The Ultimate DFI nF4 Q&As thread. The biggest and best ever!

[Jordan]

Intro---READ FIRST!!!
Please read the entire thread (all posts!) before asking and questions. I want to keep this thread as clean as possible so you can get all the information without having to search through 100 pages.

Anything that is written in RED is considered critical and should be read ASAP!

If you have ANYTHING to add to this, PLEASE let me know and I will implement it ASAP!

I am not responsible for your hardware in ANY way, shape, or form in lieu of this thread.

If you find a link is dead, please PM me or post that it is dead and I will do my best to get everything updated ASAP.

I hope this guide helps, and happy overclocking!

Copyright ©2005 stealth17

Qs and As

Motherboard

What are the differences between the Ultra-D, Sli-D, ect. versions?
Click here to see

What HTT can I expect from this board out-of-box?
You should expect atleast 300htt out-of-box, but it as of now is mostly being limited by your cpu. I have seen people hitting over 400htt though.

What LDT Voltage should I use?
Start with stock voltages (1.2v) and only increase if you need to.

What temp should I run the PWMIC at?
Try to keep it under 45c. If they are too high, you need better airflow around the cpu area. This is most often the case for people that are watercooling.

Does this board have the subzero temp problems?
No. It's the cpu that has the problem.

What should I set my LDT multi at?
Check this thread out. You most likely will learn something usefull.

Will they ever release a AGP version of this board? EDITED 5/1/05
It has been announced that we should see it early May or June 2005.

What are the max voltages this board will allow without mods?
CPU- 2.1v
RAM- 4v
Chipset- 1.8v
LDT- 1.5v

Should I replace the stock mosfet heatsinks, or AS5 them?
No. The stock ones will do the trick. You can NOT remove them easily as they are soldered to the board, so I would not recommend it at all.

Are there any hotspots on the mobo that I should cool?
Keep good case flow and in most cases that's enough. If the heatsink in the top right corner of the board is really hot, or any surrounding chips are really hot, it is a good idea to blow a 80mm fan directly on that corner. This happens mostly when running the memory off the 5v rail and using a low setting, under 3.3v or so. Keep in mind the mosfet under that sink is special, rated for high heat like 150c or something of such.

Chipset
How can I mod my Ultra-D to become a Sli enabled board?
Here is the procedure, but you may want to take a look at this thread before attempting it.

My chipset temps are too high, what should I do?
First, you will want to try putting AS5 on the chipset. You can take a hair dryer and heat the stock goop up and it will peal right off. Then apply a medium thickness layer of AS5 and replace the heatsink. Try not to bork the foam strip around it as it is sorta important.

If that still doesn't do the trick, in the bios go to the temp monitoring section and find the NB fan. There should be two temps set next to it. Set both of these temps to 25c. The fan should run full speed all the time now which is 7000rpm. Some claim it's too loud but it't not for me.

If the fan is too loud, water cooling is possible. The Danger Den Maze4 block fits but you can not run SLi as you will need your card in the second PCI-E slot because of clearance. Some smaller companies have started making block just for this board, but good luck finding one.

What voltage should I run my chipset at?
Start with stock voltages (1.5v) and only increase if you need to.

What type of fan is on the stock chipset cooler?
They use a magnetic levitation technology fan that is magnetic driven for quieter operation and longer lifespan. Very high quality.

Memory
How do I enabled 4v vdimm jumper correctly?
1. Go into Genie BIOS and manually set your vcore (cpu voltage). It MUST NOT be on Auto!

2. Save & exit. Return to bios upon reboot.

3. Verify that your vcore is correctly set. Save, exit, shut the rig down.

4. On the motherboard, move the 4v jumper in the upper corner of the board to the proper position (see manual/cd-manual/online manual for pics).

5. Boot up, go into Genie BIOS, do DRAM Voltage. Should now be able to do all the way to 4.0v.
WARNING!!!!
SETTING VDIMM JUMPER TO 4v CAN HAD DEADLY EFFECTS ON YOUR HARDWARE.
YOU USE THIS SETTING AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

I've read that using the 5v rail (4vdimm jumper) can be bad for 24/7 use, is that true?
Have a look at this thread. With some cooling, it will be fine. If you don't plan to go about 3.2v 24/7, keep it on the 3.3v rail.

Do I HAVE to put my dual channel in the orange slots only?
Either both in yellow or both in orange. Orange is usually best when it's a new board. If you flash to bios later than 316, then you can use either. Try both.

ARGH! I can pass memtest forever but I'm REALLY unstable in Windows!

This is a big issue for a lot of people. Especially with TCCD trying to run 1:1. In most cases, it's caused by the on-die mem controller not being able to handle the high speeds. The Winchester core cpu has a ton of mem controller issues. Thus, the Venice came out. It should be much better.
Anyways, a few things to try:

• Switch memmory slots
• Try a new bios
• Try a lower cpu mulit
• Run the RAM on a divider
• More vcore voltage
• Looser memory timings
• Bank Interleave OFF

This may or may not help. If anything doesn't, the divider should or something is really borked! Time for a Venice

Do half multipliers lower memory speed? ADDED 4/26/05
Yes. Just as they do on any other A64 motherboard, using a half multiplier (ex. 8.5x) will round the RAM divider up. So if the divider makes the RAM divider CPU/9.5 then with a half multi it will make it CPU/10, thus running the ram at a bit higher divider. You can always change the divider to set the RAM where you want it again though.

Is running the RAM off the 3.3v rail more stable than off the 5? ADDED 4/26/05
In most cases yes. It really depends on the cpu and the voltage you are using though. If you are using the 5v rail for a voltage of say 3.2v, the board has to resist a ton of power from the 5v rail to make that voltage, thus creating more heat, more heat makes it less stable. If you used the 3.3v rail, it wouldn't have to resist much power at all, so less heat, usually more stable.

On the other hand though, most power supplys have a HUGE 5v rail. Upwards of 50amp! So try both, you MAY get a bit better stability with 3.3v

If you only need ~3.2v, then you should be using the 3.3v rail anyways as I have a couple questions above this.

After switching to the 5v rail I get a no POST, what now? ADDED 4/26/05
This is semi-common and easy to fix. Follow these steps before switching the jumper to the 5v:

• In bios, set VID to Auto.
• Save and exit.
• wait for POST, then shutdown.
• Switch off, unplug and after yellow lights go off, hit the power button a few times.
• Now move the 5v rail jumpers.
• Plug everything back in, switch on, and power up.
• set VID to any value other than Auto.
• Save and exit.
• Go back into bios and you now should see past 3.2v

Hope this helps!

Power Related
I don't have a 24-pin ATX connector, what should I do?
Due to the power requirements needed to support PCI-Express, it is highly recommended using power supply units mounting a 24-pin main power connector. Power delivery will be insufficient if adapt 20-pin connector to 24-pin. The system might work with a 20-pin PSU plus adaptor; but there will be certainly instability after continuously running for a span. Hence, it is better using a power supply unit mounting a 24-pin main power connector.

I don't have a 4-pin 12v connector, what should I do?
"The additional ATX 12V connection housing is design for providing independent power source for CPU. On DFI AMD platforms, we provide independent source for CPU and also reserved the power sharing from system power connector. Even if you don’t plug the additional 12V connection, the system still can run normally. We recommend you connecting the additional 12V to provide CPU an independent power source to guarantee the better stability. If the PSU supplier does not attach the connector for additional 12V, you can buy the adaptor from computer accessory store."

What size PSU should I get?
"We highly recommend using a minimum 480 Watt power supply unit."

Are there any vmods I can do to this board?
No need! Atleast not yet.

Where do I measure the voltages via multimeter?
Check this post out!

Does the vcore fluctuate?
This board's vcore has probly the least fluctuation out of any motherboard on the market. You should see zero!

Do I need to plug in ALL the extra connectors on the board? ADDED 4/26/05
Yes. It is best to plug in every connector there is. You should have:

• 1x 24pin ATX
• 1x Square 4pin 12v connector
• 1x Floppy drive power connector
• 1x HDD or CD Drive Molex connector

Plugging in all connectors helps stabilize the boards voltages. It can make a HUGE difference in stability.

Bios
Where can I get bios for these boards?
This thread is keep upto date. The bootable version that pershoot made is IMO the best way to flash. No more floppys

What is the safest way to flash the bios?

1. In the bios, "Load Optimized Defaults."
2. Save and exit.
3. Restart and flash the bios.
4. The bios program should restart the computer.
5. In the bios, "Load Optimized Defaults."
6. Save and exit.
7. Unplug the power cord to the computer to completely power down.
8. Enable the "Clear CMOS jumper" for ATLEAST 30 seconds.
9. Power computer back up, and immediately go into the bios.
10. Choose "Load Optimized Defaults" again.
11. Save and exit.
12. Immediately after reboot, go back into the BIOS and configure to your liking.

This is the best way to flash it IMO. I know it seems long, but especially if you don't have a Bios Saviour, it's best to be safe.

Which Bios Saviour do I need for this board?
Version RD1-PMC4

Which bios it the best?
Try them all! EVERYONE will come up with something different! Even if it says it's for a certain type of memory or something, try it anyways! You may be VERY surprised!

Is the bios real easy to kill like it was on the old NF2 boards?
NO! THANK GOD! I have NEVER yet had a bad flash on my nF4, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. On my old NF2 boards, I was ALWAYS clearing CMOS for some reason or another. Barely ever have to on the nF4

What does the "Safe Boot" jumper do?
This post should tell you anything you need to know about it.

Wow, there are LOTS of settings. Where do I start?
Here is a great place to start. I don't agree with all the settings but RGone even said its just somewhere to start. Take a look at this thread and see what you come up with.

How do I use the hotkeys that are in CMOS Reloaded? ADDED 4/26/05
This thread should tell you everthing...kinda a funny one too

Software
What drivers should I use and where do I get them?
Most drivers are on the DFI website but not all are the newest versions. Thus check out nVidia's website for the nforce drivers first.

Should I use the firewall that is built into the chipset?
Here is some info about it. It's a good firewall being both software and hardware based, but I have seen some users expirience BSODs from it for unknown reasons. Try it if you'd like, if you get BSODs then uninstall it.

How do I setup MBM5 to read my temps and voltages?
Click here to see

How do I enable the Cool n' Quiet Feature? ADDED 4/26/05
This thread should tell you anything you need to know

Copyright ©2005 stealth17

[JHunter]

I skimmed through it a bit, looks very nice. I'll read the whole thing tomorrow at school...lol...

EDIT:

What does the "Safe Boot" jumper do?
This post should tell you anything you need to know about it.

Are you missing a link in the "This post" part?...or are you referring to this thread?

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by JHunter

I skimmed through it a bit, looks very nice. I'll read the whole thing tomorrow at school...lol...

EDIT:
Are you missing a link in the "This post" part?...or are you referring to this thread?

fixed...thanks

[Jordan]

updated with a few more FAQs and fixed a couple of bugs....

any other problems or suggestions?

If you are coming form another forum, please ask questions here rather than the other forum...That will keep all the info in one place. Thanks

[soundx98]

very nice work Jordan. Great job!

site looks very professional. Best of Luck.

[NikolaXC]

Great job Jordan ! reading it still
i am getting the DFI nf4 -D and venice 3200+ soon, so very interesting for me
keep up .

[Vegetarianator]

Great thread, I've bookmarked it as a ready reference for my newbie forum help.

In this thread you say :

"If the fan is too loud, water cooling is possible. The Danger Den Maze4 block fits"

I had contacted DD a few weeks ago who informed me that their chipset blocks will not fit this mobo.

Do you know of anyone who uses one?

Which one?

http://www.dangerdenstore.com/home.php?cat=46

There's 3 there, I'm thinking the top one, as it seems to have "universal"

fitting to secure to the mobo.

I re-emailed DD linking this thread, in the hope that they can help me.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by Vegetarianator

Great thread, I've bookmarked it as a ready reference for my newbie forum help.

In this thread you say :

"If the fan is too loud, water cooling is possible. The Danger Den Maze4 block fits"

I had contacted DD a few weeks ago who informed me that their chipset blocks will not fit this mobo.

Do you know of anyone who uses one?

Which one?

http://www.dangerdenstore.com/home.php?cat=46

There's 3 there, I'm thinking the top one, as it seems to have "universal"

fitting to secure to the mobo.

I re-emailed DD linking this thread, in the hope that they can help me.

its the maze4 block SKU: M4CHIP. yes it will fit but you must put your video card in the lower 16x slot. it should look like this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...Picture224.jpg

[Vegetarianator]

Originally Posted by Jordan

its the maze4 block SKU: M4CHIP. yes it will fit but you must put your video card in the lower 16x slot. it should look like this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...Picture224.jpg

Thanks for that Jordan, this will do nicely for my new setup.

Have you checked the latest beta bios 5/10 :

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11617

I just flashed it and am finding some nice improvements.

And it's getting a pretty good reception all round.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by Vegetarianator

Thanks for that Jordan, this will do nicely for my new setup.

Have you checked the latest beta bios 5/10 :

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11617

I just flashed it and am finding some nice improvements.

And it's getting a pretty good reception all round.

yeh i flashed it last night. havent really began tweaking yet though...

let me know if you see an improvement in overclock with the chipset watercooled

[majistic]

Good Job, it answered some questions I have...in about 2 weeks time, I am gettint he Ultra-D and 3200+ Venice, maybe 3700+ Sandy, but haven't decided on how much I want to spend.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by majistic

Good Job, it answered some questions I have...in about 2 weeks time, I am gettint he Ultra-D and 3200+ Venice, maybe 3700+ Sandy, but haven't decided on how much I want to spend.

what cooling will you be using?