Crappy MSI 875P Neo

[The PIT]

Damn unstable thing.

1) Wouldn't work in dual channel mode until Bios version 6 depending what memory was installed.

2) With a 533mhz proc it would only work in slow mode whatever cas setting.

3) With a 800 mhz bus it will boot up and run for ages in Turbo mode but only with cas 2.5. The memory is cas 2. Sometimes it will just reboot.

Checking the fsb it's running at 203+ mhz. The bus speed 811 to 822mhz Memory at 206mhz. This is the probably reason for being unstable.

I'm thinking of getting another board probably a Gigabyte GA-8KNXP. I did think of the Asus P4C800 Deluxe but bad reviews have put me off. Unless I can get this board to run stable. At the moment I'm using fast timings to see how it goes. Memory at 2.85v

Bios version is 1.7 as 1.8 constantly reboots. 1.6 complains of memory timings being too tight and resets to slow ever so often plus the odd reboot.

[ayoub_ibrahim]

if you don't want onboard firewire, your audigy has a firewire port anyway, nor 2 raid controllers then the plain asus P4C800 non-deluxe is a great board.

[KeiFront]

Carefull with the audigy's firewire capabilities. It's SB1394 compatible it isn't 100% IEEE-1394 compatible (SB1394 interface contains different specifications than the IEEE 1394 interface).

[Wombat]

Originally posted by KeiFront
Carefull with the audigy's firewire capabilities. It's SB1394 compatible it isn't 100% IEEE-1394 compatible (SB1394 interface contains different specifications than the IEEE 1394 interface).

You're the first person I've heard say this. In fact, I've heard everybody else, including Creative, say the opposite. Can you tell, or link to, the differences?

[The PIT]

Originally posted by Wombat
You're the first person I've heard say this. In fact, I've heard everybody else, including Creative, say the opposite. Can you tell, or link to, the differences?

I've heard certainly over Audigy so unless Creative modified for the Audigy2 I presume the same applies.

As for the Asus the bad reviews I've seen are putting me off that.

[Jammrock]

I've never had problems with using my firewire off the Audigy card. I've only used one device mind you, but my DV camera worked great. Gurm has used it with no problems either.

Just because it says SB1394 doesn't mean it isn't IEEE 1394 compatible. SOny calls it i.Link, but it's still IEE 1394.

Jammrock

[KeiFront]

I can't find the exact link anymore (it was somewhere at the creative developer site (some sort of compatibility list)). But not all firewire compatible devices work with the audigy (certainly the original audigy).

Also search some forums and you will certainly encounter people that had issues connecting a firewire device to the audigy.

[KeiFront]

Hmm found something

Creative refrain from calling this a FireWire or IEEE1394 port because it is not compatible with all FireWire devices, therefore they use their own term "SB1394" (as if we needed another name for it!). The port appears to be a full-blown FireWire port with bi-directional transfer up to 400Mbs and supports up to 63 connected devices. The limitation, I gather, appears to be that the port can supply up to 2 Watts of power. This means that if you connect a high-power device such as a hard disk or CD-ROM which isn't powered separately, it may not function. Hopefully, this shouldn't affect compatibility with digital camcorders and they have their own power supply.

http://www.puremotion.com/resources/reviews/sbaudigy/

It could be that most people had issues with the limited power (2 Watts).

[KeiFront]

Found the compatibilty list Thanks to the waybackmachine

[dZeus]

Re: Crappy MSI 875P Neo

Originally posted by The PIT
Damn unstable thing.

1) Wouldn't work in dual channel mode until Bios version 6 depending what memory was installed.

2) With a 533mhz proc it would only work in slow mode whatever cas setting.

3) With a 800 mhz bus it will boot up and run for ages in Turbo mode but only with cas 2.5. The memory is cas 2. Sometimes it will just reboot.

Checking the fsb it's running at 203+ mhz. The bus speed 811 to 822mhz Memory at 206mhz. This is the probably reason for being unstable.

I'm thinking of getting another board probably a Gigabyte GA-8KNXP. I did think of the Asus P4C800 Deluxe but bad reviews have put me off. Unless I can get this board to run stable. At the moment I'm using fast timings to see how it goes. Memory at 2.85v

Bios version is 1.7 as 1.8 constantly reboots. 1.6 complains of memory timings being too tight and resets to slow ever so often plus the odd reboot.

I've got an Intel D875PBZ and my 2x 512 Corsair XMS3200X2 only runs stable at 320 Mhz. At 400 MHz DDR I get errors in memtest86 test 5 no matter which timings I use (RAM is specced at CAS2).

With every BIOS past revision 05 I've had PAT disabled (everybody seems to have), and every BIOS part rev. 09 gives me cold boot problems once ever so many boots. So I'm now stuck at BIOS rev. 5 and am trying to find a solution for my RAM (probably need to swap it for a different kind with Corsair).

So.. it seems that there still need to be some bugs ironed out of this chipset either in hardware or through BIOS updates, and most problems seem to originate at the RAM controller.

[Admiral]

My Gigabyte 8IK1100 will run with no problems the two 512MB Corsiar PC3500 sticks I have, in dual channel at 400MHz 2-3-2 6. I'm running them at 356MHz 2-2-2 6 now and the CPU fsb at 267(x4).

I'm not saying going Gigabyte will be a picnic, I've had problems with my board and a 533 fsb CPU and there are also many problems reported with the 8KNXP and 8KNXP Ultra. Every i865 or i875 board is a gamble, depending on what memory you use, how well the bios is written and why not, planetary alignment

Wait for SIS 655FX boards, they're supposed to be less picky about ram

[COLD]

My Asus P4C800-E Deluxe is very stable, XP did not crash once so far since I have this board.

DC

[COLD]

By the way, there are two major differences between the P4C800 (ICH5) and the P4C800-E (ICH5R): SATA and CSA (Communication Streaming Architecture) supported by the South Bridge on the latest board.

DC

[WyWyWyWy]

Most people now seem to think Abit IC7 and IS7 as good boards.
Of course the "blowing caps" might pull you off... but that's ages ago already.

[Zao]

I agree with COLD, the P4C800-E Deluxe is a real good board. I just Love the S-ATA ports