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.

Similar Messages

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

890FXA-GD70 BIOS Recovery Requested.

Hello Forum
I just put together a brand new system using the 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard and I have serious problems.
Occasionally the system will freeze and crash.
I will tell my story in order of how this began and all steps I have performed
While in the bios I attempted to change my boot order. As soon as I changed the device the bios froze. I started the computer back up
No screen input.
Reset button does nothing. System does nothing.
After about 10 reboots with bios resetting and such I eventually got a message
“BIOS Recovery Requested” insert USB…
I tried to reboot a few times
Sometimes I would get the bios recovery requested message
Most times I would get nothing
Eventually I inserted a CF card with a bios image on it
Exact bios image on the MSI site without changing the file name
The system would scroll the BIOS recovery message over and over until it rebooted
Said it disabled recovery just before it shut down
The machine now boots fine up till I need to start windows and it does not
So I restart and go through the whole problem over again and this time I restore the bios using the built in flash utility in the BIOS I believe its MFLASH
After the flash and a bios settings reset, windows boots but the whole problem starts over again after trying to do something intensive.
So I re do everything as this is becoming normal procedure dealing with the system freezing in windows or in the bios (randomly in the bios nothing specifically triggers it)
(everything as in reboot the system till I get the recovery message put the flash card in and wait till it disables recovery go into bios and re-flash it)
My last step was I flashed a fresh bios with MFLASH
and then did a memory test with microsofts ram test software outside of windows. That froze about 7% in and caused the system to beep non stop.
And I’m back to start. System does not boot, get the bios recovery message if I’m lucky.
No over-clocking is setup and I use optimal (Auto) settings.
All problems occurs with either ram stick either paired or alone
Here is my equipment
Motherboard : MSI 890FXA-GD70
CPU : AMD|PH II X6 1100T 3.3G AM3 With OEM Heatsink and fan
PSU : CORSAIR|CMPSU-650TX 650W
RAM : 2Gx2|GSKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GB
HD : WD Black SATA 2 1TB 7200RPM 32MB cache
Video Card : GeForce 7950 512 mb with PCI-E power conencted
OS : Windows 7 Pro 64 (legit fresh install)
Other Details
USB keyboard Merc Stealth , Microsoft USB Intili Mouse , Internal 5 Port USB cardreader,
Liteon USB cdrom drive
Monitor is a 52 inch LCD TV using DVI input on a 25 foot cord on max video card resolution when permited 1080
Im guessing this is not a ram or cpu problem but the bios chip may be defective and when the system loses the bios it freezes
otherwise why would i get bios checksum errors and recovery prompts after each freeze.
Please advise this is brand new and i should not have something defective this soon.

After spending 12-14 hours on the problem i can now safely give a detailed report of the problem
Disregard what i said before as they were just symptoms of another problem
It boots 100% stable if DIMM slots 1 2 and 3 are empty
it does not matter the make or model of the ram in slot 4 but the system boots and works flawlessly.
I ran extensive tests with prime 95 and memory tests. It works flawlessly in this configuration.
As soon as a stick of ram goes into any other slot either singular or dual channel the board does a rapid boot cycle
this constant power on and off if left too long corrupts the bios settings
bios setting problem is rectified by putting one stick of ram into dimm 4 and letting it reset itself in a stable enviorment
also while the system is stable i used the MSI software to check all the voltages and everything appeared normal
However
if i make the system boot with standard memory configuration such as one in DIMM 1 or 1+2 i get odd voltage readings
(extremely unstable if im lucky enough to get it to boot)
the NB voltage quickly fluctuates between 1.15 and 1.7+ every min or so like if there are micro spikes in voltage
While this happens the 2 lights next to the slots indicating i believe the dram power phase blink
But
When i only put a ram stick into DIMM 4 only one light for the powerphase is lit and it is stable
So this so far is not a corrupt BIOS chip to me but rather a symptom of another problem
I have another CPU coming in the mail tommorow I will test it out along with a few other boards
a 1090T
2 890fxa-gd70's and some others
If i have a hardware problem it will surely be singled out
I will find out what the problem is with this board and post my result.
If anyone has any suggestions to make this board work please comment

890FXA-GD70 Will Not Wake From S3 Sleep

890FXA-GD70 will not wake from S3 sleep; the power comes back on and the fans run but the video never returns and the system hard locks with a POST code of 22 or 24. Other than this issue the system is rock solid.
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Processor
Sapphire 5870 Graphics
Crucial M4 SSD
Corsair DDR3
No overclock
I have reproduced the issue on two 890FXA-GD70s motherboards and I am convinced that this is not a result of a failed motherboard. I also was able to move my fully installed SSD hard drive, processor, memory and graphics card to an Asus 890FX board and successfully wake from S3 sleep proving that my OS and driver installation are working correctly.
I know how to properly set the BIOS as I have installed many 890GXM-G65 motherboards for S3 sleep without issue. The problem seems unique to the 890FXA-GD70.
Is there a fix for this?

I have identified the cause. The "Extra RAID/IDE Controller" must be "Enabled" to use S3; otherwise the system will hang on the wake event. This is true even if the "Extra RAID/IDE Controller" goes unused. The "Extra RAID/IDE Controller" must be set to "Enabled" for S3 sleep to wake.
This would seem to me to be a bug since none of the other MSI boards I have used require the optional IDE controller to be enabled in order for S3 to function properly.

MSI 890FXA-GD70 w/ 2xIntel 510 120GB in RAID 0 on Locks up and BSOD

I am getting hard lockups and BSOD from the following
OS: Win7x64
MB: MSI 890FXA-GD70 w/ latest BIOS
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
HD: 2xIntel SSD 520 120GB SSD RAID 0
VID: ATI FirePro V4800
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
I have swapped power supplies. I have swapped identical RAM. I have swapped video cards. I have used Ultimate Boot CD to run Memtest and other stress tests and everything passes with flying colors. BIOS is loaded with defaults fail safe. RAID array is created using all defaults for a RAID 0. Everything points to SSD firmware or other issues. Maybe RAID 0 with 2 Intel 510's using a AMD SB850 is not supported? Firmware versions on the 510's are both PPG4 which is the latest. Am I doing something wrong? Anyone have any ideas? I am very disappointed that that I can not get my RAID 0 stable. BTW I am doing no overclocking etc. Hardware and errors follow. Thanks!
Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.12.0002.633 AMD64 Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Loading Dump File [D:\Kingston\BSODDmpFiles\chapmunger\Windows_NT6_BSOD_jcgriff2\031112-15210-01.dmp] Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available Symbol search path is: SRV*c:\symbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols Executable search path is: Windows 7 Kernel Version 7601 (Service Pack 1) MP (6 procs) Free x64 Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS Built by: 7601.17640.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506 Machine Name: Kernel base = 0xfffff800`02c5a000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff800`02e9f670 Debug session time: Sun Mar 11 00:13:13.124 2012 (UTC - 6:00) System Uptime: 0 days 0:04:46.289 Loading Kernel Symbols ....................................... ........................ ....................................... ......................... .............................. Loading User Symbols Loading unloaded module list ....... ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information. BugCheck D1, {fffff88001308c08, 2, 8, fffff88001308c08} Probably caused by : Ntfs.sys ( Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+2bf0 ) Followup: MachineOwner --------- 4: kd> !analyze -v ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (d1) An attempt was made to access a pageable (or completely invalid) address at an interrupt request level (IRQL) that is too high. This is usually caused by drivers using improper addresses. If kernel debugger is available get stack backtrace. Arguments: Arg1: fffff88001308c08, memory referenced Arg2: 0000000000000002, IRQL Arg3: 0000000000000008, value 0 = read operation, 1 = write operation Arg4: fffff88001308c08, address which referenced memory Debugging Details: ------------------ READ_ADDRESS: GetPointerFromAddress: unable to read from fffff80002f09100 fffff88001308c08 CURRENT_IRQL: 2 FAULTING_IP: Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+2bf0 fffff880`01308c08 55 push rbp CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1 DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT BUGCHECK_STR: 0xD1 PROCESS_NAME: explorer.exe TRAP_FRAME: fffff8800a580fb0 -- (.trap 0xfffff8800a580fb0) NOTE: The trap frame does not contain all registers. Some register values may be zeroed or incorrect. rax=fffff88001308c08 rbx=0000000000000000 rcx=fffff8800a581180 rdx=fffff8800a582770 rsi=0000000000000000 rdi=0000000000000000 rip=fffff88001308c08 rsp=fffff8800a581148 rbp=fffff8800a581280 r8=fffff8800a581900 r9=fffff8800a581280 r10=fffff8800a582970 r11=fffff8800a5811b8 r12=0000000000000000 r13=0000000000000000 r14=0000000000000000 r15=0000000000000000 iopl=0 nv up ei ng nz na pe nc Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+0x2bf0: fffff880`01308c08 55 push rbp Resetting default scope LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER: from fffff80002cd61e9 to fffff80002cd6c40 FAILED_INSTRUCTION_ADDRESS: Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+2bf0 fffff880`01308c08 55 push rbp STACK_TEXT: fffff880`0a580e68 fffff800`02cd61e9 : 00000000`0000000a fffff880`01308c08 00000000`00000002 00000000`00000008 : nt!KeBugCheckEx fffff880`0a580e70 fffff800`02cd4e60 : 00000000`000000e9 00000000`00000000 fffff800`02ce1845 fffff880`01269840 : nt!KiBugCheckDispatch+0x69 fffff880`0a580fb0 fffff880`01308c08 : fffff800`02d02a7c 00000000`00000001 fffffa80`09667000 fffffa80`08c92d01 : nt!KiPageFault+0x260 fffff880`0a581148 fffff800`02d02a7c : 00000000`00000001 fffffa80`09667000 fffffa80`08c92d01 fffffa80`08d1aea0 : Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+0x2bf0 fffff880`0a581150 fffff800`02d024fd : fffff880`01269834 fffff880`0a582770 00000000`00000000 fffff880`01219000 : nt!_C_specific_handler+0x8c fffff880`0a5811c0 fffff800`02d012d5 : fffff880`01269834 fffff880`0a581238 fffff880`0a5820a8 fffff880`01219000 : nt!RtlpExecuteHandlerForException+0xd fffff880`0a5811f0 fffff800`02d12361 : fffff880`0a5820a8 fffff880`0a581900 fffff880`00000000 ffff5fff`ffffffff : nt!RtlDispatchException+0x415 fffff880`0a5818d0 00000000`00000000 : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiDispatchException+0x135 STACK_COMMAND: kb FOLLOWUP_IP: Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+2bf0 fffff880`01308c08 55 push rbp SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX: 3 SYMBOL_NAME: Ntfs! ?? ::NNGAKEGL::`string'+2bf0 FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner MODULE_NAME: Ntfs IMAGE_NAME: Ntfs.sys DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 4d79997b FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0xD1_CODE_AV_BAD_IP_Ntfs!_??_::NNGAKEGL::_string_+2bf0 BUCKET_ID: X64_0xD1_CODE_AV_BAD_IP_Ntfs!_??_::NNGAKEGL::_string_+2bf0 Followup: MachineOwner ---------
Loading Dump File [D:\Kingston\BSODDmpFiles\chapmunger\Windows_NT6_BSOD_jcgriff2\031012-22963-01.dmp] Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available Symbol search path is: SRV*c:\symbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols Executable search path is: Windows 7 Kernel Version 7600 MP (6 procs) Free x64 Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS Built by: 7600.16841.amd64fre.win7_gdr.110622-1503 Machine Name: Kernel base = 0xfffff800`0285a000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff800`02a97e70 Debug session time: Sat Mar 10 22:15:14.047 2012 (UTC - 6:00) System Uptime: 0 days 0:02:55.014 Loading Kernel Symbols ....................................... ........................ ....................................... ......................... ............. Loading User Symbols Loading unloaded module list ..... ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information. BugCheck F4, {3, fffffa8009348b30, fffffa8009348e10, fffff80002bd2300} Probably caused by : hardware_disk Followup: MachineOwner --------- 3: kd> !analyze -v ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION (f4) A process or thread crucial to system operation has unexpectedly exited or been terminated. Several processes and threads are necessary for the operation of the system; when they are terminated (for any reason), the system can no longer function. Arguments: Arg1: 0000000000000003, Process Arg2: fffffa8009348b30, Terminating object Arg3: fffffa8009348e10, Process image file name Arg4: fffff80002bd2300, Explanatory message (ascii) Debugging Details: ------------------ PROCESS_OBJECT: fffffa8009348b30 IMAGE_NAME: hardware_disk DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 0 FAULTING_MODULE: 0000000000000000 PROCESS_NAME: csrss.exe EXCEPTION_RECORD: fffff88001ed8b78 -- (.exr 0xfffff88001ed8b78) ExceptionAddress: 0000000077514e8f ExceptionCode: c0000006 (In-page I/O error) ExceptionFlags: 00000000 NumberParameters: 3 Parameter[0]: 0000000000000000 Parameter[1]: 000007fefd47d8a8 Parameter[2]: 00000000c000000e Inpage operation failed at 000007fefd47d8a8, due to I/O error 00000000c000000e EXCEPTION_CODE: (NTSTATUS) 0xc0000006 - The instruction at 0x%p referenced memory at 0x%p. The required data was not placed into memory because of an I/O error status of 0x%x. CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1 DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT CURRENT_IRQL: 0 ERROR_CODE: (NTSTATUS) 0xc0000006 - The instruction at 0x%p referenced memory at 0x%p. The required data was not placed into memory because of an I/O error status of 0x%x. EXCEPTION_PARAMETER1: 0000000000000000 EXCEPTION_PARAMETER2: 000007fefd47d8a8 EXCEPTION_PARAMETER3: 00000000c000000e IO_ERROR: (NTSTATUS) 0xc000000e - A device which does not exist was specified. EXCEPTION_STR: 0xc0000006_c000000e FAULTING_IP: +23a 00000000`77514e8f ?? ??? BUGCHECK_STR: 0xF4_IOERR_C000000E FOLLOWUP_IP: +23a 000007fe`fd47d8a8 ?? ??? FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner MODULE_NAME: hardware_disk STACK_COMMAND: kb FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0xF4_IOERR_C000000E_IMAGE_hardware_ disk BUCKET_ID: X64_0xF4_IOERR_C000000E_IMAGE_hardware_ disk

Thanks for the help! It is appreciated. Power supply is Antec 380W. I have tried swapping out with identical one - both were brand new and I have had pretty good luck with Antec in the past so I kind of doubt that's it. Wish it was so easy! The machine is on a good line interactive UPS as well so power fluctuations are not causing this.
I am using the hardware RAID on the SB850 - it requires loading the latest driver from USB during installation. But prior to that it requires a Ctrl-F and into the RAID setup. I choose RAID 0 and then select both Intel 510 120GB SATA III. The two SSD have the exact same firmware which is the latest per Intel Website.
Drivers are the latest for Win7x64 from here:
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/890FXA-GD70.html#/?div=Driver&os=Vista%2064
This problem is posted in two other spots - Intel Forums and Windows Seven Forums
http://communities.intel.com/thread/28220?tstart=0
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/218850-bsod-msi-890fxa-gd70-w-2xintel-ssd-520-120gb-ssd-raid-0-a.html
No one has been able to solve it yet. Seems like MSI and Intel are both good companies but these products are not compatible in the configuration I am attempting.

Booting BIOS from USB doesn't work (890FXA-GD70)

Hi all,
in case of BIOS crash, recent MSI motherboards should be able to boot using a BIOS provided from an USB pendrive. I have tested this function by calling it directly by BIOS option, but it fails after BIOS is loaded getting a blank screen (debug code: 09) or the monitor off (debug code: 31). Does any of you know whether the problem is fixable or any hints? Is it working to you?
890FXA-GD70 (either BIOS 1.0 and 1.6)
Verbarim Store'n' go 4GB USB pendrive (tested with FAT32, FAT16 formats, partitions smaller, bigger... nothing)
BIOS save function doesn't work as well. Some bytes are different comparing the saved file to original one.

Quote from: Svet on 28-October-10, 21:37:53
it's probably m-flash issue, what's current bios version installed?
Yes, you can say: "Flash your BIOS to the last version released some days ago, and retry", but that is the last chance for clear reasons. The problem hasn't been fixed flashing from 1.0 to 1.6, and I guess likely this code with the bug is in non flashable part of BIOS.
I wonder whether Boot 2nd BIOS from USB Drive (or Backup BIOS to USB Drive) is working for someone, it looks impossible it is entirely broken...

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

Quote
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
Quote
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!

MSI 890FXA-GD70 AM3 - Hard Drive in Sata Port 6 Not recognized in WIN7-[SOLVED]

I just bought this motherboard (MSI 890FXA-GD70 AM3), new memory, case and processor. I love it. But while I can put something together, I do not consider myself much more then an experienced novice.
Anyway, I bought a 5th hard drive and plugged it into SATA connector 6. Connector 5 remains unused. The new hard drive is recognized when the BIOS boots, but in Windows 7, I only show the first 4 drives like always. I just want to use this drive as a 5th hard drive for normal use and storage.
I went into the BIOS to see if there was a setting I was missing; read through the posts to see if I could find the answer; and prayed to GOD, but nothing has worked! I have found nothing on this topic, but then the FORUM is hard to navigate after a while with people not carefully choosing their topic subject name. (Why do people sometimes post - I HAVE A PROBLEM - without anything in the SUBJECT line to help the casual reader know what they are asking about?) My searches were fruitless, but then I know the key to a good search is using the right keywords.
I know this is going to turn out to be a simple setting, but can you help? Thanks in advance! And when the solution is presented, I will post back that ALL IS WELL!

PROBLEM SOLVED! Found it myself through careful research.
This is the link that helped me: http://www.ithinkdiff.com/how-to-enable-ahci-in-windows-7-rc-after-installation/
Apparently, because I had IDE and not AHCI enabled in the BIOS, only the first 4 ports were being identified. AND because I had not not changed the BIOS to AHCI before the installation of Windows 7, NO obvious way to change the setting AFTERWARDS!
In part what the post link above states:
AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) enables native command queuing and hot-plugging through SATA host controllers (Serial-ATA) for your hard drives. In many scenarios it enables more efficient multi-tasking. Vista was the first Windows OS to support AHCI out of the box, where as Windows 7 does the same. But an issue with AHCI is that if you install the OS without enabling AHCI in the BIOS, enabling it after installation will render your OS unusable. This is because Windows disable the AHCI driver since it is not needed during the installation.
There is one way to fix this, although you need to have knowledge of registry editing. The detailed steps from Microsoft are as follows:
To resolve this issue, enable the AHCI driver in the registry before you change the SATA mode of the boot drive. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Exit all Windows-based programs.
2. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
3. If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
4. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlS etServicesMsahci
5. In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
7. On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
After this you’ll have to restart your computer, go to BIOS and enable AHCI. When you log in to Windows again, you’ll notice the installation of drivers for AHCI. Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
I had been trying to select something in the BIOS other then IDE (choices are IDE, AHCI and RAID) to see if that would result in my 5th drive being recognized, but when I selected AHCI or RAID, the OS would flash the EVIL blue screen before it completed booting into Window 7.
I copied the instructions here in case the link gets disabled in the future. This link explained why I was having the problem I was having and how to solve it.
Thanks to everyone who tried to assist. I consider this closed.

Problem with 890fxa-gd70 and temps (what the heck is going on?)

System Spec:
Antec Nine-hundred
890FXA-GD70 bios 1.6
AMD 6x 1055t @ 3.5ghz (but prob happened even at stock speeds)
Corsair H50 - (push : shroud : radiator : pull ) 26c / 42c (maybe???)
2x 4gb G.Skill Ripjaw DDR3 1600
2x Seagate Momentus XT in RAID0
BFG GTX275oc
Muskin 550w PSU
The digital temp readout on the mobo says one temp, and various monitoring programs say different temps (when they say anything at all...)
Is this a known bug? I've had time when Core Temp said my cpu was running at 12c. Do I have a defective temp sensor on the mobo, or CPU?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Glendor...

And the REALLY wierd part is that the problem just went away over the weekend... Go Figure!
Didn't do anything, didn't change anything, just logged into the monitoring apps to write down some settings and noticed the Temps are registering, and show a remarkable similarity. The only one that is still slightly wierd is the TMPIN2 that still shows a 63-65c reading. Wish I knew what that was...

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: Only the SB lights turn on

Hey gang, I just picked up a new 890FXA-GD70 and troubleshooting an issue. When turning on the PSU, only the two SB lights turn on. I don't get any other lights nor do the BIOS digits count up. Is my board fired/DOA?
I've unmounted the board and placed it on a nonconducting material, connected the 24-pin and 4-pin power connectors, installed only one stick of ram, my video card and cleared the BIOS. Thinking it was the power supply, I went and purchased a new one. Same result.
Any ideas/thoughts?

Quote from: Bas on 11-August-11, 16:12:09
What are SB lights?
The board has a step-counter does that do anything?
There are four indicator LED's on this MB. CPU Phase (4 power phase modes), NB Phase (2 power phase modes), SB Phase (2 power phase modes), DDR Phase (2 power phase modes). Only the SB Phase Indicator lights up showing that its in 2 phase power mode.
The step counter does not light up.

2133 MHz ram on 890FXA-GD70

This is my first build and I was wondering if it would be worth getting some DDR3 2133 for my 890FXA-GD70. According to the specs it supports up to 2 sticks at this speed correct? Is it reasonable to achieve 2133 MHz on air?
Thanks for you help, its much appreciated.

Quote
Is it reasonable to achieve 2133 MHz on air?
I don't believe RAM heat is going to be much of an issue, but the limitation of the CPU you choose may be. The experienced AMD guys can probably advise on that. This should apply to both Intel & AMD though, but I have found getting RAM rated high like yours has benefits in the practical speeds. As an example, I can get 2000's running at 1600 on 1.55V's, CR 1T, 7 7 7 19 tRFC 50 with '0' problems. Again, it may be the CPU that limits what you can run stable, as well as to the RAM quality itself.

My 890FXA-GD70 FF story

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for