P45R2000-WiFi BIOS And Overclocking
FSB Frequency | 100 to 800 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | 1.0, 1.2, 1.25, 1.5, 1.60, 1.67, 2.0 |
PCIe Clock | 70 to 160MHz (1 MHz) |
CPU Vcore | 0.81875 to 1.60 Volts (0.00625 Volts) |
CPU FSB Voltage | Low, Middle, High, Highest |
Northbridge (MCH) | Low, Middle, High, Highest |
Southbridge (ICH) | Low, Middle, High, Highest |
DDR2 Voltage | 1.79 - 2.72Volts (0.06 Volts) |
DDR3 Voltage | 1.47 - 2.40Volts ( 0.06 Volts) |
CAS Latency Range | tCAS : 3-7 ; tRCD : 3-10 ; tRP : 3-10 ; tRAS : 9-24 |
Loads of frequency range and DRAM ratios could allow for an exceptional overclock, although the most serious of extreme overclockers will frown on the maximum CPU Core setting of 1.60 volts. The settings are more than adequate for the majority of users, though we were disappointed with the labels “Low, Middle, High, Highest” being applied to the CPU FSB, northbridge, and southbridge voltage.
The BIOS menus are somewhat convoluted starting with a separate “CPU Configuration” menu that contains both FSB and PCIe frequency adjustments.
ASRock’s P45R2000-WiFi “Chipset Settings” menu is where the more complex overclocking begins. The system was able to detect both EPP and XMP technologies for DDR2 and DDR3 DIMMs, and anyone who prefers to adjust only a few timings will be pleased to find “automatic” values for the ones they prefer not to manually configure.
Scrolling down the Chipset menu one finds DRAM RCOMP Strength and DRAM DLL Skew sub-menus, along with onboard device settings.
The bottom of the Chipset menu contains all the voltage settings, even the CPU voltage that we might have expected to find in the “CPU” menu rather than the “Chipset” menu.
ASRock provides far more DRAM Skew adjustments than we’ve ever seen in the mainstream market, but that doesn’t necessarily make this a perfect motherboard for overclocking enthusiasts. Our overclock tests will provide a little better assessment of the P45R2000-WiFi’s capabilities.