Gigabyte P35-DS4 voltages?

[bandsaw]

I've emailled (well, OK, filled in the online support form thingy) Gigabyte (now about 4 or 5 days or so ago) but thought I'd also ask here in case anyone knows...

With the Gigabyte P35-DS4 (a replacement for the worst motherboard I've ever used - an Asus P5N-E SLI. Yeah, I know, the DS4 costs more but thus far I've had zero problems with the thing, anyway, I digress), the BIOS settings for the various voltages are +0.05V, +0.10V rather than a specific voltage, say, 1.8V, 1.85V, 1.9V etc.

The simple question is... what are the defaults on the P35-DS4??

Corsair say "thou shalt use 2.1V" for the 4-4-4-12 6400C4 stuff but I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what the default is... so therefore I don't want to go adding too many volts all willy-nilly. I was assuming default was DDR2s standard of 1.8V but that's just a guess (and the +0.3V is in red and flashes, which I guess is Gigabyte's way of saying "BAD!").

I'm happy enough with the "+" method of dealing with voltage with the CPU, chipset, etc but the RAM thing is a little unsettling.


Any ideas folks?

[tinners]

for VDIMM it's 1.8v so you need +0.3 to get 2.1v

[Freelance]

for VDIMM it's 1.8v so you need +0.3 to get 2.1v

I was interested too, just bought a P35-ds4 myself + 2gbOCZ1066MHZ kit (OCZ specs VDIMM 2,3v for this memo) + e4300 - all are in testing, running now: e4300@2800(311x9)_Vcore1,25 (bios suggests normal 1,325v, while RAM at 518,3mhz with 5-5-5-15/2T.

So, tinners, thanks for your reply, but mate you don't spare words, do you? I couldn't find, up to now, at least one mention what is the default VDIMM and no software to help (tried Everest, MBM, SpeedFan, etc - they don't recognise the board => no results and such).
I am now editing this post because I was asking you where did you get the VDIMM on the mobo, but then after I've posted I realised that I did not install the EasyTune form Gigabyte (came with the board, silly me). I went for it and EasyTune showed 1,8 VDIMM on the mobo, as you suggested.

Well, that was also interesting because I ran Orthos(combined stress cpu+ram) and TAT and the rig was just flying fast with the DRR on 1,8 VDIMM. Now, just upped the VDIMM @2,3v as per OCZ specs.

Sorry for the preliminary doubts and thanks.

[excalibur2]

I was interested too, just bought a P35-ds4 myself + 2gbOCZ1066MHZ kit + e4300 (in testing, running now e4300@2800(311x9)_Vcore1,25 [bios suggests normal 1,325v], while RAM at 518,3mhz with 5-5-5-15/2T).

So, tinners, thanks for your reply, but mate you don't spare words, do you? I couldn't find, up to now, at least one mention what is the default VDIMM and no software to help (tried Everest, MBM, SpeedFan, etc - they don't recognise the board => no results and such). So you say 1,8v and I see you have a 965P-DS4, which is based on somehow similar but not the same chipset (our P35) - does that mean your suggestion about 1,8 comes from your experience with you mobo (on 965p) or you actually know that P35-DS4 runs VDIMM 1,8v default (please can you tell us how do you know that - would be more enlightning)?

Thanks.

You can leave the ram settings on auto as they are on the Ds3P, if the computer is stable........... why add volts to the CPU, ram etc unless you have to.
In getting to 3ghz stable on my E4300 I increased the CPU volts to 1.357 (IIRC) and just increased the ram volts to 1.95v (will probably reset them lower again, if I can, on further tests).........on the stick it says 2.1v.

[Freelance]

excalibur2, thanks! I tried with upper VDIMM voltages (2,3v), but then had the same idea as you suggested - if it works fine with lower voltages, why not try keeping them low (& consequently at lesser temps). I changed to 2,1v and it worked fine, then back to Auto for VDIMM (1,8v). Moreover, I slighty changed the timings for 5-5-5-14/2T, from 5-5-5-15/2t previously (last ones are "native" latencies for my OCZ 2Gb 1066mhz kit), and its all right (well, not a huge change after all.

BTW, for the Vcore my mobo shows that Auto for Vcore is 1,3250v. I saw on legionhardware this board tested with 1,25v (there it says 1,25 is native Vcore for p35-ds4, while my board bios shows for Auto 1,3250v - discrepancy). I gave it a try and changed to Manual, went for the Vcore 1,25v. All went perfect - temps lowered, of course (then I posted in this thread about VDIMM, then upped it and later came back to 1,8).

Now I lowered the Vcore even more and have:
- Vcore 1,2475V (I think; well the next one under 1,25v),
- VDIMM on Auto-1,8v (5-5-5-14),
And again all is fine.

There is only one sort of a problem I had/have - Der Cooler, Austrian Noctua NH-U12F bundled with one Noctua 12cm fan. I installed the cooler vertical and it touches the NB fins, a bit unpleasant for installation on CPU, it doesn't give a feed back on how tightened it is. And I can not install two fans in push-pull configuration, but only one fan (on the RAM sticks side). Did not try it horizontal. Too much hussle to take out the mobo. Case P-182, all three TriCool fans at low + one similar in front also @ about 1000rpm.

Well, my temps in P182 and with U12F-one fan, under TAT @ 100% (1,25v Vcore, VDIMM auto), ran for 50min, are:
- TAT - 61C/61C;
- Core Temp 0.95 - 62C/62C
- SpeedFan 4.32 (Core0/Core1) - 47C/47C.
Btw latest CPU-Z shows that Vcore is 1,216v, latest speedfan 1,22v, latest CoreTemp 1,3250v.

With Orthos blend stress CPU and Ram for 1hrs10min:
- TAT - 54C/54C;
- Core Temp 0.95 - 56C/56C
- SpeedFan 4.32 (Core0/Core1) - 42C/41C.
CPU-Z shows that Vcore is 1,2v, speedfan the same, while CoreTemp 1,3250v.

I am curious if the Vcore (set by me to 1,25v in BIOS at the time of the test) reported by CPU-Z and SpeedFan in both cases are vdroop or software misreading? From variations under Orthos and TAT it might seem it is a real vdroop of 0,016 up to 0,05?

Well, and returning to votages and temps, with Vcore upped to 1,3250v the temps go evidently higher.

I finally decided to lower the OC to 2,6ghz (enough for me and family on this all-users/all-purpose comp), stick to Vcore 1,2475v, VDIMM to auto and for the moment its all right.

[excalibur2]

I finally decided to lower the OC to 2,6ghz (enough for me and family on this all-users/all-purpose comp), stick to Vcore 1,2475v, VDIMM to auto and for the moment its all right.

On my Ds3P I can select 8 bootup configs or e.g....on a very hot day then boot up to OC speed of 2.6ghz or whatever to keep the CPU temp reasonable to 60c on full load.

[Freelance]

Oh, don't know if mine has OC profiles, excalibur2, I shall look once again, thanks. Probably disregarded it while disabling everything, or maybe no such thing is there or maybe I don't know what I am talking about until I get into bios

And, sorry, forgot to mention that the temperatures in my post above (under TAT and Orthos) were taken @2,8Ghz. That's why I finally decided to lower it to 2,6Ghz, to get 4-5 degrees less. Anyhow, no computer will be stressed in real life as much as it was by TAT or Orthos as I understand, so the tests just finally proved rig's stability and temps:
- at VDIMM 1,8v suggested by you (and despite higher voltage quoted by RAM manufacturer) and
- at Vcore 1,25v and even 1,2745v (way under 1,3250v, quoted as Normal by BIOS of the mobo).

Thanks for your posts/suggestions!

[excalibur2]

Oh, don't know if mine has OC profiles, excalibur2, I shall look once again, thanks. Probably disregarded it while disabling everything, or maybe no such thing is there or maybe I don't know what I am talking about until I get into bios

And, sorry, forgot to mention that the temperatures in my post above (under TAT and Orthos) were taken @2,8Ghz. That's why I finally decided to lower it to 2,6Ghz, to get 4-5 degrees less. Anyhow, no computer will be stressed in real life as much as it was by TAT or Orthos as I understand, so the tests just finally proved rig's stability and temps:
- at VDIMM 1,8v suggested by you (and despite higher voltage quoted by RAM manufacturer) and
- at Vcore 1,25v and even 1,2745v (way under 1,3250v, quoted as Normal by BIOS of the mobo).

Thanks for your posts/suggestions!

Different boot configs can be handy you can name them what you like..to load just press "F12" and select..........I'm going to play around with the board to see what minimum volts I can use for everything to work at say 2.4ghz, and save the config as "hotday".

[bandsaw]

Freelancer - seems our systems are quite similar! I too have a Noctua NH-U12F! You're absolutely spot on about the 'problem' where the NH-U12F touches the motherboard heatsink.

However, it's my understanding that once the screws hit the limit imposed by the springs, then the thing is securely mounted.

I may have a look at swapping the position (currently I have the fan on the RAM side of the sink but I'm thinking maybe move the heatsink round so I can put the fan on the slot side) as, at the minute, at stock speeds I'm getting idle temps of up to about 40-43ºC depending on ambient and about 52-55ºC full load which seems a bit high to me!

[Freelance]

Freelancer - seems our systems are quite similar! I too have a Noctua NH-U12F! You're absolutely spot on about the 'problem' where the NH-U12F touches the motherboard heatsink.

However, it's my understanding that once the screws hit the limit imposed by the springs, then the thing is securely mounted.

I may have a look at swapping the position (currently I have the fan on the RAM side of the sink but I'm thinking maybe move the heatsink round so I can put the fan on the slot side) as, at the minute, at stock speeds I'm getting idle temps of up to about 40-43ºC depending on ambient and about 52-55ºC full load which seems a bit high to me!

Hey bandsaw! Thanks for starting this thread first of all!

Your temps are indeed a bit too hot IMO. Look what I've learned (something similar, but one never knows) - I have tried three times to reseat the Noctua "right" (only vertically, as mentioned) to get better temps. And from my observations - surprisingly, but true for my rig - I had to actually use more ArcticSilver5 than "a little" or "grain of rise" as recommended. So:
1. At my first try I have done exactly what you suggested - screws hit the limit imposed by the springs. I also tried from the very start to apply MORE than usual ArcticSilver5 (just to experiment) and it was quite fine - 32C at stock speed of 1,8Ghz and 1,25Vcore.
2. Then I OC'd (had 33C idle and 52C-TAT@2,2Ghz, and 34-35C&58C-TAT@2,4Ghz), then removed thermal paste, applied less AS5 than the first time, hoping to get better temps with the "right" quantity of thermal paste (this time I used the recommended so-called "grain of rise" and spread it very carefully and evenly with a credit card) and reseated the Noctua - well, temps went UP!!! to 39-40 idle I think @ 2,2 or 2,4 Ghz.
3. After that test I again removed and reapplied AS5 and tightened until limited by springs (but not overtightened) - I used AS5 without sparing it too much. Not sure how much - maybe 3 grains of rise(?) - but did not actually spread it too much with the credit card, just leveled it a super-little bit to cover the whole IHS and and also applied on the heatsink itself. So, those temps in my initial posting above @2,8Ghz are after this step three with "~3grains" of AS5.

This is of course a solution that worked for me and I can not guarantee it would work in other cases, like yours, but it would certainly not harm trying.

And one more thing, allegedly the E4300 IHS is often uneven, "not flat" (if true, shame on Intel!). That might be the reason for these temps/thermal anomalies that require more thermal compound, although I am not sure.

[CHE47]

Hey peeps,
I've also just purchased this board, and havn't had much chance to play with it yet but my E6420 seems to be stable at 3.4Ghz, well i've only done some 3dmark benchmarks so far, yet to do a burn in test etc.

I'm also wondering what the default voltages are for the following:
PCI-E Voltage (I set to +0.1)
FSB Voltage (I set to +0.1)
(G)MCH Voltage (can't remember what I set this to)

Also in regards to memory timings, i have no idea what the following are and if they should be changed:
ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD) (3) (Auto)
Rank Write to READ Delay (3) (Auto)
Write to Precharge Delay (6) (Auto)
Refresh to ACT Delay (42) (0)
Read to precharge Delay (3) (Auto)
tRD (5) (Auto)
tRD Phase Adjustment (1) (Auto)

Any help with these would be great!
Also I dont know what these boot config saves are. If anyone could explain how to save multiple configs that'd be awesome. That way i could have a gaming config and an everyday use config

Cheers
Mike

[Phil_P]

Hey Mike, welcome to Hexus


Check out Clunk's excellent thread on overclocking P35 boards:

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=110267

Have a look at the excellent section on memory. It's based on the Asus board, but a lot of the information is equally applicable to you.

I'm sure the more experienced guys will be able to answer your more specific questions

[CHE47]

Cheers Phil!
Had a quick read through and its answered some of my questions

Thanks for ya help.

Ordered a Zalman 9700NT and a couple of case fans for the side of my case so hopefully i'll get some better OC results soon! But i'm happy as with this P35 board so far, seems rock solid!

Mike

[Phil_P]

Cheers Phil!
Had a quick read through and its answered some of my questions

Thanks for ya help.

You're welcome Mike

[bandsaw]

Cheers for the info re the thermal compound, Freelance - I'm not using AS though, I'm using that Zalman "paint it on with this brush" stuff which would appear to perhaps make things worse based on what you've just said. I only put a thin layer on each surface as per the instructions - I may try it with a bit more and see what happens.

It may or may not make the slightest bit of difference but I've gone for a life of quiet - quiet fans etc in a case lined with acoustic foam. Thus temps will be higher than a "normal" case but even so, I still think my temps are a tad high (just to give you a ballpark figure, it gets to 62-65ºC @ 3GHz (333x9) under load) - well within the Intel limits and a stock E6600 is still, compared to my old Athlon XP-M, like greased lightning off a teflon coated shovel.