Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939 + Opteron 185 // Possible?

[neonxgenesis]

Hello out there,

I plan to upgrade my existing system;
Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939
Athlon 64 3500+
2gig DDR400 Infineon (DDR400)

with AMDs best 939-based Opteron, the 185 (2x2,6ghz, 1000mhz HT). The
mainboard itself has the nforce3 ultra 250gb chipset.

The official Gigabyte website states that the Opteron 185 is not supported by
the mainboard, though the FX-60 is supported. As far as I found out by myself,
the FX-60 and the Opteron 185 are the same processors with the difference of
an unlocked overclocking capability within the FX-60, but not within the
Opteron 185.

The official compatibility list also states that the latest supported
processor would be the Opteron 170 with the latest BIOS revision (F13) for
this specific mainboard.

According to some other threads I found on the internet, the mainboard
"Gigabyte K8 NS-939 Ultra", which is almost identical in construction to the
"K8 NSNXP-939" (besides the dual power system DPS), also does NOT support the
opteron 185, but many people on the net wrote about their experience that it
works well anyway.

Therefore I conclude that my mainboard will also work with the Opteron 185
and want to give it a try. But nevertheless, I am cautios. If someone ever
tried this before, please tell me if it worked well for you, since I dont
want to spend that much money for just a blank screen...

Thanks,
Michael

[Nein]

Hello out there,

I plan to upgrade my existing system;
Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939
Athlon 64 3500+
2gig DDR400 Infineon (DDR400)

with AMDs best 939-based Opteron, the 185 (2x2,6ghz, 1000mhz HT). The mainboard itself has the nforce3 ultra 250gb chipset.

Hello to you too and don't do it.

The official Gigabyte website states that the Opteron 185 is not supported by the mainboard, though the FX-60 is supported. As far as I found out by myself, the FX-60 and the Opteron 185 are the same processors with the difference of an unlocked overclocking capability within the FX-60, but not within the Opteron 185.

The official compatibility list also states that the latest supported processor would be the Opteron 170 with the latest BIOS revision (F13) for this specific mainboard.

Your motherboard is only good enough for up to the Opteron 170.

According to some other threads I found on the internet, the mainboard
"Gigabyte K8 NS-939 Ultra", which is almost identical in construction to the "K8 NSNXP-939" (besides the dual power system DPS), also does NOT support the opteron 185, but many people on the net wrote about their experience that it works well anyway.

Whoever the many people were, they didn't know any better. Yes, the mobos mentioned are nearly identical and both of them each had half of "the dual power system DPS".

Therefore I conclude that my mainboard will also work with the Opteron 185 and want to give it a try. But nevertheless, I am cautios. If someone ever tried this before, please tell me if it worked well for you, since I dont
want to spend that much money for just a blank screen...

Thanks,
Michael

It might even be something other than a blank screen, upon power-on/power-off your upgraded computer could catch on fire --> "...mobo regulators (DPS) are also power supplies...".

[DMB2000uk]

Did you mean to link to that thread nein? Bit random. I can't find anything relevant to this thread as he hasn't got an under-rated PSU.

There's a possibility that it would work, but the BIOS wouldn't properly recognise it even if it did, so advanced processor options wouldn't be available. It might default to thinking its a FX-60, but its a bit of a risk for spending all that money.

I doubt that the motherboard would catch fire as it is rated for the FX-60 which would use pretty much the same power. More than likely the opeteron 185 was just released after gigabyte stopped making BIOS's for the board so it wasn't programmed in.

It's up to you if you feel like chancing it or not. I guess you could always try and send the processor back if you get it from somewhere with a money back dealio.

Dan

[Zertz]

Or get a cheaper Opteron and overclock it

[Nein]

Did you mean to link to that thread nein? Bit random. I can't find anything relevant to this thread as he hasn't got an under-rated PSU.

"...mobo regulators (DPS) are also power supplies..." and the ones on the mobos mentioned are under-rated for Opteron 185s.

There's a possibility that it would work, but the BIOS wouldn't properly recognise it even if it did, so advanced processor options wouldn't be available. It might default to thinking its a FX-60, but its a bit of a risk for spending all that money.

I doubt that the motherboard would catch fire as it is rated for the FX-60 which would use pretty much the same power. More than likely the opeteron 185 was just released after gigabyte stopped making BIOS's for the board so it wasn't programmed in.

The BIOS would recognized a non-specific AMD dual-core, but none of that would do any good because the mobo regulators would be at minimum 25% under-rated for the job.

It's up to you if you feel like chancing it or not. I guess you could always try and send the processor back if you get it from somewhere with a money back dealio.

Dan

Think of it in the same way as an over-loaded power outlet... Over-loaded power outlet can catch on fire, so could over-loaded mobo regulators.

[DMB2000uk]

But the thing you have overlooked is that the board IS rated for the FX-60. Which uses the exact same power as the Opteron 185.

Show me the spec sheet that shows that the Opteron uses at least 25% more power than the FX-60.

Dan

[Nein]

I didn't overlook... The mobos mentioned only had ---> half of "the dual power system DPS".

Am I overlooking? or are you had not known what you're looking at?

[DMB2000uk]

The mobo in question is the GA-K8NSNXP-939. This is rated for use with the FX-60.
Therefore please refer to my previous post.

Dan

EDIT:

I doubt that the motherboard would catch fire as it is rated for the FX-60 which would use pretty much the same power. More than likely the opeteron 185 was just released after gigabyte stopped making BIOS's for the board so it wasn't programmed in.

FX-60 was released on January 10th Source
Opteron 185 was released on March 6th (actually a paper launch; availability April 6th). Source
Last BIOS date: 2005/12/29 Source

Proves my point some more

[Nein]

The mobo in question is the GA-K8NSNXP-939. This is rated for use with the FX-60.
Therefore please refer to my previous post.

Dan

EDIT:

I doubt that the motherboard would catch fire as it is rated for the FX-60 which would use pretty much the same power. More than likely the opeteron 185 was just released after gigabyte stopped making BIOS's for the board so it wasn't programmed in.

FX-60 was released on January 10th Source
Opteron 185 was released on March 6th (actually a paper launch; availability April 6th). Source
Last BIOS date: 2005/12/29 Source

Proves my point some more

Once upon a time I'd heard a 3Dfx engineer named white whom said V5's FSAA didn't blur.

It was a perfectly good answer for people with no brain but with strong belief and faith --- No good at all for engineers.

This is the engineer simplified version --> The mobos mentioned only had ---> half of "the dual power system DPS"

[Nein]

So neonxgenesis... What will you decide to do?

Reasonable and believable rationalize ignorance by DMB2000uk? Or my brain power required factual answer?

[DMB2000uk]

Seen as though you like facts Nein, read this:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... hp?t=47401

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... ostcount=8

Just in case you don't realise what has been said there, it is the Gigabyte K8 NS-939 Ultra which has half the DPS which you so love to tell me about. Therefore if the Ultra has been able to work with an Opteron 185 then the regular K8 NSNXP-939 which the OP has will be able to run it just fine. Also according to your superior intellect this combination of half the DPS and over-rated processor should have surely caught fire by now. Strange I can't find any reported cases of that happening

Do I get an apology now or will you just continue being arrogant?

Dan

PS. neonxgenesis: If you even wanted, you could flash the Ultra BIOS to your board! (But there would be absolutely no rational reason to do that as both BIOS's don't support the 185 anyway!)

[Nein]

Seen as though you like facts Nein, read this:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... hp?t=47401

OK I did read the long long thread. On "KNOWN issues" --> bad vcore, unstable and fluctuates up to 1.95v under load.

WOW... some single core made it to 2.5GHz and crash.

Obviously half of "the dual power system DPS" would never have the power to be as stable as mobos with both half of "the dual power system DPS" built in.

"The K8NS s754 i had killed my best clawhammer (2.85Ghz) and a replacement Newcastle. And now this x800 issue. One thing is for sure. NO more Gigabyte for me. EVER." <-- Maybe this dude had learned that in-sufficient or under-rated regulator power can kill his single core processors over and over and over, again and again and again... Some people can't learn facts very well.

Did you learn anything factually useful reading that thread? Or was it only good for more rationalize ignorance?

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... ostcount=8

I don't need re-affirmation that K8NSNXP-939 only had half of "the dual power system DPS".

Just in case you don't realise what has been said there, it is the Gigabyte K8 NS-939 Ultra which has half the DPS which you so love to tell me about. Therefore if the Ultra has been able to work with an Opteron 185 then the regular K8 NSNXP-939 which the OP has will be able to run it just fine.

There is no Opteron 185 and K8NS-939 Ultra "has been said there".

Do I get an apology now or will you just continue being arrogant?

Ya ya ya... "Nein offended me by giving someone else factual information I didn't recognize, I only saw the answer to someone else that bit random and also not anything relevant. Nein even further offended me by recognizing the reasonable and believable ignorance I said."

[DMB2000uk]

Take a step back from what you think you know and read the descriptions and what I said again.

The original poster has asked if the Opteron 185 will run on the K8NSNXP-939 motherboard.

He cites an unreferenced source saying that there have been confirmed reports of the K8NSNXP-939 Ultra running the Opteron 185. That was not meant to be proven in the xtremesystems link (ask the OP if you want his source).

The reaffirmation was that the Ultra has inferior DPS compared to the K8NSNXP-939. How can you therefore still claim that the DPS on the K8NSNXP-939, the motherboard in question, is not have sufficient to run this processor. Other accounts have demonstrated that it works without destroying the board or CPU. I again will say that the motherboard is rated for the FX-60 which has the exact same power requirements as the Opteron 185, even the inferior ultra board supports the FX-60 too.

You seem to have a hard time understanding that you haven't understood correctly.

If you still think that you are correct, then please use your superior intellect to explain to the rest of us why you are...

(What relevance does quoting that a completely different Gigabyte board is unstable have on this discussion?)

Dan

[dicecca112]

Guess keep it civil. Nien has a point but yet so does DMB. Fact of the matter is the board is not rated for a the CPU. DMB server cpus need boards that can handle them in order to run properly. They are higher binned, and can take less abuse. They need steady power. OP take Nien's advice to heart. You don't want your new Processor and Board frying.

DMB its like early on with the C2D's and the VRM issue. Yes the older boards could run the chips, but it was a hazard that could destroy the board. Understand now?

PM's to both Nien and DMB

[Nein]

Take a step back from what you think you know and read the descriptions and what I said again.

The original poster has asked if the Opteron 185 will run on the K8NSNXP-939 motherboard.

He cites an unreferenced source saying that there have been confirmed reports of the K8NSNXP-939 Ultra running the Opteron 185. That was not meant to be proven in the xtremesystems link (ask the OP if you want his source).

I don't need his source. For example - The factual "garden-variety common sense" below cared not at all if a 3Dfx engineer, 1000 "experts", and 100000 reliable reference sources said otherwise.

"Jittered blending of adjacent pixels caused bluriness in V5's FSAA."

Facts cared not at all how many times or the how many sources of ignorance and stupidity countered them.

The reaffirmation was that the Ultra has inferior DPS compared to the K8NSNXP-939. How can you therefore still claim that the DPS on the K8NSNXP-939, the motherboard in question, is not have sufficient to run this processor. Other accounts have demonstrated that it works without destroying the board or CPU. I again will say that the motherboard is rated for the FX-60 which has the exact same power requirements as the Opteron 185, even the inferior ultra board supports the FX-60 too.

Both the Ultra and the K8NSNXP-939 only had HALF of a DPS. The K8NSNXP-939's HALF of a DPS had a heatsink while the Ultra's HALF of a DPS had none.

You seem to have a hard time understanding that you haven't understood correctly.

You lacked the simple common sense for the comprehension ---> HALF of a DPS.

If you still think that you are correct, then please use your superior intellect to explain to the rest of us why you are...

I didn't give my factual answer to "us" nor to you, if you can't get what I gave to someone else then open your own thread and ask another for it. Reasonable and believable ignorance is not help to neonxgenesis. For example - the reasonable and believable ignorance below is not helping anyone.

"But in regular mainstream PC's real-time doesn't exist, so it is still needed, but is still the lesser important of the three available."

(What relevance does quoting that a completely different Gigabyte board is unstable have on this discussion?)

All mobo regulators be they stable, be not stable, however or whoever made them followed the SAME RULE without exception, the same one I gave to another above which you'd not found anything relevant and bit random.

[DMB2000uk]

Explain to me what a DPS is then, as to my ignorant mind half of a dual power system is just a single power system.

Why would gigabyte list:

GIGABYTE unique Dual Power System Gold (DPS-Gold) design

If its not actually a real DPS?

Your perfectly good 400W PSU can burn out a mobo if you keep trying to make it putting out 405W, because the mobo regulators are also power supplies, they will go up in smoke when there isn't sufficient input power to them. They also are the most common things on your mobo to die from lack of power.

The regulators in question on the motherboard are not trying to output more power than they can handle. The power coming through might not be as clean as the server based chip would like. But they are not being over used. That is why I said that your explanations of why things under too much stress burn up is irrelevant to this situation.

Dan

[Nein]

Explain to me what a DPS is then, as to my ignorant mind half of a dual power system is just a single power system.

Why would gigabyte list:

GIGABYTE unique Dual Power System Gold (DPS-Gold) design

If its not actually a real DPS?"

Both of the above mobos used HALF of a DPS.

The top one is a 6-phase voltage regulator AKA 6 small multi-rail power supply with all outputs tied back into a single rail.

The bottom one is a 3-phase voltage regulator AKA 3 bigger multi-rail power supply with all outputs tied back into a single rail.

Both of them are good for the same output power.

However the top one is a permanent HALF of a "unique Dual Power System", while the bottom one - extra 3 bigger multi-rail power supply could be added in the right adjacent slot for the FULL 6 bigger multi-rail power supply with all outputs tied back into a single rail.


In full config the top mobo small 6-phase power supply had HALF the power capacity of the bottom mobo big 6-phase power supply.

The regulators in question on the motherboard are not trying to output more power than they can handle. The power coming through might not be as clean as the server based chip would like. But they are not being over used. That is why I said that your explanations of why things under too much stress burn up is irrelevant to this situation.

Dan

>>>>OK I did read the long long thread. On "KNOWN issues" --> bad vcore, unstable and fluctuates up to 1.95v under load.<<<

If you didn't comprehend what you'd already read before, here's another factual tip --> The typical very first sign of a power supply trying to put out more power than it could handle is instability and fluctuation.

[neonxgenesis]

urm.. well.. looks like war...

but one thing, the 2 mainboards shown/used for comparsion above are both not mine (they are the ga-k8nsultra-939 and the ga-k8nxp-sli) .. i have the ga-k8nsnxp-939, which would look like this:



not sure if that helps.

as far as i can understand your discussion here, the problem will be most likley an unstable power supply for the processor which fires the whole proc/mobo. doesnt sound too well, but how can that be when both the fx-60 and the op-185 have the same core/power usage?

edit: and about the DPS, gigabyte states
"Dual Power System Gold (DPS Gold)
Specially designed for AthlonTM64 platform, the Dual Power System delivers a total of 6-phase power circuit to provide more solid and durable power supply for the new generation AMD platform. Ensuring a more secure and stable platform than ever before."

[Nein]

The top mobo above is the same as yours without the heatsink.

as far as i can understand your discussion here, the problem will be most likley an unstable power supply for the processor which fires the whole proc/mobo. doesnt sound too well, but how can that be when both the fx-60 and the op-185 have the same core/power usage?

edit: and about the DPS, gigabyte states
"Dual Power System Gold (DPS Gold)
Specially designed for AthlonTM64 platform, the Dual Power System delivers a total of 6-phase power circuit to provide more solid and durable power supply for the new generation AMD platform. Ensuring a more secure and stable platform than ever before."

What supported in the BIOS had nothing to do with insufficient hardware power for Opteron 185.

[neonxgenesis]

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-re ... 49414.html

they use the ga-k8n-sli (as shown above on your posted picture) and this mainboard, althought its a nforce4 mainboard (mine is nforce3 250GB), supports the CPU and works with it. The DPS looks pretty much the same than the one I have on my own mainboard for me, correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, I think I'll try to find one of the 185ers and try to find it out by my own if it works or not. The reason why is that there should be (1) no reason that it won't be recognized at all by the mainboard cause its nothing more but a variation of the supported FX-60, and for (2) the power problem, I read threads where people overclocked the 170er (which IS OFFICIALLY supported) to something very close to 2,8GHz on this board.. and when they didn't fire their mainboard with even 200MHz more clockspeed than the original 185 has, why should mine burn in hell?

Anyway, whatever happens, as soon as I have the CPU I'll keep you updated about what happens, and what happened after a month or so.

keep smiling ;-) its just a computer.