Gigabyte k8NSNXP-939/K8NS Ultra-939 tips, tricks and guide thread

[trans am]

Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939 and K8NS Ultra-939 nforce3
the only difference between the K8NSNXP-939 and K8NS Ultra-939 is the missing dps heatsink on the latter.
both boards are identical and bios compatible and will thus be treated as the same board in this guide




overclocking options
Bus Speed: 200-455mhz in 1mhz steps
Bus Multiplier: 1x-5x
CPU Multiplier: 5x-25x
AGP speed: 66-100 in 1mhz steps

overvolting options
Vcore: 0.8-1.70 in 0.025v steps
Vdimm: +0.1v +0.2v* *max vdimm is 2.85v with the latest bios
Vagp: 1.50 to 1.80 in 0.10v steps
Vht: 1.20 to 1.50 in 0.10v steps

periphals and features
IDE: 2 ATA 133 slots
IDE raid: 0,1,0+1,JBOD
SATA: 4 SATA 150 slots (2 SiI3512 and 2 nforce3)
SATA raid: 0,1,0+1,JBOD
sata+ide drives in raid: yes
Firewire: 2 IEEE 1394b ports
LAN: Marvell 8001 gigabit ethernet + ICS 1883 10/100 ethernet
Sound: realtec ALC850 8 channel

links
mainboard homepage: GA-K8NSNXP-939 and GA-K8NS Ultra-939
forum discussion: Gigabyte k8NSNXP-939/K8NS Ultra-939 tips, tricks and guide thread
review #1: Anandtech
review #2: Hothardware
review #3: Hardwareluxx (german)
vmod #1: vcore
vmod #2: vdimm
vmod #3: vht
vmod #4: vdd

pros
tracks vtt
runs great with bh5
runs great with ch5
runs great with mdt pc3200 (micron chips?)
runs great with samsung tccc

cons
bad vcore, unstable and fluctuates between 1.70v and 1.95v under load
coldboot problems with high HTT speed
crashes when upping the HTT speed too much at a time
always detects ide drives at bootup, cant disable this setting latest bios fixes this problem
9x multi sligthly unstable seems to work fine for some people
8x multi very unstable seems to work fine for some people
NO Memory Interleaving?

TIPS
TIP: you have to disable cool n quiet when ocing
TIP: easy vdimm mod with 3.3v rail = Vdimm Via single wire, VTT tracks automatically
TIP: easy vcore mod with pin10 to ground via 50K VR
BUT the max vcore after a mod is 1.95v and coldboot with 1.85v+ vcore might kill the board!
TIP: If having problems with BH5 ram, try the following:
1) Do 3.3v = Vdimm mod
2) Set HTT multiplier to 4x and HTT to 230Mhz - Lower HTT does not boot for some users.
3) Boot and overclock via clockgen, and tweak via A64tweaker.
TIP: for best performance the giga board needs Vcore and Vdimm/3.3V bypass mod (or the OCZ booster)
TIP: disable fast writes
TIP: use HTT multiplier 4x up to ~260 and 3x up to ~290
TIP: disable the bios option called "top performence" , it will limit your ocs and will cause instability with tccd at ddr400 2.0-2-2
TIP: if you have problems with some multipliers try the F5 bios



check out the ultimate 939 mobo guide here for informations, bugfixes and tips for all 939 mainboards







there are many different versions of gigabytes nf3 boards and the naming and feature set description are extremely confusing.
here is a list i made to give you a better overview over those confusing product names:

754 k8ns          2SATA+r   2PATA     lan                 1x2mb bios   firewall    2fan headers                      aux audio    game/midi 
754 k8ns pro      4SATA+r   4PATA+r   Gblan       2IEEE   2x4mb bios               3fan headers                      aux audio    game/midi 
754 k8nsnxp       4SATA+r   4PATA+r   Gblan+lan   2IEEE   2x4mb bios   firewall    3fan headers    multis in bios    aux audio    game/midi    dps 

939 K8NS-939      2SATA+r   2PATA     Gblan               1x2mb bios               3fan headers    multis in bios 
939 K8NSNXP-939   4SATA+r   2PATA     Gblan+lan   2IEEE   2x4mb bios   firewall    3fan headers    multis in bios    aux audio    game/midi    (gigabyte specs dont mention dps?)
939 K8NS u-939    4SATA+r   2PATA     Gblan+lan   2IEEE   2x4mb bios   firewall    3fan headers    multis in bios    aux audio    game/midi

EDIT:
-saaya

[HKPolice]

looks promising.... if gigabyte is smart they would of fixed the issues with the K8NSXP-939.....

[trans am]

looks promising.... if gigabyte is smart they would of fixed the issues with the K8NSXP-939.....

http://www.giga-byte.com/Motherboard...0Ultra-939.htm

bios dates look fairly new. I wonder if I should give it a shot. the cpu and mobo come out to under $300

[HKPolice]

Ya sounds good

[s e t h]

test it please
someone has to be first.

[charlie]

this COULD be a great board

[misteroadster]

this board is the same than K8NSNXP-939 without the mosfets HSF.

[trans am]

this board is the same than K8NSNXP-939 without the mosfets HSF.

You are absolutely right.

Ok, I called Gigabyte US, and talked to a rep. They couldn't tell me if 90nm will work out of the box. (this was annoying) But considering that the bios for the XP that includes the D stepping(90nm) update is from September and the shipping bios on this new board is from October, I'm going to assume it will support 90nm out of the box.

Also they said the main difference is the lack of the mosfet fan. and it lacks dual power system "DPS" technology. The bios allows only 1.7vcore max, and .1 or .2v over the stock vdimm. WTF? HTT goes from 200-300mhz. I guess I am so used to the DFI UT LP, that anything less seems lackluster. Not impressed iMO, but at only $116 at newegg, It doesn't seem like a bad deal. comes with 1394b and 4 sata/raid. 2 from the nf3-250, and 2 from the silicon image controller. 3 fan headers and active cooler on the chipset.

This looks like a great board for 939ers on a budget.

btw, what are the negative issues on the XP version?

[Perc]

hmmmmm? yeah no shizit i think i may go first!! only thing though? whats the voltage options on this mb? i have a FX-53 comming this week and im in need of a mb for it. i wanted to wait on the DFI but only god knows when that will get released? I was going to buy the MSI K8N Neo2 but no one has it in stock and for 140 bucks plus shipping im not even going to bother... i think i may order this mb this week ill let you guys know how it runs...

this mb is the same as its bigger brother then what were the problems that needed to be fixed? any reviews on the other mb that would give me a basic idea of what this thing has to offer...

peace perc,

[mad mikee]

NEO2 @ gameve,140$ and free ship (call & make sure)

[Perc]

NEO2 @ gameve,140$ and free ship (call & make sure)

yeah i seen that. what you dont think this gigabyte would be a good mb? im not realy a big fan of MSI and what ever mb i do get for this FX-53 is just a temp solution til the DFI board comes out anyways... i mean for 116 bucks this gigabyte cant be that bad can it? i wish i knew more about 939 mbs and all. i think i need to go read a few reviews and trudge thru some threads and see what i can learn about the 939 platform cause i need a mb now! i cant wait too much longer and i do plan on ocing with this system so i need something with all the voltage options one would need... anyways i still got the MSI on my list but this gigabyte is looking pretty damm good right now

peace perc,

[trans am]

hmmmmm? yeah no shizit i think i may go first!! only thing though? whats the voltage options on this mb? i have a FX-53 comming this week and im in need of a mb for it. i wanted to wait on the DFI but only god knows when that will get released? I was going to buy the MSI K8N Neo2 but no one has it in stock and for 140 bucks plus shipping im not even going to bother... i think i may order this mb this week ill let you guys know how it runs...

this mb is the same as its bigger brother then what were the problems that needed to be fixed? any reviews on the other mb that would give me a basic idea of what this thing has to offer...

peace perc,

I would just use google and look for reviews on the xp version for now. Also read the 939 shootout at anandtech. I think the XP is in that review. Go to the Gigabyte site and download the manual. It shows voltage options in there. there is chipset voltage options. vcore goes to 1.7v fsb goes form 200-300. since the ocz ddr booster worked with XP, I'm guessing it will work fine oon this board so you can increase your vdmm higher than the stock values.

Here are the oc options according to the manual: (I can't find the ram options on this thing! WTF? is it in a hidden menu somewhere?

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
CPU OverClock in MHz
200MHz ~ 300MHz Increase CPU frequency as user selected.
AGP OverClock in MHz
66MHz ~ 100MHz Increase AGP frequency as user selected.
CPU Voltage Control
Supports adjustable CPU Vcore from 0.800V to 1.700V by 0.025V step.
(Default value: Normal)
Normal CPU Vcore
Display your CPU Vcore voltage.
AGP Voltage Control
Normal Set AGP voltage as AGP required. (Default value)
+0.1v Increase AGP voltage +0.1V.
+0.2v Increase AGP voltage +0.2V.
+0.3v Increase AGP voltage +0.3V.
HT-Link Voltage Control
Normal Supply HT-Link voltage as HT-Link required. (Default value)
+0.1v Increase HT-Link voltage +0.1V.
+0.2v Increase HT-Link voltage +0.2V.
+0.3v Increase HT-Link voltage +0.3V.
DDR voltage control
Normal Supply DDR voltage as DDR required. (Default value)
+0.1v Increase DDR voltage +0.1V.
+0.2v Increase DDR voltage +0.2V.

[HKPolice]

VCore is easy to mod, just like any other A64 board, pin10 to ground with 50K VR.
Ram is easy to mod too with 3.3v = vdimm, 1 wire mod.

[trans am]

VCore is easy to mod, just like any other A64 board, pin10 to ground with 50K VR.
Ram is easy to mod too with 3.3v = vdimm, 1 wire mod.

But where are the ram timings on this board?

[s e t h]

ctrl&F1 in the main bios screen should bring mem timings up probably

[Kunaak]

I opend up the F2 bios, and tried to see if there was anything to unlock or mod for the 939 K8NS Pro bios.
theres nothing to unlock, but the HT Speed should be available all the way to 455, not 300. the Bios shows it's there available to use.

[Perc]

so is this a good choice for a mb or not? im seriously considering this mb. i realy dont want to buy a MSI i always have luck with them and i dont expect my luck to change this time around... these one wire mods you speak of is there any pictures i can look at? im not great at sodering but i am sure i can pull off simple mods...

thx perc,

[s e t h]

akiba-pc > forums > modding >k8n thread
it's a brilliant mod especially if your psu has an adjustable 3.3v rail
i did it with a crockodile clip and a wire straight to the unused 3.3v rail on my forton psu - for a non permanent solution

[Nitrox]

I'd still get the MSI, this one actually seems to be good somehow

[Lithan]

I bought this board about an hour ago. Should be here by the weekend, monday at the latest. I'll be using it with a 3000+. I'll let you know how it does. (Bought it because newegg just moved k8n neo2 stock back almost two weeks, this board's cheaper and fits xp-120 without any bending.)

[trans am]

I bought this board about an hour ago. Should be here by the weekend, monday at the latest. I'll be using it with a 3000+. I'll let you know how it does. (Bought it because newegg just moved k8n neo2 stock back almost two weeks, this board's cheaper and fits xp-120 without any bending.)

Sold to the Cheapest man on Xtremeforums lol. Let us know how it goes Lithan. Thanks for being the official tester on this one.

[Lithan]

Cheapest? Hey. I'm not bragging about my ti4200's 3dmarks at least.

[Perc]

LOL im buying one too... i dont care for MSI and this mb only has to last me long ehough til DFI figures out when they are going to release thier 939 counter part. now this mb shouldnt have any issues with the OCZ booster seings how it works well with its older brother right? Lithan keep me posted on how yours does im ordering this friday-sat for my FX-53 chip....

peace perc,

[snowwie]

You are absolutely right.

Ok, I called Gigabyte US, and talked to a rep. They couldn't tell me if 90nm will work out of the box. (this was annoying) But considering that the bios for the XP that includes the D stepping(90nm) update is from September and the shipping bios on this new board is from October, I'm going to assume it will support 90nm out of the box.

Also they said the main difference is the lack of the mosfet fan. and it lacks dual power system "DPS" technology. The bios allows only 1.7vcore max, and .1 or .2v over the stock vdimm. WTF? HTT goes from 200-300mhz. I guess I am so used to the DFI UT LP, that anything less seems lackluster. Not impressed iMO, but at only $116 at newegg, It doesn't seem like a bad deal. comes with 1394b and 4 sata/raid. 2 from the nf3-250, and 2 from the silicon image controller. 3 fan headers and active cooler on the chipset.

This looks like a great board for 939ers on a budget.

btw, what are the negative issues on the XP version?

well, looking at pictures, it seems the same board, just that it has no hsf for the cpu power supply, and it also seems as though some of the capacitors and components are different makes, maybe cheaper. still has the friggin outrageous 6 phase power though....

...makes you wonder....which makes a better cpu power supply?....6 cheap phases, or 3 very high quality ones....?

[Barr3l Rid3r]

well, looking at pictures, it seems the same board, just that it has no hsf for the cpu power supply, and it also seems as though some of the capacitors and components are different makes, maybe cheaper. still has the friggin outrageous 6 phase power though....

...makes you wonder....which makes a better cpu power supply?....6 cheap phases, or 3 very high quality ones....?

Gigabyte usually has better quality components then MSI boards...