overclocking my 2.4c to 3.0

[eshtog]

I have a abit is7, geil 2x dual golden dragon pc4000

would I leave it at 1:1? and all I would do is just raise my fsb too 250 right? and other things I should do
oh yeah I have a 7000cu

 

[o1die]

Use the 5:4 ratio with 250 fsb. Those settings will permit the cpu to run in sink with the memory at 3.0. If it doesn't post, you'll have to bump up the cpu vcore to 1.55-1.6 and try again. You can usually press down the "insert" key and get the board to post at the default setting without having to use the cmos jumper. Many people won't raise the voltage for fear of shortening the cpu life. Just for your info, a gigabyte 8sq800 had a default cpu vcore of 1.57, so I doubt that this voltage range will hurt anything. Main goal is stability whether at 2.4 or 3.0.

 

[eshtog]

you dont think pc4000 is enought to run it at 1:1?

 

[Technonut]

Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
you dont think pc4000 is enought to run it at 1:1?

I have read that the Geil should run at what you are shooting for.... Be sure to set the proper VDIMM and timings though.

 

[eshtog]

what should the timings and vdimm be set at I dont want to screw things up

 

[bacillus]

Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
you dont think pc4000 is enought to run it at 1:1?

hmm, pc4000 should run 1:1 at ddr500

 

[TOPACTION]

what do you mean by 1-1 ... 5-4... need some help

 

[Technonut]

Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
what should the timings and vdimm be set at I dont want to screw things up

CAS 3 8-4-4-3 2T Running @ DDR500Mhz PC4000 / 2.5V-2.9V (I would start at 2.8V)

EDIT: Above specs from Geil

 

[infinite012]

Originally posted by: TOPACTION
what do you mean by 1-1 ... 5-4... need some help

CPU:Memory ratio. Example: You want the CPU to run at a FSB of 250MHz and you want the memory (which is DDR500) to run in synch with the FSB to achieve maximum performance. This is when you use 1:1 ratio. If you have DDR400 memory like me, then you use the 5:4 ratio, meaning 250 divide by 5, times 4 = 200MHz (DDR400). 5:4 = 250:200.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: o1die
Use the 5:4 ratio with 250 fsb. Those settings will permit the cpu to run in sink with the memory at 3.0.

If you're running a 5:4 memory divider then you're not running the memory in sync. That's the whole idea behind a memory divider... to run the memory and FSB async so you can attain higher clock speeds.

meaning 250 divide by 5, times 4 = 200MHz (DDR400). 5:4 = 250:200

Maybe more simply put... 5:4 = 4/5ths = 80%

 

[TOPACTION]

ok so what its the best thing to do to overclock my 2.8c... because right now I cannot go over 210 with my 3200 corsair memory but im running like you said 1-1 since my system clock is 210 and my bus speed is 840 so it give me a speed of 2941 mhz.

does the best thing i can do is to put my memory 333 and put my clock speed to 250 ?
so i can get like 3500 mhz ??

 

[eshtog]

ok I am a little confused here are my ram setting options

CAS Latency Time 2.5
ACT to precharge 7
Dram RAS# to CAS# Delay 4
Dram RAS# Precharge 4

so what should I set these at and is there anything else?

 

[eshtog]

anyone?

 

[stevejst]

CAS Latency Time 2.5
ACT to precharge 7
Dram RAS# to CAS# Delay 4
Dram RAS# Precharge 4

First let me just say that you have the very best memory on the market there is. For Intel system. GEIL memory is very unlikely to be incompatible with Intel motherboard, in fact at the compatibility ranks the #1, bar none.
The settings you have is a soft spot, meaning you would have it at 250 on 1:1 and maybe higher in optimal bandwidth.

If you intend to use 5:4 divider the GEIL should run at 2-6-3-2 (in the way you and GEIL put it), which is the most aggressive in case of GEIL. If the memory fails (learn about Memtest86 and run it on every boot into new settings) you should try 3-8-4-4 which is another soft spot. You should be able to run that at 270 on 1:1. Get yourself AIDA32 and use it to determine the optimal bandwidth, it is not neccessarily the one on 1:1 or on the highest bus.
Get a test software called PCMark2002 (search google) and run it. GEIL should pass 10,000 mark there using 250 at 1:1 at the settings you have. It should pass 10,500 mark using the same settings at 260 on 1:1. It should also pass 10,500 mark using 270 at 1:1 on 3-8-4-4 settings.

Set voltage to 2.8V, GEIL can take it without a problem. Set GAT at "auto" and if you have no problems try with "street racer" settings. To improve performance clean any excessive wiring around DIMM slots and instal a fan that blows in that direction.
You will gain 2-3 MHz on FSB in an air-conditioned space as compared to the one that is not.

 

[eshtog]

what should the voltage on the cpu be 1.5?

 

[stevejst]

The default is 1.525. Increase up to 1.625V is prudent if you have a decent cooling of CPU.
Due to the thermal protection of the CPU you will not see significant improvement of the overclocking ability of the CPU unless you install some decent CPU cooling. Meaning there will be a ceiling you will not be able to cross over, no matter what voltage, unless you move to Minnesota or use performance cooling solutions. That ceiling will likely be somewhere between 3.00 and 3.25 GHz.
Intel CPU has intrinsic thermal protection unlike AMD processors therefore it can even be run without a fan (it would creep!) but that is not very smart.

Run two tests to determine what is enough. One is called Prime95 (freeware) and another is 3DMark2001SE (evaluation is freeware). These two will put your CPU at a strain, meaning run them only if you have a decent cooling (air-conditioned room is example). The first one will also show you the maximal temperature your CPU can reach at 100% utilization. You need to monitor temperatures during the tests. The second one will show you the stability of the setup. GEIL has no problem with these tests. Your setup can be considered stable only if you can pass both in few hours run each.

You can feel very confident that these tests will show you the ultimate stability of your setup.

 

[eshtog]

I dont know what the problem is but I tried setting the fsb at 250 and did everything you told me I set the ram at 3 8 4 4 uped the voltage too 2.8, put on agp/pci locks raised the cpu voltage 1.625, and the computer would turn on but I would get no video on the screen what am I doing wrong?

 

[stevejst]

Go lower, say 240 and test with the tests as said before. Once again:
1. Prime95 will test your chipset and CPU. If it fails it means your CPU cannot take it. You do not need to increase the voltage of the CPU if it passes Prime95, there are no benefits of doing so.
2. MemTest86 will test your memory in small blocks, meaning the quality of your chip but it will not tell you anything about the stability of the system.
3. 3DMark2001SE will test overall stability of your system, memory compatibility, and large block usage of memory.

Also monitor the temperatures of the CPU. At some point that will degrade the performance due to the temperature guards of the CPU. You must monitor the temperatures since that will among other things tell you whether or not your cooling is adequate.

You gotta go through that process slowly and metodically, no recipe exists for every system, only patience.
The three timings are the timings GEIL "likes," meaning 2-6-3-2 (aggressive), 2-7-4-4 and 2.5-7-4-4 (medium), and 3-8-4-4 (slow). Make sure to understand what every number means.

I tested a lot of memory on many systems and my personal opinion is that GEIL is the top memory on the market as far as Intel CPUs are concerned, short of OCZ Gold which I don't have so I don't know about it.

Another thing -- if you do not have adequate ventilation in your case you can forget about overclocking because that can mean sometimes more than 10C difference in the temperatures of the chipset, CPU, and memory.

 

[eshtog]

well I even tried 220 fsb and had the same problem

 

[stevejst]

There must be a point where you can boot. Start from there. I found a couple of soft spots on my last system (where I think the performance is rewarding) but it took me a couple of days for each one of them.

 

[eshtog]

ok I raised the fsb to 220 and raised the voltage too 1.6 didnt change anything to the ram its still running at 2.5 7 4 4 now what do you think I should do next to get it too 250 fsb?

 

[infinite012]

You're using GeIL ram so feed it the freakin 2.8V!!!

 

[stevejst]

Use maximum voltage your board is capable of on the memory. GEIL needs a lot of juice and believe me it can take it. It has copper heatsink with gold/platinum layer and it is able to sustain high voltages. Anything below 3.0V is just fine with GEIL sticks.

 

[eshtog]

hmmm I dont know whats wrong but this what I did set ram at 3-8-4-4, raised volt to ram too 2.8 made fsb 230, raised cpu colt 1.625, put on agp/pci locks

system turns on but no video what is the problem what should I try next?

 

[stevejst]

Write down full specs of your system, how many fans, what power supply etc.
If you did not run MemTest86 yet on the boot in every boot run it. Tell us what is the lowest FSB it makes errors and what are the timings and vdimm that happens.