Intel DX38BT is out!

Wow... Today has been a flood of X38 retail releases... amazing.

Looks good,but only supports DDR3
Click to expand...
Yeah, I dont know whats up with that mother board. It says:
"Memory Expansion
The DX38BT provides 4 DIMM sockets using Dual Channel 240-pin DDR2 with a total capacity of up to 8GB-64bit. You can install DDR3 800/1066/1333MHz Memory."
and
" Intel® X38 Chipset
The Intel® X38 Express Chipset is the latest chipset designed to support the next generation 45nm CPU in high-end desktop and workstation platform; and up to 8GB of dual-channel DDR3 1066/800 MHz or DDR2 800/667 MHz memory architecture. It also supports 1333/1066/800 FSB (Front Side Bus), fully dual PCI Express x16 graphics and multi-core CPUs."

Yet the other spec on the same website only lists:
" Memory Supported: ECC
non-ECC
Dual Channel Supported
800MHz DDR3
1066MHz DDR3
1333MHz DDR3"

But Intel's own website only mentions DDR3... but who knows?
 
Building an abit ix38 for my brother in law.

I wanted to get the Intel variant, but couldn't imagine spending that much on RAM and for a minimal performance increase at that.
 
well one thing about going for this intel board is that it only supports ddr3

so who ever is buying you would think they are also prepared to pay the price for ddr3

i must admit 4gb is nice, but at $800+. 2gb itself is around $380

there isnt much gain between 4gb and 2gb ddr3 imo. in any case the price is not justified as yet.
 
If you look around you can find 2gb of ddr3 for $200ish...not too bad, essentially the same price as high end ddr2.
 
most people prefer to buy quality brands. the cheaper ones are about 200 however ocz, corsair are much more expensive
 
I got my Intel DX last Friday. It replaced the Asus Maximus Formula, which was a nightmare. I use Corsair XMS3 1333 and a QX6850 with it. The board is awesome, but yes the memory is expensive.

One issue at this point is that the board only seems to clock the memory at the SPD programmed timings max. In other words, the memory is advertised as 1333 @ 9-9-9-24. The SPD on the chip is only programmed to 7-7-7-20 @ 1066, and even though the bios allows you to change the timings, they stay "stuck", at the SPD default. It seems that there must be a bios issue, and I will have to contact Intel this week, because there is so little info out on this board.

Compared to the Asus nightmare, the cost of the DDR3 was well worth it.
 
Randy2 said:
I got my Intel DX last Friday. It replaced the Asus Maximus Formula, which was a nightmare. I use Corsair XMS3 1333 and a QX6850 with it. The board is awesome, but yes the memory is expensive.

One issue at this point is that the board only seems to clock the memory at the SPD programmed timings max. In other words, the memory is advertised as 1333 @ 9-9-9-24. The SPD on the chip is only programmed to 7-7-7-20 @ 1066, and even though the bios allows you to change the timings, they stay "stuck", at the SPD default. It seems that there must be a bios issue, and I will have to contact Intel this week, because there is so little info out on this board.

Compared to the Asus nightmare, the cost of the DDR3 was well worth it.
Click to expand...

where did you get your board @? and also is your memory XMP Cert? :confused:
 
One issue at this point is that the board only seems to clock the memory at the SPD programmed timings max. In other words, the memory is advertised as 1333 @ 9-9-9-24. The SPD on the chip is only programmed to 7-7-7-20 @ 1066, and even though the bios allows you to change the timings, they stay "stuck", at the SPD default. It seems that there must be a bios issue, and I will have to contact Intel this week, because there is so little info out on this board.
Click to expand...

I'll bet anything that it's got something along the lines of watchdog from the badaxe series. If so, there is a pin set on the board that is marked bios config...move the jumper to close it, boot into the bios and it should have a new section with settings for watchdog, disable, shutdown, move the jumper back, reboot and o/c all you want. Took me forever to find that info...it's not in the book, intel techs won't volunteer the info and nobody on the forums seems to want to bother putting the instructions up on it.

I may be wrong but, hopefully that will work...I'm trading my formula in for one as soon as newegg gets them in.
 
Went in to the bios with the config jumper on, and the watchdog was already disabled. So, I enabled it, but I still can't find a Windows utility to check the speed. Intel's own Desktop utilities says 1066, but it also says it's DDR2 ?

gs274 said:
I'll bet anything that it's got something along the lines of watchdog from the badaxe series. If so, there is a pin set on the board that is marked bios config...move the jumper to close it, boot into the bios and it should have a new section with settings for watchdog, disable, shutdown, move the jumper back, reboot and o/c all you want. Took me forever to find that info...it's not in the book, intel techs won't volunteer the info and nobody on the forums seems to want to bother putting the instructions up on it.

I may be wrong but, hopefully that will work...I'm trading my formula in for one as soon as newegg gets them in.
Click to expand...
 
Update: Doesn't seem to make a difference, still stuck @ 1066.

Randy2 said:
Went in to the bios with the config jumper on, and the watchdog was already disabled. So, I enabled it, but I still can't find a Windows utility to check the speed. Intel's own Desktop utilities says 1066, but it also says it's DDR2 ?
Click to expand...
 
odd, did you flash to the newest bios from the intel site? and you want the watchdog disabled.
 
gs274 said:
odd, did you flash to the newest bios from the intel site? and you want the watchdog disabled.
Click to expand...

Yes it has the newest bios. I am starting to wonder if the reason it won't hold the settings is that memory needs more voltage to run at the 9-9-9-24, and goes back to the SPD automatically. I think I will wait to talk to Corsair before jacking the voltages up though.
 
WhiteZero said:
Wow... Today has been a flood of X38 retail releases... amazing.


Yeah, I dont know whats up with that mother board. It says:
"Memory Expansion
The DX38BT provides 4 DIMM sockets using Dual Channel 240-pin DDR2 with a total capacity of up to 8GB-64bit. You can install DDR3 800/1066/1333MHz Memory."
and
" Intel® X38 Chipset
The Intel® X38 Express Chipset is the latest chipset designed to support the next generation 45nm CPU in high-end desktop and workstation platform; and up to 8GB of dual-channel DDR3 1066/800 MHz or DDR2 800/667 MHz memory architecture. It also supports 1333/1066/800 FSB (Front Side Bus), fully dual PCI Express x16 graphics and multi-core CPUs."

Yet the other spec on the same website only lists:
" Memory Supported: ECC
non-ECC
Dual Channel Supported
800MHz DDR3
1066MHz DDR3
1333MHz DDR3"

But Intel's own website only mentions DDR3... but who knows?
Click to expand...

It's a DDR3 mem only! I have 4 of these boards sitting at home..... :)

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/dx38bt/sb/CS-028330.htm
 
Randy, did you ever get your memory to run at 1333? I just got a good deal on the DX38BT and some Corsair XMS3 advertised as 1333 and hope I don't have the same problem.

Side note, I read on another review site that this board simply won't run 1666 because Intel wants to reserve that for X48. So I'm wondering if Jason's $900 of ram is even running at the advertised speed ;)
 
Yes I did. The bios's since my post here are greatly improved since the first 3 or 4. Check out the Xtremesystems Official DX38BT thread in Intel hardware section.



mryerse said:
Randy, did you ever get your memory to run at 1333? I just got a good deal on the DX38BT and some Corsair XMS3 advertised as 1333 and hope I don't have the same problem.

Side note, I read on another review site that this board simply won't run 1666 because Intel wants to reserve that for X48. So I'm wondering if Jason's $900 of ram is even running at the advertised speed ;)
Click to expand...
 
Randy2 said:
Yes I did. The bios's since my post here are greatly improved since the first 3 or 4. Check out the Xtremesystems Official DX38BT thread in Intel hardware section.
Click to expand...

That thread is also good for the Intel DX48BT2 as it's the same motherboard with the DX48 chipset dropped onto it. Same BIOS even.

In any case, I'm also enjoying my Intel MB. The DX48BT2 that is.
 
Indeed, 1600 is supposedly available to the X38BT as well. However, I can't get my RAM there for anything.
 
I got mine running at 333x9, 1333 with a q6600. I know it's not much, but I'm happy to get 3Ghz out of a 2.4. I remember the days when 200Mhz was a lot.

I'd like to get 3.2-3.4. Need to find a stable config. Tried 366x9 @ 1464 but it wouldn't boot. Maybe needs more volts, or maybe this memory can't handle it.
 
I got 200MHz out of my P3-500 for 700MHz - a 40% OC, back in the day. I'd love to get 40% out of my C2Qs, but haven't been able to yet.

The BTs have had some trouble with RAM. Stay up on the XS thread, and you may be able to wring some extra out of them.
 
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