Overclocking Guide

[Jaimie]

Originally posted by: StriderGT
Shouldn't my little puppy be included in the guide?!?
Seriously now I think that many of the ever reappearing questions regarding overclocking Athlon 64 how to would be avoided if the OCA64 Calculator was made somehow sticky...

Hey, I'd really love to use your Calculator, but it' says it is password protected. Any help?

 

[StriderGT]

Originally posted by: Jaimie

Originally posted by: StriderGT
Shouldn't my little puppy be included in the guide?!?
Seriously now I think that many of the ever reappearing questions regarding overclocking Athlon 64 how to would be avoided if the OCA64 Calculator was made somehow sticky...

Hey, I'd really love to use your Calculator, but it' says it is password protected. Any help?

You can change the green items in order to do ALL your calulations...
For safety reasons, in order not to destroy the underlying equations by accident, all else is locked...

 

[WaiWai]

Originally posted by: HoMeZ
What program is good to test RAM? Should I use some feature in Prime95 or use another program?

- memtest86 (http://www.memtest86.com/)
It is run in DOS mode, without starting Windows.
It is supposed to check RAM, but it could alos check your CPU and motherboard as well.
This program is very good. It can find errors other memory-test programs can't.

 

[jelifah]

Since this is the n00b guide, I'll post my n00b question here. I've got a Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra 939, a AMD 3200+ Socket 939 Processor, and Mushkin PC3200 RAM.

In your guide you mentioned that not only do I need to push up the FSB, but I also need to overclock RAM. I'm confused as to how high, and when, I should push the RAM up. Can I just increase the FSB alone and if the system is unstable THEN overlock the RAM ? Or should I be overclocking the RAM as I am overclocking the FSB?

My hope/intent is to push the 3200+ to 2.2 or 2.4 with the Zalman 7700, which based on other posts I've read through isn't asking TOO much.

As a footnote Gigabyte includes with the mobo a software package called EasyTune which allows you to overclock the system in Windows. Do you think this program handles the overclock of RAM and FSB itself, or, as with a lot of software, it'd be better to set them manually in the BIOS?

Thank you for your patience

- Jelifah

 

[Nait Sirhc]

Originally posted by: jelifah
Since this is the n00b guide, I'll post my n00b question here. I've got a Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra 939, a AMD 3200+ Socket 939 Processor, and Mushkin PC3200 RAM.

In your guide you mentioned that not only do I need to push up the FSB, but I also need to overclock RAM. I'm confused as to how high, and when, I should push the RAM up. Can I just increase the FSB alone and if the system is unstable THEN overlock the RAM ? Or should I be overclocking the RAM as I am overclocking the FSB?

My hope/intent is to push the 3200+ to 2.2 or 2.4 with the Zalman 7700, which based on other posts I've read through isn't asking TOO much.
- Jelifah

Here are a few things you need to watch out for. This are all based on my experiences with overclocking my A64 2800+ NewCastle CG.

CPU-Z will report your Memory Frequency. Since you're running PC3200, you're 200Mhz. Try to keep this number as close to 200mhz as possible, unless you want to start overclocking your RAM. You can adjust this by popping open the Advanced Chipset Menu in BIOS (hit Ctrl-F1 on Gigabyte boards). You have options of 133, 166, and 200. Going lower won't hurt you; if you find that after you select your desired FSB that your memory frequency is too high, drop it to 166.

You can set an AGP lock in the Freq/Voltage options. I have my board running at 270mhz FSB (2403.1mhz actual clock speeds on a 1.8ghz chip, heh) and I'm using Gigabyte's big heat-piped heatsink/fan combo, with 1.6v to the CPU and +0.1 to DIMM. If you start getting really high FSB overclocks (anything higher than 250) you will need to drop your HT from 4x to 3x or lower (the board doesn't like >1ghz HTT)

The easiest way to overclock with that combo is to raise your FSB by small increments, go into Windows, and run your tests. If Windows gives you an error before it even boots, you need to go back into BIOS and correct something. The board's relatively intuitive at preventing bad combinations; if you create a combination that will cause a lot of chaos, the board reboots with a long 'beep' and defaults back to 200mhz. This, of course, means you will have to start all over from scratch.

You, however, were writing down all the steps you had taken up to that point, right?

 

[jelifah]

Thank you for your detailed response. I think I finally bought a clue and understand what I should be doing.

Follow-up question: <Answered in another topic>

This FAQ was great, I appreciate it immensely. Throwing caution to the wind I dropped my RAM to 166, HT to 4x, and moved my FSB to 240. Thank you Mr. 2.4 GhZ processor!

I'm quite happy with that, but the tweaker in me wants to try for 2.6, and then I imagine 2.8. Does it ever stop!?!?

- Jelifah 'Yeah, I know I am clueless'

 

[ppaik]

cool....I never really understand OC til now. Thanks for the post...and btw that clip was hilarious

 

[FiveHorizons]

Great post. It helped a lot with my basic understanding of OCing.

 

[nubreed000]

Very good guide. Now if only I could apply it and do a good OC on my comp.

I have a few questions though. One, I have a 420W power supply, and my system looks like this: Athlon 64 3000+, 6600GT, OCZ EL DDR400 (2-3-2-6).....is there a way to monitor how much power my whole system is consuming so I know how much I can spare? I heard that if a component is underpowered then it will cause problems, so I wanna know how much room I have to work with.

Also, since you say that the multipliers are locked, it looks like my only option is to fool around with the FSB and Memory Clock Speed with the use of a divider. WTF is that? Is that something that you set in the BIOS? Or do you just simply set the 2 different speeds at a ratio to eachother.

Man, this looks like a really indimidating task. On average, how much of an OC is possible on a A64 3000+ (winchester)? I've seen a lot of people who managed to clock it all the way up to 2.4...is that possible with stock HSF, and the specs that I got. I know you said each system is different...but take a guess

Thanks for the guide again. It cleared up a lot of things for me.

 

[kyarchon]

One of the best starter guides i have ever seen. Kudos!

 

[rickyman]

ygpm

 

[Marktoloba]

Nicely Done, I'm an newbie to OC'ing and it helped me alot.

Thanks again

 

[ayman]

*gasp* amazing thread!!!!! Helps out x100000

Thanks! :beer:

 

[tminter]

Could anyone tell me where i could get some software to overclock my pc from the desktop as i can't get to it via BIOS.

 

[UberL33tJarad]

ClockGen
http://www.cpuid.com/clockgen.php

 

[Baldeagle76]

Awesome. This guide helped me to understand more than any google search of overclocking ever did. Really, for you to take the time to write this down for people who don't understand the basics, I really appreciate it. Now that I understand it should be fun to play with my athlon xp 2100+ . I have had it for two years and never overclocked. If it's life span goes down that is okay cuz technically already obsolete .

Just one thing. I don't understand the Overclocking of ram section in your guide. Since I have a 2100 and ddr400 ram I want to try a FSB of 250 and a multiplier of 8.5 (incrementally of course) which is 2125mhz, but I don't think I understand how this will work with the ram. Should I change the SPD settings at all or are you just saying to give the ram more volts (up to manufacturer spec's) until the system becomes stable? Should SPD settings be set manually? I know you posted what ideal settings are (2-2-2-5, but not even the listed settings on your Ram are that low) but what are some generic settings that should work well with FSB increases? Any reading suggestions to learn more about ram timings?

Again man, let me say, thank you. I understand the basic concept of OC'ing because of this guide. Thanks.

 

[Baldeagle76]

A couple of things I forgot to ask

One : that registry tweak on your website, does it work with Athlon's too?

Two : Since I have an XP 2100+ I am looking to upgrade and stay with socket a for approximately two years. I would be able to overclock the processor since I don't intend to keep it for longer than that. My question is this, does the listed stock FSB of a cpu matter if you are going to be OC'ing it ? For instance I read that the Athlon XP Mobile 2400+ was a great overclock canidate since it only runs at 35watts; however, I noticed on NewEgg it is listed at 266mhz FSB theoretical or 133mhz practical (I only know this because I read your guide hehe). I have a mobo and ram that supports 200mhz FSB. Is the listed FSB of the CPU important or will it be irrelevant because you would be trying to set the FSB manually to >225 mhz anyway? This one has me confused. Thanks if you could help. If you can't, I already love you for the guide !

 

[UberL33tJarad]

The FSB is quad-pumped. Take the FSB and divide it by four to get the effective speed. 800fsb / 4 = 200mhz. The ram speed is a ratio of the effective FSB. The ratio is FSB:RAM. The ratios are 1:1, 5:4, 3:2, and possibly others.

The SPD only controls the timings. Lower is better, but can make your system unstable. If you oc and let the mobo control the timings, it'll set it to the highest timings (slowest) speeds. Find out the best timings by setting them at highest and working your way down. Go up if unstable. Only generic ram doesn't tell you the ram speeds are on the chip itself.

More on ram timings here.


--EDIT--

One: Works with processors with cache (all processors soldtoday)

Two: Athlon XP aren't that great anymore and they've stopped making faster processors for them. The fastest is 3200+, which you could buy <$200 now, but need a board that supports 400fsb (200mhz). Don't bother.
Get an LGA775 (Intel) or socket 939 (Athlon 64 and FX). Athlon 64 are affordable, as are Intel's processors for LGA775. I recommend Athlon 64, maybe a 3200+ and oc until you upgrade. Intel will be releasing dual-core procs on LGA775. Either way is fair gain, but AMD's looks more promising.

 

[Baldeagle76]

wow, thanks for answering my Q's. since I am AMD not intel (according to your guide) I am only dual pumped not quad pumped. I think I might have confused you on some points, sorry !

I guess how do I work my way down ? If my timings are (hypothetical, I am not at my computer to check my bios to see what they are) 6-4-5-9 then I should try lowering them all by one at the same time? ie 5-3-4-8? Is that what you are saying?

So with your registry tweak are there any precautions? Got any cool videos to link to what happens to Cpu's when the registry is tweaked too much serious though, any possible damage with that ? because otherwise it seems too good to be true and I wonder why everyone is not posting that information. Is the registry tweak considered overclocking? will the reg tweak alone, without overclocking the cpu raise the cpu temps?


I have a board that supports 400mhz FSB, asus a7n8x deluxe, and I download the latest bios. I specifically want to hold out for about two years to see what happens with s939 and pci express. There seems to be some kinks worked out. I don't have that need to be on the bleeding edge I would just like to reasonably raise the performance of my system without breaking the bank ! I guess that is why I asked all those FSB questions. My hypothesis after reading your guide is that the listed FSB on the retail box for an AMD cpu would not matter if you are going to overclock the cpu. If overclocking then you are going to set the FSB to higher than 400mhz anyway (over 200mhz in the bios) so it doesn't matter what is listed. But since I am kinda new I guess I was looking for confirmation.

Okay, I promise last time, thanks for your awesome guide.

 

[UberL33tJarad]

Yea, double-pumped.

Don't bother with the tweak for now.

If you have an AGP videocard now, then you'll have to get a PCI-Express.

Overclocking raises temps, but not as much as increasing the voltage does.

Timings don't go that high. Mine go from 2-2-2-5 to 3-4-4-8. I doubt the first three numbers can do 5-3-4.

The FSB shown fo the processor does matter. With Athlon XP and Intel, you want lower multis with high FSB. High FSB allows larger memory bandwidth.

 

[Baldeagle76]

thanks for link to that discussion. I am basically a gamer. I like to surf the internet, wife sells stamps, and I play games when she lets me. I love my games so basically it sounds like ram timings won't make a difference to me in that arena.

 

[spaceghost21]

Wow! Thanks for this great guide, I've tried overclocking before but I've never been able to find a guide that explained in ways I could understand until now. I've OC'd my A64 3000 to 223*9=2000Mhz but that seems to be the highest it'll, I can't get it to post anyhigher and I'm giving the RAM as much voltage as my BIOs will allow (2.9v). I'd like to go further, but I'm more than happy, HL2 is flying now. Thanks for all the help!

 

[StriderGT]

Originally posted by: UberL33tJarad
Jarad's Guide to Overclocking
...
FSB:RAM Ratio: If you want to raise your FSB to a higher speed than your RAM supports, you have the option of running your RAM at a lower speed than your FSB. This is done using an FSB:RAM ratio. Basically, the FSB:RAM ratio allows you to select numbers that set up a ratio between your FSB and RAM speeds. So, say you are using the PC-3200 (DDR 400) RAM that I mentioned before which runs at 200MHz. But you want to raise your FSB to 250MHz to overclock your CPU. Obviously, your RAM will not appreciate the raised FSB speed and will most likely cause your system to crash. To solve this, you can set up a 5:4 FSB:RAM ratio. Basically, this ratio will mean that for every 5MHz that your FSB runs at, your RAM will only run at 4MHz.

To make it easier, convert the 5:4 ratio to a 100:80 ratio. So for every 100MHz your FSB runs at, your RAM will only run at 80MHz. Basically, this means that your RAM will only run at 80% of your FSB speed. So with your 250MHz target FSB, running in a 5:4 FSB:RAM ratio, your RAM will be running at 200MHz, which is 80% of 250MHz. This is perfect, since your RAM is rated for 200MHz.

This solution, however, isn't ideal. Running the FSB and RAM with a ratio causes gaps in between the time that the FSB can communicate with the RAM. This causes slowdowns that wouldn't be there if the RAM and the FSB were running at the same speed. If you want the most speed out of your system, using an FSB:RAM ratio wouldn't be the best solution.
...

This particular part of the Overclocking Guide DOES NOT apply to the Athlon 64 procs. It needs to be revised to reflect that the dividers are calculated in a more complicated manner resulting in lower memory frequencies than the above calculations...
Most importantly there is NO SLOWDOWN when you are using ratios in A64 and it is the only advised way to reach a decent ocing result with a 3000+ or a 3200+.

Originally posted by: spaceghost21
Wow! Thanks for this great guide, I've tried overclocking before but I've never been able to find a guide that explained in ways I could understand until now. I've OC'd my A64 3000 to 223*9=2000Mhz but that seems to be the highest it'll, I can't get it to post anyhigher and I'm giving the RAM as much voltage as my BIOs will allow (2.9v). I'd like to go further, but I'm more than happy, HL2 is flying now. Thanks for all the help!

You've barelly scratched the surface of your A64 overclocking potential. You can reach 2500MHz pretty easilly by the use of dividers... If you've got MS Excel just use the calculator below to see how to choose your BIOS settings.

 

[UberL33tJarad]

I don't have an Athlon 64. From what I've read around the internet about A64, this is the concept but not exact. Rogue_Jedi did added that part. If you have a better way of putting it, please do so.

 

[spaceghost21]

As you can probaly tell, I'm a total noob at this. I didn't see anything in the quide about dividers, is that when I lower the RAM from 200Mhz to say 166Mhz or 133Mhz? I tried using your calculator but I was a little confused.

Thanks a ton!