NForce2 Bios corruption

[Shadow ÒÓ]

I've answered you in a PM.

I wasn't a fan of onboard sound either....however Skip asked me to give it a shot. I unplugged my Audigy MP3 and tried the onboard.....

Keeping in mind, I enjoy quality sound (Hence a set of $400 Klipsch 5.1 speakers) and disabled the onboard sound immediately upon booting the board for the first time. Skip was the one who convinced me to keep an open mind and give it a try.

While I honestly can't tell a difference in the quality of the sound, I CAN tell a difference in performance. The heavy software of Audigy probably sucks up 4x the resources of the onboard sound. Don't be so quick to slam onboard.

I'm still using the Audigy on this board (hell I paid $100 for it....may as well use it) but the next time I format, I probably won't install the card.

 

[mook]

How about we call it 6 of one and a half dozen of the other?

http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardware/audigy2_versus_nforce2/page7.asp

Take your pick.

 

[Demont]

How about we call it 6 of one and a half dozen of the other?

http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardware/audigy2_versus_nforce2/page7.asp

Take your pick.

wow they took it one step further and gave the nforce2 the same rating as audigy 2.

from a features/performance/quality standpoint the audigy 2 is obviously better.

but for some (like myself) the onboard nforce2 is just good enough(who am i kidding, for onboard, its amazing) and much cheaper if you are already in the market for a board.

can't say i would give them both 93%.... too much to consider when trying to compare onboard and not. like if somebody is not in the market for a board, how does a 93% help them?

 

[Demont]

I already have posted my HDD benchmarks from default & overclocked bus speeds. Go to the storage section & look for yourself. Yes I know how the onboard audio sounds like & it's no way near an Audigy.

couldn't find them, link ?

 

[beerman]

Good news folks

At least for 8RDA+ owners

EPOX has released a new BIOS version which solves the problem:

Bios: New EPoX 8RDA+ BIOS 3/3/03

Update BPL 2.89.
Change CPU frequency update method.
Updates ROMSIP & BPL to version 2.84.
Changed default AGP aperture size from 32 to 64 MB.
Solved issue from hanging during post "C1" when OC memory.
Added IDE DMA transfer function support.
Memory timings setting fail issue solved.
Added Magic Health Support.
USB Keyboard support item default changed to Enabled.
Changed Athlon detection for new models and fixed ratio's.
F10 Save CMOS / hang up issue solved.

Lets hope that EPoX share this solution with Abit, Asus and co

 

[kimber]

has anyone tried it.
so far i scrambled my bios once and had to hot flash and destroyed boot sector on hd. :<(

 

[beerman]

Nforce 2 BIOS problems confirmed and fixed

@kimber
sorry I don´t have an 8RDA(+)
Do you have the latest bios ?

Model: EP-8RDA
BIOS: 8RD13305.BIN (A100)
Fixed:
1) Fixed universal BIOS unsatble on C17-A2 chipset (Barton 3000+), because C17-A2 can not enable C1/C2 disconnect.
2) Add disable 'Power Button Function' (SMI/SCI) when update ROMSIP.
EPoX


The Inquirer reports:

Nforce 2 BIOS problems confirmed and fixed

A Short while ago we reported that there could be a serious problem with Nforce 2 chipset motherboards. No sooner had the article gone up than Nvidia got in contact wanting to know all of the details.

Users of a new Shuttle Nforce 2 based machine had reported problems with the BIOS. They had been trying to overclock their machines only to find that, once they went past a certain point, the machine would stop working.

At first it looked like a problem with the Shuttle but then Asus motherboard owners reported the same problem. Then Abit and Epox. Not only would they stop working, it was proving difficult to get them working again.

Nvidia stepped into the breach and admitted that there was a fault with the Shuttle and Abit boards. The fault lay in the manufacturers missing off a jumper that Nvidia had specified on the Nforce 2 reference design.

Hard Tecs 4U, a German site, unwittingly uncovered the missing jumper. They had reviewed six Nforce 2 motherboards from different manufacturers and managed to kill all of them. The only one that was easy to recover was an MSI K7N2-L board which has the jumper. Using the jumper sets the BIOS back to a 100MHz FSB safe mode.

Other people had discovered that you could use a 100MHz FSB processor, for example a Duron, in a motherboard that had stopped working to get it going again.

And there lies the problem. Setting the FSB too high can stop Nforce 2 motherboards from POSTing. Once the motherboard has stopped POSTing, the only way to get it going again is to reset the FSB back down to 100MHz. Only most motherboards don't have the jumper so you can't do that.

Nvidia obviously knew about this problem because they built the reference Nforce 2 motherboard with that jumper. The fact that many manufacturers didn't put the jumper onto their motherboards means that someone deserves a slapped wrist at the very least. Whether that's Nvidia for not emphasising the need for the jumper or the manufacturers for not including it is something we may never know.


However, what we do know is that a fix will soon be at hand for everyone. Nvidia has managed to create a fix for the BIOS on Nforce 2 motherboards that will solve the issue. That fix has already gone to several manufacturers who should be able to supply an updated version of the BIOS for their specific motherboards soon.

Nvidia has said that it managed to get that BIOS fix to Shuttle the next working day after our initial article. Hats off to Nvidia for getting the problem sorted so quickly.

Very good