Will it blend?

[Psychosis]

I am looking at building a Unraid box and I understand their are some compatibility issues. I am just wondering if anyone has had success with the following motherboards, as they are available in my area and won't cost me an arm and a leg.

 

Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2L http://www.giga-byte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=2669&ProductName=GA-945GCM-S2L

 

ASUS P5GC-MX/1333

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=498&l4=0&model=1768&modelmenu=1

 

Gigabyte 73VM-S2

http://www.gigabyte.co.nz/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=2714&ProductName=GA-73VM-S2

 

Gigabyte G31M-S2L

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=2693&ProductName=GA-G31M-S2L

 

ASUS P5N-MX

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=2010&l1=3&l2=11&l3=614&l4=0

 

ASUS P5KPL-VM All-In-One

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=1772&l1=3&l2=11&l3=563&l4=0

 

I am mainly looking at the first motherboard, so any input would be appreciated.

[WeeboTech]

Those motherboards have a small amount of SATA ports.

Is there a reason you have not looked into the ABIT AB9 PRO?

It has the capability of 9 internal SATA + 1 external eSata port for a total of 10.

FWIW, there is a rebate at newegg yeilding significant savings.

 

With the other boards, what ever you save now, will be spent later in adding new controllers.

 

 

 

[Psychosis]

Thanks for the help, just snapped one up for $80 AUS . Will I regret it?

[WeeboTech]

I like my abit ab9 pro.

9 internal, 1 external.

4 ports capable of port multiplication.

I think it's a pretty good deal.

 

[TimBob5259]

I was hoping to use my AB9 Pro as well, but unfortunately it won't boot up anymore.  I upgraded my main gaming PC from AB9 pro to a 680i a while ago and it's been sitting around ever since.  I had lots of other spare parts lying around so thought I'd try to build an unraid server, but I cannot get my AB9 Pro to boot up.  Gets stuck on post code 25 (manual says it might be VGA card).  Tried 2 different PSUs, memory sticks and video cards but just can't get it past that point.  So, I went ahead and ordered the P5B-VM.

[WeeboTech]

I had issues with mine at first.

I had to reset/clear the CMOS then it started to work OK.

The reviews say it's finicky on memory.

 

[merlyn]

Gets stuck on post code 25 (manual says it might be VGA card).   Tried 2 different PSUs, memory sticks and video cards but just can't get it past that point.  So, I went ahead and ordered the P5B-VM.

 

code 25 says it got to the video stage of the boot up process before stopping.

Yeah I got that error code on my brand new ab9 pro also.  after doing just as much swapping out as you did i found in my haste to set it up i had switched the mouse and keyboard and plugged them into the wrong ps/2 ports.  As soon as i switched them to the correct ports the computer booted up fine.

 

if you are not getting even a beep noise when you boot it is probably something plugged into the board incorrectly ... ide sata  ps2 ... usb etc .... try unplugging EVERYTHING and see if it will boot without anything but the most basic plugged in  ... then just plug things back in one at a time till you figure out what is causing it not to boot.

 

i would say there is about a 90 percent chance your board is fine.

 

merlyn

[TimBob5259]

Unfortunately, clearing the CMOS didnt' help.  All I have connected is CPU (pentium D 805), Memory, Video Card and Keyboard/Mouse.  I've tried the CPU in another motherboard and it's fine.  As I said earlier, swapping video card and memory didn't help.  The memory I'm using was previously in the motherboard so it should be compatible.  I don't have a hard drive hooked up although I did try with one to see if that's the problem.  That didn't help either.

 

There are no beeps.  I'll have to give it one more try tonight and take a closer look at the keyboard/mouse.  Who knows, maybe they were swapped. 

 

Also forgot to mention, @10% of the time, after turning power on, the board will reset itself.

 

Thanks,

Tim

[merlyn]

Unfortunately, clearing the CMOS didn't' help.  All I have connected is CPU (pentium D 805), Memory, Video Card and Keyboard/Mouse.  I've tried the CPU in another motherboard and it's fine.  As I said earlier, swapping video card and memory didn't help.  The memory I'm using was previously in the motherboard so it should be compatible.  I don't have a hard drive hooked up although I did try with one to see if that's the problem.  That didn't help either.

 

There are no beeps.  I'll have to give it one more try tonight and take a closer look at the keyboard/mouse.  Who knows, maybe they were swapped. 

 

Also forgot to mention, @10% of the time, after turning power on, the board will reset itself.

 

Thanks,

Tim

 

yup check the easy stuff first and try booting without a keyboard or mouse also.  and of course try switching them.

 

if the video card is pci try the other pci slot

memory try one stick and try all 4 slots with that stick.

make sure the hard drive cable is not hooked to the motherboard for now ...

Check your power plugs ... going to the mother board got all 3 plugged in?

 

that should get you booted up (at least one of the above should)

 

you mentioned the dual boot problem .... yeah mine did that too ... was kinda weird ...

seems like it went away when i flashed the bios to the newest for the board. 

If you get it working i STRONGLY  recommend flashing the bios to the newest version.  The board would lock during the boot up using the newest 4.3 beta 6 when i tried with the factory sent bios.

 

Once i did the flash beta 6 worked with no problems.

 

Hope this helps ...

 

merlyn

[josetann]

There's only two parts that power should be plugged into the motherboard.  One is the main power cable, either 20 or 24 pin (24 pin is preferred, but 20 pin should work, that's what I'm using now).  The other is the 4 pin cable that's for the cpu.  Of course, some newer power supplies with a 24 pin connector actually have it broken up as one 20 pin and one 4 pin, so you can use it in motherboards that require one or the other (a regular 24 pin plug would work in a motherboard needing only 20 pins, IF there was nothing blocking the way right next to it).  There is one more power-port that you could plug into on the motherboard, it takes a regular 12v molex plug, but that's only for power-hungry video cards (which you don't need for unRAID).  Anyways, definitely make sure you didn't forget the separate cpu power cable, I've done that more than once myself.

 

If that doesn't work, then try different memory if at all possible.  Sure it worked before, but maybe it bit the dust.  Try another power supply too.

 

Oh, and when you clear the CMOS, you need to make sure that no power is getting to the motherboard.  Either yank the plug or flip the switch on your power supply (if it has one), wait 5-10 seconds to make sure the power has dissipated, move the jumper to clear the CMOS (or for the heck of it, leave the battery out for a few minutes, that will reset everything including the clock), move the jumper back (or replace the battery), plug it back in, boot up, and see if it works.

[merlyn]

josetann you are right on all counts.  The third connector i was talking about was the molex connector.  I was hoping when he checked out the board looking for the power connectors that he might notice something else wrong.

 

Since he is locking up at code 25 i was recommending it to be plugged in (it is on mine with a cheap pci express card).  hell try it plugged in and not plugged in 

 

I also always remove the battery and power cable when i do a cmos reset.  Its kind of a pain but it is sure to work.

 

we still have plenty to check .... power supply (as you said) and improperly seated cpu heatsink can cause random reboots and no beep or ALOT of beeping if it is working enough to overheat.

It always seems to be the last thing i check that is causing the problem.

 

merlyn

[WeeboTech]

I'm going to mention here also (as I mentioned somewhere else) this board has been reported to being finicky with memory.

Choose quality memory.

 

I noticed when I first started up this board, I was having issues too.

I looked that the memory timiing and it defaulted to 272Mhz

I manually set the memory timing down to 266 and the board became more stable.

 

Not sure if that;s what is going on here.

 

I also disabled the AUDIO and second NIC port to free up IRQ's.

 

 

[TimBob5259]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the input.  I have used all 3 connectors and all the suggestions, but nothing worked.  All parts, including memory have been used in the AB9 Pro before so everything should work fine.

I did received my new Asus board and decided to try that out.  After taking the CPU out of the AB9 Pro to move it to the Asus, I noticed the CPU socket looks like it has a bent or broken pin (are those pins in there).  I'll have to attribute the issue to that.  I got the Asus up and running and after a few issues, I have Unraid going.

 

Thanks,

Tim 

[josetann]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the input.  I have used all 3 connectors and all the suggestions, but nothing worked.  All parts, including memory have been used in the AB9 Pro before so everything should work fine.

I did received my new Asus board and decided to try that out.   After taking the CPU out of the AB9 Pro to move it to the Asus, I noticed the CPU socket looks like it has a bent or broken pin (are those pins in there).  I'll have to attribute the issue to that.  I got the Asus up and running and after a few issues, I have Unraid going.

 

Thanks,

Tim 

 

Yup the pins are on the motherboards now.  If you're stuck with the board (i.e. can't return it) you can get a pair of tweezers and try very carefully to bend it back in place.

[WeeboTech]

Bent pins suck!

I guess intel decided to put the bent pin issue on the board instead of the CPU LOL!!!!

 

Actually it's easier to fix bent pins on a CPU.

 

What I do with bent pins is use one of those cheapie give away pocket screw drivers (with the clip).

They happen to be of the right size for this task.

 

Looking at the pins from both a left then shift right angle, find the angle that will put it in place.

Then gently use the screw driver at a 45 degree angle in between the pins to align them.

 

I've found that buy using the screw driver down the row bit by bit, I was able to align them without issue because the other pins also helped  support the effort.

 

As I gently slide the screw driver between the pins up and down the row I'm able to align them all.

 

It's hard to explain, Maybe I'll take some pics this weekend.

 

It helps if you have a large magnifying glass ( I have one of those circular Dr. clamp on ones for my bench).

 

 

[SSD]

The good news is that most bent pins can be fixed with a little patient effort.

 

Be careful not to overcorrect or seek absolute perfection.  The more times you bend the pin this way then that way, the more risk of breaking the pin off.  A VERY bad thing!  Get it close with a couple bends and you should be good to go.