Post by MachineLearning on Jan 8, 2023 17:49:00 GMT -5
Hi everyone 
I don't know why, but I have a strange obsession with mediocre motherboards. Especially Foxconn and Intel boards, which enthusiasts largely ignored even in their heydays. After playing around with the Bad Axe 2, I was hooked, because I really had low expectations for the board and it exceeded them - Bonetrail had to be next. Smackover 1 & 2 are in the future... and that will make my Intel board collection complete.
Teased at IDF 2007, Bonetrail in the form of the DX38BT was the successor to the aforementioned D975XBX2/KR. Despite nearly a two years' gap, the layout of Bonetrail is strikingly similar to the Bad Axe.
Bonetrail:
Bad Axe 2:
In my opinion, Bonetrail looks far more organized and finished than the Bad Axe, except for the barren rear I/O spot.
Looking closer, there have been numerous additions and omissions, most notably the absence of floppy or PS/2 connectors on Bonetrail. Also, a lot of minor components have been shifted around, such as the 4-pin molex, EPS, & ATX 24-pin. The northbridge uses a far better retention system in my opinion, using screws and a small metal bracket instead of flimsy plastic U-bars.
It sort of looks like a mini socket 370 / 462 heatsink + bracket. I like the rear metal retention plate.
PWM cooling may now be removed, Intel decided to use push-pins (albeit weird ones with a throughpin) instead of thermal adhesive.
CPU power delivery is a true 5-phase PWM controlled by an ADP3189, on both boards. However, while I haven't removed the Bad Axe's VRM heatsinks to see what makes up each phase, I can guarantee it's organized differently than Bonetrail. On the Bad Axe, the MOSFETs are double the height - plus, Bonetrail has 4 MOSFETs/phase while Bad Axe only has 3 FETs per phase.
Per phase: 2x Infineon 79N03S (40A) & 2x OnSemi 4835N (104A).
Capacitors are from:
- Rubycon
- Rubycon
- Nichicon
- Fujitsu
- Panasonic / Sanyo
- SamXon
The northbridge was produced Wk36/2008, and the southbridge Wk31/2008. The PCB date code is a surprise - it's nearly a full year before either other component (Wk50/2007). Just as with the Bad Axe, I can't find a PCB layer count, but I assume it's a 6-layer.
I replaced both the NB & SB paste with MX-4, and gave each phase its own 1.0mm Arctic APT2560 (now TP-2) thermal pad. I also attached a 40mm Noctua which I had on-hand to the NB.
Overclocking
--- 555.98 MHz, #1 for board, top 100 X38
Memory:
~ 1800 DR Dual-channel
~ 1900 SR Dual-channel
~ 2050+ SR Single-channel
Will POST 2200MHz 1/3 times, but will never get into windows.
--- 2080 MHz DDR3 (SR, Single-channel, slot #0)
This motherboard does significantly better than I assumed it would. The 556MHz FSB makes it the top Intel-branded motherboard in that regard. The DX38BT and DX48BT2 are identical except for the chipset, so I thought the DX38BT would just be inherently worse due to Intel handicapping it. Surprisingly, it seems that's not the case, and any issues with the board are probably due to ineptitude rather than sabotage. In fact, both boards use the exact same BIOS, with the only assumed difference being different internal MCH timings.
I discovered that at 550MHz, there is a wall for 1333MHz FSB CPUs. Macsbeach98 recommended BCLK modding the CPU, and it worked like a dream. This is because the clockgen (SLG505YC256BT) will only allow ~ 550MHz - 720MHz to be selected if it believes there's a 1600MHz FSB CPU socketed. However, 550 MHz is already close to the board's maximum - at least with the 1.7v limit in BIOS. I fully intend on modding the NB voltage (controller: Intersil ISL6545) after I learn from GTX 260 modding. Also, I gave a random Q9550 a go - it became unhappy at around 480MHz... Well, it's surely no Gigabyte P45. 
Also, I gave a random Q9550 a go - it became unhappy at around 480MHz... Well, it's surely no Gigabyte P45. 
Intel Integrator Toolkit 4.x still works with this board just like the Bad Axe 2. So of course, I made a custom BIOS that makes OC go a bit more smoothly. Loading Optimal Defaults will make the board ready for OC, including disabling watchdog timer, eSATA / IDE, and other unnecessary onboard devices. However, I didn't bother making a changelog this time around, since I don't think it's all that important here. If anyone is interested in all my changes, opening up the supplied .ITW file in ITK will show what has been changed from default.
Links:
- Warp9 Intel Bonetrail BIOS (works for both DX38BT & DX48BT2)
It may take me a massive amount of time, but I do eventually intend on taking a look at:
- Abit AN7
- Abit IS7-E
- ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe
- MSI K8N Neo3-F
- *Potential* DX58SO, DX58SO2
