Page 2 - Asus SK8N persistant video problem

hello i had this exact same problem and i fixed it by using the registered kingston ram on the recommended list from asus, i now have a new problem lol but i will be addressing that in a seperate thread

My SK8V finally came through and I have put it in the case, unfortunately the machine still does not work.

Firstly, my Asus Radeon 9800XT is a 3.3 volt card, and has been frying the SK8N boards I had ordered previously. The 1.5 volt GeForce 5600 has not done that.

Secondly, my processor is stuffed (so my mobo says); it's going to take about two weeks to replace, too.

Hopefully, I won't find a third problem, like RAM or something...

WARNING: Before you use any graphics cards on your SK8N or V mobos, you must ensure they are 1.5 volt, not 3.3 like a lot of cards nowadays.

How did you determine it was a 3.3 volt card? According to ATI and everything I know, it is a 1.5/.8 volt card (agp 4x/8x), which is how a lot of cards are nowdays. The 3.3v was agp 2x.
Bummer about the cpu.
Remember you need registered ram for socket 940.

After about 15 mins of searching through websites, a friend got onto a hardware site which definitely labelled the Asus Radeon 9800XT as being 3.3 volts...

Unfortunately, I cannot find that site myself

The SK8V mobo I have now did not blow, so I've now got a brand new grahpics card I can't use...

I'll need to get an x800 as Doom 3 has just arrived.

I would check that again, since as I said, the ATI site definitely said its 1.5/.8 volts, which is what agp 4x/8x is. If you can return it and put the $$$ towards an x800 or FX 6800 GT, I'd do that, since they kick the 9800XT's @$$, but if you can't, I don't think you need to just toss the 9800. It should work.

The 9800XT was responsible for blowing two SK8N mobos, but worked fine on others I tried. I think the Asus card might require more voltage or something, but I won't try it on my new board; it will probably fry that and I can't wait another two weeks to have it replaced. I'll definitely look into getting an X800 (I can't stand nVidia) soon; any ideas on which are the best ones?

I've a feeling that my OCZ RAM will not work, considering the fact you need 'registered' memory... It's the gold series dual channel RAM - does anyone know if this type will work on the SK8V?

If its not registered, it wont work. The cpu needs registered ram. (Meaning there are registers on the ram, not that its on some list that is "registered" with Asus or something)
The x800 XT is best, then the x800 pro. (Just look at the pricetag )

Cheers Karsh44...

I have looked at 'registered' RAM and the best I could find was some Kingston Hyper X, but that was only CAS 3. Does anyone know any other type of 'registered' RAM that is closer to CAS 2? I'm not too fussed about the price, I aimed for a powered beast and hopefully I can still achieve it, five months after I bought the original stuff...

Also, I heard that PCI Express Graphic Cards are in development. Will they work on the normal PCI slots, or will you need a completely new mobo to run them?

Look on newegg, I saw some from Corsair XMS with 2-3-3-6 and from OCZ with 2-2-3-6 timings, as well as some similar from Mushkin. They should fit your desires.

PCI express needs a new motherboard (and new video cards and other peripherals). Only Intel has chipsets supporting it at the moment, but its coming soon for the Athlon 64.