890FXA-GD70 slot use question..

I am considering the 890FXA-GD70 as an upgrade board. I have also considered the 890FXA-GD65... but the GD70 has a Bios available for the Revo SSD. (also a possible future upgrade want)..
In research on the 890FXA-GD70.. I have read that the one and only (PCI Express 2.0X1 slot).. is not useable if slots 1&5 are used for a Crossfire setup.
Is it true... If I install my 6870's (2ea) for Crossfire.. that I will not be able to install my Creative Soundcard? It will be blocked by the lower 6870?
Too bad I don't know that a future Bios update on the GD65 is in the future, for the Revo's. I would just buy that board. At MSI... it shows that the 890 series boards are AM3+ ready. This will allow me to upgrade now... and still be able to switch to AM3+.
Thanks for the answers... there are a lot of 890FXA-GD70 owners here.

sjay... all correct.. upgrades are like a new toy... doing the same job.
I upgrade ever few years... it's been three... I now have an EyeFinity setup with 3 22" Monitors. Way functional, beyond gaming having multi-monitors. For me.. I do a lot of multi-tasking and video crunching.. some gaming too..
My next board upgrade is for the upcoming AM3+.. why not.. it's the next step. I did go from a X3 720BE to a 1090T X6. I wondered if the X6 factor would be a benefit over the X4 970 @ 3.5.. But what I find is that my multi-tasking is great. I can crunch a video.. while watching another... and even browse at the same time. I saw lag with my X3 and I see no lag with my X6. Again the X4 might have given me the same results.. but, I have looked and All 6 cores are in the game... was it a waist over buying an X4? Don't know.. I went from 3 to 6. What I do know.. is that I feel it was a good choice for me.. and an improvement over my Overclocked X3.. my X6 is running stock..so far..
My SSD... no doubt fast.. and yes.. there are setup with an SSD that an HDD doesn't require... a gain... only seen so far in gaming and boot up... using my PC otherwise... not sure it is a blazing difference over my HDD performance.. for browsing... but my video... wow... between the X6 and SSD... the process of completing a video is blazingly faster... like 1/2 the previous time.. what prev took about 20min to do.. now takes about 10..
So do I need to update...no I am going to build a second PC... so a newer AM3+ board makes sense.. But still... no one has confirmed my original question... will my lower VideoCard install block my Creative card from install. Is on-board audio good, yes... but you are not taking into account that my soundcard has a front bay that I use everyday.. It's not just sound I'm after..
It's always amazes my how people can give advise based on their personal use and needs... good advise is based on the other persons wants and needs... even if it differs from yours.. but I appreciate you taking the time to express your feeling.. My SSD give me over 200MB/s... My HDD gives me just over 100MB/s.. not noticeable difference you say... it's in the math.. Does Crossfire work.. is it a rip off... not based on my average FPS in a game I play.. I have a more consistant higher FPS since going crossfire... but the games will play with just one... I don't think Crossfire/SLI is a rip off suggestion for us to spend a couple of hundred dollars... but it is a toy..
Well before I buy the board I will contact MSI themselves and ask tech support... I want my soundcard and it's features.. I am no master of all... but I know what I like... and a soundcard does release resources fromthe MB.. a tiny gain.. Who likes blue.... who like green... sure glad life has differences..
Thanks

Similar Messages

MSI 890FXA-GD70 - Can you use all 6 PCI Express expansion slots at once?

Hey all,
I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to use all 6 PCI Express expansion slots on the motherboard (the 5 Full x16 slot and the 1 x1 slot) at the same time? I know I'd lose the capability for x16 bandwidth but does using any of the slots automatically disable any of the other slots? I have 6 single wide x1 PCI express cards I want to use at the same time and they do not all seem to be getting recognized by the OS (W7 x64).
Specs on the machine are:
890FXA-GD70 Motherboard - BIOS 1.9
AMD Sempron 145 CPU
4 GB DDR3 Kingston RAM
WD 160 GB Blue SATA HD
Win7 x64
Thanks!

Quote
I have 6 single wide x1 PCI express cards I want to use at the same time and they do not all seem to be getting recognized by the OS (W7 x64).
What cards are they?
By not recognised is mean, not detected? driver conflict?
Quote
I know I'd lose the capability for x16 bandwidth but does using any of the slots automatically disable any of the other slots?
• 5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots
- PCI_E1 supports up to PCIE x16 speed (when PCI_E3 is empty)
- PCI_E5 supports up to PCIE x16 speed (when PCI_E6 is empty)
- If you want to install two graphics cards, please use PCI_E1 & PCI_E5 slots
- PCI_E3 & PCI_E6 support up to PCIE x8 speed
- If you want to install four expansion cards into PCI_E1, E3, E5 & E6 slots, these four PCIE x 16 lanes will auto arrange from x16/ x0/ x16/ x0 to x8/ x8/ x8/ x8
- PCI_E4 supports up to PCIE x4 speed
All PCI-E slots can be filled at the same time with no problem.
They will run at x8,x8,x4,x8,x8
The question mark is the small PCI-E x1 slot.
It's not clear if will affect others or will be disabled, or will work fine with x1 speeds as adverted.
What hapends if you fill 5x of those cards into the five of the PCI-E slots, except the small PCI-E x1 slot?

A Question? 890FXA-GD70

Hi, a want to purchase a 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard, and i want to known if my memory stick are good for this motherboard. In the Qualified Vendor List an not specified. I have 4 x 2 Gb A-Data Vitesta Extreme 800+ DDR2 800 Mhz kits, if i purchase the mb are going whit this stick? Sorry 4 may bad english. Thanks

Will never work:
Quote
• Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.5 Volt DDR3

890FXA-GD70 Question

I have a 890FXA-GD70 motherboard, does this board support SLI?
- Thank you

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/890FXA-GD70.html#/?div=Basic

Code FF :( Please Help MSI 890FXA-GD70

Specs:
MSI 890FXA-GD70 AM3+ AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
EVGA GeForce GTX460 1 GB Superclocked GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card -
Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 32 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II
Corsair - Gaming Series 700-Watt ATX CPU Power Supply
I had everything working for 8 months or so then everything suddenly went bonkers....my cpu wouldn't start up. I replaced my PSU and took everything apart and I had it working outside of my case for 2 weeks and then it decided not to start up again.....I resat all components with no luck.
I RMA'd my motherboard to MSI and had it swapped out. Now....I went to reseat everything and like an idiot; I had spilled excess arctic silver 5 onto the mainboard socket and the PCU. I cleaned everything best I could without any solution and tried to start it up; CODE FF (only using 1 stick of ram and video card).
I did some reading and picked up some loctite electrical cleaner http://www.rshughes.com/products/079340_1174633.html
and cleaned everything out. I used a fine brush to clean out the socket.
Now; I installed pcu; heat sink; 1 stick ram (tried all slots) video card. I also made sure my power connections were hooked up---pcu and mainboard---I still get a code FF immediately..no post; nothing. Every time it goes to code FF and nothing else. Fans run and the all lights on the motherboard light up...the PCU lights are on as well. (all 4)
I've tried every solution I've read on this board and whatever google could find for me....my questions is (sorry for long story); should I just replace my PCU and motherboard as I messed it up with the arctic 5?
Thanks for any insight!

Quote from: Scrumhalf01 on 29-February-12, 22:57:23
Don't have the spare parts or I would have done that.....do computer shops willingly let you test out pieces you bring in to their shops? If there was an issue with the motherboard could it fry the new pcu installed?
Quote from: Scrumhalf01 on 29-February-12, 22:57:23
Don't have the spare parts or I would have done that.....do computer shops willingly let you test out pieces you bring in to their shops?
yes eventually, you have to ask them
Quote
If there was an issue with the motherboard could it fry the new pcu installed?
yes its possible

Oh Gosh,,,, MSI 890FXA-GD70 4 x 5830,, Was working fine,,, out of nowhere KABOOM

No it didn't blow up but now I can only get two cards working on this board. I have tested it on another power supply.
Am I missing something that isn't allowing me to use all the lanes? It was working fine under windows 7 x64 for a while until it crashed and wouldn't show all cards after boot up...
Has anyone had a similar problem?
I am still under warranty and have initiated an RMA but really don't want to go without the board for 2+ weeks.

Board: MSI 890FXA-GD70
Bios: Version = Newest
VGA: 4 x undervolted 5830 AMD GPU's..... 900 engine 260mhz memory each card.
PSU: Coolmax 1000 watt, Modular Single rail PSU (Also tested on a Corsair TX750)
CPU: AMD Athlon x2 250 @ 3ghz
MEM: 1gb Kingston DDR3 1333mhz
HDD: 80gb WD Sata2 Drive
COOLER: Stock
OC: none of cpu or memory.... GPU ONLY
OS: Windows 7 64bit Home Premium
I have numerous 890FXA-GD70 boards and they can run 4 or 5 cards without issue.... 5 cards when using the 1x slot with a PCIE 1x to 16x Riser cable.
The rig in question has Identical Sapphire Xtreme 5830's.... After a BSOD (unknown) when windows rebooted the cards were missing from device manager.. Tried changing the order or even running 3 cards instead of 4... All these GPU's have been tested in a different machine... They all work fine.
All extras in the bios have been turned off, eg. Sound, Lan controllers and so on...
Bios updated default settings set.... I even tried seating the cards differently in to the board....

MSI 890FXA-GD70 Probs (FF and 24/8 Pin Prob)

Hey Everyone -
I picked up the following to make a 2nd gaming rig:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHz
MSI 890FXA-GD70
DDR3 Corsair 1333MHz 4GB
DDR3 Kingston 1333MHz 2x4GB (Bought this thinking the Corsair was bad - using them separately - not together..)
I already have video cards/Harddrive/psu (1000w) that I know work.
I have 2 issues with the new motherboard (MSI 890FXA-GD70).
1) I can only power up the motherboard if I unplug the ATX 8-pin while the ATX-24 pin is plugged in.
a) while running like this I get the famous flashing "FF" code.
2) If I have the ATX 24/8 Pin plugged in - it seems to have a slight hiccup of power and then nothing happens (except 2 blue phase lights for the RAM stay lit)
a) I've tried switching RAM around with multiple combination (single/duel etc) in all DIMM slots (1-4)
a noobie question:
Am I getting the FF code - because that 8 pin is not functioning properly?
Just to note - ive also triple checked the CPU to make sure pins were not bent/placed wrong etc...
Thanks for any help - Ive tried searching everywhere for a fix - and the ones Ive found didn't work. (other then returning the board )

You tried everything you could in my book, yes I agree RMA the board.
8 pin must be connected else the CPU doesn't get power.
However, it could also be the CPU that's broken, best to RMA both, board and CPU.

Killed two 890fxa-gd70s, my fault or bad luck?

Not sure where to start but I had an MSI 890fxa-gd70 (amd) board for 6 months in which it was overclocked since nearly day one, all good till recently. This past friday the board failed. Durring prime the system shut down, fans and all, and a burning smell came from the northbridge area. Once out of the case it seemed like the choke below the 8pin power connector, or at least VERY close to that area was the source of the smell, NO visual signs at all on either side of the board of anything at all. The top of the choke had maybe 2-3 dots from heat im guessing. Overclock wasnt even "extreme". Just a new setting I wanted to try.
Well I got my rma number monday and picked up the replacement board tuesday and it failed durring prime the SAME way as the last one. This time absolutly no signs, the chokes had no dots. Originally started the computer, basic function tested, rebooted and applied mild OC settings and prime tested, died in less than an hour of total use and I was only maybe 10mins into prime. Im not sure the replacement was even remanufactured but maybe a "couldnt duplicate issue" and thrown into a white box to be given out. There was a capacitor right above the 1st pcie16 slot than was scratched with a slight dent and a scatch near the bottom of the north bridge heat since from someone removing their video card i guess.
So what the heck, is this bad luck or am I causing the issue? I am suspicious that I have too many fans on the mobo. My fan arrangement changed recently about the same time all this started. I have 4 120mm fans for radiators(2 kuhler 120 and 2 corsair 120), kuhler 920 pump, and the corsair mem twin fans driven off the mobo. Previously when I was overclocking I only had 2 120mm fans, pump, and mem fans on for a while but recently off, and back on when I added the other 2 fans for the radiator. Could this be partly to blame? Regardless Im planning on removing all fans from the board next time except the 2 kuhler ones being controlled by the pump.
I know overclocking is running outside rated settings but no one buys a board like this to run at stock settings, thats why they advertise all the OC features and even have a clear cmos button on the i/o pannel.
Keep in mind i have done gaming at 4255mhz cpu and 2900ish nb, but wasnt prime stable very long, while the board failed settings where as followed:
overclock that both failed on was 4140mhz (230x18)
nb was aprox 2900mhz 1st failure and 2760mhz (aprox) 2nd time
1.40v cpu vdd
1.25v cpu-nb on 1st failure and 1.21ish on 2nd failure
1st failure had a few other voltage settings up a bit, 2nd failure all others where auto except memory at 1.655v memory spec
power supply is a corsair gs800 watt:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...orsair%20gs800
mother board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130274
setup:
rosewill blackhawk case
Msi 890fxa-gd70 mobo
amd 1100t x6
antec kuhler 920 modded for 2 120mm radiators and resivout
corsair 8GB dominator gt memory 1866mhz 4dimms
msi gtx560ti twin frozr ii
1 corsair f120ssd and 1 7200rpm seagate 1TB drive
corsair GS800 psu
8 120mm fans and twin corsair memory fan that comes with dominator gt memory
So am I causing the issue or a case of bad luck and not to worry? Im really wondering if its the fans, thus why the asus crossfire has so many extra power connections on the board. I just figured the board had all those fan connections it must have been able to handle it, all but one was being used, maybe they didnt plan on 120mm fans being used in most of them.
I do wanna say Im glad msi has been friendly and am so glad they allow me to drop off and pick up since I live/work nearby. Today I dropped off the bad rma unit and they said they would give me a "new" one, probably a new refurb, but they told me to pick it up tomorrow because they are gonna burn test it overnight so I dont have any issues with the next one. Them stress testing it was nice. I would discuss my setup with them so we could both learn from it but the people I dealt with didnt seem to care how it went out.
Thanks for input guys, dont wanna waste my time or theirs smoking another board. Hope the next one does well or may need to look into a crossfire v. I have always liked MSI and also use their gtx560 ti.

manual settings. I wish I wrote my settings down other than just a saved profile, guess I should have also had my bios backed up too
I have played with a bunch of different settings but 4025mhz (230x17.5) was prime stable for one hour so i used that as my stable oc with only 1.40v on cpu vdd, think it even did an hour on 1.38v too if I remember but left it at 1.40 for good measure. Which if not mistaken is the max normal range the cpu is rated for and used durring normal operation when it ramps to 3.7ghz on stock settings.
I have done gaming (crysis2 w/dx11 patch and cod blackops) on 4255mhz with 1.43v. Would easily play till I got tired after an hour of gaming, but would fail prime within 7-8mins...Would shut down and have fans all running and needed to cycle psu. I have always wondered if that was a psu issue since both games use all 6 cores but same time prime IS A KILLER so figured was just the cpu
When the board failed settings where as followed:
overclock that both failed on was 4140mhz (230x18)
nb was aprox 2900mhz 1st failure and 2760mhz (aprox) 2nd time
1.40v cpu vdd on both times
1.25v cpu-nb on 1st failure and 1.21ish on 2nd failure
memory run in the 1840mhz range on 4 dimms
1st failure had a few other voltage settings up a bit (some where most 2 ticks above auto but sb 1.22v)
2nd failure all others where auto except memory at 1.655v memory spec and like mentioned cpuvdd 1.40, even nb was auto

MSI 890FXA-GD70 | ATI/AMD Downloads | Advice needed on a few things

Hi
I have a few questions to which someone would probably know off-hand the answers to, so here goes:
1. I purchased the MSI 890FXA-GD70 along with an AMD Phenom X6 1090T BE CPU and need some recommendations on which 8GB (2 x 4) memory kit to purchase. This will be used with a 64 bit OS (Win 7/Linux) and would like to slightly overclock the memory (IF NEEDED) to reach a CPU speed of 4.5GHz. I would prefer Patriot, Corsair or Gskill DDR3 10666 or higher...whatever would do the job.
2. This question involves downloading and installing the Catylist drivers for the motherboard. I DO NOT use an ATI/AMD GPU, but rather a nVidia 580 Reference board, so I am under the assumption that I DO NOT need to download any of the catalyst drivers EXCEPT the following:
AHCI
SB Driver
RAID
Those are directly related to everything BUT the GPU...if I am wrong, please correct me. For the following components, I usually go to the individual manufactures web-site to download drivers:
RealTek LAN: RTL-8111DL PCI-E LAN Driver - v7.034 - 2010-DEC-22
IEEE 1394: From VIA - VT6315N
Realtek Audio: From Realtek ALC889/ALC892
USB 3.0: From NEC
I have not yet installed the mobo yet as I am awaiting for memory suggestions, thus I am grabbing all the absolute latest drivers for my system beforehand.
I just downloaded the RTM SP1 for Win 7 64 file and addition to that, wish to merge (slipstream) the above drivers into the Win 7 OEM DVD so I have everything ready to go.
3. In regards to AHCI, do I or can I use that with a fresh install of Win 7 or is AHCI reserved for those with SSD's ? I know I can use AHCI via Linux which I do on several other boxes, however, I am not sure about Windows 7 64.
I suppose that wraps it up. All this is replacing my DFI LanParty 790FXB-M2RSH board in which I fell in love with, however, DFI is not supporting/making that line of boards again, so my choice was between MSI and Gigabyte. Obviously, you can tell who won.
If there is anything I should be 'prepaired' for (e.g. bugs, troubles, etc.) feel free to post the information.
Thank You Very Much
Tim
ARS N9NU
Digital Audio Productions

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some recommendations on which 8GB (2 x 4) memory kit to purchase
The following kit is in use by some of the forum members and it performs exemplary in all instances. Although being a 1333 it will OC to 1600 at 1,5V. The link is for the UK store, but they are available through the Crucial US store as well. http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=930A546EA5CA7304
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This question involves downloading and installing the Catylist drivers for the motherboard
Your analysis is quite correct. Insert your GPU card before your windows installation. Once the installation is complete you can then install the latest NVidia drivers, or start with the ones that shipped with your GPU.
Quote
If there is anything I should be 'prepaired' for
Initially start with only one mem module, single optical drive, single HDD and GPU card. Ideally do ar barebones build outside the case on a non-conducting surface. Get everything up and running, and then transfer everything to the case. Test if all is still normal, and then start to add the other copmponents, ie. 2nd mem module, HDDs, etc.

890FXA-GD70 bios update via Live Updat & now won't load windows...help pls

Hi There
First off, please excuse the fact that I am not very experienced with the tech aspects of a home build (which this is & I bought off the builder), or any build for that matter..
I was getting a 'keyboard/interface' press f1 to continue error message, when I started my computer, along with most of the usb ports not working when windows 7 ultimate (64) sp1 (build 7601) loads.
Otherwise it was working fine..
So I deceided to follow the instructions of the Live Update tool & used the total installer to update the bios from American Megatrends V1.10 06/30/2011 to the latest bios. I know now that wasn't very wise (why is it even an option if it can do soooo much harm?).
After it updated the bios there was a question (which I don't recall of course), something about ROM I think and not being the same, with 3 choices to correct it and I'm pretty sure I went with the 1st option for it to be corrected.
So now when I turn the computer on it starts loading everything (I can get in to the bios setup), right after it shows the windows logo it flashes a blue screen with some type on it & goes to windows startup repair which of course doesn't help & tries to do a system recovery which also doesn't work.
I don't want to do any more damage by fiddling around with things I know little about.
I was encouraged to read in one of the post answers that if it gets to the point where Windows goes to load than the mobo is ok...hopefully!
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Specs: (Copied from a Belarc Advisor scan)
O/S Windows 7 Ultimate (x64) Service Pack 1 (build 7601)
Main Board: 890FXA-GD70, Bus Clock: 200 megahertz BIOS: American Megatrends V1.10 06/30/2011
Processor: 3.30 gigahertz AMD Phenom II X 6 1100T Multi Core Not hyper-threaded
Drive: ST3500418AS Hard drive 500 gig SMART Status: Healthy
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH24LS50 ATA Device (optical drive)
Optiarc DVD RW AD-728OS ATA Device (optical drive)
PSU: Corsair GS500
12 gigs of RAM 1. 2048, 2. 2048, 3. 4096 4. 4096
Display adapter: MSI R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5
Local Drive Volumes: c: (NTFS on drive 0)
Hopefully that is the required info on the specs.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Rob

yes the BIOS controls the CMOS from that User interface with all the settings menus!
and yes its in there where you can see what Drive mode its set at!
if its using the older style BIOS like my board has and not a UEFI then in this heading set:
1: go into your BIOS (press Delete)
2: Integrated Perifirals
3: On-Chip ATA Devices
4: Raid Mode <--- the options for that should be in there if its the same and may have been set to IDE mode before the update but may be set to AHCI now after you flashed the BIOS via live update which is more then likely why your getting a BSOD as it in the wrong operating mode!

My 890FXA-GD70 FF story

890FXA-GD70 (used via eBay; unboxing seemed as if new)
all new:
AMD Sempron 145 CPU
Corsair AX1200 PSU
Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 1x4G DDR3 1333MHz PC3-10666
ATI Radeon HD 5970 GDU
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB SATA ST500DM002
The board came with BIOS 1.9; I M-flashed it to 1.C (yes, I know M-flash is deprecated here, but I have no OS CD/DVD, only an OS USB and USB was not a boot option with 1.9; and I had the FF problem before the M-flash).
The unit consistently fails to boot, with no display output and FF in the debug LEDs, under the following conditions; in all instances, PSU 1/0 switch is in the 1 (on) position and power is controlled via the mainboard Power button: brief touch for on, extended touch for off:
--cold power-on;
--power-on within 2-5 minutes of system shut-down (from within OS) or power-off (Power button).
The unit starts up OK
--if left in the "FF" state for at least 2-5 minutes, then powered off via the onboard Power button, then immediately powered on via that button;
--if system restarted from within OS.
Note that if the system is shut down via OS command and then immediately after the board goes dark and fans stop power is re-applied, it will go into and remain in "FF" mode. This is why I don't think it's a temperature issue.
I have many times checked CPU and power connecter seatings, reset CMOS, checked RAM seating, moved RAM to DIMM slot 4 (as a test; its "home" is slot 1 nearest CPU).
When the system does start up OK, there are no apparent problems and it will stay up "forever." The OS is Ubuntu 10.04.
I have reviewed all 11 threads that forum search returned for this board with both terms "890FXA-GD70" and "FF"; almost all end with advice to RMA the board, although there are a few success stories; one that I recall was via RAM stick replacement. (I have new Kingston 2x2G RAM arriving tomorrow.)

Quote from: Fredrik on 15-December-11, 21:03:31
Okey, then try please setting the memory speed down. I do believe you have bad talk between processor and memory. The processor may be the bad part, but more common are bad memory sticks.
I looked at the manual with particular attention to "Advance [sic] DRAM Configuration", but I still don't know which BIOS setting that is.
P.S. I have new Kingston RAM, 2x2G, arriving later today; Kingston's web site says its compatible with this mainboard.

890FXA-GD70 Overclocking DDR 1333 Memory to 1600

I am a professional network administrator and have been building my own computers since 2002. However, am not a gamer and have never over clocked anything. I just built a new rig based on the on a MSI 890FXA-GD70 mobo and an AMD 1090T processor. The mobo supported 1600, 1800, and 2000 speeds of over clocked DDR3 1333 RAM. I purchased 2 2GB sticks of Corsair Dominator CMP4GX3M2A1600C8 RAM because it was supposed to be able to handle being OCed to 1600 with no problems. My system is running great but it automatically detects the RAM as 1333 MHz with timings of 9-9-9-24 instead of the advertised 1600 with 8-8-8-24. I went into the BIOS and manually set the timings to 8-8-8-24 and it worked fine. I then set the ratio from Auto to 1/4 which showed the speed of the RAM at 1600 MHz. However, when I told it to save the setting and reboot it would not come up at all. The only way to recover my system was to use the jumpers on the mobo to reset the CMOS back to its original settings. From everything I've read it's easy to set the RAM to 1600. Both my mobo and the RAM are advertised by the manufacturer as supporting 1600 DDR3. I would appreciate any advice anyone has. Specific settings for my mobo would be appreciated. My system is fine the way it is but I paid extra to have certified 1600 MHz RAM and would like to be able to use it at that speed. Thanks in advance.

Mobilebyrd,
I received a personal message from you with the question below but for some reason my account won't let me send personal messages or view to profile to get your e-mail address. Hopefully you will get this. Please post a reply to this forum if you have any more questions. Hopefully it will help others how are having the same problem. I have posted the question and answer. Please keep in mind that the settings I used are for the Corsair Dominator RAM that is approved to go to 1800 MHz. You settings may be different but this is how you change them. Also some of the settings have to be made individually for each stick of ram while others apply to all sticks. I am not familiar with the setting for TC but assume that is the same as CAS since that's the only one missing and it's in the same order. The timings on the RAM like 8-8-8-24 are in order of CAS, tRCD, tRP, and tRAS. They are also in that same order in the BIOS.
Q: I saw where you had successfully overclocked your memory inside the BIOS. I have looked at the manual for the board but have not been able to figure out how to input the changes for the memory. Can you supply a step by step for accessing the Cell Menu and then accessing the Ram's TC, TRCD, TRP, etc. I have figured out how to change the command rate and can see the aforementioned timings but have not been able to determine where I go to change them.
A: To Overclock Memory from 1333 to 1600
Go to Cell Menu
Advanced DRAM Configuration (press enter to go into sub menu)
Change each option below by hitting enter on default setting (auto) and using up and down arrows to select new setting then hit enter to select it.
DRAM Timing Mode: Both
CAS: 8
tRCD: 8
tRP: 8
tRAS: 24 *highlight Auto and use + and – buttons to change
(must change for each stick of RAM individually)
ESC to exit sub menu
Under Advanced DRAM Configuration select FSB/DRAM Ratio
FSB/DRAM Ratio: 1/4 (for 1600 MHz RAM)
Command Rate: Auto
Scroll down further in the menu until you get to voltages
DRAM Voltage: 1.651 *highlight
Options are grayed out, you must select Auto and use + and – buttons to change value then push enter to select.
Spread Spectrum: Enable
After making these changes and it's working I recommend backing up your BIOS settins to a USB device from the M-Flash menu. I would also recommend backing up your working BIOS before making these changes in case it won’t book after you change the RAM settings. In my case I didn’t change the RAM voltage and it wouldn’t boot so I had to use the reset jumper on the Mobo to set it back to factory settings. I then had to reconfigure everything else that I had already done.
Save and Exit

What could cause "2A" code on 890FXA-GD70 mainboard?

My MSI 890FXA-GD70 now stalls at the point where it displays the code "2A." Can someone describe the possible cause(s) of the mainboard stalling at "2A"?
I even contacted MSI and received a refurbished mainboard, which I installed this weekend but it presents the same error.
I observe that all other lights and all fans appear to be working just fine, but I never see any video at any point (no MSI splash screen, no BIOS, etc.) during the brief boot process before it reaches the "2A" display.
I have tried two different PCI-Express video cards and neither one changed the mainboard's behavior of stalling at "2A."
My computer worked flawlessly for nearly three years before experiencing this problem.
Here are my PC's components:
* Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
* SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
* Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT51264BA1339
* Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT51264BA1339
* ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
* CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
* MSI 890FXA-GD70 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
* Cooler Master Hyper N520 Mirror Finished Copper Base Aluminum Fins 5 Heatpipes CPU Cooler
* AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX
* COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
* XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
I also tried swapping out the XFX video card listed above with the following, purchased new:
* SAPPHIRE 100358L Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card
In addition, I tried installing both video cards in different PCI-E slots on the mainboard, in case one of the PCI-E slots has gone bad. (I even tried booting without any video card, and did get a different code, but I can't remember what it was.)
I tried all of the troubleshooting steps described in prior threads related to the "2A" code, such as:
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=145187.0
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=151534.0
That includes swapping out RAM sticks, including one at a time.
And I also dutifully followed all of the suggestions offered by an MSI technician by telephone.
I even plugged in different keyboards (PS/2 and USB), different mice, etc. (Grasping for anything that might present a different mainboard code at this point!) But nothing makes a difference.
Any other ideas?
Should I just request of MSI a new RMA# to get yet another refurbished mainboard? (The MSI tech I spoke to previously about this "2A" code seemed convinced it was a defective mainboard when he authorized the first RMA.)
Or should I just keep buying new video cards until I install one that works? (I only have one desktop PC with PCI-E slots, my other active desktop PC uses AGP. So I can't verify that the video card works in a different PC; I can only trust that buying a new, highly-rated video card didn't result in the bad luck of getting one that was DOA ... but I suppose theoretically that's possible, however unlikely.)
Thanks!

I'm still unable to get past this code "2A" stall. Can anyone help?
Among the troubleshooting steps I've tried since my February 24 post, none of which made any difference/improvement in the stalling at "2A":
Unplugged all SATA drives and power connections to those drives (2 hard drives and 1 CD/DVD drive) and tried to reboot. Result = stuck on "2A"
Unplugged all external peripherals (e.g., mouse, keyboard, ethernet, etc.) and tried to reboot. Result - stuck on "2A"
Unplugged all external peripherals and all SATA drives and tried to reboot. Result - stuck on "2A"
Unplugged all front panel connections - except the connection to enable the power button needed to reboot the system - and tried to reboot. Result - stuck on "2A"
Disconnected all power supply connections, except the CD/DVD drive (to put a small load on the power supply), and tested out the power supply with a volt meter (multimeter). Result = 100% of the molex, 24-pin, and other power supply wires are delivering the expected volts.
Are there any MSI representatives available who can provide more detailed information about what the "2A" code indicates?
I found the following information about code "2A," but I'm not sure whether it's applicable for my specific MSI mainboard, on a PDF provided by American Megatrends (BIOS company) titled "AMIBIOS8 Check Point and Beep Code List" from 1988:
Quote
Initialize different buses and perform the following functions: Reset, Detect, and Disable (function 0); Static Device Initialization (function 1); Boot Output Device Initialization (function 2). Function 0 disables all device nodes, PCI devices, and PnP ISA cards. It also assigns PCI bus numbers. Function 1 initializes all static devices that include manual configured onboard peripherals, memory and I/O decode windows in PCI-PCI bridges, and noncompliant PCI devices. Static resources are also reserved. Function 2 searches for and initializes any PnP, PCI, or AGP video devices.
Thanks!

New 890FXA-GD70 No Video - FF code

All items are new.
890FXA-GD70
AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3
1x4GB Corsair XMS (CMX4GX3M1A1333C9) (have 4x4gb, for install only used 1, also tried 2)
PS: CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W
HD: 1 Seagate SV35 Series ST31000526SV 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
System is dead on arrival.
Motherboard LED shows FF immediately after powering on.
No video at all. Tried 3 different video cards that work in their original computers.
I hear no disk activity from the hard disk.
I've tried:
- Resetting the CMOS
- Different sticks (of same type) of RAM
- Different SATA ports
- Different video cards
This purchase was for a business and it's rather urgent. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Thank you
~Walt

1. Reseat the CPU and check for bent pins.
2. Put 1 memory stick in slot 3 or 4
3. JPWR2 must be connected with either 4 or 8 pin, doesn't matter as long as it's connected.
4. Reset the Cmos by removing all power and set jumper Jbat1 into 2-3 position for a minute, then put back to 1-2 position.
(5. If you have a different supported CPU try that one.)
If that doesn't help, RMA the board, as then it could be a broken board or CPU.
The board will never start without ram, why people try that is beyond me

MSI 890FXA-GD70 LED panel debug show 2A, unable to post

Dear guys,
I need some help with my motherboard, recently did a new set up but having some problem. My computer is unable to boot most of the time but sometime it is able to post.
Been having this problem since i did the new set up but recently it is unable to boot most of the time.
It appears to be stuck showing 2A on the led debug panel unable to get past that.
my set up as follows :
AMD Phenom X4 965
890FXA-gd70'
8gb ram Team elite ddr3 1333 cl9 2x4gb kit
sapphire 5770 vapourcool x2 Crossfire
western digital 1 tb caviar black x2 Raid 0
Coolermaster slient pro 600w psu
Running Win 7
Bios version 1.7.
All drivers are the latest I have from the MSI website, graphic drivers are the latest I have from ATI.
Crossfire has been installed as instructed from the manual, slot 1(closet to the cpu and slot 5)

The mainboard can't be unstable at crossfire,
but eventually broken one of the VGA's or weak PSU yes.
Quote
What do you suggest if I am still stuck on 2A after using only 1 graphic card?
If that hapends, test with the second VGA alone in the 1st PCI-E slot
Quote
8gb ram Team elite ddr3 1333 cl9 2x4gb kit
Also leave one memory stick only in 1st DIMM close to CPU socket,
remove power cord from the PSU,
then do >>Clear CMOS Guide<<
and try to boot

890FXA-GD70 slot use question..

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