K8N-E Deluxe: new beta bios version 1008.

[Aheska]

Hi,

Asus has released new beta version for this motherboard (v1008-002).
As usual, change log if empty, so anyone have a list of what's new/changed/fixed
over the v1007?
I hope that they will allow lower "CPU fan start temp", avoiding CPU fan error
on cold boot when Smart Q-Fan enabled.

Thx,

/aheska

[Stratus Fear]

Do you have a link? I couldn't find it on any Asus FTP.

Edit: Nevermind. Found it on their HTTP mirrors. Odd that it's not on the FTP.

[locutusx]

what's odd is how we still don't have a FINAL 1007 bios ... but now we have a beta 1008 bios?

that's so messed up...

[Aheska]

New version available: v1008.004.
Here are the links:

• Taiwan FTP
• Germany FTP

Same request: any infos about changes?

/aheska

[locutusx]

doesn't seem like many people interested in this board at the moment... looks like you will have to try it out yourself.

[chrispycrunch]

I'm interested in the outcome! I just don't want to be a beta tester...if I can figure out this crashes-at-boot-but-sometimes problem, I'll be very happy.

About Q-Fan: can you have q-fan AND CN'Q running concurrently? I like Q-fan because the fan speed drops to 1300 RPM (although 3000RPM is still very quiet).

[Stratus Fear]

I'm currently using the 1008.004 BIOS. No changes in BIOS menus, didn't notice anything else. It'd be nice if they'd put out a changelog with these...

[Aheska]

I agree, beta testing bios is not the safest thing to do. That's why changelog exists, to know if it worths to upgrade.

chrispycrunch:
I have a A64 3000+, using the retailed box fan, when C'n'Q is disabled, and QFan is off, Asus PC Probe shows fan speed stays constant at ~3300 RPM, which is noisy for me.

After enabling C'n'Q, (ACPI 2.0 enable and AMD driver installed on XP) the A64 3000+
processor runs at 1GHz, 1.1v when idle, and the idle temperature has dropped from 46°C/114°F to 36°C/96°F but the fan speed doesn't vary.

Lastly, I turned QFan on. Then CPU fan speed droped to ~1300 RPM, which is quiet enough for me. I like this feature very much, it not only helps to keep the fan silent but it also lowers power consumption, which is very nice.

To avoid "CPU fan failed" error message at cold boot, I just ignored CPU fan speed. But the day my CPU fan will not work anymore, the bios will never warm me. That's my this solution is not the best one.

Edited: Stratus Fear, thank you for infos.

[locutusx]

Those of you using Asus QFan. Consider using the program "SpeedFan" instead, if you are on XP or Win2K. It's more flexible... and uses very little CPU time. an 8 hour Windows session --> speedfan has used only 5 seconds of cpu time.

[upgrd]

To avoid "CPU fan failed" error message at cold boot, I just ignored CPU fan speed. But the day my CPU fan will not work anymore, the bios will never warm me. That's my this solution is not the best one.

I disabled "require F1 on error" within the bios. Now on cold boot I get a quick series of beeps but no boot interuption.

[gechu]

Im currenty using windows XP with Speedfan and Cool N Quiet enabled. The only drawback so far for me is that I must use the default HTT to get it stable (200Mhz, instead of 244). Gaming works alright, atleast in COunter-Strike (only game I play
Speedfan got settings for adjusting clock speed and so on, but 2bad that this board isn´t supported yet.

Recently changed the "Acoustic Management" settings using Fdisk to minimize noise from my two hitachi hdd:s. ANd since I´ve enabled CnQ, my chassi fan isn´t needed that much.
Then I replaced the default ATI 9800 PRO fan with a late a64 fan and connected the Zalman fan RPM changer to it.
My next goal is to get one of those passive PSU:s, I know ThermalRight got one, anyone tried it?

Wow this is really way off topic, just sooo nice when I have to move my mouse to make sure that my computer is alive cuz I almost cant hear it ;D

WEll, Ive made two new changes to my system:

1. removed the Sil RAID, using plain SATA now. Diddnt get any better O/C results
2. enabled Cool n Quiet (as I wrote earlier), works good with my current BIOS (1007)
So still wonder what changed asus has made...



/e

[mbf]

Hi,

I hope that they will allow lower "CPU fan start temp", avoiding CPU fan error
on cold boot when Smart Q-Fan enabled.

Thx,

/aheska

I've had this problem with Q-Fan and the fan error for ages, more precisely since day 1. Then suddenly it disappeared. I'm not sure exactly why it's gone, but I may have set some of the BIOS options differently this time around. What I've done this time is set the "start fan temperature" to the lowest setting (35C I believe) and the "full fan temperature" to 50C. This is pretty much what I've done always. What's different this time is that I've set the start voltage to the lowest value (4V I believe). Now, whenever I boot or reboot the CPU fan spins up for a second and I have no more trouble with Q-Fan.

And by the way, yes it's possible and even preferable to use both CnQ and Q-Fan. Both features complement each other perfectly, since Q-Fan makes the fan rotate as little as possible and CnQ lowers the power consumption dramatically for the most part. Neither feature can do both on its own.

As for new features in beta 1008 I can only speculate. Haven't taken it for a spin, and frankly right now my system runs just as it should (except for the majorly broken firewall feature of the nForce3 250gb).

Anyway, hope this helps!

Best regards,
mbf

[chrispycrunch]

I'll try those settings tonight for Q-FAN (I always got the "CPU Fan error" message at boot).
Q-Fan is VERY nice: though it does scare me when you don't hear a single thing!

I have CnQ enabled, but I'm not entirely sure it's actually working. I enabled it in bios, and installed the drivers in XP. The CnQ tool has a constant 2000MHz @ 1.525V. I don't think I've ever seen it change! Is it supposed to change?

How is gaming performance with CnQ and Q-Fan enabled? Are there crashes? Do the fans/CnQ actually activate?

[locutusx]

I have CnQ enabled, but I'm not entirely sure it's actually working. I enabled it in bios, and installed the drivers in XP. The CnQ tool has a constant 2000MHz @ 1.525V. I don't think I've ever seen it change! Is it supposed to change?

YES, it's supposed to change. Use "CPU-Z" to verify true cpu clock speed (and whether it is changing or not).

How is gaming performance with CnQ and Q-Fan enabled? Are there crashes? Do the fans/CnQ actually activate?

gaming performance is usually fine, since the moment the game .EXE runs and hits 100% CPU, CnQ will put your cpu back at 100%.

however, some motherboards/power supplies can't handle CnQ with stability, especially when overclocked. other mobo's can't handle CnQ if you use more than 1 memory DIMM slot!

IMO it's still a crapshoot. we need to wait for the second generation of CnQ before it becomes viable for overclocking enthusiasts. (although in its current state, it is usually viable for non-overclocking regular users, as long as they use good quality mobo's)

[locutusx]

Haven't taken it for a spin, and frankly right now my system runs just as it should (except for the majorly broken firewall feature of the nForce3 250gb).

Hey mbf,

Have you tried the latest beta version of the NForce driver set? the one that comes with IDE Driver version 2.6, build number 475 or something? a lot of people claim the "NAM" on that one works fine -- maybe you should give it a shot!

check www.nforcershq.com for driver links