M7ncg Mother Board Manual Programs
Just wanna share my experience with this board I got, and hopefully you guys might share some suggestions.I just got a Redfox/Biostar M7NCG 400 Socket A motherboard last week, the board has an NVIDIA nForce2 IGP / MCP chipset, has an integrated GeForce 4 MX GPU with up to 128MB Frame Buffer, onboard sound, etc. I have installed 384 MB DDR RAM (128MB + 256MB) both are DDR266.Here's my story and the problems I encountered:I used a Duron 750Mhz. I had difficulties during the first time I installed and set-up the board, I cant get the board running (no screen, no boot up) after fiddling with the RAM I finally able to get the board running.
Did you buy this board new or is it a refurb? You definitely need to flash to the latest BIOS-www.biostar.com.tw The nForce2 IGP boards were pretty picky about RAM. Remember that you have forced the mobo into single channel memory mode by using mismatched DIMMs.
To get the all-important dual channel operation, especially when using on-board graphics with nForce2, you must use matched pairs of DIMMs. The board should support DDR266 or 333 just fine. You want to run the ram synchronously with the CPU FSB. In the case of that Duron, that means running the ram at DDR200. No, I am not kidding. You should also use the nForce2/3 v5.10 drivers for this board, and an EARLIER version of the GeForce drivers (no later than 66.93) since many folks have reported problems with the later GeForce drivers and GeForce2 base cards.Have you tried another monitor to ensure that the onboard video is working properly or is it somehow the monitor? If it is an older CRT, you get jerkiness/corruption due to incompatible timing until you actually get into Windows.
I have seen this behavior even on older LCDs. Originally posted by: ChiPCGuyDid you buy this board new or is it a refurb? You definitely need to flash to the latest BIOS-www.biostar.com.tw The nForce2 IGP boards were pretty picky about RAM.
M7ncg Motherboard Manual Programs Free
Remember that you have forced the mobo into single channel memory mode by using mismatched DIMMs. To get the all-important dual channel operation, especially when using on-board graphics with nForce2, you must use matched pairs of DIMMs. The board should support DDR266 or 333 just fine. You want to run the ram synchronously with the CPU FSB. In the case of that Duron, that means running the ram at DDR200. No, I am not kidding.
You should also use the nForce2/3 v5.10 drivers for this board, and an EARLIER version of the GeForce drivers (no later than 66.93) since many folks have reported problems with the later GeForce drivers and GeForce2 base cards.Have you tried another monitor to ensure that the onboard video is working properly or is it somehow the monitor? If it is an older CRT, you get jerkiness/corruption due to incompatible timing until you actually get into Windows. I have seen this behavior even on older LCDs.
Thanks for the reply! Right now having problems with the GeForce 4 MX Integrated GPU drivers, before I used the drivers supplied by the mobo manufacturer and it is so bad! Mild graphics games are unplayable, after that I tried switching on the drivers supplied by winxp and fortunately it worked. And I decided to try the latest drivers (Forceware 78.01) from nvidia but the problem is somes games are getting buggy and windows is saying that the latest drivers (the 78.01) has not passed the logo testing (WHQL). Right now Im looking for older drivers for this gpu. Im suppose to use the drivers supplied by winXP Pro but I'll try first the older drivers from nvidia the 52.xx i guess.Im not sure regarding the monitor.Right now I was surprised.
I was able to overclock succesfully this Duron 750Mhz to 825mhz (just trying out) without any system crashes and without even overheating, I think maybe because of the board and the ram thats why I was able to overclock this, before I cant even push this duron pass 800mhz. On my old ECS KT133 mobo. Something is wrong. It should not vary like that. CPU speed and CPU clock usually, but not always, mean the same thing.
The Duron is based upon a CPU FSB of 100Mhz (200Mhz DDR) and the final internal CPU speed is a multiplier of that FSB. If the Duron is a 750, then the multiplier is 7.5. As far as video drivers, the ones that came with XP are probably based off a very old set, and I would try out the 52.XX to 66.93. I have used 66.93 on a couple of GeForce4 MX cards and they have worked out.I would solve the other issues first before overclocking. Reset everything to default in BIOS, changing the options you need to (such as disabling AC97 audio if you are using a sound card, etc.) and then see what CPU-Z says regarding the CPU.What is the BIOS date on the mobo? I will check around and see if I can locate the latest BIOS.
Via Motherboard Manual
Oh, one more thing-be sure and use only two DIMMS to get dual channel operation - I think the DIMMS are color coded, but check your manual to be sure - (your 2 x 256 MB) and set the speed in BIOS as DDR200 (100Mhz). The older Socket A processors work best when you run the memory synchronously with the RAM. If the DIMMS are already DDR266 or DDR333 rated, you can probably get away with setting a CAS 2.0 latency and lower the memory timings across the board-just be sure and test with MemTest86 v. 1.60 after doing this.
You can download the bootable ISO for burning onto a CD at. BTW here are updated information. I just discovered that my other DDR RAM module is a PC333 (the 256MB DDR) and the other is PC266 (the 128MB DDR Apacer brand). I tried the the latest bios from the biostar website before but the flash utility detects it as a different version (I updated it via the floppy disk) but I'll try it again with a new floppy drive and a floppy disk.I just overclocked the cpu a little bit further and I noticed that the fluctuation became normal (stays at 902Mhz all the time) I think the software had a problem. I tried that cpu-z before but that was a long time ago, thanks for reminding me again btw I tried overclocking my cpu from 750 to 900 now (120Mhz FSB X 7.5).Can I still further overclock this?
I noticed that when I tried overcloking it a little bit further (121-122Mhz FSB) it sometimes crashes or restarts. Is it possible for me to increase the voltage? I never tried it before and I just learned that increasing the voltage can further increase overclocked speeds (is this true?) and how far can this Duron (spitfire), M7NCG mobo, DDR 333,266 RAM can go with proper cooling and right voltage?Regarding the CPU temperature.
Before when when it was on the 750Mhz cpu speed the temp. Is 50-52 degrees, when I overclocked it noticed that the temperature just increased very very slightly (49-52 degrees).
What I did was I lapped the heat sink and then I re-applied a thermal paste then I tried overclocking it to 900Mhz with temperature at 49-52degrees (Im wondering what could be the temperature if I returned the speed to normal with a lapped heatsink and a new thermal paste). Originally posted by: ChiPCGuyOh, one more thing-be sure and use only two DIMMS to get dual channel operation - I think the DIMMS are color coded, but check your manual to be sure - (your 2 x 256 MB) and set the speed in BIOS as DDR200 (100Mhz). The older Socket A processors work best when you run the memory synchronously with the RAM. If the DIMMS are already DDR266 or DDR333 rated, you can probably get away with setting a CAS 2.0 latency and lower the memory timings across the board-just be sure and test with MemTest86 v. 1.60 after doing this. You can download the bootable ISO for burning onto a CD at. How would I know if the operation is at dual-channel (128-bit performance) already?
The manula says that in order to attain dual-channel mode there should be atleast 2 or more dimm modules installed (combination of DIMMA and DIMMB), and if there is only one DIMM module installed the memory performs only at 64-bit. Is ther an applicaiton or a way to know if it is running at dual-channel (128bit)? BTW my memory modules are 1-PC333 356MB DDR RAM and 1- PC266 128MB DDR RAM installed on DIMM slot 1 and 3 respectively. Originally posted by: ChiPCGuyOh, one more thing-be sure and use only two DIMMS to get dual channel operation - I think the DIMMS are color coded, but check your manual to be sure - (your 2 x 256 MB) and set the speed in BIOS as DDR200 (100Mhz). The older Socket A processors work best when you run the memory synchronously with the RAM. If the DIMMS are already DDR266 or DDR333 rated, you can probably get away with setting a CAS 2.0 latency and lower the memory timings across the board-just be sure and test with MemTest86 v. 1.60 after doing this.
You can download the bootable ISO for burning onto a CD at. How would I know if the operation is at dual-channel (128-bit performance) already? The manula says that in order to attain dual-channel mode there should be atleast 2 or more dimm modules installed (combination of DIMMA and DIMMB), and if there is only one DIMM module installed the memory performs only at 64-bit. Is ther an applicaiton or a way to know if it is running at dual-channel (128bit)?
BTW my memory modules are 1-PC333 356MB DDR RAM and 1- PC266 128MB DDR RAM installed on DIMM slot 1 and 3 respectively. Originally posted by: Battousai001BTW here are updated information.
Intel Motherboard Manual Chipset
I just discovered that my other DDR RAM module is a PC333 (the 256MB DDR) and the other is PC266 (the 128MB DDR Apacer brand). I tried the the latest bios from the biostar website before but the flash utility detects it as a different version (I updated it via the floppy disk) but I'll try it again with a new floppy drive and a floppy disk.I just overclocked the cpu a little bit further and I noticed that the fluctuation became normal (stays at 902Mhz all the time) I think the software had a problem. I tried that cpu-z before but that was a long time ago, thanks for reminding me again btw I tried overclocking my cpu from 750 to 900 now (120Mhz FSB X 7.5).Can I still further overclock this? I noticed that when I tried overcloking it a little bit further (121-122Mhz FSB) it sometimes crashes or restarts. Is it possible for me to increase the voltage? I never tried it before and I just learned that increasing the voltage can further increase overclocked speeds (is this true?) and how far can this Duron (spitfire), M7NCG mobo, DDR 333,266 RAM can go with proper cooling and right voltage?Regarding the CPU temperature. Before when when it was on the 750Mhz cpu speed the temp.
Is 50-52 degrees, when I overclocked it noticed that the temperature just increased very very slightly (49-52 degrees). What I did was I lapped the heat sink and then I re-applied a thermal paste then I tried overclocking it to 900Mhz with temperature at 49-52degrees (Im wondering what could be the temperature if I returned the speed to normal with a lapped heatsink and a new thermal paste). Given that you are using mismatched DIMMS, especially regarding size as opposed to speed, my guess is that you are in single channel mode.
I cannot say how far you can push your mobo-that is so dependent upon your CPU, the motherboard in question, the BIOS, the quality of your other components, and on and on. I am not surprised you started getting issues at 120Mhz and higher. You probably hit the wall at default voltage. I don't know if your board supports a higher voltage via BIOS-you will have to look in the BIOS and determine this. Be careful, overvolting a CPU is one of main things that can permanently damage it, regardless of how good your cooling is. As for a BIOS update, you might write Biostar and ask where/how to get the latest BIOS.
Originally posted by: Battousai001BTW here are updated information. I just discovered that my other DDR RAM module is a PC333 (the 256MB DDR) and the other is PC266 (the 128MB DDR Apacer brand). I tried the the latest bios from the biostar website before but the flash utility detects it as a different version (I updated it via the floppy disk) but I'll try it again with a new floppy drive and a floppy disk.I just overclocked the cpu a little bit further and I noticed that the fluctuation became normal (stays at 902Mhz all the time) I think the software had a problem. I tried that cpu-z before but that was a long time ago, thanks for reminding me again btw I tried overclocking my cpu from 750 to 900 now (120Mhz FSB X 7.5).Can I still further overclock this? I noticed that when I tried overcloking it a little bit further (121-122Mhz FSB) it sometimes crashes or restarts.
Is it possible for me to increase the voltage? I never tried it before and I just learned that increasing the voltage can further increase overclocked speeds (is this true?) and how far can this Duron (spitfire), M7NCG mobo, DDR 333,266 RAM can go with proper cooling and right voltage?Regarding the CPU temperature. Before when when it was on the 750Mhz cpu speed the temp.
Is 50-52 degrees, when I overclocked it noticed that the temperature just increased very very slightly (49-52 degrees). What I did was I lapped the heat sink and then I re-applied a thermal paste then I tried overclocking it to 900Mhz with temperature at 49-52degrees (Im wondering what could be the temperature if I returned the speed to normal with a lapped heatsink and a new thermal paste). Given that you are using mismatched DIMMS, especially regarding size as opposed to speed, my guess is that you are in single channel mode. I cannot say how far you can push your mobo-that is so dependent upon your CPU, the motherboard in question, the BIOS, the quality of your other components, and on and on.
I am not surprised you started getting issues at 120Mhz and higher. You probably hit the wall at default voltage. I don't know if your board supports a higher voltage via BIOS-you will have to look in the BIOS and determine this. Be careful, overvolting a CPU is one of main things that can permanently damage it, regardless of how good your cooling is. As for a BIOS update, you might write Biostar and ask where/how to get the latest BIOS. What do you mean by 'using mismatched DIMMS, especially regarding size as opposed to speed, my guess is that you are in single channel mode'Does that mean if I used mismatched dimms with different speeds it automatically runs at single channel mode?
And I would like to know is the ram frequency i.e. PC266, PC33 etc.
Means that it can run at a maximum of 266Mhz fsb, 333Mhz fsb? Im still confused with the RAM Speed. Unlike the older SDR's (PC100, PC133)I have looked at the bios regarding the voltage and I think it supports increasing the cpu vcore to a higher voltage but Im not sure what is the exact volatage of the CPU, it says 'VCore = 1.65V'. I think I'll be trying to increase the vcore once or twice and see what will be the result on the 900Mhz -920Mhz. Ive read in THG that this type of duron (spitfire) can run at a mximum of 950mhz overclocked speed with an SDR ram without any glitches on a maximum of 1.85v. Im not sure though with my duron, I'll think I'll try it out very slowly and surely so as not to damage anything.I'll try posting on the overclocking section if theres a problem with the my overclocking. Thanks so much for your assistance!