Gaming mATX board FINALLY!

i got my stuff in yesterday, installed everyhting, board worked, vid card worked, and ram. i have finished my mod to my x-gene mini, put like 3 extra fans where they not suppose to be, yet my temps are hella high for my cpu and some other thing, for some reason my cpu cooler took me a while to get it on, and then my northbridge and southbridge heaksinks are hella loose! my cpu stays at 56c to 70c, and then the acpi goes from any between 65c to 75c. i turned all the fans up, yet nothing really happened. has this happen to anyone yet? maybe the thermal probs on the board are messed up, cus when i touch the heaksink its not hot. my temps before the board wehn all in the 30s to 40s. can anyone help me?
 
Just RMAing mine to Scan in the UK. My CPU temps were under 60 even with load, and I didn't get past 300FSB.

Board will not Post now. I noticed the NB running very hot (heatsink) to touch. Wonder if it's just too hot?
 
adixon said:
Hi Steeeeve ... just curious ...

I noticed that the page about this board in your store mentions you talking to abit ... did you get there current position on these issues or any other assurances that you can share with us. You don't sound very reassured in any case.

I would understand if you feel this is confidential info.
Click to expand...

Well, they wouldn't be telling me not to sell them but they did offer to explore the issue with Matt (Dillusion) so that's not a bad thing.

I'm still uneasy but some people emailed me wanting the board so I will comply :)
 
xkon said:
woohoo! 3rd board went the way of the first. finishes loading windows and then shuts off. doesnt matter what cpu is in there, what psu i use, what hdd, which keyboard, blah. safe mode does the same thing. booting from windows cd does the same thing. just stopped working correctly. dang... i want this board to be awesome so badly. lol. yaye! another drive to fry's! ;p
hope there's something worthwhile there so i can splurge....
Click to expand...

Are you using a fanles cpu cooler?
 
Just setup mine last night... so far so good (crosses fingers)...

Thanks Steve and SFFStore for helping me though my own mistakes!!!

BUILD:
Vista 64 Business edition
Intel C2D 6600 (running stock)
Silverstone NT06 Lite CPU cooler
4GB (4 x 1GB) Geil 6400 RAM (running at 5-5-5-12, rated 4-4-4-12)
eVGA 8800GTS 640mb overclocked edition
Creative X-FI extreme gamer
Silverstone 500w PSU (shortcable edition)
Silverstone SUGO Evo Black

I have only installed the OS and drivers... seems ok so far.

The only problem I have had is with the Creative card and the 4GB RAM.

Without the X-FI installed the BIOS reported 3899mb of RAM (is that even righ???), once I installed the card it went down to 3499mb. Vista reported a similar drop 3.75GB to 3.5GB.

After reading apparently this is a common issue, one which a BIOS option called Memory hole will resolve... but the F-i90HD doesn't have it yet, so hoping for a update.
 
I would say it's most likely that the heatsink isn't mounted properly or you didn't apply the thermal paste correctly. I'd try mounting it again, cleaning off and reapplying paste and see if it's fixed. My E4300 is idling at 34C with the stock cooler (and stock clock speed).

The board's still running fine for me with everything at stock settings. I'm not sure if I want to press my luck with overclocking and adjusting the memory settings until further word on whether a new BIOS is needed. I've been wondering if there's some sort of connection between the memory and dead boards. It seems like most dead boards had OCZ memory... I've got Corsair XMS2.

I'm still annoyed that they'd put capacitors right near the back of the PCI slot. I think I'm gonna replace my PCI tuner card with a PCI Express one rather than replace the board, but there are a bunch of cards that aren't going to fit because of that. Basically, anything with an input/output near the bottom of the card that has a big enough box hanging at the bottom. Did they not test the slot?

ATI needs to fix their Vista drivers too. I've got major underscan at 1080p. Black area wasted all around the edges. I'll probably pick up an 8800GTS soon anyway so I've got something that can handle newer games.
 
woohooo! finally decided to return the darn thing. i'll wait for something better.... if anything better comes out. besides... price slashes coming. ;p
 
thanks blaster i will do that right, and come back. but is anyone have loose heatsink on there nb and sb? should i reseat them and put articsilver on it?
 
ok it worked, yet i think i didnt put enough articsilver on it, its at 43c right now, pretty good but hotter than it has ever been, but works, i dont wanna redo it again cus my cooler sucks, the things are breaking. but once i buy a new heatsink(comin ur way steeeeve) i will. oh steeve did u get my email?
 
No news from Dillusion with his eprom PLCC replacement!
For my concern, I have received my second board..
 
BUFF said:
there's a 12B01 BIOS dated 13/04 on abit USA forums for anybody feeling adventurous ...

http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?t=122393
Click to expand...

The readme is:

Release BIOS M612A_12.B01: The bios is Beta stage.
1. Fixing "Onboard LAN Controller" failure
2. Added the multiplier function
3. Fixing "AC Power Loss" failure
4. Fixing "FAN Failed shutdown" failure
5. Added "FAN Fail Alarm Selectable" item
6. Removed CPU L3 Cache item
7. Fixing IRQ sharing issue
8. Fixing S3 resume issue

I wonder what exactly is #3?

Looking in the BIOS I see it is dated March 19.

Sad they have not unlocked SYNC under DRAM Spec. CPU:DRAM. It not even harmful so I wonder why they don't let us use it.
 
grrr... interesting bios. maybe i'll go buy another board tomorrow. lol. why does abit hate me? i prayed for them everyday the last few years. ;p it's what i get for not supporting them as a customer though. doh!
 
can anyone tell me if i void the warranty by putting an aftermarket cooler on the NB???

i asked this before but i dont thing anyone responded... the answer before was "just put the old one back on" <-- is that true? or what? i dont want to do especially with boards dieing all the time and be SOL
 
atherton213 said:
can anyone tell me if i void the warranty by putting an aftermarket cooler on the NB???

i asked this before but i dont thing anyone responded... the answer before was "just put the old one back on" <-- is that true? or what? i dont want to do especially with boards dieing all the time and be SOL
Click to expand...
by any chance is the stock heatsinks loose on yours? and i doubt it will void it, cus i mean everyone does it! and it aint gonna do nofin
 
lillimon04 said:
by any chance is the stock heatsinks loose on yours? and i doubt it will void it, cus i mean everyone does it! and it aint gonna do nofin
Click to expand...

its not loose... but it does move slightly (im just thinking its the paste that lets it move)

aftermarket one would be better right? im going to use onboard gfx for a little while... im waiting for R600 to see what ATI offers vs Nvidia... i terms of price + perfomance
 
atherton213 said:
its not loose... but it does move slightly (im just thinking its the paste that lets it move)

aftermarket one would be better right? im going to use onboard gfx for a little while... im waiting for R600 to see what ATI offers vs Nvidia... i terms of price + perfomance
Click to expand...

man mine moves too, stupid paste and crappy support holder things probly. ya get an aftermarket one, and u might be able to overclock the gpu a lil! tell me how it goes
 
lillimon04 said:
man mine moves too, stupid paste and crappy support holder things probly. ya get an aftermarket one, and u might be able to overclock the gpu a lil! tell me how it goes
Click to expand...

will do... might be a few weeks before its up and running im waiting for intel to price cut :)

also... there is Gskill memory on newegg... its like $129 for 2gb DDR2 800... decent? or shoild i spend a little more for something better iff so recomend me some... not too expensive
 
lillimon04 said:
man mine moves too, stupid paste and crappy support holder things probly. ya get an aftermarket one, and u might be able to overclock the gpu a lil! tell me how it goes
Click to expand...

they use a plastic looking thermal pad thing... saw it when i put an hr05 on.

atherton213 said:
will do... might be a few weeks before its up and running im waiting for intel to price cut :)

also... there is Gskill memory on newegg... its like $129 for 2gb DDR2 800... decent? or shoild i spend a little more for something better iff so recomend me some... not too expensive
Click to expand...

i dont remember hearin much good stuff bout the gskill stuff... it's the red one right? the wintec ampo stuff is pretty good. the 667 can oc to 800, and the 800 if it's still using the same ic's as the thg roundup had is even better.
wow
 
how do u take the nb heatsinks off? i want to apply acrtic silver to them, yet have never taken a heatsink off a vid card or nb
 
lillimon04 said:
why would u wait for the proce cut? dont u already have a e4300?

get these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609219 only 98 bucks!! i got the 1 gig version and its great!!! and fast!
Click to expand...
dont want to get too far off topic...

i dont have the 4300 yet, my sig has parts i have and dont have but plan on getting
ive got so far the LianLi PC-A05b, mobo, DVD burner, and Segate 320gb 7200.10 hard drive, im still debating on what PSU.... im thinking the Corsair 620w instead of the 520w...
for future R600 w/ this board

i kinda want DDR2 800 the gskill seems a good price and some decent ram... and it matches :)

and im really i no rush to finish this system so i can wait 2 weeks for the price cuts

the current rig i have is more than enough for what ive been doing latley... C&C3 and some WoW

back on topic

i think ill just be extra carefull in removing the northbridge cooler so if i do have to put it back on for RMA it will be easy... do you think even fan less those aftermarket ones will be a lot better then stock?
 
xkon said:
they use a plastic looking thermal pad thing... saw it when i put an hr05 on.



i dont remember hearin much good stuff bout the gskill stuff... it's the red one right? the wintec ampo stuff is pretty good. the 667 can oc to 800, and the 800 if it's still using the same ic's as the thg roundup had is even better.
wow
Click to expand...

thanks for the link... let me ask you this though... would you buy this stuff? or spend more for... say the corsair stuff?
 
me? i bought the STT rigid stuff a few weeks ago. i'm using it right now. havent pushed it yet. i'd rather go for wintec (for some reason i'm attracted to it), firestix, pny 5300, or patriot extreme 4-4-4-12. (maybe gskill hz 4-4-4-12 6400) if i had to choose another kit under $150 to buy right now though, i'd go for the wintec ampo 6400. although the pny looks very tempting too. :D i've never been a big fan of corsair for some reason... ocz aint all that anymore... and mushkin just cotsts too much
 
I can't beleive how low ram prices have fallen in the last month or so. I paid over $250.00 for some Crucial 10th Anniversary ram with D9's and now I wish I had waited. I am so tempted to buy 2GB of the ram listed above for $100.00 and sell mine on fleabay. Most Intel setups don't need the the best ram to get a good overclock. With the I90-HD the ceiling for OCing right now is about 374fsb, so no matter how good your ram is that it the top. I have used Crucial, Mushkin, OCZ, Corsair, and Buffalo ram in the past and they all performed satisfactorily. Mushkin and OCZ replaced some ram that went bad, but they required me to send the old ram back and it took a couple of weeks to get the replacement back. However, when I had some Crucial ram go out on me, they sent me some more after I called them. They didn't even ask for the old ram back. Now that is service. My main criteria when purchasing hardware is the quality of service that the company will provide if something goes wrong. I push my hardware to its limits and chances are that sometime in the future something is going to fail. It has happened to me several times and each time I have had the hardware replaced with no problems because I purchased the hardware from a company that backs up their product. Any company can say they have a lifetime warranty when they sell a product. However, that doesn't mean much when you need to replace a product and they ignore you or its takes months to get a replacement. That's why although I would like to get some of the Super Talent or Wintec Ampo ram, I have no idea if the company will back it up if it fails. If someone has gone through the RMA process with either company can you tell me if their support is any good?
 
Borocay said:
I can't beleive how low ram prices have fallen in the last month or so. I paid over $250.00 for some Crucial 10th Anniversary ram with D9's and now I wish I had waited. I am so tempted to buy 2GB of the ram listed above for $100.00 and sell mine on fleabay. Most Intel setups don't need the the best ram to get a good overclock. With the I90-HD the ceiling for OCing right now is about 374fsb, so no matter how good your ram is that it the top. I have used Crucial, Mushkin, OCZ, Corsair, and Buffalo ram in the past and they all performed satisfactorily. Mushkin and OCZ replaced some ram that went bad, but they required me to send the old ram back and it took a couple of weeks to get the replacement back. However, when I had some Crucial ram go out on me, they sent me some more after I called them. They didn't even ask for the old ram back. Now that is service. My main criteria when purchasing hardware is the quality of service that the company will provide if something goes wrong. I push my hardware to its limits and chances are that sometime in the future something is going to fail. It has happened to me several times and each time I have had the hardware replaced with no problems because I purchased the hardware from a company that backs up their product. Any company can say they have a lifetime warranty when they sell a product. However, that doesn't mean much when you need to replace a product and they ignore you or its takes months to get a replacement. That's why although I would like to get some of the Super Talent or Wintec Ampo ram, I have no idea if the company will back it up if it fails. If someone has gone through the RMA process with either company can you tell me if their support is any good?
Click to expand...

Right thats how i feel... I too like to pay for good service too (and usaully a good product that doesnt need service) so i mean i dont mind paying a little more for something that is a good product with a good company behind it...

im going to look into the Wintec Ampro more cause at that price ill pick up 4gb

EDIT: Wintec offer a lifetime warranty as well.... http://www.wintecind.com/Orderdesk/sf/wintec/help/rma.html

another off topic... when the r600 schedualed for release (a rough estimated date)

BACK ON TOPIC

hows everyone's boards running? anyone running OC'ed w/ onboard graphics since day one without an issue?
 
I'm not OC'ed, but I'm still running fine. I was part of the second wave of SFFStore's boards.

Though I'm not using onboard video anymore. No reason I quit besides I just wanted to install a video card.
 
I've been runing a 6600 in mine for a few weeks now. System is overclocked to 367FSB with EIST enabled, first modded bis, etc etc. Also been running it 24/7 like this for over a week, Still no failures. I'm gonna move the 4300 back into it set it to 334FSB and turn the EIST off. My board came from Fry's & I've picked up a second.:)
 
atherton213 said:
dont want to get too far off topic...

i dont have the 4300 yet, my sig has parts i have and dont have but plan on getting
ive got so far the LianLi PC-A05b, mobo, DVD burner, and Segate 320gb 7200.10 hard drive, im still debating on what PSU.... im thinking the Corsair 620w instead of the 520w...
for future R600 w/ this board
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why you need more than a 430W power supply based on the parts you're gonna have. I'd guess that 380W would be fine unless you're going to stick two of them in there. You're not going to be loading a bigger supply enough, so it'll just waste energy and generate excess heat -- and it costs more to begin with.

A good read on power supply sizing:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article28-page4.html

Using the 600W PSU with this system is an example of incorrect, costly PSU sizing. It is practised most frequently by gaming enthsiasts who are encouraged to believe that greater power capacity is always better. Whether 480W, 550W or >600W PSUs are suitable for system that cannot possibly draw even 250W is a type of question asked almost daily in the SPCR Forums.
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A little off-topic, but I'm getting tired of people buying into the super large power supply nonsense.
 
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