Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

[rwsmith]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Have you moved/copied the DATA off the drive and tried reformatting it to FAT32 again? Do you have a smaller USB drive? If so try it out, some brands/type of USB drives do have issues.

If you still get no where, please see my Pinned guide about flashing and Qflash for some other methods you can use to flash with

Thx LSD. I did reformat with FAT32 and then copied only the .9f flash file to the drive. I don't have a smaller thumb drive but I can certainly get one and try it. I think there might have been one in the kids breakfast cereal this morning... I'll take a look at your guide. Thx! - Randy

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

HAHA like the Cereal Comment, it for sure is getting to be that way with today's technology!

Yes, please read the guide, I just posted it this morning, and still have a few things to be added, but there is 3-4 methods you can use with Qflash addressed.

And a alternate USB method is one you may consider first, a Bootable USB flash drive

[rwsmith]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

HAHA like the Cereal Comment, it for sure is getting to be that way with today's technology!

Yes, please read the guide, I just posted it this morning, and still have a few things to be added, but there is 3-4 methods you can use with Qflash addressed.

And a alternate USB method is one you may consider first, a Bootable USB flash drive

LSD, Just a quick update. Simply using a smaller capacity USB stick, in this case 128MB, solved the problem. Thax for the help.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Yeap, often times for some reason super large ones have issues. I do not know why, I use both a 256 and 512 without issue but I do also have floppy installed and a 1GB FAT32 partition on my disk so I have 3 backup plans available.

Floppy's are only $8-10 Brand new so everyone should have one (Hooked up and Set as first boot as well) just incase you ever need to blind flash

[MrBlob]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Hmm, Orthos blend fails for you eh but memtest it fine? Well how long was this particular memtest, and did you do a full test as well? Without doing a long/and or full tests you will not be sure it is not your ram causing Orthos to fail. Once you are SURE your ram is fine but Orthos blend fails, then see if orthos will pass small and or large FFT's. If so then your ram may still need a few more changes. If orthos fails Small/LKarge FFT's then you need some work on your CPU setting

Well you should not be NEEDING to run 666 or 777 with your ram, so I would think from those thoughts you posted that you may need more CPU Vcore. And yes, please keep trying 405 or so instead of 400 it may be better a bit above 400. And did you try this same settings with everything else but keep 333 on MCH latch?

The way I tend to approach the whole "is it my CPU or my RAM causing the Blend test to fail" thing is I Memtest for a bit (an hour or so) to make sure it's reasonably stable, then, if I've increased the FSB, I do a small FFTs test in Orthos to hammer the CPU. I've never seen the small FFTs test fail after the first hour (i.e., it's either going to fail in the first hour, or it isn't going to fail at all), so once it's gone for an hour-and-a-half I switch over to Blend. Using this method, I hope to have eliminated the CPU as a variable if the Blend fails, and I know it's got to be memory-related.

I haven't tried the 400 MCH latch settings on 333 - what would that do?

I found this handy FAQ on memory timings (unless someone here posted a link to it, in which case please forgive my feeble, err...memory):
Info: Ram Timings For Dummies. - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

This is from the end:
"~Tweaking for Performance and Stability~Prime95 . or at least 1 1/2 hours of Memtest"


Does that seem like a valid approach to adjusting the main timings? The bit that says "Start by increasing TRAS. Go up to the max if you need to"?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Well that whole "Increase" sounds a bit crazy to me, but I guess it may be aimed at users who have the whole "Lower is better, so I will start there" approach in mind

Main timings should be just plain set at stock by manufacturer. If they dont work then the ram is likely faulty provided you have proper volts and such set. Now, Decreasing main timings, That is what can/should be attempted. If you are not overclocked on your ram some can run under what is spec'd

400 MCH strap makes the FSB operate at a looser timing so that higher FSB is more easily reachable

[MrBlob]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

I used Everest and SiSoft Sandra to run a pretty detailed analysis (averaging the values for multiple readings of read speed, write speed, latencies, ints, floats, etc.) of the difference between memory running at 1008 MHz 5-5-5-15 vs 1008Mhz 6-6-6-18, and the difference was pretty insignificant. I found that the overall performance loss going from 555-15 to 666-18 was more than regained by increasing the mem freq to 1020.

Isn't it true that you'll probably get the best performance from your memory by loosening up the timings and getting it stable at the highest MHz you can, and that once you've found that limit you can tighten up the timings at the end?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Well yes, and no. Normally at the highest end of you ram's abilities you cannot tighten the timings very much without errors.

Tighter timings at lower speeds may bench better at certain things while being worse at others.

And looser timings with higher speeds may bench better at other certain things and also be worse at yet others as well.

With the opposite also being true for each statement, and there is many discussions and tests on this.

I think overall there is always to much variables for anyone user to say for sure what would be best for another's system

Best I think is to find a tight middle ground, but all boards/ram are different, and what BIOS you are using matters as well.

Best thing for you to do since you already graph all of that info would be to test/graph a high loose area, a low tight area, and a middle tight area. Then see what looks best, but normally when you ram is set loose so you can try to push the boundaries you will find that you cannot tighten things much at all when you are maxed out as you already have loosed the timings just to get there

2.2V on your ram? If so please add a fan, your ram will thank you

[MrBlob]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

My ram is OCZ Reaper, which has the HPC (Heat Pipe Conduit). My case is well-ventilated too, so I should be okay for RAM temps.

Thanks for the further advice on benching the memory.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Anytime man!

Ya, those heatpipes I hear do work well. But unless you are using 2.2 or above for 24/7 use then most ram at 2.1 or under is fine with no fans.

Just thought I should drop in the fan comment incase anyone reads our discussions later on down the road. Always thinking of future members I guess

[MrBlob]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Well, I came across this forum and your expertise via a Google search, so that's a very sensible approach, I reckon :)

Cheers!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Just Brought GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R

Ohh yeah, that is cool to hear. I guess I have never googled myself.

Let me know how you like those once you get them all running where you plan to keep them. I have been looking at the Mushkin Approach to heatpipes on ram eVCI heatpipe, but I normally think along the lines of my ram is not hot anyway. But I guess a heatpipe would allow MORE VOLTS!