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ASUS P4P800 Question

M

Major_A

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Messages
1,164
Well I have an ASUS P4P800 motherboard and something doesn't seem right. When I open up ASUS Probe the VCore will bounce all over the place. I thought this might happen because the VCore was set to Automatic in the BIOS. I openned up the BIOS and set it to 1.5. Restarted the computer and waited for Windows to open. Once everything was up I checked the ASUS Probe and it was fluctuating from 1.5-1.6ish(I think). Is this because I have a sub-par power supply or is this normal? Or could it be that the onboard Winbond chipset is faulty? Any suggestions are appreciated.
 
Asus boards are notorious for the vcore fluctuating like you said. Your's doesn't seem as extreme as my experience was. I had a P4P800-D that smoked my new 3.0c after it fed 1.9v to it while I was at work. Came home, pc just had fans running and nothing else. Swapped everything but the cpu but when I finally did swap it with my old 2.4b, it was reading 1.78v in Bios when the voltage as set to 1.5.

I quickly RMA'd that board and then sold the replacement and got an AI7. voltages on my AI7 haven't fluctuated more than .02v yet and it's been running solid for 2 months now.



So...it's not your Power supply and the board isn't faulty per se, it's just the way Asus designed it b/c those readings are within Intel's specs I think. When under cpu load like Prime or folding, you should see that voltage drop a bit...which is where the popular droop mod comes in.
 
Thanks for the reply. My next board is going to be an Abit, not that it will be any time soon. I really don't have a brand preference, I want to try out everything. I've owned serveral different kinds and am just trying to find the one I have the most success with.
 
Major_A said:
Thanks for the reply. My next board is going to be an Abit, not that it will be any time soon. I really don't have a brand preference, I want to try out everything. I've owned serveral different kinds and am just trying to find the one I have the most success with.
Click to expand...

Abit is a very good brand of motherboard. I am currently using a NF7-s amd of course :)

I have used many of their boards and all have worked very well.
 
my vcore fluctuations from 1.48 to 1.58ish on my p4p800.

i love asus, appears its only on this line of boards that the vcore gets so wavy.

i will probably try an abit for my next build tho, everyone loves their abit boards.
 
Well I got my reply, sounds like a load of crap to me. Here it is for those interested. But my questoin is, what does my VCore have to do with my file system, etc...?

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your support of our products!
The problem you are reporting is a stability issue and is usually caused by either the memory, power supply or the CPU running too hot. Please check with the memory maker to see if the module you are using has been tested or certified with the chipset on your motherboard. Also, check that your power supply can supply enough power for your system configuration and that your CPU's heatsink and fan are properly installed.
First, please check that your CPU is not overheating. You can check this in the BIOS setup, under Power, then Hardware Monitor. If the CPU is overheating, please check that your heatsink and fan are properly installed and that you are using exactly one heat transfer agent between the CPU and heatsink (ex. Artic Silver). Make sure that the heatsink compound is applied ONLY to the CPU die and that it is NOT shorting any surface mount components on top of the CPU or contacting the CPU's pins.
Please check http://www.asus.com/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx to verify that your board will properly support the CPU that you have. This link will list the minimum BIOS and PCB version that you must have to PROPERLY support your CPU.

Please ask the memory manufacturer the following questions:
Have you done any certification testing with this memory module and our MB (motherboard) or any MB using the same chipset at the density you are trying to use (ex. 3*512MB DIMMS totaling 1.5GB of memory)?
If the answer is no and they just build to a certain specification/standard, then who's specification/standard do they use and how do they validate their design? If they just build the memory and do not validate it how do they know it will perform?
When we design our MB we follow the chipset makers spec. with regards to memory.
We do validate the memory IC maker's reference designs with our MB to make sure they are up to spec. and if we need to add support for Higher density IC.
Most memory module makers do not follow the IC maker's reference designs so they can use whom ever IC's on their memory Module. There is nothing wrong with this, but the problem is if they deviate from the IC makers reference designs and or even if they use the IC makers reference they should do some level of validation to insure quality.
We are one of the largest MB makers so one would think that if you were making a product you would test your product with the most popular associated products.
Here is a list of memory manufacturers that use our MB's as well as others to do this type of testing and also will post a guarantee that their memory will work in our MB's as well as others. Please check the following websites for compatibility:
www.corsairmicro.com
www.unigen.com
www.smartm.com
www.mushkin.com
Also, here are some setup tips that may help you to set up the system.
Please start by clearing the system c-mos memory following the procedure in your manual. Make sure the power AND the battery on the motherboard is removed before shorting the CLR RTC solder points or jumper pins.
You may need to refer to the "Interrupt Request Table" in your manual and arrange your PCI add-in cards so they do not cause interrupt conflicts. Some devices just do not get along with each other. You may also remove your PCI cards to see if this corrects the problem. If it does, add the cards back one by one to see which card is causing the problem. Anytime you add, move, or remove a PCI card, please enter BIOS setup and set the option "Reset Configuration Data" to "Yes" if your BIOS has this option. This will force the BIOS to reassign resources to your PnP devices.
Next, enter Bios Setup and load setup defaults.
Under Boot, if needed, please set the BOOT order. Then set "Reset Configuration Data" To "YES". Any other changes you need to make for your specific system configuration please do so at this time.
Next, exit "Saving Changes" and this should correct the issue.
Also for Windows 9X or ME, they have some issues with CPU speeds greater than 2.1 GHz (see MS Q312108) or memory above 512 MB total system memory (see MS Q253912). These O.S. cannot cache the memory properly. If your CPU is greater than 2.1 GHz, you will need to contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain a patch to correct this issue.
Here are some links for common memory related problems:
Err Msg: "Out of Memory" Error Messages with Large Amounts of RAM Installed
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q253912
Err Msg: Windows Protection Error in NDIS with a CPU That Is Faster Than 2.1 GHz
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q312108
Err Msg: While Initializing Device NTKERN: Windows Protection...
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q192397
Err Msg: Insufficient Memory to Initialize Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q184447
Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q304943
Computer Speed and Performance May Decrease
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q259161
Err Msg: Not Enough Extended Memory Available to Run Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q311367
Troubleshooting Stop 0x24 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM Error Messages
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q228888


Make sure you have a FRESH install of your OS on THIS motherboard and that the drive was partitioned and formatted on this motherboard. Make sure that you install the most recent drivers in the following order:
1) Chipset/Motherboard drivers (Example, VIA 4 in 1's for VIA chipsets, Intel INF and Application Accelerator for Intel chipsets, Etc.) Do this BEFORE loading any other driver!
2) Latest version of Direct X.
3) Latest Video Card drivers.
4) SCSI/ATA drivers
5) Lan/NIC drivers
6) Modem drivers, then any other drivers
7) Finally, install sound card drivers last.

Also, please check to make sure your power supply can supply enough power to your system.
If the CPU is below 700 MHz, the power supply we suggest as follows:
300 Watts with +5 Volt @ 25 amps, +12 Volt @ 10 amps, and +3.3 Volt @ 14 amps.
If the CPU speed is above 700MHz, the power supply we suggest as follows:
350 Watt with +5V @ 30 amps, +12V @ 12 amps, and +3.3V @ 22 amps.
For Dual Intel MB, Min. P.S. should be:
350 Watt with +5V @ 35 amps, +12V @ 15 amps, and +3.3V @ 22 amps.
For Dual AMD MB, Min. P.S. should be:
400 Watt with +5V @ 38 amps, +12V @ 15 amps, and +3.3V @ 20 amps.
Please note that these are only suggestions and the actual size of the power supply may be higher than we suggest. Also, depending on the config of your system, you may need more power than listed above. For example, running multiple hard drives, CR-Rom drives or other accessories may increase the power requirements of your system!

If that still doesn't work, then please check that the MB is not picking up EMI interference or improperly grounding against the case. Please remove the MB from the case and set it up DIRECTLY on the cardboard box it came in or some other non-static, non-conductive surface like a telephone book. Connect up everything to the MB and see if the problem persists. If this corrects the problem, you will need to electrically isolate the MB from the case. You will need to use electrical tape over the brass stand-offs that support the MB to the case and use the red paper washers between the screw heads and the MB. The red paper washers should have came with your case hardware or they can be purchased at Radio Shack or a computer store. Also double check that a motherboard standoff is NOT placed in a spot where the motherboard is not designed to be grounded, as some cases will have different standoff locations to accommodate different styled of motherboards. Also check that there are no other metal objects that could contact the motherboard or any other electrical device attached to the system, such as a metal burr, loose screw, metal rod, or any other object that could cause a short.
Click to expand...
 
that sure was a nice canned answer you got. Funny that they blame it on everything else you could have in your system and then blame it on heat. I'd like to see them explain why the people with good W/C setups, high quality ram that is on their "compatibility list", and top of the line power supplies also experience the same symptoms.

The droop mod WILL fix your problem with fluctuating voltage. IF you've got the nuts to do it though. I did it on my board, but I'm fairly experienced at soldering and it only took about 5 minutes to solder it on there (took longer to get everything setup to even do the mod!). If you are afraid you may ruin it, then I would suggest against it.

I love Asus, but the experience I had with their P4P800-d series made me get an Abit this time. Next upgrade I do may go to AMD if they keep up their current state of advances.
 
No I'm not going to try that VMod, don't have the sack or the money. Guess I'll stick with what I've got until it all burns up.
 
Major_A said:
No I'm not going to try that VMod, don't have the sack or the money. Guess I'll stick with what I've got until it all burns up.
Click to expand...
LOL.... it won't burn up if that's all it fluctuates. If it were more, then I'd be worried. But what you are experiencing is what EVERY P4P800 (and P4C800 I think) experiences.
 
I wish I would have come across that tid bit of info before I bought the board.
 
I have the P4P800 and the voltage fluctuates between 1.5-1.65 which kind of annoying

I am going to give the motherboard to bro (since his board is dying), I ordered the ABIT "IC7-MAX3" which i expect to arrive tomorrow

but over all motherboard works alright
 
nst6563 said:
that sure was a nice canned answer you got. Funny that they blame it on everything else you could have in your system and then blame it on heat. I'd like to see them explain why the people with good W/C setups, high quality ram that is on their "compatibility list", and top of the line power supplies also experience the same symptoms.

The droop mod WILL fix your problem with fluctuating voltage. IF you've got the nuts to do it though. I did it on my board, but I'm fairly experienced at soldering and it only took about 5 minutes to solder it on there (took longer to get everything setup to even do the mod!). If you are afraid you may ruin it, then I would suggest against it.

I love Asus, but the experience I had with their P4P800-d series made me get an Abit this time. Next upgrade I do may go to AMD if they keep up their current state of advances.
Click to expand...

Hey nst6563, did that droop mod help out your OC any after you got that working? My problem seems to be strictly related to the voltatge fluctuation issue and I feel I could really take it further since it only hits about 40C under load as far as I have it now.
*edit*
Oh yeah, will that same mod work on a P4C800-E Dlx, I figure it will but just want to check.
*edit*
 
blbrchnk said:
Hey nst6563, did that droop mod help out your OC any after you got that working? My problem seems to be strictly related to the voltatge fluctuation issue and I feel I could really take it further since it only hits about 40C under load as far as I have it now.
*edit*
Oh yeah, will that same mod work on a P4C800-E Dlx, I figure it will but just want to check.
*edit*
Click to expand...
not by much. The only way it will help your OC is if you can operate at a certain speed but it crashes under load at that speed. The reason is the voltage drops under heavy cpu load and this is usually what causes the crash.

To be honest, I think I gained 5 stable fsb after doing the droop mod.

As far as working on a P4C800-E Dlx, I think so. If I remember right, the vr that you're performing the mod on is located in a slightly different spot (don't quote me though, I may be thinking of the vddr mod). Do a search on XtremeSystems and you should find all the info you'd ever need on it. That's where I got info for the P4P800 mods (droop and vdimm).
 
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