Oh knowledgeable one, I summon thee. (Ultra-D) Inquiries.

[jEevion]

Before I begin, allow me to stress how wonderful these forums are. Everyone is always helpful in giving me advice on what to go for. Lately, I've made a few threads regarding what I should do for an upgrade. I now have a relatively good idea of what I will be ordering, so this thread will act as a final verifaction from all of you knowledgeable individuals. I remember back to when I got help putting my current system together. Let me tell you, this system was more than I could have ever imagined in terms of performance and stability. Now comes the time whereupon I, once again, summon those who possess the knowledge that can guide me once again.

Let me begin with my current system:

AMD64 3200+ S939 'Winchester' @ 2500MHz
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
OCZ Dual Channel Platinum Rev. 2 (TCCD) CL @ 250MHz 1T
ASUS Radeon 9800XT VIVO
OCZ Powerstream 520W
XP-90 HS /w Vantec Tornado case fan mounted (Fan Controller)
WD Raptor 74GB + Seagate Barracuda 200GB
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2

As I mentioned earlier, the wonderful people here at these forums guided me through developing this system some time ago, and it has operated flawlessly. Many thanks to all of you!

So why am I upgrading?

My 9800XT is becoming severely dated. Originally I was just going to buy an x800 or 6800GT in AGP form and leave it at that for now. However, after some recommendations from this forum, and common sense, I was inclined to consider the purchase of a PCIe motherboard along with a new PCIe video card. My dad expressed interest in taking my old motherboard and video card from me to use for his computer, so I decided to throw a CPU in there and give him my old Winnie, but give him the stock HSF. I'm basically looking for better gaming performance, while maintaining or exceeding my current clock of 2.5GHz, and hopefully experiencing the same rock-hard stability as I always have.

What am I upgrading to?

MOTHERBOARD:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13825&promoid=1051

VIDEO CARD:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15842&promoid=1051

PROCESSOR:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16788&vpn=OSA146BNBOX&manufacture=AMD


My target for this setup is clock speeds in excess of 2.7GHz, hopefully more approaching 3GHz, but 2.7 and above is fine. I have spoken to a rep at NCIX and they once they receive their shipment of the 146's, I can contact them and have someone verify the stepping of the chip to make sure it is not 'CABGE', which is awesome of them to do.

I don't want to spend too much on this upgrade, just enough to get me by for atleast a year. I considered a GTX but as for now, the marginal performance boost just doesn't justify the cost.

Why is this in the motherboard section?

Well, the reason I'm making this post is largely based on my choice for the motherboard. Basically, I have heard a lot of mixed feedback about this board, sort of like the Neo2 Platinum back in its day. Many say that it is rock solid and easy to set up, overclocks well etc etc. which is all great, but ... others say it kills some of their hardware, especially memory. Thus, I seek an answer to the following questions. If you think you could offer some feedback regarding any of them, I would be most grateful:

1. A lot of people using the Ultra-D board seem to be running solid for a while, but all of a sudden they experience increasing system instability. What would cause this? Could it be the design of the board, or user error?
2. Would my memory serve me well in trying to achieve 2.7GHz+? Has there been any reports of my memory having problems with this board that you personally know of? (I've found a few)
3. With regards to my power supply, would it serve as adequate for my purposes?
4. Some users claim that the Ultra-D ruins all of their power supplies. Has this issue been resolved, or has a cause been suggested? Is it easy to avoid?
5. Are any of my aforementioned components at risk when using this motherboard, provided I do not activate the jumper for the 4V? Also, do you anticipate they will work well with the Ultra-D?
6. What outstanding issues exist that potential buyers should be aware of regarding this board?
7. Many people suggest that the core of most problems regarding this board is the user and his/her lack of knowledge of it (particularily BIOS settings and onboard connections). Is this an accurate statement?
8. Is it a good idea to apply some AS5 on the NB?

I am prepared to make all efforts to know this board before I use it. I will research it and make sure I have no questions or concerns before I dive in and begin the fun.

On a last note, I look forward to this rig provided I get some good feedback. Again, to all of the community, thanks so much for taking the time to help me out. Further words could not express my gratitude for your concern and support. Looking forward to your feedback!

 

[Avg]

1. hasn't happened to me, but I've only had it for two months
2. Your memory is actually one of the recommended memories here at the forums.
3. Your PSU should be fine, as my Fortron 500w only lags at high voltages at 1.63+, but that is probably because I have a dual core cpu.
4. My psu is working fine, never had a problem, the only thing I had to do is to get a fan blowing over the heatsink of the power stuff for the cpu, since I'm water cooling.
5. You should already know that TCCD doesn't like high voltage so don't even think about enabling the 4v jumper (4v jumper has killed boards just by enabling it)
6. This board is by no means easy to overclock, there are so many timming options to drive one crazy, but it does provide the best platform to overclock once you understand the options.
7.Yes, I've seen many people complaining about this board, mostly because they didnt' like the amount of options it has, but if you want to get the most out of your cpu this is the board to get.
8. I didn't but it can't hurt (it can since it conducts electricity), also that fan is the loudest fan on my pc at the moment, and if I was you I'd get something to replace it before you put it on the case.

Go over to Dfi street and read some of their stickies specially the one that explains all the memory options, it was very useful when I was overclocking my ram.

 

[jEevion]

The NB fan couldn't possibly be louder than my Tornado fan mounted on my Xp-90, can it? Also, thank you very much for your quick reply! I have noted your suggestions and greatly appreciate your feedback. Additional feedback from other members is still welcomed and highly appreciated.

 

[Avg]

It's loud but not louder then a volcano LOL, I have one of those I think it was one of the reason when I upgraded, it was just so damn loud.

 

[jEevion]

Thankfully I've grown accustomed to it. Also the noise is a constant reminder that my Winnie is sitting nice and comfortable without getting too hot.

On a side note, I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't even invest in a new CPU, and let my dad buy one for himself. Or maybe even get a 3000+ Venice. I don't even know when NCIX will get the Optis in, it could be weeks. : /

 

[jEevion]

I found this guide on DFI-Street:

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showpost.php?p=203179&postcount=4

Should come in hand when my board comes in.

Anyone else have any ideas/suggestions/cautions/comments before I go ahead and order everything? My end system will look like this:

AMD Opteron 146 S939 2.0GHz (Target 2.7-2.8)
DFI LANParty UT NF4 ULTRA-D
BFG 7800GT OC
XP-90 /w Vantec Tornado Case fan mounted (fan controller)
SB Audigy2 ZS
OCZ Powerstream 520W
Raptor 74GB /w Seagate Barracuda 200GB storage
WinXP Professional

Any last minute changes need to be soon, otherwise this system is a go. I'll post a thread with pics and a walk-through of how everything went, including benchmark results, temperatures etc. Thanks a lot for the help guys.

 

[deathman20]

System looks good, and who knows might beable to hit 3Ghz easy on that too

 

[jEevion]

I just talked to a few local retailers here in my city, and one of them told me I won't be seeing the Opteron chip for atleast 7-10 days as it's still being imported to Canada. I also changed my video card to:

eVGA 7800GT CO

which comes with COD2, and performs a bit better, and has the copper heatsink which will allow for a little better overclock if I get a good one.

My motherboard and video card have been ordered and are on their way, I am waiting for NCIX to get stock of the Opterons, at which time I'll get them to check the stepping for anything but a CABGE, which they said they would do for me. So, my finalized system:

AMD Opteron 146 S939 2.0GHz (Target 2.7-2.8)
DFI LANParty UT NF4 ULTRA-D
OCZ Dual Channel Platinum Rev. 2 (TCCD) 2x512MB
eVGA e7800GT CO /w copper heatsink
XP-90 /w Vantec Tornado Case fan mounted (fan controller)
SB Audigy2 ZS
OCZ Powerstream 520W
Raptor 74GB /w Seagate Barracuda 200GB storage
WinXP Professional

I also talked to another local retailer here, and he asked me to come down and talk to him about getting me set up with a watercooling kit. He has an FX-57 @ 3.0GHz watercooled I want to check out. Maybe I'll look into a watercooling solution, and no I won't buy a premade water cooling kit. I'll post the specs of the watercooling kit he'll try to sell me in this thread later today.

Also, I'm having a friend come down when I build the system to help with the installation and take pictures, as I'm going to make a very extensive, informative thread about the installation of my rig, including some benchies, OC results and the works. That's about it for now, thanks to all who have helped me, watch this space for more info later on, and wish me luck on tracking down that damned Opteron CPU.