Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 motherboard with DPC spikes - RMA?

[Timo]

Originally Posted by Spook Tooth

Glad it's working for you. Incidently, what kind of music do you produce and which software do you favour?

Thanks. I'm into electronic music, film theme stuff (like Vangelis/Bladerunner type music) and dance music. Also do quite a bit of sound synthesis/programming.

I use retro software in a bang up-to-date modern environment. My sequencer weapon of choice is Renoise, which is a heavily modernised implementation of the old skool 'tracker' type way of working, and the devs are great, they're very customer focussed and update the software often. I also use Wavelab for cutting. Got loads of VST effects and a few soft synths, although I mainly use external keyboards (my favourite being the Virus). Most of my stuff is external (keyboards, mixer, compressors, etc.) and the PC build was basically to fuse live (external) music with extremely low latency software based stuff, for near-realtime use (for example, using the computer as a massive multi-effects unit, sampler, and sequencer, all live). I've never had a computer that is powerful enough to do it, so it's a very exciting time for me. The soundcard is a Motu Traveler.

Originally Posted by rabbid

Thats really good news!
Approx how long overall was it from contacting GA to getting a beta bios?

I think other people had received the beta BIOS before I even knew about it, so it now looks like they're giving out to everyone that is affected by it.

I think it took Gigabyte over a month or so before they acknowledged the problem. Personally I'm not sure that it's a proper BIOS release. - I think may be incomplete, and will never be complete. More a quick, knocked-together fix to patch just this problem.

The latest official BIOS version is version 12, but people have been having the DPC problems from version 6 and later. All I think that Gigabyte have given me is version 5, and then just added Intel Q9450 support to it, rather than a logical, linear extension on from version 12. If so, then all those with version 13b have missed out all the other enhancements from version 6 to version 12. This is something I'm chasing up with Gigabyte, to see what they have actually given me (and others).

Thanks.

[Spook Tooth]

Sounds complicated and totally beyond my understanding, but also very interesting; my brother has a fledgling interest in mixing music (for want of a better term) himself so I thought I'd ask an expert what was involved.

You'll have to let us know how your new PC build copes with the task of fusing live music. And maybe even post a link to a short sample or something? A bet there are plenty of folk here who'd appreciate that. I'll look up details about the soundcard since I'd not heard of it before. Best of luck then.

[blueball]

The GA-P35-DQ6 has the same problems (BIOS F6)

[JuergenW]

Hello.

Found this topic on good luck, because I always blamed my Audio-Interface or my Videocard for the DPC Latency issues on my GA-EP35-DS4.

I contacted Gigabyte with this topic, no answer so far - but I can't wait to try this BIOS F13b.

Anyone can send me this version?

Best regards,
Juergen

[Timo]

Originally Posted by JuergenW

Hello.

Found this topic on good luck, because I always blamed my Audio-Interface or my Videocard for the DPC Latency issues on my GA-EP35-DS4.

I contacted Gigabyte with this topic, no answer so far - but I can't wait to try this BIOS F13b.

Anyone can send me this version?

Best regards,
Juergen

Sent. Check your inbox on infekted.org

[PeteG@Scan]

Hi,

Just a couple of pointers on the Gigabyte boards because honestly a lot of them can be awkward to configure for DPC issues.

First of all disable all power saving features in the bios.

EIST
C1E
C3/C6/C7
Speedstep


all need to be turned off.

Virtualization if your not using it in win7 needs to be turned off.

Turboboost on i7's/i5's also need turning off.

Essentially most of the above works by adjusting the cpu clocks somehow to achive it's goal. It's constant monitoring (in the case of powersaving) or switching of multiplyers on the fly (turboboost) that willl lead to the latency spikes you see in front of you. And more importantly I can't think of anything I want less in a system than something that makes it change clock speeds whilst i'm mixing a project.

If you have enough cooling that you feel you want the extra power offered by turboboost then just switch it off and overclock it permently and have done with it!

Also standard advice in windows applys. Keep all drivers updated. Don't install manufactors own software like asus or gigabyte system monitors as these things are hidious when it comes to dpc.
Disable the devices in system manager you don't need.
Don't use wifi as this give's processor hits constantly and drops audio when trying to connect (use cat 5 if you need to get online) and keep virus scanners off the system if you can althrough if you must get on the net then at least us the firewall on your router and not the one on the p.c.

The's ton's more advice online but that lot should help you get fairly low.