*** The UnOfficial [H]ard ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Thread ***

EnderW

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*** The Official [H]ard ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Thread ***



This thread is for the new ASUS A8N-SLI Premium motherboard. It's a new version of the A8N-SLI Deluxe, which was the first SLI board released.

Currently, it isn't listed on ASUS's MotherBoard Index nor does it show up if you do a product search for the word "premium."

However, a little comparison between the URLs for the Premium edition Intel boards, and the regular A8N-SLI Deluxe, led me to try:
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket939/a8nsli-p/overview.htm :D

Not sure why ASUS hasn't linked to this on their site, since the board has been released and is clearly listed on the Support section of the site under Downloads (search for "premium")
http://www.asus.com/support/support.aspx

And the manual is available in pdf format here.


So, how is this board different from the A8N-SLI Deluxe? The biggest differences are:
  1. AI Cool-Pipe
    It's no longer either quiet operation or low system temperature. The A8N-SLI Premium, with AI Cool Pipe, lets you have the best of both worlds. This unique heat pipe design provides heat dissipation performance comparable to that of cooling fans without the annoying rotation noise.
  2. AI Selector
    AI Selector enables easy swiching between single-GPU and dual-GPU modes by simply clicking on the mouse under Windows operating system. It begins the era of electronic SLI switch, allowing users to enjoy both SLI and non-SLI applications with ease.
  3. Addition of a PCI-E x4 slot
    The Deluxe board had two PCI-E x16 slots, two PCI-E x1 slots, and three three 32-bit PCI slots. The Premium version replaces one of the PCI-E x1 slots with a PCI-E x4 slot.

The passively cooled chipset is a big plus for me, because it's quieter and more reliable.
The SLI selector isn't a big deal to me, because I don't intend on using SLI. In fact, I'd rather have a A8N-E Premium, but it doesn't look like that board is going to be released.
The PCI-E x4 slot is a nice addition, but I don't know of any PCI-E cards out right now other than video cards.

Also, this board is supposed to be a better overclocker than the original Deluxe version. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but I'm sure ASUS has made some improvements on the A8N-SLI Deluxe, which has been on the market for about 6 months.

The voltage option are somewhat limited, especially compared to the DFI boards.
Code:
VDIMM from 2.6v to 3.0v

VCORE from .800v to 1.650v

CHIPSET V from 1.5v to 1.6v

HT V from 1.2v to 1.25v

PCI-E clock is selectable from 100-145MHz

However, early results are looking pretty good.
  • qk4723Deluxe at XS has a San Diego 3700+ at 3GHz and 300MHz HTT
    Link
  • teamride at AnandTech has a San Diego 3700+ at 2.8GHz and 311MHz HTT
    Link
  • And incase you missed it, Steve posted a link to T-BREAK's review, where they achieved a 260MHz HTT with a 1:1 ratio and 320MHz HTT with the memory set to a lower multiplier

I'll be putting my system together this weekend which will consist of the following:

PCP&C 510W PCI-E
Antec P180
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
AMD X2 4400+
2 x 512MB Corsair BH-5
X300 :p
WD Raptor
and more ;)

So until I get it up and running, I took a few pics of the box.

Front


Support for the X2 is prominently displayed


Top inside sleeve


Bottom inside sleeve


Back


Accessories


The board


My X2 4400 OEM package


Closeup of the label


CPU


And my new case, the Antec P180


With the door open
 
Almost nada. Just that it has the passive cooling as seen in recent photos, supposedly overclocks better as mentioned in rumor...and will be expensive as seen in some "pre-order" adds at almost $300. Nothing substantial.
 
H8Mondays said:
:D Party Time! :eek:
Yep, now I just need my X2 4400+ and P180.
I'm gonna update this later and add some info so we can get an official A8N Premium thread going.
 
There's going to be an A8N-E Premium based on the nForce4 Ultra chipset. What you guys are talking about is the A8N-SLI Premium, big difference.

I'm waiting for the A8N-E Premium.
 
_Korruption_ said:
There's going to be an A8N-E Premium based on the nForce4 Ultra chipset. What you guys are talking about is the A8N-SLI Premium, big difference.

I'm waiting for the A8N-E Premium.
Yeah, I know. I'd much rather have the A8N-E since I have no use for SLI, but it doesn't appear to be coming out anytime soon.
 
Ditto, I'd like something other than the typical Asus brown with the A8N-E. The northbridge thermal solution on the Premium boards is a really attractive feature.
 
massive update
this thread is now
*** The Official [H]ard ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Thread ***
:D
 
hmmmm would the zalmans fit on it?

is there sufficient space clearing with that passive heatsink near the cpu now?
 
Damn, I just bought an A8N-SLI Deluxe.

Figures.

*sigh*


Screw it. I'm just gonna buy one of these as well and return the Deluxe.
 
In stock at ZZF.

If only they had the A8n-e Premium I'd be all over it. Even still I may jump this one. I have no need for SLI but that heatpipe is so sweet. No northbridge noise baby, no noise.
 
yo can u show us the pic of wat inside the case? I just want to see ur wiring work and beauty of it. :D
 
BigDaddy85 said:
yo can u show us the pic of wat inside the case? I just want to see ur wiring work and beauty of it. :D
You can see my horrible wiring job in my other thread.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=916351

I can do better, but I was in a hurry to get this thing up and running, and I will be swapping some parts out soon, so I would've had to redo everything.
 
Makave7i Tha Don said:
yes, the zalman xp 120 fits on it. I'm running it on my fx-55 on my sli premium. Best board i've ever had, by far


Did you have any issues mounting the XP120 or was it a pretty easy addition?

Also, what fan are you using with it and is it quiet?

Thx!
 
clarkkent333 said:
In stock at ZZF.

If only they had the A8n-e Premium I'd be all over it. Even still I may jump this one. I have no need for SLI but that heatpipe is so sweet. No northbridge noise baby, no noise.


I'm getting mine from ZZF. Free 2nd day will save me about $20 over Newegg.

Damn, the Egg is really starting to blow.
 
nah, i didn't have any troubles mounting it. There is plenty of space. I'm running a 120mm coolermaster LED fan on it. It looks good, probably doesn't do the greatest job of cooling, but it does make it about 10 degrees cooler with the fan than just the heatsink.
 
Well my board is dead :mad: :(

Tried running the Asus Update thing to flash my BIOS, and it failed on the internet update, so I downloaded the BIOS manually and had it update from file.
It ran through Erase ROM, then to Flash ROM, and errors out.
When I rebooted, the board is dead, no post, no nothing, monitor doesn't even come on from standby.

Tried clearing the CMOS, and rebooting with the support CD in the optical drive and with a floppy containing the BIOS file - either one is supposed to cause the backup BIOS to come up and restore everything according to the manual.

So I guess I will contact EastLuna for an RMA, this fucking sucks!!
:mad: :mad:
 
Makave7i Tha Don said:
damn man, that does suck. I got mine from eastluna, and it's been absolutely GREAT. sorry bro :(
have you tried overclocking?
 
i've had the delux for over six months . and i have been running alot of the beta bioses for it .

one thing that has come to my attention is that some bios files--when flashed with the asus update thing through windows seem to have problems .

i have been flashing this mb the old fashoned way --with award flash and everything is cool .

some people seem to have had better luck with ez-update -- i have run it on some intel products without a problem .

but for the nf4's --i'm sticking with the award flash/floppy dos --ie old timey way .
 
JSF35rhino said:
one thing that has come to my attention is that some bios files--when flashed with the asus update thing through windows seem to have problems .

i have been flashing this mb the old fashoned way --with award flash and everything is cool .
can you walk me through exactly how that's done?
the manual is slightly confusing
 
The way I did it was have the .BIN file as the only file on the floppy (1008.bin for example), stick it into the drive, and keep hitting ALT+F2 as the machine is starting to POST. The built-in flash utility should look for the correct .BIN file and perform the flash automatically.
 
Yeah I'm awaiting some feedback on this board since it is going to probably be in my next build. I was going to go for the A8N SLI Deluxe, but this one looks too nice. I have also read issues regarding the windows based flash utility. It almost looks a little crowded around socket, do you think there is enough room to fit a koolance EXOS CPU-300-H06 waterblock on there? Kind of interesting that I will also be building one with a 4400+ CPU as well. I will be frequently checking out this thread for the next week or so.
 
_Korruption_ said:
The way I did it was have the .BIN file as the only file on the floppy (1008.bin for example), stick it into the drive, and keep hitting ALT+F2 as the machine is starting to POST. The built-in flash utility should look for the correct .BIN file and perform the flash automatically.
What's weird is the manual says to rename the bin file to A8N_Premium or something like that, but then when it says type the name of the BIOS, it shows them entering 1001.bin
:confused:


IxGOxSOLO said:
Yeah I'm awaiting some feedback on this board since it is going to probably be in my next build. I was going to go for the A8N SLI Deluxe, but this one looks too nice. I have also read issues regarding the windows based flash utility. It almost looks a little crowded around socket, do you think there is enough room to fit a koolance EXOS CPU-300-H06 waterblock on there? Kind of interesting that I will also be building one with a 4400+ CPU as well. I will be frequently checking out this thread for the next week or so.
I didn't think it was crowded at all. It was very easy to install my XP-120, although it did come a little close to one of my RAM modules.
 
you can flash it by loading the bin file on a floppy-- have the computer boot off the floppy and push alt-+ f2

however this is not the preferred method

the preferred method if to make a bootable floppy -- download the required bios -- un-zip or otherwise load the new bios onto the floppy . on my a8n-sli-dlx you rename the new bios

your new bios might be 1012-001 beta -- you rename the bios on the floppy to a8n-sli .bin(in my case-- you case might read something like-- rename to a8n-platinum.bin) check your manual !!

on boot up from floppy type awdflash -- the award flash program will come up -- it will ask what to flash --in my case it is allways the re-named bios on the floppy (a8n-sli.bin= which is actually bios 1012-001SD ) it will ask say --type no-- then it will flash the bios --then f1 to reboot.-- a note saye old bios to another floopy --so if computer has any stability problems you can re-flash back to the old bios useing the alt+f2 from another floppy.

the flash procedure is just spelled out in my manual --and it seems to work better for me than the ez-flasher--and i have treid the ez-flash in the latest variants and i still thin it has problems with my MB. so i'm sticking with award flash.

remember i'm running a a8n-sli -dlx -- you have a a8n-sli preimum-- --although they are mostly the same MB tha flash procedure may well be a little diffrent. make sure your loading and namind the bios with the proper stuff.
 
JSF35rhino said:
on boot up from floppy type awdflash -- the award flash program will come up -- it will ask what to flash --in my case it is allways the re-named bios on the floppy (a8n-sli.bin= which is actually bios 1012-001SD ) it will ask say --type no-- then it will flash the bios --then f1 to reboot.-- a note saye old bios to another floopy --so if computer has any stability problems you can re-flash back to the old bios useing the alt+f2 from another floppy.
so you type in a8n-sli.bin, right?
what does it ask that you say no to?
 
EnderW said:
I'll be putting my system together this weekend which will consist of the following:

PCP&C 510W PCI-E
Antec P180
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
AMD X2 4400+
2 x 512MB Corsair BH-5
X300 :p
WD Raptor
and more ;)

Nice rig, what's up with the wimpy video card?
 
Probably waiting for the R520 :)

I like that Mobo too! I would rather get that then the DFI accually. Nothing against them, but you cant never ever go wrong with ASUS ;)

This is some good stuff.
 
USMC2Hard4U said:
Probably waiting for the R520 :)

I like that Mobo too! I would rather get that then the DFI accually. Nothing against them, but you cant never ever go wrong with ASUS ;)

This is some good stuff.

It's going to be a long wait for R520. :p
 
So I guess this leaves those of us without floppies up a creek? Damn I'd hate to install a floppy just so I can update my bios without problems..
 
why i had to type a8n-sli.bin is because to use the award flasher that came with the asus bios download . it is required by the flasher . if you just leave it as is is won't flash .

MAKE CERTAIN you have the right name for your new bios --check your manual !!!

remember i have the "old A8n-SLI DLX" you have the platnium-er premium whatever-- so your bios might have another name onther than a8n-sli.bin .

your bios flash might require something like rename bios to a8n-premium.bin or whatever-

-so check and se what your book says about useing the award flasher.

it is not difficult--and after youve flashed with the floppy/award flasher you get better results than with the asus update thing (at least on a nf4 mb)
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
Nice rig, what's up with the wimpy video card?
Well, I haven't played any games in several months, and since I have a 2405FPW, if I want to run native resolution, I'm gonna need a really fast card.

I wanted to see how the 7800GTX turned out, and it looks like the best choice, but since I really don't game that much, and I'll have even less free time when school starts, it's hard to justify spending so much on the videocard.

I'll probably end up trying to find a 6800 Ultra or 6800 GT cheap since a lot of people are upgrading to the 7800 GTX. Or maybe a X800 XL or X850 XT, just depends on the price.
Since the 7800 GTX is such a big leap over the current cards, it may be close as far as price vs performance, and it should last a long time. Plus the price isn't going to drop anytime soon since no one knows when the R520 is even coming out.

But like I said, I haven't been doing a lot of gaming, and I had to get a PCI-E card, so when I found this used one for a decent price, I decided to get it and take the wait and see approach.



JSF35rhino said:
why i had to type a8n-sli.bin is because to use the award flasher that came with the asus bios download . it is required by the flasher . if you just leave it as is is won't flash .

MAKE CERTAIN you have the right name for your new bios --check your manual !!!

remember i have the "old A8n-SLI DLX" you have the platnium-er premium whatever-- so your bios might have another name onther than a8n-sli.bin .

your bios flash might require something like rename bios to a8n-premium.bin or whatever-

-so check and se what your book says about useing the award flasher.

it is not difficult--and after youve flashed with the floppy/award flasher you get better results than with the asus update thing (at least on a nf4 mb)
right, but it looks like there is also a problem with the Premium version as well
or maybe I just got a bad board?

anyway, so you type in a8n-sli.bin, or the version of the bios (ie: 1001.bin)?
and what does it ask that you say no to?
 
When i updated to the 1005 bios I renamed the file as it specified in the book. When you go into the Awardflash bios utility and it asks for the file name you type in what you renamed it too. Example: I downloaded the bios and renamed it to A8NSLI-B.bin. I then copied that over to the floppy disk containing the award flash util. When the award flash util asked for the file name I typed in A8NSLI-B.bin to program it.
 
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