Question about the NF7-S VTT mod.

[JoT]

Do I just solder those two contact points together with a wire, or is there more to it?

All of the guides and helpful bits I've found about the VTT mod have been...not so help; LOTS of pictures are broken, so I never know what in the world someone is talking about. Other times, when there is a picture, there's almost no explanation.

 

[enduro]

PM Felinusz because I know that he has done it. The problem with doing the mod that you've linked to instead of the cut trace method is that if the revision of your board ( located somewhere on the back on a corner) is to old then it can kill your board. You have to have a newer board for it to work. You can do the cut trace method too but that requires more work and a little bit of manual manipulation to get everything to work right. the vtt=vref is definitely more convenient.

 

[cetoole]

Check out tictac's page about mobo vmodding, there is information about all of the vtt mods for the NF7 boards.

 

[JoT]

That's where all the broken pictures are

 

[OCFCaTalyst]

VTT = Vref doesnt work worth a damn, it never has and it never will on certain boards, it improved vtt but it was never very good. Do it malves' way w/ a 200Ohm trimmer and the trace cut.

www.malvescorner.com

-CaT

 

[JoT]

And that's a site that doesn't explain jack crap, but it has working pictures.

 

[felinusz]

JoT, check out the rear of your motherboard, in one of the corners, there will be some lettering, indicating your board's PCB revision. Here's an example:

http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=37375&stc=1

If your board is a "REV 0.52" (the newest one), then you can simply solder a wire between the two points (VTT=VREF) shown in the picture that you linked in your first post - really easy . You'll also want to check the VTT voltage at several different VDIMM settings with a multimeter afterwards, to make sure that it worked properly.

Check out this thread - it contains a lot of information on the VTT voltage modification (even though it starts off on another topic) - read the whole thing or it won't make sense :

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=337005&page=2&pp=30&highlight=VTT



If you do have a "REV 0.51" board, you need to use the trace cut method. I haven't done this mod personally, but it looks fairly easy, although it will be time-consuming and annoying to have to adjust VTT on-the-fly.

http://www.malvescorner.com/images/nf7vbt.jpg

Basically, you cut the trace shown in the picture, using a razor blade. Then, you polish both ends of the cut trace lightly and carefully untill you can see the metal underneath the coating on the PCB. You can solder your leads onto these metal patches, and run them to your potentiometer, as shown in the picture.

Lastly, you solder your potentiometer (set to 0 Ohms resistance to start with - use a multimeter to check it) to your leads, and fire up your machine. Because you use a VR with this method, you need to adjust it on-the-fly to match your VDIMM voltage. So, crack out your multimeter, and adjust the VR's resistance untill your VTT matches exactly 1/2 of your VDIMM, which you can use as a reference voltage to set your VTT. You'll probably need to check your VDIMM with a multimeter as well, to avoid software monitering from fubaring your numbers.


Good luck, if you have any more questions, or need clarification, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[JoT]

Thank you VERY much, felinusz; you just explained everything I needed to know.

 

[enduro]

:nudge: :nudge: Told you to PM him

 

[JoT]

I'm a busy guy, lemme alone

 

[drewthomas14]

i have a few questions, but i didnt want to start a new thread. what 3 mods does this do? what if i dont have the "newer " revision? i have one of the first nf7 v2's . basically , i want to do the vdimm mod, but i guess it requires the vtt mod, which i dont understand how to do.

 

[HousERaT]

JoT, check out the rear of your motherboard, in one of the corners, there will be some lettering, indicating your board's PCB revision. Here's an example:

http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=37375&stc=1

If your board is a "REV 0.52" (the newest one), then you can simply solder a wire between the two points (VTT=VREF) shown in the picture that you linked in your first post - really easy . You'll also want to check the VTT voltage at several different VDIMM settings with a multimeter afterwards, to make sure that it worked properly.

Guess what..... I have a blue dimm board that is REV 0.53, you think there will be any problems doing the #4 VTT mod on this one? I have my DDR Booster and have everything set up, I'm ready to do this...

 

[felinusz]

drewthomas14

i have a few questions, but i didnt want to start a new thread. what 3 mods does this do? what if i dont have the "newer " revision? i have one of the first nf7 v2's . basically , i want to do the vdimm mod, but i guess it requires the vtt mod, which i dont understand how to do.

The VDIMM mod does not always require the VTT mod to go with it. The straight VDIMM mod will only get you to a maximum VDIMM of around ~3.1V - any higher requires a +3.3VDC rail overvolt, or a DDR Booster.

Lucky NF7-S boards will track VTT fairly high: you need to check your VTT voltage with a multimeter, and see if it tracks correctly at high overvolts (it should always be exactly 1/2 of your VDIMM) first, then decide whether to do the VTT mod or not.

Some boards have been reported as tracking VTT properly at as high as ~3.3V of VDIMM (VTT = 1.65V) - if you have a board like this, the VTT mod is not neccessary unless you realy want to crank the voltage beyond where VTT tracking falls out.

HousERaT

Guess what..... I have a blue dimm board that is REV 0.53, you think there will be any problems doing the #4 VTT mod on this one? I have my DDR Booster and have everything set up, I'm ready to do this...

I would check your VTT with a multimeter, the newer revision may not even have the VTT tracking problem, if you're lucky.

I am not familier with the differences between your PCB revision, and 0.52. I don't know whether tictac's Method #4 would be safe to try or not .

You would need to find out about any major layout differences to make 100% sure that it is safe, although I would start by checking to see if there is even a tracking issue at all .

 

[HousERaT]

I would check your VTT with a multimeter, the newer revision may not even have the VTT tracking problem, if you're lucky.

I am not familier with the differences between your PCB revision, and 0.52. I don't know whether tictac's Method #4 would be safe to try or not .

You would need to find out about any major layout differences to make 100% sure that it is safe, although I would start by checking to see if there is even a tracking issue at all .

Thanks bro..... I've heard that some boards don't have the VTT tracking issue but I haven't been able to get any clear idea whether this is revision specific or just luck of the draw......

 

[felinusz]

Thanks bro..... I've heard that some boards don't have the VTT tracking issue but I haven't been able to get any clear idea whether this is revision specific or just luck of the draw......

A multimeter check will let you know 100% for sure. You might get lucky, and have a board without the issue .

Just hook up your booster, crank the VDIMM, and see if the VTT tracks correctly at high VDIMM voltages, that will let you know for sure

 

[wardog50]

gotta love the vtt mod, lol

This mod always puts me on edge.
Ive read about so many failures and messed up boards.
I wish it were easier or there were some kind of kit like for the p4c800.

oh well

still agood mod when done correctly and succesful.

Wardog

 

[scooter787b]

i made this a long time ago:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=320508&highlight=volt+modding