CONTACTS
0201 - Ascendtech, Inc
020101 - Mr. Steve LastName; Technical Agent
020103 - Technical Assistance Department
SUBJECTS
C21 Video Card Replace $403.28 Fry's Invoice 8181114 Dated 130506 Fu
2903 -
2903 - ..
2904 - Summary/Objective
2905 -
290501 - Follow up ref SDS 76 0000. ref SDS 75 0000.
290502 -
290503 -
290504 -
290505 -
290506 - [On 130524 0754 meeting with Morris - found 2 Samsung 840
290507 - Pro SSD disks connected to gray port labled "SSD" on
290508 - motherboard, ref SDS 77 TS34; Internet research indicated
290509 - this connector labled "Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s" in the
290510 - Asus manual may actually be a 3GB/s Silicon Image
290511 - connector, ref SDS 77 WI9H; therefore switched cables to
290512 - brown Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors, and this
290513 - increased performance about 100%. ref SDS 77 1E8O
290514 -
290515 -
290517 - ..
2906 -
2907 -
2908 - Progress
2909 -
290901 - Samsung 840 Pro Slow Correct Disk Controller Error
290902 -
290903 - Follow up ref SDS 76 GE4L, ref SDS 75 GE4L.
290904 -
290905 - Yesterday, received letter from Ascendtech with references to Asus
290906 - Internet support services to upgrade disk controller, reported on
290907 - 130522 1741, ref SDS 76 IO93
290908 -
290909 -
290910 -
290912 - ..
290913 - Asus Customer Support Motherboard Disk Controller
290914 -
290915 - Follow up ref SDS 76 Y94K.
290916 -
290917 - Navigating through Asus Internet locations found...
290918 -
290919 - http://www.service.asus.com/#!consumer/csn9
290921 - ..
290922 - This has a telephone number to call for assistance on another matter,
290923 - but called this group for assistance finding customer support for the
290924 - Asus motherboard.
290925 -
290926 -
290928 - ..
2910 -
2911 -
2912 - 1036
2913 -
291301 - Called Asus....
291302 -
291303 - 866 455 2787
291305 - ..
291306 - Talked to Jason.
291308 - ..
291309 - Explained problem and background.
291311 - ..
291312 - Jason wanted the serial number on the motherboard.
291314 - ..
291315 - Could not find this in the record. Jason said the serial number is
291316 - on the product sales box.
291318 - ..
291319 - Explained this board was installed at the Ascendtech factory in Ohio,
291320 - reported on 130328 1452. ref SDS 48 ZQ35 The factory did not submit
291321 - a serial number.
291323 - ..
291324 - Jason asked for the name of the motherboard.
291326 - ..
291327 - This is shown on 130328 1452. ref SDS 48 O68J
291328 -
291329 - Asus Sabertooth X79 LGA2011 DDR3 Esata 3
291331 - ..
291332 - Jason created a support case on this call.
291334 - ..
291335 - Case number........................... 2659073
291337 - ..
291338 - He said to call
291340 - ..
291341 - Motherboard support hotline.
291343 - ..
291344 - Phone........................ 812 282 2787
291345 -
291347 - ..
2914 -
2915 -
2916 - 1128
2917 -
291701 - Called Asus motherboard support...
291702 -
291703 - Phone........................ 812 282 2787
291705 - ..
291706 - Motherboard
291707 -
291709 - ..
291710 - Case number........................... 2659073
291712 - ..
291713 - Talked to Paul.
291714 -
291716 - ..
2918 -
2919 -
2920 - 1136
2921 -
292101 - Paul transferred the call to Jessie.
292102 -
292103 - Talked to Jessie.
292105 - ..
292106 - Presented issues to be resovled...
292107 -
292108 - 1. Resolve disk controller error message reported by Microsoft
292109 - on 130509 0821. ref SDS 72 J63H
292110 -
292111 - Driver dated 2011 12 19 version 3.0.1.7016... may need to
292112 - be updated.
292114 - ..
292115 - 2. SSD disks running less than 50% of rated performance,
292116 - reported on 130509 0821. ref SDS 72 5W6L
292118 - ..
292119 - Jessie initially recommended updating Asus motherboard chipset. He
292120 - said this usually improves performance of SSD disks.
292122 - ..
292123 - Used Asus Internet address in the letter from Ascendtech yesterday on
292124 - 130522 1741. ref SDS 76 IO97
292125 -
292126 - http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_X79/#support_Download_30
292128 - ..
292129 - Jessie said to select...
292130 -
292131 - Chipset Version 9.3.0.1026 dated...... 2012 12 11
292133 - ..
292134 - Downloaded zip file and extracted to...
292135 -
292136 - G:\00\intel\drivers\sabertooth x79-c21\motherboard\chipset\Intel_Chipset_V9.3.0.1026_Win8_WHQL_X79_Z77\Setup.exe
292138 - ..
292139 - Ran setup.exe...
292141 - ..
292142 - After installing setup, and booting c21, this cleared Windows Action
292143 - Center report that disk controller is not compatible, reported
292144 - originally on 130509 0821. ref SDS 72 646L
292146 - ..
292147 - After restarting c21, ran performance test.
292149 - ..
292150 - SSD still tests at 50% below rated performance.
292152 - ..
292153 - We further checked the Device Manager issue for "Storage Controllers,"
292154 - reported on 130509 0821. ref SDS 72 6I5O
292155 -
292156 - Device Manager shows...
292157 -
292158 - Intel C600 Series Chipset SATA AHCI Controller
292160 - ..
292161 - Properties shows...
292163 - ..
292164 - Date.......................... 2011 12 19
292165 - Version....................... 3.0.1.7016
292166 -
292168 - ..
292169 - The same Asus Internet location received from Ascendtech at...
292170 -
292171 - http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_X79/#support_Download_30
292173 - ..
292174 - This location lists beneath SATA several lines below Chipsets.
292176 - ..
292177 - At the top of the list is...
292178 -
292179 - Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise driver software
292180 - V3.6.0.1093 for Windows Vista/7/8 32bit & 64bit.(WHQL)
292181 -
292182 - Date.......................... 2013 03 05
292183 - Version....................... 3.6.0.1093
292185 - ..
292186 - Jessie went off line to consult with colleagues.
292188 - ..
292189 - He came back online and advised that this driver updates "Intel C600
292190 - Series Chipset SATA AHCI Controller" version 3.0.1.7016 listed in c21
292191 - Device Manager, per above. ref SDS 0 GL4F
292193 - ..
292194 - Downloaded zip file and extracted to...
292195 -
292196 - G:\00\intel\drivers\sabertooth x79-c21\motherboard\sata\V3.6.0.1093_20121112_WHQL\Install\setup.exe
292198 - ..
292199 - Ran setup.exe...
292201 - ..
292202 - After installing setup, and booting c21, checked device manager for
292203 - Storage Controllers...
292204 -
292205 - Device Manager shows...
292206 -
292207 - Intel C600 Series Chipset SATA AHCI Controller
292209 - ..
292210 - Properties shows...
292212 - ..
292213 - Date.......................... 2012 10 18
292214 - Version....................... 3.6.0.1086
292216 - ..
292217 - This updated the prior Device Manager settings, per above. ref SDS 0
292218 - GL4F
292220 - ..
292221 - Ran performance test.
292223 - ..
292224 - SSD still tests at 50% below rated performance.
292225 -
292226 -
292228 - ..
292229 - SSD Cables May Connected Wrong SATA Ports 3GB/s Should be 6GB/s
292230 -
292231 - Jessie said the cables might be connected to the wrong ports, i.e., to
292232 - the 3GB/s rather than 6GB/s ports.
292234 - ..
292235 - He seemed to say connecting to the wrong ports on the motherboard
292236 - would yield 50% reduction in performance, which the system has shown
292237 - from the first test on 130509 0821. ref SDS 72 5W6L
292239 - ..
292240 - Jessie suggested opening the CPU and investigating the motherboard
292241 - pin connections.
292243 - ..
292244 - Powered c21 off, and opened the case.
292246 - ..
292247 - Jessie said the 2 solid state drive (SSD) disks should be connected to
292248 - brown ports on the motherboard
292250 - ..
292251 - Could not see any brown ports, but may simply not recognize system
292252 - layout. A mass of cables obscure pin connections. Everything looks
292253 - dark inside the case where cables connect to the motherboard.
292255 - ..
292256 - Jessie said to look for connections on the front side of the board
292257 - above the microprocessor.
292259 - ..
292260 - Decided investigating and changing system board connections should be
292261 - done by experienced engineers.
292262 -
292263 - [On 130524 0754 meeting with Morris - found 2 Samsung 840
292264 - Pro SSD disks connected to gray port labled "SSD" on
292265 - motherboard, ref SDS 77 TS34; Internet research indicated
292266 - this connector labled "Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s" in the
292267 - Asus manual may actually be a 3GB/s Silicon Image
292268 - connector, ref SDS 77 WI9H; therefore switched cables to
292269 - brown Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors, and this
292270 - increased performance about 100%. ref SDS 77 1E8O
292272 - ..
292273 - Requested a manual for the Asus Sabertooth X79 motherboard.
292275 - ..
292276 - Jessie said he will submit a manual. He requested feedback on
292277 - results achieving rated performance for the Samsung 840 Pro SSDs
292278 - installed with Asus Sabertooth X79 motherboard.
292280 - ..
292281 - Further asked Jessie about...
292283 - ..
292284 - 3. Verify overclock settings with baseline...
292285 -
292286 - Power....................... 20 watts
292288 - ..
292289 - Jessie checked with the Asus overclock specialist, and was told that
292290 - 20 watts is a good number for 4.8 GHz overclock.
292292 - ..
292293 - Thanked Jessie for assistance.
292294 -
292295 -
292297 - ..
2923 -
2924 -
2925 - 1431
2926 -
292601 - Received letter from Asus saying...
292602 -
292603 - 1. Subject: ASUS Service No=2659073; Rma No=
292604 - Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 12:46:59 -0700 PDT
292607 -
292608 - http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA2011/SABERTOOTH-X79/E8040_SABERTOOTH_X79.pdf
292610 - ..
292611 - [...below on 130523 0925 at 2030 submitted letter to Morris
292612 - with this Asus letter referenced to prepare for meeting
292613 - tomorrow investigating possible cable connection errors.
292614 - ref SDS 0 WQ49
292616 - ..
292617 - There is no explanation of any kind in Jessie's letter clarifying use
292618 - of the manual and directing attention to relevant pages. There is no
292619 - narrative confirming telecon saying SSD disks may be connected to the
292620 - wrong ports and how to distinguish right from wrong.
292622 - ..
292623 - The Asus manual shows on page 2-2 a layout of the motherboard showing
292624 - 3 sets of "internal connectors."
292626 - ..
292627 - Page 2-17 shows diagrams and explains connecting to the Brown ports
292628 - cited by Jessie earlier today as the place to connect SSD disks, per
292629 - above. ref SDS 0 1O86
292630 -
292631 - 2.2.8 Internal Connectors
292632 -
292633 - 1. Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G_1/2
292634 - - brown)
292636 - ..
292637 - These connectors connect to Serial ATA 6GB/s hard disk
292638 - drives via Serial ATA 6GB/s signal cables.
292640 - ..
292641 - If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can
292642 - create a RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 configuration with the
292643 - Intel Rapid Storage Technology through the onboard
292644 - Intel X79 chipset.
292646 - ..
292647 - There is a diagram showing the motherboard layout in reverse, with the
292648 - power connection port, which is at the back and bottom of the case,
292649 - shown pointed toward the top of the page. There appear to be 4 sets
292650 - of "internal connectors" along the front side of the motherboard
292651 - opposite from the power port, and above the microprocessor.
292652 -
292653 - [On 130524 0754 meeting with Morris - found 2 Samsung 840
292654 - Pro SSD disks connected to gray port labled "SSD" on
292655 - motherboard, ref SDS 77 TS34; Internet research indicated
292656 - this connector labled "Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s" in the
292657 - Asus manual may actually be a 3GB/s Silicon Image
292658 - connector, ref SDS 77 WI9H; therefore switched cables to
292659 - brown Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors, and this
292660 - increased performance about 100%. ref SDS 77 1E8O
292662 - ..
292663 - The top most diagram is circled and a cutout enlargement lists...
292664 -
292665 - SATA6G_1 SATA6G_2
292667 - ..
292668 - Another diagram suggests this is a stacked configuration, such that 2
292669 - data cables can be connected at this location.
292671 - ..
292672 - Notes say in part...
292673 -
292674 - These connectors are set to [AHCI Mode] by default. If
292675 - you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these
292676 - connectors, set the SATA Mode item in the BIOS to [RAID
292677 - Mode]. Refer to section 3.5.3 SATA Configuration for
292678 - details.
292680 - ..
292681 - There is nothing in this section that expressly mentions SSD.
292682 -
292683 -
292685 - ..
292686 - Page 2-18 shows diagrams and explains...
292687 -
292688 - 2. Intel X79 Serial ATA 3GB/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G_3-6
292689 - - black)
292691 - ..
292692 - These connectors connect to Serial ATA 3GB/s hard disk
292693 - drives via Serial ATA 3GB/s signal cables.
292695 - ..
292696 - If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can
292697 - create a RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 configuration with the
292698 - Intel Rapid Storage Technology through the onboard
292699 - Intel X79 chipset.
292701 - ..
292702 - There is another diagram similar to the one above, ref SDS 0 4288,
292703 - except circling 2 sets of connectors and a cutout enlargement lists...
292704 -
292705 - SATA6G_3 SATA6G_4
292706 -
292707 - SATA6G_5 SATA6G_6
292709 - ..
292710 - Notes say in part...
292711 -
292712 - These connectors are set to [AHCI Mode] by default. If
292713 - you intend to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these
292714 - connectors, set the SATA Mode item in the BIOS to [RAID
292715 - Mode]. Refer to section 3.5.3 SATA Configuration for
292716 - details.
292718 - ..
292719 - There is nothing in this section that expressly mentions SSD.
292720 -
292721 -
292723 - ..
292724 - Page 2-19 seems to show connection for SSD drive, and mentions
292725 - Marvel.
292726 -
292727 - 3. Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G_E1/E2
292728 - - gray)
292730 - ..
292731 - These connectors connect to Serial ATA 6GB/s hard disk
292732 - drives via Serial ATA 6GB/s signal cables.
292734 - ..
292735 - This page omits narrative on configuring RAID support, per above.
292736 - ref SDS 0 428H and ref SDS 0 PUPQ
292738 - ..
292739 - There is another motherboard diagram similar to the one above, except
292740 - circling the bottom most connector at the opposite end of the Internal
292741 - Connectors diagram from the brown 6GB/s connectors, per above.
292742 - ref SDS 0 J99L
292744 - ..
292745 - Thus, there are two sets of 6GB/s disk data connectors and in the
292746 - middle between them are two 3GB/s connectors, per above. ref SDS 0
292747 - EB5O
292748 -
292749 - [On 130524 0754 meeting with Morris - found 2 Samsung 840
292750 - Pro SSD disks connected to gray port labled "SSD" on
292751 - motherboard, ref SDS 77 TS34; Internet research indicated
292752 - this connector labled "Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s" in the
292753 - Asus manual may actually be a 3GB/s Silicon Image
292754 - connector, ref SDS 77 WI9H; therefore switched cables to
292755 - brown Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors, and this
292756 - increased performance about 100%. ref SDS 77 1E8O
292758 - ..
292759 - This bottom most diagram is circled and a cutout enlargement lists...
292760 -
292761 - SATA6G_E1 SATA6G_E2
292763 - ..
292764 - Notes say in part...
292766 - ..
292767 - Marvel Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G [gray].
292768 - These connectors connect to Serial ATA 6GB/s hard disk
292769 - drives via Serial ATA 6GB/s signal cables.
292771 - ..
292772 - For high performance of ASUS SSD caching, please connect
292773 - one HHD and one SSD to Marvell SATA6G_E1/E2 connectors.
292775 - ..
292776 - For regular usage, the STAT6G_E1/E2 connectors are
292777 - recommended for data drives.
292779 - ..
292780 - Marvell is related to Samsung 840 Pro SSD, reported on 130509 0821.
292781 - ref SDS 72 ET8F
292783 - ..
292784 - Examining the motherboard, cannot really correlate the physical
292785 - components and cables with Asus maunal diagrams.
292786 -
292787 - [On 130524 0754 meeting with Morris - found 2 Samsung 840
292788 - Pro SSD disks connected to gray port labled "SSD" on
292789 - motherboard, ref SDS 77 TS34; Internet research indicated
292790 - this connector labled "Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s" in the
292791 - Asus manual may actually be a 3GB/s Silicon Image
292792 - connector, ref SDS 77 WI9H; therefore switched cables to
292793 - brown Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors, and this
292794 - increased performance about 100%. ref SDS 77 1E8O
292796 - ..
292797 - Need expert support.
292798 -
292799 -
292800 -
292802 - ..
2929 -
2930 -
2931 - 1405
2932 -
293201 - Called Morris.
293202 -
293203 - Will meet at his place tomorrow morning to work on c21 possible cable
293204 - connection errors, per above. ref SDS 0 PSTX
293205 -
293207 - ..
2933 -
2934 -
2935 - 2030
2936 -
293601 - Sent letter to Morris saying...
293602 -
293603 - 1. Subject: ASUS Sabertooth X79 Manual
293604 - Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 20:46:08 -0700
293611 - ..
293612 - 2. Tomorrow will arrive OA 1000. The Asus rep submitted a manual
293613 - for the motherboard (see above, ref SDS 0 RQ6H). It shows on
293614 - page 2-2 motherboard layout. ref SDS 0 RQ6H There seem to be 2
293615 - connectors for 6GB/s HHD. Possibly page 2-19 is the connection
293616 - we need for SSD. ref SDS 0 PA61 See what you think.
293617 -
293618 - [On 130524 0754 meeting with Morris - found 2 Samsung 840
293619 - Pro SSD disks connected to gray port labled "SSD" on
293620 - motherboard, ref SDS 77 TS34; Internet research indicated
293621 - this connector labled "Marvell Serial ATA 6GB/s" in the
293622 - Asus manual may actually be a 3GB/s Silicon Image
293623 - connector, ref SDS 77 WI9H; therefore switched cables to
293624 - brown Intel X79 Serial ATA 6GB/s connectors, and this
293625 - increased performance about 100%. ref SDS 77 1E8O
293627 - ..
293628 - 3. Looking forward to visiting tomorrow.
293629 -
293636 -
293637 -
293638 -
293639 -
293640 -
293641 -
293642 -
293643 -
293644 -
293645 -
293646 -
293647 -
293648 -
293649 -
2937 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"