Wrong readings with new BIOS F3 (GA-790XTA-UD4) and AMD Overdrive

[mbdude]

After updating to the new F3 BIOS of this mobo, AMD Overdrive 3.2.1 (latest version) shows wrong readings under W7 x64.
Here is the pic:



I marked the wrong data in yellow arrows:

- The memory voltage should be 1.5 V, not 1.6 V.  (This happens with F2 BIOS too)
- Hypertransport link speed should be shown as 2000 Mhz (Auto in BIOS), not 2008MHz.  (This happens with F2 BIOS too) (I forgot to mark it in the pic)
- The PCIe clock is set at Auto (100 MHz) in BIOS, not 150 MHz. (This only happens with F3  BIOS)
- The HT ref. clock should show 200 MHz (Auto) in BIOS.  (This only happens with F3 BIOS)

Any help?

[absic]

Hi

No help I'm afraid, just another issue I have come across with the F3 BIOS on this board.

You can no longer disable the IDE channel as you could in the F2 BIOS. It is now lumped in with the SATA2 so at boot it is looking for IDE drives that aren't there! Oh well, at least I can now run a Hex Core and I guess I can always go backwards with IDE HDD's but that kind of beats the point of having a SATA2/3 enabled board...... doesn't it? 

[mbdude]

well i don't care about that IDE option, since I dont use any PATA drives, but I also preferred to have that option which is present in F2 BIOS.

I'm going back to the F2, since it doesn't have any problems, before AMD Overdrive damage my PC.

By the way, as we've seen, Gigabyte doesn't advertise all the changes done in the BIOS description. It'd be nice, though.

[absic]

By the way, as we've seen, Gigabyte doesn't advertise all the changes done in the BIOS description. It'd be nice, though.

Totally agree with you, a full description of the BIOS update would be very useful and I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult for them to do.

Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of going back to the F2 BIOS as I have just ordered the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T so need the F3 to run it, but I hope they sort out these issues in any future BIOS updates.

[mbdude]

in future bios releases? don't get too hopeful, since the F3 BIOS has taken 5 months to get done and has been made just for Gigabyte's ON/OFF charge feature. I wish I'd be wrong, but it'll surprise me to see future bios releases for this mobo.

[Beekeeper]

- The memory voltage should be 1.5 V, not 1.6 V.  (This happens with F2 BIOS too)

this happens on most if not all gigabyte bioses & motherboards. i asked them once about it and got the answer that +0.1V is added for better stability of memory.
i wouldn't been worried about it at all.

and a few mhz more on ht should not be any issue imho

[alforan]

and a few mhz more on ht should not be any issue imho

Sorry to bump an old thread, but that is not true.

I have a Terratec PCI TV card and an esi juli@ for hifi computer sourced music and both suffer from 150 Mhz PCI bus speed.

The TV card video is full of noise and via a good headphone amplifier and a pretty good headphone I can hear lot of noise in the music background that is not present at 100 Mhz.

Also, manual setting PCI speed to 100 Mhs doesn't work (some higher value is set).

I think a new bios version that fixes this problem is pretty needed, Gigabyte?

[Dark Mantis]

By the way, as we've seen, Gigabyte doesn't advertise all the changes done in the BIOS description. It'd be nice, though.

Totally agree with you, a full description of the BIOS update would be very useful and I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult for them to do.

It isn't just Gigabyte, most motherboard manufacturers have the same unhelpfull approach to describing what the BIOS updates do. Surely it isn't too much to ask to give a description of the new features when a new update is released.

[absic]

Hi,

I'm running this board and have come across a few issues with the F3 BIOS as stated earlier in this thread and some since my earlier post.

I have raised some of the issues with Gigabyte and am hoping for a response/clarification regarding them within the next couple of weeks. Some of these issues are also reflected in the BIOS for other AMD/Intel boards and I am hoping that getting answers to the questions raised will prove helpful to many.

I don't know if we will ever get a fuller description of what the BIOS updates are or what they do but, having read some of the replies to questions raised with Gigabyte Tech Support I think their command of English is about as good as my command of Taiwanese so I am not going to hold my breath.

ATB

[runn3R]

Hi absic115

Please try with this fresh beta F4a bios and feedback results. I saw "OnChip IDE Channel" option there.
Especially for you

To All

If you have any wishes / complaints about the bioses please do not hesitate to write to Gigabyte Tech Support center called GGTS (GIGABYTE Global Technical Service) through:
http://www.giga-byte.co.uk/support-downloads/technical-support.aspx
or just
http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw

Thanks

[absic]

Hi and thanks

will do some BETA testing for Gigabyte (is there any financial reward for this?) and will report back within the next few hours, after I have had time to play with it.

[absic]

OK,

I am now testing the F4A beta BIOS. The PC seems to be running OK but I am NOT really overclocking anything.

However, I have lowered the CPU voltage to 1.400V (from 1.475) as I like to lower the temperature of the CPU if I can. There is still only adjustment in intervals of .025V. Check this thread for why I am saying this: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2198.0.html

I have Altered the Memory Clock to x8 so that I can run my Corsair RAM at the rated 1600 Mhz and I have also increased the voltage to the RAM from the BIOS default of 1.5V to its rated 1.65V. This gives the usual overclock warning in BIOS, for those who are not aware that it does so. (Which I ignore!)

The issue of PATA drives being combined with the SATA Drive Controller has been addressed and I can once again disable the PATA controller so it is not being tested or searched for during POST or BOOT. This does help speed up the BOOT a little, especially if you have no PATA drives or devices installed.

The problem with temperature reporting in EasyTune6 & Core Temp still seems to be there. When checking the CPU temp in BIOS it is showing as 37°C but Coretemp is reading 31°C and EasyTune 6 is reading 35°C. (See following picture)



Having done some further research into this I do not believe that this is a BIOS fault but a limitation of the software in reporting the temps. Easytune6 seems to be the more accurate of the two readings but they are only a guide and, if you are attempting to overclock your system, I would advise extreme caution when using either of these programmes and not to rely on them for accuracy.

If I come across anything unusal or have any major instability issues I will let you know. If you have any particular questions regarding this beta BIOS and would like questions answered before you try it, let me know and I will do my best to help you.

Current System Specs:
Chassis: NZXT Tempest Evo
Mobo: GA-790XTA-UD4 (BIOS F4A beta)
CPU: AMD Phenom II x6 1090T BE 125W
Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 Air cooler
RAM: Corsair Dominator 2 x CMD4GX3M2B1600C8 (8 Gig)
GPU: Sapphire Radeon ATI 4850x2 (1 Gig)
Monitors: 1 x LG L1715S & 2 x LG L194WT
Sound Card: M-Audio Delta 1010
HDD's: 2 X WD 640 Gig Caviar Black SATA3, 2 x Hitachi Deskstar 1TB, 1 x Seagate 1TB, 1 x Hitachi 500 Gig
DVD/CD: Liteon
Graphics Tablet: Wacom PTZ3
Keyboard: Microsoft Digital Media Pro
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit (Retail)

Main Use of system: Audio Recording & Mixing and Graphics Design & Editing

hope this helps.

Late update: Just realised that a newer version 0.99.7 of Core Temp was available than the one I was using for initial test and picture. Have downloaded new version and it still shows the same temps as previous version 0.99.6

[absic]

Sorry,

Just realised that some of you might have problems getting the picture I posted. If you can't see it or Hotfile (where it is posted) puts you through hoops to access it, please use this link instead: http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/6234/tempso.jpg

My Bad!

[Dark Mantis]

Sorry,

Just realised that some of you might have problems getting the picture I posted. If you can't see it or Hotfile (where it is posted) puts you through hoops to access it, please use this link instead: http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/6234/tempso.jpg

My Bad!

I thought that you were just testing our powers of observation

[absic]

I thought that you were just testing our powers of observation

Well, no one complained so I thought... it is either working or you are ALL blind!