Help on O/clocking

[nichos]

PC Home build
Asus A8N 32 sli deluxe
Bios AMI 64-1009
Chipset nF4-sli
AMD 3.5+ (2.20ghz)
Corsair twinx 1024-3200 DDR400mhz SDRAM 2x512mb
MSI 6600gt 128 PCI-E
Maxtor sata 160mb
PSU 400w
XP sp2
X45

I am trying to learn a little how my mobo, CPU, Chipset etc worrk & interact between them.

I went as far as this O/clock 2.4ghz, from the standard 2.2ghz, and no matter what combination of changes I try to change it becomes unstable and cannot improve it.

These are the actual Bios settings I entered:
FSB=240, CpuMultplr=10, Vcore=1.3625, Hyprtr Mulplr=4x, VRam=2.60 Ram Divdr 166

RAM divider = [166]
Vcore = 1.425v (true Vcore as measured in Speedfan)
HTT = 240mhz
CPU multi = 10x
RAM = 200mhz
HT multi = 4x

I use "Stress Prime" on every change of settings, and monitor Ts constantly.
Resulted Temps are :-
Temps STATIC: Cpu 29c, Chipset 34, 30c, 29c, 33c.
Temps with fs9 over LHR: CPU 39c, Chipset 36c, remote 54c, Local 41 & HD 34

The phraseology of the different terms used fo O/clocking varies from one write up to another. It is very confusing.

I find difficulty in understanding if MEMCLOCK is same as Memlock Value ( or RAM DEvider perhaps ?),
What is DDR & where is used.
What & where is Ram Speed? or "RAM" & "RAM Base Speed" ?
One time I read of Standard Ram speed 400mhz, the next 200mhz

Is there a LIST for which value is used to O/Clock what, just the names.
i.e. for:
A. CPU - FSB, It's Multiplier, VCore ?...........etc
B. MEMORY - VRAM, MemClock ?..................etc
C. MOBO - ?
D. GRFX - ?
D. CHIPSET - ?

Why when I used FSB 240, on bootup it posted "DRAM Clocking 333", and with FSB 220 posted "Dram clocking 400" etc ?

PS. Is there a way of posting here the IMG below?

 

[apesoccer]

Ok first off you're missing a setting in the bios.

It's downclocking two things i can see right off the bat.

First your multiplier is at 10x, when it should be 11.
Second you're running with a divider, 400:333 instead of 400:400.

First, under Advanced and CPU Configuration in your bios, turn off, AMD K8 Cool'n'Quiet control. (it really doesn't make a difference most of the time...but it will misinform some programs when it checks to see what multiplier its running at while the cpu usage is low).

Change Hyper Transport Freq to 4x if you're going to oc up to 250fsb, and 3x if over 250.

Next you should be ok...but change this anyway...Max memclock to 400. That sets your memory speed to a stock option of 400. So it starts oc'ing from 400 instead of 333 or whatever it auto's to.

Now, i may be making a mistake giving you this information, because there's more to it then just making these initial changes. You have to make a LOT of changes throughout the bios as you oc higher and higher. You won't be able to oc to a high level just by raising the fsb. The ram and cpu are designed to run at a specific speed, to make them OC, you have to learn how to tweak them. You have to learn what your memory timings need to be set to, in order to run at certain speeds. You need to know or be able to guestimate what voltage you need to be changing both on your cpu and your memory too. This takes alot of reading and searching through different forums. If you over-volt your cpu or memory, you'll destroy it and possibly other things. Do yourself a favor and go read up before oc'ing again. There are guides to oc'ing in every tech forum around. You want to find some on A64 oc'ing and 939 boards. Trust me, you'll save yourself alot of hassle if you read up. There are often forums set up specifically to certain motherboards, so you can probably find a forum on Asus's website, or an Asus forum attached to a larger forum.

 

[sykoben]

ok, by looking at cpuz, i can tell you can make that system more stable allready by setting your ram timings which are 2.5 to 3 and tras from 7 to 8
in the bios, set your ram to ddr 333 setting as well.

personally, i use auto for th htt setting, and i dont oc or change the voltage for the ram either. so ram voltage stays on auto too.
if anything, look around at the results of other overclkockers with your cpu and find the sweetspot voltage, i like using other peoples findings for this one as it takes a while to figure out.you can lear from others experience, haha


anyways, once you set the ram to the appropriate timinmgs, you should get some better performance.

 

[nichos]

1. I cannot find DDR 330 to set the ram to?
A8N-32-SLI has entirely different Bios even from A8N-SLI.

2. Appears that all must be set to Manual if any "Manual"O/clocking is to take place. It has it's own overclocking box of tricks, but only up to 10%.

3. Do you know happen what this "DRAM Clocking 333", and with FSB 220 posted "Dram clocking 400" etc ? mean that comes up on bootup in Post?

4. To cup it all, I cannot see any obvious setting in Bios sayng RAM.

I managed to get to a stable O/clk up to 2.6ghz, but Ram Timings & ram to ddr 333 setting cannot touch yet.

I keep getting CPU VCore 1.55 V, can you explain how to lower it?

It showed up as 1.41V in my first thread above by flook, & do not really know how to control it

 

[apesoccer]

1. Ok, i've never seen the a8n-32 bios; I'd bet if you cracked open your manual you could find where.

2. Yea, the 3-10% is called NOS or something like that in our version. Again, reading the manual, would be helpful here.

3. DRAM Clocking 200,266,333,400,etc is what your ram speed base is. Your ram is based on the same bus your cpu uses...When you change the fsb from 200 to 220, you're also changing the dram from 200 to 220 (if ram is 400). If ram is set to 333 in the begining, then when you set the fsb to 220, the ram bus changes from 166*2+(fsbIncrease[20]*.9). If we ignore the .9 for sake of clarity and change it to...166*2+(fsbIncrease[ 20]*1) we get a prettier number...which is off just a little. So a (166*2=333)+20= 353 ram speed. So you'd have a 440:353 ratio or 400:333 base ratio or technically 200:166 base.

4. Yea i don't think it is anything that says ram that is changing it, it's an option that is set to auto instead of something precise.

5. CPU Vcore is set in the bios...what the bios says, and what programs in Windows say, are 100% of the time different. Just worry about what it says in the bios. It may be set to Auto as well...another something to adjust...Reading the manual will tell you where the options to change voltage are.


I just dl'd the manual for the a8n-32 sli deluxe...The bios options are not quite identicle to the bios options in the a8n-sli series, but they're darn close. Read your manual. All of your answers could have been answered by reading it.

 

[nichos]

1. Unfortunately my Asus manual & even the one on the net does not coinside with the bios on the mobo. Some differences shown below and some others will copy later to show you:-

http://dlsvr02.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket939/A8N32-SLI%20Deluxe/E2280_A 8N32-SLI_Dlx.pdf

3. So "Dram Clocking" I understand this changes on its own depending on the FSB set.

4. & the same for "RAM" cannot alter it?

5. VCore, the Bios agrees with the monitor programs in win. Again manual does not help, and tried various of changes (process of elimination) to find how to control it without succes so far. What changes it in yours?

 

[nichos]

Just took this shot, does it give you any clues of why Memory now changed from 200 to 130mhz.
My inputs were 1 to 6 to these Bios settings:-

 

[apesoccer]

Ok...you need to be taking baby steps here. Let's address one problem at a time.

The "MemClockValue" is your initial memory speed.

Do you have any questions about that?

 

[nichos]

I think so, will have to consolidate.
It's not baby like, it's idiot's approach to it needed.

The four Mem bios settings on the left are real time ones, and each set Memclock value changes
1. the CAS, TRAS etc even though they are all set in Auto.
2. gives the bootup Post (in red) i.e. cpu. speed Ghz and Dram Clocking.

On the right is the real bios on this mobo, unlike any manual, improved a bit from my Msg 6 above.

Still cannot spot what controls the VCore voltage. This bootup is with settings as per Msg 7 above, except Memclock value = 100, and get VCore 1.58v.

I'll try & record each of the other Mem values.

 

[apesoccer]

Ok, the CAS, Tras, etc, change because they're set to auto, that's what the auto feature is for. So if the Memclock of 166 is on, the ram is designed to run at certain ram timings at 166, same thing with 200, at 200 they'd have to be set to more relaxed timings than at 166, or it would lock up. And after looking at it a minute...it might be that they aren't using the settings inbuilt in the ram, but the Standard settings for what ram is supposed to be running at the given 100,133,166, and 200 standards. hmm. Oh well.

Ok so you know where you can change the settings for your memory timings and your core memory speed (100,133,166,200...). The ones 100-200 are the only ones that matter. The rest are useless.

Ok now lets find that VCore.
-On page 4-20 of the manual available on the Asus site, there is a picture of the bios page you need to be at.
-FID/VID being what you need to enable, so that you can change the voltage manually

Keep in mind, changing the voltage manually can lead to burning out your cpu.

 

[nichos]

The 1st foto is further settings of my Ami actual Bios.

Unlike any manual, it shows Processor Voltage, which I lowered through a few steps, in list of tries 2nd foto, VcoreV following in Spdfan & Bios down to 1.5v.

As shown all locked on bootup or failed the StessPrime tests.

Also noticed that unlike normally a PC "Restarts", under those settings it would hung on Restarts, and also after a Bios change on Exit to continue starting it hungs and needs to be SWitched off before booting up again.

Tried various combinations of settings, but did not hit on one to work.

 

[TireSmoke]

How do you change the HT multiplier on this mobo? Is it k8 to NB frequency? What about NB to SB freq, should that be also changed? I tried to set the cpu freq to 230 and K8-NB to 4x and AI booster says 230 for FSB instead of 920 which I guess it should be at that setting??? (Sorry, didn't mean to hijack this thread!)

 

[nichos]

Below is my actual bios with more items listed.

Please see the next tread, fotos showing the bios settings of a very Stable O/clock to 2.6ghz, and the readings shown by three monitors.

Can you tell me please:
In the redings,
1. where does the "RAM 216.7 MHZ" showing in two places, in Clockgen clock (bottom Left of foto) and the "Frequency 216.7" in CPU-Z Memory (further right of clocks). Which setting does it represent in the list of my Bios settings in previous thread, and how can I change it if I have control of it?

2. The VCore 1.52v in Speedfan (above clocks) does it seem too high, and how can I reduce it without affecting performance.

 

[nichos]

Below are the bios settings giving a Stable 2.6Ghz O/clock, and the readings form three monitors.

In the redings,
1. where does the "RAM 216.7 MHZ" showing in two places, in Clockgen clock (bottom Left of foto) and the "Frequency 216.7" in CPU-Z Memory (further right of clocks). Which setting does it represent in the list of my Bios settings in previous thread, and how can I change it if I have control of it?

2. The VCore 1.52v in Speedfan (above clocks) does it seem too high, and how can I reduce it without affecting performance.

 

[fishboi]

I was doing some research on RAM and found a lot of mixed reviews in the forums. I wanted to buy 2GB of RAM that would not be a problem to overclock with this mobo. As with everyone, price is always a constraint - somewhere in the $150-$200 range.

QUESTIONS:
-what is the RAM voltage level required to overclock nicely on this mobo, without any hitches?
-what SKU/brand do you recommend?

THANKS!

PS. I've never overclocked before, so I dont want to take the chip to it's extreme limits. Just want to punch it up as high as I can within safe levels, to get the biggest bang for my buck.

The rig: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&fi...viewtop