DFI NF4 -- I'm tired of DFI now.

I thought I said earlier, somewhere on page 1 maybe, that I put the stock cooler back on and tried it again and it didn't fix the problem. After I got the system working with the TT 420w psu and the stock cooler, I then tried my cooling on the vcard again and with the TT it works perfectly fine. The system works fine now, with the new heatsin/fan I put on the vcard and the thermaltake PSU.

System does not like the OCZ 600W anymore, no matter what combination I try. My next move is the try the OCZ 600W on a different system.

Chalk this one up as one of the more strange DFI issues I have read. I would really like to know if that PSU works on another board without any problems.

Buy one of those PSU Testers from Fry's that has the LED for each Volt (12, 5, 3.3, both +/-) They run $15. You might have one of the rails dying out under load. I would bet money it's the PSU going out... Blown Cap in it....

Ok, I'm glad you narrowed it down to the PSU.

I've used that 3-pin channel on the mobo before. I also tried not hooking the fan up at all, so I guess that says that!

I just have to try the psu jump with the psu and vcard only, and no mobo... if that does anything that all.

g0dM@n said:

I'm on the DFI board right now, with a Thermaltake 420watt hooked up to it. I hope I don't kill this PSU tho... then again, it was only $40. This PSU seems to hold up REALLY well. 12.12v dmm reading, and when I superPI it drops to 12.04 and stays solid at that. This is at 298x9 with 1.6v, 3.2vdimm at 223mhz 2-2-2-6, an X850XT, DVD-Rom, burner, 4x120mm deltas, D5 pump, rheobus fan controller and a bunch of fans.

I love this thermaltake PSU.

Damn, I'm rather impressed with this PSU... I always was, but man do these PSUs rock for the price.

The OCZ still gives me the same BS. Btw, you guys wanna see the "change" that I made to my system before all of these problems happened?

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I bought two of those PSUs for my wife and sons systems. I couldn't believe how well they held up for the price. If you are going frugal, they really can't be beat.

Yeah, well it WAS solid until now.

Uh oh, did it go poof? Sounds like the board is wreaking havoc on your PSUs. I'd ditch that turd in a heartbeat. If automobiles were built with the same reliability as DFI motherboards, we'd all be dead.

SPQQKY said:

If automobiles were built with the same reliability as DFI motherboards, we'd all be dead.

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lmao!

hey godman, are you saying that the motherboard took out your TT PSU also? like i said before.. i bet the motherboard is flakey or something

SPQQKY said:

Uh oh, did it go poof? Sounds like the board is wreaking havoc on your PSUs. I'd ditch that turd in a heartbeat. If automobiles were built with the same reliability as DFI motherboards, we'd all be dead.

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Boards don't wreck havoc on power supplies, period. The bottom line is that the OCZ 600W is not quite "up to snuff" compared to the single-rail OCZ 520W (as someone said). Or, better yet, the PSU just went bad. It happens...not only on DFI boards but also by other manufacturers. The fact that his board booted fine with a lesser-rated unit clearly indicates that it was not at fault.

I'm aware that you had an unfavorable experience, but assuming that every issue on a DFI-based system is due to the board is pure ignorance.

deception``

yeah i love this board... mine doesnt seem to have any quirks

deception`` said:

Boards don't wreck havoc on power supplies, period. The bottom line is that the OCZ 600W is not quite "up to snuff" compared to the single-rail OCZ 520W (as someone said). Or, better yet, the PSU just went bad. It happens...not only on DFI boards but also by other manufacturers. The fact that his board booted fine with a lesser-rated unit clearly indicates that it was not at fault.

I'm aware that you had an unfavorable experience, but assuming that every issue on a DFI-based system is due to the board is pure ignorance.

deception``

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Then explain how Zippy PSUs cant stand DFI boards. Explain all the 520w Powerstreams that burned out on the DFI. Their stupid jumper config in conjunction with a poor power regulation design is bogus. At least Abit knows how to regulate power without killing components like PSUs and memory.
Sorry, but I am firm in my standing with DFI, they got big ideas which is nice, but the design is flawed and the QC isn't there. My first SLI-DR just died on me while I was at work, the replacement never ran stable, despite trying 3 PSUs, 3 different types of RAM and about a dozen BIOS.
Two PSUs burning out on the same board......?? And thanks for calling me ignorant. This isn't my first rodeo bud, but I will say no more, I won't turn this thread into a flame war.

SPQQKY said:

Then explain how Zippy PSUs cant stand DFI boards. Explain all the 520w Powerstreams that burned out on the DFI. Their stupid jumper config in conjunction with a poor power regulation design is bogus. At least Abit knows how to regulate power without killing components like PSUs and memory.
Sorry, but I am firm in my standing with DFI, they got big ideas which is nice, but the design is flawed and the QC isn't there. My first SLI-DR just died on me while I was at work, the replacement never ran stable, despite trying 3 PSUs, 3 different types of RAM and about a dozen BIOS.
Two PSUs burning out on the same board......?? And thanks for calling me ignorant. This isn't my first rodeo bud, but I will say no more, I won't turn this thread into a flame war.

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I never called you ignoranct specifically...note that my comment would only apply if you assumed that every problem on a DFI motherboard is related to the board itself.

The Zippy PSU's did not play well with the DFI NF4 boards because of how they handled the +5 volt. Simply put, it was more of an issue on both sides of the coin than just the motherboards themselves.

I am familiar of the OCZ 'burn-outs' that you speak of; however, these were few and far in between and, for the most part, were only characteristic in the beginning of the DFI NF4 availability.

Like I said earlier, you are entitled to your views on the DFI motherboards. I (nor anyone else, for that matter) can rob of that right. However, assuming that DFI as a brand is bad because of YOUR own experiences simply is a little excessive. Moreover, the fact of the matter is that it was made aware that the issue was not the motherboard, but the OCZ PSU, and this was BEFORE your overly-negative comment. You're 'automobile' comment was nothing more than a generalization that (a) contributed nothing to this thread and (b) was very much unwarranted.

Question: If I get bad customer service that three Mercedes dealerships, does that make DaimlerChrysler a bad company overall?

deception``

deception`` said:

I never called you ignoranct specifically...note that my comment would only apply if you assumed that every problem on a DFI motherboard is related to the board itself.

The Zippy PSU's did not play well with the DFI NF4 boards because of how they handled the +5 volt. Simply put, it was more of an issue on both sides of the coin than just the motherboards themselves.

I am familiar of the OCZ 'burn-outs' that you speak of; however, these were few and far in between and, for the most part, were only characteristic in the beginning of the DFI NF4 availability.

Like I said earlier, you are entitled to your views on the DFI motherboards. I (nor anyone else, for that matter) can rob of that right. However, assuming that DFI as a brand is bad because of YOUR own experiences simply is a little excessive. Moreover, the fact of the matter is that it was made aware that the issue was not the motherboard, but the OCZ PSU, and this was BEFORE your overly-negative comment. You're 'automobile' comment was nothing more than a generalization that (a) contributed nothing to this thread and (b) was very much unwarranted.

Question: If I get bad customer service that three Mercedes dealerships, does that make DaimlerChrysler a bad company overall?

deception``

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Not only my experiences, but hundreds of others. If it was the OCZ PSU at fault, why then the Thermaltake suddenly going down? My automobile comment contributed humor which is always warranted.
I do, however, admit that I should not have said ALL DFI boards are junk, only the nF4 SLI and Ultra series. Just like Firestone isn't a junk tire company..........or Chevy trucks..........get my point? Some tires blow out, some trucks blow up, some motherboards suck.

SPQQKY said:

Not only my experiences, but hundreds of others. If it was the OCZ PSU at fault, why then the Thermaltake suddenly going down? My automobile comment contributed humor which is always warranted.
I do, however, admit that I should not have said ALL DFI boards are junk, only the nF4 SLI and Ultra series. Just like Firestone isn't a junk tire company..........or Chevy trucks..........get my point? Some tires blow out, some trucks blow up, some motherboards suck.

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I will say this, and nothing more out of fear of me taking over g0dM@n's thread:

When it comes to any product/service/etc, do you think that people are MORE inclined to be opinionated/vocal about something they are happy with or something that they loathe or detest? Here is the problem with your assertion:

I agree that there have been, in the past couple of years, plenty of people who have had bad experiences with DFI motherboards (NF2 Ultra B/Infinity, 250gb, nF4 lineup). However, this is also because an overwhelming majority of enthusiasts have adopted these boards. Whether you choose to believe it or not, DFI's nF4 lineup is probably the most popular motherboard choice for the Athlon 64 enthusiast. Couple that widespread adoption with the fact that EVERYONE buys these boards to push their systems to the limit, and naturally you will here of more complaints and issues than you will from another platform where one person might o/c like hell but the next man may build and run stock.

Additionally, DFI boards traditionally offer much more control to the end user...in terms of voltages, timings, etc. Understand there's a tradeoff: more freedom to tweak and adjust...more room for disaster. Period. It's the whole risk-return concept, which is not only a pillar of Finance but business itself. Not to fear, though: It has been said many times in the past that these boards are not for the amateur, impatient, or even the casual enthusiast. Hell, I am perhaps one of the most (or to some, the most) adamant individual of DFI motherboards on these forums, but I have never once (a) recommended these boards to a beginner or (b) recommended these boards w/o mention that they are extremely picky and they will test your patience. So forgive my lack of sympathy for the cries of so many, but DFI boards have always been great for overclocks and prone to little issues here and there.

DFI really broke out onto the enthusiast scene with their Nforce 2 lineup, and even that platform was notorious for a few quirks. Nonetheless, more and more people buy their boards with each new generation. If DFI was such a terrible company, why would so many continue to buy?

deception``

gOdM@n, I had a similar problem occur when I changed some case fans. After I was done the rig would power on and off repeatedly every second or so. I thought it was my ocz 600w psu and was ready to rma it. An ocz tech recomended I jump start it and I have not had any more problems out of it since. The whole problem really made question my psu though?! Not sure if I would ever buy another!!!

Kris said:

gOdM@n, I had a similar problem occur when I changed some case fans. After I was done the rig would power on and off repeatedly every second or so. I thought it was my ocz 600w psu and was ready to rma it. An ocz tech recomended I jump start it and I have not had any more problems out of it since. The whole problem really made question my psu though?! Not sure if I would ever buy another!!!

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He had you do the green wire/black wire trick, right? Well, I did that and got the PSU to work, but it still won't fully power up the mobo. I guess he had you "jump" it b/c they know of some issue with that PSU.

I haven't been home all day today. I went to work in the mornin, then to dinner with my gf, and now I'm going to sleep over her place. I'm going home early in the morning (gotta cross the Tappan Zee Bridge, hope it's not packed), and MAYBE I'll have time to play with it... probably not.

I'll let you guys know more results probably by tomorrow night. As of right now, the TT 420w runs just fine with it. My computer is power hungry (don't forget I have to run the D5 pump on it as well), and when I prime95 with the most powerful test (large-FTT) my +12V rail goes from like 12.11v to 11.92v (which ain't SO bad with such a small PSU and so much power). That's what happens when I run 2x120mm deltas at 7v... when I have the other set of deltas on (the rear exhaust 2x120 deltas) the voltage drops even more down to like 11.88v. When I put all four deltas at full blast, the +12v rail drops to 11.82v... crazy, eh? It goes to show the difference between beefy PSUs and medium PSUs.

I'll say it again, the TT 420w psu is still a good bang for the buck.

Let's hope I can get to the bottom of why the OCZ 600W and the DFI don't run together. You know... maybe it is the board being picky, or maybe it's the PSU being picky... who knows... maybe both parts are 100% functional and they just don't like each other. The funny thing is, then why did the board work with that psu for several months to begin with?

Woe to he who battles deception in exposition.

Seriously though, I am another supporter of the DFI board. I have had no problems with the Ultra D; this was my first build as well. Deception makes a point that most don't consider...the majority of feedback received on a product is feedback on the defective units (which I believe is most usually the result of user error, or even misinterpretation by the user of the unit being defective.) People don't waste their time talking about how great a product is. Maybe we just need to start a thread about how great the DFI board is. I'm not sure how the automotive industry comment applies; this board is no Pinto or Corvair.

Just a comment here with an additonal data point. I've been pretty happy with my DFI board. The problem I had was traced to something else (condensation from the peltier leaving water in the CPU socket). Even after that the board worked fine once it was cleaned up. However, for some strange reason, whenever I change the CPU, it won't boot up. Clearing CMOS won't fix it. However, if I pull the CPU out and then reinsert it and try again it works. I've had this happen to me 3 times. Just about gives me a heart attack each time (ok, not the last time...I was sort of expecting it).

Weird, but not a big problem.

Now I just have to read up and start experementing to find a way to get my OCZ Plat 3200s to run prime95 for more than 2 hours. I want to get it rock stable before I start trying to overclock.

exactly what deception says.

there are so many people buying DFI specifically to push these boards to the highest limit of their CPU and RAM. they are also the same people that try dozens of different BIOSes, and are often swapping out components and trying different things to optimize their system. so to hear more complaints than average, especially on overclocking forums, is to be expect.

I've personally had a cheese MSI Neo2 Plat. FSB couldnt go past 305 (which is actually good for MSI, yet nothing for DFI), voltages and temp readings were way outta whack, and one day, the USB, network and sound all decided to stop working, when case wasnt opened in weeks and nothing out of ordinary occured. and before that, i'd get so many 'Machine Check Error' in windows and random BSOD.

I've also seen two Neo4 boards both not even able to crack 250FSB. what a joke to call those boards 'overclockers'.

and now on my DFI NF4 Ultra-D, one BIOS flash later, memory timing tweaks (straight from DFI-street tech guys), and no problems booting whatsoever, I'm now running a lot faster and more stable than ever before. not a single hardware-related BSOD on this overclocked system. and the same PSU (Enermax) that was reading 12.5 to 12.8V on MSi's board now reads 12.05V on DFI, and temps are more accurate as well.

so big thumbs up to DFI.

just my 2 cents