Socket AM2 Club!

Ockie said:
There is a voltage issue with the memory using certain memory modules... are you using OCZ memory?
Click to expand...

I just found this out for myself. Installed new MSI K9N mb with OCZ DDR2 800. Wouldn't POST for the life of me...

Found out that the BIOS chip only supports 1.8V so MSI is shipping me a new BIOS chip that will support my higher RAM voltage (1.9V).

Also, with OCZ you need to install only one dimm and then increase voltage to cover two or more dimm slots.
 
I ordered the Foxconn 590SLI board, a (edit) Athlon 64 (/edit) 3000+, an XFX 7900GT and 2x1GB of G.Skill 6400 2gbhz 4-4-4-12 all a couple weeks ago. Got them in last Monday.

Ram wouldn't post in this computer. Talked to Foxconn and G.Skill. G.Skill rep said he needed to reprogram the RAM to work...said he hadn't gotten the info from Nvidia until the previous week. I overnighted (at my cost :-/) the RAM to him, he overnighted it back (their cost). They would have paid shipping both ways, but I wanted it faster. Ram is rated to run 2.1, 2.2V. The G.Skill rep tested it and said it ran fine at 2.2V 4-4-4-12 at 1000mhz, so I would recommend the RAM.

Right now the system's up and running, 9x300 no problem. CPU is at 1.4V I believe, ram at 2.2V CPU/6, 900mhz, 4-4-4-12 2T. G.Skill rep suggests I can run 4-4-3-5 at 900mhz and I may give it a try.

This is even using the shoddy stock 3000+ cooler. I'll upgrade when dual core prices drop. Temps under load are mid to high 40's C.

(edit)
For those of you with POST trouble, it seems like the G.Skill rep pretty much confirmed that a lot of the DDR2 in the channel doesn't have the SPD programmed correctly to work with AM2, I'm not sure if its voltage or what. All I had to do to get my G.Skill RMA reprogrammed ram to run at 900mhz solid was change the bios to force 2T
(/edit)
 
Update, got the board to post, the cable for my twelve volt was fucked :mad: now to install Windows and get the OCing going, I'll post results later (gotta test with the G. Skill RAM aswell, atm using the corsair RAM)
 
Whew! Ordered a 4200+ AM2 from Monarch. They weren't expected to receive the processors in before 05/30. They informed me that they would not be getting anymore retail box 4200+ AM2's because amd is discontinuing them??? I know right?

Anyways, they had some OEM's available and they offered to send me an OEM with a Thermaltake heatsink/fan an their 3 yr warranty. They also upgraded my shipping at not extra charge.

Monarch FTW!
 
bafoooon18 said:
Whew! Ordered a 4200+ AM2 from Monarch. They weren't expected to receive the processors in before 05/30. They informed me that they would not be getting anymore retail box 4200+ AM2's because amd is discontinuing them??? I know right?

Anyways, they had some OEM's available and they offered to send me an OEM with a Thermaltake heatsink/fan an their 3 yr warranty. They also upgraded my shipping at not extra charge.

Monarch FTW!
Click to expand...

Retail 4000+ maybe but not the 4200+

Here is my best OC Results with the Sempy 3000+ BTW:

suppi_2204.JPG


After 2.2Ghz I get shit all over by HTT problems, and this POS motherboard has problems rebooting if you overclock it in the bios. Highest I can get it to boot (due to the bios being shotty) is 1.84Ghz
 
tip to all msi k9n board users

Memory needs to go side by side (on either chA or chB)
K9n`s will use ddr2 800 ram. you just have to overclock it from 667 :rolleyes:
 
Hey all

Reading through the "club" here. I am researching getting an am2 system. All reviews I've read so far on boards does not sound good, mostly DOA's, bad bios chips, no boots, etc. Just about any problem one can imagine.

My question is what board is everyone using and how they like it and will the boards get better. I'm lookin to build an htpc with it, so a sempron 64 will do for now and i'm leaning towards a micro atx board for a sleek look for the family room. I might upgrade it later on for a main system depending on performance.

akhenaton22
 
I put together an AM2 Athlon 3200 system for a friend recently with some great results.

I used a Gigabyte M55Plus-S3G board which uses the nForce 430 / 6100 chipset. I also used some low $$$$ DDR2-667 Crucial memory with rated timings of CL5-5-5-15. This nothing special system overclocked like crazy.

Here's how it did wide open but not Prime stable:

am232000cn.png


I decided to drop it back a notch and tighten up the memory timings a little bit before trying for a nice long Prime run:

prime28090au.jpg


CPU-Z 1.34.1 doesn't properly recognize this processor but the numbers speak for themselves.

Another option would be to use a Gigabyte board that uses either the 570 or 590 chipset but the board I used was very flexible and stable for a budget board.

http://www.ocworkbench.com/2006/gigabyte/GA-M57SLI-S4/b8.htm

There are not a lot of memory divider options with AM2 boards so I'd recommend using DDR2-800 memory. I was able to overclock well with the 667 memory but I was forced to use the DDR400 divider at these speeds which really killed memory bandwidth and performance.

The cheap AMD heatsink and fan was more than adequate and was extremely quiet even at full load. No complaints at this price point. A great budget system and when you have more money you can invest in a decent graphics card and maybe even an extra hard drive for RAID0. Highly recommended.
 
You got it to go 1T? Wow. Also it is reading it correctly, you have X2 chip with a disabled core.
 
The generic Crucial memory I used seemed very flexible for timings. It could run at CL3,4 or 5 and even ran at DDR-800 but when overclocking I had to drop the speed down. The budget Gigabyte board also allowed memory voltages from 1.8 v to 2.35 v but I never went beyond 2.2 v. I didn't seem to gain much with this memory beyond about 2.0 volts but I didn't have enough time to really test it.

Best overall system performance with this memory might have been at around 2600 MHz where I could still use the DDR533 memory divider. The Athlon 3200 uses a divider of 8 at this speed so 2600 MHz / 8 = 325 MHz or DDR 650. My DDR2-667 memory liked that speed with CL4 timings and actually scored 100 points more in 3DMark2001 at 2600 MHz compared to 2809 MHz. That's why I recommend DDR2-800. That will give a person more flexibility and they will be able to use the DDR533 divider for some added performance.

2809 MHz:
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=8998514

2600 MHz:
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=8997783

The integrated graphics are crap but I guess they'd be usable for older games until you can afford something better. I'm interested in getting some of the high end Crucial Ballistix series next time to see what it can do.

I've used a Gigabyte K8NS-Pro board since last year that overclocked my Sempron64 2600 from 1600 MHz to 2600+ MHz but it always had a few issues and occasionally locks up in the BIOS when it gets hot. I'm much more impressed with their AM2 offerings and it was a trouble free overclocking experience. It actually warns you now when you're settings are getting out of hand and lets you go back into the BIOS to make corrections. Looks like they're finally listening to the enthusiast community.

The only problem is that AM2 isn't faster than what was available last summer from AMD unless you're willing to buy DDR2-800 or better. Here's how my old Sempron runs:

sempron26183iz.png
 
I have a question for the X2 owners here, the stock heatsink that comes with the 3800+/4200+ is it the heat pipe cooler?

Thanks
 
Do me a favor and update your CPUZ so we can verify you have a AM2 processor.

All X2 processors come withthe heatpipe heatsink
 
It is definitely an AM2 processor. You can't run DDR2 memory on the older Athlon64 series of processors.

Part number is ADA3200CNBOX and AMD is finally listing these things on their website.
http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop/details.aspx?opn=ADA3200IAA4CN

They are selling for about $115 here in Canada ( about $100 US ) and are a much better deal than the new Sempron AM2 single core processors.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/index....dProductDetail.php&DisplayProductID=8214&SID=

Version 1.34.1 is the latest version of CPU-Z. It should show this processor as an Orleans core but it thinks it is a X2 Windsor core. With some more info just coming out for these processors I'm sure CPU-Z will be updated in the near future.
 
unclewebb said:
With a 10X multi this is a great processor. When overclocked to 2800+ MHz, with some decent memory, it should be the equal of an FX-62 in single core apps like most games.[/url]
Click to expand...

It will be somewhat close but the A64 at 2.8Ghz is still going to be slower because the FX-62 has more L2 cache and its dual core so even if a game is single core you will have more processing power for the game because background services and applications wont be eating into your single core your gaming on. The FX series also have better memory controllers and stuff so they are usually just very slightly faster then X2's clocked at the same speed. But of course the FX-62 is stupidly priced so you'd have to have more money then brains to buy one for the 1% performance gain.
 
Some ram requires higher voltage then stock settings in bios. Do you think voltage may be the issue?
 
Leon2ky said:
AM2? Jeez that sucks :(
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Yep, and that was pretty much what I thought after opening the package. Sooo glad I broke down and got that Zalman :)
 
In the process of building an AM2 for my brother.. then I'm building one for myself right after. Here's what I have for him so far...

-Raidmax case (35 bux at Microcenter, couldn't pass it)
-Aerocool Coolwatch front panel device
-AMD X2 3800+ (AM2)
-MSI K9N SLi motherboard
-2GB OCZ DDR2-800 (EL Platinum XTC 4-5-4-15)
-74GB 16mb cache 10K Raptor SATA
-Sony 16x DVD-RW
-(2) 120mm fans (red LED)
-(2) 80mm fans (red LED, one bottom custom cut and one on window)
-XFX 7900GT OC ordered..
-Hiper 580w ordered..

IMG_0167.jpg


IMG_0181.jpg
 
Leon2ky said:
Do me a favor and update your CPUZ so we can verify you have a AM2 processor.

All X2 processors come withthe heatpipe heatsink
Click to expand...

Not true, I just built an AM2 X2 4200+ system and it did not have the heatpipe cooler.
 
Just got an interesting processor off of ebay for $72 bucks. It's a new Athlon64 3000 with a Venice core for socket 754. It uses a 10X multi and has 512K of L2 cache just like the new AM2 Athlon64 3200. It overclocks very well but the AM2 was Prime stable at 2809 MHz while the Venice processor was only Prime stable up to 2704 MHz. The Venice was stable enough though at 2801 MHz to run 1M of SuperPi for a good comparison with AM2.

AM2 Athlon64 3200+ at 2809 MHz vs Antique s754 Athlon 3000 at 2801 MHz.

athlon7548fw.png


The winner is: socket 754. A single core AM2 needs DDR2-800 to compete with s754.
 
Come on over here
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=911035&page=138&pp=20
to check out how my new s754 3400+ Venice is doing...
I'm was running the s754 3200+ Venice (see sig) and I also have the 3000+. My 3000+ could only get to 2.65 so its good to see one going to 2.8.
This 3400+ Venice will do 255x11 or 230x12. I'm running 230x12 ATM because that cpu freq allows me to run my ram at the DDR500 (Abit NV8 mobo), divider at 2.5-3-3-8 2T (1T won't boot), HTT 3x. I'll post the new sig specs shortly. The 3400+ Venice is available as an OEM chip from StarMicro for $99.
 
The ASUS M2NPV-VM looks like a good mATX board and would be perfect if you're looking to build a HTPC. It includes a card for 720P or 1080i output.

http://usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=101&l3=0&model=1138&modelmenu=1

Looks like a quality ASUS board and newegg has them at a great price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131014

I was disappointed with their s754 mATX board because it could only be overclocked between 200 and 240 in the BIOS. The s754 board was good to over 300 MHz but I had to use ClockGen to get there. This new one is adjustable between 200 and 400 in the BIOS. Good work ASUS.

There's no shortage of good AM2 boards available. Just need to find some cheap DDR2-800 memory to build a winner.
 
Yeah the boards just seem to be finicky with memory. I was having trouble with my corsair XMS 5400 after I manually set the voltage to the specified 1.9v on my Asus M2N-Premium it stopped BSODing on install. However, it would randomly crash and lock up in games so I upped the voltage to 1.95 and haven't had a problem since.**knock on wood** Overall I'm very happy with it.
 
ThatsAgood1jay said:
tip to all msi k9n board users

Memory needs to go side by side (on either chA or chB)
K9n`s will use ddr2 800 ram. you just have to overclock it from 667 :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
really?

the bios tells me i'm in dual channel with one ram stick in each. i guess i have to try the other way now that i'm back from vacation :p

edit: bandwidth agrees. the channel labels are correct. put a stick in both channel A and channel B for dual channel, not both in the same channel ;)
 
ThatsAgood1jay said:
tip to all msi k9n board users

Memory needs to go side by side (on either chA or chB)
K9n`s will use ddr2 800 ram. you just have to overclock it from 667 :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
uh, how so? I have the motherboard manual right here, and it says to put one in each slot for dual channel. Either in 1&3 or 2&4. It also says it supports DDR2-800 without the need to overclock... :confused: Oh well, we'll see when I get the power supply and grfx card on mon/tue and I power the thing up to load an OS on it.
 
wiretap said:
uh, how so? I have the motherboard manual right here, and it says to put one in each slot for dual channel. Either in 1&3 or 2&4. It also says it supports DDR2-800 without the need to overclock... :confused: Oh well, we'll see when I get the power supply and grfx card on mon/tue and I power the thing up to load an OS on it.
Click to expand...
with the k8n neo's, the manual was wrong, said 1+3 or 2+4 was dual channel, when 1+2 and 3+4 actually ws. msi has fixed this problem :p
 
Oh, I was talking about the current MSI K9N Platinum SLI 570 mobo.. The memory modules need to go in 1&3 or 2&4 for dual channel. One in green, and one in orange.

The DIMM module slots' color coordination is not correct for dual channel setup based upon the premise of utilizing the same colors for each memory bank. In other words, you will need to install one DIMM in an orange slot and one in a green slot for dual channel operation. The memory modules are slightly difficult to install with a full size video card placed in the first PCI Express X16 slot. The single NVIDIA IDE port connector is color coded yellow and located behind the 24-pin ATX power connector. The floppy drive connector is color coded black while being positioned along the upper board edge and below the memory slots.
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2773&p=5
Click to expand...
msifront.jpg
 
wiretap said:
Oh, I was talking about the current MSI K9N Platinum SLI 570 mobo.. The memory modules need to go in 1&3 or 2&4 for dual channel. One in green, and one in orange.


msifront.jpg
Click to expand...
i know, i was talking about thge msi k9n's too ;)
 
i know. i own a k9n sli. but mine wont work with my memory in cha and chb.




Oooooooooooooooooooooookkkkk ok. i was wondering why my cpuz was picking up my memory in single channel. i took out my memory and put it back in in the dual channel setup. and at first it wouldnet post. so then i gwent into bios. and then disabled all AUTO TIMING features and now it works in dual channel :D <- so happy
 
Well, I just got a 4200+ X2 -- pic to come shortly.

EDIT: I was too impatient and I already got the processor in my system... But I did take a pic of my box -- that count? :p
 
obiwansotti said:
Not true, I just built an AM2 X2 4200+ system and it did not have the heatpipe cooler.
Click to expand...

You're correct. My X2 3800+ never came with the heatpipe cooler.
 
sceevey said:
You're correct. My X2 3800+ never came with the heatpipe cooler.
Click to expand...

My Windsor 4200+ X2 came with the same exact HSF that came with my Newcastle 3000+ in 2004.. No heatpipe here either.
 
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