WARNING! Important information about eVGA 680i board.

E

eluder

n00b
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Nov 11, 2006
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I got my eVGA 680i and 8800GTX yesterday. Some thoughts on the board and video card. I'm definately not trying to scare anyone off, just some information I would have liked to have BEFORE I ordered.

1) You cannot mount a Ninja on it without modification! Where you would normally install the steel backplate there are electronics that get crushed, killing your board. For now, you have to you the intel stock-style mounting holes or cut holes in the backplate to allow electronics to go in them. The back side of my P5W DH is completely smooth.

2) This is not a passive motherboard! The MCP gets to 93C in the BIOS with no load. It is scalding hot to the touch. You MUST install the fan or get ready to RMA for replacement boards. The fan is also very NOISY, though it drops temp to more reasonable 50Cish. After idling in Windows it was 101C. I didn't dare run any apps or anything at that point.

3) The stock MCP fan blows scalding hot air right across the CPU HSF. This raises your load and idle temps by about 12C. Be prepared for this if you have a horizontal-slat heatsink.

Other) The HSF on the 8800GTX does NOT EXHAUST ALL OF THE HOT AIR. About 80% of it is blown into the case through the top vents instead of out the back. I'm currently investigating blocking them to force it out the rear.

How this information helps. I'm returning my 680i and keeping my P5W DH as I miss how quiet it was. Also note that since this information is about the eVGA board, it's safe to say it applies to all other board makers following the reference design.

Of course I am keeping the 8800GTX. It's the same speed as the X1950XTX Crossfire I have (within a few percent), but it's a LOT quieter (the fan is a pleasant wooshing instead of the whine of the 1950's), and uses less power.
 
Damnit.

I was just about to purchase the last few items for my build. Only question I had was about the Ninja Plus fitting on the mobo.
 
Also, be warned about using an X-fi soundcard with this board. I have no idea why, but I am having extreme popping/cracking sound issues. It's TERRIBLE with the X-fi, you cannot game on it at all. Call of Duty 2 locks up and a high pitch squeel comes out of the speakers.

Onboard sound still pops and cracks and it's almost impossible to game on it. I am using all games to test this. FEAR, CoD2, BF2142, Guild Wars, Company of Heroes. etc.


Maybe it's just my board, but I am having serious problems in regards to the sound.
 
I have an X-Fi too!

Thankfully, I didn't have any issues, but to be honest, I just played WoW for a few hours and it idled overnight.

You'd think this would be fixed from the NF4 days.

On another note, it looks like you CAN technically mounts the Ninja without the backplate with different screws. I'm not going to though and that backplate is a counter to the force of the HSF pulling itself onto the CPU. I'm not risking that.
 
This is not good at all. I already have my Ninja and my EVGA 680i board will arrive on Tues.

What to do, what to do....

:confused:
 
kraken0698 said:
This is not good at all. I already have my Ninja and my EVGA 680i board will arrive on Tues.

What to do, what to do....

:confused:
Click to expand...


Get a P5W or P5B until a new revision comes along with new accessories, that's what I'm doing. It was a gamble to try this, I admit. But come one, it's 775, it should work :(.
 
evga 680i here.

I had to hack up the backplate for my zaleman 8500 to make it fit, no big deal. Lame the reference 680 design isnt complaint like every singe other motherboard.

Your mcb is fux0red. Mine stays pretty cool, even @ 445 with the fan @ 50% (=silent)

AppaYipYip - I had that EXACT same problem with my ab9. Google a tool called pci latency tool. Change latency to 96 should fix problem. That said i have not had ANY problems in said games with my xfi and 680i and have not had to change the pci latency.

Maybe some bad boards guys?
 
SoniCraze said:
evga 680i here.

I had to hack up the backplate for my zaleman 8500 to make it fit, no big deal. Lame the reference 680 design isnt complaint like every singe other motherboard.

Your mcb is fux0red. Mine stays pretty cool, even @ 445 with the fan @ 50% (=silent)

AppaYipYip - I had that EXACT same problem with my ab9. Google a tool called pci latency tool. Change latency to 96 should fix problem. That said i have not had ANY problems in said games with my xfi and 680i and have not had to change the pci latency.

Maybe some bad boards guys?
Click to expand...


That sounds like what I will do, just cut the backplate to fit. To me, that sounds easier than RMAing and getting another mobo.
 
That little leaf blower at 50% is far from silent. Though it's relative I suppose to your ambient noise.

The board may be bad, but how I guess? I install Windows, gamed for several hours. It was rock solid.

Glad you aren't having problems though. The MCP temps made me double take for sure. But it was stock. Everything. Putting the fan on did drop it to about 45C though, so I don't think it's messed up.

kraken0698 said:
That sounds like what I will do, just cut the backplate to fit. To me, that sounds easier than RMAing and getting another mobo.
Click to expand...

Which wouldn't do you any good since you'd get the same thing back . It's not a defect, just a design decision. ;)
 
WOW! Thank you for the pci latency tool. Which part do I change the latency of though? I see many PCI items like Pci Bridge, PCI ram controller, etc.
 
eluder said:
That little leaf blower at 50% is far from silent. Though it's relative I suppose to your ambient noise.

The board may be bad, but how I guess? I install Windows, gamed for several hours. It was rock solid.

Glad you aren't having problems though. The MCP temps made me double take for sure. But it was stock. Everything. Putting the fan on did drop it to about 45C though, so I don't think it's messed up.

Which wouldn't do you any good since you'd get the same thing back . It's not a defect, just a design decision. ;)
Click to expand...


Yeah, I didn't mean RMA. Wrong acronym. :)

I meant return the board and get another make and model.
 
Cool. Problem is, a lot of people are following the reference design like eVGA it seems. Good and bad, heh.
 
AppaYipYip said:
WOW! Thank you for the pci latency tool. Which part do I change the latency of though? I see many PCI items like Pci Bridge, PCI ram controller, etc.
Click to expand...


The one that says creative xfi audio processor.
For the record i noticed no sound quality loss by doing this.
 
well i hope that temp issue is just the one board, because other then that, the 680i chipset looks kick @ss. i plan on putting on in my next build (or should I say this build, you wouldnt believe the crap I've had to go thru..)

but i guess that psycidelic hs design on the Asus striker is designed to manage all that heat. mind you im still screwed over, i plan on watercooling the cpu. guess Ill need to ghetto mod a 8 or 9 cm fan around that area ;)

how bout that striker? do we have any previews of it yet? or reviews? sorry im a little behind on chipset/mainboard news...
 
I'm probably going to get a Striker when it's availible, I think the 15th they go on sale.

However, I want to kiss the guy who said download PCI Latency Tool. I can actually play games now!!!! :) :) :)

Also, I turned Linkboost off and it seems to have made a difference as well. More bandwith open for the PCI card.
 
the usual computer quality control or "good enough" now you have the oppertunity to improve on the bad bits and perfect it.
 
Does anyone here have this mobo that has actually put a backplate on it? I have the ultra 120 and dont want to run into the same problems... on one of the reviews they mounted the tuniq tower with no mention of modifications..
 
eluder said:
2) This is not a passive motherboard! The MCP gets to 93C in the BIOS with no load. It is scalding hot to the touch. You MUST install the fan or get ready to RMA for replacement boards. The fan is also very NOISY, though it drops temp to more reasonable 50Cish. After idling in Windows it was 101C. I didn't dare run any apps or anything at that point.
Click to expand...
Wow, that's not so good. None of the reviews speak about a loud mcp fan. VR-Zone says it runs silently and that the MCP temp maxes at 76C without it. I haven't installed my motherboard yet but now I'm wondering if I should return it and wait for a really passively cooled one.
 
I used the Scythe Infinity, which thankfully uses the mounting holes and not a backplate. Even then I had my own problems, because the fins from the heatsinks rest on each other.
 
So basically the zalmans(9500) and scythe(ninja+,infinity) wont go in easily ?
 
The infinity will work, but it is pain to install. You sorta have to floss the fan clip between the infinity and the NB HS/F.

They did a sh*t job with the TIM. I suggest where ever you see a HS remove it and put some artic silver 5 down on it.

I just installed windows last night (at work now). I am concerned about the current 8800gts drivers (97.02) and my creative card.
 
icon57 said:
i am using the back plate for the zalman 9500, and i didnt have any problems.

Chieftec alum case
intel core2 eXtreme X6800 (410x9) 1.4V
asus p5wdg2 ws pro (0408 bios)
G.skill HZ 2 Gb pc2 6400 (4.4.4.12) 1:1 2.01V
Zalman 9500 (idle 50c load 68c)
evga 7950GTX2 viewsonic VP201b LCD
2*raptors 150's Raid0 OCZ Powerstream 600W
Lite-on cd/dvd combo SB Audigy2zs
xp pro sp2
Click to expand...

Im guessing from your sig, that your not even using the 680i board?
 
trend said:
Does anyone here have this mobo that has actually put a backplate on it? I have the ultra 120 and dont want to run into the same problems... on one of the reviews they mounted the tuniq tower with no mention of modifications..
Click to expand...
The Ultra-120 won't work. One of the arms of the X Backplate does come into contact with one of the capacitors and this causes the arm not to flex. . . thus affecting how the heatsink mounts (felt a bit wobbly to me). Thankfully, that pressure on the capacitor didn't damage it.

H
 
Your temps seem wayyyyy off for the MCP. I have the fan on it and it's running around 32c, so maybe something is wrong with the board you got. Also, if you actually took the time to look around at the various forums, including the actual eVGA forum, you would have noticed that your temps are not normal in any way and that there is probably something wrong with the board you have.

As far as the sound issue, yep, it's definately an issue, read here:
http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21071

Evga is aware and is working on it. Maybe take a read through there and research your temp issue a bit.
 
Pardon another noobie question, but what does MCP mean?

I was thinking about getting one of these boards....
 
ToddMcF2002 said:
Scythe Ninja heat sink. Big old unit, pretty popular.

Anyone try to mount a Zalman CNPS9700?
Click to expand...

yup. had to dremel out backplate (used wire cutters) to go over the bits on the back but works fine.

not very impressed with cooling of it tho, might get something else.
 
I just purchased a evga 680i MB and a ninja scythe revision b heat sink. The scythe was a bit to large (rounded not squared like the oem heat sink at the bottom of the bracket) and so i cut it off square to allow it clearance over two modules marked R50 and one capacitor between them to the right of the cpu socket (looking at the motherboard picture in the manual on page 11). Tomorrow my 8800 GTX arrives and I am ready to boot up. More to come. :)
 
I'll be installing mine later this week and hopefully, I will have another 8800GTX to go with it if the finances work out right.
 
Some more things people should take into consideration.

The board has a lot of holes which hopefully will be fixed with future BIOS revisions.

Its not on par with the 975X performance unless you run it 1T which is only stable to 800FSB.

Ntune has issues.


I would honestly wait before purchasing this board as the word around the web is that its a nice overclockers board, but a PITA for a regular Joe.
 
verncat05 said:
Your temps seem wayyyyy off for the MCP. I have the fan on it and it's running around 32c, so maybe something is wrong with the board you got. Also, if you actually took the time to look around at the various forums, including the actual eVGA forum, you would have noticed that your temps are not normal in any way and that there is probably something wrong with the board you have.

As far as the sound issue, yep, it's definately an issue, read here:
http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21071

Evga is aware and is working on it. Maybe take a read through there and research your temp issue a bit.
Click to expand...

Next time you accuse me of being inattentative please read the post a little more carefully, and perhaps do some research yourself so you know that I'm not alone in my experiences.

My temps are in line with yours with the fan. Ambient temperatures are different. Did you run your without the fan and no airflow? Let me know what those are.

Do you think I posted here without looking around? It was the day it came out, there was zero information available. Since then, I've read many other's reports of high temps. The MCP is just not that efficient it seems, and it's not a passive solution as is. It get too hot without some air blowing over it.

There was nothing wrong with my board. It worked fine aside from the temps.
 
D4hPr0 said:
Some more things people should take into consideration.

The board has a lot of holes which hopefully will be fixed with future BIOS revisions.

Its not on par with the 975X performance unless you run it 1T which is only stable to 800FSB.

Ntune has issues.


I would honestly wait before purchasing this board as the word around the web is that its a nice overclockers board, but a PITA for a regular Joe.
Click to expand...

Actually, with the latest BIOS I would say it's the exact oppisite. It's very very easy to get working and then update the BIOS and you should have zero problems. The X-Fi issue is likely more with Creative's shitty cards. The backplate issues, well...that's what you get for using these massive off the whack heatsinks that require funky backplate replacements. Nvidia probably got tired of having to design their board around the stupidly overhuge heatsinks that are out there today and instead followed the LGA775 reference cooler layout. If your cooler doesn't match the LGA775 reference cooler, you're SOL. My Koolance 300-V fits with 0 issues. Funny that, because its made to screw in to the standard LGA775 holes with no need for crazy backplate replacements
 
yea i agree. this board is a joy to use. boot right into xp using an old p5w install. easy to use, easy to overclock, if you overclock too high, the board just boots up at default. no beeps, hangs, cmos clears, etc, etc. ntune is working around 90-95%, but its a much larger version than ever. this board has dynamic bios, which means you can change just about any bios setting (not just voltages, fans, speeds) in windows. the popping and crackling i got from my xfi extreme music is exactly the same as the popping and crackling i got from it on the asus p5w. definitely a creative problem. buy an auzentech card and leave this crap behind forever. i am using a xp90 with the X back plate (socket t conversion kit) and have no issues. no movement on the heatsink at all, no mainboard parts compromised.i am liking this board better than my p5w, which is a terrific mainboard.
 
I guess I will find out Friday when my board comes and use a XFi-Fatality on it.......
 
The X-Fi crackling and popping on the 680i seems to be related primarily to SLI--with many folks experiencing the problem disappearing if they disable SLI--and this also applies to onboard sound, not just the X-Fi. Complicating the picture is the fact that some people are, indeed, able to run in SLI without the crackling. In any event, eVGA was able to reproduce the problem finally and, in the words of an eVGA tech: "We have reproduced this issue here, and I can assure you that resolving this is a top priority right now for NVIDIA and EVGA."
 
csorrows said:
Pardon another noobie question, but what does MCP mean?

I was thinking about getting one of these boards....
Click to expand...

MCP is the name of the southbridge chip, the northbridge being the 680i. They both have heatsinks that are connected by a heatpipe. I'm not sure if the guy with the 101C temp was really referring to the MCP (southbridge), because northbridge chips tend to run a lot hotter than southbridge chips.
 
Calefaction said:
Actually, with the latest BIOS I would say it's the exact oppisite. It's very very easy to get working and then update the BIOS and you should have zero problems. The X-Fi issue is likely more with Creative's shitty cards. The backplate issues, well...that's what you get for using these massive off the whack heatsinks that require funky backplate replacements. Nvidia probably got tired of having to design their board around the stupidly overhuge heatsinks that are out there today and instead followed the LGA775 reference cooler layout. If your cooler doesn't match the LGA775 reference cooler, you're SOL. My Koolance 300-V fits with 0 issues. Funny that, because its made to screw in to the standard LGA775 holes with no need for crazy backplate replacements
Click to expand...

Glad they are fixing the kinks.
 
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