P4C800 Deluxe Promise Drivers Question

G

Guest

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Hi all,
My System specs:
P4 3.0
Asus P4C800 Deluxe MB 1017 Bios
Asus V9999 6800 Ultra Driver version 66.93
1 Gig Samsung ram
Sony CDP G200 17" Monitor
2 x Maxtor 120 GB SATA Hard Drives (not SCSI)
Plextor FX-708A
Audigy 2 Sound Card (latest drivers)
Norton Internet Security 2004
Internet 2 meg down 256 up connection
MS XP PRO SP2 English
North Q King Kong Extreme PSU 500 Watt
Promise 2+0 Stripe/Raid0 SCSI Disk Device 5.1.2535.0 Driver
I have been experiencing system lock ups (freezing) while playing some
of (but not all) the newer games (COD United Offensive, UT 2004 Red
Orchestra Mod) that require a hard boot because even the keyboard does
not respond. Anyway, I got to checking the Nvidia site and they say to
update the 'chip set drivers'. Are these the Promise drivers or the
Intel chip drivers? How do i update the promise/Intel drivers? I have
1.0.1.37 now.
Could this be a part of my lock up problems or is this more game
related?
Thanks in advance,
Bobsen
 

Paul

Splendid
Mar 30, 2004
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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

In article <j9g4q0lj344dqj4n6auvqlq547ruo6vfij@4ax.com>, Bob Bobsen
<noneedtoknow@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> My System specs:
> P4 3.0
> Asus P4C800 Deluxe MB 1017 Bios
> Asus V9999 6800 Ultra Driver version 66.93
> 1 Gig Samsung ram
> Sony CDP G200 17" Monitor
> 2 x Maxtor 120 GB SATA Hard Drives (not SCSI)
> Plextor FX-708A
> Audigy 2 Sound Card (latest drivers)
> Norton Internet Security 2004
> Internet 2 meg down 256 up connection
> MS XP PRO SP2 English
> North Q King Kong Extreme PSU 500 Watt
> Promise 2+0 Stripe/Raid0 SCSI Disk Device 5.1.2535.0 Driver
> I have been experiencing system lock ups (freezing) while playing some
> of (but not all) the newer games (COD United Offensive, UT 2004 Red
> Orchestra Mod) that require a hard boot because even the keyboard does
> not respond. Anyway, I got to checking the Nvidia site and they say to
> update the 'chip set drivers'. Are these the Promise drivers or the
> Intel chip drivers? How do i update the promise/Intel drivers? I have
> 1.0.1.37 now.
> Could this be a part of my lock up problems or is this more game
> related?
> Thanks in advance,
> Bobsen

Intel downloads (like their chipset INF installers) can be found on:
http://downloadfinder.intel.com

Can you run a version of 3DMark on your computer ?
Does the computer freeze up then ?

How about your power supply ? Load MBM5 or Asus Probe (one or the
other, not both). These programs can record motherboard voltage
readings to a text file, so while a game or 3DMark is running,
you can record what is happening to the voltages every 10 seconds.
After a session (or after a crash), open up the log file, and see
whether the voltages are within 5% of the nominal value. If they
deviate by 5% to 10%, it could be the power supply is marginal,
or the ATX power connectors are not properly seated.

If the video card uses its own power connector, make sure the
that power cable is not shared with other devices. The video card
should have its own private cable.

Please post the current ratings of the various outputs like
+3.3V, +5V, +12V, printed on the label on the side of the
power supply. There are some "bargain" 500W supplies that
only have 10 amps available on +12V, and those are worse
than some quality 350W supplies. While the label may
not accurately reflect the capabilities of the supply,
there may already be evidence of what the problem is,
printed right on the ratings label.

HTH,
Paul
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Hi Paul,
I ran 3Dmark03 without any freeze ups and ended up with a score of
11962 with all my background apps running (Norton AV/Internet
Security). Is this a good score?
My PSU is rated as follows:
Voltage : 230Vac(200 - 240Vac)
Frequency : 50Hz
Current : 4.0A(MAX.) At 230Vac


Voltage
+3.3V

+5V

+12V

-5V

-12V

+5Vsb
Max Load
28A

50A

28/30*A

0.8A

1.0A

2.5A

Standard
250W 336W 12w 4w 12,5w
Max. comb 480W 28W
(kinda copies funny from the NorthQ site, hope you can read
it)
My Asus 'Probe' utility show no major fluxes in the power. How do I
save it to a text file?
Thanks for your help....
Regards,Bobsen
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Here are my results from the test. Why does the FSB only show 200? I
thought this board wasa 800 FSB?
Thanks in advance,
Bobsen
General Information
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
DirectX Version 9.0c
Mobo Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Mobo Model P4C800
AGP Rates (Current/Available) 4x / 4x, 8x
CPU Intel Pentium 4 2998 MHz
FSB 200 MHz
Memory 1022 MB

Display Information
Graphics Chipset NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra
Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra
Driver Version 6.6.9.3
Driver Status WHQL - FM Approved
Video Memory 256 MB
Core Clock 399 MHz
Memory Clock 1102 MHz

Sound Information
Sound Adapter Driver Name SB Audigy 2 Audio [DE80]
Sound Adapter Driver Version 5.12.1.444

Benchmark Settings
Program Version 3DMark03 Revision 5 Build 0
Resolution 1024x768@32 bit
Texture Filtering Optimal
Pixel Processing / Antialiasing None
Post Processing false
Vertex Shaders Optimal

Main Test Results
3DMark Score 11962 3DMarks
CPU Score 711 CPUMarks

Detailed Test Results

Game Tests
GT1 - Wings of Fury 234.6 fps
GT2 - Battle of Proxycon 99.8 fps
GT3 - Troll's Lair 82.2 fps
GT4 - Mother Nature 69.5 fps

CPU Tests
CPU Test 1 76.4 fps
CPU Test 2 13.1 fps

Feature Tests
Fill Rate (Single-Texturing) 3454.7 MTexels/s
Fill Rate (Multi-Texturing) 6593.9 MTexels/s
Vertex Shader 34.0 fps
Pixel Shader 2.0 179.2 fps
Ragtroll 53.7 fps

Sound Tests
No sounds Not Supported
24 sounds Not Supported
60 sounds Not Supported
 

Paul

Splendid
Mar 30, 2004
5,267
0
25,780
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

In article <cp47q05kmataq6rk1tf0ghqasl94ltjcrs@4ax.com>, Bob Bobsen
<noneedtoknow@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Here are my results from the test. Why does the FSB only show 200? I
> thought this board wasa 800 FSB?
> Thanks in advance,
> Bobsen
> General Information
> Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
> DirectX Version 9.0c
> Mobo Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
> Mobo Model P4C800
> AGP Rates (Current/Available) 4x / 4x, 8x
> CPU Intel Pentium 4 2998 MHz
> FSB 200 MHz
> Memory 1022 MB
>
> Display Information
> Graphics Chipset NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra
> Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra
> Driver Version 6.6.9.3
> Driver Status WHQL - FM Approved
> Video Memory 256 MB
> Core Clock 399 MHz
> Memory Clock 1102 MHz
>
> Sound Information
> Sound Adapter Driver Name SB Audigy 2 Audio [DE80]
> Sound Adapter Driver Version 5.12.1.444
>
> Benchmark Settings
> Program Version 3DMark03 Revision 5 Build 0
> Resolution 1024x768@32 bit
> Texture Filtering Optimal
> Pixel Processing / Antialiasing None
> Post Processing false
> Vertex Shaders Optimal
>
> Main Test Results
> 3DMark Score 11962 3DMarks
> CPU Score 711 CPUMarks
>
> Detailed Test Results
>
> Game Tests
> GT1 - Wings of Fury 234.6 fps
> GT2 - Battle of Proxycon 99.8 fps
> GT3 - Troll's Lair 82.2 fps
> GT4 - Mother Nature 69.5 fps
>
> CPU Tests
> CPU Test 1 76.4 fps
> CPU Test 2 13.1 fps
>
> Feature Tests
> Fill Rate (Single-Texturing) 3454.7 MTexels/s
> Fill Rate (Multi-Texturing) 6593.9 MTexels/s
> Vertex Shader 34.0 fps
> Pixel Shader 2.0 179.2 fps
> Ragtroll 53.7 fps
>
> Sound Tests
> No sounds Not Supported
> 24 sounds Not Supported
> 60 sounds Not Supported

The 200MHz is the clock signal fed to the processor.
The front side bus (FSB) has four data phases per clock
cycle, which means 800 million bus transfers happen
per second (and this is termed "FSB800"). Everything
there is OK.

I found your power supply here. For some reason, I couldn't
find the info via a search engine, meaning the NorthQ people
aren't "seeding" the search engines like they should.

http://northq.com/products/powersupply/nq4100.html

That supply has plenty of capability.

What you are looking for in Asus Probe, is more than a
5% deviation from nominal. If the 3.3V reads less than 3.135V,
the 5.0V reads less than 4.75V, the 12.0V reads less than 11.4V,
then further checking is required. If the signals dip as much as
10%, then replace the power supply right away.

I have a standard recipe for testing a computer. It is not a
substitute for a proper test (via a commercial computer test
package), but it tests a few things.

1) Start with memtest85 from memtest.org. This is a program
that you boot the computer with, and no OS is needed. The
program tests all of the computer memory, as the program
"lifts" itself out of the way, and tests underneath.
2) If memtest86 is clean (error free) for a few hours, the
next test is Prime95 from mersenne.org. Use the "torture
test" option. "Large FFTs" tends to test both CPU and
memory, while "Small FFTs" runs in-cache, and exercises
the CPU core more. The mixed option will do a little of
both. I had some bad memory that passed memtest86, but errored
in Prime95 after 30 minutes of mixed testing. The test
seemed to fail at the same place each time. The new memory
I got is clean.
3) 3DMark is good for testing 3D stability. The benchmark can be
compared to other user's benchmarks, while the demo mode can
be left looping overnight. If 3DMark runs, but your games
don't, then chances are the game has a bug, or the game is
using a feature not exercised by 3DMark.

You can verify 3D capabilities with Powerstrip (entechtaiwan.com)
and its Options menu in the system tray. Check for fast write
sideband addressing, DMA/Dime etc. Then you can uninstall
powerstrip, as its other functions are not needed. DXDIAG
(from your DirectX install) can also be used verify that
the drivers are installed OK.

As I'm still using 3DMark2001SE, I cannot compare to your benchmark,
but as memory serves, that is a good number for the 2003 version.
I think my system would only be good for 4K to 5K 3DMark2003.

By running a few of these tests, you may get a hint as to whether
there is a hardware problem. Or if the Asus Probe readings are
off for the power supply.

Otherwise, concentrate on the game and Google for user reports
that match your experience.

I notice on the NorthQ site, that some of their products look to
be rebranded products made by other companies. It is possible your
power supply has another popular brand name, in which case you
could Google on that, to see if anyone has stability problems with
the power supply. There probably aren't that many supplies with
three cooling fans :)

Your PSU looks a bit like this. The end where the cable comes out
is a good match for yours. Click on the Newegg pictures and compare.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-101-408&depa=0

Read the first review on that web page. Do you have another PSU
handy, to test with ? It could be the ratings label is bogus.

HTH,
Paul
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Thanks for the help Paul. I will run the tests you talked about. I
pretty well 'trust' the PSU, its gotten great test results here in
Denmark and in fact is made here, so I don't think that is the
problem. But, to be on the safe side I will 'research' a little more.
Thanks so much for your help....
PS how to save the probe results to a text file?
TIA,
Bobsen
 

Paul

Splendid
Mar 30, 2004
5,267
0
25,780
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

In article <n1e9q09f4t66o2ueqdlkm4n30ofb09an5d@4ax.com>, Bob Bobsen
<noneedtoknow@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the help Paul. I will run the tests you talked about. I
> pretty well 'trust' the PSU, its gotten great test results here in
> Denmark and in fact is made here, so I don't think that is the
> problem. But, to be on the safe side I will 'research' a little more.
> Thanks so much for your help....
> PS how to save the probe results to a text file?
> TIA,
> Bobsen

Well, to be honest with you, I've never used Asus Probe, but a
poster told me that Asus Probe had the same capability as MBM5.
Wrong!

Tonight, I downloaded several copies of Asus Probe, and the
recording method is graphical (if I install really old copies,
then they don't install properly). In the install directory,
there is a file named "Record", and that file is created when
you click the record button. But, using a hex editor, the
readings in there appear to be in binary, and the record length
appears to be a function of the motherboard. (Looks like a short
header, followed by fixed length data records.)

If the data is in raw form (i.e. it is register values read directly
from the monitor chip), then the conversion formula for the
motherboard is needed, to convert the data into human readable
values. Consulting the source for a linux monitor program,
will suggest the correct equations, but every now and then,
there is a motherboard that violates the rules, and custom
parameters are needed for the conversion equations.

You can review the record graphically, and when you move the
cursor over the graph window, the numeric values appear on the
left of the screen. It is a sad way to review the data, especially
if you are interested in the highs and lows over a period of
time.

I guess I'll have to change my recommendation from now on, to MBM5,
but as development of MBM5 has stopped, there will be a bunch of
new boards left with only Asus Probe.

As for the power supply being made in Denmark, do you really
believe that ? How can any manufacturer ignore the cheap
labor available outside their own country ? There has to be
a real good reason to make a product domestically, and since
power supplies compete on price, everyone ends up in
Taiwan. I ran into someone the other day, who I used to work
with - he is an enterpreneur, and he managed to go from concept
to product in only 90 days, by contacting a company in Taiwan,
describing what he wants, and letting them do all the work.
No one in town could touch the price for the project.
That kind of responsiveness and capability, should scare
anyone in the engineering business.

Paul
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Hi all,
Well it appears that it was the AGP setting in the BIOs. I have now
set it to 64MB (it was at 256MB) and have been playing for about 2
hours with only one minor lock up after I set everything to optimal
seetings. So it would appear 'case closed'. I am still confused why,
with 1 GB memory, and most experts saying to set the AGP size to half
your system memory ONLY this game would give me problems though.
Anywho I am just happy to play again....
Regards,
Bobsen