[HousERaT]

Specs are in my signature but I'll provide some pretty pictures. System is pretty stable with these settings but I'd like to know how I can get this system stable with higher memory fsb? Is it possible? Some of you seem to have some good luck with higher fsb. Any suggestions it getting more out of my system is welcome..... I'm new to NF3 and MSI motherboards.

NOTES: my cpu can run stable at 2.7Ghz on my nf4 DFI and my GSKill LE's, well they're GSKill LEs what else do I have to say.

[HousERaT]

here's another pretty picture....... let me know if I should change any of these settings and how I can even find them in bios. I'm guessing some of these can only be changed in windows?

[Jakalwarrior]

that or hacked bios.

[RAMMAN]

venice cpu,s and tccd memory tend not to get along together all that well when used with the neo2.you would probably do a lot better with your redlines on a divider.btw drive strength should be set to weak.

[HousERaT]

Originally Posted by RAMMAN

venice cpu,s and tccd memory tend not to get along together all that well when used with the neo2.you would probably do a lot better with your redlines on a divider.btw drive strength should be set to weak.

I was hoping I wouldn't have to run my ddr booster with this mb. This board is so limited it seems like it would be difficult to run anything other than TCCD..... I'll have to give it some thought. I ran the drive strength at weak and it seemed more unstable. I'll be fooling around with the drive strength some more though....

Originally Posted by Jakalwarrior

that or hacked bios.

Yes, the bios is a modded bios by sideeffect.....

[RAMMAN]

ive had great success with the 1.A official bios.the neo2 likes bh5 utt and absolutely loves ballistix and normally likes tccd also but not with a venice core.your mobo will work just fine with a ddr booster in slot 4.

[HousERaT]

Originally Posted by RAMMAN

ive had great success with the 1.A official bios.the neo2 likes bh5 utt and absolutely loves ballistix and normally likes tccd also but not with a venice core.your mobo will work just fine with a ddr booster in slot 4.

I guess it's time to whip out my Twinmos Bh-die sticks and see what happens. are you talking about the 1B bios? I don't think there is an official 1A.....

[RAMMAN]

yes there is an official 1.A bios since my neo2 has it but i think it would be dumb for you to change bios from what you already have.rseven and mopmatrix are the true masters of the neo2 perhaps they might come along and see this thread soon.

[HousERaT]

I seem to be having terrible luck with these Neo2 boards..... the first one I bought used was DOA now I'm using this Newegg refurb and the first purple slot is dead. I have to use the two slots furthest away from the cpu....... which now means I can't use the booster. I'll either have to mod the board or rma it...... perhaps this is a sign I should use another brand board......

[RAMMAN]

are you sure the booster wont fit/work in slots 1 or 2?

[HousERaT]

there doesn't appear to be enough room under the xp-90...... grrrrrrrrrrrr

[RAMMAN]

oh well, if you really want to change to a different 939 agp mobo there are a few choices.my knowledge in this area is somewhat limited.lets see...the asus board is pretty much bug free due to having the via chipset but doesnt overclock as much, the dfi board atm has even more bugs than msi,s! and i dont know anything about abits offering.i remember rseven recommending the epox board to someone wanting a 939 agp mobo a while back.however a friend of mine has a gigabyte 939 agp board and he swears by it.

[HousERaT]

I'll probably stick with the Neo2. I just have to decide how bad I want more bandwith. this computer isn't my main or gaming rig so I really don't need the extra power. I just like to overclock

I'm sure rseven will have some insights for me.

[RAMMAN]

looks like rseven has gotten lazy .with any luck you should get back a working board if you choose to rma your neo2.no point modding the board since slot 1 isnt working.and remember if you opt for the gigabyte board your tccd will perform better with your venice.major bummer that your venice maxes out at 2.7ghz, all the more reason to use redlines.

[rseven]

Hey Houserat, welcome to the wonderful world of MSI. I see folks have been talking about me in my abstinence....I mean absence. Trust me no one is the master of the Neo2 because it's like mastering mush! I will try to say something intelligent, but it won't be easy.
First off you can increase your bandwidth modestly by using the 183 divider. It probably means loosening your timings, but it may not. Actually, my inferior PQI tccd will run 2.5 on the 183 divider at 9x282, but when I ran it higher than that I didn't have the 183 divider available to experiment with as it's only recently been in any Neo2 bios. Running at a higher MHz will usually get you more bandwidth. I don't know if you experimented with 1:1. Mine will get to 9x278 at 3-4-4-8 before giving up the ghost. Also, remember that I have a Winchester and that can change things. The only way to change most of those ram settings is with the A64 tweaker. BTW my tccd doesn't do it's best with weak dram strength.
As far as a booster goes, I have used one in this board with the xp90. The problem with slot 2 is no the cooler, but the lack of space between the slots. Not only that, but you couldn't see the voltage display or reach the knob to adjust the voltage if it was in slots 1 or 2 with an XP90. It really needs to be used in slot 4 and even that is a tight squeeze.
Lastly, the other NF3 boards are not vastly superior to the Neo2. The Epox seems to be the best, but it can't even use the DDR Booster and it's vdimm is limited to 2.8. It is a good overclocker, but it may not go much higher than where you are now.
And RAMMAN I'm not lazy just a wee bit tipsy, so I hope this all make sense.

[RAMMAN]

sorry rseven, its just that you have been into the msi section a few times today and only bothered to look at the stickies .i figured you would be as close to the master of the neo2 as we have since you have been around for a long, long time if you know what i mean .i think houserat should rma his neo2 and use his redlines + booster on 166 divider for higher cpu clocks/tight timings which i think would result in greater performance or if he wants more bandwith with his tccd,s with will need 1:1 divider and should opt for the gigabyte board.

[rseven]

Originally Posted by RAMMAN

sorry rseven, its just that you have been into the msi section a few times today and only bothered to look at the stickies .i figured you would be as close to the master of the neo2 as we have since you have been around for a long, long time if you know what i mean.i think houserat should rma his neo2 and use his redlines + booster on 166 divider for higher cpu clocks/tight timings which i think would result in greater performance or if he wants more bandwith with his tccd,s with 1:1 divider he should opt for the gigabyte board.

No apology is needed, I was just busting on you. Yes, I have had a busy day and just popped in a couple of times before I had to run out and do some shows. (I would say work, but it's not work because it's too much fun) Anyway, since Houserat's board has a bad ram slot that is more than enough reason to rma. In particular since it kills his chances of using a booster. I am not that familiar with the Gigabyte board, though I know it's been around a long time. They were having some vcore fluctuation problems early on and I don't know if they got the bugs out of i. I know MSI started out with a better board, but made no improvements so now they are down on the list. Yes, he would get more bandwidth running 1:1, but I really do think that bandwidth is over rated. I can get better bandwidth running 9x278 at 1:1, but my system is faster at 9x282 with either the 166 or the 183 divider and tighter timings.
Well, he'll have to make his decision. I know I would not keep a board than wasn't fully functioning refurb or not.

[RAMMAN]

i know the gigabyte board doesnt seem to have the problem that the neo2 has when using the venice/tccd combo and is more likely to do 300htt 1:1 ratio with said combo.however his venices inability to break 2.7ghz will definitaly play into it and could make the redlines on a divider + ddr booster + another neo2 combo the better option.

[MoPMatrix]

I'd say RMA the board first off and try one of the 1.B modded BIOS's by Sideeffect and run the 183 Divider.

I am in the same situation as you though, my G.Skill LE's top out at 274 1:1 2.5-3-3-7 (1 MHz under spec). Yet my CPU will do 285x10, so I'm forced to use a divider which sticks my ram at about 230MHz and totally killing all of my sexy TCCD bandwidth.

And my video card won't OC the same with the 1.A and 1.B BIOS's so I can't use the 183 divider.
I'm thinking of either getting a DFI NF4 board and a PCI-e video card or getting some UTT/BH5. But would really prefer not to use a booster or any type of ram that needs high voltage because I've herd so many bad stories about them.

And I wouldn't even think of going to another nf3 board if I were you. If you are going to put out money for another board, I would just go strait to nf4. nf3 is just the reject of all chipsets it seems.

[RAMMAN]

high voltage ram wont affect the lifespan of a mobo as long as its kept to 3.5v with active cooling.