333 DDR settings with ECS P4S5A/DX ??

[TBW]

I recently upgraded my PC with a Pentium 4 2.4 CPU, an ECS P4S5A/DX motherboard and one 512 MB Corsair CMX512-2700C2 RAM (DDR 333), and am really confused by the settings in the motherboard BIOS setup.

Here are the settings and the options in question:

DRAM CAS # Latency: Can be set at 2 or 3
Manual says:
This item determines the operation of DRAM memory CAS (column address strobe). It is recommended that you leave this item at the default value. The 3T setting requires faster memory that specifically supports this mode.

Timing setting mode: Can be set to: safe, normal, fast, turbo or ultra.
Manual says:
This item determines the timing setting mode of the memory. We recommend you leave this item at the default value.


Host to memory latency: Can be set to normal or fast.
This is not in the manual.

MA 1T/2T select: The default is normal. I don’t know what the options are here.
Manual says:
MA 1T/2T Select
This item adjusts timing 1T/2T latency. We recommend you to leave this item at the default value.

Do you know where I can get information on what these settings actually change ? I check AMI's website for the BIOS info and didn't find anything, and the results were the same at ECS's website. I've emailed tech supprt at both companies and haven't heard anything either. My BIOS revision is .07.00T 04/21/01 as far as I can figure.

I'd really like to know what I'm changing with these settings !

Thanks!

One other thing- any ideas on a good motherboard monitor and RAM checking device ? I tried the MBM5 and I don't believe it works with my ECS mobo.

[BipolarBill]

Welcome to SysOpt!

http://www.kipperwillis.com/techie/tip_bios.html

Yah - MBM doesn't dance with SiS very well. Try SpeedFan.

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

[TBW]

Bill,

Glad to be aboard and thanks for the info. I'm still not sure on some stuff and would like to pick your brain a little.

On the Techie site explaining the BIOS i think I got the following:

My mobo BIOS setting DRAM CAS# latency refers to the #3. SD-Ram CAS Latency Time in the article.

The MA 1T -or- MA 2T and host to memory latency must refer to #4. SD-Ram Cycle Time and RAS-CAS Delay & #5. SD-Ram RAS Precharge Time and Cycle Length in the article.

God knows what the five different timing setting modes are or change.

I guess the bottom line is the higher I set them the better my benchmarks get. It sure would be nice to know the actual stuff though. It helps me to understand computers better.

I will say that I will not buy another ECS product. The motherboard works fine and is stable, but their tech support is in the crapper !!!! No replies yet ! I'd hate to see what would happen if my system was down.

One other thing-
I down loaded the speedfan monitor and everything looks like it will run fine with my mobo/chip however the temp of the IT8712F chip runs 74-75 C all the time. This can't possibly be right can it ? The other two temps are 26C and 20C, with a HD0 temp of 28C. I felt all the fans and chips and would think if something was that hot, (75C) I would be able to sense the temp ???

Thanks for your time !!!

TBW




:cool:

[BipolarBill]

Your CPU may indeed be running at 75C - check the hardware monitor in BIOS. The other temps are low looking. Case temp is usually 30C and higher.

The memory timings are a mystery to all of us. CAS Latency is the common one. I would step the others down one increment and test. If your memory ain't top-shelf, you'll have issues. Basically, try it till it crashes and step back. That what we all do.

[TBW]

I check the BIOS and my readings there are:

System temperature 21C/69F
CPU temperature 37C/98F

I went into the monitor (fanspeed) and changed the temperature sensor from a thermistor to a diode and the temp chages to 38C, right in line with what the BIOS says ! The other two temps I left as Thermistors, since they are also close to the system temp in the BIOS. I was curious where the temp sensors are, but given the lousy documentation on the mobo, I'm betting that it won;t be noted.

My memory is Corsair CMX512-2700C2, which is supposed to be top shelf. I backed the timing down one notch, turbo instead of ultra, and have the DRAM CAS# latency set at 2 and the MA 1T/2T select set at MA 1t, which benchmarked better. The Host to memory latency is set at fast. Very stable, no crashes.

Thank you !



:D

[BipolarBill]

Coo!!! :cool:

[TBW]

Bill-

I was wondering if you use speedfan ? I'm curious how I could add a second hard drive. I read the help files and couldn't find any mention of it. I also emailed the fella that wrote it but haven't heard back from him.

Another question- speedfan is recording my temps at:

System temperature 21C/69F
CPU temperature 37C/98F

Give or take, but when I ran Sisoftware Sandra mainboard information, it tells me under temperature sensors that:

my board temp is 38.0 C / 100.4 F
CPU temperature is 20.0 C / 68.0 F
Power / Aux temperature is 25.0 C / 77.0 F.

I know the power/aux is the rear fan on my Antec power supply. I wondering which of the other two are right ! I renamed the system temp and CPU temp in speedfan from temp 0 and temp 1, and assumed that the CPU was the hotter of the two. When I'm cranking on Quake 3, the CPU (in speedfan) reaches 50 C.

That would be the CPU and not the board that's heating up don't you think ? It drops back down rapidly after I quit.

Thanks,

TBW

:cool: