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GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

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  • GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

    I just got this motherboard today and I need some help to determine what the the stable recommend settings are for the BIOS (have F9 ready to flash).

    Here are the components:

    GA-EP45-DS3L Mobo
    Intel E8400 Wolfdale CPU
    Radeon HD 4850 GPU (Asus)
    2 x G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) (4 matched 1GB sticks in total)
    700 Watt PSU

    This is a gaming computer, but I am looking for stability not performance. I have no plans to overclock this system in the near future. It will run Windows XP x86 initially, but I do plan on upgrading to Vista x64 in the future to take advantage of all 4GB of RAM.

    What should my BIOS settings be to keep the system rock solid stable?

    Thanks fo the guidance...I will post my experience with the recommended settings once I have a chance to run it through it's paces.

  • #2
    Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

    im gonna assume thats the CAS5 version, but if not you'll have to up the voltages and tighten the timings a bit

    MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
    Robust Graphics Booster ...............: [Auto]
    CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9
    Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................: N/A
    CPU Frequency ...........................: 3GHz


    Clock Chip Control
    Standard Clock Control
    CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
    CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 333MHz
    PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:100MHz <--Always 100!!

    C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]


    Advanced Clock Control
    CPU Clock Drive...........................:800
    PCI Express Clock Drive.................:900
    CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: Auto or 0
    MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0


    DRAM Performance Control
    Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
    Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
    (G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: 266 or 333MHz
    System Memory Multiplier ..............: 2.40
    Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 800
    DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

    Standard Timing Control
    CAS Latency Time............................. 5
    tRCD .............................................. 5
    tRP'.............................................. ... 5
    tRAS.............................................. .. 15

    Advanced Timing Control
    tRRD...........................................3-5
    tWTR.......................................... 4-6
    tWR............................................3-6
    tRFC...........................................52-55
    tRTP...........................................4-6
    Command Rate (CMD) ....................:2 (1 might work because you're running at stock)

    Channel A
    Static tRead Value............................:7-10
    tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:Auto
    tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
    tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
    tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
    Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto
    Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto
    Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto
    Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto
    Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto
    Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto

    Channel B
    Static tRead Value..........................:7-10
    tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:Auto
    tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
    tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
    tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
    Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto
    Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto
    Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto
    Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto
    Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto
    Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto

    Motherboard Voltage Control
    Voltage Type.………... Manual
    CPU
    CPU Vcore….……….........................: 1.3V (you can decrease this to reduce heat if you're able to boot at 1.3)
    CPU Termination…..... 1.200V*.......: Auto
    CPU PLL…………………....1.500V*.......: Auto
    CPU Referen.…………....0.755V*.......: Auto
    CPU Reference2………,,0.800V*.......: Auto

    MCH/ICH
    MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: 1.2-1.3V
    MCH Reference….…….0.800V...........:Auto
    MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........:Auto
    ICH I/O……………….....1.550V............:Auto
    ICH Core…………...……1.100V............:Auto

    DRAM
    DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 1.9V (i think...check the sticker on the DIMMs)

    DRAM Termination .…0.900V............: Auto
    Channel A Reference 0.900V............: Auto
    Channel B Reference 0.900V............: Auto

    Advanced Settings
    Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
    No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
    CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
    C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
    x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
    CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
    CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
    Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

      Thanks for the quick reply!

      RAM Timing and Voltage: CAS Latency listed as 5. Timings are listed as 5-5-5-15. Voltage is listed as 1.8V-2.0V.

      Vcore: Heat might be an issue as the ASUS graphics card is known to run hot on stock cooling. Not sure yet because I won't start assembling for a few hours, but will stick with 1.3V unless CPU temps get out of bounds under load.

      CMD: I'm apt to leave the command rate at 2, as you suggest, if it is more stable.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

        you might be able to lower it to 1.27-1.28V, but just start with 1.3V. Yes CR2 will be more stable, but 1 will give you better performance, and at stock frequency you can probably pull it off. As for the graphics card running hot, there's 2 fixes for that (if you dont want to shell out any more daruu)... hardware and software.

        For the easier, software fix, create a profile in CCC called Default. C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\ATI\ACE and open the file called Default.xml in either Notepad or Wordpad. Now look for the tag

        Code:
        Feature name="FanSpeedAlgorithm_0"
        just underneath that you'll see

        Code:
        Property name="FanSpeedAlgorithm" value="Auto" /
        change "Auto" to "Manual"

        then go down to

        Code:
        Feature name="FanSpeedPercentTarget_0"
              Property name="Want" value="0" /
        and change value="0" to value="whatever percent you want" before i got the after market coolers, 45% worked fine... kept the card at about 40C when idle, then i made a gaming profile with 60%, which kept it nice and cold when i was playing games.

        So the whole section should look like

        Code:
             Feature name="FanSpeedAlgorithm_0"
              Property name="FanSpeedAlgorithm" value="Manual" /
              /Feature
              Feature name="FanSpeedRPMTarget_0"
              Property name="Want" value="0" /
              /Feature
              Feature name="FanSpeedPercentTarget_0"
              Property name="Want" value="65" /
        The other fix requires editing the BIOS... i can guide you through it if you want... just hit me up whenever.

        EDIT: What's up with the CODE tags... i put them in and they were just blank
        Last edited by BongWizard; 10-09-2008, 06:42 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

          Thanks for the info on the fan fix. I will give that a try.

          I was thinking of adding an aftermarket VGA cooler at some point, but if I can keep the GPU cool with just some settings tweaks, that would be great.

          What I like about custom cooling units (fans/heatsinks) is that you can often get good cooling but with lower noise. Right now I only concerned about getting the stock build running smooth and stable. Hardware upgrades will definitely wait a long while.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

            yeah you'll get really nice temps with aftermarket coolers, but i found that at 45% the card was almost silent... if you use those settings and mod the fan control you should get a nice, cool, and above all stable system

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

              You could also just install ATITool and let it monitor fan speeds and change them to set amounts at set temps >>>



              ATITool - Overclocking utility for ATI and NVIDIA cards

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                Built the machine last night (BIOS is F6) and I cannot get it stable. I tried to flash to the new BIOS, but QFlash said the floppy files were no good.

                I did change the BIOS settings as described above.

                It will sometimes post, sometimes not, and once in a while I will get a single beep motherboard error. It will often say, "BIOS Checksum" is bad and go into a BIOS recovery loop, that reboots the machine several times. Sometimes it is just a couple of times, other times in will get stuck, in what appears to be an infinite loop (forced to hard reset). Reset the CMOS seems to have stopped the infinite BIOS recovery loops.

                If it posts and progresses to Windows, it will blue screen.

                I tried to install Windows XP (disc with SP1) and several files failed to copy and I can't get setup to run. I was able to reformat the HDD and copy most windows files, but setup will not run, I just get a blank green screen.

                So far things do not look good.

                I will begin troubleshooting on Sunday night (10/12). I will start by double checking all of the data and power connections. I will then try to flash to the newest BIOS (F9) with a new floppy or USB drive.

                After that I guess I will pop out two of the RAM sticks and see if that works.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                  Was able to get the 4x1GB running but not stable. Windows crashed twice during Microsoft Update and the last one required a repair install.

                  Also, I am running BIOS vF6. Soemthing is wrong with the floppy drive and I get a disc read error when trying to use QFlash.

                  Running 2x1GB right now until I can just gets this system stable.

                  Can you tell me the settings I should use when just running 2x1GB sticks of RAM?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                    I'm still getting freezes and blue screens running 2X1GB.

                    What should my BIOS settings be now that I am running with just two sticks of RAM and BIOS F6?

                    Anyone?
                    Last edited by heavyfeul; 10-11-2008, 01:33 AM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                      Did you try to Qflash with just the .Fxx BIOS file on a floppy? You may have better luck

                      The above settings are too tight for 4x1, and would be fine for 2x1, except no MCH voltage would be needed and trfc can come down to 42 or so.

                      Here is what I woudl advise for 4x1GB >>>

                      Here, try this for 3.6 with all 4 sticks >>>>

                      Code:
                      [b][u]MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)[/u][/b]
                      Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Fast
                      CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9
                      Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.0
                      CPU Frequency ...........................: 3.00
                      
                      
                      [b][u]Clock Chip Control [/u][/b]
                      [b][u]Standard Clock Control[/u][/b]
                      CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled] 
                      CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 333Mhz
                      [B]PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:Set to 100[/B]
                      
                      C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]
                      
                      
                      [b][u]Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter][/u][/b]
                      CPU Clock Drive...........................: <<< 800
                      PCI Express Clock Drive.................: <<< 900
                      CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: <<< 
                      MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: <<< 100-200
                      
                      
                      [b][u]DRAM Performance Control[/u][/b][u][/u]
                      [B]Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD][/B]
                      Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
                      (G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [333] << Set Trd, voltages and ONLY this and reboot, then change the rest
                      
                      System Memory Multiplier ..............: 2.40
                      Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 800
                      DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]
                      
                      [b]Standard Timing Control[/b]
                      CAS Latency Time........................5
                      tRCD .........................................5
                      tRP'...........................................5
                      tRAS..........................................15/18
                      
                      Use all highest below first, then later lower one by one and test after each move.
                      
                      [b][u]Advanced Timing Control[/u][/b]
                      tRRD...........................................3-6
                      tWTR..........................................3-6 (use 8-12 first)
                      tWR............................................4-6(Use 8-14 first)
                      tRFC...........................................52-75
                      tRTP...........................................3-6
                      Command Rate (CMD) ....................:2
                      
                      [u][b]Driving Strength Profiles[/b][/u][b][/b]
                      Driving Strength ............................ 1066-1200
                      
                      [b]Channel A[/b]
                      Static tRead Value.........................:8-10
                       tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:<<< Leave for all below as well
                      tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
                       tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
                       tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
                      Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto 
                      Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
                      Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
                      Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto 
                      Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
                      Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
                      
                      [b]Channel B[/b]
                      Static tRead Value.........................:8-10
                       tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:<<< Leave for all below as well
                      tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
                       tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
                       tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
                      Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto 
                      Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
                      Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
                      Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto 
                      Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
                      Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
                      
                      [b][U]Motherboard Voltage Control[/U][/b][U][/U]
                      Voltage Type.………... Manual
                      [b]CPU[/b]
                      CPU Vcore….……….........................:
                      CPU Termination…..... 1.200V*.......: <<< 1.2-1.3
                      CPU PLL…………………....1.500V*.......: <<< 1.5
                      CPU Referen.…………....0.755V*.......: <<< .64% Of Vtt (Termination above)
                      CPU Reference2………,,0.800V*.......:<<< .67% Of Vtt (Termination above)
                      
                      [b]MCH/ICH[/b]
                      MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: << 1.2-1.3
                      MCH Reference….…….0.800V...........; <<< Leave
                      MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........: <<< Leave
                      ICH I/O……………….....1.550V............: <<< 1.55
                      ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: <<< 1.10
                      
                      DRAM
                      DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 2.0
                      DRAM Termination .…0.900V............: <<< Leave
                      Channel A Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave
                      Channel B Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave
                      
                      [b][U]Advanced Settings[/U][/b][U][/U]
                      Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
                      No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
                      CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
                      C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
                      x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
                      CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
                      CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
                      Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]
                      
                      [b][U]Integrated Peripherals[/U][/b][U][/U]
                      Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............[Disabled] *Note* Must be enabled to flash from USB

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                        heavyfeul, do you get the fdd error just reading the drive or only when actually trying to have qflash find the new bios file?

                        If it's the latter, did you make sure to extract the bios file first?
                        Last edited by ed1; 10-16-2008, 12:43 PM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                          ^^^^ Yes, this is correct! ^^^^

                          You must extract the .Fxx BIOS file onto your floppy, not the .exe. All you need is the actual BIOS file, not the flash or batch file. >>>
                          http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios...h-guide-27576/

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                            Something is wrong with the floppy drive. Could be the drive, connection to mobo, power, not sure.

                            Anyway...I flashed to the new f9 firmware with a USB key drive I had laying around.

                            I then added the the last two sticks and changed the settings as described above.

                            Right now Windows is stable and I did play about 30 minutes of TF2 last night without a hitch.

                            I still need to do a lot of testing before I start tweaking further, but so far so good. I plan on running the Bioshock and Company of Heroes demos as soon as I can, then moving on to some stress and memory tests.

                            Also, some of the values listed by you guys are not available on my board and some entries as well. For instance, I only have "CPU Reference" and no "CPU Reference 2" entry under Motherboard Voltage.

                            I will post specifics on the differences, once I get a chance to read my notes. I'm guessing it is just the difference between different p45 boards and that the BIOS settings template is a general template, not specific to the GA-EP45-DS3L.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: GA-EP45-DS3L Settings Help - New Build

                              Great to hear you got flashed without issue, and that you are now up and running smoother!

                              Things mentioned in the template may be CPU or Ram dependant, so if you do not see something it just means your hardware does not support/use/offer it. Like CPU Reference 2, or XMP ram options. Just ignore what you do not see. You can Double check to be sure if you should be seeing a setting by using the Hidden settings hotkey Ctrl + F1 on the MAIN Page of the BIOS, the screen will flash then do back into MIT and check again. But you should not have hidden settings in the MIT Section

                              Y, it is like you said it is a General P45 table, with all hardware and board options shown just incase as some CPU's do "this" and others do not, same applies with Ram.

                              Comment

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