Not impressed with 1090T? Upgraded from amd x2 2.0ghz

[Salincer]

Yea, basically my old computer i bought in 05' was a 300$ premade from Office depot. Ended up with 2.5GB of ram in dual channel, 1TB HDD, 8400GS overclocked, and a AMD 3800 x2 2.0GHZ running windows 7 64bit.

There was a sale on a 1090t so i said why not. So here is my new build
AMD Phenom X6 1090T
G.SKILL 4GB PC3 12800 (DDR1600)
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO 880G Chipset
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 600W
in a Cooler Master HAF 922
1TB HDD*

Yea, i got all the drives installed, some annoying software, and bios updated etc. Some reason i was expecting a HUGE gap between 3.2ghz vs 2.0ghz. I really cant tell at all ><. Ive overclocked a couple times and decided to leave it at stock untill i get an aftermarket cooler.

But yea, something is bogging me down and im not sure. Ive tried disabling the "turbo unlocker" and power saving options, but still no luck. Im thinking that my HDD is bringing me down. Its 7200RPM I believe, so maybe i should get a SSD?

I just bought the 6870 today and it should be here around friday hopefully. Is there anything else i should try? I also have a 100gb drive i installed windows 7 on just to see if it was the OS slowing me down, but no luck really.

Im thinking my old build was pretty quick? Or maybe i was expecting too much. I got a Cinebench score of like 5.5ish and thats what alot of stock 1090t's are at.

CLIFF NOTES
Basically, the 1090t isnt what i expected coming from a 3800x2 2.0ghz w/ 2.5gb of ram. Trying to figure out
1. What is bogging me down? Hard Drive?
2. What can i use to test ram with other than memtest? I ran that and it said my ram was at DDR400 or something?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Computer/1289520602837.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Computer/1289529686410.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Computer/1289538275711.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Computer/1289621973108.jpg

Thanks, Brandon

 

[coldsleep]

What are you running that you're expecting to see a big improvement in?

The processor is going to make a difference in stressful apps (photoshop, excel number-crunching, audio & video editing, 3d rendering), but it's not really going to make a noticeable difference in many games or in day-to-day usage.

Without knowing what programs you're looking for an improvement in, or where you think the computer feels slow, it's hard to know how to address the problem.

Typically, the hard drive is the slowest portion of a computer. Buying an SSD for a boot/app drive will eliminate that to some extent, but it won't make a difference for games or many applications.

 

[Salincer]

Well, i WAS expecting improvent in the overall windows environment. I thought it would open things in a zap.

And i see what your saying, I guess i watched a video of someones computer booting up in like 15 secs and i figured i was going to get that (Need a SSD).

Alright, well just to get some improvements going, whats the MAX temperature i should have while overclocking my 1090t on stock cooler? Ive hit 50C degrees when running Prime95 when overclocked, and sometimes it will just shut down.

Also, when i use the TurboV program that Asus provided, it lowers my RAM speed when i overclock? My ram should be at PC3-12800 speed (1600), and under CPU-Z it reads "Max Bandwidth = PC-10700". Part Number F3-12800CL9-4GBRL.

 

[runswindows95]

As coldsleep said, you won't see a HUGE improvement for everyday tasks, such as word processing, internet, etc. If you are running CPU-intensive tasks, such as games, Photoshop, CAD, etc, you will see an improvement.

 

[Salincer]

Thanks for the reply,

Yea, i guess i thought it was literally going to be double the speed, but i understand now.

So i messed around with overclocking (which i hate because it either ends up freezing, or BSOD), and came up with this
I think, without Turbo Unlocker, its running at 3568MHz?
While in Prim95 running a "In-place large FFTs" with Turbo Unlocker turned on,
3568.00Mhz (223.00 x 16)
3790.94Mhz (223.00 x 17) <-Turbo Unlocker
VID: 1.3000v
CPU Max Temp: 54'C

IN Turbo V:
CPU Freq = 223Mhz
Cpu Voltage = 1.35V
CPU/NB Voltage = 1.25V
Dram Voltage = 1.5V

And in CPU-Z im getting a Core Voltage of 1.404V


How is this overclock? Do i need to turn anything down? Oh and my memory is at 743.3Mhz, 3:10 FSBram, Is that right for PC-12800 ram? And while im NOT running a stress test, i see my CPU voltage go above 1.5 volts, is that fine?

Thanks a ton for your replys . This is my first build and my first time having a UNLOCKED bios!

 

[Wisecracker]

I would disable Expressgate and the whole AI tweaking thing.

Under the *Advanced* tab look for the 'Jumperfree' menu.

Set CPU OverClocking to *manual* -- Set your CPU/HT clock to 250MHz
Set PCIe Over-Clocking to *manual* -- Lock the PCIe to 100MHz
Set Processor Freq Multiplier to 14.5
Disable Turbo
Set CPU/NB Freq to 10x
Try to bump your CPU OverVoltage off Auto (Up one notch?)
Start LoadLine calibration at 3.225%
Set HT Link Freq to 1800MHz
Set Memory Clock mode to *Manual* -- drop Memclock value to 667
Save and exit BIOS.

I'd leave C&Q on but that's just me. If you think 14.5x250MHz is the same as your 3800 at 2GHz you're doing something wrong :lol:

Check your voltages and test for stability and temps. Post a few CPUz screen shots (the CPU and Memory tabs) so we can see what is going on --- you can use HWMonitor or Asus Probe to monitor your temps.

Let us know how that feels [:jaydeejohn:5]


edit: Abort! Abort! Abort! LOL

Do 15x240MHz instead of 14.5x250MHz --- my math skills are failing me this afternoon.

If you are comfortable with your stability, temps and voltages you may bump to 15.5x240MHz and give it another run.

 

[Salincer]

Thanks for the response Wisecracker;

Set CPU/NB Freq to 10x

I can either set it to Auto, or 1680-6000mhz range

Start LoadLine calibration at 3.225%

I could only disable/enable this from the bios

Set HT Link Freq to 1800MHz

I set it to 1690. I could 'up' it to 1920

Set Memory Clock mode to *Manual* -- drop Memclock value to 667

Couldnt find this, i set the ram frequency to 1600Mhz

My last overclock was unstable? It would just randomly lock off? I tested it for like 30 mins with prime95 and no lockups, but today it has twice.

I set the settings (see pics) to what you recommended and got a BSOD after load test. Said sometihng about memory controller or something.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Cpu.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/cpu2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/cpu3.jpg

 

[Wisecracker]

Alright ... I think I got this :lol:

....
My ram should be at PC3-12800 speed (1600), and under CPU-Z it reads "Max Bandwidth = PC-10700". Part Number F3-12800CL9-4GBRL.

You are trying to run a single stick of 4GB not on the QVL -- and IIRC G.Skill DDR3 on AM3 is normally *-NQ*. There is a possibility that the only way you might fix this is by replacing that single 4GB stick of RAM.

Try your DRAM Freq at 1333MHz - that 667MHz/800MHz thing in CPUz might lead us to believe something might be a bit wacky. Selecting a RAM not on the QVL can lead to the unexpected -- the IMC is defaulting to 1333 because potentially there is a problem here.

Also - disable both TurboCore and the TurboUnLocker. The UL would not apply to your CPU. I would set the CPU/NB Freq to 2000MHz and see if it clocks to 2400MHz when you raise the cpu clock to 240MHz. The HT is fine. Might want to disable the GPU Booster.

15x240MHz should not be an issue -- 16x240MHz is easily within reason. At 1.35v there is a lot of potential not tapped here, and it looks craptastic because of that RAM. Do you have something you can substitute?

And if you are comfortable doing so -- pulling the battery and clearing the CMOS and re-setting defaults for a fresh start is always a good move after a series of BIOS misfires. Asus has a utility which will allow you to save a copy of the ROM file of your BIOS which is always a safe move.

 

[Salincer]

I really appreciate the reply-

In the past couple days ive been running stock CPU. I got an Asus 6870 that ive been playing with this week.

I changed the settings to what you said, but i couldnt get to the CMOS battery because of graphics card (its huge).

Since last night, ive had no BSODs/freeze ups. Right now im running Prime95 (plan to for 5 hours-ish).

Temps are up in the low 50's. I got to a high of 57'C last night because i had the top fan covered and the side of case off.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Computer/Cpu.png

The SS i posted a week or so ago is the same as what it is now. But the "Core Voltage" Spikes from 1.35 to 1.404 under CPU-Z. I also remember that this setup froze up on me last time i ran it. But i will see what will happen.

Is my ram the problem? Sadly, i just bought 2x 4gb G.Skill Ripjaw DDR1600 pc12800 sticks. I plan to return my one stick so i can run this setup in dual channel.

When i tested the ram under memtest86+ v4.10, i noticed the settings were
Settings: RAM: 200 MHz (DDR400).
Which really confused me. I ran it under boot? Ill try the windowed version

Thanks, Brandon

 

[Salincer]

Its been running prime95 blend test for atleast 10 hours and still going. Im thinking it had something to do with the onboard video chipset taking .25gb of my RAM. Under windows, it said i had 3.75gb Usable. After video card installation, it says i have 4gb usable.

So we got her overclocked stable to 3.6ghz!

1. Is my RAM settings/speeds/latency are what they should be at?
2. If i wanted to overclock more, i would probley need a better CPU cooler correct?

Thanks!

 

[Salincer]

Best answer selected by Salincer.

 

[Wisecracker]

6 cores at 3.6GHz/1.356v not good enough for you? :lol:

Its been running prime95 blend test for atleast 10 hours and still going. Im thinking it had something to do with the onboard video chipset taking .25gb of my RAM. Under windows, it said i had 3.75gb Usable. After video card installation, it says i have 4gb usable.

So we got her overclocked stable to 3.6ghz!

1. Is my RAM settings/speeds/latency are what they should be at?
2. If i wanted to overclock more, i would probley need a better CPU cooler correct?

Thanks!

If you compare your timings on the memory tab with the XMP-1600 column you might be a touch off. Low 50s at 1.35v is really good. The voltage spikes are not uncommon with the hex cores but yours is the biggest I've seen - still under max spec, though.

Upgrading your cooling is always a good move -- PhIIs like a little volt tweaking - but not too much. It will help keep your temps down, and hopefully reduce the need for too much volt tweaking.

Next up: 15.5x240MHz [:jaydeejohn:5]

 

[Salincer]

6 cores at 3.6GHz/1.356v not good enough for you? :lol:



If you compare your timings on the memory tab with the XMP-1600 column you might be a touch off. Low 50s at 1.35v is really good. The voltage spikes are not uncommon with the hex cores but yours is the biggest I've seen - still under max spec, though.

Upgrading your cooling is always a good move -- PhIIs like a little volt tweaking - but not too much. It will help keep your temps down, and hopefully reduce the need for too much volt tweaking.

Next up: 15.5x240MHz [:jaydeejohn:5]

Went to 15.5 x240MHz, ran prime95 for about 15 minutes and then opened up AMD overdrive, and then i looked over and my multiplier was at 8!?!? then it went back up to 15.5....im not too sure what happened, or if it was suppose to happen or what. i re-opened AMD overdrive but it didnt happen again.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/Tug_bran612/Computer/werid.png

UPDATE: Ran prime95 overnight and its working flawless at 240x 15.5! I really appreciate the help! Im going to get a CPU fan soon so i can atleast hit 4.0 .

 

[Salincer]

Alright, Changes:
2x 4gb PC12800 DDR3 1600 Ram running in Dual Channel
NH-D14 Noctua CPU Cooler

I tried overclocking it to 4.0ghz by raising the multiplier to 17, but i boot into windows and the screen messes up and restarts?

 

[Wisecracker]

What happened to 16x240MHz?

Did you get greedy? - LOL

3.7GHz at 1.4v and 54c looks really good. Compare those temps to 16x240MHz.

Bump the NB/IMC volts to 1.25v to be on the safe side.

Does it feel a bit more 'snappy' than that x2 3800+, yet?