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What's the best IT7?

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Chez

Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Location
Dallas, TX
Simple question really!

Which is better for overclocking - IT7-MAX, IT7-MAX2 or should the upcoming IT7-MAX2 rev2 with 845PE be the best?

I plan to use the 3:4 ratio, so the 4:5 offered on the 845E isn't much use to me.

I really like all the features of the MAX2, but could live without them if the original board overclocks better!

Thanks
Chez
 
That's a good question. :)

According the IT7-MAX2 v2.0 manual, Abit changed the 'DRAM Ratio' option in the BIOS:

Using the 'Low' 'DRAM Ratio H/W Strap' you have two options, 1:1, and 3:4, so using a P4 with 100MHz QDR FSB, you can run you memory only at 100, or 133MHz DDR with this board. Of course you still have the opportunity to run the system memory at 178MHz DDR using a P4 with 133MHz QDR FSB.

When setting the 'DRAM Ratio H/W Strap' to 'High' however, there's the 1:1 DRAM Ratio, and a new 4:5 DRAM Ratio (to reach the 166MHz DDR with a 133MHz QDR FSB P4). That means if you have a 133MHz QDR FSB P4 you can't run the memory at 100MHz DDR FSB with this board.

All in all the new IT7-MAX2 v2.0 offers the beloved 178MHz DDR memory setting, plus an official 166MHz DDR memory speed, so I'd go for this board now... :)

regards

R.
 
And who have you found that has this board in stock right now? NewEgg only has the BE7s and the 845E Max2 still. I am considering switching since the P4PE I just got has the same CPU voltage regulation (or lack thereof) problems that the old Asus boards have. I just can't put up with that for $200...
 
Renwick said:
That's a good question. :)

According the IT7-MAX2 v2.0 manual, Abit changed the 'DRAM Ratio' option in the BIOS:

Using the 'Low' 'DRAM Ratio H/W Strap' you have two options, 1:1, and 3:4, so using a P4 with 100MHz QDR FSB, you can run you memory only at 100, or 133MHz DDR with this board. Of course you still have the opportunity to run the system memory at 178MHz DDR using a P4 with 133MHz QDR FSB.

When setting the 'DRAM Ratio H/W Strap' to 'High' however, there's the 1:1 DRAM Ratio, and a new 4:5 DRAM Ratio (to reach the 166MHz DDR with a 133MHz QDR FSB P4). That means if you have a 133MHz QDR FSB P4 you can't run the memory at 100MHz DDR FSB with this board.

All in all the new IT7-MAX2 v2.0 offers the beloved 178MHz DDR memory setting, plus an official 166MHz DDR memory speed, so I'd go for this board now... :)

regards

R.

What is QDR FSB? I am inquireing for a friend who is thinking about the IT7 max2, and we were wondering what it has for devider settings for agp and pci slots. We are kinda bench racing it and trying to predeturmine what ram he should get and what fsb speeds we can get the board to produce to the ram, agp, and pci slots.
My comp exp. has only been with AMD, and am unsure how the P4's are doing the deviders with a 400/533fsb. If it helps, he is planning on getting a 533 fsb P4 and trying O/c the **ll out of it.
Thx for any help
PS, I would make him post this Q himself, but the silly sit forgot his username(he not a regular like me LOL)
 
illbreakit said:


What is QDR FSB? I am inquireing for a friend who is thinking about the IT7 max2, and we were wondering what it has for devider settings for agp and pci slots. We are kinda bench racing it and trying to predeturmine what ram he should get and what fsb speeds we can get the board to produce to the ram, agp, and pci slots.

The P4 NW has two versions, one with 100MHz FSB, and one with 133MHz FSB, but since the subsystem can process four commands per clock cycle, it has the same overall bandwith as with 400MHz, and 533MHz FSB, using single commands per clock cycle.

BTW the IT7 has a fixed AGP/PCI divider option in SoftMenuIII...

regards

R.
 
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