Hi guys!
I thought it would be kind of interesting to make some sort of comparison chart, for the lack of better term, for you folks with the Epox 8RDA+/8RDA3+ boards. Just copy and paste the form below and then fill in the values you have or have managed to get with your boards. I’ve even posted the same form for those having Asus A7N8X Deluxe/ A7N8X and Abit NF7/NF7-S at their respective forums.
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Board =
Board revision =
Stepping Northbridge =
Original CPU rate & stepping =
Current CPU rate =
Multiplier =
FSB =
Vcore =
Vdd =
Vddr =
Vdd mod =
Vddr mod =
Memory timings =
Memory sync =
Dual DDR mode =
Memory type & size =
Cooling - CPU =
Cooling - Northbridge =
Cooling - Southbridge =
Cooling other components =
PSU =
Stability =
Normal conditions (24/7) =
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Explanation of some of the terms found above (for those of you who need it, of course):
* Vcore = your CPU voltage.
* Vdd = your Northbridge voltage.
* Vddr = your DDR memory voltage.
* Vdd mod = (yes/no) Have you modified your chipset power supply?
* Vddr mod = (yes/no) Have you modified your DDR memory power supply?
* Stepping Northbridge = can be A2, A3 or A1/C1. In order to see the NB stepping the heat sink must be removed.
* Memory timings = T(RAS), T(RCD), T(RP), CAS latency. Check your bios for these.
* Memory sync = Is your memory 100% synchronized? This is important data since the performance deteriorates significantly in the non-sync mode. On the other hand some exceptionally high FSBs are possible which can be very deceiving. Check your bios for this one.
* Dual DDR mode = (yes/no) Do you have two memory sticks in the banks 3 & 2 or 3&1? If so than you are running in dual channel mode and the answer should be yes. If you have only one memory stick or two sticks placed in the banks 1&2 than the answer should be no.
* Board revision = check one of the lower corners (those on the side where PCI slots are) of your board.
* Cooling other components = Have you enhanced the cooling of the other components (MOSFETs, IRUpower controller for epox owners etc) on your board?
* Stability = How stable is your system? Have you run any benchmarks like prime95 or 3Dmark to stress your system to the uttermost or just played some tough games? If not just describe how the system feels like.
* Normal conditions 24/7 = Is your case neat and closed or is your computers gut spilled open with five fans blowing chill air into it? Just give short description on how your system looks like.
Please note that some of you won’t be able to fill in all of the fields; it was never the intent either. Fill as much as you can, the more the better. Just leave it blank at places where you’re unsure. For those of you who don’t already know your stepping codes that’s what is probably going to give you the most headaches since the heat sinks and eventual water blocks have to be removed in order to see them. If you belong to this category just leave it blank. It’s not worth going through all the hassle and risk of removing your heat sinks and even worse your water blocks. Still, this is rather important data. Rest of the fields shouldn’t be a problem since most of the stuff can be fetched from your bios or is easily accessed once the case is opened.
Here’s what my system looks like:
Board = Abit NF7-S
Board revision = 2.0
Stepping Northbridge = C1
CPU type & stepping = Athlon XP 1700+, AXDA1700DLT3C JIUHB 0308MPMW
Original CPU rate = 1.4 Ghz
Current CPU rate = 2.7 Ghz
Multiplier = x12
FSB = 225Mhz
Vcore = 1.8 V
Vdd = 1.8 V
Vddr = 3.1 V
Vdd mod = yes
Vddr mod = yes
Memory timings = 5.2.2.2
Memory sync = 100%
Dual DDR mode = yes
Memory type & size = OCZ PC3500 cas2, 2 X 512Mb
Cooling - CPU = water cooled
Cooling - Northbridge = water cooled
Cooling - Southbridge = passive, heat sink
Cooling other components = no
PSU = Antec TruePower 480W
Stability = prime95 100% stable
Normal conditions (24/7) = Yes. Closed case, two fans.
I thought it would be kind of interesting to make some sort of comparison chart, for the lack of better term, for you folks with the Epox 8RDA+/8RDA3+ boards. Just copy and paste the form below and then fill in the values you have or have managed to get with your boards. I’ve even posted the same form for those having Asus A7N8X Deluxe/ A7N8X and Abit NF7/NF7-S at their respective forums.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Board =
Board revision =
Stepping Northbridge =
Original CPU rate & stepping =
Current CPU rate =
Multiplier =
FSB =
Vcore =
Vdd =
Vddr =
Vdd mod =
Vddr mod =
Memory timings =
Memory sync =
Dual DDR mode =
Memory type & size =
Cooling - CPU =
Cooling - Northbridge =
Cooling - Southbridge =
Cooling other components =
PSU =
Stability =
Normal conditions (24/7) =
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation of some of the terms found above (for those of you who need it, of course):
* Vcore = your CPU voltage.
* Vdd = your Northbridge voltage.
* Vddr = your DDR memory voltage.
* Vdd mod = (yes/no) Have you modified your chipset power supply?
* Vddr mod = (yes/no) Have you modified your DDR memory power supply?
* Stepping Northbridge = can be A2, A3 or A1/C1. In order to see the NB stepping the heat sink must be removed.
* Memory timings = T(RAS), T(RCD), T(RP), CAS latency. Check your bios for these.
* Memory sync = Is your memory 100% synchronized? This is important data since the performance deteriorates significantly in the non-sync mode. On the other hand some exceptionally high FSBs are possible which can be very deceiving. Check your bios for this one.
* Dual DDR mode = (yes/no) Do you have two memory sticks in the banks 3 & 2 or 3&1? If so than you are running in dual channel mode and the answer should be yes. If you have only one memory stick or two sticks placed in the banks 1&2 than the answer should be no.
* Board revision = check one of the lower corners (those on the side where PCI slots are) of your board.
* Cooling other components = Have you enhanced the cooling of the other components (MOSFETs, IRUpower controller for epox owners etc) on your board?
* Stability = How stable is your system? Have you run any benchmarks like prime95 or 3Dmark to stress your system to the uttermost or just played some tough games? If not just describe how the system feels like.
* Normal conditions 24/7 = Is your case neat and closed or is your computers gut spilled open with five fans blowing chill air into it? Just give short description on how your system looks like.
Please note that some of you won’t be able to fill in all of the fields; it was never the intent either. Fill as much as you can, the more the better. Just leave it blank at places where you’re unsure. For those of you who don’t already know your stepping codes that’s what is probably going to give you the most headaches since the heat sinks and eventual water blocks have to be removed in order to see them. If you belong to this category just leave it blank. It’s not worth going through all the hassle and risk of removing your heat sinks and even worse your water blocks. Still, this is rather important data. Rest of the fields shouldn’t be a problem since most of the stuff can be fetched from your bios or is easily accessed once the case is opened.
Here’s what my system looks like:
Board = Abit NF7-S
Board revision = 2.0
Stepping Northbridge = C1
CPU type & stepping = Athlon XP 1700+, AXDA1700DLT3C JIUHB 0308MPMW
Original CPU rate = 1.4 Ghz
Current CPU rate = 2.7 Ghz
Multiplier = x12
FSB = 225Mhz
Vcore = 1.8 V
Vdd = 1.8 V
Vddr = 3.1 V
Vdd mod = yes
Vddr mod = yes
Memory timings = 5.2.2.2
Memory sync = 100%
Dual DDR mode = yes
Memory type & size = OCZ PC3500 cas2, 2 X 512Mb
Cooling - CPU = water cooled
Cooling - Northbridge = water cooled
Cooling - Southbridge = passive, heat sink
Cooling other components = no
PSU = Antec TruePower 480W
Stability = prime95 100% stable
Normal conditions (24/7) = Yes. Closed case, two fans.
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