• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

Can’t get out of the starting blocks with the 8SQ800 Ultra!

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

Redstone

Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
PLEASE HELP!! NO POST!
Here is the system I’ve finally pieced together.

New
8SQ800 Ultra
2.4b
2 256 MB sticks of Generic PC3200 from Hardcore cooling
Swifttech mcx4000
---
Old
IDE 1 Primary -Seagate 10 GB hard drive - C:
IDE 2 Primary -Toshiba DVD/CD- E:
Slave 15 GB WD - D:
TEAC Floppy A:
Antec Trueower 430

It can’t be a dead board because I tried two different motherboards. I Installed the 8SQ800 Ultra last night. Went to boot up and all the fans started running, the DVD drive spins and lights up but that’s it. The floppy light never comes on and it doesn’t start to post. I turned the floppy connection upside down and the floppy light comes on and stays on as it should, but obviously still no post. Thought I might have a dead board so I switched out the Ultra for a straight 8SQ800 and there was no change from above. Still no action from the floppy, no beep, nothing from the monitor, no post.

I could have missed something, but I had not heard of the Generic PC3200 to be causing this problem with the SiS655 boards and I do not currently have any others to switch out (upgrading from a PC133 board).

Any ideas?
 
Last edited:
Wow the Giga-byte section is getting off to a slow start.

Anyway, I have been able to tweak the system a bit to get it up and running, and this board is FAST. I believe the first round of boot up problems, was mostly due to the memory needing a burn in period. But It’s not going to be a keeper. I’ve tried two different Giga-byte SiS655 boards and this set up just doesn’t work in my antec case. It only boots if the speakers are not plugged in. The adjustable CPU fan has to cranked all the way to max RPMs or it won’t boot. If I’m loading software and the system needs to reboot, it just goes into that limbo mode and I have to do the unplug replug in of the memory. I’m running the memory at very conservative settings 2.5, 8, 3, 3 and the CPU is not overclocked. This set up is taking up more time than I can give it. That being said I don’t think it’s the board. It should work just fine in another system.

Look for a still rare 8SQ800 Ultra to be on sale soon for U.S. residents over in the classifieds.
 
It came with the F5 and I am using Bigtoe's Modded F5. So I am using the most up to date bios for that board.
 
Not for sale yet. Since this a no return, guess I’ll dedicate a little more time to getting this board up and running. Board, cpu and memory were all new so each needs some burn in time. It booted with the speakers plugged in and finally accepted the first overlock. Running it fairly stable at 2.85 / 150FSB. Memory still won’t adjust down yet. We’ll see.
 
2 256 MB sticks of Generic PC3200 from Hardcore cooling


I think that is your answer. You know it is not the motherboard, you have replaced it and it still will not work. Now you have to eliminate the other varibles. IMHO I would start with the ram. Once upon a time I purchasecd some generic house brand DDR. Got burnt BAD with the ordeal. After that I only purchased " Name Brand ". As far as a recomendation for memory, I have had great success with Corsair XMS. To test if it is the ram, you can purchase a single stick of kingston or corsair from best buy or circuit city to see if that will let you post. If you can post then problem found. It could also possibly be a known issue with this chipset that I heard about. Remove one of the sticks of ram and try to boot the system up with only a single stick. If you can post go into the advanced bios and relax your memory timings and save the settings in the bios. Power down and install 2nd stick. The change in the timings should hold and you will be able to boot up. It is an issue with CorsairXMS 3200. Has something to do with a conflict with the chipset reading the timings off of the DDR.

If you still can not boot up after the above, then you need to look into the PSU or CPU. If you have a 2nd sysetm to test the CPU in and it works you know it is not that. You have a good PSU but that can still be the cause as welll.

In trouble shooting you have to test components one at a time by either removing/replacing or testing them in another system that you know works. It is a process of elimination.

As far as I know there are only 5 things that would cause a system to not post.

1) Motherboard

2) Memory

3) CPU

4) PSU

5) Video Card

Also if you have another system or video card to make sure that is the the culpret. Also remove all pci cards. Just put what is apsolutely necesary to POST and boot in the system.


Best of luck, hope you get it up and running

Buzzdog
 
Thanks for the reply. It could be the memory. Everything is burning in and becoming more stable. I do know dual channel requires non-agressive memory timings. I am now running CPU at 160mhz the memory at 2.5,7,3,3 and I have seen several 8SQ800 owners using the same.
 
Hello, I just got some Kingston DDR400 256 x 2 sticks and it doesn't seem to boot up when in dimm slots 1 - 3 or 2 - 4 but only in 1 - 2 or 3 - 4 or just using one stick, I tried using 2.5, 8, 3, 3 in the bios but it loaded and hung before the memory count. I have the GB 8SQ800 Ultra as well with a P2.4b cpu. The pc worked fine with DDR333 in the same coloured dimms so i don't think it's the motherboard and I tried using one stick at a time and they both worked fine. Any help would be great.
 
Try slots 1 and 4. You can run dual channel that way. That is how I have it set up. It may be that the memory has to burn in before allowing full dual channel mode.
Also what bios are you using? Maybe the F8a might help? The board is finicky with memory.
 
I'm using F8a as well, I don't understand how you would burn in ram, it has non moving parts, what the heat makes it nice and crispy or? Also in the manual it says to use 1 - 3 and 2 - 4 so how would 1 - 4 work?
 
Well i tried the ram in dims 1 and 4 and it wouldn't boot up, just got a blank screen, I have the sticks in dims 3 and 4 now I guess to "burn them in", atleast I have 512 meg now not 256, I don't like this this motherboard, it's too picky with parts and when i had my 333 ram installed it would freeze before the post some times 2-8 times in a row after resetting.
 
How long have you had the ram? They become more forgiving after about week of constant use. I can't explain the science behind it. You do not happen to have Low Latency ram do you? Like I know, for instance LL Corsair will not work on this board. For good SIS help, I would actually recommend heading over to abxzone.com and check out the SIS chipset section. It has several hard core SIS MOBO testers Bigtoe and Prometheus and a lot of helpful people. This site is great for cooling, CPUs and asus, abit but is pretty weak when it comes to Gigibyte SIS boards.

EDIT: You will want to check the Links to previous sticky threads and guides for 655 help. I just switched to slots 2-4 and it works fine. I just heard somewhere 1-4 works for dual channel, tried it and it worked.
 
Last edited:
I just went to a computer swap meet and I talked to a guy and he had a theory, that it might say that this motherboard supports dual DDR400's but it really doesn't, so I said that well thats misleading and you can take legal action, so then he said Gigabyte can easily prove that dual channel DDR400 works with a $20000 parts but when someone tries it with say $1000 parts then it won't work. So by the sounds of it I am screwed.
 
The guy you talked to was an idiot. As long as the board is set up right in the bios, and the memory is in the right slots, the board can run dual channel. It is just real picky with memory, which you know. I have used it both ways and the thing is way quicker in dual channel than in single.
 
Yeah but i need to know what are the lowest settings i can go to? Because I can't keep taking one of the sticks in and out to test what the ideal settings are. I just want to see this pc work under dual channel. I guess I have try 4-4-4-4 see f that works.
 
Last edited:
I feel for you man. You really should take this problem over to abxzone. Sure its pretty quiet in the SIS forum over there, but more active than it is here. Can't guarantee it, but you may get more help there. I wish I was more savvy to walk you through it. I can't explain how I went from no boot to totally stable. All of a sudden after a about a week everything settled down. 2.5,8,3,3 seems to be the best and I know you have tried it. If all else fails it may be time to upgrade. The 865 chipset Mobo's are a great dual channel value board.
Good Luck.
 
Well thanks for your help Redstone, I honestly don't know what else to do, I posted new topic at that site you gave me and I also got some replies from threads but I get the same old same old info which doesn't work.
 
Wow had frequent replies from both forums, now jack, oh joy. Pc shop said to bring in box and ram but I don't have much faith in these ppl.
 
Well problem solved, I purchased 2 sticks of Hyandai 512Mb DDR400's and left the memory timings on auto and pc works, not buying Kingston again thtas for sure.
 
Back