Intel Bad Axe II and E6850 (1333mhz on 975XBX2)

[sulpherdragon]

Ive stuck my E6850 in my Bad Axe and all i get is a blank screen. (voltage reading goes to 90 then hovers around 80).

Ive read other threads on this topic, especially some posts in http://forums.legitreviews.com/about10983.html
I upgraded my bios to the latest one, but as ive noticed theve removed the bits about 1333mhz support on their site, and im wondering did they remove it from the newest bios too.
Ive e-mailed intel about this but to be honest im not expecting a proper responce, ill post what info i get.
Do any of you guys have any tips or suggestions, perhaps even a guide on how the get this working? is the any performance loss?
I have what seems to be the unlucky 2x 800mhz ddr2 combination and im just wondering is there any workarounds or solutions for this.

[sulpherdragon]

i got it to boot 1 stick of ddr2-800, havent tried two of them yet. I manually put in the setttings, first time round got a blue screen when i hit windows. but i managed to get it posting! that was the main bit. my processer is manually set to 334mhz multiplied by 9.

i stuck my ram to 1.8v but it was randomly crashing, like your comp would when you overclock wrong. so i stuck it back to 1.84v

the rest of the settings are 5-5-5-15 at 266mhz reference

im going to tweak these a little and see what happens.

Windows picks up the full 3.0ghz and 1gb of ram.
i am happy :D

[sulpherdragon]

The only possible way to get the 2 dimms working was to set the reference to 266 (no other reference number would work, what is this anyway?)

and i set the ram speed to 667 mhz

its not ideal, im just wondering, how much of a performance hit am i dealing with here? i got the 2 dimms in the synched slots so im hoping that boosts performance a little but im still uncertain.

[vbironchef]

From what I know and heard is that it's not going happen. You need a different motherboard that supports 1333.

[Sparky]

From what I've read the 975XBX2 only supports 1066 FSB. I recall reading on this board that one of their BIOS updates showed support for 1333 FSB but they took down the claim pretty quickly which leads me to believe they were wrong.

[IRQ Conflict]

Thats correct. If you do run it it will be at 1066, not 1333.

[sulpherdragon]

Ive got it running, my bios says im running at 1333mhz, but i had to underclocked the ddr2-800 to 667mhz,
even plays assasins creed @ 60fps on max settings.

are you guys saying that even though the bios says 1333 that its actually 1066?
what tool can i use to check this

[sulpherdragon]

Intel replied, here is what i sent them back, including the RE of their reply, awaiting response...

RE: Intel(R) Support Case 8270851: Intel(R) Desktop Board D975XBX2
From: ******************************
Sent:08 May 2008 19:21:36
To: [email protected]

What do you mean by "support"?
Without physically modifying the board or bios i have it working with an E6850 (1333mhz), i just wanted some info on it.
The bios reads that its running at 1333, are you saying that its actually not? Or are you saying that intel does not condone this?
Intel briefly updated their website stating that 1333 was supported with a bios update, it was subsequently taken down.
I understand that i had to make some sacrifices, my ram speed had to be reduced,
is it that fact that the motherboard cannot run a 1333Mhz processor at its maximum potential that the support was dropped?
I am currently working with others like me to help clarify this matter and any information is greatly appreciated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 14:58:28 +0000
> From: [email protected]
> To: ******************************
> Subject: Intel(R) Support Case 8270851: Intel(R) Desktop Board D975XBX2
>
> Hello,
>
> Thank you for contacting Intel(R) Technical Support.
>
> Regarding your technical question, we regret to inform you that the Intel(R) Desktop Board D975XBX2 was designed to support processor front side bus speeds of up to 1066Mhz, therefore no support is provided for the new generation of Intel(R) processors with 1333Mhz FSB, not even with the latest BIOS version.
>
> We apologize for the inconvenience. For more information, please refer to the following website:
> http://support.intel.com/support/mother ... 026614.htm
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Paul C.
> Intel(R) Technical Support
>
> Intel(R) Desktop Board Support Web Site
> http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/
>
> A representative of Intel may subsequently contact you (via email) in order to obtain your feedback on the quality of the support you received. If you do not wish to participate, simply delete the survey email.
>
> Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
>
> *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
>
>
> <===== Received from **************** on 2008-05-07-22.06.21.000000 ======>
>
> 1333Mhz Processer
> ##ERIGNORE##
> First_name: *********
> Last_name: ********
> Email: *************
> Customer_type: Developer/Designer
> Product: Intel(R) Desktop Board D975XBX2
> Product_id: 2578
> OS: Windows* XP
> Survey_opt_in: Yes
> Bios_version: 2831
> AA_Number: D53350-506
> Processor_manufacturer: Other (please specify below)
> Memory_Solution : Kingston
> Video_manufacturer: Other (please specify below)
> Video_model: nVidia
> Sound_manufacturer: Other (please specify below)
> Sound_model: Dolby
> Virus: Other
> Issue: 1333Mhz Processer
> did_you_try_web_first: Yes
> Form_id: 27
>
>
>
> { See Attached File: Attachment }{ See Attached File: history.html }
>
>
> IMPORTANT NOTE IF YOU REPLY TO THIS EMAIL: Please perform a reply with history so that the following identifier "[THREAD_ID:11826213]" is seen in your response email. This will ensure that your reply is delivered to the proper support team at Intel and will reduce the time it takes to receive a response. Thank you.
>

[sulpherdragon]

Uploading a screen of CPU-Z running in windows showing the FSB and stuff.
its in greyscale because of the upload limit of 256Kib

I have a few concerns, is this "overclocking" my fsb? Is this damaging anything?
I havent noticed any artifacts or anomolies yet, runs perfectly smooth, no hitches.
Left it on all night too.

[ibleet]

I have a few concerns, is this "overclocking" my fsb? Is this damaging anything?
I havent noticed any artifacts or anomolies yet, runs perfectly smooth, no hitches.
Left it on all night too.

I really haven't been following this thread since I'm not a BX2 fan, but here is what I see:

Well if your FSB is rated at 1066 and running at 1333, yes it is overclocking the FSB. My FSB is rated at 1333 and it runs at 1600 with ease. Is it damaging? Nope, not in the least. Just monitor your temps (NB, etc.) and if all temps are within spec, then you're golden.

If you want to ensure that your system is stable, then just run Prime95 overnight and see if it throws any errors. Looks just fine to me, and you even have a slight overclock on your ram.

[sulpherdragon]

I love computer hardware however ive never gotten straigt answers for somethings, i have a few questions:

My ram is supposed to be 800mhz, yet the "max bandwidth" is 400mhz, is that because of the "DDR" factor?

the ram timings 5-5-5-18, is it better to have high ones or low ones? i think its low, but then ddr3 switches it all about.

Why does it say my DRAM frequency is 416.6 Mhz? i thought it was 800mhz ram which i clocked down to 667mhz in the bios!

What is the Memory Frequency? my ram only works in 266mhz, is it supposed to be higher? my bios says i can go as high as 333mhz, but on the image above my ram goes from 266 to 400, is that why 333 doesnt work?

[stopthekilling77]

1. max bandwidth is 400 x 2 seeing how its DDR2

2. lower timings = better performance vs higher numbered timings, but the real performance boosts come in higher clock frequencies (900 vs 800)

3. DRAM freq is 416.6 so refer to #1 and you've overclocked your RAM to a nice 833.2Mhz over the stock 800Mhz

4. might have something to do with the divider... i'll let more experienced people answer that one :D

[kenc51]

I love computer hardware however ive never gotten straigt answers for somethings, i have a few questions:

My ram is supposed to be 800mhz, yet the "max bandwidth" is 400mhz, is that because of the "DDR" factor?

the ram timings 5-5-5-18, is it better to have high ones or low ones? i think its low, but then ddr3 switches it all about.

Why does it say my DRAM frequency is 416.6 Mhz? i thought it was 800mhz ram which i clocked down to 667mhz in the bios!

What is the Memory Frequency? my ram only works in 266mhz, is it supposed to be higher? my bios says i can go as high as 333mhz, but on the image above my ram goes from 266 to 400, is that why 333 doesnt work?

Your RAM is running @ DDR ~800MHz+ speeds.
The "Memory Frquency" you mentioned is the "Reference Frequency".
This is a setting on the chipset and not the memory speed.
The lower this number is, the lower the internal chipset timings are, and thus more performance.
If you can't OC any higher, try setting this "REF Frequency" to 333MHz.
This will put less stress on the chipset and allow you to overclock a little higher.

[sulpherdragon]

Cool, thanks. I cant stick it to 333 with 2 dimms, it wont post.
1 dimm is fine, but i cant do much with 1GB ram.

it seems fine the way it is

I still cant understand how the bios says its 667Mhz and its actually 833.3Mhz!

My computers cooler than ever, seeing as i went from a P4 to a E6850 its really not surprising, but the heat is defenetly down!

[sulpherdragon]

Heres what intel mailed me back.

Hello ***,
Thank you for contacting Intel(R) Technical Support. We are indeed surprised an Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Desktop Processor E6850 runs on an Intel(R) Desktop Board D975XBX2; we confirm this combination is not compatible;
see either of the following URLs:
http://processormatch.intel.com/COMPDB/ ... e=d975xbx2
http://processormatch.intel.com/CompDB/ ... cNbr=E6850
Despite the fact your system is currently running fine, we still confirm the Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Desktop Processor E6850 has not been officially validated as compatible on the Intel(R) Desktop Board D975XBX2.
Thus, we remind you that the operation of any Intel-manufactured product outside the published specifications for each part, can result in eventual data corruption and unreliable system behavior.
It will shorten the life of your product, void the warranty of your processor, your desktop board and possibly other devices installed in the computer.
You are certainly free to use/configure your system with the processor of your choice and/or modify any BIOS settings as you wish, but there is no technical support available from Intel, or through our product support processes, to do so.
Sincerely, Salem W.Intel(R) Technical Support Intel(R) Desktop Board Support Web Site
http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/
A representative of Intel may subsequently contact you (via email) in order to obtain your feedback on the quality of the support you received.
If you do not wish to participate, simply delete the survey email. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

I cant believe their throwing that warranty voiding bull**** at me. Their both intel products, nothings been modified. Their a bit sneaky.

[sulpherdragon]

I ran Everest Ultimate Enginneering Edition;
The temperatures on the left seem fine, well below any bad levels (correct me if im wrong).
However the DIMM temp is higher then i would have expected (But 40-50 degrees seems to be the ambient temperature of my case).

Under Chipset Properties, it says 5-5-5-2, yet my ram is 5-5-5-18.
Whats going on here?

Also, one last thing, my processor speed keeps changing, it goes from 2999Ghz, to 1999Ghz, to 1999.8Ghz then 2999.7Ghz.
Its the multiplier (going from 9x to 6x and back again), but why? its not overheating! My PSU is 700W and currently reads that only 110W are being used, its not like its suffocating.

My memory bus (416.6Mhz) changed on a much smaller scale (it stopped now). But every few seconds it would go from 416.6Mhz to 416.8Mhz

[Sparky]

I believe the changes in processor speed you are seeing are a result of having speed step enabled. Basically when you don't need the extra performance it turns it down a notch to save power and reduce temps.

[sulpherdragon]

Yes thanks! I noticed my laptop doing the same thing so i got less worried.
Computer is still going fine, its been running nonstop (with the occasional reset) since it got it working.
I didnt mail intel back since, if anyone has anything they want me to say on the subject ill add it.

[IRQ Conflict]

Well colour me jealous! If I knew this was possible I might not have bothered with the q6600. Although, I'm not convinced every board would work as well, leaving me with a CPU and board I couldn't use.