# The Conroe865PE thread... for AGP users... stock and mod



## lemonadesoda (Apr 27, 2008)

The Conroe865PE is a super mainboard. It's made by ASROCK. It's a bit out of date already, BUT, it allows users with high quality DDR and AGP cards to retain their investments. It uses the 865PE chipset. The board allows Conroe CPUs, including Q6600, Q6700 and QX6700!

A couple of users have them here at TPU. This thread is FOR THEM. To share tips relating to BIOS, setup, volts, modding, etc.

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SPECS of the mainboard are here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=ConRoe865PE and User Manual: http://download.asrock.com/Manual/ConRoe865PE.pdf

BIOS 1.00 to 1.71 are here in this post.
BIOS 1.71a and 1.72 are here
BIOS 1.60 is 5:4 and 1:1 memory dividers are here

Note that BIOS version L2.00 is claimed by some to be only 1.70 with the BIOS label changed.  But I still put it here in case there is a possible difference in memory dividers or CPU support.
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I'm attaching these legacy BIOS ... you never know when someone might need them. Want to look, investigate, edit? Want to add CPU support? Then read here http://www.overclock.net/t/742636/how-to-view-a-bios-before-flashing-and-add-cpu-support and http://lmdjimmy.myweb.hinet.net/BiosMod/index.html

If you read French or German, you might get useful info here: http://www.hardwareluxx.de/community/f12/asrock-conroe865pe-erfahrungen-teil-1-a-689396.html and http://forum.hardware.fr/hfr/Hardware/carte-mere/asrock-conroe-865pe-sujet_746596_1.htm


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## lemonadesoda (Apr 27, 2008)

Harlock said:
			
		

> I read on PC Treiber that you are able to run 300FSB on this MB can you tell me how to set the BIOS to obtain this results? I'm using 1.70 BIOS. Please help me!!!!!!!!


My system is:

BIOS 1.70 (microcode update 6FB/0)
Q6600, G0
4x 512Mb Corsair XMS
HD 3850 AGP

I tried BIOS 1.71 for a while. I noticed 2 issues: (i) USB keyboard didnt work on POST, so couldnt get into BIOS screen without PS/2 keyboard also plugged in, (ii) different microcode patch. I'm back to using BIOS 1.70

BIOS settings are:

FSB manually to 300
Boot failure ENABLE
Spread spectrum DISABLE
Enhanced Halt DISABLE
Max CPU ID DISABLE
Intel Virtualisation DISABLE
CPU thermal ENABLE
No execute protection DISABLE
Speedstep DISABLE

Next BIOS page
Flexible memory ENABLE
DRAM by SPD DISABLE
CAS Auto
RAS 4
RAS 4
Precharge 8
Burst 4
Graphics PCI/AGP
Aperture 64MB
LAN DISABLE (I have a 1GB Netgear PCI card)
AC'97 DISABLE (I have audigy 2)
Volts HIGH, HIGH, HIGH
Memory timings are MANUALLY set to Auto (2.5), 4, 4, 8.  Yes, I know that LOOKS slow... but in practice, setting 2.0, 3, 3, 6 only gains 0.5%, whereas 177 to 200 (and FSB 266 to 300) gains more than 15%.

revin is running a Q6700 at FSB300, so unless you are unlucky and just have a board that can't make it... you should be able to get to 300 also. Try setting the multipler to 9x (like my Q6600) and see if you can get stable at 300FSB before you up the multipler to 12x.

Please also run the following utility I've attached at the bottom. Do you get similar voltages reported? (PSU and mainboard Vcc checks). I have two PSUs that I've tried.  The one shown below is an expensive Zalman ZH600w.  I have found that my BeQuiet 420W is MORE RELIABLE. The difference is that the Vcc volts are 3.38 on the BeQuiet. It might also have a better GPU power line, I dont know, i cant measure it.  Funny that the cheaper, lower W PSU is better.






Also, very important! When are you crashing.  Make sure you do the following:

1./ Go in Windows SAFEMODE (msconfig.exe, select restart into safe mode)
2./ Drivercleaner
3./ ATI 8.4 hotfix
4./ Disable "write combining" in display settings advanced troubleshoot
5./ Try RivaTuner 2.09.  There is an option to turn off fast-writes and an option to select AGP 4x. Yes, these slow down the AGP by about 5%, but its worth it if you are suffering stability issues.

Step 1 is important, or the drivercleaner wont work on the installed card.


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## Harlock (Apr 27, 2008)

Perhaps have I to change something in my BIOS? Perhaps in the first menu of the second tab?


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## lemonadesoda (Apr 27, 2008)

When do you get the problem? Is it a full system crash, or just the GPU?

Tests:
1./ Can Windows boot to regular desktop? Can you run superpi
2./ Does whole system come down, or just GPU? Test... run MP3 player then a graphics program. Screen goes black. Is music still playing?
3./ SAFE mode boot. Does it work?
4./ 2 sticks, not 4 sticks of DDR test. Some MBs are unhappy with 4 sticks, no matter what.


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## Harlock (Apr 27, 2008)

If I put FSB to 300Mhz System hang up at Windows XP screen when the bottom bar load as KnightRider you know, at 290Mhz crash when load desktop run 3 or 4 apps in tray and after it crash, both I've got a blu screen errror

Perhaps I can try to boot from Live CD of Linux for understand if it's a windows problem


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## Harlock (Apr 27, 2008)

perhaps I need I clean windows xp installation couse this one come from my P4C800-E couse when I try to install as new xp arrive at reboot and when it try to restart after reboot it cannot do it, but when I try this installation last voice in BIOS's CPU configuration was enabled and I note it gave me many problem however for example at 285Mhz I can boot but memtest found many errors


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## Harlock (Apr 29, 2008)

I perform some tests with ubuntu live cd that has Memtest86+ 1.70 integrated, I run these test s and I've try with different BIOS settings I was able to set my system stable at 295Mhz FSB but also if Memtest86+ found no error on its tests I cannot boot the livecd or windows xp safe mode, so before change my MB (I've got also a new Conroe865PE at home) can you give me all the parameters of your BIOS? I'm using 1.70, have I to change to 1.71 beta?


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## Charlib (Jul 9, 2008)

*Q6600 G0 works 1:1 with bios 1.71rev:a*

When installing the q6600, the bios sets automatically the ratio fsb/memory to 3/2. Then the memory works at 177,77mhz only, for the standard fsb of 266mhz. All the settings of the memory can be managed manually. But letting them managed by spd induces that the bios reset the the fsb/memory to 1/1. I could experience that for fsb of 216mhz only, since my memory does not bear higher frequencies.


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## RenardMF (Jul 9, 2008)

*Conroe865PE for sale*

Just giving a heads up. If anyone is looking to pickup this board I have one I'm selling over on [H]ardocp forums here: 

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1322838

It's a great little board but it doesn't quite suit my needs.

Cheers.


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## rtwjunkie (Jul 25, 2008)

*Question on RAM*

Hi, I'm glad I found this thread.  Seems to be the most informed one anywhere on the 865pe.
I picked one up in January from E-bay and bought an inexpensive Intel E4600 so my kids could upgrade a little.  I kept their 2x1Gb Ultra pc3200 (DDR 400) and the BFG 7800gs.  I've spent awhile trying to figure this out as far as overclocking.  Since the CPU is 800FSB, then that means CPU and RAM are running 1:1.  CPU-Z confirms this.  I've overclocked the FSB to 205, but I'm concerned because that means the RAM is starting to go way above spec.  How can I oc cpu while leaving RAM at ddr400?  TIA.


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## rtwjunkie (Jul 29, 2008)

How do I know what voltages my RAM is getting in Hardware Monitor?  With the BIOS, I can only set it to Low, High, and Auto.  I'm installing the Mushkin XP4000 Reedline (2x1GB), and want to get it to send the right volt without frying it.  Is the High setting too high?  What is your experience about Low... is it enough?


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## Harlock (Oct 1, 2008)

Hi guys, I tried with another equal board and now I can run at 300FSB 11x now I just need to tweak windows xp to gain stability, I'm using 2,5 - 4 - 4 - 8 but I would like to have a bios with 1:1 multiplier 

Ok, I 've performed 2 passes of Memtest86+ with no error with FSB 300Mhz x11 multiplier and 2,5-4-4-8, but Windowsxp is not stable. Any suggestion please?


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## rtwjunkie (Oct 1, 2008)

Harlock:

There was a German site that had developed their own BIOS mod to allow different ratios for 100FSB CPU's, but alas, not a 1:1.  I'm running an E4600 (800FSB) CTD.  It's an Allendale chip, and so far I'm up to a CPU speed of 2.64 (220 x 12).  On the 800 FSB jumper setting, DDR 400 and up memory will run 1:1.  I've got XP4000 Redline Mushkin DDR (DDR 500) in there, so I should be able to go all the way to 250.  Otherwise, I don't think you can do 1:1.


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## Harlock (Oct 1, 2008)

@rtwjunkie

I'm using OCZ Platinum DDR600 so if I can obtain a 1:1 BIOS I can use it with my ram, I know that German forum the problem is that Modded Bios doesn't support dual channel


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## lemonadesoda (Oct 1, 2008)

Harlock said:


> Ok, I 've performed 2 passes of Memtest86+ with no error with FSB 300Mhz x11 multiplier and 2,5-4-4-8, but Windowsxp is not stable. Any suggestion please?


 What is the stability issue you are getting? Are the GPU drivers failing? I had a problem with the Conroe865 and I finally replaced it. It narrowed it down to an issue with the AGP when switching to 3D mode.

I could boot into windows and do benchmarks incl. superpi with 100% stability, UNTIL I ran a DirectX benchmark or game. Then... boom! 

I think it was an AGP failure linked to the Northbridge.  

I've since retired the Conroe865 and use the Asrock 775i65G with AGP 3850 and have 100% stability. Q6600 at FSB 300.


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## Harlock (Oct 1, 2008)

Ok I'm at 300Mhz FSB x10 multiplier and 2,5 - 4 - 4 -8 Wprime95 finish without error


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## lemonadesoda (Oct 1, 2008)

Congratulations!  I'm pleased you are stable at 3.0Ghz @ 300FSB.

I'd stick with that, or try a lower FSB and higher multiplier. See where that takes you. It will help you identify if it is a CPU issue, or a FSB/Memory stability issue.  

Also, if you get a decent cooler onto your 3850, you will pull 12000 easy in 3DMark06.  I got 11,700 using my Q6600. See

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=57401


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## Harlock (Oct 2, 2008)

My 3850 is this: http://www.hisdigital.com/html/product_ov.php?id=373&view=yes

Is it ok ?

The strange thing is that yesterday I collect only 8250 points in 3DMarks 2006 with FSB 290Mhz x 11 multiplier and 2,5 - 4 - 4 - 8

I've got some problem with catalyst couse the CCC crash when I recall it saying icgfcg.exe or similar not found

Now I've just installed the xtreme-G Catalyst 8.9 AGP I'll perform some new check

In Bios I also activate (in CPU settings) all except intel speedstep technology in the lower group


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## Harlock (Oct 3, 2008)

Ok yesterday I reached 12054 points at 3Dmarks06

FSB = 294Mhz
Multiplier = 11
RAM = 2 - 3 - 3 - 6

In Bios I've activated Spread Spectrum or 3Dmarks06 crash
Enhalt ...........
Virtualization ..............

All the rest in the same screen disabled

I also overclock my 3850 to 802/1002

I think I can get a little more, any suggestion?


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## mrhuggles (Oct 3, 2008)

i hate asrock, the board ihad even tho i had set it to lock the pci/agp busses, it was overclocking them and thats what was holding me back


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## lemonadesoda (Oct 3, 2008)

^^ Kindly, dont troll the thread.  Please only post if you are contributing to the thread regarding use, setup, drivers, and benchmarking of AGP and the Conroe865PE board.


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## Harlock (Oct 4, 2008)

Guys new record 12341!!! by overclocking a little more my HIS, WOW


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## Harlock (Oct 5, 2008)

I had to repeat the test to grab also the details and ...........

Same config.

x11 Multiplier

294Mhz FSB

His 3850Agp @824/1035

12349 points!!!! New Record


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## Harlock (Oct 7, 2008)

Guys I've got a problem this MB is equal to other that I use, but it seems that I cannot use any USB external HD, it seems that it's not totally compatible with my Promise FastTrak TX4310, can you help me please ?


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## Harlock (Oct 8, 2008)

Fixed


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## Harlock (Oct 11, 2008)

Hey guys, new records!!!!

12449 points in 3Dmarks2006


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## rtwjunkie (Oct 12, 2008)

Man, that's outstanding.  I guess you've shown that with this motherboard, ther'es still some life in AGP and DDR1 !!


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## Harlock (Oct 12, 2008)

@rtwjunkie

And this is not the end ..........

I manage to go over .........


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## rtwjunkie (Sep 27, 2009)

*New 865PE Q*

Sorry to dredge up an old thread....is anyone still using this board?  I've decided to break this board out again after a year in retirement, as I'd like to use it to build a Windows Home Server(WHS).  It'll have an e-2160? 2.0Ghz CPU, and 2 GB(2x1) of Mushkin XP-4000 (DDR 500).  I'll be running the bus at 200, as it's an 800Mhz CPU.  Yeah, I know I'll be underclocking the RAM, but I know it is rock-solid on this board from prior use, and it'll allow me to get the lowest latency possible, which may get important to a server running add-in apps made for WHS.

My question is, has anyone run all 4 memory modules on this board?  I'd like to get another additional 2GB to put in here, to cut down on any possible lag my WHS might have.  With the memory being underclocked, I shouldn't have any trouble with finding the extra voltage necessary to the VDIMM and NB that you would normally need, should I?


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## revin (Oct 5, 2009)

Well sadly my Conroe865PE died last month
Back on the AI7 3.4EE P4, but atleast have the HIS3850


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## revin (Oct 5, 2009)

rtwjunkie said:


> Sorry to dredge up an old thread....is anyone still using this board?  I've decided to break this board out again after a year in retirement, as I'd like to use it to build a Windows Home Server(WHS).  It'll have an e-2160? 2.0Ghz CPU, and 2 GB(2x1) of Mushkin XP-4000 (DDR 500).  I'll be running the bus at 200, as it's an 800Mhz CPU.  Yeah, I know I'll be underclocking the RAM, but I know it is rock-solid on this board from prior use, and it'll allow me to get the lowest latency possible, which may get important to a server running add-in apps made for WHS.
> 
> My question is, has anyone run all 4 memory modules on this board?  I'd like to get another additional 2GB to put in here, to cut down on any possible lag my WHS might have.  With the memory being underclocked, I shouldn't have any trouble with finding the extra voltage necessary to the VDIMM and NB that you would normally need, should I?



 My board came from Australia in a bubble bag, and was quit damaged when I got it, bent caps, broke parallel port ect, and it ran like a dream with my current 4x512 OCZ ELPT Rev2 at 2.2.2.5 with the voltages set to "High" for CPU/Ram per lemonadesoda.

 I have also tried running OCZELPT500's 2x1GB, and CorsairC2PT's 2x1GB, timing was set manual at 3.3.2.6, and although I had "slightly" faster load times on some apps, the performance dip was more noticeable "to me".

 So as for me 4 sticks was never any issue even "mixed sets" for the almost 2 yrs of use, and if I recall l/s also used all 4 slots on his.


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## TRWOV (Jan 19, 2012)

sorry for the necropost but does anyone have the modded bios backed up somewhere or installed? I've read about 200 forum pages on hardwareluxx, 3dcenter, Pctreiber and countless others but every one links back to the pctreiber downloads pages... which aren't online anymore.

I made an account on 3dcenter where AMC's original post is but since his last post was more than 8 months ago I don't hold much hope into him replying to my PM.

Thank you in advance.


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## sneekypeet (Jan 19, 2012)

Do the pair of files in the OP not work anymore?


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## Athlon2K15 (Jan 19, 2012)

theres two bios files on the OP


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## TRWOV (Jan 19, 2012)

those are for the 1.7 and 1.71 bios, not the ones modded for 1:1 and 5:4 dividers.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 5, 2012)

*ConRoe Blues*

Hiya, Im new on here, I joined after finding this topic as you do... Well, I gotta a big headache, maybe you can help/advise me? I've just completed a system build which consists of : intel Q6600 SLACR (G0) CPU - ASRock Conroe865PE MB - 2 x Kingston KTM-M50/1Gb RAM Modules - Sapphire HD3850 AGP Gfx Card - Creative Labs Audigy Sound Card - PowerCool GT 700w PSU with dual 12v rails rated at 22A each! PHEW! Now when I turn on the system with both RAM in dual channel config I get a blank screen, when i put them in single channel mode the POST appears and I can get into the bios, change things, etc. Also, when I try to boot off the HDD, I get BSOD's so try to boot off Windows DVD an run setup but same again or just reboots. I tried running with 1 stick of RAM in there but same symptoms... any ideas as Im fresh out!! Bear in mind that Ive completely stripped an rebuilt this system 3 times today an im getting a bit desperate... The BIOS is P1.70. and its showing correct RAM speeds, size etc and the CPU is showing correct type, model, speed, etc.

Thanx in advance


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## hat (Sep 5, 2012)

Two things I could think of:

1. Try clearing the CMOS (I usually just take the battery out)

2. Make sure your memory is set to run at the manufacturer's advertised settings. I haven't found anything other than that it's supposed to run at 2.6v and it's 200MHz (400 DDR). The timings are probably 3-3-3-9, just guessing though.


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## TRWOV (Sep 5, 2012)

There's a jumper between the AGP port and the CPU socket. Set it to 2-3 (test) and try again.


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## Completely Bonkers (Sep 5, 2012)

@b1gt1m.  Try pulling the AGP card and using a PCI card.  I used to have a Conroe865PE and loved it... then it got unstable... then failed to POST.  It was the AGP slot (or Northbridge).  I switched everything over - CPU, GPU, DDR to the 775i65G which still works even today.

+++++++++++++

Somthing for TRWOV


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## TRWOV (Sep 5, 2012)

Completely Bonkers said:


> @b1gt1m.  Try pulling the AGP card and using a PCI card.  I used to have a Conroe865PE and loved it... then it got unstable... then failed to POST.  It was the AGP slot (or Northbridge).  I switched everything over - CPU, GPU, DDR to the 775i65G which still works even today.
> 
> +++++++++++++
> 
> Somthing for TRWOV



I already have it. What I've been looking for is the modded 1:1 RAM bios (when a 1066MHz CPU is used the RAM runs at 3:2)  There's countless references to it but the forum post where it was hosted is no longer available and every link I've found goes to it


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## b1gt1m (Sep 5, 2012)

*ConRow*

@TRWOV I've tried on both the 800 and 1066 settings, both do the same i've left it at 'TEST/1066' as the CPU HTT is 1066 anyway. @Completely Bonkers I'm hoping its not that as I've just paid for the board and it seems to be fine... just this problem with BSOD and Boot problems i.e. Windows failed to boot because winsetup.exe is corrupt or missing... which it AIN T! I tried booting off a CD version of windows - that is to say windows is installed on the cd itself... loads into memory.... that failed which DEFINATELY points to a memory or memory controller problem - could it be the CPU - it's a Q6600-G0 and the ConRoe865PE is only certified to run with a Q6600-B3... Man alive a hope not!


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## b1gt1m (Sep 5, 2012)

*Bios*

Just thinking on, it has got the standard BIOS P1.70 in there, could it be that I need to install that 1.72 bios upd? Would it work?


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## hat (Sep 5, 2012)

Since you said it doesn't work at all in dual channel and halfass works in single channel I'm thinking it could be a memory controller issue (board) most likely... checking your RAM settings is a longshot, but worth a try.


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## Jstn7477 (Sep 5, 2012)

I have a 4CoreDual-VSTA that has one bad DDR slot (has 2 DDR2 and 2 DDR slots) and it would post but Windows would not load with 2 DDR sticks. Board problems are entirely possible considering the refurbished ASRock samples I have obtained 6 months ago are 5+ years old.


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## TRWOV (Sep 5, 2012)

b1gt1m said:


> Just thinking on, it has got the standard BIOS P1.70 in there, could it be that I need to install that 1.72 bios upd? Would it work?



G0s work fine with 1.70. 1.72 just includes the microcode update (bugfixes for the CPU). I ran 1.70 with a Q6700 G0 for about 1 year with no problems.

Looks like the memory controller is shot although you might try with giving the slots a cleaning (use a toothbrush and some canned air). I had an issue with the first RAM slot on a 939A8X-M and cleaning it solved the issue.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 5, 2012)

Hiya, hmmm ok well I'll try cleaning out the DIMM slots, updating the BIOS to 1.72 and
I'll slow down the memory timing to 3,3,3,9 - could someone please post a picture of 
What it looks like Im not to sure on the memory timings as I've never done that before.
Im goin away for a few days today but should be back on Friday so I'll get back to you then.

Thanx in advance, friends.


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## TRWOV (Sep 5, 2012)

just leave the timmings at Auto, the bios is pretty aggresive with timmings anyway. It clocks my mushkins to 2.5-2-2-5 automatically.

You could also try to apply new thermal paste to the northbridge heatsink or even putting a small 40mm fan over it. Remember that the stock 865PE runs at 800Mhz, with the Q6600 it's running at 1066Mhz.


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## m1dg3t (Sep 5, 2012)

3/3/3/9 is not an actual timing option, 3/3/3/8 is. Most standard ddr400 RAM was specced @ 200Mhz 3/4/4/8. If that matters to anyone? 

From what i recall of the p4 (865) days NB cooling played a big part in stability/clocking and 99% of the time a salvaged 40mm fan attached to the Nb hsf did wonders 

TRWOV: IIRC those Mushkins are rated for ddr500 @ 3/2/3/8? If so then you should be able to even get them to 2/2/2/5


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## TRWOV (Sep 5, 2012)

2-2-2-5 wasn't IBT Max stable in my case.  IBT std did fine though


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## b1gt1m (Sep 8, 2012)

Hiya guys, I'm back now an charged up!  Soooo, I did all things I said I was gonna do, Cleaned up the NB Heatsink - it had all this pink hard crap on it so I cleaned it off both the chip and the cooler with Isopropynol then let it dry, lovely an shiny now, put some thermal compound on the chip then fixed the heatsink back into place. Drop out the battery to reset the bios, put the battery back in then attempted a bootup, it booted and I flashed the BIOS to 1.72 and used 3 3 3 8 timings in the RAM settings. Still the same problem, I searched for a divider for the RAM (1:1/3:2) it wasnt there. So, I rebooted the system once I'd set up the BIOS time, date, etc and still will not boot into windows. I put in W7 DVD in the drive and tried to get it to boot off that but still shows errors... I think I need to slow down the RAM but dunno how... my thinking tells me that the stock FSB is 800 then the RAM is 200 so then if the FSB is 1066 then the RAM must be 266!!! Thats FAR to fast for ordinary RAM (Kingston KTM-M50-1G) that I'm using so any ideas, please help as I know I'm soooo close to getting this done!


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## b1gt1m (Sep 8, 2012)

ROFL!!! I've just read thru the posts again from top to bottom - it's just sunk in that the RAM divider is set to 3/2 and to get it upto 1/1 im gonna have to speed up the bus to 300 instead of 266... I'll try it and set the RAM to 2.5 2 4 4 8. Here we go...


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## b1gt1m (Sep 8, 2012)

Its alive ALIVE!! Just dropped the CPU down to 6 an windows talking, just successfully booted for the first time! Gonna run some tests to see what speed things are running at (CPUZ) will keep you posted.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 8, 2012)

*SUCCESS! It's ALIVE!!!!*

Ok people, thanx to your wonderful knowledge and experience, I'm now typing this on the Conroe865PE/C2Q6600 Build!!!!  Yea that's right I've cracked it - it was the RAM... or the speed of it to be precise. I discovered that because of the way the BIOS handles the clock speeds, the RAM as it turns out was getting OC'd to within an inch of it's poor life!! So, after some calculations, I've sussed out the following, Conroe865PE boards DO NOT like CL3 RAM!!! CL2 or CL2.5 is fine - CL3 you get all sorts of problems, which is why I'm now half bald!!! Anyway here are some screen shots for you lovely folks! I declare this machine conquered - JOB DONE!!


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## cdawall (Sep 8, 2012)

Holy old thread...


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## TRWOV (Sep 8, 2012)

Nice to see you got it running. Welcome to the club


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## b1gt1m (Sep 8, 2012)

*We are the champions...*

Hiya guys, first of all, let me say a huge THANKYOU to you all who've helped me and got me through this build. Without your knowledge and expertise, there is absolutely NO WAY that I'd be typing this message to you all. I'm so much more wiser and informed regarding building now - and to think that I told myself I knew enough - you never stop learning ever! OK well, HALLELUJAH - I've actually nailed it down now to a fine point of what was going wrong with the system all this time - it was an incompatible memory stick. As you can see from the screen shot, I'm now using a couple of 1Gb DIMMS that are both CL/CAS 2.5 and are locked down at 3 3 7. I have 4 DIMMS (4Gb) to use but 1 of them is ONLY CL/CAS  3 and NO LESS! This caused all sorts of errors and instability because ConRoe865 Boards will ONLY USE CL/CAS 2 or 2.5 DIMMS and I was using the CL3 DIMM all the time until I had the idea I was missing something. So... I read the entire thread again and thats when it hit me! Charlib wrote "When installing the q6600, the bios sets automatically the ratio fsb/memory to 3/2. Then the memory works at 177,77mhz only, for the standard fsb of 266mhz." Which straight away triggered my thinking about the RAM being OC'd way too much then Hat wrote "Since you said it doesn't work at all in dual channel and halfass works in single channel I'm thinking it could be a memory controller issue (board) most likely... checking your RAM settings is a longshot, but worth a try." RAM settings absolutely right! Then m1dg3t made me click with the quote "3/3/3/9 is not an actual timing option, 3/3/3/8 is. Most standard ddr400 RAM was specced @ 200Mhz 3/4/4/8." Then I remembered reading in the ASRock ConRoe865PE Manual that the board only likes CL2.5 or CL2 RAM ESPECIALLY WHEN RUNNING AT 1066!!! So, the upshot of all this is now that I know which DIMMS can run at CL2.5 (3 out of 4 DIMMS as it turns out) - I've put 2 - 1Gb DDR400 CL2.5 DIMMS onto the board which are in slots 1 and 3. I've set the FSB at 250 which gives me the the RAM running at DDR333 in DUAL CHANNEL MODE at stock LOW voltage on everything. Please take a look at my screen shot. The last word on this for me is that I'm getting a matched set of 
OCZ Platinum PC3200 2 3 2 5 RAM which will run upto speeds in excess of DDR550 CL2.5! It's been fun guys, and I will keep you posted on the RAM when I get it. keep the faith!


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## b1gt1m (Sep 10, 2012)

*Early Upgrade*

Allo! Just a quick update for ya, I've just ordered a matched pair of 
'OCZ PC3200 1024MB EL DUAL CHANNEL 2 3 2 5 DIMMS'!  They're CL2 at DDR400, so overclocking is absolutely on the table with these babies!!!


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## b1gt1m (Sep 19, 2012)

*ConRoe 965PE BIOS MOD HERE!*

Allo! This will be my final update for a while. OK so, after reading and searching for days on end for a BIOS Hack that'll run the divider at 1:1 or even 5:4 guess what - I FOUND IT! And took delivery of 2x OCZ 1Gb Platinum DDR400 2 3 2 5 Sticks!!! So I've install em and I'm as happy as can be! My PC is running smooth as a babies behind and fast too - stable a granite. I'm happy and for those who want it, here's that BIOS mod too. It's 1.50 modded to run at 5:4 divider. The attached file IS NOT A TXT FILE - ITS THE BIOS UPD - RENAME IT FROM TXT to ROM!!!  All the best.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 19, 2012)

Here's my PC now! HAPPY!!!!!


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## TRWOV (Sep 19, 2012)

b1gt1m said:


> Allo! This will be my final update for a while. OK so, after reading and searching for days on end for a BIOS Hack that'll run the divider at 1:1 or even 5:4 guess what - I FOUND IT! And took delivery of 2x OCZ 1Gb Platinum DDR400 2 3 2 5 Sticks!!! So I've install em and I'm as happy as can be! My PC is running smooth as a babies behind and fast too - stable a granite. I'm happy and for those who want it, here's that BIOS mod too. It's 1.50 modded to run at 5:4 divider. The attached file IS NOT A TXT FILE - ITS THE BIOS UPD - RENAME IT FROM TXT to ROM!!!  All the best.



THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! 

Where did you find it? I must have spent like a month looking for it. Too bad it's the 1.50 bios but it supports my CPU so it should be alright. Testing.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 19, 2012)

Where did I find it!? If I told you, you'd never believe it... ahh what the hell - in an ex DARPA server! I'm still confused tho - I tried the BIOS yesterday an as shown in the screenshot, the system ran ok - then today I turned it on, it booted then everything I tried to run started to crash... I'm a little confused I must say again - so reverted back to BIOS 1.72 running with 3:2 divider - clocked up the FSB to 300 so the CPU is running at 2.7 instead of 2.4 and the RAM is running at DDR400 and I'm Still having problems... I'm getting a headache!


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## TRWOV (Sep 19, 2012)

Maybe you could disable Intel SpeedStep and see if that helps?? Bios 1.60 had some bugfixes for it and the bios you found is 1.50.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah I figured that one so I've gone back to using 1.70 and setting the FSB to 300 so I get DDR400 (199.8) - at least it's stable... I'm not to sure what to make of 1.71 and 1.72 - they seem to be identical...


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## Completely Bonkers (Sep 20, 2012)

If you are brave, get an original 1.50 ROM, compare it to the hacked 1.50.  Transfer those same edits to the newer 1.72 

This is some work to achieve using a BIOS editor etc. But I'm sure quite do-able


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## b1gt1m (Sep 21, 2012)

hmmmmm... do-able I'll have a go!


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## b1gt1m (Oct 7, 2012)

*Wtf!??*

Allo its been a while huh? Well I went as far as I could with ConRoe865PE-I realised this when I started to actually get into BIOS editing!? Nah not really...! So, I've just got a ASRock 4CoreDual SATA2 Rev 2.00 MainBoard, an Intel Q6600 (G0) and a matched set of OCZ Platinum 2Gb RAM (2x PC3200 1Gb 2 3 2 5) with a Sapphire HD3850 AGP card and a 400Gb IBM SATA2 HDD. I built the machine turned it on and it POST'd first time, so I flashed the BIOS to 2.20A thanx to a link off this site to PC-TRIEBER. Booted again and tried to run a W7 install a few times and failed as the Windows Setup Progam keeps crashing at expanding files saying a "File is Missing" which I know it's not and the HDD is 100%. I went back into the BIOS and UNDERCLOCKED the CPU to 250 FSB, left the RAM at DDR200 and locked up the AGP/PCI bus to 66 - auto voltages on everything, and I got it to boot of a CD into MINI W7 which is what im running now. I daren't try an install W7 onto the HDD in case of drive errors cos of the problem with the system clocks. Another thing, I noticed the System Time keeps jumping forward 3/4 hrs!!! It currently says in the task bar that it's 08:15am when it is in fact 4am!? And thats after I've performed a time update! Please help, I've been building systems since the days of DOS 2 and 286's and I'll be damned if I know whats going on, I thought it might be the RAM but as I've 2 sets of Dual Channel OCZ RAM and they're both 100% - I know the RAMS tip-top.


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## TRWOV (Oct 9, 2012)

I don't have experience with that board but I think that Jstn7477 has (or had) one. _JP_ too. You might want to give them a shout.


----------



## Bo$$ (Oct 9, 2012)

b1gt1m said:


> Allo its been a while huh? Well I went as far as I could with ConRoe865PE-I realised this when I started to actually get into BIOS editing!? Nah not really...! So, I've just got a ASRock 4CoreDual SATA2 Rev 2.00 MainBoard, an Intel Q6600 (G0) and a matched set of OCZ Platinum 2Gb RAM (2x PC3200 1Gb 2 3 2 5) with a Sapphire HD3850 AGP card and a 400Gb IBM SATA2 HDD. I built the machine turned it on and it POST'd first time, so I flashed the BIOS to 2.20A thanx to a link off this site to PC-TRIEBER. Booted again and tried to run a W7 install a few times and failed as the Windows Setup Progam keeps crashing at expanding files saying a "File is Missing" which I know it's not and the HDD is 100%. I went back into the BIOS and UNDERCLOCKED the CPU to 250 FSB, left the RAM at DDR200 and locked up the AGP/PCI bus to 66 - auto voltages on everything, and I got it to boot of a CD into MINI W7 which is what im running now. I daren't try an install W7 onto the HDD in case of drive errors cos of the problem with the system clocks. Another thing, I noticed the System Time keeps jumping forward 3/4 hrs!!! It currently says in the task bar that it's 08:15am when it is in fact 4am!? And thats after I've performed a time update! Please help, I've been building systems since the days of DOS 2 and 286's and I'll be damned if I know whats going on, I thought it might be the RAM but as I've 2 sets of Dual Channel OCZ RAM and they're both 100% - I know the RAMS tip-top.



Swap out the Cmos battery, maybe check another CD drive!

loosen timings on the ram!


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## b1gt1m (Oct 10, 2012)

Well, I seemed to have cured the problem - I dropped the clock ratio from x9 to x8 - an now it runs like a dream!!!? The CPU is a Q6600 (G0) an is supposed to run at x9 ratio as standard!? Weird? Any thoughts...


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 10, 2012)

b1gt1m said:


> Well, I seemed to have cured the problem - I dropped the clock ratio from x9 to x8 - an now it runs like a dream!!!? The CPU is a Q6600 (G0) an is supposed to run at x9 ratio as standard!? Weird? Any thoughts...



what ratio, are you talking about the Multiplier which determines the CPUs operational state

aka FSB x Multiplier Number? or are you talking about a memory divisor?


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## Bo$$ (Oct 10, 2012)

b1gt1m said:


> Well, I seemed to have cured the problem - I dropped the clock ratio from x9 to x8 - an now it runs like a dream!!!? The CPU is a Q6600 (G0) an is supposed to run at x9 ratio as standard!? Weird? Any thoughts...



i think maybe the power circuitry was having a hard time with that CPU! great that it's all good


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## b1gt1m (Oct 10, 2012)

Ooh sorry yea the CPU Multiplier... its set at 8x....


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## b1gt1m (Oct 10, 2012)

ROFL!!! I've just discovered that I've made an error with my BIOS settings - I left the Thermal Throttling function OFF in the BIOS - since I've turned it on and set the FSB to AUTO - Multiplier to x9 and memory to DDR400 with low voltage settings on all - it's as stable as a rock and runs fine... I AM A DOUGHNUT!!!! ROFL!!!! I'm still gonna try an OC it tho... Muwahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! ;-)


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## TRWOV (Oct 10, 2012)

mmm... so it throttles at stock speeds? You might need a better heatsink. What are you using?


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## ashoka (Oct 17, 2012)

*Mother board for Pentium D*



TRWOV said:


> mmm... so it throttles at stock speeds? You might need a better heatsink. What are you using?



TRWOV

I want Asrock ConRoe 865PE   mobo for my Pentium D and DDR and AGP card. where to get?
I am from India. Any Mobo for Pentium D will do but this is best not wasting my existing 
memory and DVD drive...


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 17, 2012)

ashoka said:


> trwov
> 
> i want asrock conroe 865pe   mobo for my pentium d and ddr and agp card. Where to get?
> I am from india. Any mobo for pentium d will do but this is best not wasting my existing
> memory and dvd drive...



ebay!


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## TRWOV (Oct 17, 2012)

ashoka said:


> TRWOV
> 
> I want Asrock ConRoe 865PE   mobo for my Pentium D and DDR and AGP card. where to get?
> I am from India. Any Mobo for Pentium D will do but this is best not wasting my existing
> memory and DVD drive...



There's a guy on ebay that's selling them right now but I don't know if he'll ship overseas. 

Other options for Pentium D (socket 775) + DDR RAM + AGP:


- Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 
- Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA
- Asrock 775i65G rev.2 (mATX, supports Wolfdale with bios 3.30)
- Gigabyte GA-8I865GME-775-RH rev. 6.6 (mATX)
- Asrock 775Dual-VSTA
- Asus P5PE-VM (mATX)
- Biostar P4M800Pro-D1 7.x (mATX)
- ECS P4M800PRO-M (mATX)
- PCCHIPS P23G ver. 3.0 (mATX)
- Asus P5VD1-X
- Asus P5VDC-X
- Gigabyte GA-8VT880P Combo


Some have 4 DDR slots, most have 2. I still think the Conroe865PE is the best of the bunch though.


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## b1gt1m (Nov 2, 2012)

Allo! Long time no speak.... the ConRoe865PE IS the best of the bunch, so much so I'm sticking with it! Just make sure the DDR RAM is rated at *CL2.5 OR LESS* ConRoe865PE board *DO NOT LIKE CL3 RAM*!!! Ebay for you're hardware...


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## eidairaman1 (Nov 2, 2012)

b1gt1m said:


> Allo! Long time no speak.... the ConRoe865PE IS the best of the bunch, so much so I'm sticking with it! Just make sure the DDR RAM is rated at *CL2.5 OR LESS* ConRoe865PE board *DO NOT LIKE CL3 RAM*!!! Ebay for you're hardware...



herro, derivery guy


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## Compurex1 (Nov 8, 2012)

*5:4 ratio Bios*



b1gt1m said:


> Allo! Long time no speak.... the ConRoe865PE IS the best of the bunch, so much so I'm sticking with it! Just make sure the DDR RAM is rated at *CL2.5 OR LESS* ConRoe865PE board *DO NOT LIKE CL3 RAM*!!! Ebay for you're hardware...



b1gt1m / TRWOV:

What BIOS are you using with your ConRoe865PE?

I'm using a C2D E6600 and I'd like to have my PC3200 RAM running at 200 instead of 177.  I've tried OCing, but I haven't found it to be very stable.  I have good CL2 RAM, so I think the culprit is the northbridge not liking the OC.

What has been your experience with the AMC 5:4 ratio BIOS?  I was thinking of giving it a try.


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## b1gt1m (Nov 12, 2012)

The AMC bios does work and is not bad to be honest - I posted it on here... the thing is, when you flash your bios you have to set the Latency/CL ram setting to AUTO in the bios before the 5:4 divider kicks in. I've decided to go back to using the 1.72 BIOS now, you don't have to change the FSB Jumper on the board any more either since using 1.70 i think! Just for your info tho, I've just picked up a QX6700 CPU (C2Q EE) And I'm gonna OC the hell outta that one!!! ;-)


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## TRWOV (Nov 13, 2012)

The most I could get semi-stable on my board was 3.1Ghz (282x11). Apparently the chipset limit on my board is 285 and the frequency limit on my CPU is about 3.170Ghz as at anything above that Windows won't even load. 3.1Ghz is stable in most benchmarks but IBT crashes and OCCT tells me that Core 3 is the one giving errors. I got a water cooling kit in hopes of getting at least 3.1Ghz fully stable.

I think that we're hitting the limits of power delivery on these boards. They only have 4 phases plus they're very old now; I recapped mine but couldn't get any more performance. I'm going to put a Thermalright H55 on the chipset but I'm not holding my breath either, I just think it'll look badass 

Using 1.70.


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## b1gt1m (Nov 14, 2012)

Oh yea itll look badass alright! That will help a lot with cooling too. Why are you using 1.70?


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## TRWOV (Nov 14, 2012)

Stability purposes. Once I see what this board is capable of I'll try the 5:4 bios. Since it's based on the older 1.50 bios I need to have a baseline to compare with. P


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## Completely Bonkers (Nov 14, 2012)

Has anyone tried this CPU?

*Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5800, 2x 3.20GHz*
Dual-Core "Wolfdale" • TDP: 65W • Fertigung: 45nm • FSB: 200MHz • L2-Cache: 2MB shared • Stepping: R0 • MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, EIST, Intel 64, XD bit, iAMT2, Enhanced Halt State (C1E), Extended Stop Grant State (C2E), Deep Sleep State (C3E), Deeper Sleep State (C4E), Thermal Monitor 2, VT-x
EAN-Codes: 0675901063692, 4016138672008, 5032037011655
The FSB + fixed multipler looks like a nice starting point. Won't beat a Quad Q6600/Q6700 on crunching, but on single thread... 3.20+ is good.

Compare with Q6600
Quad-Core "Kentsfield" • TDP: 95W • Fertigung: 65nm • FSB: 266MHz • L2-Cache: 2x 4MB shared • Stepping: G0 • MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, EIST, Intel 64, XD bit, iAMT2, VT, Enhanced Halt State (C1E), Thermal Monitor 2


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## TRWOV (Nov 14, 2012)

I had it on my 775i65G board. Got to 3.6 with no problems.


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## Completely Bonkers (Nov 14, 2012)

Did you have to run a modded BIOS or did 1.70/1.71 work with that CPU?


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 14, 2012)

Hats off to all of you still playing with this board!  I still have mine, just don't have it installed anywhere right now.  I think it still has an e2160 and Ultra CL2 RAM in it.  It was a nice opportunity to use my BFG 7800GS (which I also have in a box).  You've inspired me to maybe break it out and use it as a project.


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 14, 2012)

I'm bummed.  I had several BIOS on...(gulp), floppy disks which I found in the box for my 865PE.  I haven't had a floppy in 2 years.  :-(  I'm not sure which ones I had on there.  I guess when I reinstall this thing I'll see if I had upgraded to 1.71.  Whichever one I had was when I was getting good results before (pages 1&2).  Does anyone have them handy in some other form than floppy if I need one?


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## Completely Bonkers (Nov 14, 2012)

^what exactly are you asking for? Copies of the BIOS files? As in... you mean... those downloads in the OP by lemonadesoda 2008?


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 14, 2012)

Completely Bonkers said:


> ^what exactly are you asking for? Copies of the BIOS files? As in... you mean... those downloads in the OP by lemonadesoda 2008?



Oh, boy have I got a case of the dum-dums.    LOL, I don't know what I was thinking.  Sorry about that.....


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## TRWOV (Nov 15, 2012)

Completely Bonkers said:


> Did you have to run a modded BIOS or did 1.70/1.71 work with that CPU?



Works with 1.70 although 1.72 supposedly has the microcode for it. Didn't notice any drawback but it was just a place holder until I got a QX6700 (I had sold my Q6700 to obtain the funds needed) so I didn't play with it that much.


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## Completely Bonkers (Nov 15, 2012)

Can you please post 1.72 and any other BIOSes not in the OP? Thanks!


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## TRWOV (Nov 15, 2012)

Sure.

Changelog:

1.71:
- Add CPU microcode M016FDA1 for M0 Conroe CPU.
- Update CPU microcode F65 from RevID 07 to 09 for D0 Presler CPU.
- Add CPU microcode M016FBB3 for G0 Conroe/Kentsfield CPU.

1.71a:
- Add support for Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 (Wolfdale, 45nm)

1.72:
- Add support for R0 Stepping


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## vawrvawerawe (Nov 15, 2012)

You can buy this motherboard for $18 now (if you can find it).


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## brandonwh64 (Nov 15, 2012)

vawrvawerawe said:


> You can buy this motherboard for $18 now (if you can find it).



You have links to this or are you just speculating?


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 15, 2012)

@TRWOV:  Do those BIOS from pctreiber support dual-channel?  I remember a couple years ago they were modding BIOS but they only supported single channel.


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## TRWOV (Nov 15, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> You have links to this or are you just speculating?



I've seen them go for $26+shipping on eBay.



rtwjunkie said:


> @TRWOV:  Do those BIOS from pctreiber support dual-channel?  I remember a couple years ago they were modding BIOS but they only supported single channel.



I'm going to owe you that, I don't recall.



off topic: I've been looking into getting the single slot HIS HD3850 because I want to put an iRAM and sound card into my build so I have set up an ebay search for it. This is the result I got today:







Free shipping!!!! What a deal!!!


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## Completely Bonkers (Nov 16, 2012)

Get a "riser" extension to move the PCI slots (for the iRAM and the sound card) away so you have more space.

WARNING. iRAM is 1.5 slots with normal DDR.  You have to use super-low-profile DDR to get the iRAM into 1 slot.


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## TRWOV (Nov 16, 2012)

The thing is that I already have all the slots populated. My current config is:

- HIS HD3850 IceQ3 Turbo w/ Deepcool V6000 & fans (3 slots)






- BFG Physx PPU
- Firewire card (the case has a frontal firewire port and I hate to have ports unconnected.

I'm planning to put the iRAM in the last slot so that the RAM will "hang" over the edge of the board but I'm missing a slot for the sound card although maybe I could skip it.


----------



## Completely Bonkers (Nov 16, 2012)

USB wireless headset H800  http://www.logitech.com/en-us/webcam-communications/internet-headsets-phones/wireless-headset-h800


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## TRWOV (Nov 16, 2012)

So with that I would bypass the sound card?


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## Completely Bonkers (Nov 16, 2012)

Yes.  No sound card needed with that. That's what I run on my workstation. Use it for skype and gaming. Works well. It may not be "audiophile" aka $200+ soundcard, but I find it very practical, and the quality far better than cheaper wired headsets through a soundcard.


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 16, 2012)

Completely Bonkers said:


> Yes.  No sound card needed with that. That's what I run on my workstation. Use it for skype and gaming. Works well. It may not be "audiophile" aka $200+ soundcard, but I find it very practical, and the quality far better than cheaper wired headsets through a soundcard.



I agree!  USB headsets using the onboard sound have very decent quality!  I use them for playing ME3 multiplayer.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 16, 2012)

Completely Bonkers said:


> Get a "riser" extension to move the PCI slots (for the iRAM and the sound card) away so you have more space.
> 
> WARNING. iRAM is 1.5 slots with normal DDR.  You have to use super-low-profile DDR to get the iRAM into 1 slot.




Would using one of those Gigabyte i-RAM disks make it easier for me to just stick with Windows XP 32bit for my Conroe865 re-build?  I'm thinking that if I used it as my swap file, it would make the 3.8Gb limitation of the OS easier to deal with...making it "feel" like a 64-bit system with 8Gb of RAM.    Or am I totally off-base here?


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 16, 2012)

more or less. Since the pagefile would be sitting on the iRAM it'll effectively be like adding another 4GB of RAM to the system. Programs and such won't be able to address it, they'll still be limited to 3.8GB,  but if the lack of RAM makes your system rely on the pagefile, access will be like 1000x faster. Don't expect miracles though, pagefile access is still pretty fast on modern SATA disks. It was more of an issue with the old PATA drives due to lack of NQC and other SATA enhancements.

Also, you don't need to stick with XP 32 on the Conroe865PE, W7 64bit works beautifully.


----------



## Completely Bonkers (Nov 16, 2012)

Use half the iRAM memory for pagefile, and use the rest for your temps directory and internet cache.  Will make your PC much more snappy. But along the lines of what TRWOV said, it will help memory and I/O bottlenecks, but wont really "speed up" the PC in normal use.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 16, 2012)

@TRWOV: W7 64bit...I'm drooling.  I was for sure it would be limited, since last I used it was on XP.   Thanks!  I especially liked your explanation of the i-Ram and pagefile in ref to this mb.  IIRC though, I wasn't able to boot off of either of the two SATA drives before, that the PATA was required for the boot/OS drive.  Or am I mistaken?

@Completely Bonkers: All these years, and I am sad to say I didn't realize I could designate the location of the internet cache.


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 16, 2012)

rtwjunkie said:


> @TRWOV: W7 64bit...I'm drooling.  I was for sure it would be limited, since last I used it was on XP.   Thanks!  I especially liked your explanation of the i-Ram and pagefile in ref to this mb.  IIRC though, I wasn't able to boot off of either of the two SATA drives before, that the PATA was required for the boot/OS drive.  Or am I mistaken?



Don't know about that. Mine boots up from SATA drives just fine. What bios are you using?

Another way to speed up your system would be SSD caching (like what Intel offers in Z68/Z77 motheboards). You can use this http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=245&area=en and you wouldn't be limited to 4GB. Although I don't know if it works at the file level (too much wear on the SSD) or block level, might want to query Silverstone on that.

If you go with that make sure to pickup a SSD with good garbage collection algorithms as TRIM wouldn't be enabled on the drive since it wouldn't be accesible to the OS. Samsung and Phison based SSD are pretty good for that.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 16, 2012)

TRWOV said:


> Don't know about that. Mine boots up from SATA drives just fine. What bios are you using?




IIRC, I had 1.7 installed.  I'm going to attempt to get it going this weekend and see what I can do with this mb again.  Thanks for the advice!


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 22, 2012)

*Stumped*

Alrighty, as the title states, Stumped.

I've been keeping up with this forum topic for a while and once I finally have all my parts together (including the Conroe865pe Motherboard) nothing works 8D

Specs:

HIS Radeon HD 4670 AGP 8x
Core2 Quad Extreme QX6700
4x DDR400 Ram (Dual-Channel)

Now, at first I realized that I needed to update the BIOS, I got a hold of a Pentium 4 processor from a nearby FutureShop (they let me borrow it). Once I placed in the P4 and it ran I knew it wasn't the motherboard, so I updated the BIOS to 1.70 (successful), restarted it and everything looked completely fine. So I shut it off and placed in the QX6700, turned it on and........................ nothing  NumLock won't show up, nothing on screen, just 2 spinning fans on the GPU and CPU.

I checked the FSB Jumper, yup it's set to 2+3. Place the P4 back in? Works like a charm.

Also overclocked the DRAM to 400 MHz (since it was running on 333, as said in the BIOS) with the P4, completely fine.

Downgraded the BIOS to 1.50, still nothing x-x

I just noticed that you guys posted 1.72 will try that right now.

Though I am really stumped =[ it shouldn't be the CPU because the person who sold it to me had it brand new and untouched, still in it's original packaging. If it is the CPU I will seriously cry because I've gone through so many auctions and people constantly dropping a deal for a higher buyer. I don't want to go through the trouble of buying another one just to find out that it isn't the CPU either 

Help...?


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 22, 2012)

*1.72 ... Fail*

Still nothing even with the 1.72 update...

OH and as a notice, Dual Channel mode is supported in 1.72

*EDIT*:

Just noticed that the FSB Jumper has a little note beside it that says:

1-2 Normal
2-3 Test

Could it be that my Motherboard is an earlier version and that it doesn't support 1066MHz? Even though it's written in clear white text on the motherboard FSB1066, it could be a fluke x-x

*EDIT2*:

Got it running, after placing in the P4 I set the FSB to Manual and left it at 200. I than placed in the QX6700 and it ran perfectly, so now I'm guessing it doesn't want to support a proper 266MHz? 

The Ram should support it as it's CL2.5 Ram. Also, the CPU is unlocked but it won't even let me change the multiplier in the BIOS  (can only be changed with software?)

UGH shine some light?

_*EDIT3*: Just noticed in the manual "Ratio CMOS Setting", any idea why it's not showing when it's supported by my Processor?_

*EDIT4*: _Excuse edit 3_, changed the "Intel SpeedStep Technology" to Disabled and now I can change the Multiplier.

*EDIT5*: Got it to run on a 247Mhz FSB with a x13 Multiplier. So it's running at 3.2Ghz. I have quite the hefty cooler inside the thing so it should run flawlessly without any problems. Though I believe the problem lies around the RAM, possibly the RAM:CPU Ratio? (like in previous posts) Though it shouldn't be as this Ram is meant for overclocking >_> (CL2.5 DDR400 Ram with Heat Spreaders)


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 22, 2012)

@bigbigbuddy, The board natively runs on an 800Mhz FSB.  It actually has to be jumpered to go to a 1066 bus.  I remember you can change all you want in BIOS, but unless the jumper is correct, it's a no-go.  That's about all I can think of...or did I miss that?  I think that's what you were referring to, but not sure.

Also, that's great news and a real good find on supporting dual-channel on the modified 1.72!  Thanks!


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 22, 2012)

Core 2 support requires CL2.5 RAM. Is your RAM CL3? EDIT: I see it's CL2.5 so NVM.

To move the multiplier you have to disable SpeedStep in the bios. EDIT: Again late to the party, I see you discovered yourself.

RAM will work at 3:2 with 1066FSB CPUs regardless of bios settings. You have to install a modified bios to run 1:1 or 5:4.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 22, 2012)

rtwjunkie said:


> @bigbigbuddy, The board natively runs on an 800Mhz FSB.  It actually has to be jumpered to go to a 1066 bus.  I remember you can change all you want in BIOS, but unless the jumper is correct, it's a no-go.  That's about all I can think of...or did I miss that?  I think that's what you were referring to, but not sure.
> 
> Also, that's great news and a real good find on supporting dual-channel on the modified 1.72!  Thanks!



As I stated, I changed the Jumper to 1066 ;P
Also, no problem =]



TRWOV said:


> Core 2 support requires CL2.5 RAM. Is your RAM CL3? EDIT: I see it's CL2.5 so NVM.
> 
> To move the multiplier you have to disable SpeedStep in the bios. EDIT: Again late to the party, I see you discovered yourself.
> 
> RAM will work at 3:2 with 1066FSB CPUs regardless of bios settings. You have to install a modified bios to run 1:1 or 5:4.



Isn't the 1.72 BIOS modified with that ratio? I do have a modified 1.50 BIOS, and I believe it has the ratio adjusted but someone in an earlier post mentioned that he ended up with some sort of problems.

And I've always been confused about the Ratios, is it 2 thirds of the FSB is transferred over towards the RAM?

Mathematical way of what I am interpreting:

2/3=0.66666667

0.66666667*266=177.333333

Is my RAM running at 177.3 MHz (354.7)? If so, I am so lost x-x as the RAM should be capable of withholding at least 200MHz (400).

EDIT: The BIOS that *b1gt1m* posted, I'm weary about it >_> but that still doesn't help with the fact that my RAM is refusing to work at proper speeds x-x

Spent a good 150$ on all 4, would have purchased some CL2.0 RAM but that's almost impossible to find, unless you want to spend around 300$+ for just 4 sticks. Still though, it should work at 177.3 =/


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## TRWOV (Nov 23, 2012)

It's one of the downfalls of the Conroe865PE. In fact, that and the chipset RAM limitation (865 can only address 3519MB of RAM even with 64bit OS) is what prevents it from being the perfect AGP board but then there aren't any other AGP board that can work with such (old) high end CPU without caveats. 


Yes, with the offical bios you're running your RAM at 177Mhz (run CPU-Z to confirm). The hacked 5:4 bios would allow you to run your RAM at 213Mhz which CL2.5 RAM shouldn't have any problems with. 1:1 would be more tricky as I can't think of any 1GB module that could rate CL2.5 at 266Ghz. You'd have to step down to 512MB modules to get CL2.5 @ 266Ghz so I think 5:4 is the best scenario for 4GB. The drawnback is that the 5:4 bios is based on a very old release (1.50).


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 23, 2012)

What are the official differences between 1.50 and later editions that the QX6700 could benefit from? I know they added Stepping codes, Microcodes, etc.. but if I won't be losing much of anything from downgrading to the modified 1.50 than I'll do it, as long as I can get a confirmation that it's reliable >_>


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## TRWOV (Nov 23, 2012)

1.60 supposedly fixed an issue with SpeedStep. If you can live without that then you shouldn't worry as 1.50 supports the QX6700 just fine.


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## TRWOV (Nov 24, 2012)

Testing with W8. So far two issues have come up:

1- although not a fault in the motheboard, AGP ATi bridged cards won't install properly using the Catalyst installer. The installer doesn't detect them and so it won't install the driver. You can, however, install the driver manually from the device manager. Point the driver search towards C:\AMD\Support and let W8 find the driver. CCC won't run either but you can use Trixx or Afterburner if you need to OC your card. APP and the video decoders install fine but I don't know how to test them.

2- Fast Startup doesn't seem to play nice with the board, at least not with the default settings. Maybe there's a bios setting somewhere that could make it work as intended.

Testing...


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 24, 2012)

Alright so I've been trying t install Windows XP Pro 64-bit and Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit and I've gone through several problems directed towards the graphics 

I have the 12.4 Hotfix for 64 bit of both Windows and everytime I install in never gives me the option to install the drivers, CCC, or anything slightly important. All it shows is the Install Manager, .NET 2.0 for XP and HDMI Audio in 7.

I can manually install the INF, but would still like to have CCC. >_>

I also figured out that my CPU to RAM ratio is 1:1  as much as it could be good for pushing the RAM, it won't let me even hit 255 FSB without giving me BSODs or being completely unstable. Pushing DDR400 right to DDR510 is overkill in my opinion :shadedshu I only have it run to about 233MHz with the multiplier at 13x, running at 3.02GHz. Don't want the FSB to go much farther, and after running Memtest86+ for a good 3 hours, I resulted with 0 errors. I consider myself lucky after pushing the life out the RAM and having to pull up no errors.

Oh and since this motherboard only allows me to use about 3.4 GB of RAM, wouldn't it be much more reliable to just install a 32-bit windows? Yeah 64-bit applications could run faster, but I'm also thinking that the 64-bit Windows is what's encouraging the problems I have been having with my display drivers.

EDIT: I'm still running on BIOS 1.72.

EDIT2: Try manually installing the INF in Windows 7, gives me an error stating that I already have the latest drivers installed when in fact it's using the Windows standard VGA driver.


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## TRWOV (Nov 24, 2012)

bigbigbuddy said:


> Alright so I've been trying t install Windows XP Pro 64-bit and Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit and I've gone through several problems directed towards the graphics
> 
> I have the 12.4 Hotfix for 64 bit of both Windows and everytime I install in never gives me the option to install the drivers, CCC, or anything slightly important. All it shows is the Install Manager, .NET 2.0 for XP and HDMI Audio in 7.
> 
> I can manually install the INF, but would still like to have CCC. >_>





> EDIT2: Try manually installing the INF in Windows 7, gives me an error stating that I already have the latest drivers installed when in fact it's using the Windows standard VGA driver.



Are you sure it's the 12.4 *AGP* hotfix? There is a 12.4*b* hotfix in AMD site but that doesn't work for AGP cards. 12.6 Legacy supposedly has support for AGP cards but the DEV ID for the AGP cards isn't present in the INF so it doesn't detects them either. 12.4 AGP was the last working release.

12.4 AGP hotfix installs fine in W7 64bit. AMD no longer has 12.4 AGP in its servers but Sapphire does: 
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/downloads/?pid=275&psn=0006&lid=1&os=6

If you're indeed using 12.4*b* hotfix, W7 won't find a driver because the INF file doesn't point to the AGP card it in the first place. Download 12.4 AGP from Sapphire and try again.




> I also figured out that my CPU to RAM ratio is 1:1  as much as it could be good for pushing the RAM, it won't let me even hit 255 FSB without giving me BSODs or being completely unstable. Pushing DDR400 right to DDR510 is overkill in my opinion :shadedshu I only have it run to about 233MHz with the multiplier at 13x, running at 3.02GHz. Don't want the FSB to go much farther, and after running Memtest86+ for a good 3 hours, I resulted with 0 errors. I consider myself lucky after pushing the life out the RAM and having to pull up no errors.



That's because you set the FSB at 200. Load the default bios values and re-start. It should pickup your QX6700 and set the FSB at 266. RAM wil run 3:2. Also, don't forget to set the FSB jumper to TEST.





> Oh and since this motherboard only allows me to use about 3.4 GB of RAM, wouldn't it be much more reliable to just install a 32-bit windows? Yeah 64-bit applications could run faster, but I'm also thinking that the 64-bit Windows is what's encouraging the problems I have been having with my display drivers.
> 
> EDIT: I'm still running on BIOS 1.72.



I would recommend you to run with 1.70 first to pin down the real issue. !.70 was the last official bios from Asrock and supports your QX6700 with no problems, 1.72 offers no advantage with your setup.


As for the OS choice, I'm behindk W7 64 100%. It'll allow you to make the most of 865's limited memory mapping as the GPU RAM won't have to share registries with the OS RAM. W7 64 has worked flawlessly for me. I'm even using an "unsupported" CPU (QX6800) and it still runs fine. 

XP is fine but has many drawbacks: no DX10, less accessible memory (due to GPU memory being mirrored in the system memory), no TRIM support (for SSDs) and no LAA support. XP64 solves some of that but has many other driver related issues.


W8 works almost as well as W7 but has some rugged edges.


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## TRWOV (Nov 25, 2012)

more W8 testing...

I disabled Fast Startup but the boot times are extremely long for some reason (about a minute)   Maybe it's the SATA 1 connection? W7 started in about the same time as in my main rig so I don't think is that.

Got my Physx card working but for some reason the physx properties reset after each bootup  EDIT: fixed, ran as adminstrator.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 25, 2012)

Wow, you my friend are a hero. I've downloaded so many display drivers from the AMD website, assuming the downloads were directed towards AGP and in fact I had drivers that weren't properly compatible.

I'm going to stick to the 1:1 Ratio for now, as I've found a decent clock that not only overclocks the CPU decently but pushes the RAM a bit, but not to the point of squeezing the life out of it. Also, I've had the jumper changed to TEST ever since I got it 

I did some research on the RAM that you're using (Mushkin DDR Redline XP4000) and I want to ask, in your opinion is it possibly the best choice of RAM for a build like this? Since it's DDR500, I would assume my 1:1 Ratio could work perfectly with it if I want to increase the FSB. I have it running on 222 (DDR444) which is quite fine for the RAM currently in there, but with DDR500, I'm sure I could reach 266 (DDR532) no problem since my CPU fan towers over most of the RAM and shoots cool air down on it


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## TRWOV (Nov 25, 2012)

Your RAM is fine. DDR500 modules are in fact DDR400 CL2 modules with SPD settings for DDR500 so you can get DDR500 out of DDR400 CL2 modules by loosening timmings. My Redlines do 3-3-2-8 @ 250Mhz but can do 2-3-2-5@200Mhz which is what most CL2 sticks are rated at. Set your timmings manually to 3-3-2-8 and I'm sure you could reach 266Mhz with no problems.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 25, 2012)

Well my RAM has a CL Latency of 2.5, would that in fact matter at all? Also I changed the FSB to 215 and changed the multiplier to 14 so that I can get a 3GHz clock. Just pulled up L4D2 with Highest settings enabled and it runs like a dream  so I'm gonna play a few levels 

I'll change the settings to what you recommended in a bit, if I can get it running like that, than I'll have no troubles running my CPU to 3.4GHz


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 25, 2012)

I don't know how much current can the Conroe865PE deliver to the socket but I don't think it's enough for 3.4Ghz. Most I've managed is 3.25Ghz (271x12) on my QX6800 but it isn't 100% stable, Crysis 2 manages to crash it from time to time and IBT crashes it almost instantly. I prefer to run it at 3.16Ghz (287x11) for the increased memory bandwidth.

The chipset in my board can run up to 290Mhz before the board refuses to boot up so either the CPU won't clock higher or the board can't deliver enough watts to cover the increased current load. Still a QX6700 running at >3GHz is no slouch. Maybe a G0 QX6800 could run a little bit faster as it has a 10w lower TDP but they are going for about $150 right now so I don't think is worth the expense. Maybe in a couple of years when they get to $50 or so I might snatch up one.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 25, 2012)

Well I had the computer running on 3.2GHz flawlessly before, but lowered the FSB so that I wouldn't kill the RAM. If I can get the FSB to 266, I can get the multiplier to x13 and I could probably get it to run pretty good. Temps are never ever going to be a problem, I should post a picture of the cooling some time =P

Also, does the 865PE support G0 stepping? I didn't think it did =o


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## TRWOV (Nov 25, 2012)

Not officially but before my QX6800 I had a Q6700 (G0 only). Ran fine at 2.88Ghz (288x10).

Temps aren't an issue here either. I used a water cooling kit once, dropped about 10C but still couldn't get past 3.25. Could be my CPU of course but don't forget that these are extremely old boards with outdated VRM designs.




More W8 testing:

Apparently my Readyboost cache glitched and that was what caused the long startup time. Reformatted the USB stick and setup the cache again, still although the startup time decreased I "feel" it's a little bit longer than with W7. Memory usage is lower though, and I love that.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 25, 2012)

I didn't even go through the trouble of getting liquid cooling 

Also, I still want your opinion on if my CL2.5 DDR400 RAM will be alright to run at 266 (533) with the timings changed. I'm a little iffy on it, and if it seems so, I'll keep the RAM and just purchase some CL2 RAM once I can find 4 that will fit my budget.

I could revive myAthlon XP and Socket 478 builds, since I'm sure they could use 2 GBs each


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## TRWOV (Nov 25, 2012)

You won't find CL2 1GB modules. All 1GB are CL2.5 at least. Loose the timmings and test. Worst thing that could happen is that you'll have to clear the CMOS if the board refuses to boot. If you feel weary, try with 3-4-4-8 first and then lower them one by one.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 25, 2012)

Well there are the OCZ Platinum 1GB CL2 sticks. Though if you end up finding them, they're jacked up in price.

I'll test it out and post back with results.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 26, 2012)

Still nothing =/ I clear the CMOS and I get nothing. Have to place in the spare P4 to change the settings again  

I'm gonna see if I can try out that 1.50 BIOS with the 5:4 ratio. In order to update to that BIOS, do I use the same utility that ASRock provides and just update the .rom from there?


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## TRWOV (Nov 27, 2012)

I've always used the DOS utility. Not too trusty of Windows based bios updates.

In the event of a catastrophic failure I have a spare chip with 1.70 on it.





bigbigbuddy said:


> Well there are the OCZ Platinum 1GB CL2 sticks. Though if you end up finding them, they're jacked up in price.
> 
> I'll test it out and post back with results.




I have four of those sticks and can confirm that they are CL2.5. Why does OCZ put 2-3-2 on the label is beyond me.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 27, 2012)

So OCZ displays them as 2 but when you use them, they display 2.5 in the settings?

I've heard these things can overclock really well when you loosen the timings though =o


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## lemonadesoda (Nov 27, 2012)

In french, but discussion of various BIOS

http://forum.hardware.fr/hfr/Hardware/carte-mere/asrock-conroe-865pe-sujet_746596_44.htm
http://www.asrock.com/MB/overview.asp?cat=Download&os=BIOS&Model=ConRoe865PE

I'll update the first post.

BIOS modding tools here: http://lmdjimmy.myweb.hinet.net/BiosMod/index.html


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 28, 2012)

lemonadesoda said:


> In french, but discussion of various BIOS
> 
> http://forum.hardware.fr/hfr/Hardware/carte-mere/asrock-conroe-865pe-sujet_746596_44.htm
> http://www.asrock.com/MB/overview.asp?cat=Download&os=BIOS&Model=ConRoe865PE
> ...



Had to read this in French, not one of my greatest subjects in school because Google translate wasn't very helpful -.-

Sort of noticed that they were having troubles with ratios (read below what I'm going through). I think one of them stated that they were running on a 1:1 ratio and could only overclock to about 210 because their RAM could only take so much?

Also, I read the they used ClockGen to increase the FSB a bit more than what they set in their BIOS, sine the Motherboard wouldn't even POST if they increased the FSB farther (assuming they are running on a 3:2 Ratio). Can anyone confirm this? I would try but I have a ratio problem that is preventing me from increasing the FSB past 215.

==================================================================

Still having troubles with the RAM:CPU FSB Ratio 

I'm stuck on 1:1, if I increase the FSB past 215, it causes many BSODs related to RAM. I also did the math and would prefer to stick to the 3:2 ratio rather than 5:4 since I can only increase the FSB so much with a ratio of 5:2. 

For instance,

If I can only reach a frequency of 215 with RAM that leaves my barely any headroom to overclock on 1:1 or 5:4, here's the results:

-5:4-
RAM: 215
CPU: 268

-3:2-
RAM: 215
CPU: 322

As you can tell, I have more than enough room to overclock the RAM with a ratio of 5:4. Obviously if I leave the CPU FSB alone at 3:2 I'm only going to be left with 177MHz on RAM, but I plan to overclock my CPU no doubt and do it without killing my RAM x-x

I'm currently running on 1:1 - 214MHz - x14 (Technically 2,996MHz but I notice that this motherboard likes to increase it by about +5 leaving me with 3,001MHz)

P.S I'm currently at work on break, later tonight I'll try loosening the timings on my RAM again and see how far I can overclock it to.

P.P.S This Motherboard is quite fun to play around with. Only been using it for about a week and I've learned so much about it. Though aggravating to solve the minor problems, it's quite fun to actually go about and run through the many quirks that come from this board.


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## TRWOV (Nov 28, 2012)

My board stable limit sits around 295, anything above that gives me a glitchy boot-up although it still posts. OS fails to load at 290.

I would suggest to go for 5:4. The increased memory bandwidth will serve the CPU better than the increased frequency. On Cinebench I get better results with my CPU at 11x288 than 12x270.


And you're right. This board is so fun to thinker with. Still working around W8.


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## bigbigbuddy (Nov 28, 2012)

TRWOV said:


> My board stable limit sits around 295, anything above that gives me a glitchy boot-up although it still posts. OS fails to load at 290.
> 
> I would suggest to go for 5:4. The increased memory bandwidth will serve the CPU better than the increased frequency. On Cinebench I get better results with my CPU at 11x288 than 12x270.
> 
> ...



Are you running on 5:4?

If so I really need to check out that RAM you have x_x


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## TRWOV (Dec 1, 2012)

5:4, they can still hit CL2.5 @ 230Mhz (FSB288) although I have to set RAM voltage at high. I'm sure that your RAM can do the same or close enough.

Not every stick of RAM is going to perform the same so you're not guaranteed to get the same results if you pick up a set. Not to mention that they are crazy expensive, people just love to overprice old stuff. I would tell you not to bother and better try to get the most of what you have.


@lemonadesoda: loving the first post 



> A couple of users have them here at TPU. This thread is FOR THEM.


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## Reefa_Madness (Dec 1, 2012)

*BIOS with memory dividers*

I just ran across this thread by chance and thought that perhaps someone might be interested in some of these older BIOS files that I had stashed away.  I believe that they are the 1.60 version, modded with 5:4 and 1:1 memory dividers.  Haven't used them in a while, but they should be intact.  They were downloaded from PC-Treiber initially.

There was an online retailer (3btech.net) that used to carry these boards not too long ago.  They were refurbs for about $25, but I just checked and they didn't seem to have any.  Might contact them to see if they expect to get more in the future.  They deal in alot of ASRock refurbs, so perhaps at some point they will restock.  They once had at least 100 of these.  I also bought one off eBay directly from a guy in England, but it came out to about $80 shipped to the states and I'm in Florida.  Depending on where you live, it might even be costlier...hard to justify that for something this old, unless you just have a thing for it.

Going to try and dig up a photo that I have somewhere with voltage mods for CPU and memory.

That said, pin modding the processor is probably the best way to go in order increase voltages for higher overclocks.  Check out this review which includes a discussion of voltage mods, plus provides a link to a really cool Excel spreadsheet to help in modding the cpu for increased voltages.

Review (read for info on voltage modding)

http://www.madshrimps.be/articles/a...-E4500-M0-Stepping-CPU-Review/1#axzz2DorkeSba

Forum link that has downloadable Excel worksheet (Post #3 by Sidney)

http://www.madshrimps.be/vbulletin/...4500-m0-stepping-cpu-review-38563/#post157535

Will come back and add any additional information that I can find.


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## Reefa_Madness (Dec 1, 2012)

Tidbits and discussions about these modded BIOSes and other stuff...in no particular order.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/the-overclockers-bay/104679-asrock-conroe865pe-help-ddr-ratio-2.html

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=500701

This one has info on the volt mods and is where the post of the pic that I'm trying to locate was located.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?133388-REQ-MEM-voltage-mod-for-Asrock-Conroe865PE

Results with QX6700

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums...nbond-BH5-ASRock-ConRoe865-QX6700(56k-warning)

Additional links that might be of interest:

Front header connector layout sometimes doesn't match with wire from case.  This might help.

http://www.lejabeach.com/ASRock/html/asrockfaq.htm

That's about all I have guys.


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## TRWOV (Dec 1, 2012)

OMFG you're my hero now!!!!!!


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## Reefa_Madness (Dec 1, 2012)

Thanks, but the true heroes are the guys that initally did the mods.  I just happened to have saved a copy.  Let is know how it goes for you.

Still can't find the pic of the volt mod, but I've got some HD on older machines that I will search thru before I give up.


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## bigbigbuddy (Dec 2, 2012)

OMG thank you!!!!! Quick question though, has anyone tested out the BIOS files Reefa provided? Really want to try out the 5:4 o-o


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## Compurex1 (Dec 2, 2012)

*I tried the 5:4_1.6 BIOS*



bigbigbuddy said:


> OMG thank you!!!!! Quick question though, has anyone tested out the BIOS files Reefa provided? Really want to try out the 5:4 o-o




In order to set the 5:4 memory divider, you must disable "Compatibility Mode" under the advanced memory settings in the BIOS.  I'm getting all sorts of issues when I do this (crashes etc.).  It might be one of my pairs of RAM (Corsair).  I'll remove them tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.


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## TRWOV (Dec 2, 2012)

5:4 1.60 + W8 is giving me some grief. Will revert back to W7 for the time being.

I can confirm it working as the RAM speed shows 214 in the bios. Didn't try with 1:1 as I know my RAM can't keep CL2.5 at 266Mhz. Maybe if I had a DDR600 CL3 set but I don't.


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## Compurex1 (Dec 2, 2012)

Compurex1 said:


> In order to set the 5:4 memory divider, you must disable "Compatibility Mode" under the advanced memory settings in the BIOS.  I'm getting all sorts of issues when I do this (crashes etc.).  It might be one of my pairs of RAM (Corsair).  I'll remove them tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.



I wanted to replace an old AthlonXP system to upgrade to Windows 8.  To save money, I bought the ConRoe865PE + C2D E6600 and used my original peripherals (PC3200 DDR RAM, Radeon 3850 AGP, IDE HDDs).  I bought some more RAM off ebay to go from 2 GB to 3 GB.

My original RAM (1 GB x 2) GSkill F1-3200PHU1-2GBZX is CL2 an SPD of 2-3-2-5 at 200 MHz.  If I only use this RAM then my system is stable with the 5:4 BIOS and overclock of 215 MHz.

My new RAM is (500 MB x 2) Corsair CMX512-3200C2PT that's advertized as CL2, but in reality is only CL2 at 133 MHz and has an SPD of 3-3-3-8 at 200 MHz.  If I use this RAM I get all sorts of problems and failures at 215 MHz.  If I use the default divider, then it works OK at 177 MHz.

So here's the $100 question...

For Windows 8 Pro (32 bit), should I use just 2GB of RAM at 215 MHz or 3 GB of RAM at 177 MHz?  What configuration will give me the best performance?


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## TRWOV (Dec 2, 2012)

W8 works but has some rugged edges on this board. Haven't got BSODs but you can tell the system isn't performing 100%. Sometimes it takes a while for the system to acknowledge commands, like CTRl+ALt+Supr and startup times are longer than W7. I don't fault W8 for this though; it wasn't supposed to support such an old chipset.

As for your question I think more RAM is preferable to more speed.


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## TRWOV (Dec 2, 2012)

Getting a bunch of errors with my mushkins XP4000  I can't seem to find any settings that would work, not even with burst at 8. They always fail the LRAND test  Even auto config fails. Tested again with 5:4 1.50 and the errors continue. I don't know if age caught up with them or if I damaged them somehow. In previous tests they got to 230 with no issue.

Switching to a set of OCZ EL Platinum DDR400 CL2. So far so good, passed all tests. I have got them to 225 at stock timings before so they should be fine.


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## lemonadesoda (Dec 2, 2012)

If the stock BIOS 1.70+ is better than the stock 1.60, then my suggestion would be to use the BIOS editting tools linked in the OP, and see the difference with the stock 1.60 an the 5:4 dividers 1.60. I'm no BIOS expert, so let's just track down what needs to be changed to enable the 5:4 memory dividers. Then transmute this same difference to the stock 1.70+ BIOS to create a 5:4 1.70+ BIOS for generally better robustness than then 1.60.  I'm sure you'll crack it within 1h of research + 1hr of research.


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## TRWOV (Dec 2, 2012)

Well 1.70 has an update for the microcode 6F7/66 which apparently is used by my QX6800 so you might be on the right track. Maybe next weekend, I'm somewhat tired plus dinner isn't going to make itself. 

Anyway, I believe it was my RAM. I don't know what I did but I can't get it stable to 215 CL2.5 again. Still works fine at <200 (3:2). Or it could be that 1.60 is less tolerant to some RAM modules; I have another set of DDR500 RAM (OCZ too) and the board wouldn't boot up with them. Seems to like my DDR400 CL2.5 just fine though.


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## TRWOV (Dec 3, 2012)

It seems to me that 1.60 is more unstable. The FSB jumps back and forth within a 1Mhz range (like 266.33, 266.58, 267.2, etc) even with SpeedStep disabled. 

The increased memory bandwidth surely helps the CPU. It seems that the Quads are starving for bandwidth. With 3:2 the max I got was 3.27 in Cinebench @ 3.26Ghz, now the max is 3.61 at the same speed although it isn't very stable. I'm letting it at 3.24Ghz for the time being (270x12).


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## Compurex1 (Dec 3, 2012)

*Windows 8*



TRWOV said:


> W8 works but has some rugged edges on this board. Haven't got BSODs but you can tell the system isn't performing 100%. Sometimes it takes a while for the system to acknowledge commands, like CTRl+ALt+Supr and startup times are longer than W7. I don't fault W8 for this though; it wasn't supposed to support such an old chipset.
> 
> As for your question I think more RAM is preferable to more speed.



W8 has actually worked very well on my system (a big improvement over XP).  All my games are running fine.  It's pretty amazing considering the vintage of the MB and the fact that the 865PE was never intended to run Conroe CPUs in the 1st place.  I did have to disable Fast-Startup in the power settings because my system wouldn't power off at shutdown.

As far as my RAM is concerned, I think I'll go back to the 1.70 BIOS and slowly increment the FSB until I find my limit.  I'm currently running at 270 FSB (180 RAM) and the RAM is still stable.  W8 has a handy RAM diagnostic that's good for testing stability.


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## TRWOV (Dec 3, 2012)

You could lurk on eBay and look for a cheap DDR400 2GB CL2 kit. I recently got one for 33 + shipping. Even though you won't be able to use the full 4GB you'll get about .4 GB more. 1GB kit won't cost you much less and you could sell your 1GB kit later to pad the cost.


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## Compurex1 (Dec 3, 2012)

TRWOV said:


> You could lurk on eBay and look for a cheap DDR400 2GB CL2 kit. I recently got one for 33 + shipping. Even though you won't be able to use the full 4GB you'll get about .4 GB more. 1GB kit won't cost you much less and you could sell your 1GB kit later to pad the cost.



I'm not sure if the extra 0.5 GB of usable RAM would translate into any real-world performance improvement on W8.  I thought the Corsair Platinum RAM was going to do the trick, however it was disingenuously marked as CL2 at DDR400 when it clearly isn't.  I'm not sure I want to roll the dice on eBay again.  I've found that dual-channel DDR400 kits are a little pricy (especially performance CL2).


----------



## TRWOV (Dec 4, 2012)

Well I also see that it's kind of pointless to "invest" in this platform. The E6600 is a superb upgrade over your old Athlon and I'm sure you'll be well served by it but you need to consider a full system overhaul for next time. You don't need the latest and greatest but a first gen i5 quad core should be the minimum you ought to shot for.

Enjoy!


----------



## _JP_ (Dec 4, 2012)

Damn this thread. lol
Thanks to you guys, I almost bought a HD 2600 AGP on impulse to do some freaky sheet experients and projects.


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## TRWOV (Dec 4, 2012)

Do it!


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## _JP_ (Dec 4, 2012)

I really can't afford to. 














Plus, the only one I found had a ridiculous price. Even if it included the box and the accessories. The seller agreed to negotiate, but I cannot spend money on parts for projects I'm not even sure I'll be able to finish.


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## TRWOV (Dec 6, 2012)

haha! I know. I'm littered with parts from half done projects. I intent to finish them, honest.


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 7, 2012)

I know I said a couple weeks ago I was gonna rebuild this motherboard, but I had to put the project on hold.  As littered as I am with all kinds of spare parts (Like TRWOV), I discovered the one thing I am missing is an extra PSU.  So, once I do, I will post my progress.  I'm glad there will be people here to share it with!


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 9, 2012)

*CPU Compatibility*

OK, got my hands on an old Antec Truepower 550 I found in a pile of used parts in the garage. LOL, it even has the old style 20-pin pwer input that this board has.  Anyway, I know the cpu list is really just Allendales and Conroes, but I'm interested in what has been added on these additional BIOS after 1.50.  See, I got my hands on an e8300.  Yes, I know it's 1333, but my reasoning is if it will run on the board, I could run the FSB at 800 and have plenty of O/C room.  Will it recognize it you think?


----------



## TRWOV (Dec 9, 2012)

I don't know. I've run a couple of "unsupported" CPUs (Q6700 G0, Pentium E5800) but no 1333 CPU. I'd say it wouldn't run but you never know.


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 9, 2012)

Alright, thanks!  Looks Like it's off to the auctions to find an e4600 like I used last time.  The x12 multiplier made for a very easy 3Ghz.

I've even found some older SATA drives.  Other than the $35 I will spend on the cpu, I might be able to completely patch this together with old parts!  I decided on a copy of XP Pro-32 bit that I have, since the 865 chipset wont see above 4gb ram.


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## TRWOV (Dec 9, 2012)

There's another limitation, RAM must maintain CL2.5 for Core 2 support. My OCZs get to 230 with voltage options on HIGH, after that it's CL3 for them and BSOD galore; I suppose your G.SKILL would perform about the same, so an E4600 could get up to 2760, unless I'm missing something. You could opt to run the RAM at 5:4 (select 333Mhz as RAM speed, DDR400 modules will run at 320Mhz), that would get you more headroom.


----------



## TRWOV (Dec 9, 2012)

*775i65G R3.0??? WTF???*

OK, this is bananas:






An 865G board released in 2012?!?!? 

Apparently it's the same as the 775i65G R2.0 but with a black PCB, CPU support now includes Wolfdale although R2 3.30 bios also supported it but not officially. The thing that bothers me is that the bios is about 200KB less than R2 3.30. If I still had my old 775i65G R2 I would try it and see whats up.

Part (whole) of me is surprised though, is there really enough demand for a newly released AGP board?  At least they updated the VRM section. 

Now, if they'd come out with a Conroe865PE with updated VRMs...  And an HD6670 AGP with GDDR5 please


----------



## mediasorcerer (Dec 9, 2012)

I just got given one of these boards yesterday, it's an asrock dual channel conroe 865vg fsb800 presler conroe dual core cpu, it only has 512mb memory and no dedicated gpu but it seems to work, i managed to install win7 over xp but am having bootloader issues after running wei and web browser it froze, came with 320gb seagate 7200rpm so might use that for my proper rigg as storage and configure this thing with an old lappy hdrive in the mean time, funny i just saw this thread, what a coinkydink!!!Its in an older antec case, i can post some pics if anyone likes, i dont have much knowledge of this chipset, ive only been into computers since 2008 before that, never turned one on hehe.


What kind of dedicated gpu could i git for it, i think its got pcie 1 or something, not the same as my rog gpu slot anyhow.


Might go well in the loungeroom with the 40inch lcd maybe as media rigg say what?


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## TRWOV (Dec 9, 2012)

The Conroe865GV (no to confuse with the godly Conroe865PE) has an AGI slot... which basically is a PCI slot with AGP form factor. I wouldn't put anything above a Radeon 9200 in there, won't do much good in games. VGA support list: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/ConRoe865GV/?cat=VGA 

You'd be better off with a PCI card. Maybe a GT520 PCI? http://www.zotacusa.com/geforce-gt-520-zt-50610-10l.html  Has HDMI out.

The freezing issues might have to do with RAM latencies. I don't know what sorcery Asrock used on these boards but Core 2 CPUs require CL2.5 RAM for some reason (might have to do with NB timings, PAT perhaps? dunno) . If your RAM isn't CL2.5 you can run it in Flexible Mode and will force them into 3:2 CL2.5.


----------



## mediasorcerer (Dec 9, 2012)

Cheers mate, i might give the bastard away to someone i think, its exactly the same as the picture 3 posts above with 3 white pci-1 agp slots, the silver heatsink etc, anyone want it here? Has the cpu/heatsink etc, and seems to be working fine, 2 256mb ram stiks and 380w psu too,and cd drive, il keep the case i think hehe, its up for grabs anyone! you pay postage, il send and give, can post a pic if anyone likes,


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## TRWOV (Dec 9, 2012)

Board in question:




specs: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/ConRoe865GV/

Would make a good office PC or FreeNAS server. What CPU does it come with?


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 10, 2012)

TRWOV said:


> There's another limitation, RAM must maintain CL2.5 for Core 2 support. My OCZs get to 230 with voltage options on HIGH, after that it's CL3 for them and BSOD galore; I suppose your G.SKILL would perform about the same, so an E4600 could get up to 2760, unless I'm missing something. You could opt to run the RAM at 5:4 (select 333Mhz as RAM speed, DDR400 modules will run at 320Mhz), that would get you more headroom.



Well, I'm hoping the G-Skills will pull 250, which will give me 3.0Hhz.  I did it before with just a pair of Ultras which ran at CL 2.5.  Admittedly I also did it with a pair of Mushkin xp-4000, but that doesn't make much of a case, since they were actually underclocked or at their spec.  Sooo....... maybe with the extra pair causing a strain, you don't think it's possible?   Is that too much strain on the NB?  I only ever ran this board at 1:1.   

Thoughts?


----------



## rtwjunkie (Dec 10, 2012)

Actually, LOL, now that I think about it...It doesn't matter if I can only hit 2.7 or 2.8 with that chip.  I don't need to overclock a huge amount, since the purpose of this thing is just to make it work again...and maybe find some light work for it to do in the home network.  I already have a socket 775 project with an e8400 which is intended to see just how far I can overclock it and stay stable.


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 10, 2012)

rtwjunkie said:


> Part (whole) of me is surprised though, is there really enough demand for a newly released AGP board?  At least they updated the VRM section.
> 
> Now, if they'd come out with a Conroe865PE with updated VRMs...



Hey TRWOV:  IF you need something to cool the VRM's, these work great!  They aren't big, but do a great job of cooling them down when stressed:


Enzotech MOS-C1 C1100 Forged Copper Heatsinks only

Pure copper, too!


----------



## TRWOV (Dec 10, 2012)

I already have them and installed new capacitors on the board. What I'm looking for is a tower style northbridge heatsink, I currently have a cheap aluminum one with a 40mm fan over it. 

I bought the Thermalright HR-55 but I don't know who tested it: if you use the hook mount, the heatsink actually blocks one of the sides of the mount so it tilts to one side since you can't adjust it 

There's the Evercool Serpent but apparently the clip mount isn't solid. The HR-55 mounting mechanism is pretty sturdy but as I told you, you can't adjust it well.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Dec 10, 2012)

I just went ahead and replaced the NB heatsink with the heavy copper heatsink that is also made by Enzotech (the taller one, not the shorter one, which is for the SB).  I didnt bother with clips....I attached it permanently with the Arctic Silver adhesive.  Good contact, and it's goin Nowhere!


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Dec 10, 2012)

TRWOV said:


> ....You'd be better off with a PCI card. Maybe a GT520 PCI? http://www.zotacusa.com/geforce-gt-520-zt-50610-10l.html  Has HDMI out....



Actually for those who are looking for pretty much the best PCI card, I would recommend the Zotac GT430 PCI. The overclocking headroom is quite decent on a card like that, replace the cooler with a decent fan and you're more than set 8D. The main reason though is the amount of CUDA Cores/Streaming Processors (same thing). The 430 has 96 Cores, while the 520 and other later edition PCI cards only have 48. Why does this matter? Well, ever been to the site gpureview.com? It allows you to compare graphics cards. Though if you try to compare the two cards, it displays the 430 as 128-bit, when both the 520 and 430 are only 64-bit (32x2).

I'll show you my calculations in this quote:
(*BOLD* indicates similar or much better, except for card name)

I'm going to show you the performance of both cards clocked at 900 MHz for both the Core and Memory clock. Both these cards can hit this number, if not more.

*-=[CALCULATION FORMULAS]=-*

FLOPS = Shader P x Shader P Frequency (no other multiplications i.e, basic cards)
Pixel Fill Rate = Raster Operators x Core Clock
Texture Fill Rate = Texture Units x Core Clock



> --------=*GT430*=--------
> 
> RAM = 512MB GDDR3
> Memory Bus = 32x2 (64 bit)
> ...



Now if you notice, the GFLOPS is more than doubled compared to the 430, and the only slight downside is that the 430 only handles OpenGL 3.2, though realistically that does not matter.

Side note, PCI cards are capable of 128 bit, my old Radeon 9250 PCI is capable of such. If they implemented 128 bit in newer PCI cards, performance would be much better. Same for AGP, I'm pretty sure that it can withstand a 6670 GDDR3 card, possibly a GDDR5 if you push it a bit. Who says PCI and AGP are dead, they're much more capable than what we even realize =P that's why they're still making cards for those stuck with AGP or PCI slots.

P.S I went through the trouble of doing this because my parent's computer only has PCI slots. I've been searching for the best PCI card I could lay my hands on and since no one has compared these two cards. I thought I would do it myself ^_^


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## TRWOV (Dec 11, 2012)

He's looking for a card for media playback and the GT520 is enough for that. I suggested a PCI card because the Conroe865*GV* has an AGI slot which won't work with many AGP cards.


128bit PCI cards aren't a rarity or anything. You can have a 256 or 512bit card on a PCI slot since the 128/256/512bit is just the link width between the VRAM and GPU. It's when the card has to communicate with the CPU that the PCI link shows its ugly head. That's why most PCI cards are low end models, there's no point into making an HD5770 PCI for example.

AGP cards are another story since it has certain optimizations over PCI that accelerate graphics data in addition to the faster link (fastwrite, sideband addressing, GART). An AGP8x slot has the same bandwidth as PCIe 2.0 4x (PCIe 1.0 8x) so I think that something like an HD5770 could be very possible with no or little bottlenecking. There is one caveat however: only ATi and nVidia provided their AGP-PCIe bridge chips; making PCI cards from PCIe GPUs is easy because PLX has a bidirectional PCI-PCIe bridge chip and sells it to anyone but there's no AGP-PCIe chip being sold right now.


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## bigbigbuddy (Dec 11, 2012)

Maybe we should swarm them with requests for a newer AGP card xD

WAIT O_O it just clued into me that my friend knows a leading developer in AMD x-x I'll try to get a hold of them and see if they can get that developer to push things for us AGP users =P that's if I can remember my Skype account =/

On a side note, PCI cards may be slow when communicating with the CPU but increasing the bandwidth should in turn increase the performance of the card without having to be influenced so much by that downside.


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## TRWOV (Dec 12, 2012)

I recall that HIS was in the planning stages for an HD5670 AGP but I think the poor sales of the HD4650/70 just put them off. After all these years you can still find them new in many retailers, like newegg for example.


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## lemonadesoda (Dec 12, 2012)

HD4650/70 was a big mistake, since it was not materially different from HD3850.  Had they done an AGP 4770 then that would have been a seller... and would have been in my Xmas stocking.


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## eidairaman1 (Dec 12, 2012)

Top End PEG to AGP boards for ATI/AMD-  1950 Pro/XT, 3850, 4670



bigbigbuddy said:


> Maybe we should swarm them with requests for a newer AGP card xD
> 
> WAIT O_O it just clued into me that my friend knows a leading developer in AMD x-x I'll try to get a hold of them and see if they can get that developer to push things for us AGP users =P that's if I can remember my Skype account =/
> 
> On a side note, PCI cards may be slow when communicating with the CPU but increasing the bandwidth should in turn increase the performance of the card without having to be influenced so much by that downside.



increasing the clock rate of the PCI/AGP/PEG bus can cause instability, and can be hard to diagnose when other parts are overclocked


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## TRWOV (Dec 12, 2012)

Yeah, I guess that whomever wanted to update an AGP system would have bought the 3850, and yes, an HD4770 AGP would have been the shit. 


On other news, I bought the Thermalright HR-05; should get here on about a month or so. Also I'm modding my case to accommodate a Sanace water cooling kit for LGA775, so my Octanux is out of commission ATM.


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## VLB (Dec 15, 2012)

I just bought one of these boards on ebay, hoping to re-use parts from my P4 based media PC.  I had been using an Asus P4P800SE with a Prescott P4 3.4GHz, Gigabyte Radeon HD4650 AGP, and 4GB Gskill PC3200 RAM.  This setup was fine for most downloaded video, but HD streaming from Netflix, YouTube (1080p) and CWTV.com were choppy.

Thinking the CPU was the bottleneck, I did some research, found this board for $25 bucks on ebay, and bought an e5800 to go along with it.  Netflix HD is much improved, but to my surprise, 1080p YouTube is still choppy and I'm not sure where my bottleneck is anymore.

I use this video as my sample:
All Alone in the Night - Time-lapse footage of the...

Can anyone who also has a Conroe865PE play this vid smoothly at 1080p?


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## TRWOV (Dec 17, 2012)

I think tomorrow I'll be able to put my system together and tell you.


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## VLB (Dec 17, 2012)

Thanks, TRWOV.  It seems odd.  When I'm playing a 1080p video, the CPU never exceeds 40% load and the GPU doesn't exceed 75%, yet I can still see mini-stuttering in the video that's not visible on my other computer.  I should mention that I have everything currently set at stock speeds.


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 17, 2012)

VLB said:


> Can anyone who also has a Conroe865PE play this vid smoothly at 1080p?



Should be able to let you know in a few days I think!


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## TRWOV (Dec 18, 2012)

Hi VLB, I put together my system but the SSD is giving me some grief. Good thing I tested it first on this and not my main

Pic related:


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## bigbigbuddy (Dec 18, 2012)

Question, where did you get the chipset cooler? o-o
Looks like I could use something like that =P

Also, in your humble opinions, what AGP card would be prefered? HD 3850 or HD 4670?


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## TRWOV (Dec 18, 2012)

That's a cheap ebay aluminium cooler with mounting rails for a 40mm fan. The fan is a Noiseblocker. I'll replace that with an HR-05 IFX soon; I don't expect it'll perform better I just think it'll look cooler 

For the Conroe865PE, due to the 3455MB limitation and the slow RAM I'd prefer to have more VRAM to avoid taping into the shared system RAM. Besides, the HD3850 and HD4670 have almost identical performance at 1680x1050 and below. I'll surely use the HD3850 for benchmarks though. 

Just make sure to overclock the HD4670's VRAM as much as you can as that's its main Achilles heel.


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## Jstn7477 (Dec 19, 2012)

Look what I found on Newegg tonight: ASRock 775I65G R3.0 LGA 775 Intel 865G Micro ATX I...

Not buying one though as the only AGP system I can even tolerate is my AM2NF3-VSTA with a 940BE @ 3.4GHz, 3850 AGP @ 700/1000 and 4GB DDR2-1066. Sucks being stuck with XP but all of the CPUs I have for my 4CoreDual-SATA2 are extremely sluggish compared to the Phenom II X4 and they can't keep up with the 3850 in games like Team Fortress 2.


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## TRWOV (Dec 19, 2012)

VLB I also get the mini stuttering. I let the video play once and then replay to eliminate streaming issues but I still get the stuttering. I don't get it at the same spots in each replay though, on my third replay I got to the first scene of the green aurora (1:30) before the stuttering kicked in.

I think that the issue is related to the codec used by Youtube. Only the fast scrolling parts of the video stutter, even in the same scene you can see the solar panels move smoothly even if the backdrop stutters like crazy. I guess that the GPU framebuffer isn't getting the tile updates fast enough, maybe the slow (by today's standards) FSB might be to blame. Could also be the low RAM bandwidth (3200MB/s). 

Playing the video in a window improves the situation a bit though.


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## VLB (Dec 20, 2012)

TRWOV, I think you are right about the issue being an inefficiency in YouTube's Flash player.  I also tested the video on a Gigabyte EP43-DS3R board with an e8400 (3GHz, 1333 FSB), CL4 PC6400 RAM, and two different PCI-E video cards (HD5450 and HD4650) and still had the mini-stutters pretty bad.

Then I tried leeching the .MP4 file and playing it with Media Player Classic and it was butter smooth on all setups.


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## bigbigbuddy (Jan 2, 2013)

Heyya TRWOV I just noticed your new phenomenal build, I looked up that board and it seems crazy o3o

How does it come into performance compared to the ConRoe with a QX6700? ;o

I noticed it supports 16GB or RAM, AGP and a Phenom II X4 3.5 GHz x-x It seems as if it could outrun the Conroe the only thing holding it back is the AGP but my intentions of getting the Conroe was to try and get the best AGP build I could possibly get and if that motherboard is better I'll probably get it o-o


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## Jstn7477 (Jan 2, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> Heyya TRWOV I just noticed your new phenomenal build, I looked up that board and it seems crazy o3o
> 
> How does it come into performance compared to the ConRoe with a QX6700? ;o
> 
> I noticed it supports 16GB or RAM, AGP and a Phenom II X4 3.5 GHz x-x It seems as if it could outrun the Conroe the only thing holding it back is the AGP but my intentions of getting the Conroe was to try and get the best AGP build I could possibly get and if that motherboard is better I'll probably get it o-o



The AM2NF3 only supports XP x86 for full AGP acceleration which is the Achilles heel of it. Otherwise everyone would be using one I bet as DDR2 1066 and a 3.5ghz CPU are the best you can get for AGP.


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## Krazy Owl (Jan 3, 2013)

Take note that they made 2 version of the 1gig HD4670 of HIS the stock one and the Overclocked one.

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/b146/HIS_HD_4670_IceQ_Native_HDMI.html

i got the Oced one at home.


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## VLB (Jan 3, 2013)

Jstn7477 said:


> The AM2NF3 only supports XP x86 for full AGP acceleration which is the Achilles heel of it. Otherwise everyone would be using one I bet as DDR2 1066 and a 3.5ghz CPU are the best you can get for AGP.



The AM2NF3 board can take 16GB of RAM but only supports 32-bit XP?


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## TRWOV (Jan 3, 2013)

It supports 64bit too but the AGP slot works in PCI mode with 64bit OS. As a workstation it would be good but for gaming it's worthless.


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## Jstn7477 (Jan 3, 2013)

Be really careful with the VRM temps too. My stock 965BE C3 under full load = 100c VRM temps which explains the heat damage on the PCB. I'm going to delist mine from my FS thread because I tried putting VRM sinks on it from my Arctic Cooling GPU cooler with their 2 part thermal glue which made a huge ass mess, don't even know how long the stuff takes to cure as the sinks were loose 2 hours after application and I'm afraid to even turn it on now.


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## TRWOV (Jan 3, 2013)

I have MOS-C1 heatsinks on standby.


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## bigbigbuddy (Jan 3, 2013)

Aww alright, not gonna grab that one then =P unless there was a BIOS mod to reword that x64 problem, I would give it a go no doubt =P

Side note, gonna grab a SilenX IXN-40C chipset cooler sometime (for the conroe), but I want to know if anyone has a better suggestion before I go ahead? ;o

EDIT: I'm also going to grab a PCI SATA 2 3Gb/s Raid controller for this thing. Grabbing an SSD soon and really don't want to be left with 150 Mbps speeds x-x


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## TRWOV (Jan 3, 2013)

If you don't mind waiting a while I could send you my current heatsink+fan. It's an aluminium heatsink with a Noiseblocker 40mm fan. I won't have any use for it after getting the HR-05.



BTW my latest benchmark runs:

Vantage P4121: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmv/4466230

06 8547: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm06/17004016

05 15532: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm05/5474342

03 26772: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm03/6487787


The SATA1 port is fine for SSDs, IMO. SATA3 MLC SSD 4K performance tops at around 100MB/s and the SATA1 port is enough for that. Sequential performance would be capped due to it but it really doesn't matter that much unless you move big files (like >1GB).


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## bigbigbuddy (Jan 5, 2013)

Oh I could wait =o I guess you'd like my shipping address? =P

Also, I flashed the BIOS to 1.50 and as soon as I place in my QX6700, it doesn't want to boot. First thing I have to assume, is that it wants to run on a 1:1 ratio -.-

I seriously need to fix this 1:1 ratio problem because I'm stuck with only raising the Multiplier which in all honesty doesn't do to well since I can only get 3.0 GHz on a 200MHz FSB and 15x Multiplier without it crashing, not booting or killing my RAM =/

NOTE: I think I may have to get some DDR500 RAM because my RAM refuses to go past 400MHz at all with it throwing a fit. I guess I'll just go for the 5:4 ratio and set it to 246x13 so that I can get at least 392MHz on my RAM for now -.-

EDIT: I tried your suggestion quite a few posts back (3.16Ghz (287x11)) and as soon as I save the settings, it won't even boot. I'm am seriously fed up with this =/

EDIT2: Now my hard drive is running super slow Dx decided to pull it out and do a test with my laptop and right away I get dozens of errors! I do not feel like re-installing windows. I have 2 partitions on this hard drive, 1 with WIN XP 64bit and 1 with WIN 7 Pro 64bit, is there any way just to copy the partitions and have them placed onto another hard drive? I know I can't just copy and paste because there are so many other things that also need to be moved (such as MBR and data that states specific information that is required for booting windows on parts of the drive). I'm gonna try CloneZilla and see how that works for me and see if I can figure out how I should go about using it o-o


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## TRWOV (Jan 6, 2013)

I have a set of 4 1GB muskin XP4000s I could sell if you're interested. I still find amusing how your board behaves so different to the rest, I can't replicate the 1:1 behavior you describe. You must have a magic (or cursed) Conroe865PE

I'd recommend you to use a different drive for documents and data instead of having everything on the same drive, even with different partitions if the MBR gets damaged it takes the whole drive down.




Back on topic, I've found that the 1.50 and 1.60 bioses aren't as stable as 1.70. I can run IBT fine at 3.2Ghz on 1.70 but on 1.50 and 1.60 it crashes almost immediately. I thought that the increased RAM speed was the culprit but a) I've run the Platinums @ 230 before with 0 issues on my HTPC and b) they passed memtest and WMDT so I think that the microcode uptades on 1.70 really help with stability.

I'll try the tools that lemonadesoda told us about to see if I can transmit the 5:4 div to 1.70.


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## bigbigbuddy (Jan 7, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> I have a set of 4 1GB muskin XP4000s I could sell if you're interested. I still find amusing how your board behaves so different to the rest, I can't replicate the 1:1 behavior you describe. You must have a magic (or cursed) Conroe865PE
> 
> I'd recommend you to use a different drive for documents and data instead of having everything on the same drive, even with different partitions if the MBR gets damaged it takes the whole drive down.
> 
> ...



I'd totally be interested in buying them =D depends on how much you're willing to sell them for =P

I'm getting a new hard drive soon and I'll just put programs and such on there, install another OS as a backup on the new drive and leave the OS on my previous drive that works.

If you could that with the 1.70 BIOS you'd be my hero Dx I'm currently running 250MHz FSB, 5:4, multiplier 12 so I'm only getting 3GHz for now but with the modded 1.70 I could run at 3.2 and with a new chipset cooler and other cooling products I'm getting I won't have to worry about heat so much =]

Which reminds me, should I PM you my mailing address for when you send that chipset cooler? =P


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## master_rigbuilder (Jan 13, 2013)

*asrock conroe 865PE*

Anyone here selling their AsRock Conroe 865PE motherboard?


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## rtwjunkie (Jan 23, 2013)

Finally got my conroe working again!  Went ahead and set it up with XP Pro.  I spend the better part of yoday downloading updates!  Wow.  Also dsicovered that a pair of my RAM were actually 500mb sticks, so I'm rocking 3Gb of RAM.  BIOS is 1.70.


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## rtwjunkie (Jan 25, 2013)

This motherboard is doing great!  I've repurposed it for only internet activities such as web surfing, watching videos, aand whatnot.  That keeps me from any general web-surfing on my gaming rig.  Even tho it's running on XP It's been hardened security-wise and I've given it alot of the features and looks found in Vista and 7.  I think this time I'm gonna keep it running.  This weekend I'm gonna see about overclocking a bit too.


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## master_rigbuilder (Jan 28, 2013)

*asrock conroe 865PE*

Hi there rtwjunkie what XP did you install x86 or x64? 

Thanks


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## rtwjunkie (Jan 28, 2013)

master_rigbuilder said:


> Hi there rtwjunkie what XP did you install x86 or x64?
> 
> Thanks



For ease of install and operation and compatibility I went with x86.  Running like a champ!  I love retro builds!  I've got a couple others I'm doing too, one retro and one HTPC.


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## master_rigbuilder (Feb 1, 2013)

*asrock conroe 865PE*

I believe your e3100 Intel Xeon is a 64 bit cpu how come you could install a x86 OS? 

Do you know someone selling a Conroe 865PE AsRock I am looking 1 for my HIS HD4670 AGP8x! I badly need it!


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## Krazy Owl (Feb 1, 2013)

I don't know if it fits guys but I could have in my possession a 651 3.4gigs fsb800 2M cache.


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## rtwjunkie (Feb 1, 2013)

master_rigbuilder said:


> Do you know someone selling a Conroe 865PE AsRock I am looking 1 for my HIS HD4670 AGP8x! I badly need it!



I dont, but will keep my eyes looking for one!  People snatch them up quickly.  I don't think there were alot produced either.  A few months ago one appeared on e-bay, and I think it was gone the next day.


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## rtwjunkie (Feb 1, 2013)

Krazy Owl said:


> I don't know if it fits guys but I could have in my possession a 651 3.4gigs fsb800 2M cache.



Yes , it does fit.  In fact, it's on the supported CPU list since release!


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## kniaugaudiskis (Feb 1, 2013)

About a year ago my dad asked me if I could build him a computer for watching movies, listening to music from the parts I had laying around in my room. I discovered I still had the Conroe865PE in full working order, so the only part I needed was a CPU. I was lucky enough to get a good deal on a used Core 2 Duo E4600 2.4GHz and dad's system ended up like this:

Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 2.4GHz @ 2.66GHz
2.048MB of Kingston HyperX PC3200 CL2.5 RAM (4 x 512MB)
PowerColor Radeon X800XT Platinum Edition AGP (one of my favorite graphics cards)
Windows XP SP3 32-bit.

It's been a year and that system is still going strong, he hasn't had any issues whatsoever. Before the rebuild, I had that motherboard running a Core 2 Duo E6420 2.13GHz CPU paired up with a HIS HD3850 IceQ3 Turbo AGP graphics card. The only drawback of the MB, as I recall, was the limit of maximum FSB speed of 300MHz. Since E6xxx duos had their FSB rated at 266MHz, basically there was no overclocking headroom. I even contemplated getting a Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.66GHz at a time, but the lack of more powerful graphics cards put me off.


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## TRWOV (Feb 1, 2013)

The Conroes show up from time to time on ebay for $25 but the seller only ships to the US AFAIK. Maybe some TPUer would be kind enough to re-ship it to Philippines if you ask (and pay in advance of course).





bigbigbuddy said:


> I'd totally be interested in buying them =D depends on how much you're willing to sell them for =P
> 
> I'm getting a new hard drive soon and I'll just put programs and such on there, install another OS as a backup on the new drive and leave the OS on my previous drive that works.
> 
> ...



Sorry for the late reply. I still haven't got the Thermalright heatsink so I can't part with my current one. About the 4GB of XP4000, how does $55+shipping sound? Hit me with a PM if interested.   heat: http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=77926

I've got some stuff to do and haven't had time to play with my build lately plus I'm waiting for some parts to show up to wrap it up but I'll hit the bios editor as soon as I can. I think I'll have to buy a programmer too.


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## master_rigbuilder (Feb 3, 2013)

*AsRock Conroe 865 PE MotherBoard*

rtwjunkie

I kept looking at ebay. Its the first place where I found the conroe. After a few months it all got sold. After a few months I saw someone sellling those again but I ran out of luck and it got sold completely again! I think this is the best place to hope that someone here who is not interested anymore to her motherboard conroe then she decides to sell it I will get it. I'm trying my luck here.

I believe your Xeon is a x64 cpu how come you could install a x86 os xp?


TRWOV

The Conroe was not release here in the Philippines, my own country. This mobo was released back in 2006. The conroe 865 PE from AsRock is a great mobo to unleash the power of my HIS HD4670 AGP8x graphics card because this graphics card of mine is bottleneck to my P4 EE 3.2gb northwood core. This is the reason why I am looking for this mobo. I'm drooling over this MOTHERBOARD!

I am planning to pair up my graphics card to the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700, Corsair XMS DDR4400 4 x 1gb memory and SATA 3gbs hard drives using a sata 3gbs card. 

What is AFAIK and TPUer? Its obvious that I am new here.

Is it true that you can use QX6800 to the Conroe 865 PE?

rtwjunkie and TRWOV thank you for answering my questions!


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## TRWOV (Feb 3, 2013)

master_rigbuilder said:


> What is AFAIK and TPUer? Its obvious that I am new here.
> 
> Is it true that you can use QX6800 to the Conroe 865 PE?
> 
> rtwjunkie and TRWOV thank you for answering my questions!




AFAIK = As Far As I Know
TPUer = TPU user


Yes you can use the QX6800 with the Conroe865PE: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmv/4505511
Look at the system details 

Take in mind that Core 2 support requires CL2.5 RAM.





rtwjunkie said:


> For ease of install and operation and compatibility I went with x86.  Running like a champ!  I love retro builds!  I've got a couple others I'm doing too, one retro and one HTPC.



Windows 7 64bit has perfect compatibility with the Conroe865PE. It can even run W8 although with some rough edges (W8 requires some functionality only found in modern bios to perform 100%). Although in your case since the 7800GS supports up to DX9 W7 64bit would provide almost zero improvement. For folks with HD series cards W7 is a sure bet as that gives access to DX10.


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## master_rigbuilder (Feb 4, 2013)

*AsRock Conroe 865 PE MotherBoard*

I know these cpus are both LGA775. The Q6800 and QX6800 are almost the same. In the link that you gave me its written Q6800 but in your system specifications here its QX6800. Which of these two are you using? 

These two cpus are not in the cpu compatible list of the Conroe how come you could connect these 2? I know the very high end cpu you could connect to it is QX6700 and X6800 based on the compatible list.


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## rtwjunkie (Feb 4, 2013)

master_rigbuilder said:


> I believe your Xeon is a x64 cpu how come you could install a x86 os xp?



I think you are referring to my signature block.  It is 2 different rigs there...I guess I could make that a little easier for people!  My Xeon is indeed an x64 cpu.  However, that is installed in my server, which uses WHS 2011, which is an x64 operating system.

As to your question about x64 cpu's in x86 systems, all the x 64 designation means in a cpu is they can operate x64 operating systems and other programs.  They can still operate in x86 with an x86 operating system.  Indeed, my Conroe rig (FrankenrigPC) is using an e4600, which is x64.  Even an x64 operating system will many times have people installing x86 programs which operate in 32 bit mode and do just fine.  Two common examples are MS Office, and Internet Explorer.  

As to your question about compatible cpu list, I do not see my e4600 on the compatible cpu list for the Conroe865 either, but it works just fine!  I guess just blind luck and trial and error play a part!

Happy hunting, and if I hear or see any of these motherboards being available, I will let you know right away!


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## TRWOV (Feb 4, 2013)

master_rigbuilder said:


> I know these cpus are both LGA775. The Q6800 and QX6800 are almost the same. In the link that you gave me its written Q6800 but in your system specifications here its QX6800. Which of these two are you using?
> 
> These two cpus are not in the cpu compatible list of the Conroe how come you could connect these 2? I know the very high end cpu you could connect to it is QX6700 and X6800 based on the compatible list.



Core 2 Extreme Q6800 is the internal designation of the chip, QX6800 is the market name. Look at this screenshot:







Notice how the "Specification" field says "Intel Core(TM) 2 Extreme CPU Q6800 @ 2.93Ghz". That's the bit that programs read when asking for the CPUID.


As for the CPU support list I guess that after putting the board on EOL they didn't bother updating the list. Anyway, the QX6700 and QX6800 have the same TDP and microcode so is no surprising that it runs. Now if someone managed to get a QX6850 working that would be a feat.


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## emergo (Feb 4, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> Core 2 Extreme Q6800 is the internal designation of the chip, QX6800 is the market name. Look at this screenshot:
> 
> http://imageshack.us/a/img822/7162/3dvt.png
> 
> ...



Wich BIOS version do you use ? The official 1.70? the modded 1.72? or the 1.60 with memory divider?


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## master_rigbuilder (Feb 5, 2013)

*AsRock Conroe 865 PE MotherBoard*

TRWOV

You have a very good setup I hope I could get my hands on this motherboard now you made my confused mind clear.

Where do you use your conroe? Games, programming, watching movies, editing photos, graphics design what?

If I will have this, I am planning to use it for gaming and watching movies. I want to give life for my fastest AGP8x G.C..

Next time I will ask question about memory.:shadedshu


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## TRWOV (Feb 5, 2013)

I no longer use it regularly anymore except to run the random program that won't run on W8 and some benchmarks although it sees some use from time to time when my brother comes over and play Halo.

It was my main rig for about 3 years with an HD3850. CPUs were E4600, E5800, Q6700, QX6700 and now QX6800.

For memory any CL2.5 RAM should work.


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## TRWOV (Feb 8, 2013)

Tested the QX6800 on a borrowed 945P board and could hit 4Ghz with little problem so I guess I was right into believing that the Conroe865PE isn't capable of sustaining more than a Quad @ 3.25Ghz. Too much power for only 4 phases with such an old VRM design.


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## rtwjunkie (Feb 9, 2013)

Still, its not a bad platform, even with an old chipset and only 4 power phases.  I guess that's why I like it...because it can be done, and just plain works correctly!


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## TRWOV (Feb 9, 2013)

Of course! I was just trying to determine if the board was limiting the CPU or not. BTW, looking at your sig, did you manage to put your RAM at 250Mhz?  My OCZ Platinum couldn't hit above 230Mhz @ CL2.5


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## rtwjunkie (Feb 9, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> BTW, looking at your sig, did you manage to put your RAM at 250Mhz?  My OCZ Platinum couldn't hit above 230Mhz @ CL2.5




No I didn't.  I am at 250 bus for the e4600, which puts it at 3Gigs, but am now running the RAM at 200Mhz so the ratio is 5:4.  That puts them right at their rated speed, which is fine for me.  This is on BIOS 1.70.  

BTW, every other time I start it, it will loop a couple times before finally going to the logon screen.  It's very weird.  I'm sure I've got something set wrong, but I've just not been very bothered to spend alot of time on it.  And once loaded up it performs like a champ.


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## master_rigbuilder (Feb 13, 2013)

*Corsair DDR550*

Hey TRWOV is this  your memory for your conroe?

OCZ EL DDR PC-5000 PLATINUM DFI NF4 SPECIAL


I am using an Asus P4V8X-X it is where I am using my HD4670 AGP8x that is bottleneck with my P4 3.2ghz ee. I am not sure if this Corsair TWINX2048-4400PRO would be compatible with my mobo.

Do this TWINX2048-4400PRO will work on the 865PE conroe?


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## bigbigbuddy (Mar 7, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> Sorry for the late reply. I still haven't got the Thermalright heatsink so I can't part with my current one. About the 4GB of XP4000, how does $55+shipping sound? Hit me with a PM if interested.   heat: http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=77926
> 
> I've got some stuff to do and haven't had time to play with my build lately plus I'm waiting for some parts to show up to wrap it up but I'll hit the bios editor as soon as I can. I think I'll have to buy a programmer too.



It's fine, I'd also like to say sorry for my own late reply since I've moved and haven't had a proper internet connection for 2 months x-x

I'm really interested in that RAM ;o though a couple questions.

1. Is this the same RAM that bugged out on you previously and so you had to result to your OCZ RAM?

2. Solely dependent on shipping, I'll possibly go for a max of 60$. Chances are you could send it in a small package (small envelope with bubble wrap) and shipping will be free or about 5$. Though if it's over 5$ like say 10$ I'll hit off at 60$. Would you like to cut that as a deal?


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## emergo (Mar 8, 2013)

*Qx6800 (g0)*

Hi, I have upgraded my ConRoe865PE with QX6800 (G0). The GPU is an AMD HD4670, the RAM 4x1GB OCZ Platinum EL DDR400 (2-3-2-5), the PSU is a Seasonic Platinum 660W. I now use BIOS 1.71, it's the first (made by AsRock) to support Kenstfield G0 stepping. Into BIOS setup screen I see RAM at 400 Mhz, but MemTest86+ report  354 Mhz (because the divider FSB/RAM at 3/2); it report also that PAT is disabled. BIOS 1.71a, 1.72 and 1.72(06F7-ID40-REV69) allow to tweak the divider? How to enable the PAT? If I set to 'Enabled' the option "Configure DRAM timing by SPD", the FSB/RAM ratio go to 1:1 ?


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## TRWOV (Mar 9, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> It's fine, I'd also like to say sorry for my own late reply since I've moved and haven't had a proper internet connection for 2 months x-x
> 
> I'm really interested in that RAM ;o though a couple questions.
> 
> ...



woops... sorry. I hadn't heard of you and happened to come across an Abit IC7-G on a recicling center and bought it. I'm using the heatsink and RAM with it:






That's how I got the Abit


Now:





To answer your question, yes, those were the ones that didn't run at 214Mhz CL2.5




emergo said:


> Hi, I have upgraded my ConRoe865PE with QX6800 (G0). The GPU is an AMD HD4670, the RAM 4x1GB OCZ Platinum EL DDR400 (2-3-2-5), the PSU is a Seasonic Platinum 660W. I now use BIOS 1.71, it's the first (made by AsRock) to support Kenstfield G0 stepping. Into BIOS setup screen I see RAM at 400 Mhz, but MemTest86+ report  354 Mhz (because the divider FSB/RAM at 3/2); it report also that PAT is disabled. BIOS 1.71a, 1.72 and 1.72(06F7-ID40-REV69) allow to tweak the divider? How to enable the PAT? If I set to 'Enabled' the option "Configure DRAM timing by SPD", the FSB/RAM ratio go to 1:1 ?



Nice AGP system you got there.  Your system is pretty much like mine.










 To get a 1:1 ratio you'll need AMC 1.60 1:1 bios. Take in mind that your RAM must be able to sustain CL2.5 at 266Mhz... pretty much possible only with DDR600 RAM since most DDR500 RAM is rated at CL3.

For us with DDR400 sets the AMC 1.60 5:4 bios is better. 

1.60 seems to be pretty buggy for the quads. 1.70 has several microcode updates one of which is for the QX6700 (and the QX6800 by extension). I can overclock my QX6800 to 3.26 on 1.70 and only to 3.1 on 1.60. Of course each board and CPU are different so YMMV.


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## bigbigbuddy (Mar 11, 2013)

Ahh so I assume the RAM isn't up for sale? =S

Actually gave away two of my sticks to my parents thinking you'd be selling those to me x-x

If so I'll try to find em online, since my RAM wasn't working the way I hoped they would anyways. They were having troubles with 400 MHz X_X


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## REDHOTIRON2004 (Mar 11, 2013)

*775i65G R2.0 vs 775i65G*

I am amazed to see this thread for such an old motherboard. And till now I used to believe that this board must have died long back. And, I might be the only one who must be having the fastest 865G configuration till now  .
But, after looking at the level you guys have modded your computers with this motherboard. I simply believe "Nothing ever dies". It's just vanishes in one corner of your ignorance! 

Anyways, I want to know some facts about this board. And you people might just be the few rare people who can give me a satisfactory answer.

I currently have "775i65G" board.
Link: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/775i65G/

And there is another same board "775i65G R2.0" which is exactly the same with 2.0 added. Even the bios updates are the same versions 'v3.30'. 
Link:http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/775i65G R2.0/

But, there is a major difference regarding the 'CPU support list'. The 2.0 can support the dual and quad cores as well. While the 1st one without 2.0 shows support only upto Pentium D's. 
Questions:
1. Are these two boards the same?
2. And can my board too would support the cpu's which the 2.0 supported with the same Bios update?

By the way my configuration is:
Pentium D 930(Which I upgraded from Pentium4 524)
160GB + 40GB Harddisk
450W SMPS
Ati Sapphire 9600pro 256MB
1GB Dual channel RAM(3.23MB bandwidth at 133MHz)
I know it's pretty low and obsolete. But, it does get's my work done !


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## lemonadesoda (Mar 11, 2013)

I would look carefully at the mainboard... compare pics of the R2.0 with your mainboard, and identify the differences. Probably the voltage controller chips, and also the extent of voltage regulation. Here is the R2.0






There is a NEW R3.0 edition currently available to buy new. For comparison, see how it has changed.






While the new R3.0 doesn't advertise quad compatibility on the mainpage, on the CPU support list  itdoes suggest it can handle Quads, and also Wolfdale which the R2.0 doesn't officially.

There may be more info available via google. The board was popular in Germany, so with Google translate, you might find out some other interesting facts. If you do, post the info back here.

Here's a starter for you: http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00006.htm


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## REDHOTIRON2004 (Mar 12, 2013)

lemonadesoda said:


> I would look carefully at the mainboard... compare pics of the R2.0 with your mainboard, and identify the differences. Probably the voltage controller chips, and also the extent of voltage regulation. Here is the R2.0
> 
> http://www.asrock.com/mb/photo/775i65G(m).jpg
> 
> ...


I have gone through some sites and the link that you have provided & to my amazement there is not much mentioned about the difference between the two motherboard except the power management for the processor might be different.
However, I have not found anyone who might have tested a dual core, Core2duo etc on REV1. I am also not sure whether mine is REV1 or REV2. AS there seems to be no way to find out. My manual that might have came with the motherboard is nowhere to be seen after 7 years from the year 2006 !
Although, I must say that the REV1 and REV2 of this motherboard looks 100% identical. Even the name "775i65G" is written the same way as in REV1 on the motherboard.
Unlike the difference between REV2 and REV3 that you have posted. You can easily make out the position of the capacitors and resistors have been completely changed and it can easily be concluded that both the REV2 & REV3 are completely different boards.

Still, although I won't be putting more money on this board and so an CPU upgrade would definitely won't be on the cards for the future. But, I would certainly like to know whether the REV1 too can support those 'Dual cores' with BIOS update to 3.30(I have updated to that already) or not?
It would be really helpful if anyone could tell me how can I actually find the Revision of these motherboards as physically they look absolutely the same. And If anyone in the World have tested a Dual core or Core2duo on REV1 or not ?


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## lemonadesoda (Mar 12, 2013)

REDHOTIRON2004 said:


> I am also not sure whether mine is REV1 or REV2. AS there seems to be no way to find out


Yes, there is! R1.0 does not have the screen print "Conroe" on the mainboard. That's the most obvious difference. But there are many other small differences if you look carefully. If you see a picture of a 775i65G with "Conroe" printed, then it is an R2.0.  Also, IIRC, there is an R2.0 somewhere under the board. Either on a sticker or etched on the PCB. Go look at your mainboard... sounds like you have an R2.0. Good for you!

If you see a picture with "Conroe" screen printed, but claims to be R1.0, then they are using a file picture, and not a photo of the real board.

HERE is a picture of an R1.0. You ain't been doing your homework m8!


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## REDHOTIRON2004 (Mar 12, 2013)

lemonadesoda said:


> Yes, there is! R1.0 does not have the screen print "Conroe" on the mainboard. That's the most obvious difference. But there are many other small differences if you look carefully. If you see a picture of a 775i65G with "Conroe" printed, then it is an R2.0.  Also, IIRC, there is an R2.0 somewhere under the board. Either on a sticker or etched on the PCB. Go look at your mainboard... sounds like you have an R2.0. Good for you!
> 
> If you see a picture with "Conroe" screen printed, but claims to be R1.0, then they are using a file picture, and not a photo of the real board.
> 
> ...



WoW ! Yes on my motherboard the stickers are absolutely like the one on REV2 pic  that you have posted in the links. And there is Presler Conore written on the motherboard just like in the REV2 that you have posted. So, just to be double sure it's a REV2 then and would support all the dual core and Core2duo's out there and not to forget the quad cores as well  !


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## lemonadesoda (Mar 12, 2013)

Yes, just get on with it and stick in those nice Core 2 duo's and Quads. What are you waiting for?

And also discover that you will have a system that IS FASTER than a similar specced PCIe based system at the same clocks. Why?

1./ The 865 chipset if unbelieveably good, far better than the 915 and 945 that followed. 
2./ DDR has lower latency than DDR2 at the same speed (today fast DDR2 is of course faster, but earlier DDR2 at the same clocks was slower)
3./ The AGP 8x port is just as fast (bandwidth) as PCIex16 r1.0 and has lower latencies than PCIe, so the same card, e.g. PCIe HD3850 vs. AGP HD3850, which one wins? The AGP.

^^ these statements are proven many times by benchmarks here on TPU and elsewhere.

Of course, the system is SLOW compared to a modern system because of FSB limits, modern fast DDR2, and that the best AGP is the HD3850.  But it PWNS a same spec PCIe system.


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 13, 2013)

@lemonadesoda: You just highlighted all the reasons why I love my side project conroe865!  Add to that: 1) Just because I can, and 2) becaus it's "old" and it's not supposed to work.  I suppose thats the main reason...because it works with core2 and quads.  Sure it's not as fast as my gaming system, but that's not really the point.  It's not all about speed....it's what can you make work!


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## REDHOTIRON2004 (Mar 13, 2013)

I have just upgraded this motherboard to Pentium D 930. And I am having some unusual reading in the "Speedfan" as well as "Everest Ultimate" as well.
I have attached a screenshot. While all other figures are in 40's this 'Aux' always starts from 50C and then goes to 60C and above preety fast under load.
I have even installed a extra 80mm cabinet fan as well. But, the AUX temp haven't changed much.
I have read in some other sites that it is usually an unused sensor which have shown 127C in some other motherboards which doesn't change. So, they can easily deduce that it's not correct.
But, in my case the figures start from 50C and goes to 60C and above under load. Which means these are not some random figures. And I am worried that it might do some harm to this computer. What are your views about this figure?

And by the way, Have you tried Direct X10 for Win XP. I get pretty smooth graphics and some increase in FPS generally by installing that. I am pretty interested in looking at your benchmarks in SiSoftsandra software for the Arithmetic, Multimedia performance, GPU and RAM bandwidth.
I would like your GPU to be measured in ATI Tray Tools latest 'Bench' option. Here my Ati 9600pro score (1700) is showing it's performance to be comparable to 1600pro.


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## REDHOTIRON2004 (Mar 22, 2013)

*Is that possible?*

I have just upgraded my DDR RAM to 2GB(1GB*2) in dual channel mode. And I am getting an unbelievable 3.8GB/s bandwidth at 200MHz .

Before I had 1GB RAM in dual channel mode which used to provide me with 3.23GB/s at 133MHz. And I thought that this might be the maximum bandwidth that might be supported as the RAM mentioned PC3200.
Anyways,
I have 2 questions.
1. Can my motherboard support bigger RAM modules such as 2GB in a single slot. (I have read that it can support only 2GB in both the slots) Have anybody tested bigger RAM on this Motherboard before I order a 2GB RAM?
2. I also want to know what is the best bandwidth that can be achieved on this motherboard with and without overclocking the RAM?


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 26, 2013)

I'm messing around again with this thing tonight, and I realized I can't find where to up the cpu volts.  The FSB can be adjusted, as can the RAM, but unless I'm completely blind, where is cpu adjustment?  CPU-z says it varies at idle between 1.2 and 1.22 (I'm at 250 FSBx12 for 3Ghz).  Thanks!


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## bigbigbuddy (Apr 17, 2013)

So the RAM that I have is complete garbage x-x should've taken some of the reviews seriously when I got them...

I buy two 2.5 CL 400MHz G-Skill 2GB (1GBx2) Dual Channel sticks and they won't even run at 400Mhz without throwing a fit =/ Best I can get is 360Mhz =/

And it's way too late to replace them now since I got them back in October >_>

I'm just going to hand one set to my rents so they can quit complaining about how slow their computer is and keep one for my old Athlon XP build.

Anyone have a spare set of Mushkin Redline 500MHz or OCZ Platinum CL2 400MHz sticks they could offer up? I'll be more than willing to buy them o3o

Preferably two sets of 2GB (2x1GB) Dual channel sets o-o


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## revin (Apr 17, 2013)

Let me try tolook tomorow and see if I can find my killer OCZ ELPT's. IIRC mine had the best throughput and fastest latiancy on both the Abit AI7 and Conroe865PE[ a LOT of my skt478/775 data was lost here a few yrs back, something went bad in a server backup] but just a couple months ago I seen the Corsair sets, and my Q6700,so the OCZ's shouldn't be far away. 4pkgs and 8 sticks shouldn't be that hard for me to see lol
Where you located?

BTW lemonadesoda can atest that I had a very sweet platform In fact I had THE fastest 865 setup for a long time.


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## bigbigbuddy (Apr 17, 2013)

revin said:


> Let me try tolook tomorow and see if I can find my killer OCZ ELPT's. IIRC mine had the best throughput and fastest latiancy on both the Abit AI7 and Conroe865PE[ a LOT of my skt478/775 data was lost here a few yrs back, something went bad in a server backup] but just a couple months ago I seen the Corsair sets, and my Q6700,so the OCZ's shouldn't be far away. 4pkgs and 8 sticks shouldn't be that hard for me to see lol
> Where you located?
> 
> BTW lemonadesoda can atest that I had a very sweet platform In fact I had THE fastest 865 setup for a long time.




Thank you so much =D I'm situated in Canada =] for the best shipping, try shipping it (while in it's package) in an envelope with bubble wrap, should reduce shipping costs, if there will be any =P
My board acts weird and forces the ratio to 1:1 so I need RAM that can hold up with that =P and the OCZ should handle that 8D

Again thanks =]


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 17, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> So the RAM that I have is complete garbage



You've got the G-Skill 2.5CL RAM?  Let me check which model I have, bc the one I have is reviewed very highly by users on Newegg.  I'm loving mine....I hope it's not the same ones as you have.


EDIT: Yeah, Ive got the same model as you, 4x1Gb (F1-3200PHU2-2GBNS).  Very weird, you can't get them up to spec.  What are your BIOS settings?


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## bigbigbuddy (Apr 17, 2013)

Well will have to get back to you on that since I don't have a monitor atm, but since my board is constantly giving me a 1:1 ratio (unless I use a modded BIOS specific to a certain ratio) I need to set it passed 200MHz (400MHz) so that I can achieve the performance I want and need, but the RAM won't go passed that and neither will it want to stay at 400MHz =/ I also stick to the 1.70 BIOS because, as TRWOV has mentioned, it handles Quads better than the 1.60 BIOS versions.

Now it could also be cooling and I'm just jumping the gun, because not much airflow goes past my RAM, except for the air from my CPU's heatsink that towers over the RAM slightly.

Even that said though, 1:1 is a good Ratio, and I need RAM that can handle frequencies past 200MHz. When I first used the RAM, it wouldn't go past 215 CL3, and at this time I had decent air flow and cooling, until some unfortunate events happened to some of my air intake, which is most likely why I ended up having trouble even hitting 400MHz without errors.

Thing is though, to save some cash, I would like to run on the 5:4 ratio, but 1.70 doesn't support 5:4 and because 1:1 is really good performance, running on the OCZ that could possibly hit 225 CL2.5 would do really well in achieving some great performance.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Apr 17, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> running on the OCZ that could possibly hit 225 CL2.5 would do really well in achieving some great performance.



I hear that!  I certainly can't blame you, because the G-Skill is great, just not above 200.  I've had to change the divider just to run my cpu up to 250 for 3Ghz.  I've got 1 set of Mushkin Redline DDR500, but it's only a 2Gb set.  what I really want is another set, and I would be in heaven at 1:1 with 4Gb of it!!


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## bigbigbuddy (Apr 19, 2013)

rtwjunkie said:


> I've got 1 set of Mushkin Redline DDR500, but it's only a 2Gb set.  what I really want is another set, and I would be in heaven at 1:1 with 4Gb of it!!



Haha then you'd get your true potential out of that Conroe 

If you do find those OCZ cards, I will be in your debt! Thanks again


----------



## rtwjunkie (Apr 19, 2013)

@TRWOV: On page 6 you mentioned this board works on W8, just not as well as W7.  Does that mean you definitely have run W7 on the Conroe865pe?  If so, would W7 64-bit work?  I'm wondering if there was any driver trouble?  I imagine I would be able to use the whole 4Gb of RAM, not just 3.3Gb?


EDIT: Never mind.  LOL, I just saw that bigbigbuddy is tunning W7 64-bit.  Soooo:

@bigbigbuddy: same questions for you!  Thanks.


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 19, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> If you do find those OCZ cards, I will be in your debt! Thanks agai



I just was on e-bay, and there are right now 4 or 5 OCZ Platinum PC3200 2x1Gb sets, if you're interested.


200th Post!


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## TRWOV (Apr 19, 2013)

rtwjunkie said:


> @TRWOV: On page 6 you mentioned this board works on W8, just not as well as W7.  Does that mean you definitely have run W7 on the Conroe865pe?  If so, would W7 64-bit work?  I'm wondering if there was any driver trouble?  I imagine I would be able to use the whole 4Gb of RAM, not just 3.3Gb?
> 
> 
> EDIT: Never mind.  LOL, I just saw that bigbigbuddy is tunning W7 64-bit.  Soooo:
> ...



Yes, in fact I do run W7 X64 on it: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmv/4505167

You can't get access to the full 4GB of RAM even with 64bit OS, that's a chipset limitation.

Driver troubles? None. Even my Physx card works.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks TRWOV!  That's quite the score!  I may be going to hunt for one of those 4670's.  Just six months ago they were e-tailer available (and I decided against getting one then), but no longer.  Auctions only.


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## revin (Apr 19, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> Thank you so much =D I'm situated in Canada =] for the best shipping, try shipping it (while in it's package) in an envelope with bubble wrap, should reduce shipping costs, if there will be any =P
> My board acts weird and forces the ratio to 1:1 so I need RAM that can hold up with that =P and the OCZ should handle that 8D
> 
> Again thanks =]


FYI:
So I got the AI7 down, it's got 4x512 EL PT Rev.2 @2.2.2.5[450+/-Mhz]ocz4001024ELDCPER2-K
And also have Corsair XMS3202 v1.3 TwinX 2x1Gb C2

MUSHKIN[8Gb] PC2 8500 2X2Gb 5.5.5.12 REDLINE & same in Blackline [Sean hooked me up with those to match them since the Red's were long gone lol]
Any way best size wise is 3Gb, but the 4x512's are mindblowing!


----------



## master_rigbuilder (Apr 19, 2013)

*?*

Anybody here who wants to sell his Conroe 865PE?


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 21, 2013)

I just thought I'd throw in a couple pics of my 865 rig.  Just transferred it yesterday to a CM690 case that I spent hours cleaning up good as new.

EDIT: I've since cleaned up the wiring a bit.


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## master_rigbuilder (Apr 26, 2013)

*!*



Yo TRWOV long time no ask of questions to you! If you are using QX6800 not the 6700 what B.I.O.S. version are you currently using for that kind of CPU?

Do you think would this be compatible to 865 PE this memory

Corsair XMS 4400 Pro With LED Activity Lights CMX-1024-4400Pro TWINX2048-4400PRO

and one of topic question?! This XMS 4400 Pro will it be compatible to my Asus P4V8X-X?


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## bigbigbuddy (Apr 29, 2013)

rtwjunkie said:


> I just was on e-bay, and there are right now 4 or 5 OCZ Platinum PC3200 2x1Gb sets, if you're interested.
> 
> 
> 200th Post!



There's actually only one set on there and I would love to get it, but It would just sit here for a while before I can get another set.

Also at the moment my current paypal and credit card are set to my old address and it won't change until I change my credit card.

EDIT: I'd also like to mention that I live in Canada and that the current listings I cannot buy as they do not ship to Canada, though I would be more than happy to buy it off someone if they have it as I could give you my current shipping address without shipping it to the address on my PayPal.


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## bigbigbuddy (Jun 20, 2013)

revin said:


> FYI:
> So I got the AI7 down, it's got 4x512 EL PT Rev.2 @2.2.2.5[450+/-Mhz]ocz4001024ELDCPER2-K
> And also have Corsair XMS3202 v1.3 TwinX 2x1Gb C2
> 
> ...



Actually the Corsair TWINX 2x1GB sticks only run at 2.3.3.6, which are slightly slower than the OCZ which run at 2.3.2.5. But since you mentioned another pair of CL2 RAM, maybe I'll have a better chance at finding RAM that will actually run past the 400Mhz mark, unlike my current sticks. Though from what I have read, Crucial at that time had issues with their high end RAM and a lot of people had troubles with the RAM degrading?

List so far of 400Mhz+ compatible RAM:

OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel - CL2.3.2.5
Mushkin Redline 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR500 PC4000 Dual Channel - CL3.3.2.8
Corsair TWINX Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel - CL2.3.3.6

And my G.Skill RAM is a no go still.

Any updates on the 1.70 Bios Mod with either 5:4, 3:2 or 1:1 multiplier?

I also did a comparison of the 3850 and the 4670, it seems that the 3850's Pixel Fill Rate and the Memory Bandwidth are doubled when comparing the 4670, while the 4670's FLOPS are slightly higher and the Texture Fill Rate is more than doubled. Only thing is, which one performs better? Looking at them they are practically neck and neck. If only they increased the bus width of the 4670 to 256bit, then the card would actually have incredible performance, would no doubt surpass a HD6670 at my current clocks


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jun 20, 2013)

Finished with my Conroe865...retired it for the last time.  I moved onto a new project, which was setting up an internet focused W8 rig focused on internet and multimedia (not my main rig).  It will give me a chance to learn W8 without side effects.  

It's been fun!  If I can be of any assistance to anyone else, I'll drop by, although I don't have the level of knowledge of this system that TRWOV does!


----------



## REDHOTIRON2004 (Jun 23, 2013)

*Want a ati 4670 or ati 3850!*

Anybody interested in selling these cards?


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jun 24, 2013)

rtwjunkie said:


> Finished with my Conroe865...retired it for the last time.  I moved onto a new project, which was setting up an internet focused W8 rig focused on internet and multimedia (not my main rig).  It will give me a chance to learn W8 without side effects.
> 
> It's been fun!  If I can be of any assistance to anyone else, I'll drop by, although I don't have the level of knowledge of this system that TRWOV does!



Still using those OCZ sticks? ;D

I've been having a hard time finding a someone in Canada that is selling some OCZ or Mushkin sticks. Everyone seems to be selling in the USA -.-

@TRWOV

I just noticed in a few pages back on your screenshot, you got the 4670 Memory clock to 1100!? O-o


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jun 24, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> Still using those OCZ sticks? ;D



No, I've only got the G-Skills that I think you have.  I also have 3Gb of Ultras (2 gig set and a 1 gig set) that are the right size.  I really like those Ultras, they really overclocked well back in the day!


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jun 24, 2013)

rtwjunkie said:


> No, I've only got the G-Skills that I think you have.  I also have 3Gb of Ultras (2 gig set and a 1 gig set) that are the right size.  I really like those Ultras, they really overclocked well back in the day!



Ahh okay =P almost ;P

Just really want to get this thing running. It's sitting beside me at my new apartment as a part of my desk. Just collecting dust and holding some stuff I put on it. Wish the RAM would hold up lol


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jun 24, 2013)

What's wrong with it?  It's not working?  I thought you had been running all along with your Conroe!


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## bigbigbuddy (Jun 25, 2013)

rtwjunkie said:


> What's wrong with it?  It's not working?  I thought you had been running all along with your Conroe!



No lol

Well,  

1. After moving in with my new roommate, I've realized the cats shed hair like their life depends on it. Gonna give them a bath once we get a bath installed (currently have shower) to get rid of all that dead hair and skin.

2. Need to buy some cooling to help with air flow of this case /or buy a new case all together.

3. I have no RAM since I thought TRWOV was gonna send his RAM I gave one pair of sticks to my parents for their computer and then put the other pair in an Athlon XP build I had and left with my parents as well.

Not TRWOVs fault though 8P couldn't get a hold of him fast enough so it's fine. Currently been looking to find someone who is selling the RAM I need in Canada.


----------



## Jstn7477 (Jul 31, 2013)

So, I bought a conductive ink pen today and modded my Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800's VID from 1.325v to 1.4125v (sadly, no VCC lands anywhere nearby, only VSS) since my 4CoreDual-SATA2 doesn't support voltage control like many of their similar boards. I'm thinking about picking up a QX6700 to replace it, so has anyone had luck overclocking those on a similar board? I have the X6800 at 3.46GHz currently but haven't done stability testing yet. If I got a QX6700 and happened to "land vmod" it, I'd love to get to around 3.2GHz+ since newer games destroy the dual core and the HD 3850 still has some headroom.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Aug 3, 2013)

Jstn7477 said:


> So, I bought a conductive ink pen today and modded my Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800's VID from 1.325v to 1.4125v (sadly, no VCC lands anywhere nearby, only VSS) since my 4CoreDual-SATA2 doesn't support voltage control like many of their similar boards. I'm thinking about picking up a QX6700 to replace it, so has anyone had luck overclocking those on a similar board? I have the X6800 at 3.46GHz currently but haven't done stability testing yet. If I got a QX6700 and happened to "land vmod" it, I'd love to get to around 3.2GHz+ since newer games destroy the dual core and the HD 3850 still has some headroom.



Hmm I'm surprised you even got it overclocked to 3.4Ghz on the Conroe, whats your clock and multiplier?

Also the QX6700 is easily overclockable to 3.2Ghz, but doesn't go much farther without problems due to instability caused by the board itself.


----------



## Jstn7477 (Aug 5, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> Hmm I'm surprised you even got it overclocked to 3.4Ghz on the Conroe, whats your clock and multiplier?
> 
> Also the QX6700 is easily overclockable to 3.2Ghz, but doesn't go much farther without problems due to instability caused by the board itself.



283*12. I had to back it down since it got a 124 BSOD at 266*13. It's been running great, but a QX6700 would be much better for the newer games although the Radeon 3850 does get maxed out pretty easily these days. 

I kinda wish there was a newer chipset for LGA 775 or an AM2 board with a VIA K8T800 Pro, but I do find doing a lot of tasks on the desktop with the 3850 AGP to be rather laggy, so I think AGP was dropped at quite a decent time. Only reason why I'm still messing around with it is because I got boards from Geeks.com for $25 and I had a 3850 AGP from one of my dad's old computers. My parents honestly used Athlon X2 939s for a good 5 years before going Phenom II in 2010.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Aug 21, 2013)

Jstn7477 said:


> 283*12. I had to back it down since it got a 124 BSOD at 266*13. It's been running great, but a QX6700 would be much better for the newer games although the Radeon 3850 does get maxed out pretty easily these days.
> 
> I kinda wish there was a newer chipset for LGA 775 or an AM2 board with a VIA K8T800 Pro, but I do find doing a lot of tasks on the desktop with the 3850 AGP to be rather laggy, so I think AGP was dropped at quite a decent time. Only reason why I'm still messing around with it is because I got boards from Geeks.com for $25 and I had a 3850 AGP from one of my dad's old computers. My parents honestly used Athlon X2 939s for a good 5 years before going Phenom II in 2010.



Wow 283*12? O-o On this motherboard??? Whats your FSB:RAM Ratio and what RAM are you running??? Also what BIOS are you using??

Also, if the investment isn't a burden, I recommend getting an IceQ HIS HD 4670 if you want something with overclocking headroom and better performance for AGP. My current clocks are not a problem for the card and temperature is practically perfect  never have problems with the card. Also I don't feel like pushing it anymore as I believe this is the farthest it will go without killing the little bugger.

I would also like to mention that my parents have an old Celeron Northwood (2.4GHz), 1GB DDR1 PC2700 with a PCI Radeon 9250 that I gave them. They won't even budge on upgrading and believe the thing is still worth using. After 2 failed PSUs, several dust problems, several RAM problems and now failure on the board all together, they are still trying to hold on. I can't even run more than 2 tabs on chrome with it.

==Side note and question==
I'm looking to get a ZOTAC PCI 430 because the 520 and 610 are much slower in comparison and not worth noting. I was hoping to use it as a dedicated Physx card, sort of for what some call "Hybrid Graphics". Though I want some answers that I can rely on so I'll ask here and of course, this will go with my HD 4670 on my Conroe build. The card is great, as I have looked up the specs, performance and price relativity, and it's an amazing card to get even if you have an old PCI system. My friend has an Intel HD 4000 within his laptop and he is able to run all the latest games (also because he has a 3rd gen Core i5 with 6GB of DDR3 but that's besides the point xD). Well the GT 430 from the information I've gathered has better performance than the HD 4000. So if I am correct, if I use the GT430 as a Physx card, I'll be lightening the load heavily for my HD4670 and CPU, thus increasing performance.

Someone please correct me possibly or elaborate on the subject? Whether I buy the card or not, it's 50$ and it's a PCI card that packs a punch, so it'll be alright xP


----------



## TRWOV (Aug 21, 2013)

The Conroe865PE won't boot with two GPUs installed, at least not mine  For AGP systems a PPU is the safer bet.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Aug 21, 2013)

heh echidna


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## Jstn7477 (Aug 21, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> Wow 283*12? O-o On this motherboard??? Whats your FSB:RAM Ratio and what RAM are you running??? Also what BIOS are you using??
> 
> Also, if the investment isn't a burden, I recommend getting an IceQ HIS HD 4670 if you want something with overclocking headroom and better performance for AGP. My current clocks are not a problem for the card and temperature is practically perfect  never have problems with the card. Also I don't feel like pushing it anymore as I believe this is the farthest it will go without killing the little bugger.
> 
> ...



I'm probably not going to purchase the QX6700 after thinking about it, unless I really have a lot of money to burn, which I don't at the moment. I picked up a Lenovo OEM L-IG41M motherboard, 1GB DDR2 stick and C2D E7500 for $30 last week, so I put the E7500 in my 4CoreDual, the X6800 in my Dell E520, and the X3210 just got a 1333MHz BSEL mod painted onto it and should be good to go tomorrow in the G41 board as a now 2.66GHz processor. One of the DDR slots and possibly the PCIe slot are broken on my board (literally only worked once with a GeForce 7300LE, never worked again with any other GPUs), so no real use throwing a ton of money at it.  

My BIOS for my 4CoreDual-SATAII is "2.20a" I think, it's some modded BIOS with updated microcode for the E6/7xxx 1066FSB Wolfdale C2D and PDC processors. Board does 283 BCLK fine with the 2.5:1 DDR2 divider (~707MHz), any higher is unstable. Board won't boot over 260 BCLK with any quad (too hard on the weak northbridge, which was only designed for 800 FSB anyway I think). Right now, my E7500 sits at 3.1GHz. Would have kept the X6800 in there as it does 3.4 with VID mods painted on it, but it takes more power and the Dell E520 doesn't have any microcode for the 45nm chips.


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## bigbigbuddy (Aug 21, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> The Conroe865PE won't boot with two GPUs installed, at least not mine  For AGP systems a PPU is the safer bet.



PPU's are so slow though =[ also, can't you set the main graphics in the BIOS to auto? If not set it to AGP? Thus allowing it to detect the PCI card but set the AGP card as the primary graphics? (Can't check because I am not risking turning the thing on with all these cats around)

Little note, my calculations that I did on the PCI cards were wrong before, I forgot to add a few numbers and some specs that I found recently. They actually perform much faster than what I saw before O-o and I also found out that ZOTAC has a PCI GT610 *1GB* card. Only available in the UK though. If I could get my hands on one of those, put a custom GU cooler on it, I would see how far I could maybe push them. The PCI slot may just bottleneck it though. Only if I had some spare cash xD I would just take it on and see what it could do >8D



eidairaman1 said:


> heh echidna



Finally 8D someone who wasn't like "Omg is that sonic or something? 8B"



Jstn7477 said:


> I'm probably not going to purchase the QX6700 after thinking about it, unless I really have a lot of money to burn, which I don't at the moment. I picked up a Lenovo OEM L-IG41M motherboard, 1GB DDR2 stick and C2D E7500 for $30 last week, so I put the E7500 in my 4CoreDual, the X6800 in my Dell E520, and the X3210 just got a 1333MHz BSEL mod painted onto it and should be good to go tomorrow in the G41 board as a now 2.66GHz processor. One of the DDR slots and possibly the PCIe slot are broken on my board (literally only worked once with a GeForce 7300LE, never worked again with any other GPUs), so no real use throwing a ton of money at it.
> 
> My BIOS for my 4CoreDual-SATAII is "2.20a" I think, it's some modded BIOS with updated microcode for the E6/7xxx 1066FSB Wolfdale C2D and PDC processors. Board does 283 BCLK fine with the 2.5:1 DDR2 divider (~707MHz), any higher is unstable. Board won't boot over 260 BCLK with any quad (too hard on the weak northbridge, which was only designed for 800 FSB anyway I think). Right now, my E7500 sits at 3.1GHz. Would have kept the X6800 in there as it does 3.4 with VID mods painted on it, but it takes more power and the Dell E520 doesn't have any microcode for the 45nm chips.



Oh, thought you were talking about the Conroe earlier xD because if you were able to get the CPU to 3.4, I would have jumped right on that.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Aug 28, 2013)

Drawn in the Art of Sonic Series,



bigbigbuddy said:


> PPU's are so slow though =[ also, can't you set the main graphics in the BIOS to auto? If not set it to AGP? Thus allowing it to detect the PCI card but set the AGP card as the primary graphics? (Can't check because I am not risking turning the thing on with all these cats around)
> 
> Little note, my calculations that I did on the PCI cards were wrong before, I forgot to add a few numbers and some specs that I found recently. They actually perform much faster than what I saw before O-o and I also found out that ZOTAC has a PCI GT610 *1GB* card. Only available in the UK though. If I could get my hands on one of those, put a custom GU cooler on it, I would see how far I could maybe push them. The PCI slot may just bottleneck it though. Only if I had some spare cash xD I would just take it on and see what it could do >8D
> 
> ...


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## b1gt1m (Sep 24, 2013)

Hey guys! How yer all doin! Sorry it's been a while, 10 months? :O Well we all gotta work so yer know how it goes huh? Yep so it's nice to be back...


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 24, 2013)

b1gt1m said:


> Hey guys! How yer all doin! Sorry it's been a while, 10 months? :O Well we all gotta work so yer know how it goes huh? Yep so it's nice to be back...



WB


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## b1gt1m (Sep 24, 2013)

*Attempting alternative route to overclocking...*

Yep sooo, I'm back on here and I'm still rockin the spec - please see the sceenshot - anyway, I got talking to a friend of mine a few nights ago at a party, we we're discussing the dark art of overclocking - and I'm talking back in the days of 486's! He gave me an idea... considering my CPU is unlocked by standard, I can just drop the FSB to some thing low, then raise the multiplier and so on, while having the pci bus locked down. this is doable thanx to the 5/4 and 1/1 bios mods I posted on here about 8 months ago ish... well here we go!!!


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## b1gt1m (Sep 24, 2013)

Oh, I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit edition.


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## rtwjunkie (Sep 24, 2013)

Welcome back, bigt1m!


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## Jstn7477 (Sep 25, 2013)

The new brain for my 4CoreDual-SATAII arrived today. We'll see how much it overclocks and if I can easily conductive pen mod it like my X6800. It's an SLACP QX6800 (G0, not the old SL9UK B3) so hopefully it overclocks well, though the board isn't exactly beefy. It also has "leet" VID apparently (1.337v) and the real voltage bounces around everywhere in the 1.2v range.


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## TRWOV (Sep 25, 2013)

My Conroe865PE isn't 100% stable with the QX6800(G0) @ 3.19Ghz. It passes Geekbench, Cinebench and a bunch others but crashes on IBT. I can attest that's not an IBT bug as it crashed twice when I crunched on it but then again two crashes over a 2.5 month period of 24/7 crunching is very good IMO.

Of course, not two boards are the same (I recall Captain Harlock OCing a QX6700 to 3.24Ghz) but 3.2Ghz is very close to the VRMs limits. The highest IBT stable OC I get is 3.1Ghz (281x11) and I prefer it that way for the increased memory bandwidth.

I don't know why but the 5:4 bios is very unstable on my board.


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## Jstn7477 (Sep 26, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> My Conroe865PE isn't 100% stable with the QX6800(G0) @ 3.19Ghz. It passes Geekbench, Cinebench and a bunch others but crashes on IBT. I can attest that's not an IBT bug as it crashed twice when I crunched on it but then again two crashes over a 2.5 month period of 24/7 crunching is very good IMO.
> 
> Of course, not two boards are the same (I recall Captain Harlock OCing a QX6700 to 3.24Ghz) but 3.2Ghz is very close to the VRMs limits. The highest IBT stable OC I get is 3.1Ghz (281x11) and I prefer it that way for the increased memory bandwidth.
> 
> I don't know why but the 5:4 bios is very unstable on my board.



You're right, the Kentsfield completely sacks the VRM on these boards. I had to back down to 260*12 because the machine got a 124 BSOD overnight. The VID is 1.337 and under load the measured voltage drops from 1.29v to 1.126-1.232v which is very low. I can vmod to 1.412v but I bet the VRM section is already overwhelmed, especially without heatsinks. I am using an Zalman Fatal1ty CPU cooler that should be running air over the VRM but probably not enough.

I wish there were some FSB 1066 Yorkfields but I really shouldn't put any more money into such an old system. The QX6800 set me back $100 but I can use it in two other boards after this one fails.


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## b1gt1m (Sep 27, 2013)

Well, see the picture for my results, I just can't seem to get past x11 on the multiplier... it's rock-steady at x10!? Weird...  yer thoughts please... Allo TRWOV how yer doin!


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## b1gt1m (Sep 28, 2013)

*Oh Sh*t!*

OK, I seem to have a problem here, I've just been running LinX to test my processor, and after 2 mins 32 secs it stopped and reported an error and I'm running at 266*11 -RAM 3/2 @ 177Mhz!!? That should not be happening!!! Seriously worried here...


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## b1gt1m (Sep 28, 2013)

This is the current set up...


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## b1gt1m (Sep 28, 2013)

Also, this seems to show that my CPU is running a bit too warm? My HSF is a TUNIQ Tower 120!!!


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## TRWOV (Sep 28, 2013)

QX6700 is a B3 chip with higher leakage (130w TDP). If your VRMs aren't sinked I guess it would overwhelm them easily.

Does it crash at stock settings? Temps seem to be about the same I had with air cooling (using a Sanyo AIO WC ATM).


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## Jstn7477 (Sep 28, 2013)

I'd love to get one of these and replace the stock VRM on my board for fun. 






http://www.techpowerup.com/159347/evga-offers-overclockers-the-100-epower-board.html


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## b1gt1m (Sep 28, 2013)

Hi guys, good question TRWOV - I'll just test it now. :wink:


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## b1gt1m (Sep 28, 2013)

Well guys, this is most curious!  My settings are 266*10 which is stock settings - RAM is at 3/2 Divider 177Mhz @ 2.5 3 2 5 - Stock settings, with Vdimm set to AUTO!!! I'm really con fused, see pic! Help? :shadedshu


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## TRWOV (Sep 28, 2013)

Jstn7477 said:


> I'd love to get one of these and replace the stock VRM on my board for fun.
> 
> http://tpucdn.com/img/12-01-25/evga_epower_board_02_thm.jpg
> 
> http://www.techpowerup.com/159347/evga-offers-overclockers-the-100-epower-board.html



That actually looks like a fun project. I'm using a Silverstone SFX 450w PSU because of the size of the Sanyo AIO cooler so I think I could tuck it under the PSU easily. Now I must get another board to play with 

If I can't find one for sale I guess  could replace the VRMs, couldn't I?





b1gt1m said:


> Well guys, this is most curious!  My settings are 266*10 which is stock settings - RAM is at 3/2 Divider 177Mhz @ 2.5 3 2 5 - Stock settings, with Vdimm set to AUTO!!! I'm really con fused, see pic! Help? :shadedshu



mmm, seems to do fine at stock settings. I suppose your board can't handle an overclocked B3. Try getting a QX6800 G0 (SLACP 110w).


----------



## b1gt1m (Sep 29, 2013)

*Omfg!!!*

TRWOV!!! I took yer advice, I've just found myself a QX6800, but yer not gonna believe this... it's a *genuine* _Engineering Sample!!!!_ It's designated as *'QXWX'* for... wait for it... $25!!!!!        I can't believe my luck!!   I've heard stories that if I email intel, they'll send out a better cpu... I should take delivery over the next 3 days... will keep you posted... check this out! 

http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-030747.htm


----------



## TRWOV (Sep 29, 2013)

The ES chips are also B3 but it should at least run at 2.92Ghz without issue. The G0 chips were released around the same time as the QX6850 (not compatible with the Conroe865PE so don't bother getting one).


----------



## b1gt1m (Sep 29, 2013)

Hmmmmmmm maybe, maybe not... I know the QX6850 is incompatible with the Conroe865PE as it runs at 1333 where as the QX6800 runs at 1066. Still how great is this - a QX6800 ES for next to nothing!!!! Awesome!!!!!


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## b1gt1m (Oct 5, 2013)

*OMFG!!? Can't believe my luck!!!*

TRWOV!!!! Just installed the CPU an booted up the system, take a close look at the screen shot and you're thoughts would be appreciated, I wish you could see the size of the smile on my face!!!!


----------



## TRWOV (Oct 5, 2013)

WTFITF? A G0 ES? and for $25? You hit the jackpot with that one. You could sell your QX6700 and even get a little profit.

Most I've got with my board is x12 and not 100% stable. How much can you raise it?


----------



## Jstn7477 (Oct 5, 2013)

I had to back down my QX6800 to 3.06GHz as the system locked up, had to be power cycled and somehow lost the date/time but retained every other setting. This processor just obliterates the weak VRM on this board and it drops down to 1.200v under load when the VID is 1.337v.


----------



## TRWOV (Oct 5, 2013)

Pretty much where mine is. No wonder it doesn't even show up on the CPU support list for the Conroe865PE.


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## b1gt1m (Oct 6, 2013)

Yea I know, awesome!!   Soooo anyway, I've been leaving the CPU alone, and trying the BIOS's with the 5/4 and 1/1 dividers, I couldn't for the life of me get the system to boot!! So after a bit of thinking and a coffee, I figured I'll use the 1.72 BIOS, drop the multiplier to x10 and raise the FSB to 300 - that way the CPU should run at 2.99 instead of 2.93 and the RAM at 200 instead of 177 at 3/2 and all at low voltages. Well guess what, it worked like a charm!   The thing that's baking my noodle though is: I use OCZ Platinum DDR RAM, so if it boots at DDR427 - it shouldn't be a problem...


----------



## rtwjunkie (Oct 7, 2013)

@b1gt1m: That looks real good!  You can run for days and days like that.  I had to consistently run mine at a 5:4, since I used an e4600.  It had a 12x multiplier, so I used every bit of that in order to run the DDR400 at right around their posted speed.  I found it was the best combo to overclock and get the RAM stable and not underclocked.


----------



## b1gt1m (Oct 9, 2013)

Yea it's SAAA-WEET!  Although, you said it - yer runnin at 5:4!! I flashed my BIOS with ANC's 5/4 Divider and I couldn't even get past the boot sector, it went through the POST then went to boot off the HDD and restarted! I can't tell you how frustrating that is, I paid for OCZ Platinum Grade DDR400 RAM and this happens!! Although I'm happy, I'm also a bit sad about the RAM as it's not as tough as I thought huh? I used this as a reference to buy some. 

http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-el-ddr-pc-3200-dual-channel-platinum-xtc.html


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## bigbigbuddy (Oct 30, 2013)

Moved out of my roommates place and with my best friend. So much has changed since then as well!

Note about the PCI cards, I manage to snag one of the PCI GT610 1GB cards!!! It was actually an accident that I bought it in all honesty lol. As soon as I get it I'm going to play around with some Physx and then test the specs on the card. Though, if I get a hold of a PCI 430 512MB, I'll be placing that one in, replacing the cooler and then overclocking it just for the hell of it =D

On another note, I have a new PC (finally) as well as I'm helping my parents upgrade their 10 year old pc with some cheap parts that will add some extra life.

2.4GHz Celeron 400FSB Processor to a Pentium 4 HT 3.06Ghz 533FSB (Both socket 478), Radeon 9250 PCI to a GT 430 PCI and WinXP to Win7.

Also looking my hardest to get a hold of some OCZ EL Platinum or OCZ Platinum XTC, if anyone finds any listings for Canada, shout my way!

[Note] I'm going to attach the specs (that took forever for me to finally get together) of the PCI cards.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 16, 2013)

Alright so I'm stuck.

I've decided to try and get my Conroe to actually run, but it seems that it wants to be stubborn...

I had a problem with the BIOS previously so I had to reset the BIOS, place in my P4, update to 1.70 and then try to run on my QX6700. For some odd reason though, it doesn't want to POST. But when I replace the QX6700 with the P4, it will POST and the BIOS will load and everything. I've enable the 1066MHz jumper and even overclocked my RAM, but nothing seems to want to work at all. Even when I reset the BIOS again, it still doesn't want to post.

Help .-.


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 16, 2013)

The Conroe is somewhat temperamental. Have you tried running with one stick of RAM and then adding them one by one? I had to do that once.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 16, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> The Conroe is somewhat temperamental. Have you tried running with one stick of RAM and then adding them one by one? I had to do that once.



Actually I fixed it, forgot to set the FSB to Manual 

After about 3 hours of head banging, I finally got it to run 

DOn't you just love making the same mistake twice? 

[EDIT]

I got the GT 610 to work with the AGP card =D

I'll post results with benchmarking and see how it stands for Physx once I get Windows installed!


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 16, 2013)

waaa!!! My Conroe doesn't boot with the GT430 PCI installed. I wonder if the GPU matters?


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 16, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> waaa!!! My Conroe doesn't boot with the GT430 PCI installed. I wonder if the GPU matters?



Well I placed the card in the lowest PCI Socket, as well I set the Graphics to AGP/PCI, so that it sets the AGP card as the primary card.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 16, 2013)

And as my pocket runs low on cash, I find OCZ Platinum EL RAM 4x1GB for 59.99$+13.63$ .-. in CAD of course.

Well, my luck is soooo bad at the moment 

As well, my board seems to be acting normal at the 3:2 ratio now, but I am completely confused  my motherboard doesn't want to post past 255 FSB???

So this will only leave me with 340MHz DDR Ram? 

I guess this calls for a better Northbridge cooler instead of the stock one? =S


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 16, 2013)

bigbigbuddy said:


> I guess this calls for a better Northbridge cooler instead of the stock one? =S



I used one of these: Enzotech CNB-SI  Memory Cooling - Newegg.com

I just used permanent arctic silver compound to affix it.

Additionally, I used these on every bare MOSFET: Enzotech MOS-C1  Memory Cooling - Newegg.com

I found they seemed to help.  Overall it seemed to be much more stable at RAM rated speed of DDR400 (FSB 200), if I recall correctly.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 16, 2013)

I was actually thinking of getting this northbridge cooler, as it fits right under my CPU cooler perfectly and allows for effective air cooling. Since my fan overlaps the Northbridge and also blows air downwards anyway, so airflow would be in the favor of this cooler =]

As well I should probably cool those Mosfets =o once I get the chance I'll buy some heatsinks.

Now, time to scrounge some extra cash for those OCZ Platinum EL cards o-o

[EDIT]

Well my CPU Cooler broke.... One of the fins on the fan broke off and when ever I turn it on now it just vibrates the whole computer.

Was just about to test the graphics card as well...


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 17, 2013)

That's a complete bummer!  Best of luck to you on a new CPU cooler!  Look forward to your progress.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 18, 2013)

Also found out the cooler I have is being sold for 18$ form another dealer... yet I bought it for 70$....


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 20, 2013)

I hate when that happens.

I think I'll get back to my Conroe in January as I'll be doing some extensive work on my main rig. It'll be nice to see how is she holding up. Can you say "Battlefield 3 on an HD4670 AGP"?


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 21, 2013)

TRWOV said:


> I hate when that happens.
> 
> I think I'll get back to my Conroe in January as I'll be doing some extensive work on my main rig. It'll be nice to see how is she holding up. Can you say "Battlefield 3 on an HD4670 AGP"?



Quite interestingly enough, I'm pretty sure I can say "Battlefield 3 on High settings with my HD 4670" ;D


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 21, 2013)

How far have you OCed the 4670? I got it to 825/1100.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 21, 2013)

I actually hit 800 by 1100, but I'm looking to get a new Gpu cooler for my 4670. 

I'm looking at this one currently:
http://www.zalman.com/global/product/Product_Read.php?Idx=385

Though I may need an opinion on some good Heatsinks, just in case I need either extra or some just won't fit.

As well, I'm getting a new cpu liquid cooling unit from a friend of mine, which will help immensely with ambient temperatures and I'll be able to upgrade the Northbridge cooler with something much better now that I'll have more room than I once did.

To top it off I'm looking to get a new computer case as the one I'm using currently just can't keep airflow moving at all and I'll be getting a new PSU with better organization of cords as well as longer cords because the one I have currently just makes getting around the case a pain in the a**.

Along with an upgrade for my Ivy build of 4 ram sticks,  they'll be coming with 2 RAM cooling fans, so I'll be placing one in my Conroe!

Looks like my Conroe build is going to be another pocket change eater


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 22, 2013)

I don't think heat is the limiting factor. It seems that RV730 just doesn't play nice with >800Mhz frequencies.  RV670 was the same, they're both the same architecture and lithography after all.

With the stock cooler I get <50°C even at 825/1100 and even going north by a couple of Mhz crashes the GPU, although its not a hard crash, as the VPU recovery kicks in just fine.

EDIT: now that I think of it, maybe the lithography was the limiting factor. It wasn't until the 40nm node that we saw stock speeds at >800Mhz.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 22, 2013)

Well I get the same thing when I set the GPU clock past 800, but the major thing that I'm looking to improve is the memory clock of all things. As well, if I can enable CUDA processing on the Nvidia GPU and allow it to coexist with the 4670's rendering, I'll get so much leeway. Still trying to figure that out though. 

Btw, you know of any good heatsinks to use for the VRMs on the GPU?

Side note:







I GOT THE RAM!!!! WOOOOOOT


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Nov 22, 2013)

Just noticed, today is my 1 year anniversary of joining this site =D


----------



## jeromeaaronbonoan (Jan 3, 2014)

REDHOTIRON2004 said:


> *775i65G R2.0 vs 775i65G*
> 
> I am amazed to see this thread for such an old motherboard. And till now I used to believe that this board must have died long back. And, I might be the only one who must be having the fastest 865G configuration till now  .
> But, after looking at the level you guys have modded your computers with this motherboard. I simply believe "Nothing ever dies". It's just vanishes in one corner of your ignorance!
> ...




Good day! I have the same motherboard in the personal computer here in my office, but the HDD crashed, making it non-functional for now.

With that, I would like to ask about the maximum capacity of this motherboard when it comes to HDD size. The one currently installed is 500 GB, but since there aren't much 500 GB HDDs in the market nowadays, would you recommend buying a 1 TB HDD to install to the motherboard of the computer? Hope I get any response immediately.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jan 3, 2014)

From a reliability standpoint id suggest getting a SSD. The bigger the hdd is the more you can lose. Id have a ssd for the os and hdd for everything else. Also always back up files you want to keep. You can go to the site and see if there is a bios update that allows that machine to use drives 2 tb and larger. I believe there was a windows update for that too.



jeromeaaronbonoan said:


> Good day! I have the same motherboard in the personal computer here in my office, but the HDD crashed, making it non-functional for now.
> 
> With that, I would like to ask about the maximum capacity of this motherboard when it comes to HDD size. The one currently installed is 500 GB, but since there aren't much 500 GB HDDs in the market nowadays, would you recommend buying a 1 TB HDD to install to the motherboard of the computer? Hope I get any response immediately.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


----------



## jeromeaaronbonoan (Jan 3, 2014)

eidairaman1 said:


> From a reliability standpoint id suggest getting a SSD. The bigger the hdd is the more you can lose. Id have a ssd for the os and hdd for everything else. Also always back up files you want to keep. You can go to the site and see if there is a bios update that allows that machine to use drives 2 tb and larger. I believe there was a windows update for that too.



So would a 500 gb do? Can you explain the concept of the SSD to me? Thanks!


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jan 3, 2014)

heres a good explaination

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404258,00.asp, advantage- no moving parts


----------



## jeromeaaronbonoan (Jan 3, 2014)

eidairaman1 said:


> heres a good explaination
> 
> http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404258,00.asp, advantage- no moving parts




Thanks for referring the article to me, but I really need an HDD for my desktop computer here at the office. What HDD capacity can you refer to me?

Thanks for responding to my questions!


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jan 3, 2014)

im prewarning you now, you get a bigger HDD the more you can expect to lose if you dont backup your stuff.

Stick with a 500 GB


----------



## jeromeaaronbonoan (Jan 3, 2014)

eidairaman1 said:


> im prewarning you now, you get a bigger HDD the more you can expect to lose if you dont backup your stuff.
> 
> Stick with a 500 GB




Okay, will be buying a new 500 gb HDD.

Thanks again!


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jan 3, 2014)

eidairaman1 said:


> heres a good explaination
> 
> http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404258,00.asp, advantage- no moving parts



Yeah but improper use of an SSD will basically wear down the life of the SSD majorly. Which is why it's recommended to be used for caching, OS, etc.



jeromeaaronbonoan said:


> Thanks for referring the article to me, but I really need an HDD for my desktop computer here at the office. What HDD capacity can you refer to me?
> 
> Thanks for responding to my questions!



Well yeah I would recommend a 500GB because you could easily grab another one and just back up the previous one. Being that 500GB are much cheaper nowadays, though everyone's budget is different.


----------



## REDHOTIRON2004 (Jan 4, 2014)

jeromeaaronbonoan said:


> Good day! I have the same motherboard in the personal computer here in my office, but the HDD crashed, making it non-functional for now.
> 
> With that, I would like to ask about the maximum capacity of this motherboard when it comes to HDD size. The one currently installed is 500 GB, but since there aren't much 500 GB HDDs in the market nowadays, would you recommend buying a 1 TB HDD to install to the motherboard of the computer? Hope I get any response immediately.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


I am currently using 1TB + 160GB hardisks on this setup!


----------



## VLB (Feb 7, 2014)

I have an odd question about this board for anyone who still visits this thread.  I originally bought this board about a year ago to migrate some old P4 hardware to use a media center.  I've since started using it as my full-time board and it's been great.  It's rock solid and the speed is fine for most of what I do.

BUT, one quirk I've noticed with it, and I'm curious if anyone else with this board has a similar quirk; for some reason the only way to guarantee Hulu and YouTube HD videos will run smoothly (without skipping frames) is if I shut down and then power back up and then only open the necessary browser window to get to the video.   If I had several browser windows open previously, Hulu and YouTube HD videos will skip frames, even if I kill all other browser related processes besides the video.  Sometimes a reboot will do, but usually I need to power cycle the computer.  I have no idea if this is a problem with my video card (Gigabyte HD4650), my O.S. (Windows 7 x86), my RAM (4GB G-Skill pc3200), or something else.  It's strange though because everything else seems to run fine regardless of uptime or how many programs have been opened and closed.  Has anyone experienced a similar issue to this?


----------



## rtwjunkie (Feb 7, 2014)

I never experienced that issue in the 2(+) years I ran the board.  I never used HULU, but didn't really see any issued with Youtube HD videos, although I've heard the same thing.  I used a BFG 7800GS video card with it, and ran it with Windows XP, altho it probably would run even better with W7 like you have, as long as drivers could be found.  I too had GSkill 3200DRAM.  Without knowing the rest of your system's stats, it's hard to say if it's an equipment/driver/ or software issue.  It could also just be a minor defect with the board.

I seem to trcall TRWOV discussing the issue 4 or 5 pages back, and he still owns one and visits this thread occasionally.  I defer to him as THE reigning Conroe865PE expert!!

EDIT: Posts 190, 191, 192.  They think it's related to the bus on the motherboard, I think.


----------



## TRWOV (Feb 7, 2014)

I'm actually curious about that too. I just shrugged it off last time thinking it was the bus but I wonder if the OS or bridge chip have anything to do with it. To the benches!

I'll try:
- Windows 7 w/ native AGP card (geforce 6200)
- Windows XP w/ 4670 AGP
- Windows XP w/ gf6200.

I'll report my findings as soon as I can


----------



## eidairaman1 (Feb 8, 2014)

Could be infected os. But ive noticed firefox is glitchier as time goes by. Btw ver 11.7 of flash works better than 11.9 or 12


----------



## REDHOTIRON2004 (Feb 8, 2014)

VLB said:


> I have an odd question about this board for anyone who still visits this thread.  I originally bought this board about a year ago to migrate some old P4 hardware to use a media center.  I've since started using it as my full-time board and it's been great.  It's rock solid and the speed is fine for most of what I do.
> 
> BUT, one quirk I've noticed with it, and I'm curious if anyone else with this board has a similar quirk; for some reason the only way to guarantee Hulu and YouTube HD videos will run smoothly (without skipping frames) is if I shut down and then power back up and then only open the necessary browser window to get to the video.   If I had several browser windows open previously, Hulu and YouTube HD videos will skip frames, even if I kill all other browser related processes besides the video.  Sometimes a reboot will do, but usually I need to power cycle the computer.  I have no idea if this is a problem with my video card (Gigabyte HD4650), my O.S. (Windows 7 x86), my RAM (4GB G-Skill pc3200), or something else.  It's strange though because everything else seems to run fine regardless of uptime or how many programs have been opened and closed.  Has anyone experienced a similar issue to this?



I have tried both win7  and currently using win8 32bit OS. My graphic card is XFX 4650AGP. And I didn't have any problem as such. My config is
intel pentium D 930 (dual core 3GHz), 2*1GB 3200 in dual channel. I would recommend upgrading your graphic drivers.
I am using the latest modded drivers from here:
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=372799&page=123
It works great with my card and improved my performance a lot.


----------



## VLB (Feb 13, 2014)

Thanks for the responses everyone!
TRWOV and rtwjunkie, those old posts about the the mini-stuttering were also mine, but that was slightly different.  I still have that issue, but I don't really notice it much anymore.  In this case where my flash video performance seems to get sluggish after browsing for a while, the frame skipping is much more noticeable.  But as I mentioned, once I power cycle and load the video then everything is fine once again.
REDHOTIRON, I will give that video driver a try.  Thanks.  I have been using the official AMD version up until now.


----------



## TRWOV (Feb 13, 2014)

hummm, it's been a while since I've used the Conroe extensively so maybe mine has the same issue, just that I haven't noticed.  Anyway, I won't be able to test for a couple of weeks since it'll be crunching for the WCG challenge


----------



## rtwjunkie (Feb 13, 2014)

VLB said:


> Thanks for the responses everyone!
> TRWOV and rtwjunkie, those old posts about the the mini-stuttering were also mine, but that was slightly different.  I still have that issue, but I don't really notice it much anymore.  In this case where my flash video performance seems to get sluggish after browsing for a while, the frame skipping is much more noticeable.  But as I mentioned, once I power cycle and load the video then everything is fine once again.
> REDHOTIRON, I will give that video driver a try.  Thanks.  I have been using the official AMD version up until now.


 
It almost sounds as if the video memory is getting filled, or the AGP interface is being flooded.  Does it do it with games too, or have you not tried?


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jul 24, 2014)

Finally back on track =D got this beast finally running after about 8 months of being out of commission, I got the cooler fixed and ready to have this thing running again =]

This time I'll be able to get the GT610 going >->

I'll post results soon =D


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## bigbigbuddy (Jul 25, 2014)

So updates, and a ton of them. 

So I plopped those OCZ sticks in and I have never seen his computer so snappy. Also took out this 500GB external hard drive out of it's casing and found out it's a Seagate ST9500420AS 7200 RPM laptop hard drive. Surprisingly doesn't rattle at all! It also has some decent performance (89MB/s Write-98MB/s Read), compared to most of the laptop hard drives I use.

As well I played around with the some overclocking and really haven't able to do much. The airflow in the case I'm using is complete garbage, even sticking this desk fan in front of the case to add air flow doesn't do much for me. It's also not in a basement anymore, so room temperature isn't freezing like it used to be . So, I'm probably going to find myself a case that can help but won't go too high in price. If I could I would replace the case with my NZXT 410 Elite but my IVY build is running inside that thing, and I'd like to keep that one as cool as possible because I have that thing running constantly.

I'm currently running on the 1.70 BIOS with the frequency at 280*11 (so about 3.08GHz) with a RAM timing of 2-2-2-5 (since the RAM is only running at 373MHz) and my temps are around 39C idle. As well I'm running on Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit edition. Gonna get some benchmarks afterwards to see how stable this thing is, but I've done some light gaming so far and haven't had any problems as of yet. But before I go on, I have that screenshot/result for TRWOV.

As you can see, I have both the HD4670 and the GT 610 running fine c; I even hooked up my monitor from my Ivy build and had it run without any troubles~ 

---

It's getting late at the moment and I've done nothing but play around on this thing so far  it's been so long since I've used this build, and I'm so glad I have it up and running 

Oh and to make things more interesting, as soon as I come home tomorrow I'm going to start working on getting the 4670 and the GT610 run as a Hybrid Physx setup and then start looking at the BIOS files and see if I can get a 5:4 and 1:1 1.70 BIOS up and about. Then in the future possibly grab another board and use one of them with that VRM mod that was posted before, see how far I can go with it afterwards~

So I guess we're back in business~

---

EDIT: Updated system specs =D new parts are listed =o

EDIT2: Moved wires, cleared some dust and moved the fan, now getting 39C Idle

EDIT3: My disk read and write average speeds were faster than what I read online after doing a benchmark. (89MB/s Write-98MB/s Read)


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jul 26, 2014)

Looking to get some new heatsinks for any open MOSFETs on my Motherboard, by looking at TRWOV's image of his build I noticed that they had these:

- Enzotech MOS-C1 - For the smaller MOSFETs
- Akust Copper Chip Heatsink - For the back of the GPU

I also notice a silver heatsink just north-west from your RAM (looks like above the two capacitors to the left of the RAM).

Can you possibly list the heat sinks you may have used or recommend?

---

It seems that I may need to clean the cooling and possibly reapply some thermal paste to my 4670, I can't even apply 820/940 on my GPU without it making random particles and tearing. As well, the AMD driver loves to crash on me while playing this one game called MStar (huge KPop fan heh). Sometimes I'll even set it to default clocks and it still gives me trouble once in a while.

It's odd because while playing, the GPU will reach a maximum of maybe 47-48C and when I'm stress testing on something like FurMark it maybe reaches a maximum of 66C, yet my clocks are pretty hideous 

Even threw this small fan over top of the gpu for now to shoot some air at the back and it still hasn't really done much for me. Suggestions?

---

I'm going to probably be replacing the case on this thing, I've had this old one since I had my Athlon XP 2500+ build (oh the days of L Bridge mods and pin mods).


More updates to come~! So far it's running alright if I leave things be, but that doesn't make it any fun


----------



## TRWOV (Jul 26, 2014)

My system doesn't look like that anymore 















Heatsinks:
MOS-C1 on VRMs (all the VRMs)
China 20x20 aluminium heatsinks (cooper colored) for the RAM on the GPU
China 10x10 aliuminium heatsink (black) for the chip besides the RAM slots (it gets pretty hot, not sure what it does)
Evercool 20x20 cooper heatsink for the southbridge
Thermalright HR-05 for the northbridge


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jul 26, 2014)

just to let you know, @bigbigbuddy , those MOS-C1 are what i had on all my VRM's on my Conroe 865pe too, and they really make a big difference IF youve got good airflow.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jul 26, 2014)

Well the airflow is pretty decent right now, since I have a desk fan sitting in front of it and blowing air straight into the case. The new case I'll be getting will help me provide more airflow since it will be bigger than the case that I have currently.

As well, I found this:

http://www.pccooler.cn/en/index.php/products/pc/other1/238-n80f-北海3豪华版.html


















Copper pipes + aluminum fins and aluminum covering the pipes, seems I could get some decent heat dissipation =O

Also allows me to install a fan to boot =D not sure about the way the fan looks installed though  by the looks of it tho, I may have it install with the fan above the heatsink so chances are I could probably wing it >-> might just see if I can squeeze some screws into the provided rivets instead, or zip tie it xD

Reason I'm looking at it is because the fan and heat sink I'm using for my CPU is pretty big and it takes up a lot of space. Since this looks pretty thin, I'm thinking I could get away with throwing it in there. Also have it blow some air towards my GPU =D

EDIT: Alright so I've been stumped on the BIOS modding this whole time, and I think I may have a better solution then actually trying to change the ratio. I'm probably just going to manually replace the Microcodes in the modified 1.60 5:4 BIOS with the updated Microcodes from the 1.70 BIOS. Here's to hoping I don't brick anything.


----------



## TRWOV (Jul 26, 2014)

what's your current case? Maybe you could mod it, cut some holes here and there?


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jul 27, 2014)

TRWOV said:


> what's your current case? Maybe you could mod it, cut some holes here and there?



Well I was thinking of that, but that will probably be down the road. The case has been with me for a while so I may just see what I can do =P Oh and it's a generic white case that came with this Athlon XP 2500+ build I got off this local library who was replacing them. It has a Internet Explorer icon (e) on both sides 

Btw! Noticed there wasn't a link or download to the 1.72(06F7 ID40 REV.69) BIOS. It has 1 more Microcode than the 1.72 BIOS and also has some updated Modules. Apparently it's an update to the B3 stepping code for the QX6800.

As well, been stumped on the BIOS mod .-. I can't really test the BIOS on my system to see if it will run at 3.2GHz because my system needs some extra cooling and work =S

If I can post my work online, can someone test the BIOS files and see if they can get their optimal clocks?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=3073&page=6


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jul 27, 2014)

Alright so here's what I've conjured up so far. The BIOS mod is going to be a little harder than just transferring over updated Microcodes, here's the dilemma: (click spoiler to see the image)



Spoiler











(Original 1.60 Bios left - Modded 1.60 5:4 Bios right)

So the difference between the ROM files are actually a lot deeper than I expected. The main difference we need to worry about is the biggest highlighted box at the very top, the other boxes were either descriptions, flukes or fail safes (Changing the Default DRAM frequency option).

After a lot of research and pounding my head off my desk, I was able to find out that the BIOS Modules are what contain most of the features a BIOS has, as well what is in the background. Though, Google is no help what so ever so a lot of this has been guessing and checking 

Now when I search BIOS modules for an AMI Bios or modifying BIOS Modules in general, you get posts about how to change OEM keys and backing up RAID profiles or something about RAID.

Now after some work, I was able to actually find out what those changes meant 

Basically the DMI (SMBIOS) and the Single Link Arch BIOS have changes in their size and their location inside the BIOS. Now I just got a hold of a program that allows me to modify the DMI to see the differences between the two, but I'm unsure if I'll be able to modify the SLABIOS (easier than saying Single Link Arch BIOS).

If anyone else wants to throw themselves at this, please do because this is giving me a headache 

So in the end, I'm speculating that these Modules have the changes that were applied, just hoping that there aren't any other fixes that need to take place 

EDIT1:

I'm going to see if copying over updated Microcodes from the 1.72 to the 1.60 5:4 BIOS will do anything. if the updated Microcodes are the changes that made the overclocking more stable, then this will be a lot easier than expected. Though, if the extra data inside the new 1.70 modules are what helped with the stability, this will be a rough time.

EDIT2:

Can someone run the attached DMIEDIT.exe (inside of the .rar), click the File drop down while inside and then Save All, while running on the 1.60 BIOS and the 1.60 5:4 BIOS?

It's going to save a dump of the DMI's inside of both of the BIOSes

Want to do a comparison but it seems I can't find my P4 so that I can actually flash the BIOS


----------



## TRWOV (Jul 27, 2014)

here you go


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jul 27, 2014)

Thanks a lot TRWOV! 

Basically what I thought, the DMI is just a file the displays the information about the BIOS, after some other research I found out that the Single Link Arch BIOS is what we really want and that modifying it is going to be a lot of fun.

We're dealing with Hex Editors and disassemblers 

Luckily I stumbled on this through a Google search: "Practical BIOS Editing by Polygon of Rebels Haven Computer Forum" (http://twobombs.wikidot.com/)

And then found the .pdf on a Macedonian website, which actually has pictures and is a lot more organized than the link (Sadly doesn't have a connect the dots or a maze game ;I)

Now the Rebels Haven is down so some of the resources linked in the .pdf are missing, but nonetheless it is a good read.

(File is too large, so I'll just provide a link - http://elektronika-mk.net/forum/index.php?topic=7899.0;prev_next=next)

EDIT: Fixed my graphics problems, apparently it was the overlay from the RivaTuner Statistics program that comes with MSIAfterburner that was causing my AMD drivers to crash. Currently have the set up running at 824/942, going to up the clocks and do some more stress testing after I do some general maintenance.


----------



## bakist (Jan 18, 2015)

Need some help, My conroe865pe, can not remember the BIOS settings after disconnection from the AC=220V,it does no matter what bios version.Note that the battery is excellent,so if someone have solution or service manual, please send to me.
Thanks

conroe865pe
4x512MB
radeon 9600pro
hdd samsung hd502ij
samsung sh222
fsp  350w...


----------



## revin (Jan 18, 2015)

Could be Battery is bad, backwards, something in socket corroded contacts not making good contact,
Had that happen a few times with overclocks, went thru 3-4 batteries till got fixed.
Think it was something with the socket.
haven't seen Service Manual for few years, had a copy when my board came in from Au in a Bubble Bag , it didn't fare the best,   only User Manual now.
Most all my CPE stuff is hiding somewhere in 20Tb's of crap lol, and as we all know links to the modded BIOS files quit years ago  

@lemonadesoda  You still got any items left around ???


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 18, 2015)

My money is on the battery. I had the same thing and had to replace the battery once. That is the number one reason BIOS setting don't hold.


----------



## bigbigbuddy (Jan 18, 2015)

revin said:


> ...Most all my CPE stuff is hiding somewhere in 20Tb's of crap lol, and as we all know links to the modded BIOS files quit years ago  ...



Which BIOS files are you talking about? They are all on this thread if you didn't know o-o

Lost a ton of progress on modding the 1.70 bios to add the ratio from the hacked 1.5 Bioses. Worked really hard on it ;-; I have some old saves but ehh have to start almost all over again.


----------



## bakist (Jan 19, 2015)

revin said:


> Could be Battery is bad, backwards, something in socket corroded contacts not making good contact,
> Had that happen a few times with overclocks, went thru 3-4 batteries till got fixed.
> Think it was something with the socket.
> haven't seen Service Manual for few years, had a copy when my board came in from Au in a Bubble Bag , it didn't fare the best,   only User Manual now.
> ...


revin, thanx for reply, You meen socket for battery or cpu? cpu contacts are gold plated!?


----------



## bakist (Jan 19, 2015)

OK,
new battery VARTA 2032 ,on digital multimeter 3.30V, on cmos clear jumper pins 3.10V.
I think this is enough to determine that the battery contacts OK


----------



## bakist (Jan 19, 2015)

I apologize for BIOSes. All from 1.70 to 1.72.


----------



## revin (Jan 29, 2015)

We [lemonadesoda and I ] had another thread that I was using as another Test bed from my 3.4EE Galatian on Abit AI7[actually an 8*7*5 chipset] that also transintoned into the Conroe865PE .
There was a TON of Data in that thread, but during a TPU server backup, it was somehow lost. [5-6 pages ]
Last I remember we had the OCZ Platninums and Q6700 G0 3.2x/5xx and had switched from the killer Gainward 7800GS GLH Bliss to the HIS 3870.
Benchmarks were outstanding as well as Ram timings/throughput.
Anyway great to see it's still alive and well for user's ! I'll try to find the Ram that we had tested with................................

It's just like when the Samsung Ram was going thru the ringer here, Dave found that my board had better 18xx/19xx that most had with 2133 !! Wierd...................


----------



## minimin2000 (Jul 4, 2015)

Hi, I'm sorry if I'm reviewing an old thread but this seems like the place that has the most information about the conroe865pe. As I was wondering if anyone could help me out with an issue I'm having installing windows XP 64bit onto this motherboard, I'm want to use XP as IMO its the best so ever made. Anyway I use a q6600, 4gb ddr400 ram, 9800pro agp, with this motherboard and a 160gb wd sata hdd, when trying to load up the windows XP 64bit installer I get this error https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/888931 and I don't know how to get past it I know I have to change something in the bios but so far I've found nothing in the bios relating to apic, any help would be appreciated!


----------



## TRWOV (Jul 4, 2015)

mmm... I never tried XP 64. 

I don't recall a setting for APIC being on the bios but searching for APIC on Google seems to imply that it's related to HPET in some way. Turn on HPET on bios and try again.


----------



## revin (Jul 4, 2015)

iirc it's something in power management, ACPI, but then it was sometime's tricky to get HPET working, needing a REG tweak.
But it's been soooo long ago, and all my data is gone so I might be off the mark, but i'm pretty sure with x32 I was pointed to do some tweak, or
it might have been from using a modded windows i just cant recall


----------



## minimin2000 (Jul 4, 2015)

TRWOV said:


> mmm... I never tried XP 64.
> 
> I don't recall a setting for APIC being on the bios but searching for APIC on Google seems to imply that it's related to HPET in some way. Turn on HPET on bios and try again.



turned on HPET in the bios but still no luck


----------



## minimin2000 (Jul 4, 2015)

nevermind guys, i figured it out  the issue was that i was using 3x ddr400 1gb modules and 1x ddr333 1gb module together, i thought this would work but for some strange reason it was giving me that error!


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jul 4, 2015)

minimin2000 said:


> nevermind guys, i figured it out  the issue was that i was using 3x ddr400 1gb modules and 1x ddr333 1gb module together, i thought this would work but for some strange reason it was giving me that error!



Glad it worked out!  Too much time has passed since I had my Conroe 865PE for me to have noticed that discrepancy myself!


----------



## Compurex1 (Jul 31, 2015)

Conroe865PE Experts - help wanted please.

I just upgraded my CPU from an E6600 to the X6800.  The system boots and works fine but I don't have the options to change the CPU multiplier.

Under CPU Configuration / Ratio Status, the X6800 multiplier is identified as unlocked, but I don't get the Ratio CMOS Setting displayed and I'm stuck with the default x11 multiplier.
I'm using the 1.70 standard BIOS.
Any ideas?

Thanks.


----------



## TRWOV (Jul 31, 2015)

Disable Intel SpeedStep... you can enable it again after rebooting with the multiplier you selected... I know, weird

1. Disable SpeedStep, this will make the multiplier option to appear below.
2. Select multiplier
3. Save bios settings and reboot
4. Enter bios and enable ISS again


----------



## Compurex1 (Aug 1, 2015)

Thanks TRWOV ---- You are wise in the ways of the 865PE!

I'm trying to run my new X6800 at 300x10= 3GHz.  It's not a big overclock from 2.93 but I'd like to run my DDR400 RAM at the optimal speed.

I'm having an issue though....whenever I select the above, I get a corrupted winload.exe file warning & Windows 8.1 won't boot.  I know it's not my RAM, I use quality GSKILL DDR400 SL2 (2-3-2-5).

It's like the IDE bus can't handle the overclocked FSB and won't read the primary HDD correctly.

Any advice?


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 12, 2015)

One question I cannot reach sarching for it online: bank interleave is supported!? No option appears into bios.


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## TRWOV (Dec 12, 2015)

Azrael5, I don't really know. I'll fire mine up and run Sandra to check.


Compurex1, sorry for the late reply. I don't know if it's related to W8.1 but when I tried W8 on my build I got all kinds of hiccups here and there. If you have an spare HDD I would try W7. You can install it without a key and will remaing active for 30 days as a test period, enough time to check if that changes anything.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 12, 2015)

TRWOV said:


> Azrael5, I don't really know. I'll fire mine up and run Sandra to check.
> 
> 
> Compurex1, sorry for the late reply. I don't know if it's related to W8.1 but when I tried W8 on my build I got all kinds of hiccups here and there. If you have an spare HDD I would try W7. You can install it without a key and will remaing active for 30 days as a test period, enough time to check if that changes anything.




If you get cpu-z 1.40 or 1.41 you'll see the result on memory tab. If you cannot reach this release I'll provide it here.


----------



## Lude22 (Dec 25, 2015)

Hi everyone. Want to buy a Conroe865pe. Is someone selling it ? I m from France.


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## dorsetknob (Dec 25, 2015)

May be able to help you out  
*Lude22*


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## Azrael5 (Jan 2, 2016)

Someone is currently using this motherboard!?


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## dorsetknob (Jan 2, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> Someone si currently using this motherboard!?


which post you refering to ?


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 3, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> which post you refering to ?




conroe865pe.


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## dorsetknob (Jan 3, 2016)

whole thread is about conro 865pe and agp
sure people are still using this board  usualy in retro and nostalga builds

and some of us keep boards from old builds for nostalga


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 3, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> whole thread is about conro 865pe and agp
> sure people are still using this board  usualy in retro and nostalga builds
> 
> and some of us keep boards from old builds for nostalga


Could you verify if it supports "bank interleave" with 4GB of ram and if it supports fast write by some kind of diagnostic tool? thanks

ps: if you use an ati/amd gpu card you can see fast write enabled or disabled consulting catalyst control center.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 3, 2016)

my old boards are boxed up and in storage
Different boards support different things

do not have 4 gig of DDR Ram to check and test
Don't have a full system built at moment to check ccc  and i think your find that  is defined by Card hardware support


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 3, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> my old boards are boxed up and in storage
> Different boards support different things
> 
> do not have 4 gig of DDR Ram to check and test
> Don't have a full system built at moment to check ccc  and i think your find that  is defined by Card hardware support




Here the reason of my question: "is there someone using currently this board?" because in opposite case I cannot have a possible answer. I have to know this information to avoid spending useless time to change motherboard from pt880 chipset motherboard (unable to run bank interleave when 4 dimms are used), to conroe865pe. I've already verified informations online and it seems these features are supported but without any evidence provided by diagnostic image (i've searched in vain).


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 3, 2016)

pt880 chipset runs duel channel which is better than bank interleave







My asrock duel sata  only has 2 DDR Slots 
(Max. capacity of system memory: 2GB)
(or ) 2 DDR2  (Max. capacity of system memory: 2GB)

and my Asrock i465   is 2 x DDR   duel channel (Max. capacity of system memory: 2GB)


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 3, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> pt880 chipset runs duel channel which is better than bank interleave
> 
> and my Asrock i465   is 2 x DDR   duel channel (Max. capacity of system memory: 2GB)




Ok but also conroe865pe supports dual channel (for all 4 dimms), besides supporting bank interleave. interleaving is disabled on my pt880 model (since I cannot modify the BIOS) losING circa 300MB of memory bandwidth when all 4 slots are populated. So I've decided to use the same components eventually onto conroe865pe. I like pt880 chipset system however I've also a conroe model eventually to use. I own also another system based on PTR880 that is 4coredual-sata2 where I've only 2 dimms (2GB) without any problems but to take advantage from 4 OCZ PLATINUM DDR400 Iv'e to use a specific motherboard able to match dual channel and bank interleave. The latest mobo I will use with ddr400 will be an asrock 939 790gx chipset provided of pci express 2.0 and sata II, a very rare exemplary.


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 6, 2016)

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner Azrael5

CPU-Z 1.41 screenshots




 

 

 

 

 

I'm running AMC 1.60 bios, I don't know if the official 1.70 bios has Bank interleave enabled or not. I'll flash the bios and try again.


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 6, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> ps: if you use an ati/amd gpu card you can see fast write enabled or disabled consulting catalyst control center.



In which part of CCC can I find that? This is the hardware tab:


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 6, 2016)

Hi all,
I stumbled across a Conroe865pe... Now I got them all (775dua-vsta, am2nf3-vsta and now the Conroe), looks like I really want to have problems. 
I am thinking of set up a powerfull AGP DDR1 system with QX6700 SSDs and HD4670.
Now...
First: my memory is 4 sticks of Mushkin XP4000 1Gb,
https://www.memoryc.com/products/de...treme_Performance_Dual_Channel_kit/index.html
 they are natively CL3 and I read here that I need CL2 memory to use with Conroe Chips, so I can't figure how to make them work togheter, they work on two slots, when all 4 slots are populated the system won't boot or boots after several attempts. Maybe it's because mem is cl3? I even set them to 2 in bios/underclock the FSB to 800MHz/change bios to 1.60 and 1.72, same behaviour.
What should I look on ebay?

Second: I want to use two Intel SSD320 in RAID 0 config, is it possible? I know there is no raid function, but is there a mod for the ICH5 to do this?

Any help would be appreciated


----------



## hat (Jan 6, 2016)

I'm not sure why it won't boot with 4 sticks, but you don't need CL3 ram to run Conroe chips. CL2, being lower latency, will perform better, but the difference is sure to be marginal.

Have you tried each stick of RAM individually, and in each slot? It's possible you got some dead sticks or a dead slot on the board.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 6, 2016)

hat said:


> I'm not sure why it won't boot with 4 sticks, but you don't need CL3 ram to run Conroe chips. CL2, being lower latency, will perform better, but the difference is sure to be marginal.
> 
> Have you tried each stick of RAM individually, and in each slot? It's possible you got some dead sticks or a dead slot on the board.



I read on this forum that on this board conroe chips want cl2 or 2.5 ram.
The sticks are all functional and so are the slots, I used in dual channel two of them with no problems at all.
Here the system with 2 sticks and a Q6600 (qx6700 is on the way).


----------



## hat (Jan 6, 2016)

For performance reasons maybe, not compatibility. Nothing is going to break by running CL3 RAM.

Maybe the memory controller then is weak. Try going into CMOS, raising NB voltage, and try running 4 sticks again.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 6, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> I read on this forum that on this board conroe chips want cl2 or 2.5 ram.


True.  IIRC, my 2 years with this board as a nostalgia item it played best at CL2.5, on BIOS 1.70.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 6, 2016)

Do not know if this would help you  as i have never used it
( other members may have and can pass judgment as to its suitability )

_SPDTool_ is a straightforward and practical piece of software worth having when you need to read, edit and flash your memory's _SPD_ effortlessly. What’s more, the application comes in handy for users who need to modify the content of the _SPD_ EEPROM on memory modules.

Link in Spoiler 


Spoiler: SPD TOOL use at your own risk  



http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/spdtool-read-edit-and-flash-your-memorys-spd.20349/


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 6, 2016)

The link was dead but thank you! I'll give SPDtool a shot.
But maybe here there is a problme of compatibility between the Mushkin XP4000 sticks and the motherboard.
Can you suggest some other (affordable) CL2 memory?
On Ebay is really a mess and sometimes the seller doesn't know what is selling, maybe I need a specific model to search.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 6, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> The link was dead but thank you! I'll give SPDtool a shot.
> But maybe here there is a problme of compatibility between the Mushkin XP4000 sticks and the motherboard.
> Can you suggest some other (affordable) CL2 memory?
> On Ebay is really a mess and sometimes the seller doesn't know what is selling, maybe I need a specific model to search.



Correct, it's the only board I ever had that did not like Mushkin.  The two I found that worked well were Ultra CL2, and G-Skill CL2.5.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 6, 2016)

PM @W1zzard 
request the tool from him

google has softpedia as having it   but i would sooner you obtain it from @W1zzard


----------



## cdawall (Jan 6, 2016)

I have a copy of it if you want me to upload it on here. I use it in my old laptop.


----------



## cdawall (Jan 6, 2016)

Here is the actual original download from TPU years ago.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 6, 2016)

I managed to fine the 0.63 one but thank you!
So I am out of luck with my Mushkin memory... Can you suggest some other brand/models?
As for RAID 0, is it possible?
I am away from home in these days I will return next week, so I really want to gather all information I can before I will put my hand again on the PC.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 6, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> Can you suggest some other brand/models?



see here.  exact models unknown, but I'm pretty sure I have them listed somewhere in the previous 15 pages.



rtwjunkie said:


> The two I found that worked well were Ultra CL2, and G-Skill CL2.5.


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 6, 2016)

@TRWOV


this is the first image you can see BANK INTERLEAVE informations (none at 4096MB) on PT880 motherboard provided of 4 ddr400 slots. You can see FAST WRITE enabled in the CCC of 9.10 drivers where GART is implemented from XP. However. Another way to see if the mainboard bios apply bank interleave and fast write evantually hidden features is HWINFO program.

These pics concern with  BANK INTERLEAVE and FAST WRITE on my motherboard by HWINFO program.


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 6, 2016)

hat said:


> I'm not sure why it won't boot with 4 sticks, but you don't need CL3 ram to run Conroe chips. CL2, being lower latency, will perform better, but the difference is sure to be marginal.
> 
> Have you tried each stick of RAM individually, and in each slot? It's possible you got some dead sticks or a dead slot on the board.



It is a requirement for the 865 chipset, according to Asrock at least... and it seems that Uazzamerican has confirmed it


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 6, 2016)

TRWOV said:


> It is a requirement for the 865 chipset, according to Asrock at least... and it seems that Uazzamerican has confirmed it



Yeah, like I said, mine would only ever run with CL2.5 or below.


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 6, 2016)

I also had XP4000 sticks and they didn't work. Ended up using them on a P4 build. I use 4 1GB OCZ EL Platinum sticks (2.5-2-5)

RAID wasn't a thing on the 865 chipset, you need 875 for that.


----------



## hat (Jan 6, 2016)

TRWOV said:


> It is a requirement for the 865 chipset, according to Asrock at least... and it seems that Uazzamerican has confirmed it


Guess I stand corrected then. Still seems very strange, though.


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 7, 2016)

It has something to do with the 1066Mhz FSB and not something related to the Core 2s, the Pentium Extreme 965 also required CL2.5 RAM on the Conroe865PE


----------



## cdawall (Jan 7, 2016)

It sounds like a glitch and nothing more. Should be easy enough however to write any of these ddr1 dimms to Cas 2.5 I had a couple sets of high end ddr with custom timings I used with my s754 amd stuff.


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 7, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> @TRWOV
> View attachment 70855
> 
> this is the first image you can see BANK INTERLEAVE informations (none at 4096MB) on PT880 motherboard provided of 4 ddr400 slots. You can see FAST WRITE enabled in the CCC of 9.10 drivers where GART is implemented from XP. However. Another way to see if the mainboard bios apply bank interleave and fast write evantually hidden features is HWINFO program.
> ...



Sorry, I can't find Bank Interleave. Managed to find the fast write setting in "Memory Controller HUB". Seems to be ON by default.




 



The "I/O Memory Interface" doesn't show any useful information:


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 7, 2016)

@TRWOV select* Intel* *8**2865g/p/pe memory controller hub* and evantually scroll down the left panel until some useful information appears. thanks.

I don't know if this program works on conroe865pe platform It doesn't work on mine (N/A information on all single data)::


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 9, 2016)

I couldn't find any useful information under Memory Controller HUB. Here are the screenshots, just in case I missed something.
  


Rightmark shows everything as N/A on mine. Apparently can't load RTCore64.sys but the file is present in my PC :/


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 9, 2016)

Thanks very much trwov. Tomorrow I'll make an attempt after building a pc provided of conroe865pe verifying if there are other ways to check bank interleave working when 4dimms are plugged. In the meantime I've written asrock to know the answer by them also if I imagine they will not answer it. In case of this feature is not available I'll renounce to use conroe865pe replacing my currently system.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 17, 2016)

Thank you for all your replies.
My Conroe865pe just arrived, now I wonder if it makes sense to use an SSD on it. Sure I can't use a RAID set up and I don't want to use a SATA II-PCI card for it, cause I'll install a Xonar and I guess PCI bandwith could be really an issue.
Is there any downside using the onboard SATA ports for SSD?


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 21, 2016)

if someone use ocz platinum edition to this motherboard 2.5/2/3/5 timings based on 2.5/2.6v (v=voltage) I've SPD firmware useful to reduce cas latency to 2 value.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 22, 2016)

Now that's unexpected...
I'm trying to install windows7 from USB.
The USB based win7 I prepared works flawlessly on another system, but with the Conroe865PE I have some troubles:

*Windows Boot Manager 
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the  cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows Installation disc and restart your computer.
 2. Choose your language settings and then click "Next"
 3. Click "Repair your computer"
If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer  manufacturer for assistance.

File: \Boot\BCD

 Status: 0xc000000e
*
That's all I get.
I searched the net, it seems to be a common problme with usb installation but I don't see a definite workaround on this...
I don't know what to do since the USB stick works as I said.

BTW I have no DVD rom....


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 22, 2016)

The motherboard BIOS has no options for booting from the USB if I recall correctly, despite one option being close.  It's from pre-USB install days.  


Just get a DVD drive and install from there, since they are almost as cheap as a haircut.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 22, 2016)

The board recognizes usb stick and It shows it on boot options.
It clearly supports boot from usb.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 22, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> The board recognizes usb stick and It shows it on boot options.
> It clearly supports boot from usb.



Except you're finding the same thing I did.  I said "despite" the BIOS appearing to do so.  I think they lied.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 22, 2016)

I borrowed a dvd reader from another PC just to install Windows 7.
Tomorrow I will test the set Up with the ssd installed (Intel 320 SATAII 160gb).


----------



## rtwjunkie (Jan 22, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> I borrowed a dvd reader from another PC just to install Windows 7.
> Tomorrow I will test the set Up with the ssd installed (Intel 320 SATAII 160gb).



Sounds good!  It should definitely give that system a good feeling of speed I didn't have because I was on HDD.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 23, 2016)

Here I am with some preliminary impressions:

My CPU right now is a E2200 (waiting for the QX6700) and SO is Win7.
2Gb of my damned XP4000 Mushkin RAM, can't use all 4...

If I try to use 4gigs, only 3.33Gb are recognized and if I try to overclock a bit, only 3... This sux.


The SSD does help, but I have the feeling that the SATA I port is really a bootleneck for it.
I am afraid of using a SATA II PCI card, I don't know if the PCI bandwith could be an issue.

I tested two cards so far, a 7800GS (G71) and a HD3650 DDR2.... With Crysis The ATI completely destroys the nVidia... I could never tell.
Next step is to get a SATA II Promise TX card and try it with SSD.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 23, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> My CPU right now is a E2200 (waiting for the QX6700) and SO is Win7.
> 2Gb of my damned XP4000 Mushkin RAM, can't use all 4...
> 
> If I try to use 4gigs, only 3.33Gb are recognized and if I try to overclock a bit, only 3... This sux.


your find both are a problem due to the chipset limatations
your also find that for same reason the chipset also reduces the rated speed of quads


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 24, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> Here I am with some preliminary impressions:
> 
> My CPU right now is a E2200 (waiting for the QX6700) and SO is Win7.
> 2Gb of my damned XP4000 Mushkin RAM, can't use all 4...
> ...




SATA1 is a bottleneck only for sequential reads. For random reads it doesn't bottleneck at all unless you're using the fastest of SSDs. I think my Corsair Force does 50MB/s 4k random which is well below SATA1 150MB/s bandwidth.

The board's SATA ports only work in IDE mode so there's a little bit of overhead but otherwise there would be not much difference with a SATA2 or 3 port. TRIM works fine though, no problems there.


The 3.3GB RAM limit (even with x64 versions of Windows) is due to the 865 chipset. There's no way around it.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Jan 24, 2016)

Did you expect the 7800gs+ (G71) to be slower than the humble HD3650?
Or I am using a bad drivers combination?

I find that using a more powerful PSU stabalizes the ram.
I mean now I am using all 4 Mushkin banks with a Seasonic S12 and is always booting correctly even if it recognizes only 3Gigs of RAM (less than the 3.3 of the limitation, I guess one of them is not functional at all...)

Another thing is that I hear a ground noise from speakers when SSD works, it's really annoying.
I installed a Xonar DX card, but It does that same as the ALC850.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Feb 11, 2016)

Changing the SATA cable did nothing, the crackling sound while HD is working persists.
I think it's because my case is a Fractal design CORE3300 and the SSD is mounted behind the motherboard tray, maybe it's not properly shielded.
The QX6700 has been mounted, now I get this:





It's the best I can do for RAM, right?


----------



## VLB (Apr 6, 2016)

Uazzamerican said:


> Did you expect the 7800gs+ (G71) to be slower than the humble HD3650?
> Or I am using a bad drivers combination?
> 
> I find that using a more powerful PSU stabalizes the ram.
> ...



Your memory issue reminds me of the first 865pe I bought from eBay - it only recognized 2GB of my 4Gb of memory.  I sent that one back to the seller and fortunately my replacement recognized 3.3+GB.


----------



## VLB (Nov 18, 2016)

I'm not sure if anyone still visits this forum for this old board, but I wouldn't know where else to ask this so here goes.
I recently bought two CPU's to test on this board as a potential upgrade, a Core2Quad 2.66ghz q6700 (G0) and a Core2Duo 3.06ghz e7600 and can't get either to post.  When I power on, sometimes I get a constant beeping, other times no beeps, but never any video.

My current (and no issues for years) setup:
-CPU: e5800 @fsb 800
-I've overclocked the FSB a bit but never tried the "overclocking mode" until these two CPU's.
-BIOS is 1.72
-RAM is GSkill 1gb 2.5 CL x 4
-Video card is Gigabyte HD-4650
-PSU Seasonic S12-II 380W

Steps I've tried in troubleshooting:
-resetting the BIOS to factory defaults (while the e5800 was installed)
-switching the "overclocking mode" jumper from 1-2, 2-3, and off completely
-clearing the CMOS with a jumper
-removing all but one stick of RAM
-removing all PCI cards

I'm stumped.  I'm also not sure if these CPU's even work, although I think the chance of getting two bad CPU's from different sources is pretty low. They look fine physically.  I've searched around and found only minor references to these CPU's being compatible with the Conroe865pe, so I am not sure if they are compatible or if I have the correct BIOS to support them.  Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated!


----------



## qubit (Nov 18, 2016)

VLB said:


> *I've searched around and found only minor references to these CPU's being compatible with the Conroe865pe, so I am not sure if they are compatible* or if I have the correct BIOS to support them. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated!


I think this could be the problem. Google the CPUs and chipset and look at the Intel pages on them, which should list compatibility. It's quite possible that CPUs which fit the same socket won't work with a different chipset.

Also check the mobo maker's website for the latest BIOS and update it, if possible.

And finally, yes, it's quite possible that you've been sold two duff CPUs unfortunately, especially if they're off eBay from a private seller.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Nov 18, 2016)

Reseat that GPU


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 18, 2016)

If I recall correctly, the q6700 should work on that board.  Hopefully you've visted the OP where lemonadesoda nicely organized all the BIOS?


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 18, 2016)

Have you tried with bios 1.70. I found that 1.71 and 1.72 (the unofficial ones) tend to be somewhat finicky, although I never had a problem booting with them.

Mine runs with a QX6800 with bios 1.70. I tried overclocking but couldn't get more than 3.2Ghz somewhat stable so I decided to keept things stock at the end in order to better preserve the board (they are a pain to get a hold of nowadays).


----------



## rtwjunkie (Nov 18, 2016)

TRWOV said:


> Have you tried with bios 1.70. I found that 1.71 and 1.72 (the unofficial ones) tend to be somewhat finicky, although I never had a problem booting with them.
> 
> Mine runs with a QX6800 with bios 1.70. I tried overclocking but couldn't get more than 3.2Ghz somewhat stable so I decided to keept things stock at the end in order to better preserve the board (they are a pain to get a hold of nowadays).


That was what I remember too, that 1.70 was the last totally stable BIOS, and what I had finally settled with.


----------



## VLB (Nov 18, 2016)

qubit said:


> I think this could be the problem. Google the CPUs and chipset and look at the Intel pages on them, which should list compatibility. It's quite possible that CPUs which fit the same socket won't work with a different chipset.
> 
> Also check the mobo maker's website for the latest BIOS and update it, if possible.
> 
> And finally, yes, it's quite possible that you've been sold two duff CPUs unfortunately, especially if they're off eBay from a private seller.



Thank you for the response.  I have visited the official ASRock support site a while back but they stopped updating it a while ago.  This board has had many unofficially supported CPU’s and custom BIOSes since ASRock abandoned it.


----------



## VLB (Nov 18, 2016)

rtwjunkie said:


> If I recall correctly, the q6700 should work on that board.  Hopefully you've visted the OP where lemonadesoda nicely organized all the BIOS?



I thought so too.  It’s been a while since I’ve read all the way through this thread, but it has been a great source of info about this board.  I remember others mentioned success running the q6700 but I forget if it was the G0 model.


----------



## VLB (Nov 18, 2016)

TRWOV said:


> Have you tried with bios 1.70. I found that 1.71 and 1.72 (the unofficial ones) tend to be somewhat finicky, although I never had a problem booting with them.
> 
> Mine runs with a QX6800 with bios 1.70. I tried overclocking but couldn't get more than 3.2Ghz somewhat stable so I decided to keept things stock at the end in order to better preserve the board (they are a pain to get a hold of nowadays).



Very interesting.  I've been running the 1.72 for the past 3 or so years.  I remember I had 1.70 installed at one point but it did not identify the e5800 correctly, though it still worked.  I will try some other BIOSes when I get home.


----------



## dorsetknob (Nov 18, 2016)

PLEASE IF YOUR REPLYING TO MORE THAN ONE PERSON USE THE EDIT/MULTI POST BUTTONS


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 19, 2016)

VLB said:


> Very interesting.  I've been running the 1.72 for the past 3 or so years.  I remember I had 1.70 installed at one point but it did not identify the e5800 correctly, though it still worked.  I will try some other BIOSes when I get home.



1.70 worked fine with my Q6700, QX6700 and QX6800. E5800 is a newer core (Wolfdale) so that one might need 1.72 but with the Q6700 1.70 is fine.


----------



## VLB (Nov 19, 2016)

Well now it’s looking like my board may have died all together. 

After I swapped in my trusty e5800 and returned the mode jumper to “normal” the video returns, but only POSTs as far as the “Dual Channel Memory Mode Enabled” line and stays there.  I can still CTRL-ALT-DEL at this point to reboot, but it gets stuck in the same spot.

I’ve tried with just one RAM stick and POST to the same line, except it reads “Single Channel” instead.  I tried disconnecting all drives, taking the CMOS battery out, swapping in an old P4 CPU, an older video card but all the same result.  Unless the problem is with my PSU, which I haven't switched, I fear I may have killed my board.


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 19, 2016)

what happens if you try to boot with no RAM?


----------



## VLB (Nov 19, 2016)

TRWOV said:


> what happens if you try to boot with no RAM?



I get three intervals of 4 quick beeps from the PC speaker, pause for about 2 seconds, and then it repeats.  The power LED stays constant and no video card activity.


----------



## Azrael5 (Nov 26, 2016)

I'm using this mainboard just now I've problems when 4 dimms are used: the system hangs issuing 2 single followed by 5 beeps. No problems alternating 2 dimms no problems when 3 dimms are plugged.

EDIT: solved moving the dimms from the several slots.

Further problem: USB bootable... I get J message and the lightning cursor without any possibility to access the USB dos data or the possibility to boot the operating system installed into it. Is there a solution?


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 27, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> I'm using this mainboard just now I've problems when 4 dimms are used: the system hangs issuing 2 single followed by 5 beeps. No problems alternating 2 dimms no problems when 3 dimms are plugged.
> 
> EDIT: solved moving the dimms from the several slots.
> 
> Further problem: USB bootable... I get J message and the lightning cursor without any possibility to access the USB dos data or the possibility to boot the operating system installed into it. Is there a solution?



I've never been able to boot anything from USB on mine except external floppy/DVD drives. I guess USB stick booting just doesn't work, I also get the blank screen with a cursor and that's it.

@VLB, I just asked to know if the RAM slots were good. I would try cleaning them with a toothbrush and isopropil alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and also clean the RAM contacts as well. Also, I had to do a lot of RAM swapping on mine too as Azrael5 just said.


----------



## Azrael5 (Nov 30, 2016)

Well to know, thanks for the reply. Ok now another question: I've enabled the bios option "bypass access" which runs a special feature provided by asrock unable to understand what really it does, except that it hides other ram options as SPD. So what is the best choice to do for perfomance intent, to enable bypass access, or enable SPD?!


----------



## TRWOV (Nov 30, 2016)

There's not a lot of information about it. The manual just states 

"Bypass Access:

This technology can provide users with the function of increasing the system performance. The default value is [Disabled]. It will only work when you use FSB800 CPU and DDR400 DRAM at the same time; otherwise, this option will be hidden."

I don't recall exactly what it did on mine but I think it just forced 1T command rate.  

I know that "Flexibility" forces memory to run at 3:2 (266Mhz) CL 2.5 and is often a necessity when using FSB1066 CPUs. If you have CL2.5 memory I would use SPD.


----------



## Azrael5 (Nov 30, 2016)

TRWOV said:


> There's not a lot of information about it. The manual just states
> 
> "Bypass Access:
> 
> ...


Interesting, however this function, I mean bypass access increase the timings of ram 2 or 3 values in confront of SPD timings... so I don't know if this feature affects other benefits of the whole system as the chipset timings (chipset).


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 11, 2016)

ultra dma 6 doesn't work on this motherboard. bios specific sata page shows usltra dma mode 6 available while post page shows ultra dma mode 5 enabled for the sata hard drive.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Dec 22, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> ultra dma 6 doesn't work on this motherboard. bios specific sata page shows usltra dma mode 6 available while post page shows ultra dma mode 5 enabled for the sata hard drive.



That means the drive only goes up to 5. The board has max of 6.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Dec 22, 2016)

eidairaman1 said:


> That means the drive only goes up to 5. The board has max of 6.



Correct.  The most I ever saw was 5 for this board.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

eidairaman1 said:


> That means the drive only goes up to 5. The board has max of 6.




IT's not the drive it's the bios or the chipset limitation ICH5.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

By the way, I can set UDMA 6 mode in the bios page but after rebooting POST shows only UDMA 5 that's strange.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

My HDD is the WD caviar blue sataII (300MB/s).


----------



## qubit (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> By the way, I can set UDMA 6 mode in the bios page but after rebooting POST shows only UDMA 5 that's strange.


Perhaps the drive only supports UDMA 5? Google the specs of the drive.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

qubit said:


> Perhaps the drive only supports UDMA 5? Google the specs of the drive.




No, I had it operative in another motherboard getting UDMA 6 enabled besides it is the WD CAVIAR BLUE 500GB SATA II I've plugged the cap into the 5-6 jumper so to match the sata I specification.


----------



## rtwjunkie (Dec 23, 2016)

You are NOT going to get a drive to actually operate at UDMA 6 on this board.  I tried a lot of them.  The real expert is @TRWOV , maybe he can illuminate it a little more.


----------



## qubit (Dec 23, 2016)

rtwjunkie said:


> You are NOT going to get a drive to actually operate at UDMA 6 on this board.  I tried a lot of them.  The real expert is @TRWOV , maybe he can illuminate it a little more.


^^Azrael, there's your answer. No point in trying any more as it's completely futile.



Azrael5 said:


> No, I had it operative in another motherboard getting UDMA 6 enabled besides it is the WD CAVIAR BLUE 500GB SATA II I've plugged the cap into the 5-6 jumper so to match the sata I specification.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

rtwjunkie said:


> You are NOT going to get a drive to actually operate at UDMA 6 on this board.  I tried a lot of them.  The real expert is @TRWOV , maybe he can illuminate it a little more.


Exactly. I've just tried without the cap into the pins but the hard drive misses the UDMA 6 (I've also charged the optimal default config into the BIOS in vain). Perhaps I should  CLEAR the CMOS.


----------



## qubit (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> Perhaps I should CLEAR the CMOS.


So you're _still_ hoping, despite having it explained otherwise to you?


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

qubit said:


> So you're _still_ hoping, despite having it explained otherwise to you?


Are you saying that this hard drive is not fully compatible with this mothreboard?


----------



## qubit (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> Are you saying that this hard drive is not fully compatible with this mothreboard?


I'm saying that you've been told that the mobo can't do UDMA 6. Did you not read @rtwjunkie's post? There are also others on there too telling you the same thing.


----------



## dorsetknob (Dec 23, 2016)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_chipsets#Pentium_4_chipsets

ICH5   82801EB UDMA 100/66/33 SATA 1.5 Gbit/s, 2 ports No v2.0, 8 ports Rev 2.3, 6 PCI slots
ICH5R 82801ER UDMA 100/66/33 SATA 1.5 Gbit/s, 2 ports RAID0, RAID1 v2.0, 6 ports Rev 2.3, 6 PCI slots 

UDMA6 133   NOT AVAILABLE ON 865PE Chipset or ICH5/ICH5R Southbridge


----------



## rtwjunkie (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> Exactly. I've just tried without the cap into the pins but the hard drive misses the UDMA 6 (I've also charged the optimal default config into the BIOS in vain). Perhaps I should  CLEAR the CMOS.



I actually hope you can succeed.  It would expand our knowledge base about this board!  I just wish I had kept it.


----------



## dorsetknob (Dec 23, 2016)

The only way you could have had UDMA 6 enabled on another Board with this Drive is with a NON INTEL SOUTHBRIDGE

FOR EXAMPLE
Asrock Duel Series motherboard
865pe Chipset with VIA Southbridge (VT8237)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_VIA_chipsets#Southbridge_chips


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

qubit said:


> I'm saying that you've been told that the mobo can't do UDMA 6. Did you not read @rtwjunkie's post? There are also others on there too telling you the same thing.


thanks for explanation I tried this information online in vain. So it is chipset limitation although HD info into bios correctly reports UDMA6 and UDMA bios option makes UDMA6 available (this possibility should have been hided so to avoid misunderstandings). Thanks a lot.

EDIT: this answer form Gigabyte confirms: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/faq-page.aspx?fid=342


----------



## eidairaman1 (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> No, I had it operative in another motherboard getting UDMA 6 enabled besides it is the WD CAVIAR BLUE 500GB SATA II I've plugged the cap into the 5-6 jumper so to match the sata I specification.




WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THIS INFO BEFORE?! We are not psychic here.

Anyways just remember AsRock in the day was soley a budget/mainstream maker maker, So quality controls weren't there, they left udma6 moniker in there by mistake. Rtwjunkie stated no matter what drive you put in even If it supports udma 6, it will not run at that mode. I'm also unaware if there was a specific cable needed for this...

ONE LAST THING, use the multiquote button and do not triple post.


----------



## qubit (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> thanks for explanation I tried this information online in vain. So it is chipset limitation although HD info into bios correctly reports UDMA6 and UDMA bios option makes UDMA6 available (this possibility should have been hided so to avoid misunderstandings). Thanks a lot.
> 
> EDIT: this answer form Gigabyte confirms: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/faq-page.aspx?fid=342


Yes, it's really annoying, but sometimes they take shortcuts with BIOS programming and leave in options that are actually unsupported, leaving users like yourself going round in circles, ending up very frustrated. This is bad practice on behalf of the mobo manufacturer.

Heck, I even bought a PC Shits Chips mobo back in 2000 that had a "100MHz" bus setting in the BIOS and it _did_ actually work a bit faster. However, it was actually fraud, since the chipset used didn't support 100MHz and was being overclocked to something like 83MHz and wasn't even stable at that speed. The company was eventually found out and forced to do a complete recall. Unsurprisingly, this awful company is no longer around.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

I assume this misinformation affects also the modded bios (or some smart modder provided to fix this inconvenient?).

by the way I've read many threads about the divider question but none of them consider as divider FSBDR the 4:3 value which is almost the exact ratio between 533.33 and 400 Mhz.


----------



## dorsetknob (Dec 23, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> I assume this misinformation affects also the modded bios


What mis-information are you refering to
as it Stands no one is sure which post your refering to and by implication your going to piss off people


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 23, 2016)

dorsetknob said:


> What mis-information are you refering to
> as it Stands no one is sure which post your refering to and by implication your going to piss off people



I'm talking about the UDMA6 information embedded in the official bios. so I asked if this misinformation affects also the modded bioses.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 24, 2016)

which kind of VRD uses conroe865pe? thanks


----------



## qubit (Dec 24, 2016)

Azrael5 said:


> I'm talking about the UDMA6 information embedded in the official bios. so I asked if this misinformation affects also the modded bioses.


It may or may not do. It totally depends on how the BIOS is modded.


----------



## Azrael5 (Dec 25, 2016)

qubit said:


> It may or may not do. It totally depends on how the BIOS is modded.




Good holidays.  I refer to 1.71 or 1.72 modded bios.


----------



## qubit (Dec 25, 2016)

I have no idea. Try them.


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 4, 2017)

Actually the conroe865pe supports all the cpus listed for 775i65g? thanks.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 4, 2017)

Azrael5 said:


> Actually the conroe865pe supports all the cpus listed for 775i65g? thanks.


not surprising as its basically the Same chip set with minor differences

You can Astonish yourself by reading this 
http://techreport.com/review/5158/intel-865pe-and-865g-chipsets


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 5, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> not surprising as its basically the Same chip set with minor differences
> 
> You can Astonish yourself by reading this
> http://techreport.com/review/5158/intel-865pe-and-865g-chipsets


yes I know about this but as you can see from asrock the same chipset doesn't mean necessarily that the mainboard supports the same CPU because of the VRD chip or bios limitation or other hardware incompatibility, so nowadays I don't know if the modded bios of conroe has implemented ALL THE CPUs the 775i65g supports. I assume the answer is no, because of different P6 MICROCODE between the 2 bios.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 5, 2017)

If you have problems with CPU microcode lack of Support Such as Xeon 771/775  compatibility   Then google Microcode injection and inject the required microcode yourself

to save you the bother of a google search 
http://www.delidded.com/how-to-update-cpu-microcode-in-award-or-phoenix-bios/


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 5, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> If you have problems with CPU microcode lack of Support Such as Xeon 771/775  compatibility   Then google Microcode injection and inject the required microcode yourself
> 
> to save you the bother of a google search
> http://www.delidded.com/how-to-update-cpu-microcode-in-award-or-phoenix-bios/


I've no problem I want only to know if all the cpu supported by the 775i65g r3.0 are also supported on conroe865pe. I've modded a bios implementing the cpu microcode of 775i65g r3.0. So now the conroe865pe supports the same cpu microcode of the 775i65g r3.0.
this is the list of CPU supported by 775i65g
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/775i65G R3.0/index.it.asp?cat=CPU
(the conroe has the list updated by modded bios but I don't know exactly which processors have been integrated through them. So I asked about both the cpu's lists; if comparing both they are the same my modded bios is just not so relevant)


----------



## qubit (Jan 5, 2017)

Azrael5 said:


> yes I know about this but as you can see from asrock the same chipset doesn't mean necessarily that the mainboard supports the same CPU because of the VRD chip or bios limitation or other hardware incompatibility, so nowadays I don't know if the modded bios of conroe has implemented ALL THE CPUs the 775i65g supports. I assume the answer is no, because of different P6 MICROCODE between the 2 bios.


That's a good point.

I've heard of cases where the BIOS isn't fully _in_compatible with a newer CPU, so instead of simply doing nothing and giving a black screen, it runs fine, but at some weird clock speed that can't be changed and with many BIOS options either not working or missing. I think it was right here on the TPU forum a few years ago.

Sometimes you just have to try it and cross your fingers.


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 5, 2017)

Ok I'm waiting to receive the famous cpu e5800, once I get it I'll upgrade my modded bios before installing the new cpu; however I'm sure it will be good providing the most recent cpu microcode for this motherboard.


----------



## Pota (Jan 10, 2017)

Uazzamerican said:


> Now that's unexpected...
> I'm trying to install windows7 from USB.
> The USB based win7 I prepared works flawlessly on another system, but with the Conroe865PE I have some troubles:
> 
> ...





rtwjunkie said:


> The motherboard BIOS has no options for booting from the USB if I recall correctly, despite one option being close.  It's from pre-USB install days.
> 
> 
> Just get a DVD drive and install from there, since they are almost as cheap as a haircut.





Uazzamerican said:


> The board recognizes usb stick and It shows it on boot options.
> It clearly supports boot from usb.





rtwjunkie said:


> Except you're finding the same thing I did.  I said "despite" the BIOS appearing to do so.  I think they lied.



I had the same problem too but I was able to install Windows 7 on this board from a usb stick using a program called Easy2Boot v1.87. http://www.easy2boot.com/.

Recently purchased this board and another similar board (Asus P5PE) as one lot on ebay for the price of a cheap haircut


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 10, 2017)

Welcome to TPU ...>*Pota*


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 10, 2017)

I've flashed the eeprom by modded bios which now implements the cpu microcode from 775ig65g r3.0 motherboard without any problem: the current legacy cpu works flawlessly. When I get the newest cpu I'll report about any possible question, however I'm sure that no problems will occur.

This new bios could be named as 1.73 or 1.73a.


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 12, 2017)

EDIT to the last POST: I've just noted that the P6 microcode into the 1.72 bios and the 775i65g r3.0 bios appear to be the same: same length, so I assume that both the cpu microcode files are the same. I ignore how  this can be possible considering the different date of the bios. I assume that the microcode consider only the cpu family.


----------



## Pota (Jan 13, 2017)

My new baby is running sweet, but my SSD is sick. I just RMAed a 2 year old drive due to file corruption. The drive is an OCZ Arc 100 240GB. I have no idea when it became faulty. What's more, drive diagnostic tools seem useless at detecting such issues.


----------



## Pota (Jan 19, 2017)

My E5800 cpu vcore keeps moving around under load and at idle, see readings below. Seems excessive, I don't recall any other board behaving this way. Not surprisingly, my overclocking results are underwhelming.  Is this common behaviour for this board or have I got a dodgy board ? 

CPU-Z readings under a p95 SmallFFT load:
1.216v
1.224v
1.232v
1.240v
1.248v
1.256v
1.264v

CPU-Z readings at idle (no load):
1.248v
1.256v
1.264v
1.272v
1.280v


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 19, 2017)

Not really sure but, for example, my QX6800 won't go north of 3.2Ghz on the Conroe865PE while the same CPU went to >3.5Gzh easily on a 965 board.


----------



## Pota (Jan 20, 2017)

TRWOV said:


> Not really sure but, for example, my QX6800 won't go north of 3.2Ghz on the Conroe865PE while the same CPU went to >3.5Gzh easily on a 965 board.



Yeah I hear what you're saying, Conroe865pe isn't an overclockers' board. That being said, I had the same cpu do 3.8 Ghz in a p5pe-vm (same 865 chipset), best I can do with my Conroe865pe is 3.5Ghz. I assume the unstable Vcore on my Conroe865pe is limiting my overclock. Here's a graph of my vcore under load:


----------



## Pota (Jan 20, 2017)

I decided to test the same E5800 in the other board (p5pe-vm). 

Observations: 
Like the Conroe865pe, the vcore moves around alot. See graph. 
The p5pe-vm's average vcore of 1.315v is much higher than the Conroe865pe's 1.245v
This particular E5800 cpu has a default vid of 1.2875 as reported by the Core Temp program.

Conclusion:
Conroe865pe's bios is setting the vcore significantly lower than the similar p5pe-vm board. Of course, neither board has vcore adjustment.


----------



## Pota (Jan 25, 2017)

"Keyboard / Interface Error" solution ...
I got this POST error after installing a cpu. Both USB and PS/2 mouse keyboard were disabled and not responding.
Removing the battery and clearing the CMOS did nothing, but I might not have powered off long enough for the capacitors to drain fully.
I managed to fix the problem by setting the PS2_USB_PWR1 jumper from 2_3 to 1_2. The error went away and the mouse and keyboard is working again.

More Conroe865pe overclocking adventures ...
I installed a spare pentium e6600 (wolfdale) 3.06 Ghz and overclocked it to 11.5 x 280 = 3.22 Ghz; 285 wasn't stable. Results of performance tests I ran on my board suggest the e5x00 vs e6x00 wolfdales are equal at the same clock speed. I suppose an overclocked e6800 could do 12.5 x 280 = 3.5 Ghz, but I prefer the overclocked e5800 because it has a higher (x16) multiplier.

Summary
e5800 on my Conroe865pe does 16.0 x 220 = 3.52 Ghz;
e5800 on my p5pe-vm        does 16.0 x 230 = 3.68 Ghz
e6600 on my Conroe865pe does 11.5 x 280 = 3.22 Ghz


----------



## TRWOV (Jan 25, 2017)

I recall Captain Harlock was able to take his to FSB300 with a Q6700. Golden board. I think my maximun was 280-ish as well


----------



## Azrael5 (Jan 27, 2017)

what's the best memory bandwidth got with this mainboard?


----------



## Pota (Jan 28, 2017)

Unfortunately, I just noticed a bulging cap next to the two voltage regulators under the agp slot. The pcb around that area is discoloured due to excessive heat I suppose. This may explain the POSTing difficulties and errors I've been getting.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jan 29, 2017)

Pota said:


> Unfortunately, I just noticed a bulging cap next to the two voltage regulators under the agp slot. The pcb around that area is discoloured due to excessive heat I suppose. This may explain the POSTing difficulties and errors I've been getting.



expect other failing caps to happen, if you have a steady hand you could probably replace them, if not find a shop that can, make sure to have a comprable cap for it (same ratings) if possible a solid cap vs a electrolytic version


----------



## Pota (Jan 29, 2017)

eidairaman1 said:


> expect other failing caps to happen, if you have a steady hand you could probably replace them, if not find a shop that can, make sure to have a comprable cap for it (same ratings) if possible a solid cap vs a electrolytic version



I'm thinking about getting a soldering station and fixing it myself. Until then, I'm going to use my spare i865 775 board, ASUS p5pe-vm. I got both on ebay as one lot.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Jan 29, 2017)

Pota said:


> I'm thinking about getting a soldering station and fixing it myself. Until then, I'm going to use my spare i865 775 board, ASUS p5pe-vm. I got both on ebay as one lot.



do the research on good caps


----------



## revin (Jan 29, 2017)

TRWOV said:


> I recall Captain Harlock was able to take his to FSB300 with a Q6700. Golden board. I think my maximun was 280-ish as well


Indeed, as did I also We were trading back and forth in the benching and data gathering for >. Lemondesoda did as well but usually was less as he was test focused other than just the O/C of the board.


----------



## Pota (Feb 4, 2017)

Now both boards (Conroe865pe and p5pe-vm) have a swollen cap, I hadn't noticed any swollen caps when I got them, I only noticed the weak caps after bench and stress testing overclocks under heatwave conditions 

I'd like to replace all the caps on both boards myself, but professional solder / desoldering tools cost a fortune, and no one recommends buying el cheapo brands.

Anyway, I've mounted the 865pe in case and it seems to be running ok at stock speed. Current specs are :

Fractal Design Core 3000
ASRrock Conroe865pe rev 3.00, 1.72 bios, 
E5800 
Stock cpu heatsink fan with noctua low noise adapter
2 x Buffalo 1GB 400Hz CL3
Radeon 9600 GV-R96X256V with fan removed
X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro SB0460
XFX TS 550W
Samsung 830 120GB
Front-midship 140mm fan @ 9v (noctua black adapter) 
Rear 120mm fan @ 7v (noctua blue adapter)


----------



## TRWOV (Feb 4, 2017)

Better take care of those. Recapping will likely enhance the stability of power delivery too.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Feb 5, 2017)

time for solid state caps


----------



## Pota (Feb 5, 2017)

eidairaman1 said:


> time for solid state caps


Has this been done before? Who's going to donate their board to do a solid cap transplant experiment


----------



## eidairaman1 (Feb 5, 2017)

Pota said:


> Has this been done before? Who's going to donate their board to do a solid cap transplant experiment



You can find them online, just make sure values are the same as electrolyric version. I have an AMD board.


----------



## Pota (Feb 6, 2017)

eidairaman1 said:


> You can find them online, just make sure values are the same as electrolyric version. I have an AMD board.


Ok thanks I'll look into it. I'm currently looking at this website to learn the basics of recapping http://www.capacitorlab.com/index.htm


----------



## dzsoki (Mar 17, 2017)

Pota said:


> Has this been done before? Who's going to donate their board to do a solid cap transplant experiment


Yes, this is a modded Conroe865PE, where all the capacitors are replaced to Japanese (Rubycon, Sanyo, Nippon chemi Con and Nichicon) capacitors.
10 Nippon ChemiCon NCC KZH Series 16V 100UF Capacitor
6 Rubycon MBZ 6.3V 1500UF LOW ESR Motherboard Capacitor
20 Sanyo WG 6.3V 1000UF LOW ESR Motherboard Capacitor
9 Nichicon LF 16V 100UF L.ESR Aluminum solid Capacitor






I recommend this seller to buy genuine Japanese capacitors:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/egekecu?_trksid=p2047675.l2559


----------



## Pota (Mar 24, 2017)

dzsoki said:


> Yes, this is a modded Conroe865PE, where all the capacitors are replaced to Japanese (Rubycon, Sanyo, Nippon chemi Con and Nichicon) capacitors.
> 10 Nippon ChemiCon NCC KZH Series 16V 100UF Capacitor
> 6 Rubycon MBZ 6.3V 1500UF LOW ESR Motherboard Capacitor
> 20 Sanyo WG 6.3V 1000UF LOW ESR Motherboard Capacitor
> ...



Ok thanks for the info. I haven't done my board yet 

Note that the list you mention doesn't seem entirely correct - the first item should be 4 x 1000uF 16v as shown below.

The original caps on my board are:
4   1000uF 16v       20x8 Nichicon HM(M) 1.87A
6   1500uF 6.3v      20x8 OST RLX UltraLowESR 0635 1.65A
20 1000uF 6.3v      12x8 OST RLP 0.555A 0640
9   100uF  16v        8x6  OST RMH 0.095A 6.3x7 0632

Also, I believe the general rule or recommendation is to use about half the capacitance when moving to solid caps.
So the 100uF cap would be replaced with a 47uF or 56 uF solid cap.


----------



## AsRock (Mar 24, 2017)

dzsoki said:


> Yes, this is a modded Conroe865PE, where all the capacitors are replaced to Japanese (Rubycon, Sanyo, Nippon chemi Con and Nichicon) capacitors.
> 10 Nippon ChemiCon NCC KZH Series 16V 100UF Capacitor
> 6 Rubycon MBZ 6.3V 1500UF LOW ESR Motherboard Capacitor
> 20 Sanyo WG 6.3V 1000UF LOW ESR Motherboard Capacitor
> ...



Nice, In the US i would recommend Mouser and DigiKey for caps. I have spoken to RubyCon personally and they DO NOT use suppliers that use eBay according to them.  Not trying to say they are all fake just that you cannot just ebay at all for such components. 

Anyways that does look real nice .


----------



## VLB (May 28, 2017)

Hi Conroe865pe owners.  I have a semi-dead board which hangs on POST and I'd like to replace the BIOS chip in hopes that might help. I know it's a long shot, but I miss tinkering with this board.  Does anyone have an extra I could buy or know where I could have one flashed?


----------



## Uazzamerican (May 28, 2017)

I think it's better if you search for a ch341a programmer. Really chip and effective, believe me.


----------



## VLB (Jun 13, 2017)

The ch341 does look like a good option, and under $10 USD.  Thanks for the tip!


----------



## RuThaN (Aug 4, 2017)

Hello,
im using this board in my multiboot system - W98 SE/XP 32bit/7 64bit.

  But i have some problems with it // 1.7.0 Bios, no overclocking, Geforce 6600, overkilled cooling - it could run without any fan, but i have 2x Noctua:
- when set IDE in compatibility mode and connect Sata III SSD (Sandisk Ultra II, i know that board is Sata I it should be backward compatible) to Sata port, i got boot freeze during post
- USB transfer speed when i use any USB boot flash drive - with WinXP install or Windows 98, install Linux install is very slow
- 4x 1 GB, in Bios is 4x 1 GB DDR 400, in in post is only 3076 MB of RAM, i dont mint 32 bit Windows limitation, but Bios limitation is strange
- i had also strange Sata controller bios settings boot freeze, i even after cold boot and remove all disc devices i still had freeze, only bios reset helped
- IDE to Compact flash adapter (2x different tested) is very slow and it also that there some data tranfer freezes, at least when some bootCD / USB is uded to install something

  I have additional SIL 3512 PCI Sata controller and Nvidia G6600+Intel 1 Gb/s NIC.

  I wonder if someone maked Sata working in Windows 98, with better speed than few MB/s - because of IDE drivers in MS-DOS... I have only SATA III, there are board which are working fine with Sata I or II devices.

  I so here some bios updates, are all about no CPUs support, or fix other issues? Its somewhere list of newly supported CPUs?


----------



## Adrian_ (Nov 17, 2017)

Hi guys,

 Apparently this thread isn't really going any more, but I honestly expect a revival at some point as this class of boards (Conroe AGP) is bound to become some sort of collector's item  rather sooner then later.

This being said, I recently acquired a nice 865PE essentially for free, as it had two broken RAM clips and was missing the backplate. Both problems were easily sorted out as I had around a defective AsRock P4 MB that featured similar RAM clips (very easy to remove if you know what you're doing) plus a nearly identical back plate, which required minimal cutting to fit.

 I also bought a C2Duo E7600 (3.06Ghz, FSB 1066, 45nm) for something like 5$, then flashed the 1.72 bios and booted just fine. Only to discover that with this CPU installed (which is being recognized by the 1.72 just fine) I have no options whatsoever for setting the RAM speed, except for fiddling with the FSB.  The RAM speed setting in the chipset section is grayed out and Memtest claims that the RAM boots to 177Mhz meaning that a 3:2 ratio with the FSB is applied.

 With these 1066 Wolfdales is there any method to get the RAM to 200Mhz? I had sitting around for ages a set of 4x512Mb Corsair XMS's rated 2.2.2.5  and I'd like to mess around a bit with this interesting platform. Any advice will be greatly appreciated


----------



## Kissamies (Nov 18, 2017)

Backplate? You mean the I/O shield?


----------



## Adrian_ (Nov 18, 2017)

Yes, the term is quite used in some parts of the world  https://www.google.com/search?client=Search&q=motherboard+backplate
 Backplate can mean several things computer-related but not when you talk about a motherboard


----------



## Kissamies (Nov 19, 2017)

Here in Finland we say "I/O pelti" which means I/O shield. 

But yeah I know what u mean, just had to correct that.


----------



## dorsetknob (Nov 19, 2017)

Motherboard backplate is what you use to mount/support the CPU cooler my opinion I/o backplate covers the io connector


----------



## Kissamies (Nov 19, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Motherboard backplate is what you use to mount/support the CPU cooler my opinion I/o backplate covers the io connector


Exactly.


----------



## Adrian_ (Nov 19, 2017)

dorsetknob said:


> Motherboard backplate is what you use to mount/support the CPU cooler



 That would be the cooler backplate. 

 Seriously guys, let's not pollute this very useful topic with this kind of chatter.  It's totally irrelevant in regard to this very particular board.


----------



## Kissamies (Nov 19, 2017)

Adrian_ said:


> That would be the cooler backplate.
> 
> Seriously guys, let's not pollute this very useful topic with this kind of chatter.  It's totally irrelevant in regard to this very particular board.


Yup, sorry for my offtopic. What RAM do u have?


----------



## Adrian_ (Nov 19, 2017)

Corsair XMS  2.2.2.5  4x512Mb.  Running them at 177Mhz  would be ridiculous


----------



## Kissamies (Nov 19, 2017)

Can you try with different latencies? CL2.5 or even CL3?


----------



## Adrian_ (Nov 19, 2017)

I already tried, no result. From what I read on this thread there's a 5:4 bios that would result in a perfectly acceptable 212.8Mhz for the RAM when used with a 266FSB CPU, but it's based on an older bios that doesn't have the Wolfdale microcode. So basically I would need to edit that bios and add the microcode for the E7600 in order to get the RAM running at  212.8Mhz.

 Alternatively I would have to OC the CPU all the way up to 300FSB in order to get the DDR up to 200Mhz with the current BIOS. The CPU may very well take it but I'd rather not push the VRM's that far on a mobo that's already 11 years old and has an unknown history.


----------



## Frogger (Nov 19, 2017)

Adrian_ said:


> edit that bios and add the microcode for the E7600 i


 Have a try over here you may get lucky .


----------



## Mr.Scott (Nov 19, 2017)

Memset is your friend.


----------



## Adrian_ (Nov 24, 2017)

Btw, has anyone tried the L5408 on this board? With 1066fsb and a mere 40W it should run just fine, at least in theory


----------



## Pota (Jan 8, 2019)

Further to my posts in 2017. A member suggested I poly mod my Conroe865pe board which has bad cap(s) and stability issues. I have begun the project by poly modding my other board Asus p5pe-vm first. I'm thinking about documenting my results here. What do you folks think, anyone interested?


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Jan 30, 2019)

Pota said:


> Further to my posts in 2017. A member suggested I poly mod my Conroe865pe board which has bad cap(s) and stability issues. I have begun the project by poly modding my other board Asus p5pe-vm first. I'm thinking about documenting my results here. What do you folks think, anyone interested?



Hey I'm new here and yes, I would be interested in reviving this tread and earring from your research and modding!

I just bought a QX6700, the ConRoe865pe Asrock board, 4 sticks of DDR400 1GB and a ATI HD4650  AGP. Actually, I was looking for some build I could make around that GPU. I have an old case lying around (cisca 2000) and I would need the PSU and a cooler for the QX6700. Anyone has any good and viable suggestion of what I may use?


----------



## Pota (Feb 2, 2019)

FuzzFrrek said:


> Hey I'm new here and yes, I would be interested in reviving this tread and earring from your research and modding!
> 
> I just bought a QX6700, the ConRoe865pe Asrock board, 4 sticks of DDR400 1GB and a ATI HD4650  AGP. Actually, I was looking for some build I could make around that GPU. I have an old case lying around (cisca 2000) and I would need the PSU and a cooler for the QX6700. Anyone has any good and viable suggestion of what I may use?



Ok I'll consider posting more content here. 

About your PSU and CPU cooler suggestion question - I have a few Seasonic PSUs, and some Prolimatech and Noctua cpu cooolers. I always tune my builds for silence.

P.S. Keep in mind this thread has more or less been abandoned, so I don't think it is a great place to ask questions.


----------



## Reefa_Madness (Feb 8, 2019)

FuzzFrrek said:


> Hey I'm new here and yes, I would be interested in reviving this tread and earring from your research and modding!
> 
> I just bought a QX6700, the ConRoe865pe Asrock board, 4 sticks of DDR400 1GB and a ATI HD4650  AGP. Actually, I was looking for some build I could make around that GPU. I have an old case lying around (cisca 2000) and I would need the PSU and a cooler for the QX6700. Anyone has any good and viable suggestion of what I may use?



I would think that any PSU of around 500W should be more than enough for those parts, however, the board has a 20-pin connector so make sure that you get one with a 20+4 plug, or you'll need a 24 to 20 pin adapter. As Pota  suggested, Seanonic makes good units so you won't go wrong going that route.

Other cooling options you could look at, if trying to keep costs down, would be something along the lines of a Cooler Master 212 series HSF, or perhaps look for a Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 (used, of course).  Or consider one of the AIO units.


----------



## MrGenius (Feb 8, 2019)

Poly mod? Is that what it sounds like? And, if it is, why? I asked myself. Then I googled it. Sure enough. It is what it sounds like. Now on to the why. Other than a potential increase in longevity, there's no good reason to I can think of. And several reasons I can think of not too.

1. Waste of money overbuilding something  beyond practicality. Does it really need to be functional after you're dead and gone? 

2. Risk of doing more harm than good. It wasn't designed to use those. Might just end up with something worse than what you started with. If it ain't broke...don't try redesigning it until it is. 

3. And did I mention price? That's the good thing about replacing electrolytics. They're cheap AF. 

Honestly...I can't believe that's really a thing. But whatever. More power to ya! You sure as hell won't see me doing it though.


----------



## Pota (Feb 12, 2019)

MrGenius said:


> Poly mod? Is that what it sounds like? And, if it is, why? I asked myself. Then I googled it. Sure enough. It is what it sounds like. Now on to the why. Other than a potential increase in longevity, there's no good reason to I can think of. And several reasons I can think of not too.


Cool project that's all, I'm not defending it economically



			
				Arthur Schopenhauer said:
			
		

> If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence, or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 12, 2019)

Reefa_Madness said:


> I would think that any PSU of around 500W should be more than enough for those parts, however, the board has a 20-pin connector so make sure that you get one with a 20+4 plug, or you'll need a 24 to 20 pin adapter. As Pota  suggested, Seanonic makes good units so you won't go wrong going that route.
> 
> Other cooling options you could look at, if trying to keep costs down, would be something along the lines of a Cooler Master 212 series HSF, or perhaps look for a Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 (used, of course).  Or consider one of the AIO units.



 I bought a generic but trusty PSU 430 watts from a local store and a 212 EVO with 2 fans. I think it should be enough.

I'll keep you updated when i get the cooler and test the whole thing!


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 13, 2019)

Hey all,

I got all my stuff now. I build a test rig: everything is connected and seated properly: the generic 430W PSU tested and working perfectly, the CM 212 cooler (2 fans in push/pull with a Y slitter), RAMs (4 sticks of Kingston 1gb each but not sure the timings), video card (Asus HD4650 1gb), 20 pins motherboard connector, 4 pins CPU connector, IDE 120gb WD HDD and finally the QX6700 itself. I quadrupled checked everything to make that nothing was missing and connected/seated properly.

My issue is that I cannot get any display showing on both displays I have, with  either VGA of HDMI output. I tried different cables and also different cards (I have 2 other AGP cards). I cannot have any display at all. The system boots just fine and fans are spinning, booth drive too.  I am asking this: is it possible the AGP port is dead? The HD4650 fan is spinning though. But, I haven't tried the bizarre VGA output from the motherboard itself since I don't have male/female VGA cable. I tried to contact the seller to ask if there was any known specific issue with the display.

For now, I cannot find any solution. Any advise?


----------



## MrGenius (Feb 13, 2019)

@Pota That quote is sublime. I've never understood human procreation. Not by any intelligent beings having any empathy at all anyway. It's most certainly devoid of pure reason. Pure recklessness is more like it. Quite a shame really. I've often pondered how bad it would look from a cosmic perspective. We must be the laughing stock of sentient beings in The Universe. If they can find the humor in it.


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 14, 2019)

Updates:

I was able to boot, the speaker beeping once. I left only one stick of RAM on the first slot and cleared the CMOS. Since the case I have does not have any USB ports, I was not able to boot into Windows, getting constant boot loop. I presume the board is not updated to the latest stable firmware so the QX6700 is not recognize by it.

I will try to ditch a basic P4 CPU to boot into Windows and install everything properly (do you recomment anything?). I will keep you updated!


----------



## Reefa_Madness (Feb 14, 2019)

Updating the BIOS sounds like a logical thing to do. If you haven't done so already, I'd pull the CMOS battery out for a little while just to be sure everything resets back to default before doing the  update.


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 14, 2019)

Reefa_Madness said:


> Updating the BIOS sounds like a logical thing to do. If you haven't done so already, I'd pull the CMOS battery out for a little while just to be sure everything resets back to default before doing the  update.



I was abbe to boot into the BIOS!! I checked the BIOS firmware and it is 1.70. According to this site, the QX6700 can only be ''supported via overclocking''.

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASRock/ConRoe865PE.html

I tried 270x10 and 275x10 and nothing happened, it does not boot and cannot access the BIOS anymore, even after clearing the CMOS... Well, what now?


----------



## Reefa_Madness (Feb 15, 2019)

What memory divider are you using and which specific modules do you have? If generic modules, please show a pic of the ICs. You stated in an earlier post that they were DDR400 which would be spec'ed for 200 MHz but you're trying to boot at 270 & 275 so I'm just asking.

Also, are you trying this with 2 or 4 modules?


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 15, 2019)

Reefa_Madness said:


> What memory divider are you using and which specific modules do you have? If generic modules, please show a pic of the ICs. You stated in an earlier post that they were DDR400 which would be spec'ed for 200 MHz but you're trying to boot at 270 & 275 so I'm just asking.
> 
> Also, are you trying this with 2 or 4 modules?



You know, I was able to clear the CMOS properly and I can access the BIOS again. I I switched the jumper near the AGP slot (to enable a 1033 CPU). Now my issue is I cannot boot into Windows XP. I get a blue screen and the PC boot loop. I clocked the CPU to 200x10.

The module is this one. Only one installed.



http://imgur.com/0Gdqs7I


I set the speed and timing to (divider I assume) to auto - default, nothing was changed.

EDIT: My next step is to reinstall Windows but i dunno if it may help at all.

EDIT 2: The image is in pending by the mods (I think...), it may be cut off: Here is the RAM:

Crusial
Micron
1GB
1GB 184 - PIN UNBUFF
DIMM 128MX64
DDRPC3200 PBF
''barcode number''
CT12864Z40B


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 17, 2019)

Hey guys!

Windows has been installed. I have 4 gig of RAM installed! Al the settings are set to default value (CPU and RAM). For now, it is working fine! I tried many different settings to OC the CPU/RAM and what I can get is poorly executed. 273x10 on CPU and Auto CL on RAM. I'll browse the Internet if I can find a good OC tuto.


----------



## Reefa_Madness (Feb 17, 2019)

Progress is always welcomed. So the re-install of Windows, after the clearing of the BIOS and changing the jumper for the CPU, is all what it took to allow you to get into Windows?


----------



## FuzzFrrek (Feb 17, 2019)

Reefa_Madness said:


> Progress is always welcomed. So the re-install of Windows, after the clearing of the BIOS and changing the jumper for the CPU, is all what it took to allow you to get into Windows?



Well I think that pretty much what happened.


----------



## 1976ANDREI (Aug 15, 2019)

New version BIOS CONROE865PE:
Link: https://yadi.sk/d/_FwpE_ixZGeVtg
Version 1.72MC (2019 year)

Found on the forum https://www.vogons.org/

References:




__





						LGA 775 Motherboards with AGP Slots - Page 2 \ 									VOGONS
					






					www.vogons.org
				





			https://www.vogons.org/download/file.php?id=59732&sid=3c61896b83b906e7098c534fa9b3461c
		


Every microcode has been updated, there is one microcode less because intel merged the platforms for CPUID 10676.

Users are requested to test this BIOS.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Nov 2, 2019)

For a Trick of destiny I have a brand new Conroe865PE, really Never used, with Original box and bundle.
I will give it a try.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Apr 3, 2020)

I know, I am incredibly late with this.

Just tested the new bios, nothing different from 1.72.
I tried a Xeon 5450, no post.
I wonder what has been changed.
In any case, opening a brand new Conroe865pe was really exciting, all was (and is) sealed.

I could put my hands on three more of them.
PM me if you want to know more.


----------



## 1976ANDREI (Apr 3, 2020)

Uazzamerican said:


> I know, I am incredibly late with this.
> 
> Just tested the new bios, nothing different from 1.72.
> I tried a Xeon 5650, no post.
> ...



Xeon 5650 - What are the characteristics of the processor?
This is by no means Xeon X5650 under LGA1366.


----------



## Uazzamerican (Apr 3, 2020)

Uazzamerican said:


> For a Trick of destiny I have a brand new Conroe865PE, really Never used, with Original box and bundle.
> I will give it a try.





1976ANDREI said:


> Xeon 5650 - What are the characteristics of the processor?
> This is by no means Xeon X5650 under LGA1366.



My bad,
Always make confusion with 5650 and 5450.
Of course it is 5450 771 chip modded for 775.


----------



## 1976ANDREI (Apr 4, 2020)

CONROE865PE BIOS 1.72 and BIOS 1.72MC no mod for Xeon.
Microcodes need to be added.


----------



## lemonadesoda (Sep 14, 2020)

Oh wow, are you serious, it is possible for someone to mod the BIOS to get Xeon 54xx onto the Conroe865PE board? L5420 would make me crack open the cellar and find that board and get it up and running again after at least 10 years of gathering dust. The holy grail of AGP mainboards... Xeon L and AGP FireGL. Oh just oh.


----------



## phill (Sep 14, 2020)

Would this thread be ok for one of these boards - ASRock 4CoreDual SATA2 ??  Or are they the same   It's been a while and I'm a little rusty...


----------



## Uazzamerican (Sep 14, 2020)

No,
they are totally different motherboards.

A a side note, I tried the new bios with updated microcodes to see if a modified 771 xeon would work.
The result was a very good black screen, so I can confirm that 45nm xeons do not work and I do not think it is related to FSB at all.

But the Asrock 4Core Dual Sata2 (for you Phil), do work, I can testify, but it would be better to use an unlocked CPU with this one (like with the 865PE).


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## phill (Sep 14, 2020)

I did wonder but as it's a Monday morning, I'm not quite awake with only one coffee......  

I believe I've had one previously but from memory I think that these have needed to be modified to get the best from them.  I'm guessing @Mr.Scott would definitely be a gent to confirm this...  I'd like to find one as I'm a sucker for hardware and AGP cards where always good fun to play with.  

I'll keep an eye out with this thread, love to see everyone's setups


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## Uazzamerican (Nov 28, 2020)

phill said:


> I did wonder but as it's a Monday morning, I'm not quite awake with only one coffee......
> 
> I believe I've had one previously but from memory I think that these have needed to be modified to get the best from them.  I'm guessing @Mr.Scott would definitely be a gent to confirm this...  I'd like to find one as I'm a sucker for hardware and AGP cards where always good fun to play with.
> 
> I'll keep an eye out with this thread, love to see everyone's setups




I will soon set up the new Conroe865PE with the QX6700 I have, cooled by an old thermaright all-copper heatsink. 
The only issue is that I am having a difficult time on setting up properly the 4 stick of Corsair Vaule RAM (4GB total).


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## 1976ANDREI (May 21, 2022)

New CONROE865PE BIOS variant supporting socket 771 (LGA771) processors:
Link: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/J2yw17xxly1TuA

Found on the forum https://www.vogons.org

Links:




__





						LGA 775 Motherboards with AGP Slots - Page 4 \ 									VOGONS
					






					www.vogons.org
				





			https://www.vogons.org/download/file.php?id=137684
		


Added the latest microcodes for the 771 processor.
Latest microcodes + 771.

Users are requested to test this BIOS.


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## lemonadesoda (Nov 17, 2022)

What a find! Anyone tested the L5450 or other 771 on this mainboard? Bookmarked!


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## Uazzamerican (Nov 17, 2022)

Nope,
It won’t work


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## Uazzamerican (Nov 19, 2022)

Uazzamerican said:


> Nope,
> It won’t work


I will elaborate.
Tryed myself with several Xeon L54xx, it is not a matter of microcode and FSB from what I could verify.
It seems the chip refuse to work with 45nm quad cores for unknown reasons (handling of the cache maybe? Do not know).
So, putting microcodes for quad 771 is useless.


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## _JP_ (Nov 21, 2022)

If I can add a bit of insight, the 865PE is a chipset from 2004 or 2003, launched for socket 478. Even the part where it was "streched" to support socket 775 and Core 2, but just Conroe/Kentsfield, means that in bus support it can only really work with die interfaces that were still in the same format with Prescott and the contemporary chips. 
This is the issue with the 775 era, where support came down to chipset/bus vs. BIOS vs. voltage regulation config to determine which CPUs would work.
I'd say that on this board, Xeon 30xx and X32xx will probably work (E31xx and 51xx I seriously have my doubts), since those were pretty much Core 2 rebrands. Anything more recent should not work as there was no microcode support for Core 2 past 65nm.


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## Uazzamerican (Nov 21, 2022)

E7400 works.
Dual cores 45nm 800Mhz FSB work.


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## _JP_ (Nov 21, 2022)

Won't doubt it, since I've got that CPU but not the board, but Wolfdale already requires BIOS mods to get going, right? 
Especially since the E7400 is a 1066MHz FSB chip. But that could mean some Xeons based on that same die would work, the E31xx.


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## Uazzamerican (Nov 21, 2022)

Yes, I was meaning 1066mhz FSB dual cores 45nm.
This is the best thing you can use on that board.


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