Green Tea: retro AMD-nVidia build

[t_ski]

I painted the metal panels, still deciding what to do with the front panel

Leave it black but put some green accents on the front?

 

[TRWOV]

Looks like I'll have to use XP for this. I got the 7950GT (500/650 ) and installed W7 again. Everything seemed to work fine, no random crashes this time, but the card works in PCI mode:

I'll fiddle around de bios to see if there's a setting that could correct this.

EDIT: no dice. XP it is.

 

[eidairaman1]

Its a Lack of driver support by Nvidia, NF1-NF4 Users were shafted on Driver Support for Win Vista/Win 7.

Those who have such a board with an AMD video card get a Code 43 when a Dual Core CPU is put in. Sis/Via/Uli Fixed the issue fast on AGP.

Looks like I'll have to use XP for this. I got the 7950GT (500/650 ) and installed W7 again. Everything seemed to work fine, no random crashes this time, but the card works in PCI mode:

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/1663/7950gt.png

I'll fiddle around de bios to see if there's a setting that could correct this.

EDIT: no dice. XP it is.

 

[TRWOV]

ok, I've been digging on Google and, apparently, there's a way around this. If a random forum post is to be believed, there's a single registry entry that should correct this situation:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\AGP]
"10B95246"=hex:80,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

It's the same value that's included in the ULI AGP GART .inf file

The thing is that I can't create the value because...

CAN'T ADD VALUE: REGISTRY WRITE ERROR.

If I try with a .reg file:

Can't import blablabla agp.reg: Not every value was written correctly in the Registry. Some keys are in use by the system or other processes.

Is there any way to edit the registry from a command line or something without loading Windows? I tried the advanced boot options (F8 at startup) but there doesn't seem to be anything of that sort. Tried safe mode but the same happens.

 

[Melvis]

The system will run better and perform better on XP thats what ive found with older Hardwware

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

I am running Win xp on one of my s939 systems and Ubuntu on the other.

 

[TRWOV]

OMFG

I ordered 18ft (3 x 6ft) of u-channel molding from mnpctech.com but someone must have skipped over the "x 6ft" part because they only sent me 3ft



I contacted them already. Hoping for a good resolution. :shadedshu

 

[Thefumigator]

I love the rig, retro AMD-nvidia -snif- :')

One thing, I haven't read the whole thread but AGP with Windows Vista or Seven is a no go (but maybe you can have some luck with 32 bit version, is a GART driver AGP problem). Not sure if even linux can do it. The AGP port will work like PCI. So XP is the only way.

The chipset is an uli (later nvidia bought it) it was a good chipset. But the best 939 chipset you can consider is Nforce 3. Unluckly is agp too. Via chipsets were fast too, but not as great as nforce or uli in my opinion. Also the asrock boards of that time were the cheapest of them all. Hopefully you got a good one, because in the early days asrocks amd boards were slllloooooowwwww

 

[Peter1986C]

Linux has got AGP support. No problem with installing the Nouveau drivers for making an old GeForce 2 MX400 (!) work on a Compaq Presario I am preparing for a charity. His 7xxx series should still even be supported with the official nVidia Linux drivers. Although Win XP is more useful to him if he wants to turn his legacy build into a gaming rig.

 

[TRWOV]

I think it's just a driver issue. I'm running W7 x64 on a 865 chipset (see specs) with no issues so it isn't just a 64bit+AGP thing.


As I said, there seems to be a way around this: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531358

According to http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/Asrock/939Dual-SATA2/ the 10b95246 PCIid is for the ULi AGP 8x controller so if it isn't registered it obviously won't work. The thing is that I can't edit the registry for some reason. I've already gave full access to me (only the "TrustedInstaller" had full control over the registry) but that didn't change anything, I get the same error messages

 

[Thefumigator]

I think it's just a driver issue. I'm running W7 x64 on a 865 chipset (see specs) with no issues so it isn't just a 64bit+AGP thing.


As I said, there seems to be a way around this: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531358

According to http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/Asrock/939Dual-SATA2/ the 10b95246 PCIid is for the ULi AGP 8x controller so if it isn't registered it obviously won't work. The thing is that I can't edit the registry for some reason. I've already gave full access to me (only the "TrustedInstaller" had full control over the registry) but that didn't change anything, I get the same error messages

Yet the 865 was one of the best intel's chipset, and the only one (really, intel is the only one) supporting AGP on windows 7. So the thing would work perfectly fine on 865. I loved that chipset. Even a core 2 quad runs perfectly fine on it.

I had an Asrock K8 upgrade NF3 (it was a 754 board with an expansion to 939 and later on AM2), and I used the PCI to CPU bridge instead of the AGP for a lot of time. Unluckly, nvidia never released the driver so I had to change the board and move to PCI express

The only 939 board sporting PCIexpress is also manufactured by asrock. While its pretty rare, its a nice one with the ATI 785 chipset

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Um both of my Asus 939 boards have pciexpress and one is a Sli board. One is a Asus A8n-e and the other is a A8n Sli premium. They both have nforce 4 chipsets. One is running a Hd 3650 1 gig card and the other is running 2x 7300 gt's in Sli.

 

[Thefumigator]

Um both of my Asus 939 boards have pciexpress and one is a Sli board. One is a Asus A8n-e and the other is a A8n Sli premium. They both have nforce 4 chipsets. One is running a Hd 3650 1 gig card and the other is running 2x 7300 gt's in Sli.

Yeah its right, I forgot nforce 4 completely, cause nforce 5 started to appear later with AM2.

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Now I think the Nforce 4 boards where about the best s939 boards.

 

[TRWOV]

I managed to edit the registry but the change didn't do anything so XP it is.

I really wanted to use W7 because the FX60 performs way better in a 64bit environment:

XP 32bit

View attachment 46841

W7 64bit

View attachment 46840




For some reason the Vcore is higher in XP

On another note, I f***ed up the front panel. Re-sanding.



EDIT:

XP installed, card running at 8x

mnpctech is shipping the missing U-channel molding


stock 7950 clocks (500/650) 3d06 4788 3DMarks
http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16627367


max 7950 oc (625/745) 3d06 5483 3DMarks
http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16627410


EDIT2: having problems ocing the CPU. I can't go beyond 210Mhz for the bus and for some reason setting the multi at x14 doesn't work according to CPU-Z but the bios reports it as 2800Mhz How safe is to increase Vcore on AMD CPUs? The max Vcore is 1.4v; currently it's at 1.35v.

I set the RAM at 2.5-3-2-5. Working fine

 

[TRWOV]

Something I noticed:

The GPU core resets to the stock frequency when no load is present, like some sort of Overdrive. And no, I don't have a 2d/3d preset. Is this the case of every nVidia GPU? I thought that ATi was the first with this feature... or could it be the driver? I'm using the latest one.

benchmarks galore incoming...


EDIT:

Benchmarks

 

[NAVI_Z]

Didn't see da Heaven benchie in there......

 

[TRWOV]

Heaven and Lost Planet 2 crash for some reason

 

[eidairaman1]

Heaven and Lost Planet 2 crash for some reason

Video card might not have good drivers or those games do not support that card.

 

[TRWOV]

Fitting test. No major clearance issues to report except for the first SATA port.

This will require some serious PSU modding (cutting and trimming cables, sleeving, etc).

If you're wondering how am I going to fit the DVD drive correctly, I won't. I'll use a laptop DVD drive but I'm missing a bracket to use it in a 5.25" bay ATM.

 

[Melvis]

Now I think the Nforce 4 boards where about the best s939 boards.

That would be correct as all mine are Nforce as well, never miss a beat, work perfectly, except for this ASUS one which has a driver conflict argh!

Something I noticed:

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7273/srncpt.png

The GPU core resets to the stock frequency when no load is present, like some sort of Overdrive. And no, I don't have a 2d/3d preset. Is this the case of every nVidia GPU? I thought that ATi was the first with this feature... or could it be the driver? I'm using the latest one.

benchmarks galore incoming...


EDIT:

Benchmarks

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6223/3d03.png

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/892/3d05k.png

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3858/3d06.png

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7013/unigine2012042910004693.png

http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/1658/unigine2012042910055864.png

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/4310/streetfighterivbenchmarq.png

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/6904/devilmaycry4benchmarkdx.png

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/3118/re5dx920120429095059906.png

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4192/re5dx920120429091604765.png

Thats some awesome benching there, im happy to also run some of these if your interested how your system runs against other 939 rigs?

 

[TRWOV]

Well, I'm positive that your dual 8800GTs will swallow my 7950GT alive but sure, that'll be fun

 

[Melvis]

Well, I'm positive that your dual 8800GTs will swallow my 7950GT alive but sure, that'll be fun

Naa that's the mad shots system, mine are running 2x 8600GT's and the other a single 9600GT all at stock settings

 

[TRWOV]

Any good/cheap place to get PSU modding tools? pin extractors and such. I'm planning on trimming and sleeving the wires, maybe change the connectors too for UV green ones. Should I go with single wire sleeving?

 

[theJesus]

Ebay, from china with free shipping, if you don't mind waiting up to a month.