DFI ultra D new build many problems help! help!

[mglover070588]

hi guys, this is my first thread:)

i upgraded m system this week from a 3200+barton, 6800GT, and nf2 motherboard to a 4600+, dfi ultraD nf4, and x1800xt. all the other parts are carried over from the old build (see sig).

I have a few problems, please please help me out here:cool:

 

1. any overclock seems to reduce my 3dmark 2005 and super pi score (these are the only two benches i have used so far). i like to use 250x10 as i have pc4000 ram. the cpu and ram are at stock voltages and the ram runs at default 3448 timings. when i go to 2.7 (for example) my 3d mark 2005 drops by almost 3000:eek: . surely it should go up with an increased cpu speed. my x1800 is not overclocked at all. cool and quiet has been disabled. I am after 2.75ghz (250x11) but i can only get this to pass super pi at 1.6volts and then it takes over a minute to pass 1m:sad: how can an overclock reduce performance im unsure. my HTT is at 4x when using a 250 bus.

 

2. my nf4 fan's blades catch on the screws holding it in (only some of the blades catch), this means that my nf4 fan sometimes doesnt spin on start up and i sometimes have to give it a push by hand to get going, and even when it is going it is very very loud. i am hoping that the blades will wear themselves down a bit if they continue to catch and then they will shut up?

 

3. as i am writing this my system has reset and frozen in oblivion. now i have just had norton tell me of a trojan virus but im not sure if this is relevant. i am now on 'optimised defaults' in the bios, which has taken everything back to stock (200x12 cpu, 200mhz ram), but at least windows posted and hasnt crashed.

 

As mentioned above the only new parts to the pc are the cpu, video card and motherboad. The memory has passed several memtests at 250mhz at stock timings.

I've built several pc's with this motherboard but this is my 1st real attempt at an overclock.

 

I know that if anyone can hep me it is you lot, any help will be much much appreciated. Especially help with the overclock performance issue.

Sorry for a long post.

Thanks!!! :)

[wevsspot]

First thing you need to do is read the NF4 Build Guide, it is linked in my sig.

Second thing you need to do is read the DFI A64 Overclocking guide here at the Street.

Third thing you need to do is read the DFI Recommended Power Supplies list, it is also linked in my sig.

[Kaxx]

Also, try defragging your HD. It "could" help the crashes. ( I do it 3 or 4 times in a row after installs)

[wevsspot]

2. my nf4 fan's blades catch on the screws holding it in (only some of the blades catch), this means that my nf4 fan sometimes doesnt spin on start up and i sometimes have to give it a push by hand to get going, and even when it is going it is very very loud. i am hoping that the blades will wear themselves down a bit if they continue to catch and then they will shut up?

 

This isn't a good situation. If the electric motor is binding because it's catching on the screws it will eventually lead to a premature failure of the fan motor. This is also causing additional strain on the m/b fan header that your cooler is connected to. Either swap out the fan with an Evercool VC/RE, or remove the fan assembly and file the screws down so they aren't hitting on your fan blades.

[Kaxx]

This isn't a good situation. If the electric motor is binding because it's catching on the screws it will eventually lead to a premature failure of the fan motor. This is also causing additional strain on the m/b fan header that your cooler is connected to. Either swap out the fan with an Evercool VC/RE, or remove the fan assembly and file the screws down so they aren't hitting on your fan blades.

 

Doing this "may" void your warranty since it is a new board, just a little FYI!! I'd go ahead and get the VC-RE, it's only around $10 and since your removing it anyway, you may as well put a better and quieter on on there anyway. But you will need to do something about it, as that doesen't sound good (worst case, I'd RMA the motherboard it if you didn't want to fool with it).

 

http://svc.com/vc-re.html

[wevsspot]

I'd be hard pressed to believe that either Donna or HG wouldn't honor the DFI warranty if the replacement fan was installed correctly. Failure to correct this problem will result in a premature fan failure, it will result in increased NF4 chipset temperatures (and assuming that you didn't know it finally totally quit working would fry your chipset). And it will result in increase load on the m/b fan header.

 

You could always contact DFI and order a stock replacement DFI chipset fan, but you'd be right back here in four or five months complaining about the fan noise.

[Kaxx]

Yeah, seems unlikely, but you never know in this day and age anymore. Also, I'm a DFI newbie, so I'd prolly listen to someone that is a little more knowledgable than me. And I am curious, who is Donna or HG??

 

Sweet, with this post, I became a DFI wizard, lol. But I'm still a newbie.....

[mglover070588]

have read all the guides wevsspot. I don't have a recommended psu but the one i have is a good quailty one and i'm not after any sli etc etc. A mate of mine blew his DFI by putting the ram in the wrong way (no seriously he did), so he has a spare fan if mine goes wrong. I left my pc on overnight and i think the fan is quieting down a bit, i will give it a few more days to see if it shuts up and then i will take action.

 

Any ideas or comments on the poor overclock performance. the HTT has been set at 4x and i havnt gone over 250bus on any overclock (also the ram is definately not the problem). Is the poor performance due to a lack of voltage to the cpu?? (my cpu needs a stupid 1.55v to even post at 2.75ghz). please help

Thanks for all the replies.

 

EDIT: i found something called '50% thermal throttle' i bet this is what is ballsing up my 3d marks

[21Motorcraft]

Originally posted by mglover070588

Any ideas or comments on the poor overclock performance. the HTT has been set at 4x and i havnt gone over 250bus on any overclock (also the ram is definately not the problem). Is the poor performance due to a lack of voltage to the cpu?? (my cpu needs a stupid 1.55v to even post at 2.75ghz). please help

 

Originally posted in the PSU Guide

Why the 480W Minimum Requirement? These are the Perfect Examples!

 

Thermaltake 480W SilentPurePower: ONLY +12V@18A!

http://www.thermaltake.com/purepower/W001314.htm

 

Thermaltake PurePower 560W: ONLY +12V@22A!

http://www.thermaltake.com/purepower/W0023.htm

 

Why do people buy these?

 

There are PSU's for under $30/$40 in the "Complete PSU Guide" with more +12V amperage!

 

These 2 TT PSU's are the "poster children" for DFI's 480W+ requirement &

based on these it should be a 600W+ requirement!

 

Roundup: 14 Power Supply Units from Thermaltake: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/oth...u-roundup.html

[wevsspot]

mglover,

 

I'm going to try and handle this as politely as I can. In the DFI overclocking guide it gives specific information about every question you might have concerning overclocking.

 

It tells you specifically to disable CPU Throttling, which apparently you haven't done yet. You don't have your HTT set at 4, you have your LDT/FSB Frequency Ratio set to 4. HTT is the resulting HyperTransport Speed of FSB X LDT/FSB ratio. Example FSB=200 X LDT/FSB Ratio=5, so your resulting equation would be 200X5=1000(X2) for a resulting HTT of 2000. In almost all cases you need to adjust your LDT/FSB ratio to ensure that your FSB X LDT/FSB ratio doesn't exceed a HTT of 2000. A general rule of thumb is LDT set to 4 at FSB up to 250 (however LDT may even need dropped to 3). At any FSB above 250 you should set your LDT to 3, once you approach an FSB at 300 or above you may even need to drop your LDT to 2.5.

 

Needing 1.5vcore to hit 2.75ghz isn't that strange on an X2, at least some of the later steppings. My 4800 requires 1.52vcore just to hit 2.7ghz. Unfortunately you'll find that your PWMIC temps sky rocket when running a heavily overclocked X2 with 1.50vcore or more to get to that o/c. If you're not actively cooling your PWMIC and haven't heat sinked the PWMIC it's running probably 69C or higher if you are heavily utilizing both cores.

 

At any rate, you'll do yourself a big favor by following the recommendations I've already made in previous posts.

 

I'm signing off of this thread until you've confirmed you've read the A64 DFI overclocking guide and installed a power supply that meets the minimum requirements set forth by nVidia, DFI, and numerous mods, admins and experienced users here at the Street that clearly define a minimum power supply capable of outputting 480W of clean stable power with a minimum of 26A on the 12V rail.

[mglover070588]

ahh yes it was LDT/FSB that was at 4x, my mistake. I quickly read the guide and must have missed it. am going to look into a new psu that is recommended, but for now i have borrowed a tagan 480w that is better than mine. i am in the process of reading the guide thoroughly start to finish, thanks for the help though

[davidhammock200]

i have borrowed a tagan 480w

Possibly an improvement.

 

What model?

 

Look on the sticker, how many +12V amps are available?