawg, yeah Lian-Li fans aren't really that great imo. For me tho, case fans don't really do too much. I usually have the strongest one become exhausts and the slower ones as intakes. I personally don't bother replacing the case fans in terms of airflow, unless they are noisy. It may help drop temps by a little but nothing staggering from my own testing. I would first try and reconfigure the side fan if u are worried about temps. Sometimes following the specs from the manufacturer can cause turbulance which doesn't help.

i dont have a side fan...

[gummyz]

I've run 3DMark 06 on the new hardware and got 8913 points, any good:unsure:e:

Radish?

I'm assuming u ran the demo version? I don't have the 1337 version so I can't change any setti:(s :( I've not run 3dmark yet tho. All I can say is that it sounds about right for a GTS 640MB that's o:)c :)

I can post my FEAR, CSS and HL2:LC if u'd like. Hope u have those games installed. I did have a small play around last night, and my bios is working ok. It might be a slight laggy, but definately nothing. When I change options, the text at the top right which explains what the option does, seems to change pretty quickly (ie no ghosting or no slow draw). I'll have more time this weekend to play around some more so I will definately let you know further Radish...

JDawg

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ind...oducts_id=20308

This is ur case right? I'm guessing if you don't have the side fan and the CPU duct, urs may not be the Plus version, but what do I know, I didn't buy the case lol. Anyways, I see from PPC and Xioxide that this case does have a side fan =|

[RadishTM Veteran]

I'm running a 8800 GTS OC 320MB :p

In 3DMark 01 I get around about 43000 points :o

And in 3DMark 05 I get 14182 points.

Radish?

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

gummyz - yeah thats my case but w/o that side fan... i just have the front 120mm, top and back 80mm's. the front 120mm is REALLY loud. i'd like to buy some fans that are both quiet(er) and push more air. remember that i have this crappy 805... it needs all the air it can get!

Radish - those scores are great for a 320MB.

by comparison, my CPU is really really really holding me back... here's my 3dmark scores on default using 160.03 drivers (default settings and no overclock)

3dmark01 - 30273

3dmark03 - 27479

3dmark05 - 10474

3dmark06 - 7565

[gummyz]

Yeah, I think my Lian-Li fan is the loudest in my system but I'm gonna research further when I have time to look at the case, too busy with video card :)

I've been using a bunch of fans, from Vantec Stealth, SilenX 14dBA, Thermaltake 21dBA, Lian-Li 21dBA, Zalman fans with/without their resistor addon. To my surprise, the Thermaltake seemed to be the best of the bunch. The Vantec Stealth was definately good. SilenX was a little loud (no way 14dBA when it sounded louder than the TT 21dBA), but it had good airflow also. I would consider the Vantec Stealth if u really want quiet fans as replacements. There's also some really nice Nexus fans but I don't have any to test over here, altho chconline has a bunch of them. They are pretty decent too.

That's a nice o'c Jdawg :D

So after a few reboots and such, I noticed my garbage is still at the same state. It comes up for less than a second, and it seems to happen most switching from the Summary page (ie Press <Esc> to Boot) to the Windows progress screen. I didn't notice any bios slowdowns (or any more slowdown), when turning on fan monitoring in the HW. I might try the VGA adapter if I have some time this week. I did try both DVI connections but no resolution. Looks like we have to stick with it

The 2 variants for the 8800GTS should be fairly close for scores, except on high resolutions or high AA/AF/HDR graphics (of course everything else being the same). Good score (Y). Are yoru games running ok? No other 2D anamolies I hope? I myself am not seeing any issues outside of the POST stuff.

[gummyz]

correting myself about Nexus fans, chconline has Noctua fans. Nexus is another good quiet fan solution tho :)

[chconline Veteran]

Yep, Noctua ftw. :p I am all for quiet computing.

[RadishTM Veteran]

So after a few reboots and such, I noticed my garbage is still at the same state. It comes up for less than a second, and it seems to happen most switching from the Summary page (ie Press <Esc> to Boot) to the Windows progress screen. I didn't notice any bios slowdowns (or any more slowdown), when turning on fan monitoring in the HW. I might try the VGA adapter if I have some time this week. I did try both DVI connections but no resolution. Looks like we have to stick with it

The 2 variants for the 8800GTS should be fairly close for scores, except on high resolutions or high AA/AF/HDR graphics (of course everything else being the same). Good score (Y). Are yoru games running ok? No other 2D anamolies I hope? I myself am not seeing any issues outside of the POST stuff.

Mine is still the same, I use DVI with my Samsung 205BW. All my games run great, and at native resolution on my 20" widescreen TFT.

BFG have offered to RMA my card after I tried everything they asked me to do. Also it seems some EVGA cards are having the same issue, it could also be our motherboards. But the issue is small enough for me to ignore it.

I want to start overclocking my E6600 in the BIOS, not a massive overclock. Any tips on how to start?

Radish?

[gummyz]

well I'm not really into o'c, more silent PC @ stock.

Mine isn't as bothersome as urs. Are your chipset temps ok from PC Probe II? I'm guessing it's a direct relation to our boards and the 8800 series. I've not found a thread on xtremesystems.org to figure it out or to see if I'm going to need a RMA eventually (would get it over with now). Just like u, I'm going to try and ignore it as a bug and not HW issue. I'm getting a new board hopefully after summer so I'll wait. I have no other problems so I'll stick with this setup. I really like this board other than chipset temps are too high on my setup (BTX type cases don't work well with Asus' heatpipe solutions I've heard).

I was going to try and remove the chipset stickers, but now I know that it's the entire aluminum cap I need to remove. Didn't end up removing it since it's not that easy to work in my case. My heatsink is massive also and blocking a little bit of it.

I would first start off with seeing what limiting factor ur Ram could be. If you have the newer memory chipset, u can o'c the voltage on it (NB?) to 1.85V. It's under MCH or something, but I hear the chipset gets hot even @ 1.65V (the max on my board - I have an older one). You can relax timings at this point and retest memory freq. Then fiddle with the ratios to bring more to see ur CPU limitations. That's how I've perceived it, but someone with much more experience can def correct me.

Good luck with the o'c. Would like to know ur steps and results :) I do plan to o'c when I have real time to do so or needed.

[RadishTM Veteran]

Yeah, the chipset stickers looked pretty solid to me :laugh:

Shame one has to remove it totally, how do you find out which motherboard revision you have?

I've attached a picture of my temperatures using PC Probe II.

Radish?

[GusValentine]

No home should be without Lavalys Everest Ultimate Edition:

http://www.lavalys.com/

But if you can't afford it, at least get SIW

http://www.gtopala.com/

or CPUID and PC Wizard

http://www.cpuid.com/

Edited May 21, 2007 by Gus.

[gummyz]

CPUZ can tell the revision. To find out if u've got the new mch o'volt ability, it's on the box. I'll post a link later if u'd like :) Those are great temps too Radish, I want to remove mine to help the temps but I won't do it till I decide to o'c.

At least the max temp on the chipset for me is 49C which is acceptable but not so good for o'c.

[RadishTM Veteran]

Would be great if you could post a link :) (Y)

CPU-Z said the mainboard revision is 1.xx :s

Radish?

[chconline Veteran]

Check the temperatures of each independent core. The CPU surface temperature may not be accurate at all.

[gummyz]

Check the temperatures of each independent core. The CPU surface temperature may not be accurate at all.

Yeah CoreTemp is awesome for this :) My cores are at least 10C hotter than the surface of the CPU

http://forums.legitreviews.com/about6401.html

You can see the guys box with the serial no. From what I remember, it's AGxx (supposedly if urs is made in Aug or after, then u've go the new mch, but u can easily find the mch in the bios too) tell). CPUZ says mine is 1.xx also. btw are u going thru with ur RMA, or will that wait till later on in the year?

[cchasem]

i have the Lian Li PC65 PlusII and as far as im concerned, the airflow is terrible. my cable management is stellar imo, but i think the included fans are awful. anyone confirm if they suck or not? im going to look into replacing them soon.

btw, the case came w/ a rear 80mm, a top 80mm (blocked by PSU cables mostly, but still works), and a 120mm intake

i have the exact same case (PC65B Plus II W) and i LOVE it. im not the type to monitor temps and whatnot, so i cant confirm if the fans suck or not..

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

i have the exact same case (PC65B Plus II W) and i LOVE it. im not the type to monitor temps and whatnot, so i cant confirm if the fans suck or not..

it's not easy to compare Windows readings vs. the BIOS b/c temps flucuate so much... but im using MBM5 to monitor my cpu temp. MBM5 is old and afaik, not updated anymore... so it's really just guessing. I wish CoreTemp supported Pentiums. it doesnt, right?

[gummyz]

not from what I know. CoreTemp doesn't work on my 2.8C P4. It tells me I need a Core Duo or might be just Core 2 Duo, I forget. Why aren't u using PC Probe II Jdawg? Or whatever comes with ur Asus board.

[RadishTM Veteran]

Been doing some overclocking today, currently running at 2.67 GHz and temperature is about 24C on idle.

Radish?

[gummyz]

haha sweet. I'm sure u could hit at least 3.2ghz with that type of temp :) lemme know when it catches on fire ;)

I might venture into o'c soon...... still playing right now lol

[RadishTM Veteran]

Yep, I want stablility :D

Currently running at 2.99GHz, temperature is 25C on idle / 29-30C on load. And I've overclocked the 8800 GTS to 612/1728 speeds (reference speeds are 550/1300), temperature is still the same @ 45C.

Still don't know whether to RMA the card regarding the BIOS issue, I don't have another PCI-E card around and I love my new PC :laugh:

Radish?

[gummyz]

Yeah, I'm not seeing any performance issues either, just the annoying 'bug' as I'll call it for now. Those are still great temps, u've probably got more room too (Y) Do u live in an igloo or is Cybertron that cold? :)

Seeing as it's 'lifetime' warranty, is ur RMA going to be for lifetime also? I'm figuring this since it is LT warranty, I might just play with the card until it dies (if it does - let's hope not lol). No o'c on my part, just playing games when I get a chance.

[RadishTM Veteran]

AFAIK, the warranty in the UK for BFG cards is 10/11 years due to the laws here (weird eh?) but internationally it's for a lifetime.

Radish?

[gummyz]

that is quite odd about warranty, there's not many components that last that long tho, unless u really take care of it. Just like marriage ;) lol

[RadishTM Veteran]

Haha :laugh:

I tried to run the E6600 @ 3.1GHz but it wasn't really stable on logging into Windows, raised the VCore to 1.3v but currently sticking with 2.99GHz at the moment - quite speedy.

Radish?