A complete Newbie Asking for thoughts/comments/suggestions

[kenr77]

- Hi all,

-- I've been trying some OverClocking even though my system at Stock speeds is plenty fast for my needs. Just thought I would try it for the experience/knowledge.

-- Here is my System.

-- Cooler Master Centurion 5 with Stock cooling and Stock AMD cooler/heat sink.
-- BioStar TF7050-M2
-- AMD X2 3800+ 65 watt 90nm SOI - Revision F3 (ADO3800CZBOX)
-- G.SKILL DDR2-800 CL-4 Timings 4-4-4-12 - Recommended Voltage 2.0v-2.1v
-- - Model - F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ (2 x 1GB)

-- Voltage setting in BIOS - CPU vCore = +0.137, NB voltage = 1.32v, DDR voltage =2.20

-- In the BIOS PC Health Screen it shows - CPU =1.29v, NB = 1.28v, DDR = 2.17

-- Currently I am running a Bus Speed of 260 x10 for CPU speed of 2600 MHz, HTT=1040 MHz(4x260), and a DDR speed of 433.33 MHz(DDR2-866.66) The Timing I have are what I think are quite good, but I am not 100% sure of this. DDR timings are CL-4, tRCD=4, tRP=4, tRAS=12, tRC=23, CR=2T. As reported by CPUz 4-4-4-12-12-23-2T. Temperatures are running from 43C to 53C, depending on the room temperature and load on CPU. Are these Temperatures OK.??

-- I ran 24+ hours of 2 instances of Prime95, one for each core and running SuperPi every once in a while with Prime95 running with no errors, but this was before I realized I could tighten up my timings. They were 5-5-5-15-23-2T. I think when I first tried to tighten up timing I either set something wrong in the Timing Section or did not have Voltages High enough. But the system seems to be running quite stable and no errors with the same above tests running, with the 4-4-4-12 timings. The Memory Dividers on this board are strange, I think. It gives you fixed memory dividers corresponding to the DDR2 speed you select. DDR400 = CPU/10, DDR533 = CPU/7.5, DDR667 = CPU/6, and DDR800 = CPU/5.

-- One Extreme setting that seemed stable was, CPU = 2600, HTT = 1040, and a DDR = 520(DDR2-1040). The extremely high DDR speed, I figured, would just be asking for trouble and instability, not to mention the Higher vDIMM voltage that would Probably be Required. What do you all out there think.??

-- After I finally figured out where the CPU Multiplier was I just kind of gave up on other combinations/possibilities, since I believe that the 2600 MHz CPU speed should be just fine and was tired of messing around in the BIOS. The CPU Multiplier in this BIOS is call "NPT Fid control". It does not support increasing the Multiplier, but you can reduce the Multiplier from it's default Auto setting(10x) to 9x through 4x. What does NPT mean or stand for..?? What is Fid..??

-- I believe I am going to Stick with -

-- CPU = 2600
-- HTT = 1040
-- DDR = 433.33 (DDR2-866.66) Timings 4-4-4-12-23-2T

-- Is my selected OC CPU = 2600, HTT = 1040, DDR2 = 867 with Timings of 4-4-4-12-23-2T good..??
-- Is that extreme DDR2 - 1040 worth pursuing..??
-- Should I have gone about the OCing differently..??

-- Any comments and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

-- -- Thanks all,
---------------- kenr77

 

[closed_deal]

2.6 seems a very good overclock on that CPU . If you increase the HT voltage you maybe able to get a tad more out of it but it's probably not worth it, 2.6 is very respectable. As for the timings on your RAM you may be able to run it at DDR 1050 with vDimm maxed and timings loosened a little(maybe try 6-6-6-18). I hear G.Skill is very good not used it yet myself but 4-4-4-12 is about normal if stock is 5-5-5-15. But having tighter timings are much better than higher DDR i think?

One thing that is mildly worth pursuing is to get the HT speed as high and stable as possible ie. keeping it at x5 (1300 would be your @ standard so maybe not possible). Do you have the option to increase the HT voltage? Also what was the highest stable FSB you got on your board (NB voltage can stabilize if you get stuck in a rut). I ask because sometimes lowering the multiplier and raising the FSB can increase performace a slight bit more (use SuperPi's 1M test to find this out).

Other than that i think thats a very good overclock especially if it's your first .

 

[kenr77]

Hey closed_deal ,

--- Isn't the HTT voltage controlled by both the NB voltage and the CPU voltage, or is it only the NB voltage..???
I was also of the understanding that you should not try to push the HTT much over the 1000 MHz / 2000 MT/s. The only voltage controls I have in BIOS are the CPU vCore, NB voltage, and vDIMM.

--- Also the G.SKILL memory I am using has at 400MHz an EPP of 4-4-4-12 36 2T and it's standard SPD is 5-5-5-15 23 2T.

--- Just rebooted and noticed an HT voltage on the Health Status page. It shows HT voltage = 1.23v. But I don't believe it is changeable in this Pheonix/Award BIOS.

----Thanks,
kenr77

 

[closed_deal]

I found the HT speed was mostly limited by the NB/HT voltage i have it at around 1200 or so. I'm on my 2nd'ary comp atm , however i'm almost 99% sure it's over 1200. I've increased HT an NB voltage by 0.1 volt.

On my MSI K9A Platinum i have control over HT voltage. Not sure if the Pheonix/Award bios allows it. I'm sure your comp is at it's close to max as you have used the stickies to help you with your o/c. They are very good at helping ppl to their max however the final tweak's are up to user discretion as each setup is slightly differnt.

 

[kenr77]

Hey closed_deall and anybody else,

--- Just now was trying to isolate separate settings and found that the "NPT Fid control" is not the CPU multiplier...??? What the heck is it.??? I was going to isolate FSB/ChipSet freq Max setting by reduceing the HTT, and CPU multiplier and start increasing the FSB/ChipSet freq. Intially I went from K8 -> NB = 3X and set NPT Fid control = 6x and increased FSB/ChipSet Freq. to 280 and still showed a 10x CPU Multplier in CPUz.???


--- Most of what I have read say's to 1st find Max FSB/Chipset Freq, then HTT freq, and then DDR Freq. So that you can somehow combine all this info into a optimized setting configured from this info.????

--- Thanks,
-------------- Kenr77

 

[Solitaire]

The Memory Dividers on this board are strange, I think. It gives you fixed memory dividers corresponding to the DDR2 speed you select. DDR400 = CPU/10, DDR533 = CPU/7.5, DDR667 = CPU/6, and DDR800 = CPU/5.

Memory Dividers are always fixed with AMD; its an unfortunate side-effect of trying to speed things up by having the memory controller on-chip IIRC

Your CPU started life at 2.0GHz, the speeds above show what's possible at that speed. The *closest* (rounded down unfortunately, to prevent accidental overclocks) RAM speed you can get is always CPU speed divided by the most suitable integer (although since Barcelona I think they can move the divider in increments of .5 now, which takes some of the sting out of it). For your DDR800 the best solution would have been 2000/5 (=400MHz); for DDR667 (333Mhz) you divide by 6, and so on.

If the CPU had started at 1.9GHz things would have been very different because 1900 isn't that round a number; many standard DDR2 speeds would have been forcibly underclocked by the CPU! If you had had an AM2 3600+X2 of similar vintage, you would have been stuck at 760MHz rather than 800MHz as the closest divider is 1900/5; 1900/5.5 would clock the RAM over its rated 800MHz and is thus prohibited.

This would have been at stock clock; because the mess is CPU-dependent things are now a whole new ballgame at 2.6GHz! With the Barcelona's .5 divider you could still hit DDR800 cleanly (6.5 multiplier) but if you had an older 3800+ stepping things would have been another matter (with an older CPU of similar speed/OC you'd be stuck at DDR743 with a /7 divider!). The SMALLEST overclock possible is your 400 > 433 as DDR866 divides cleanly at the very next divider (2600/6) - if you put it ANY lower it would underclock right back to the nearest divider (6.5, thus back to 800MHz). The next possible RAM speed is a whopping 945MHz! (as next divider is 2600/5.5)

 

[Solitaire]

^ Er, I meant "Brisbane" up there, not "Barcelona"!!! AND WHY THE HELL CAN'T I EDIT MY OWN $%£&ING MESSAGES??!?!?!

 

[kenr77]

Thanks all,

I have not been checkinking email so this is a little late. I have reached what I consider to be my Max settings. Or at least what I am willing to go to with Stock Cooling. Setting are:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor
Stepping F.3.3

Core Speed 2,800 MHz

HT Link speed 1,120 MHz

Memory Frequency 466.7 MHz (CPU/6) - DDR2 - 933
CAS# Latency (tCL) 4.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRCD) 4 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 4 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 12 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 23 clocks
Command Rate (CR) 2T

I believe this very excellent..?? I run the AMD CnQ or Dual Core driver , dependg on which OS I'm using(I Dual Boot), along with the BIOS setting for the CPU CnQ, so the CPU speed and voltage drop when system has little load. With Full load(Running Prime 95 for days) the Temps did get up to 59 C. After a BIOS update it seems to run cooler.

Does anyone have any comments.? Done better with stock cooling.?
Any comments will be appreciated.

Thanks,
_______kenr77

 

[kenr77]

Anyone know what an "NPT Fid Comtrol" - Multiplier is...????

Never have figured that on out..

Thanks,
kenr77