agent_x007 wrote on 2023-02-25, 15:32:

NF3 doesn't support AHCI (IDE mode only if non-RAID is selected).
Use [RAID] option, and either integrate it's driver to XP install (pre-done ISOs are also fine) or use floppy with "F6" option.

I'm sorry but I don't understand ;

If I want to put a sata ssd why I should use Raid mode sorry? I don't think I will have some advantages between ide mode.

I needed ahci, but if it's not supported by the chipset than I think I should not use an ssd so.

biessea wrote on 2023-02-26, 00:22:

I'm sorry but I don't understand ; […]
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agent_x007 wrote on 2023-02-25, 15:32:

NF3 doesn't support AHCI (IDE mode only if non-RAID is selected).
Use [RAID] option, and either integrate it's driver to XP install (pre-done ISOs are also fine) or use floppy with "F6" option.

I'm sorry but I don't understand ;

If I want to put a sata ssd why I should use Raid mode sorry? I don't think I will have some advantages between ide mode.

I needed ahci, but if it's not supported by the chipset than I think I should not use an ssd so.

I've never used SSD in NF3 system but what I know about AHCI + SSD from Internet.
You shouldn't set RAID mode to use a SSD. AHCI mode isn't necessary for a SSD to work. Of course AHCI is welcome as it supports native command queuing.
Although you shouldn't install NVIDIA driver for NF3 disk controller because TRIM command doesn't get into SSD (NF driver prevents this).
Just stay with Windows XP standard IDE controller.
Using them in Windows XP you have to schedule to run some third party program periodically that sends TRIM into a SSD. Check whether a SSD really receives TRIM command or not! There're utilities that help to know this. ( https://github.com/CyberShadow/trimcheck )
If your particular model of SSD happens to "like" your mainboard everything will work 😀

P.S. I didn't mention about alignment of SSD partions because it's obvious and well known.

biessea wrote on 2023-02-26, 00:22:

I'm sorry but I don't understand ;

If I want to put a sata ssd why I should use Raid mode sorry? I don't think I will have some advantages between ide mode.

I needed ahci, but if it's not supported by the chipset than I think I should not use an ssd so.

RAID mode supports AHCI functions (as AHCI features are also part of RAID can do).

So, the last two messages says two different things.

At the end, should I install Windows XP on SSD on NF3 chipset, yes or not?

I don't really know what to do.

biessea wrote on 2023-02-27, 18:59:

So, the last two messages says two different things.

At the end, should I install Windows XP on SSD on NF3 chipset, yes or not?

I don't really know what to do.

Red pill and blue pill 😀
biessea, you can choose any. And you can try another if the first doesn't work.

G'day, everybody.

Struggling to break 16k points with HD4650 AGP and pretty killer CPU, Phenom X3 8750BE @ 3.2Ghz (X4 970 to arrive).

I was getting way more points with dual core CPUs, but had to deal with stutter issues.

What gives?

Can any AM2NF3 afficionado clue me in?

Unintentional necroupdate: it was a GART driver all along, scores are back to normal (and a BIOS downgrade, which my board took gracefully without dropping CPU support, neat)

watson wrote on 2018-09-28, 16:59:

I was fooled by the bus interface listed in CPU-Z and GPU-Z. It makes sense, these newer PCI cards probably use the same PLX chi […]
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agent_x007 wrote:

Not exactly, I'm simply using Zotac GT 610 PCI 😀

I was fooled by the bus interface listed in CPU-Z and GPU-Z.
It makes sense, these newer PCI cards probably use the same PLX chip as PCI to PCI-E adapters.

Anyway, I decided to install Windows 10 x64 v1511 on a spare HDD. Here it is, the infamous Code 43:
code43.png
Windows Update was able to find the driver and it install it, only to disable the card afterwards. You are stuck on 1024x768 resolution.

Here's my Cinebench score:
cinebench.png
I think we can conclude this problem was indeed never fixed.
Therefore, I cannot recommend this board as an alternative to Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA/SATA2, Conroe865PE, Asus P5PE-VM or other similar boards.
Considering Steam support for XP will be dropped on January 1st 2019 (and with Firefox support already being dropped), platform longevity is a serious issue.

To sum up:
- you can run the board with any CPU and any GPU without any problems on Windows XP 32-bit until the end of time
- you can run newer versions of Windows with a PCI graphics card (obviously too slow for any kind of gaming)
- it's supposedly possible to run Nvidia AGP cards in PCI mode on newer operating systems, but I didn't test this (once again, too slow)
- you will NOT be able to install drivers for any ATI card on operating systems newer than XP if you're using a multi-core CPU
- if you have a single core CPU, everything should work perfectly on any OS (but it defeats the purpose); I didn't test this because I didn't find an option to disable a core in BIOS
- if you want a modern 64-bit OS, you will have to use a Linux distribution; everything works out of the box, but you are limited to the open source Radeon driver which is slower than Catalyst

Please correct me if I made any mistakes.

Is this board runs Windows XP-64 Bit with Ati Agp GPU's & multicore CPU's?

Has anyone else here actually tried the phenom ii 980 Black Edition cpu in this board?
I am having a very hard time with it.
couple of key issues:
with default bios settings, it will not boot, bsod attempting to boot anything.
if you even think about overclocking, no boot, not bclk, not multiplier, not even 100mhz more, no boot immediate bsod.
you must go in the bios and set ram speed manually to 533 or it runs at 233, set cpu multiplier manually to stock, vcore manually to 1.325-1.35 (any more or less and no boot), and set NB link manually to 10 (2000mhz(stock)).

a more advanced issue:
if you reset the cmos, the system will not post anymore. To fix it, the method that seems to work twice now is to remove all the ram and insert some random 333mhz ddr2 1gb dimm in the closest to cpu slot and try a couple times to post the system. It eventually will, then you can either set the cpu speed and stuff manually as mentioned earlier, or not... ??
after it posts once successfully, you can reinstall 533mhz ram and it will continue posting fine without even bothering to set anything in the bios.
even if you replace the cpu with an older one, post the system, set all the settings in bios, and then reinstall the 980 cpu, the system will not post lmao. The only fix is to install slow ram in single channel, not fast ram in single channel, it has to be 400mhz or worse.

a unrelated issue to the cpu:
the first two ram slots on my board sometimes work sometimes don't? it will work fine with the first two slots for a while until it never posts again. You must use the other two slots, the orange ones. there is no negative performance hit. It did this too with an athlon 64 x2 as well.

It's kind of pointless to go with this cpu if I cannot overclock it. To be fair I did not intend to use this cpu, I ordered a 955BE for $20usd and this 980BE showed up instead.
Additionally, has anyone ever used raid on this board or chipset? It literally doesn't work. I put the drives in raid, and like DOS recognizes the raid0, but windows xp doesn't, windows vista doesn't, windows 7 doesn't, gnu/linux doesn't, it just doesn't work. I cannot install an os on a raid. I wanted to do two ssds in raid0 to see if it was faster.

1. Set slower HT Link speed (400/600), and see if it helps with stability on that Phenom II x4 980.
2. Don't bother with AHCI/RAID mode on nForce chipset, get a decent PCI SATA2 card.

2a. Unless you can't/don't want to ?
In which case a moded driver will be needed.
Here's some guides to check : https://winraid.level1techs.com/c/important-d … drivers/22/none

biessea wrote on 2023-02-25, 15:26:

Hey, someone of you here know how can I install the Windows XP on SSD that I have just bought if this motherboard don't support AHCI mode?

I have only RAID or NON RAID option in the bios.

How can I do now? It's impossibile to have AHCI on this NF3 chipset motherboard?

I completely forgot about this thread since my last post.

@biessea - To answer your question, have you tried installing Windows XP from a multi-boot USB?
Put the Windows XP ISO CD image on a USB stick that has been configured with Easy2Boot.
I use Easy2Boot (E2B) to boot multiple operating systems (both live and installs) from a single USB stick - DOS, Windows and Linux distributions can be booted from it. It's much easier to make the E2B USB stick from within Windows, but I make it from within Linux.
It's particularly useful for your use-case because, the Windows XP setup is split into a 2-part process, so that AHCI drivers can be temporarily initialised for you to install Windows XP onto an SSD on the ASRock-AliveDual-eSATA2 system.

1. Install E2B on the USB stick.
2. Copy your Windows XP ISO file to the appropriate WINDOWS/WINXP directory on the USB stick (remember to defrag the USB stick after copying the ISO, or use WinContig, to make the image files contiguous).
3. Boot from the USB stick and select the Windows XP install.
4. Choose STEP 1. This initiates the Windows XP setup with built-in AHCI drivers so your SSD can be recognised. STEP 1 copies the Windows setup files to the SSD . Reboot as the Windows setup requests.
5. Boot from the USB again. This time choose STEP 2. The Windows XP setup continues and will be finalised here.

I have tested this on a setup similar to yours:
- ASRock-AliveDual-eSATA2
- Intel 160GB SATA-II SSD
- AMD Phenom II X4 965

If you need any more information or further help, give me a shout.

EDIT: I've tested this on both the SATA-I and SATA-II ports of the ASRock-AliveDual-eSATA2. Both were a success. Of course, I don't *need* to do this on the AliveDual-eSATA2 because I can set AHCI to enabled in the BIOS. I am presuming that on the AM2NF3-VSTA you cannot? If not, the above method I have described will help you.

does the board support win98?

Does this board or Alivedual-eSATA2 support Thuban? (Phenom II x6 hexa-core CPU's?)

It shouldn't, but you are welcome to try with 1.90z BIOS : LINK 😉

watson wrote on 2018-09-27, 17:16:

Since there wasn't much information available on this particular board and I recently managed to get my hands on it, I decided t […]
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Since there wasn't much information available on this particular board and I recently managed to get my hands on it, I decided to make a dedicated thread and write a review. Grab some popcorn, because it's pretty long.

The board originally cost around €50 (source: https://www.ocinside.de/review/mainboard_asro … _am2nf3_vsta/3/) and I paid roughly $20 for it including shipping. Given the original price tag, you shouldn't expect premium quality.

With the latest BIOS, this board officially supports up to Phenom X4 970, but the X4 980 will work too according to reports from the web. Phenom X6 will NOT work.
I paired it with an Athlon II X2 270 clocked at 3.4 GHz. At $5.99 with shipping from Aliexpress, this is probably the best price/performance you can get right now.

Supposedly, the biggest problem this board has is incompatibility of the nForce3 chipset with newer operating systems (Vista/7) when using dual/quad core CPUs because nVidia never released a proper GART driver. This is quite funny because it has VSTA in the name and Asrock claims it to be "Worldwide the only nForce3 MB with Windows® Vista™ Premium Logo".

As for compatibility, Asrock states this:

Under Windows® Vista™ 32-bit / Vista™ 64-bit OS, this motherboard does not support ATi™ AGP card because NVIDIA® does not provide nForce3 250 relevant driver for Windows® Vista™ OS.

Of course, there was quite an outrage back in 2007 and on the GeForce forums you can find a few interesting responses from nVidia employees:

The nForce 3 chipset is not officially supported under Windows 7. The nForce3 chipset was never designed to support dual core processors. This leads to installation issues of AGP graphics cards with Windows Vista and Windows 7 if a dual core processor is used. The same problem occurs under Windows XP however the Windows XP operating system has a fall back that allows the AGP graphics card to essentially work in PCI mode which Windows Vista and Windows 7 do not have.

We are sorry for the inconvenience. The nForce3 chipset does not fully work with AMD Athlon 64 dual core processors. Under Windows XP display driver model, the display drivers were capable to downgrade to PCI mode to avoid this issue however under Windows Vista display driver model, this is not possible and that is why you get this error message. Our engineers have looked for a possible workaround for a very long time and unfortunately there was no workaround possible for this issue.

I haven't tested Windows 7 compatibility yet, but there are several lies in there.
First of all, I can confirm the board will definitely work in AGP 8X mode with Windows XP SP3 32-bit with a dual core CPU. However, you have to install a "special" nVidia All-In-One driver from Asrock's site. It's basically the latest nForce 3 driver (5.11) with a slightly older GART driver version.

Secondly, I can also confirm ATI GPUs work normally under Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS 64-bit (using the agpgart-amd64 driver). This means the chipset can indeed work with multi-core CPUs and AGP 8X using a 64-bit OS. I can't believe nVidia couldn't release a working driver, yet open source engineers were able to do it without access to full documentation. See it with your own eyes (running with the HD 3450):

The attachment ubuntu1.png is no longer available

The attachment ubuntu2.png is no longer available

The board only has 2 SATA ports and they are SATA I. However, the system is still very fast with an SSD (the Windows XP loading "snake" will only go about half a bar before it's done).

The attachment CrystalDiskMark.PNG is no longer available

Finally, onto the performance.

The attachment chart.png is no longer available

You can see the full gallery here: https://imgur.com/a/MDhjcgb

Here are a few observations:
- 3DMark 2000 is CPU limited to 28k-29k; in comparison, my Pentium 3.0 GHz Prescott is limited to around 11.8k, which would indicate a roughly 2.5x increase in performance
- 3DMark 2001 result is kind of bad with HD 3850, I expected above 40k given the relatively high CPU clock speed (it's barely faster than X1950 Pro)
- 3DMark03 and 06 results are very good in my opinion, they could probably go 10% higher with a faster CPU (Phenom) or faster RAM
- the HD4650 is a 1 GB DDR2 version and it sucks due to memory bandwidth (it's about on par with X800 XT)

For testing, I used 2 GB of Kingmax DDR2-800 with 6-6-6-18 timings (because I'm short on DDR2, I even had to steal this from another PC).
The memory defaults to 533 MHz for some reason, but manually setting it to 800 MHz works perfectly and uses timings from SPD. The board supposedly works even with DDR2-1066, but I don't have any such modules.
The only other setting I changed is setting the AGP aperture size to 256 MB (default is 128 MB) because I read about issues with too low AGP aperture on similar nForce 3 boards.
I had an interesting issue with the board - after turning it off, it wouldn't turn back on without cycling the PSU power switch. I presume this is some kind of ACPI issue, but I didn't bother investigating further.

No nVidia cards were benchmarked because the fastest AGP one I have is a 6600GT.

Unfortunately, there was a casualty during testing. After finishing all the benchmarks, I fired up Crysis on the X1950 Pro. I first started the game at 1024x768 to check CPU performance and everything was working fine. A few seconds after switching to 1080p it crapped out.

The attachment dead.jpg is no longer available

I'm not sure if it's a core or memory issue (looks like core because triangles were flying all over the screen, but it might be VRAM because of the familiar pattern). These situations make me seriously reconsider the hobby of collecting old crap that has the potential to die any minute. It was the nice 512 MB Sapphire version too...

That's it for now. I will probably be trying out Windows 7 SP1 in the future just to confirm the GART driver issue. If that fails, I'll try Windows 8.1, and finally Windows 10 version 1511 (last one with AGP support).

If I remember correctly it worked well with win7&vista.... (used that & xp when board was new). Also I have one with a Phenom 2 Black Edition CPU in it (955? I think) sees all 4 core ,true last time I had the 2K win on the system and a AIW 9600 Radeon ATi.... + 2x512 Crucial ballistix CL2 or 2.5