rec.autos.simulators

Oh well.. Too late

I scored a 1375 on the 3dMark2001 test.... So... I gues it ran just fine...
Not sure what was up with the 3dMark2000 I tried to install and run, but
apparently it was on my machine when Falcon NW Delivered it...

Perhaps it's the BIOS.. I seem to be running a slightly older verison that
many others who tested and reported their results here earlier?

JJ

Let me try to re-download it as I think I downloaded the update, rather than
the full deal the first time around, which would explain why it failed to
install. Duh, I didn't have it installed to update in the first place...

I'll let you know in a few min's...

JJ

Ok...

After re-downloading and installing 3dMark200 and updating it to version 1.1
I recieved a score of 2995!

No problems with the test and everything looked awesome!

Sorry your still having problems but everything seemed to run A-OK with my
system.
Could be the fact that it's a Falcon system, that was pre-tested and
designed for games?

JJ

Jay...the reason it ran okay....is your Falcon system came with a BIOS
version 1.006.  That BIOS version does not exist on the ASUS site...and the
P3V4X ships with BIOS version 1.005.   Obviously, ASUS knows they have a
"bug"....and are letting their OEM's know....sending them the fix.  But,
they are not admitting to it publicly by putting the "fix" up on their BIOS
updates (which must say what is fixed...or addressed in the new BIOS).
Great business tactics ASUS......makes me just want to go right out and buy
something else you make.......NOT!

Tom

Wow....I did not realize just how many of you actually had this motherboard!

Based on the string length here....and the 20 or 30 separate email I've
gotten just in the last hour and a half......its seems this mobo is more
prolific among the sim community members than I realized.  I guess this
makes sense....since it accommodates the P3 Intel chips from around 450 to
800-1000 mHz.  That's probably were a lot of you are at....if you have not
upgraded your systems yet for N4 or for a GF3 video card.

This "bug" is real....and it is prolific on all the ASUS P3V4X
boards......running BIOS 1.005 or 1.004, or 1.003.  There is this mysterious
BIOS version 1.006 (not on the ASUS website)....that some of you have.  If
you have this BIOS version....you don't have the bug.  Therefore, it would
be reasonable to assume that it was fixed on this BIOS version.

If you want to confirm you "have the bug" or don't....here's a procedure
that works well:

1.  Try to run any "video memory" intensive application....3DMark2000 is a
good one (not 3DMark 2001...unless you have a GF3 video card...only!).  This
"bug" exists with all video applications (WMP 7.1 for example).....but you
may not have noticed your mpegs running slow....or unless you run a lot of
them back-to-back...you may have not encountered a system crash.  In my
case, the bug is bad enough that I can't even run GPL on this system.  What
happens, is when selecting a "track"....GPL tries to initialize the replay
system.  That is a video application and windows (on my system) says to
GPL....."I have no memory to allocate to that function." ....so GPL reports
the error, "Can Not Initialize Replay System.....aborting race weekend!"

2.  If when attempting to run 3DMark2000 benchmark....you get a bad score,
slow FPS or a crash/abort on the first texture screen load......then go to
the next step.....which will confirm the problem is this ASUS mobo "bug."

3.  After a video crash...if you can recover to your desktop.....do so!  If
not....shutdown and reboot....let scandisk run and take you back to your
desktop.  In either case, once back to your desktop...perform the following
procedure:  Hold down the Shift key....permanently.  Then, go to "Shut
Down - Restart" ....still holding down the shift key.  When the screen says,
"Returning to Windows........"  you can release the shift key and the system
will boot normally to your desktop.  Now run 3DMark2000 again......you
should find you get either "no crash"....or a much higher score!  If this
happens...you have the "bug."

I have no clue "why" holding down the shift key works to get around this
bug.  However, I do remember having to do this with some of the "crashes" we
used to get when I was beta testing Internet Explorer 4.0 for MS a few years
back (something about IE not releasing resources after a crash).  My
"guess"....and this is only a guess....is that holding the shift key forces
Windows to poll the devices on the mobo......and get a "report" from
them....not just accepting the BIOS generated report during a normal boot up
sequence.  If we have some Windows gurus among us....maybe they could shed
some light on this for us?

I'm now going to go attempt to flash the EPROM on this mobo....and see if
this fixes this bug!  Of course, then I'd still have the unstable AGP4x
issue to deal with!  Nice mobo ASUS....got anymore like this one?  I'd want
three more please........that way I'd have "one" to bury......and the other
two to use as "dirt" to cover up the first one!   .......lol......

See ya....

Tom

I ran this board for around a year with a 550 P-III Overclocked to
742mhz with a Voodoo5. Never had any problems with it. But then again
with the V5 I used to set the AGP to x2 and the Apeture to 16mb.

PAPA DOC

Pierre PAPA DOC Legrand
Flanker Target
Grand Prix Legends Crash Test Dummy
Rants, Bullshit and Help Guides availible at
www.papadoc.net

Glad I was so lucky with mine...I ran 3d Mark2000 alot when I was
running it as my main squeeze. But I did always update the
bios...sorta ***about that sort of thing. Its one of the
requirements of buying the fastest stuff.....you are buying beta.

Anyways here is where I always got the latest bios for ASUS its a
German site that is an official ASUS site that delivers beta bios.
Never had any problems but I am really picky about directions on
updating bios's and advise anyone reading this that feels reluctant to
read and re-read then read the instructions again...and whatever you
do do NOT run the bios update from a DOS window in 95/98/Me...disaster
awaits those who do. Go to a pure DOS prompt by pressing the key
combination that allows you to access the menu.

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

I ran the V5 with the P3V4X thru many different bios's and never had
any problems.

PAPA DOC

Pierre PAPA DOC Legrand
Flanker Target
Grand Prix Legends Crash Test Dummy
Rants, Bullshit and Help Guides availible at
www.papadoc.net

Again, After reading all the problems you'all have
had with this mobo, I'm glad I have a Abit SA6R :-)

| Wow....I did not realize just how many of you actually had this
motherboard!
<snipped>

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.262 / Virus Database: 132 - Release Date: 6/12/2001

Tom

How can I verify which BIOS my motherboard is running?

When I boot up, during the initial black, post screen it listed the ASUS
P3V4X as 1005 but you seem to believe that Falcon NorthWest loaded some OEM
version 1006 instead.

Is there some otherway, besides watching the screen during the boot-up that
I can check this?

JJ

I use the latest patch released for GPL and D3D.  I cannot recall which
version it is.  I use 1152x1024 with everything on and it never drops below
30fps.

I use the P3V4X Bios 1006.2 beta.  I had to update the Bios in my GeForce
card. (3D Prophet from Guillemot)

I think the last score I got from 3DMark 2001 was a 2505. I don't use
3DMark2000 so I'm not sure there.

Keep in mind I run it at 1152x1024 and get a 3DMark2001 with Windows XP Beta
2 which is kinda slow for games.

Just a thought Tom,

I have an Asus CUSL2 and when I did a Bios upgrade I was given the option to
backup the existing bios onto the flash floppy.
If somebody has this 1006 bios then couldn't they make a backup with the
flash utility then send it to you?

Craig.

Jay....

If your report 1005 at startup...that's the BIOS you have installed.
Another way to check this, is to run SiSoftSandra....which you can download
from ZDNet if you haven't done so already (anyone running racing sim
programs on "tweaked" systems should have this excellent utility).

Tom

*****Update On This Issue = 7/3/01*****

I loaded the 1006.03 version BIOS (obtained from a backdoor FTP access to
the ASUS website....lol.....ooooops, did I say that?).

It solved the video memory problem.......but not the AGP 4X instability
issue.

Looks like this mobo is still "history"....since I want to run the GF-2 on
it.......for FPS during video editing purposes.  I haven't tried
reinstalling GPL yet......still trying to make that work on my new primary
"race box" across the room.

Tom

PS:  Many thanks to those of you who sent me files, ideas and thoughts.
Thank you very much...one and all!  I hope I can return the favor at some
future time.

Ok... But how do you explain that I was able to successfully run the
3dMark2000 test?!?

I'm not trying to be a champion for ASUS, but.... I've had ZERO problems
with my system since I purchased it from Falcon NW last Summer.

Again... This may be due to the way they configured, tweaked and tested
everything before they shipped it, this was one of the reasons I spent the
extra $$$ and went with them rather than building my own. If this is indeed
the case, then I'm happy to say it was worth it.

The P3V4X was the fastest/best Mobo on the market for Pentium chips at the
time, and the PIII 933 that I bought was the fastest processor available at
the time as well...

With ATA66 speed and a 133Mhz FSBus, plus more slots and easier to overclock
and configure than anything else, it's no wonder so many others on the
forums have this setup.

Sorry your having issues, but I'm not totally convinced it's your mobo &
video card combo, as the tests you asked me to run prove out.

Regards,
Jay J