My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes

drwho · May 2, 2011, 01:41 AM

OK, I made some major changes to my computer today, and found that the Foxconn Bloodrage GTI motherboard that I'm currently using does not like changes. I installed a Corsair H70 Hydro cooler along with some G.Skill DDR3-1600 Sniper (3x4GBs) memory. I found that after installing the radiator of the H70 using the lower 120mm fan position of my Antec 1200 case that it blocked the installation of the Sonar X-Fi sound card that came with the motherboard. I tried using a Creative sound card in the one pci slot available to me, but the computer would not boot. The case was the same when I had the G.Skill Sniper I had installed. I have managed to get the computer up and running for now, but I don't have any sound, so I'm looking to replace the motherboard.

So I'm asking this question. What is a good x58 motherboard that has great audio quality and would not be more than $300. That would be as high as I'm willing to pay for a new motherboard at this time.

One other thought comes to mind, that being that the Bios I'm currently using on this motherboard is P06. The latest Bios available would be P11. Would upgrading my Bios solve my problem, so at least I could install and use the Creative sound card I have? I plan on buying something by tomorrow at the latest, so any help or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Takaharu · May 2, 2011, 01:58 AM

If you change too many components at once Windows will require a reformat. It's a Windows thing, not a motherboard thing. Also, reset the settings in your BIOS if you're changing around slots.
Failing that, check your warranty status.

drwho · May 2, 2011, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

If you change too many components at once Windows will require a reformat. It's a Windows thing, not a motherboard thing. Also, reset the settings in your BIOS if you're changing around slots.
Failing that, check your warranty status.

I've tried clearing the CMOS several times to make matters easier so I could get things working correctly again, but it hasn't helped. Please correct me if I'm wrong, would re-installing Windows help alleviate the problem?

Neshi · May 2, 2011, 02:28 AM

reformatting windows is not done on the motherboard by clearing the CMOS. it is, as mentioned, a windows thing. not a motherboard thing. Re-installing windows would most probably help

drwho · May 2, 2011, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neshi

reformatting windows is not done on the motherboard by clearing the CMOS. it is, as mentioned, a windows thing. not a motherboard thing. Re-installing windows would most probably help

I'm well aware that clearing the CMOS has nothing to do with reformatting windows. If I implied that I apologize, there are some areas of my computer knowledge that is truly lacking.

Neshi · May 2, 2011, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drwho

I'm well aware that clearing the CMOS has nothing to do with reformatting windows. If I implied that I apologize, there are some areas of my computer knowledge that is truly lacking.

just making sure

I think a reformat would be your best option, before you spend 300 bucks on a new board that you might not even need

Takaharu · May 2, 2011, 11:54 AM

Resetting the BIOS makes the motherboard happy after an upgrade. Reformatting makes Windows happy after an upgrade.

Neshi - it was quite clear that drwho knew the difference as they did ask about re-installing Windows after mentioning that the CMOS had been cleared

IvanV · May 2, 2011, 12:06 PM

Shouldn't you be able to use the Sonar in the lowest PCI Express slot? I know they aren't the same size, but, as far as I know, a 1x card should work in a 16x (or any other) slot.

EDIT: Alternatively, and should all else fail, I'd be more inclined to look for a new sound card than a new motherboard.

drwho · May 2, 2011, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IvanV

Shouldn't you be able to use the Sonar in the lowest PCI Express slot? I know they aren't the same size, but, as far as I know, a 1x card should work in a 16x (or any other) slot.

EDIT: Alternatively, and should all else fail, I'd be more inclined to look for a new sound card than a new motherboard.

Unfortunately, the Sonar uses a pin assembly and does not fit in a slot and the pin setting is located directly under the radiator of the H70. I have two different sound cards from older computers (older builds) that I know work perfectly well, but when installed in the one PCI slot on the motherboard the board will not go any further than the boot screen when started. I can't even enter the Bios.

Tipstaff · May 3, 2011, 04:48 AM

Here's an idea: get yourself a 16 pin ribbon cable (preferably male to female), and use it as an extension cable. That way you can reroute the sound card somewhere else.

The trick is that both ends would "normally" be female when you buy it, which is great for the motherboard end, not so much the sound cards, so finding a male to female cable could be tricky. If you buy the female to female you would need to alter one end to make things work. The easiest way would be to cut down a paperclip into 16 small pieces (say, 1/4 of an inch), jam each of them into the cables end, making it male, then sliding the sound card onto that. You could also get yourself a male connector, remove the female one, and clip the new connector on in it's place.

drwho · May 3, 2011, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Here's an idea: get yourself a 16 pin ribbon cable (preferably male to female), and use it as an extension cable. That way you can reroute the sound card somewhere else.

The trick is that both ends would "normally" be female when you buy it, which is great for the motherboard end, not so much the sound cards, so finding a male to female cable could be tricky. If you buy the female to female you would need to alter one end to make things work. The easiest way would be to cut down a paperclip into 16 small pieces (say, 1/4 of an inch), jam each of them into the cables end, making it male, then sliding the sound card onto that. You could also get yourself a male connector, remove the female one, and clip the new connector on in it's place.

Thanks for the tip, Tipstaff.

OldBuzzard · May 4, 2011, 02:00 AM

If all else fails, and you are still looking for a new MB, this is one of the better X58 boards, and well under $300.00

Newegg.com - ASRock X58 EXTREME6 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

drwho · May 5, 2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

If all else fails, and you are still looking for a new MB, this is one of the better X58 boards, and well under $300.00

Newegg.com - ASRock X58 EXTREME6 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Thanks for the suggestion, oldB. I was doing some looking at the Asus Sabertooth X58 motherboard. Which would be a better choice, the ASRock or the Asus board?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...331&CatId=4070

OldBuzzard · May 6, 2011, 01:40 AM

Looking at the specs, I'm thinking the ASRock. **

Spec wise, the only thing that the Sabertooth seems to have over the ASRock is that it will run 2 cards in crossfire at X16, while the ASRock will run them at X8. I doubt that would really be a problem as most say that the current cards don't saturare x8 anyway.

The ASRock has ALL 6GB SATA ports, and more USB 3.0 ports. It also has a USB bracket that you can fit into a 3.5" bay on the front for your case for USB 3.0 access there (I have that installed on my ASRock board). It's nice having those extra USB slot there. If you don't have a 3.5 bay, it can be mounted on the back of the system as well.

Feature wise, I think that the ASRock is a step ahead of the Sabretooth.

** I am something of an ASRock fanboy, so I am probably a bit biased. You really should read a few reviews for both from TRUSTED sites like here, KG. and some others to see which seems to fit YOUR wants/needs.

Even if you flipped a coin, you most likely couldn't go wrong with either, as they are both quality boards.

drwho · May 8, 2011, 04:58 PM

I was looking in one of the local computer stores Friday and found a Asus Rampage III Formula on sale for a very decent price. I installed the Asus board last night after getting home from work and everything works very well.

However, I am have one problem. I installed 12 GBs of G.Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 memory. At this moment Windows is only showing 4 GBs of memory being used. When checking CPU-z it shows the memory sticks in the first three slots. The sticks are installed in A-2, B-2, C-2. The computer would not boot when I had the sticks in A-1, B-1, C-1. CPU-z also show I'm running single-channel. I can't find anything in the user manual about this problem.

What have I missed or done wrong? As usual any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

blibbax · May 8, 2011, 05:22 PM

Have a good look through all the bios settings if you haven't done already.

An option called "memory remap" enables the use of larger amounts of memory on a lot of boards, but I'd expect you to be seeing less than 4GB with it disabled.

Once that's done, check all of the sticks individually in working slots. If all of the sticks work and are stable, try one working stick in one non-working slot, and work through it until you know which slots are and are not working. If you have any slots that will not work with any stick, and no solution in the bios, I'd suspect a faulty board.

drwho · May 8, 2011, 11:39 PM

OK, I've been fiddling around with the memory and the settings in the Bios and have found out that at a memory speed of 1066 mhz Window will show 12 gigs of memory. But if I try to set the correct memory speed of 1600 mhz, after rebooting the amount of memory has reverted to 4 gigs.

Am I just not making the right corrections in the Bios to set the memory correctly?

Would updating the Bios help matters any? The latest version is 702, I have 505 on the Rampage III Formula right now.

blibbax · May 9, 2011, 12:37 AM

Might be worth a go before you decide that something's broken.

Tyrsonswood · May 9, 2011, 12:45 AM

Not sure how many updates there are between 505 and 702 but you should be able to review the changes on their site and see if a later one deals with a memory configuration issue. (change log usually states the reasons) Then by all means update...... Make sure you understand the procedure completely for that board before doing any BIOS updates.

drwho · May 9, 2011, 02:13 AM

According to the Asus Rampage III Formula download the 0702 Bios adds memory recheck feature.

One other thing I've found out about this motherboard is that Slot A-1 seems nonfunctional. When I place any kind of memory in it the computer will not reach the post screen. This is kinda making me think that this board might be defective.

Tyrsonswood · May 9, 2011, 02:49 AM

Yeah, that sounds defective...... Could flash it and see if that improves and if not return it.

drwho · May 9, 2011, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyrsonswood

Yeah, that sounds defective...... Could flash it and see if that improves and if not return it.

OK, I've flashed the Bios to the 0702 version. It did not help any, I still can't use the A-1 slot at all, just won't post.

I guess I'll be RMAing this board back to Newegg in the morning.

Tyrsonswood · May 9, 2011, 03:30 AM

Yeah, I wasn't holding out a lot of hope there but it was worth trying at least.

May 2, 2011, 01:41 AM	#1
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes OK, I made some major changes to my computer today, and found that the Foxconn Bloodrage GTI motherboard that I'm currently using does not like changes. I installed a Corsair H70 Hydro cooler along with some G.Skill DDR3-1600 Sniper (3x4GBs) memory. I found that after installing the radiator of the H70 using the lower 120mm fan position of my Antec 1200 case that it blocked the installation of the Sonar X-Fi sound card that came with the motherboard. I tried using a Creative sound card in the one pci slot available to me, but the computer would not boot. The case was the same when I had the G.Skill Sniper I had installed. I have managed to get the computer up and running for now, but I don't have any sound, so I'm looking to replace the motherboard. So I'm asking this question. What is a good x58 motherboard that has great audio quality and would not be more than $300. That would be as high as I'm willing to pay for a new motherboard at this time. One other thought comes to mind, that being that the Bios I'm currently using on this motherboard is P06. The latest Bios available would be P11. Would upgrading my Bios solve my problem, so at least I could install and use the Creative sound card I have? I plan on buying something by tomorrow at the latest, so any help or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. __________________ Last edited by drwho; May 2, 2011 at 01:48 AM.

May 2, 2011, 01:58 AM	#2
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes If you change too many components at once Windows will require a reformat. It's a Windows thing, not a motherboard thing. Also, reset the settings in your BIOS if you're changing around slots. Failing that, check your warranty status. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

May 2, 2011, 02:28 AM	#4
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes reformatting windows is not done on the motherboard by clearing the CMOS. it is, as mentioned, a windows thing. not a motherboard thing. Re-installing windows would most probably help __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

May 2, 2011, 11:54 AM	#7
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes Resetting the BIOS makes the motherboard happy after an upgrade. Reformatting makes Windows happy after an upgrade. Neshi - it was quite clear that drwho knew the difference as they did ask about re-installing Windows after mentioning that the CMOS had been cleared __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

May 2, 2011, 12:06 PM	#8
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes Shouldn't you be able to use the Sonar in the lowest PCI Express slot? I know they aren't the same size, but, as far as I know, a 1x card should work in a 16x (or any other) slot. EDIT: Alternatively, and should all else fail, I'd be more inclined to look for a new sound card than a new motherboard. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever). Last edited by IvanV; May 2, 2011 at 12:16 PM.

May 3, 2011, 04:48 AM	#10
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes Here's an idea: get yourself a 16 pin ribbon cable (preferably male to female), and use it as an extension cable. That way you can reroute the sound card somewhere else. The trick is that both ends would "normally" be female when you buy it, which is great for the motherboard end, not so much the sound cards, so finding a male to female cable could be tricky. If you buy the female to female you would need to alter one end to make things work. The easiest way would be to cut down a paperclip into 16 small pieces (say, 1/4 of an inch), jam each of them into the cables end, making it male, then sliding the sound card onto that. You could also get yourself a male connector, remove the female one, and clip the new connector on in it's place. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

May 4, 2011, 02:00 AM	#12
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes If all else fails, and you are still looking for a new MB, this is one of the better X58 boards, and well under $300.00 Newegg.com - ASRock X58 EXTREME6 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

May 6, 2011, 01:40 AM	#14
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes Looking at the specs, I'm thinking the ASRock. Spec wise, the only thing that the Sabertooth seems to have over the ASRock is that it will run 2 cards in crossfire at X16, while the ASRock will run them at X8. I doubt that would really be a problem as most say that the current cards don't saturare x8 anyway. The ASRock has ALL 6GB SATA ports, and more USB 3.0 ports. It also has a USB bracket that you can fit into a 3.5" bay on the front for your case for USB 3.0 access there (I have that installed on my ASRock board). It's nice having those extra USB slot there. If you don't have a 3.5 bay, it can be mounted on the back of the system as well. Feature wise, I think that the ASRock is a step ahead of the Sabretooth. I am something of an ASRock fanboy, so I am probably a bit biased. You really should read a few reviews for both from TRUSTED sites like here, KG. and some others to see which seems to fit YOUR wants/needs. Even if you flipped a coin, you most likely couldn't go wrong with either, as they are both quality boards. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

May 8, 2011, 04:58 PM	Thread Starter #15
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes I was looking in one of the local computer stores Friday and found a Asus Rampage III Formula on sale for a very decent price. I installed the Asus board last night after getting home from work and everything works very well. However, I am have one problem. I installed 12 GBs of G.Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 memory. At this moment Windows is only showing 4 GBs of memory being used. When checking CPU-z it shows the memory sticks in the first three slots. The sticks are installed in A-2, B-2, C-2. The computer would not boot when I had the sticks in A-1, B-1, C-1. CPU-z also show I'm running single-channel. I can't find anything in the user manual about this problem. What have I missed or done wrong? As usual any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. __________________

May 8, 2011, 05:22 PM	#16
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,231 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes Have a good look through all the bios settings if you haven't done already. An option called "memory remap" enables the use of larger amounts of memory on a lot of boards, but I'd expect you to be seeing less than 4GB with it disabled. Once that's done, check all of the sticks individually in working slots. If all of the sticks work and are stable, try one working stick in one non-working slot, and work through it until you know which slots are and are not working. If you have any slots that will not work with any stick, and no solution in the bios, I'd suspect a faulty board. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

May 8, 2011, 11:39 PM	Thread Starter #17
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes OK, I've been fiddling around with the memory and the settings in the Bios and have found out that at a memory speed of 1066 mhz Window will show 12 gigs of memory. But if I try to set the correct memory speed of 1600 mhz, after rebooting the amount of memory has reverted to 4 gigs. Am I just not making the right corrections in the Bios to set the memory correctly? Would updating the Bios help matters any? The latest version is 702, I have 505 on the Rampage III Formula right now. __________________

May 9, 2011, 12:37 AM	#18
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,231 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes Might be worth a go before you decide that something's broken. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

May 9, 2011, 02:13 AM	Thread Starter #20
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: My Motherboard Doesn't Like Changes According to the Asus Rampage III Formula download the 0702 Bios adds memory recheck feature. One other thing I've found out about this motherboard is that Slot A-1 seems nonfunctional. When I place any kind of memory in it the computer will not reach the post screen. This is kinda making me think that this board might be defective. __________________