Massman Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 A BETTER LOOKING OPENING POST ... Bios files Will be trying to post as much bios updates here as possible - V1.0B2x - V1.0B29 - V1.0B31 - V1.0B32 - V1.0B34 - V1.11 - V1.2 Official - V1.21 MOA - V1.3B2 Updating the OC Dashboard Full description on how to update the firmware of the OC Dashboard and make it work with the XPower board: LINK Overclocking results: AIR cooling - Pictures, 230MHz BCLK CL6-7-6 + 2100CL7-7-7 SuperPI 32M stable, work-around for high BCLK booting - 238MHz BCLK SuperPI 32M stable - 4G-2G-4G SuperPI 32M efficiency test - 250MHz BCLK on air cooling - 248Mhz BCLK SuperPI 32M stable on air cooling Overclocking results: SS cooling - DDR3-2150CL7-8-7, and 237MHz BCLK SuperPI 32M stable - 246MHz BCLK 3D stable using full-speed QPI - 255MHz BCLK SuperPI 32M stable, 261MHz BCLK CPU-Z using slow-mode QPI Overclocking results: LN2 cooling - Quick Wprime testing with 980X ES B1: 5.7G and 5.5G - Madshrimps session: 980X + GTX285 + R5870 Lightning Pictures - Some pictures of the retail board THE REAL OPENING POST Intel Gulftown hasn't been my puppy yet. The B1 engineering sample I have here does not only suffer from severe clock issues, it also lacks in the field of handling cold properly. 6GHz 3D is just a dream for me ... Since the release of the 980X I've been working with the Gigabyte X58A-UD7. Not a bad board, but it does have a couple of issues that makes it difficult to become best friends with. Last weekend I've quickly tried the Asus Rampage III Extreme, but serious cold issues prevented me from gaining any more clocks than with the UD7. More testing of the Asus board will follow for sure. So, yesterday night I tested the Xpower board from MSI (long overdue - sorry for that Leona!!). Just a quick SS phase session as I was busy beating 2100CL7 on Thuban that same night. Some rig pics. Since this was my first time booting the board, I quickly checked if the basic features are okay: - Clock frequency reached on single stage ~ UD7: check - Voltage levels according to bios setting: check - OC Dashboard working: check - "Failed boot"-reboot: check Or to make it short: the board is good to start overclocking with. No need to put it back in the box after the first test session . With little time left last night, I wanted to check some overclocking results, so 32M memory with the super-dooper way-too-expensive Corsair Dominator GTX2 memory. Result was an impressive (almost) 2400CL8 32M stable with only 1.72V on the memory and approx 1.42V VTT. Tomorrow I'm changing to liquid nitrogen on the mainboard and, hopefully, R5870 Lightning. So more results then. Oh, if someone has a request for picture/test/anything, let me know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Leeghoofd Posted May 1, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 1, 2010 LN2 we want LN2, hope this board has at least the same temp bugs as on the UD7.... not what we experienced on AOCM with the REX III Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 1, 2010 Author Share Posted May 1, 2010 I think my housemates would not appreciate REX-a-like behavior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanCutress Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Nice memory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 3, 2010 Author Share Posted May 3, 2010 I'll update the Xpower LN2 stuff today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 Seems like I forgot to post the LN2 testing Wrapping up the first batch of LN2 tests; 2D only so far. The good: - Coldbug and coldbootbug are almost the same, which is very good. It's around -106°C, so a little bit lower than what the UD7 could handle (-123°C). The rampage 3 extreme was a lot worse. - Clock per volt/temp, the board is roughly the same as the tested UD7 and R3E. Because of the lower coldbug I'm about 50MHz lower in max benchable frequency. - The 2D CPU performance is similar ot the UD7, so okay. - Voltage set in bios = real voltage. super. The need-to-be-fixed - Listed a couple of things, will not list them here since I got the new bios today. Underneath posts will be with the new bios The quick tests to check for stability. Didn't have a propper 3D card at my disposal, so only two Wprimes from that session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 All feedback was sent and today I received a new bios. The biggest issue of the previous bios was that the default B2B was set to 13(!) which allowed rediculous memory frequencies, but coming at no performance whatsoever. To give you an example: 2400CL8 was giving me 16k bandwidth. The new bios comes with a default B2B at disabled (or 0), which makes it clock a little less high, but comes at a higher performance level. Oh, and I managed to -finally- flash my OC Dashboard. It's now perfectly working with this mainboard I've focussed on memory and BCLK this night - only air cooling. First some picture of my dirty workspace. Now some results. 230MHz BCLK CL6-7-6 (220MHz air // 240MHz phase with X58A-UD7) 2100CL7-7-7 air Findings and Remarks: Again, I've send my feedback to MSI. Just some things I wanted to share with you. - VTT over 1.430V set in bios (~1.48V real) doesn't post. You can increase VTT with the OC Dashboard in Windows no problem - 230MHz BCLK is straight from boot to windows and 32M stable, however to get it there you need to follow this routine: --- boot into bios --- set all correct multipliers and memory timings I want to use with 230MHz BCLK --- set BCLK to 195MHz --- save bios --- boot into bios --- set BCLK to 230MHz --- soft reboot = I can boot at 230MHz into windows - 210MHz 2:10 is perfectly stable, but not straight from boot to windows. Boot @ 210MHz = no loop stable; boot @ 195MHz and increase to 210 in windows = fully stable - 230Mhz BCLK was done with 105Mhz PCie, 1.48V VTT and 1.3V IOH. Nothing tuned, nothing tweaked. - At the moment, MEM/UNC ratios lower than 1/2 doesn't post. This should be fixed in the next bioses. - The V-switch works differently (imho better) than on previous boards. Now it doesn't increase the voltage anymore, but removes the voltage securities in the bios. Eg: vswitch off = max Vcore of 1.7V, vswitch on = max vcore of 2.3V Tomorrow I will switch back to the Single Stage to see if I can get more from BCLK and memory. For 3D comparison I will have to wait untill a new high-end VGA lands on my desk. Let me know if I need to test things in particular or make some pictures or so. //edit: before someone kicks in the open doors - no, the efficiency of the 32M is not superb, I didn't care. No, the results are not extraordinary, they are where they should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Turrican Posted May 6, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 6, 2010 very nice results pieter-jan. btw. did you deactivate the voltage reading on cpu-z or doesn't it work proberly with the board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxyyy Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 nice keyboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Turrican Posted May 7, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 7, 2010 nice keyboard! lol, yeah that's an old at keyboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Antinomy Posted May 7, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 7, 2010 It's even DIN! I have a favourite old DIN KB too But I prefer to use KVM for testing purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 very nice results pieter-jan. btw. did you deactivate the voltage reading on cpu-z or doesn't it work proberly with the board? The voltage isn't visible in CPU-Z for some hardware/software related issue. MSI's looking into the issue right now. nice keyboard! Whaaaa? People are now bashing me because my keyboard looks. This is high-school all over again . Quite frankly ... it's the one keyboard I never have issues with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-EL Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 (edited) nice wprime 32m what kinda voltages you pushin thru for that? Edited May 7, 2010 by HawaiiSuperman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 Around 1.80V ... 1.85V or 1.9V just adds more instability in the equation :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmott Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 have you run into some kind of OCP or OVP ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Olesius Posted May 7, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 7, 2010 Nice mobo! and nice OC massman... I don't know why this mobo (sample one) is not available for Iran?! has it a particular reason? anyway, MSI Oc dashboard was so usefull part for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 Not yet (blame the CPU), but it will certainly be there. If you need the mod for OCP ... let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 Nice mobo! and nice OC massman... I don't know why this mobo (sample one) is not available for Iran?! has it a particular reason? anyway, MSI Oc dashboard was so usefull part for me... Board will be in full retail in June, if I remember correctly. That's probably why it's not available yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Olesius Posted May 7, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 7, 2010 Board will be in full retail in June, if I remember correctly. That's probably why it's not available yet that's right massman, but I'm talking about X-power sample mobo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 I suppose the amount of samples is just very limited at the moment. Some regions have to wait a bit longer ... there's nothing I can do about that . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crew Olesius Posted May 7, 2010 Crew Share Posted May 7, 2010 I think Iran and middle east countries are in end of the lineup...!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 One way to get higher on the ranking is if you agree with all overclockers from the middle east to buy ONE brand. However releases the product first gets massive sales, so manufacturers will try to release the products first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 Last update with the single stage. Just received a new bios, but tests will be postponed for a couple of days. DDR3-2150CL7-8-7 237MHz BCLK 32M stable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massman Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 Just received the retail version of the Xpower board. Here are some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenchZowner Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I see a bent socket pin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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