OVERCLOCKING !

[lord_kit]

Hi,

Can anyone ring me about over clocking !! I have read soo many articles now and getting some sort of idea.

But still not sure what needs to be done!!

i don't understand Memory timing, HTT, Voltages etc...

Anything will do, system keeps on juddering when playing games and it's really startin to do my head it,

Thanks people.

Mobile 07886524115

 

[yakyb]

could you please post your specs
and what games are jumping when playing

 

[lord_kit]

I'm currently @ work right now,

i will give u the full specs from CPUz

when I play rainbow Six Vegas and sometimes BF2142. - shld see simple spec in my sig

 

[sailer]

We have to know what cpu and mobo you're using before giving any specific advise. Other than that, if you go into the forums and look under cpu and overclocking, there are some stickies there that deal with the basics of overclocking Intel or AMD chips as whichever applies to you.

 

[lord_kit]

Thanks very much for the advise, i'll have the exact stats for u by 6PM UK time.

I kno i have a AMD 3700+ San Deigo CPU
http://msicomputer.co.uk/Products.aspx?product_id=703656&cat_id=77
1.5 Gig of Ram -- PC 3200 or 3400-- but don't quote me on that just yet.
80 Gig SATA matxor HDD
Akasa Heavy Duty CPU Fan

 

[lord_kit]

• 
  
  CPU-Z 1.38 report file
  
  Processor(s)
  
  Number of processors 1
  Number of cores 1 per processor
  Number of threads 1 (max 1) per processor
  Name AMD Athlon 64 3700+
  Code Name San Diego
  Specification AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3700+
  Package Socket 939
  Family/Model/Stepping F.7.1
  Extended Family/Model F.27
  Brand ID 4
  Core Stepping SH-E4
  Technology 90 nm
  Core Speed 2456.7 MHz
  Multiplier x Bus speed 11.0 x 223.3 MHz
  HT Link speed 1116.7 MHz
  Stock frequency 2200 MHz
  Instruction sets MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, x86-64
  L1 Data cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
  L1 Instruction cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
  L2 cache 1024 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size
  
  Chipset & Memory
  
  Northbridge NVIDIA nForce4 rev. A3
  Southbridge NVIDIA nForce4 MCP rev. A3
  Graphic Interface PCI-Express
  PCI-E Link Width x16
  PCI-E Max Link Width x16
  Memory Type DDR
  Memory Size 1280 MBytes
  Memory Frequency 175.5 MHz (CPU/14)
  CAS# Latency (tCL) 2.5 clocks
  RAS# to CAS# (tRDC) 3 clocks
  RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 clocks
  Cycle Time (tRAS) 7 clocks
  Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 10 clocks
  DRAM Idle Timer 16 clocks
  Command Rate 2T
  
  System
  
  System Manufacturer MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD
  System Name MS-7185
  System S/N
  Mainboard Vendor MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD
  Mainboard Model MS-7185
  BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
  BIOS Version 6.00 PG
  BIOS Date 09/09/2005
  
  Memory SPD
  
  Module 1 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 0 MBytes, unknown brand
  Module 2 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Samsung
  Module 3 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Corsair Diffrent timings
  
  Software
  
  Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
  DirectX Version 9.0c
  

[/list]

 

[sailer]

Didn't need quite that much detail, but better too much than too little.

For the ram first. Module 1 is apparently not being recognized and may as well be pulled out. Using the Samsung and Corsair in two slots will give a dual memory configuration which will probably work better anyway. They will only work as well as the one with the worst timing spec, though. Try changing the command rate from 2T to 1T and see if if works. This will speed up the ram considerably. Not much esle you can do with the ram since its of different types.

It looks like you have an overclock running on the cpu at present, as the stock speed is 2200 mhz and you're showing 2456 mhz. That's about a 13% increase. Try raising the bus speed in increments of 2 (224, 226, 228, 230) until you get to 230. A 230 bus will give a 15% and give you a cpu speed of 2530 mhz. Monitor the temps to make sure the cpu core doesn't get too hot. Speedfan is good for doing this. Also try running Prime95 to check for stability and try running 3DMark06 to get performance benches and write down the numbers so you have comparisons to look at. If both Prime95 and 3DMark run all write, try running both at the same time while using speedfan and look at the temp produced.

If the temp doesn't go over 50c, you can try further bus increases of about 2 points at a time (i.e. 232, 2345, 236, etc). Run Prime95, 3Dmark06 and check temps as before. I look for a loaded temp of about 50c, so that I have room for it running a bit hotter when playing a game. If at any time Prime95 fails, then you've pushed to far and need to back off a couple points on the bus speed. I wouldn't look for anything higher than about 2600 mhz total speed, at least not on air, and you might not get that far.

This should give you a good start. For better performance yet, you'll first have to change your ram, preferably looking for 2 gig of matching ram with the lowest timings you can afford. After that, the next step would be to buy a dual core cpu and a good aftermarket cpu heatsink. It looks like you've got a good start on things at the moment. Happy computing.

 

[Valtiel]

Do you have to run prime95 after each 2 mhz bus increase? or would it be a better idea to start high and work your way down?

 

[darkangelism]

dont work your way down, thats a good way to fry it.

 

[sailer]

Do you have to run prime95 after each 2 mhz bus increase? or would it be a better idea to start high and work your way down?

Its what I do. That way I know when I hit the safe limits of the whole system. Starting high just means that you can get an overclock failure and have to clear the CMOS, reset everything from scratch, and hope that nothing got fried in the process.

Working your way down doesn't make sense. Lets say you managed to start the machine at 2600 mhz, ran prime95 and got a failure. You drop the bus speed a bit, test it, and have another failure, and so on. Every time you do this, you risk burning out your hardware. I've had the experience of the machine dying with a puff of smoke rising from it. It was an expensive lesson that I don't want to repeat.

 

[lord_kit]

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THAT INFO ! MADE SENCE IN A WAY .!

I'M GOING TO SOUND REALLY THICK.

How do i increase the system bus?

I'm pretty sure i go to the Bios and change it from there? or i may be so wrong ..

sorry matey

 

[sailer]

How do i increase the system bus?

I'm pretty sure i go to the Bios and change it from there? or i may be so wrong ..

sorry matey

This is a bit difficult, as I don't have an MSI board in front of me and therefore don't know the exact menu in your BIOS. You are right, you have to get into the BIOS to make changes. As I wrote before, you are already running some overclock, so taht instead of the stock 2200 mhz, you are running about 2456 mhz.

Somewhere in the BIOS, you should find as Line that reads something like "CPU FSB Frequency". It should be set presently to about 223 or 224. That is the number that you increase, with the first increase being to 226, then 228, and so on in steps of 2. Keep watch on the temps using Speedfan and run Prime95 every step to check for failures as you do this.

As you increase the FSB, you will need to increase the processor voltage as well, but in smaller steps, going from 1.4v to 1.425v, 1.45v and so forth to a maximum of 1.5v. Only increase the voltage if the cpu seems starved for power. If a failure occurs in Prime95, this may be the first thing to change, rather than to dial back the FSB. For example, if Prime95 fails and you're running a FSB at 230, you might try increasing the voltage from 1.425v to 1.45v and then try Prime95 again. Moniter the temps closely when increasing the voltage, as voltage increases will raise the temperatures. Don't do anything radical, as that can fry a cpu and even the motherboard.

Looking at the ram, you should find a line that reads something like "Command Rate", followed by a 2T. This should be changed to 1T. Then see if the computer boots up as normal and the reading should be reflected in CPU-Z. As I said before, one of your ram modules, the one in slot #1, is not functioning and should be removed. Leave in the Corsair and Samsung ram sticks. Don't try anything else with the ram, as the ram sticks are not matched and further changes may cause a system failure.

 

[Valtiel]

How long would you reccomend running Prime 95 after each increase in FSB? Because if it would be 24 hours of prime95 for each increase that would take several weeks :lol: I'm assuming only a few minutes because once you achieve your ideal overclock you would run it for about 24 hours to make sure it's stable right?

 

[sailer]

I would recommend running Prime95 at least 2 hours, and up to 8 hours for a good solid test. The last time I tried a cpu increase, I got 2 hours, 18 minutes into the test when a failure occured. It was looking so good, I though I had it made, then ,,,aw heck, it failed &*$#, got to start over.

Running the Prime95 isn't just starting and doing nothing but wait. I try a change, start the test, then use the computer for e-mails, business stuff, maybe play a game for awhile. I've even run 3DMark06 while running Prime95. That really loads it down. I just use the computer as I normally would while the test is running in the background, watching the temp the whole time so I know its not overheating.

 

[Valtiel]

Overclocking seems very time consuming . It's too bad I can't start with practicing on this P4 mine (I have a crippled BIOS -the computer is from HP :roll: ). I've thought about flashing the board's BIOS to another compatible but I think the risks would out weigh the benefits because I have never done it before. Oh well shouldn't be TOO long before I build my C2D system.

 

[sailer]

You're right. Overclocking is very time consuming, unless you limit yourself to minor overclocks. I look at overclocking more as a hobby than anything else.

As for flashing the BIOS on an HP, I say don't even think about it. You could get lucky, but you could easily end up with a dead pc.

 

[Valtiel]

Yeah that was my conclusion too. It would be easier to wait for a better system than to most likely screw up my board and have no system.

 

[lord_kit]

I would just like to say

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE ADVISE Sailer -- DID a GOOD JOB

I've ovre clocked my PC now FINALLY!!

RAM is running a bit slow at 166MHz-- but i'm sure i can sort that out.!!


ANYWAY THANKS