ASUS A8N-VM CSM

Chang · Post by **Chang** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 6:00 pm

Sounds like I lucked out with the delays that forced me to go with a different board. I had a near painless install, CnQ, DVI + D-Sub work well and IGP performance is good enough that I can wait for the video upgrade.

rei · Post by **rei** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:07 am

is it mobo coil noise? i got this w/ my current and last 2 mobos randomly with 3d activity. in my case it's a muted but piercing squealing/scratching.

my foxconn 6150/430 is for the most part, a champ.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:32 am

It could be mobo coils, anyways I hate it. Did some digging and found a way to relieve some of the noise, especially the annoing beep that came when I resided windows. I went to display properties, and to the tab between screensaver and setting (I'm not using english version and can't remember the name, maybe display?), then chose effects and turned the first check box off (fading). Now I can resize my windows without the beep. Dragging noise is still audible, if I turn my speakers off. Scroll bar noise is pretty low now. I can barely hear it when I move my mouse or scroll with mouse wheel, it's something I could learn to live with. I just hope those aren't a sign of bad/faulty parts in the motherboard. It would be also nice, if I could use all the graphics options in windows without getting "extra" noise effects on the side.

Hell, I have found a way to bybass the crappy usb-ports and now this... It's seems I'm learning to live with this board. I would have soon RMAed this board because of the whine. I still might RMA it, unless Asus releases a bios soon that fixes cool & quiet and those usb-ports.

rei · Post by **rei** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:00 am

enabling spread spectrum in bios might help with the interference.

i had a noise problem with hd access and mouse scrolling causing feedback on an earlier mobo, i fixed it by using a discrete sound card.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:41 pm

rei wrote:enabling spread spectrum in bios might help with the interference.

i had a noise problem with hd access and mouse scrolling causing feedback on an earlier mobo, i fixed it by using a discrete sound card.

The sole reason I bought this board was that I wouldn't have to use discrete cards... I have check up on that bios thing. I can't remember what spectrum I had enabled there, probably center spectrum...

NapalmDeath · Post by **NapalmDeath** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:22 pm

I have the same bugs as Errsa.

QnC not working, and my USB keyboard will drop out on me.
Re-plugging it seems to fix it.
I havent noticed the noise issue. I usually play a lot of music.

If they don't come out with a bios update to fix this, I may RMA it.

Board rev 1.01
Bios 403

That blurb about Asus halting rev 1 shipments, and sending rev 2's is annoying. That lends me to believe there is a non bios updating problem with it.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:22 pm

Just to sum up what I have found out.

- Using an usb- module on usb ports 5-8 should be a temporary fix. Too bad they don't ship the motherboard with one... I use now the one that came with my case. It solved my mouse ghosting/lagging and the plugging issue.

- The noise coming from the motherboard (coil whine) can be reduced by taking fading option away from display effects.

- CnQ, I hope they will come up with a new bios asap.

About the rumors conserning rev2. This rev1 board is being sold and supplied well here. The shop I bought it from has 20 in stock at the moment (10 of them already ordered) and 19 of them have arrived since last friday. Currently it is the 7th most sold motherboard there (biggest netstore in Finland). So it doens't look like they are halting any shipments, at least here in Finland. Looks like there will soon be bit more people that aren't too happy. I already contacted the store and they said I can RMA it. I also have 1 more week to just return it and cancel the deal. I really don't know wich way I'm gonna go. Changing the mobo to a new one wouldn't probably help, if all these problems are bios based.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:40 am

ive had this board for awhile now, got it from zzf...

having power-up problems and shut-down problems with an antec NEO HE... but from what i hear all asus a8n boards have these problems...

regardless... they are not repeatable, but do re-occur..
i have downloaded beta bios 502... yes ... 502... there is no direct link to it, but if u use the link for the standard bios from asus, u can just change 303 to 502 and u get that version... its a beta.

cool n quiet seems to work fine, no blue screens... im using winxp x64 w/x800xl and booting from a raptor and using a 3-drive sata raid5 array for data....
everything works good other than the occasional inability to power on... (getting new psu soon)..

have tried onboard video and it worked perfectly,, in fact i set theh comp up with onboard, only added the x800xl lateree for gamming...

im using crucial ddr400 ecc ram... 2x512... again, works fine with ecc enabled in bios.

ive used both an opteron 165 and an athlon x2 3800.. at stock speeds.... ocing even 10% causes the board to have bootup issues very quickly... but that could be ram or a plethora of other issues...

at stock it seems stable, and i predict with the new psu it will be 100% as advertised...

i hope a new non-beta bios comes out soon, and then ill be happy with this board...
the audio on board is really awesome...
(its azalia HD audio)

Saw this at anandtech forums.

stefpet · Post by **stefpet** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:08 am

For you unable to run Cool & Quiet, have you tried changing the bios settings according to the below?

Code: Select all

Problem Fixed:  Found Bios default setting of
Advanced--Chipset--Northbridge Configuration--Memory
Configuration--User Config Mode--  was set to Manual--9.5ns/11.0ns/2T.
Changed to Auto, rebooted and everything works again.  Why Asus would
make such a bios setting manual by default who knows, but it does work
o.k. with Auto.

Found in a post at alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus.

I don't own an A8N-VM CMS myself. I would've ordered it long ago if it wasn't for the problems found in various forums. I want to use it in a HTPC, but that would require Cool & Quiet.

davidstone28 · Post by **davidstone28** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:44 am

If its any consolation, my motherboard makes similar noises (nForce2 Ultra 400).

Its like a pulsing / beeping sound but very faint. At first I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until I stuck my head inside the PC whilst stopping all the fans and externalising the HDD to a noise insulated box.

I can't hear it outside of the case but the motherboard - whatever non-moving components are on that - was actually make the noise. Its particuarly pronounced when there's alot of I/O activity eg. PC used as P2P server.

My suggestion would be try some damping foam eg. Acoustipack.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:44 am

davidstone28 wrote:If its any consolation, my motherboard makes similar noises (nForce2 Ultra 400).

Its like a pulsing / beeping sound but very faint. At first I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until I stuck my head inside the PC whilst stopping all the fans and externalising the HDD to a noise insulated box.

I can't hear it outside of the case but the motherboard - whatever non-moving components are on that - was actually make the noise. Its particuarly pronounced when there's alot of I/O activity eg. PC used as P2P server.

My suggestion would be try some damping foam eg. Acoustipack.

My case is damped with Nexus Damptek... Thanks anyway.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:11 pm

From what I have read from another forums it looks like bios 502 screws up pci-slots. But c&q works fine with it. I downloaded it, but didn't install it and what I have been seeing around I'm not going to.

Stefpet: that didn't help me with c&q. I had already tweaked those memory options manually anyway, but Auto didn't have any effects. My c&q software gives me "invalid floating point operation", if I drag it, anyway it doesn't work.
Edit: now that I went to dig the source of yours a little deeper I saw it was from a A8N-VM mobo not A8N-VM CSM, they have different bios, and I take it that the c&q in VM is working. That person only had problem with his memory timings, that caused unstability.

On the noise issue I set the pci spread spectrum settings on bios to down spectrum and enabled fading back. So far no beebs, but it didn't always beeb right after boots anyway. So I guess I have to wait a lil bit longer to see, if it worked.
Edit: It came back 35 minutes later. What the hell causes it to reappear...

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:25 pm

For what it's worth, I did some overclocking testing on this mobo, just wanted to show that it can be done.

I could run 3dmark2001 236x10 with 1:1 memory, I played it safe and used loose 3-3-3-7 memory timings with the ballistix. Got 6475 marks. I could also boot the windows with 240 1:1, but I had a freeze during 3dmark. Didn't test anything from between 236-240. I could also complete the test @ 240x10, when I ran memory async at ddr400, got 6219 marks. At stock speeds 200x10 2-2-2-7 I get 5880 marks with my x2 3800+. I think the IGP was holding me back on the 240 1:1. Ballistix was able to go ddr594 [email protected] and ddr480 [email protected] in anandtech memory tests, so I don't think it is the memory that's holding me back, although it could also be the lack of voltage for the memory.

Anyway I'm gonna run this board at stock speeds and with c&q when they fix it in bios. Overclocking on board like this is stupid anyway, there are plenty of better boards for that. I'll rather have my comp running cool and quiet.

NapalmDeath · Post by **NapalmDeath** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:21 pm

I've decided to wait for an official bios release, knowing it will fix QnC.

This is my first AMD processor and I'm amazed out how much cooler it runs compared to intel. After playing BF2, my cpu is only at 53, and that's with cpu/chassis fan throttled down.

QnC will be nice when I'm surfing or doing other non gaming tasks.

rei · Post by **rei** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 9:16 pm

does the asus board have a normal pci-e retention clip? the foxconn one is fixed hard plastic and it's a bear removing card once i have it in so i just went and broke it off.

anyways, switched psu to antec neohe 500 and it doesn't squeal/scratch as much but still buzzes in 3d activity :/

NapalmDeath · Post by **NapalmDeath** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:50 pm

I hear the high pitch whine sound more late at night when the rest of my house is quiet.

Not sure I can even RMA it back, since newegg and buy.com won't have any in stock until December.

That's assuming they can put their hands on rev 2 boards.
Hopefully it can all be fixed with a bios update.

I changed memory settings to AUTO, PCI/HT spectrum to LOW (not sure what this does) and also set my system/performance/visual to not fade.

I'll try anything once.

rei · Post by **rei** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 12:02 am

well in windows, normal 2d usage, it's quiet for me. i suppose it's small drawback it's noisy when i game since i should be using headphones when that happens instead of sneaking in gaming when i shouldn't be.

coil buzz isn't something that can be fixed by bios update i don't think.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 12:33 am

NapalmDeath wrote:I hear the high pitch whine sound more late at night when the rest of my house is quiet.

Not sure I can even RMA it back, since newegg and buy.com won't have any in stock until December.

That's assuming they can put their hands on rev 2 boards.
Hopefully it can all be fixed with a bios update.

I changed memory settings to AUTO, PCI/HT spectrum to LOW (not sure what this does) and also set my system/performance/visual to not fade.

I'll try anything once.

Only the visual setting will help. I tried the spectrum settings already, but they make no difference (at least for me). It's always fine for a while after fresh boot, but then the noise comes back.

I still have 2 days time to just return it and get my money back, after that I can only RMA it. I'm not yet sure wich way I'm gonna take. If I RMA, I will have to probably wait for a couple of days, before they send it back to me, or send me a replacement. I'm not exactly sure, if I'm willing to go through all the hassle and downtime that comes with it. If I just return it and get my money back, I can just buy a new one from another shop (for less money) and be done with it the same day. I can't use my old mobo and cpu, because then I would have to probably reinstall windows like I did when I switched to this mobo and dualcore, so I'd need the mobo back asap. I have spent way too much time tweaking windows and all the programs to let it go to waste with 2 reinstalls. It's a shame that they haven't released the new bios yet. I really need to know, if the bios can fix the rear usb-ports, it's the only problem that I can't live with. I guess I'll just wait for the new bios and then RMA, if they don't start working properly.

When C'n'Q starts working, my computer will have so low noise that it will be pretty hard to beat. At least the last 1-2 decibels would be too expensive to cut away, for it to be worth it. Damped case, suspended samsung p80, one 12cm nexus fan at 800 rpm pushing air in from the bottom of the case and the fan from zalman 7000b-alcu running at 1600rpm (pretty close to 5v?). Only way for the noise to exit is the nexus psu, I'd guess it is even currently running at it's lowest speed at idle, but when I get C'n'Q working it just has to run at it's lowest speed.

rei · Post by **rei** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:00 pm

hmm, smooth scrolling not on but very subtle buzzing kicks in as well when i hold page down/up to scroll through webpages...grr oh well no such thing as absolute silence.

mx-5 · Post by **mx-5** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:40 pm

bios 0506 is available:

ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/mb/socke ... 506csm.zip

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:29 am

Updated the bios to 0506. My c'n'q ain't still working. Can't tell why, I should have done all the necassary steps for it to work
1. enabled in bios
2. enabled ACPI 2.0 support in BIOS
3. 1.2.2.2 driver
4. installed software
5. power saving is at minimal

But the deal braker for me is that my rear usb-ports are still screwed up, just plugged my diNovo there and the lagging reappeared instantly. Plugged them back to my extra usb-front in middle and works perfectly, but that just won't do. I don't want to keep my bluetooth hub at the front port waiting for me step on it, or to knock it with my chair, not taking that riks. Maybe it is my board that is screwed up and not the bios, I know they didn't say anything about the rear usb-ports in the readme.txt of the bios file, but I was secretly hoping it would be fixed. I'm dissapointed as hell. I'm trying to make up reasons why I shouldn't go and return this mobo immediately

NapalmDeath · Post by **NapalmDeath** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:18 pm

Have we even confirmed a rev 2 board exists?

Or would we just be RMA'ing another rev 1.01 board?

I have 6 days left to RMA this board, and if there is a rev 2 in stock somewhere, I'll do it. My supplier is out of the board without an ETA, but I'm willing to take a credit and buy from another place if they have rev 2.

NapalmDeath · Post by **NapalmDeath** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:52 pm

Well I just loaded bios 506, and QnC is working now.
Changed Memory timing to Auto in bios, and now the AMD Power Monitor application shows the Frequency bouncing between 1,000 and 2,000 MHz, and the VCore from 1.100V to 1.400V.

=D

Finally figured out that my Zalman PSU is causing the high pitched whine. If I touch the PSU it goes on and off, and is intermittent. I'll be adding a new 500W Nexus or Antec Phantom PSU to the shopping list soon.

The rear USB port 1-4 continues to be glitchy, and I have to reconnect my mouse/keyboard once in a while after a reboot.

So rev 2 boards? Myth or real?

winguy · Post by **winguy** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:13 am

Yeah man is there gonna be a new revision? Anandtech's board is a rev 1.01 too.

rei · Post by **rei** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:36 pm

i'm resigned to my mobo noise in 3d activity. the pc is quiet in 2d/windows use otherwise.

it varies by the game and power draw that the 3d card exerts on the psu/mobo.

mx-5 · Post by **mx-5** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:48 pm

Mine's also rev 1.01. I have CnQ working. I flashed to 0506, removed and reinstalled AMD 1.2.2.2, installed Asus's CnQ software to see the cpu speed jump between 1000-1800 along with the voltage jumps.
Hope to see undervolting in the next firmware release.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:57 am

Yeah my c'n'q also started working with 0506, I just reinstalled the drivers and programs carefully and then installed them back.

NapalmDeath · Post by **NapalmDeath** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:25 pm

Erssa,

What trick did you use on getting the rear 1-4 USB ports to work?

I have good days with no issues, and bad days where specific keys stop working. I reloaded the SMBUS driver, disconnected power cable (+5V is always applied to board, hence that green LED), reseating USB connectors to the left 2 USB ports (looking directly at back), and seem to be working for the meantime.

Is there a unique USB 2.0 driver out there?
I figured the Nforce 430 chipset driver was also the USB.

mx-5 · Post by **mx-5** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:07 pm

Does anyone have problems with sleep mode? Do you set it to S3 only or Auto? Seems like I'm not able to get my PC to go to sleep mode automatically. It's also odd that my hard disk acitvity light seems to be lit very often even though nothing's running (well, Media Center, but it's not recording or anything...)

Number12 · Post by **Number12** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:34 pm

It's such a bummer that there's still a lot of bugs to be ironed out on this board. When I first heard of the 6150-series mobos I was quite eager to get my hands on one, but now...

for those who want to get the SPDIF and TV cables, I've stumbled onto this forum thread:
http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18090

yes, the fact that these are optional is ludricous, given that the chipset was designed by Nvidia to be the basis for a multimedia/htpc! Bad move by Asus.