Need expert nForce2 (assus) setup tips.

[pied_piper]

Hi,

I had my deluxe nForce 2 board from assus now for a couple of months, although I'm happy with it, it seems no matter what type of computer parts I buy I can never get top performance...

When I do benchmarks and compare with same configured systems on the net, mine is always somewhat/slightly behind in performance.

Now I would like to clean install Windows XP and start from scratch in hope to get an optimum setup.

Here are things I’m looking for in my quest to have a top notch system.

-Driver installs and order in which to install them in... I.e. windows XP, nforce drivers (1.16 - 2.03 - 2.40 - 2.41?)

Bios tweaks, having APIC or not, memory timing, OC settings and what not.

-Anything else you can think of.

Now here is a list of problem I’m having with my board...

Assus deluxe version 1.4

-SoundStorm has a buzz in high volume or when I view a 3D screen saver.
-qFan works sometimes.
-Bios were updated using the assus tool and I think it could be messed up. Need to clear and clean bios with a fresh one.
-slow performance.
-Need to have vcore at 8.5 to have stable system, while others keep vcore at default and have better oc then me.


My system
AMD 1700 @ 2400 – (2.0 GHZ) – 166 x 12 – mem @ 166 sync? (temp 39c idle)
DDR RAM 333 512 MB (Infineon)
Assus nForce2 deluxe version 1.4 – bios 1004

Thanks for all your help

[RisingPower]

Well for starters, order of install should be windows then the nforce drivers, and some of the msi 2.71 drivers have been known to work on the asus board and even eliminate some of the bugs. APIC is probably a good idea so long as you don't have issues with odd irq sharing causing conflicts etc. Memory timings should be the ones most stable for you at the highest clock you can get out of them, there are no such thing as oc settings, you have to work them out yourself. I'm guessing you mean vcore of 1.85? Could be your xp is an aiuhb stepping rather than a newer jiuhb, which wouldn't oc as well at all. Suggest you look at the cpu, if i remember correctly the aiuhb starts with an A in the serial, someone correct me if i'm wrong. Sync should give you the best performance, but I suggest you buy some corsair pc3200 LL or above dimms if you want to get a higher fsb out of it.

[nm88]

When I do benchmarks and compare with same configured systems on the net, mine is always somewhat/slightly behind in performance.

Which benchmarks? What's the performance difference? Did the other set of benchmarks also run the memory at 166 FSB? Was the CPU clock exactly the same? Your system may be fine, or it may just require some simple settings to tweak. You shouldn't reinstall the OS unless it's not working properly.

-Need to have vcore at 8.5 to have stable system, while others keep vcore at default and have better oc then me.

If you're overclocking, you can't directly compare your CPU to another one, since each chip has different overclocking limits. One might overclock to a certain speed with 1.65v, whereas another would need 1.75v or 1.85v to get there. This is normal.

-SoundStorm has a buzz in high volume or when I view a 3D screen saver.

Join the club, I've had this problem with every v2.0 board. About 1 minute after I don't play any audio, I get a buzz on the motherboard and through the speakers. The only fix I have found so far is to leave the Nvidia audio control panel up on the screen at all times, since it is constantly accessing the audio device.

-qFan works sometimes.

Better than my experience.

-Bios were updated using the assus tool and I think it could be messed up. Need to clear and clean bios with a fresh one.

You should use the Alt+F2 method and a floppy disk since it is safer. As long as you didn't totally scramble the BIOS, you should be able to do it now.

[ruddywarrior]

I had my deluxe nForce 2 board from assus now for a couple of months,

Assus deluxe version 1.4

Assus nForce2 deluxe version 1.4 – bios 1004

By the way, its ASUS not ASSUS unless of course you meant it that way.....

[RisingPower]

I think the latter was more accurate.

[Solarius]

Could be your xp is an aiuhb stepping rather than a newer jiuhb, which wouldn't oc as well at all. Suggest you look at the cpu, if i remember correctly the aiuhb starts with an A in the serial, someone correct me if i'm wrong.

AIUHB was for 2100+ and greater, but is the same mask as JIUHB. At least that's how I understand it. There are different voltage indicators.

DLT3C = 1.5v stock
DUT3C = 1.6v stock
DK?T3C = 1.7v stock
etc.

So while you might have the same mask and model number, your core could be rated differently. I bet most of the people you were comparing your stats too were running a higher FSB/memory bus than you are too, if they have a b-mask 1700 T-bred.

Edit: Also the different batchs that came out during different weeks seemed to have better performance than others. For the 1700 namely the 0309, 0310, and 0319 batches. There are others too.. I think the best batch for AIUHB was the 0302. ( So 0319 = 2003 19th week )