Go Back   Hardware Canucks > HARDWARE > CPU's and Motherboards

       
Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old June 11, 2007, 07:32 PM
sswilson's Avatar
Super Moderator
F@H
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Moncton NB
Posts: 5,162
Default Comment thread for DFI Infinity P965-S Dark review

Comments, suggestions, questions are strongly encouraged!!!!

I'm still running this board, so I'm interested in your experiences with it. I'm also more than willing to try out different settings / dividers if you want info that wasn't provided in the review.

The review can be found here.... http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/hardw...rd-review.html .
__________________
Gigabyte P35-DQ6 / E8400 / 2X2 Gig Mushkin PC2 8500 Ascents / Corsair TX750W PSU / Gigabyte 8800GTS / CoolerMaster Cosmos S / MCP655 WC Pump / MCR320 Rad / 6X Yate Loons / PA120.1 / 2X Scythe Ultra Kaze / Swiftech Apogee GTZ WB / Samsung 2253BW
ASUS P5Q Pro / Q6600 / 2X1 Gig Supertalent PC2 6400 / PC P&C 750W Silencer / HIS 3870 IceQ3 / HT Omega Striker 7.1 / MCR220-QP-Res / DD DDCPX-Pro / Apogee GT / Swiftech MCW30 / Highspeed PC Tech Station / Samsung 931BF
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!

Last edited by sswilson; June 11, 2007 at 08:25 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old June 11, 2007, 09:52 PM
Cardboard box with DSL's Avatar
Top Prospect
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 165
Default

Hmmmm, I want one, but at the same time I want a P5K as well...
Looks like DFI was a little slow to the mark this time, which is really too bad because they make some nice stuff.
I'll probably wait until we figure out what happens with DDR3 and the like, before getting a new board.
__________________

Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old June 11, 2007, 10:20 PM
sswilson's Avatar
Super Moderator
F@H
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Moncton NB
Posts: 5,162
Default

Yeah, they were a little slow bringing this one to market.

I've been out of the DFI loop for quite a while, but I suspect they were focusing all of their attention on this board... DFI Product for Mainboard

It's a pity IMO, because the Dark is really a great board for the price, and they would have sold a lot more of these than they did of the other.

I've been pretty busy tweaking this board and getting the stuff together for the review, but now that I've played with it, I'm itching to get out and do some surfing to see what kind of results other folks are getting with other boards in this price range.

DDR3 eh..........

I think I'll hold off until I absolutely have to.... I just upgraded to DDRII a couple of months ago.... :)
__________________
Gigabyte P35-DQ6 / E8400 / 2X2 Gig Mushkin PC2 8500 Ascents / Corsair TX750W PSU / Gigabyte 8800GTS / CoolerMaster Cosmos S / MCP655 WC Pump / MCR320 Rad / 6X Yate Loons / PA120.1 / 2X Scythe Ultra Kaze / Swiftech Apogee GTZ WB / Samsung 2253BW
ASUS P5Q Pro / Q6600 / 2X1 Gig Supertalent PC2 6400 / PC P&C 750W Silencer / HIS 3870 IceQ3 / HT Omega Striker 7.1 / MCR220-QP-Res / DD DDCPX-Pro / Apogee GT / Swiftech MCW30 / Highspeed PC Tech Station / Samsung 931BF
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 09:13 AM
Eldonko's Avatar
Hardware Canucks Reviewer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 2,203
Default

Nice review. I have this board myself, few questions on your max fsb testing:

Have you tested your CPU FSB wall?
Have you tried active cooling on NB?
Did you tweek DQ calibration and GTL+ D-S?
Did you test if loosening trc/trfc has an effect on max fsb?

Some tips:

1) On this board the DQ-/DQS calibration and GTL+ Strength, are integrated so you need a certain balance. Try GTL+ D-S = 2 and DQ-C = 4 or 5.

2) Keep VTT about .35v~0.2v gap with SB 1.5v. These were some of the best voltage combos for me:

NB 1.25V Setting: 1.35V
SB 1.5V Setting: 1.6V
SB 1.05V Setting: 1.15V

3) If the board wont post when you save from bios, don't keep pushing the reset button, flick off your PSU switch for 5 sec. Resets can fry your ram.

4) If you need a clockgen program use SETFSB. http://www13.plala.or.jp/setfsb/down...etfsb20b13.zip
ICS9LPRS509HGLF (DFI Infinity P965-S)
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 10:00 AM
sswilson's Avatar
Super Moderator
F@H
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Moncton NB
Posts: 5,162
Default

Thanks for the tips. I'll give them a try this weekend.

I did try some finer adjustments (and combos) to try to get the FSB above 450 (had a couple of "cheat sheets" from the new DFI forums site), but fine tuning like you suggest to find the "magic" combination take time for me to do. (Took me 3 months to find the best combo for my 3700+ on an ultra-d :) ).

I haven't given up on my quest for the holy grail yet, and tips like yours are exactly what I need to achieve it.

What kind of results have you gotten with yours?
__________________
Gigabyte P35-DQ6 / E8400 / 2X2 Gig Mushkin PC2 8500 Ascents / Corsair TX750W PSU / Gigabyte 8800GTS / CoolerMaster Cosmos S / MCP655 WC Pump / MCR320 Rad / 6X Yate Loons / PA120.1 / 2X Scythe Ultra Kaze / Swiftech Apogee GTZ WB / Samsung 2253BW
ASUS P5Q Pro / Q6600 / 2X1 Gig Supertalent PC2 6400 / PC P&C 750W Silencer / HIS 3870 IceQ3 / HT Omega Striker 7.1 / MCR220-QP-Res / DD DDCPX-Pro / Apogee GT / Swiftech MCW30 / Highspeed PC Tech Station / Samsung 931BF
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 10:14 AM
Eldonko's Avatar
Hardware Canucks Reviewer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 2,203
Default

Took some tweeking time but I got 530fsb; cpu fsb limit after that. First thing you should try is set up DQ calibration and GTL+ D-S as shown ^^. :)
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 10:46 AM
sswilson's Avatar
Super Moderator
F@H
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Moncton NB
Posts: 5,162
Default

530 is pretty sweet!!!!!

I had the memory up to around 1100 with relaxed timings (667 selected if I remember correctly) at a lower fsb, but I'm wondering if it's not kean on doing 1-1 at high fsb.

As far as active cooling goes.... I don't have it, but I do have a side case fan which blows directly on the heatsink.

I tried running gtl @ 2 (even though the first guide I found suggested it was only for quad cores) as well as messing with the DQ, but certainly haven't had time for trying all of the possible combinations.

Some folks might cringe at the idea of doing this kind of playing to get the max fsb out of this board, but I actually look forward to it. :)
__________________
Gigabyte P35-DQ6 / E8400 / 2X2 Gig Mushkin PC2 8500 Ascents / Corsair TX750W PSU / Gigabyte 8800GTS / CoolerMaster Cosmos S / MCP655 WC Pump / MCR320 Rad / 6X Yate Loons / PA120.1 / 2X Scythe Ultra Kaze / Swiftech Apogee GTZ WB / Samsung 2253BW
ASUS P5Q Pro / Q6600 / 2X1 Gig Supertalent PC2 6400 / PC P&C 750W Silencer / HIS 3870 IceQ3 / HT Omega Striker 7.1 / MCR220-QP-Res / DD DDCPX-Pro / Apogee GT / Swiftech MCW30 / Highspeed PC Tech Station / Samsung 931BF
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!

Last edited by sswilson; June 12, 2007 at 10:49 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 01:25 PM
Eldonko's Avatar
Hardware Canucks Reviewer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 2,203
Default

Me too, that's why I buy DFI, I like figuring stuff out.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 06:23 PM
sswilson's Avatar
Super Moderator
F@H
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Moncton NB
Posts: 5,162
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldonko View Post
Me too, that's why I buy DFI, I like figuring stuff out.
That's the way I feel about it, but folks shouldn't be scared away from this board because of that kind of tinkering to get to the highest FSB. 444 stable is more than most folks will be able to get out of the latest round of chips.
__________________
Gigabyte P35-DQ6 / E8400 / 2X2 Gig Mushkin PC2 8500 Ascents / Corsair TX750W PSU / Gigabyte 8800GTS / CoolerMaster Cosmos S / MCP655 WC Pump / MCR320 Rad / 6X Yate Loons / PA120.1 / 2X Scythe Ultra Kaze / Swiftech Apogee GTZ WB / Samsung 2253BW
ASUS P5Q Pro / Q6600 / 2X1 Gig Supertalent PC2 6400 / PC P&C 750W Silencer / HIS 3870 IceQ3 / HT Omega Striker 7.1 / MCR220-QP-Res / DD DDCPX-Pro / Apogee GT / Swiftech MCW30 / Highspeed PC Tech Station / Samsung 931BF
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old June 12, 2007, 09:47 PM
Eldonko's Avatar
Hardware Canucks Reviewer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 2,203
Default

This is true, esp with the new 4000 series CPUs, FSB wall sucks. That's why it is good to test CPU fsb so you arent banging your head against the wall tweeking a board when CPU is issue.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Please post your DFI P965-S Dark Timings keenan CPU's and Motherboards 8 August 1, 2007 12:20 PM
DFI Infinity P965-S Dark keenan CPU's and Motherboards 10 July 26, 2007 12:30 PM
Another DFI Infinity Dark review by MadShrimps Babrbarossa Reviews & Articles from the Web 1 May 24, 2007 09:09 AM
DFI P965 Infinity Dark review by PCTuner Babrbarossa Reviews & Articles from the Web 1 May 21, 2007 08:53 AM