I started working on some of TP's bios settings to improve N2k2. And his
settings DO improve the fps...infact, at Darlington testing...I was pegging
the fps counter at 144 for ohhhhh about 30 feet...then
ding....ding......ding......lockup.
I tried various combos of turning some things on some off, but still
got the nasty n2k2 lockup. Finally I went back to the bios and chose the
reset option, which is probably the slowest also, and the lockups went bye
bye.
The moral of this story...just because the board is by ASUS don't mean
it smokes. (a7a 266)
This is what I get for buying local.... :)
dave henrie
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:bwzb9.226879$me6.30764@sccrnsc01...
> I started working on some of TP's bios settings to improve N2k2. Andhis
> settings DO improve the fps...infact, at Darlington testing...I waspegging
Dave, the real moral of the story is if it ain't broke, don't fix it :)
John
>
>
Quoted text (12 lines)
> the fps counter at 144 for ohhhhh about 30 feet...then > ding....ding......ding......lockup. > > I tried various combos of turning some things on some off, but still > got the nasty n2k2 lockup. Finally I went back to the bios and chose the > reset option, which is probably the slowest also, and the lockups went bye > bye. > > The moral of this story...just because the board is by ASUS don't mean > it smokes. (a7a 266) > This is what I get for buying local.... :) > dave henrieDave, the real m***of the story is if it ain't broke, don't fix it :)
John
Dave...
There's nothing likely in those BIOS settings to cause your system to
"hang".....unless you have something set terribly wrong somewhere else.
Let's assume for the moment, that you don't (assume you set all the other
stuff as indicated).
Before I did any other checking, I popped over to the ASUS boards (assume
you did that?). Seems they are filled with "My ASUS A7A266 constantly
hangs/freezes!" I read 40-50 posts dating back to early June.....nothing
but system hangs and crashes with A7A266 boards. The problems were centered
on three issues:
1. BIOS vs. 1011 is the only one that works.....if you don't have that, get
it.
2. Jumper J10 is set wrong at the factory.....should be in 2-3 switch mode
(2.6volts), not 1.2 (2.5volts)....I think that is the AGP port voltage...but
you should check you manual to confirm (that would cause major league
hangs/freezes....if the AGP port voltage was incorrect).
3. Power supplies under 350 watts.....don't work well. Those who upgraded
to 400 watts or higher.....saw the hangs/freezes disappear (assuming they
have the right BIOS version to start with).
There were lots of other complaints....many centered around heat or CPU
temps running way off the chart. I don't know, I don't use ASUS
boards.....but some of had good luck with them, I haven't.
You don't state your operating system, video card, video card BIOS settings,
video card driver version and Nv properties settings.....so I can't help you
further until I know that stuff.
Good luck.
TP
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:bwzb9.226879$me6.30764@sccrnsc01...
> I started working on some of TP's bios settings to improve N2k2. Andhis
> settings DO improve the fps...infact, at Darlington testing...I waspegging
Quoted text (14 lines)
> the fps counter at 144 for ohhhhh about 30 feet...then > ding....ding......ding......lockup. > > I tried various combos of turning some things on some off, but still > got the nasty n2k2 lockup. Finally I went back to the bios and chose the > reset option, which is probably the slowest also, and the lockups went bye > bye. > > The moral of this story...just because the board is by ASUS don't mean > it smokes. (a7a 266) > This is what I get for buying local.... :) > dave henrie > >Dave...
An afterthought........after I posted the previous reply.....I read your
post again and this hit me: "I went back to the BIOS and chose the reset
option." Do you mean you reset the BIOS to "factory defaults?" I hope not.
If you did, those are generally set very benign.....and ASUS was famous for
setting them on the "troublesome mobos"....to half put the board to sleep!
Many "dummies" by those boards and never reset the BIOS......so they "think"
everything is peachy. Fact is, the boards at something like 50% capacity at
ASUS factory defaults.
Just thought I'd mention that.
TP
PS: Just so you know....there's nothing "tricky" in those BIOS
settings.....they are pretty low-tech and they have been recommended for Nv
boards for a couple years now. I would say the odds that one of them is the
culprit....is about 1 in 10,000.
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:bwzb9.226879$me6.30764@sccrnsc01...
> I started working on some of TP's bios settings to improve N2k2. Andhis
> settings DO improve the fps...infact, at Darlington testing...I waspegging
Quoted text (14 lines)
> the fps counter at 144 for ohhhhh about 30 feet...then > ding....ding......ding......lockup. > > I tried various combos of turning some things on some off, but still > got the nasty n2k2 lockup. Finally I went back to the bios and chose the > reset option, which is probably the slowest also, and the lockups went bye > bye. > > The moral of this story...just because the board is by ASUS don't mean > it smokes. (a7a 266) > This is what I get for buying local.... :) > dave henrie > >
"Tom Pabst" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:QnDb9.39063$[email hidden]...
> Dave...
>
> An afterthought........after I posted the previous reply.....I read your
> post again and this hit me: "I went back to the BIOS and chose the reset
> option." Do you mean you reset the BIOS to "factory defaults?" I hopenot.
> If you did, those are generally set very benign.....and ASUS was famousfor
> setting them on the "troublesome mobos"....to half put the board to sleep!
> Many "dummies" by those boards and never reset the BIOS......so they"think"
> everything is peachy. Fact is, the boards at something like 50% capacityat
> ASUS factory defaults.
>
> Just thought I'd mention that.
>
> TP Well yes that is what I did....I still get fps in the 80's but
certainly not as strong as before. I have an Antec 350w ps. And the
original mb bios. I'll look into updating that.
dh
(ps...go to Asus newsgroup? read posts? Bahhh I have YOU to do
that..heheheheheeee)
dH
Dave...
The Antec 350 should be golden! That's not likely the problem (though a 400
Antec would have been better).
What about the other stuff?
TP
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:fJDb9.228336$me6.31251@sccrnsc01...
reset
> > option." Do you mean you reset the BIOS to "factory defaults?" I hope
> not.
> > If you did, those are generally set very benign.....and ASUS was famous
> for
> > setting them on the "troublesome mobos"....to half put the board tosleep!
> > Many "dummies" by those boards and never reset the BIOS......so they
> "think"
> > everything is peachy. Fact is, the boards at something like 50%capacity
Quoted text (7 lines)
> > "Tom Pabst" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:QnDb9.39063$[email hidden]... > > Dave... > > > > An afterthought........after I posted the previous reply.....I read your > > post again and this hit me: "I went back to the BIOS and chose theQuoted text (15 lines)
> at > > ASUS factory defaults. > > > > Just thought I'd mention that. > > > > TP > Well yes that is what I did....I still get fps in the 80's but > certainly not as strong as before. I have an Antec 350w ps. And the > original mb bios. I'll look into updating that. > dh > (ps...go to Asus newsgroup? read posts? Bahhh I have YOU to do > that..heheheheheeee) > dH > >
"Tom Pabst" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:mODb9.125889$aA.29523@sccrnsc02...
> Dave...
>
> The Antec 350 should be golden! That's not likely the problem (though a400
> Antec would have been better).
>
> What about the other stuff?
>
> TP Just checked the Asus site and looked at the online manual. THe J10
jumper is for ddr power. 2.5 is default and 2.6v is the 2nd option. the
manual recomends the 2.5 setting to avoid "straining components"
256mb of ddr memory 2100 is the speed rating I beleive.
gf3 ti 200 o/c to 200/400??(forget the number..both are out 66% of the
Rivatuner range.)
XP+1800 Soundblaster Audigy Gamer.
dh
Okay Dave...
Summary:
1. Power looks good.
2. Leave J-10 at 2.5volt.....the mem shouldn't need to be kick started.
3. Assuming you have at least the 29.80's Nv drivers.....and you've set all
the other settings according to the sheet you got from me......the "culprit"
points to the BIOS version you have (original). I'd get that
upgraded......bet you its the problem.
TP
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:w1Eb9.228530$me6.31573@sccrnsc01...
Quoted text (23 lines)
> > "Tom Pabst" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:mODb9.125889$aA.29523@sccrnsc02... > > Dave... > > > > The Antec 350 should be golden! That's not likely the problem (though a > 400 > > Antec would have been better). > > > > What about the other stuff? > > > > TP > Just checked the Asus site and looked at the online manual. THe J10 > jumper is for ddr power. 2.5 is default and 2.6v is the 2nd option. the > manual recomends the 2.5 setting to avoid "straining components" > > 256mb of ddr memory 2100 is the speed rating I beleive. > gf3 ti 200 o/c to 200/400??(forget the number..both are out 66% of the > Rivatuner range.) > XP+1800 Soundblaster Audigy Gamer. > dh > >
"Tom Pabst" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:4CEb9.229085$me6.31771@sccrnsc01...
all
> the other settings according to the sheet you got from me......the"culprit"
> points to the BIOS version you have (original). I'd get that
> upgraded......bet you its the problem.
>
> TP
the good news....Asus can update MB bios' without leaving windows....I
couldn't even find a working floppy so that was a good thing. Bios flash
went well, no problem. ran two quick sessions in n2k2 and no lockup...I
don't think I pushed all the settings back up yet, but I definately used the
2 2 tic memory settings and that was almost always asking for a crash.
My 3dmark also went up...not a-lot but over 7000 with game-playing
settings. (i.e. I don't have the mip detail set to plus 3 and garbage like
that)
Thanks for the research Tom.
dave henrie
Quoted text (7 lines)
> Okay Dave... > > Summary: > > 1. Power looks good. > 2. Leave J-10 at 2.5volt.....the mem shouldn't need to be kick started. > 3. Assuming you have at least the 29.80's Nv drivers.....and you've set"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:bwzb9.226879$me6.30764@sccrnsc01...
<snip>
just a thought -
If you remove a few system performance bottlenecks
and start (for example) getting much better throughput
to your video/CPU/RAM, it's possible you could be creating
heat problems which weren't evident before you tweaked.
I'm no N2K2 expert (ovals make me fall asleep at the
wheel) but I remember installing DDR for the first time
and my CPU temp jumped (along with system performance)
prompting me to install a better fan. This is with a
tbird 1.4 which tends to output some heat so ymmv.
I would try testing performance with some other programs
which stress the system and see if you can induce lockups
with them.
> The moral of this story...just because the board is by ASUS don't mean
> it smokes. (a7a 266)
I agree - asus != perfection.
They just make a higher proportion of reliable products and
charge a higher price for them. Sometimes I think a lot
of reputation is gained simply by being expensive. But then
I see ASUS consistently producing fast and stable mobos
so they are doing something right. Some of their BIOS
updates have been annoying tho :)
iksteh
Quoted text (9 lines)
> I started working on some of TP's bios settings to improve N2k2. And his > settings DO improve the fps...infact, at Darlington testing...I was pegging > the fps counter at 144 for ohhhhh about 30 feet...then > ding....ding......ding......lockup. > > I tried various combos of turning some things on some off, but still > got the nasty n2k2 lockup. Finally I went back to the bios and chose the > reset option, which is probably the slowest also, and the lockups went bye > bye.
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:w1Eb9.228530$me6.31573@sccrnsc01...
>
> gf3 ti 200 o/c to 200/400??(forget the number..both are out 66% of the
Hi Dave
Reset your graphics card to the default clock speeds. Overclocking is a real
easy way to trigger mystery lockups. If all works fine at default graphics
clock you can start to overclock it again if you really want, and when it
locks up again just back it off a bit.
Okay Dave.....good news. I think you can put those BIOS settings back to
where I indicate now. Those are not really "tweaks" per se, they are what
everyone should have their BIOS set at for Nv cards and gaming rigs. If by
some chance, the freezes return.....then "heat" is the most likely culprit.
Do you know what temps your CPU run at? What's your case temps during sim
racing?
By the way, if you want to "stress test" your system......run 3DMrk in
"loop" overnight. I do this to each new rig I build......amazing what it
shows about temps and settings I skipped by mistake. Just a thought.
Remember, even you can be a techy guru! ....lol....
Tom
"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:biFb9.229689$me6.31822@sccrnsc01...
the
> 2 2 tic memory settings and that was almost always asking for a crash.
> My 3dmark also went up...not a-lot but over 7000 with game-playing
> settings. (i.e. I don't have the mip detail set to plus 3 and garbagelike
> that)
> Thanks for the research Tom.
> dave henrie
>
>
Quoted text (22 lines)
> > "Tom Pabst" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:4CEb9.229085$me6.31771@sccrnsc01... > > Okay Dave... > > > > Summary: > > > > 1. Power looks good. > > 2. Leave J-10 at 2.5volt.....the mem shouldn't need to be kick started. > > 3. Assuming you have at least the 29.80's Nv drivers.....and you've set > all > > the other settings according to the sheet you got from me......the > "culprit" > > points to the BIOS version you have (original). I'd get that > > upgraded......bet you its the problem. > > > > TP > > the good news....Asus can update MB bios' without leaving windows....I > couldn't even find a working floppy so that was a good thing. Bios flash > went well, no problem. ran two quick sessions in n2k2 and no lockup...I > don't think I pushed all the settings back up yet, but I definately usedIK...
I agree with your statement on the heat issue......its worse when you have
your system really flying. And, I have two rigs with 1.4 AMD's in them
right now......those CPU temps can go to 60-65 degrees in a heartbeat. Even
just running desktop apps on a hot day! That version Tbird is the hottest
running CPU I've ever seen/used.....and with the weakness of the OEM
fans.......that's a real problem for them. I use Arctic Silver and
"aftermarket" fans on all the gaming rigs.......its just good insurance for
the extra cost. As of about a year ago, I also by default, cut a 120mm hole
in the side door....right over the CPU/video card rack.....and install a
120mm "blowhole" fan (gaming rigs only).
TP
"iksteh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3d6f2e2a$0$26220$[email hidden]...
> "Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in messagenews:bwzb9.226879$me6.30764@sccrnsc01...
> > I started working on some of TP's bios settings to improve N2k2. Andhis
> > settings DO improve the fps...infact, at Darlington testing...I waspegging
> > the fps counter at 144 for ohhhhh about 30 feet...then
> > ding....ding......ding......lockup.
> >
> > I tried various combos of turning some things on some off, butstill
> > got the nasty n2k2 lockup. Finally I went back to the bios and chosethe
> > reset option, which is probably the slowest also, and the lockups wentbye
