Quick and dirty A64 clocking guide **UPDATE** X2 OC information!

[xblyx]

Originally posted by: Toro 45

Originally posted by: xblyx
Got a question...

I have a 939 3000 Winnie with an Epox 9NDA3J

FSB @ 290
8x Multi
3x HTT
CPU @ 1.50 V

Now the question...

I have one 512 MB Cosair Value Select and one 512 MB Corsair LL - Dual Channel
Memsetting is at 100 MHz (so mem is runnnig at 145 MHz)
3-3-3-10 @ 2.60 v @ 1T

I can run Prime95 for a few hours and it passes, MemTest passes, 3dMark03 passes.

But when I run World of Warcraft for 1+ hour it crashes.

I'm beginning to suspect its the RAM since they are different models.

Any advice?

Try one stick at a time, also try bumping up the ram voltage to 2.7 . Once you get it nailed down you should try to bring that ram speed up closer to 200mhz. Stock cooling on your cpu, temps?

I couldn't stand the mismatch RAM, so I went out and got a pair of Mushkin 3200. Now they are matched and running at 183 MHz. It still locked up last night. Stock cooling fan, idle temp 38C, load temp 44C. Maybe I will tinker with the ram speed. Change it to 2T instead of 1T.

Also I'm using Nvidia's drivers instead of Omega to see if that helps.

 

[DKlein]

Originally posted by: Toro 45You don't have to back it down unless you want to, if you have an xp-m that can do 2.53@1.8V
I'd run it like that assuming you have good cooling? If you do pull it back 2.51 or 2.52 you'll probably still need 1.8V. 1.85Volts with good air cooling is considered pretty much the max "sane" voltage for the mobile Bartons, although many have run higher on air.

Thanks. I've decided to go 98% of max-OC instead (just couldn't take a 5% drop), but it didn't quite work. My computer restarted when trying to stress test at 2.48 (98% of 2.53), so I'm stuck at 2.461 it seems. I'm running 1.78V or so, and it worked fine for 25.5hrs P95. I do have very good air cooling, but the extra .05V or so wasn't helping any, so whatever.

Odd thing is with my RAM, though. It's OCZ PC3500 (2.5-4-4-8), and runs stable at 2.5-3-3-7 at stock voltages (it is a bit underclocked in freq), but for no amount of extra voltage can I get any lower latencies at all, even with bumping the other latencies up a good bit. Oh well, 3100ish bandwidth is good enough, I guess.

Now on to that beast of a video card I have, and then a final, 48hr full system test...

 

[theMan]

Hey, this is a really good thread!

I'm just sort of confused with the memory divider settings in my BIOS. THey are:

Auto
1:1 (DDR200)
4:3 (DDR266)
3:2
5:3 (DDR233)
2:1 (DDR400)

I am not really sure what this actually divides the cpu speed by. I know when its at auto and at stock speeds, CPU-Z says the divider is 10. When i pass 2200mhz on auto, it changes to 12. I just dont understand what these ratios mean. THanks a lot for help.

MK

 

[theMan]

oops, im very sorry. I should have proofread before i posted. It should say 5:3 (DDR333)

not 233

 

[swindelljd]

I believe the max memory setting AND the cpu multiplier work together. So to say that setting your max mem to 333 means a 5:6 (or 400 * 0.833) ratio based on 333/400 is a bit of an over simplification.

I believe the formula is actually
Round(CPU Multiplier / (Max Mem/400),0)

So for example
Mem Divider = 266
CPU Multiplier = 8
Effective Mem Divider = 12
FSB = 300
CPU Mhz = 2400
Mem Mhz = 200

A slightly more complicated example (my runtime settings):
Mem Divider = 266
CPU Multiplier = 8.5
Effective Mem Divider = 13
FSB = 306.5
CPU Mhz = 2605.4
Mem Mhz = 200.4

I created a matrix and checked a couple of these with CPU-z and I got the result I predicted. I'd appreciate any feedback.

NOTE: Save the following as a csv and then open in excel.
---START CSV---
,,,,CPU Multiplier ,,
Memory Divider,Ratio (Divider/400),9,8.5,8,7.5,7
500,1.25,7,7,6,6,6
433,1.0825,8,8,7,7,6
400,1,9,9,8,8,7
333,0.8325,11,10,10,9,8
266,0.665,14,13,12,11,11
200,0.5,18,17,16,15,14
---END CSV---

However I don't think that is the end to the memory throughput mystery. I dont quite have a handle on the formula for different memory latency settings.

John

 

[theMan]

yeah, really dont understand that stuff. too confusiing for me. i guess if i actually thought about it, i could understand, but im too lazy...

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: theman
Hey, this is a really good thread!

I'm just sort of confused with the memory divider settings in my BIOS. THey are:

Auto
1:1 (DDR200)
4:3 (DDR266)
3:2
5:3 (DDR333)
2:1 (DDR400)

I am not really sure what this actually divides the cpu speed by. I know when its at auto and at stock speeds, CPU-Z says the divider is 10. When i pass 2200mhz on auto, it changes to 12. I just dont understand what these ratios mean. THanks a lot for help.

MK

think i figured it out. i came to the conclusion that Asus is really not so bright. THey think that DDR200 means the RAM runs at 200mhz. and ddr400 means it runs at 400mhz. So, 5:3 (ddr333) means that when the HTT is set at 200, the ram runs at 333. so its 5x200/3. that is 333. I dont know why this is. If im wrong please tell me. I think i'll just let it run on auto. i should be fine

Also, the Hypertransport bus settings in my bios are different than most. there is no multiplyer, but fixed values like 1000, 800, and 600. does this mean these values are locked and i dont need to change them when increasing HTT?

Edit: ok, confused. i set the HT value to 1000. then changed the FSB to 205. in Everest Home Edition, it says by HT link frequency is 1000mhz. but in Central Brain Identifier, it says it is 1025, which would mean this setting is actually 5x. not sure which one to believe. im leaning towards CBId. VERY strange setting, why dont they just use 5x, 4x, etc?

 

[dsorrent]

Ok, I'm confused with step 1 in the original post... I'm running a K8N Neo2 Platinum Mobo.. I have options such as:

HT Frequency [1x, 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x, 4x, 5x]
CPU Ratio [x4-x12]
CPU FSB Frequency [200-300]

Which one is the LDT and which is the HTT and then what is that other one?

Thanks in advance!

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: dsorrent
Ok, I'm confused with step 1 in the original post... I'm running a K8N Neo2 Platinum Mobo.. I have options such as:

HT Frequency [1x, 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x, 4x, 5x]
CPU Ratio [x4-x12]
CPU FSB Frequency [200-300]

Which one is the LDT and which is the HTT and then what is that other one?

Thanks in advance!

hi,

HT Frequency(ldt multiplyer) is the frequency of the Hypertransport Bus. This speed is calculated by multiplying this number by the speed of the FSB (also called HTT). This speed should not exeed 1000mhz, so dont forget to lower it when increasing the FSB(HTT). CPU Ratio (also called CPU multiplyer) is used to give the core speed of the CPU. The core speed is calculated by the CPU ratio multiplyed by the FSB(HTT). Hope this helps! Have fun.

 

[msi1337]

thanks for the guide!

I got my 3000+ winchester up to 2450mhz today using my Antec 380 psu!

 

[brettf1]

Thanks from me too.

I got my 3200+ winchester up to 2600Mhz on my Soltek K8TPro-939. 2700 Mhz was max but I scaled it back for ease of mind.


HTT=260
CPU multplier=10 (duh)
Memory Divider 6:5
Vcore 1.525
LDT multipler 3x

The memory divider was key for me - I could only get 2300 w/o it.

 

[msi1337]

whats the best option for running my 3000+ the most stable at stock voltage at 2200mhz?

can anyone give me the best settings for a DFI Lanparty Ultra -D?

 

[foges]

Thanks for the great tut, but im a bit confused. Firstly, where can i set the memory to spd and 100? and secondly where can i change the vcore? (is it the same as cpu voltage)?

-------
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2@2.5 (939, 130nm)
Asus A8V deluxe (Via)
512Mb*4 Ram (kingston)
-------

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: foges
Thanks for the great tut, but im a bit confused. Firstly, where can i set the memory to spd and 100? and secondly where can i change the vcore? (is it the same as cpu voltage)?

-------
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2@2.5 (939, 130nm)
Asus A8V deluxe (Via)
512Mb*4 Ram (kingston)
-------

I have the exact same mobo. To set the mem speed to 100 go to [Advanced]>[CPU Configuration]>[Memory] then find MemClockMode and change it to [Limit]. Then you will have more options. Select 1:1 DDR200. to change the VCore go to [Advanced]>[CPU Speed/Voltage Configuration]>[cpu multiplyer and voltage settings (or something like that)] and the VCore will show up. those are the two things they decided to hide i guess.

 

[foges]

ok, thanx a lot. regarding the vcore, it doesnt say vcore. it says cpu voltage. Thanx a ton . How far up do you get it btw? anything settings you would suggest that work well for you?

 

[theMan]

well, as it says in the guide, and what i would recommend is: dont go over 1.6-1.65v on your 130nm. unless of course you really know what you are doing, have really good cooling, and arent afraid of breaking your cpu. basically i would just follow this guide. it will work very well for you.

I got my 3200+ 90nm (stock 2000mhz) up to 2700mhz at 1.5v. lowered it a bit since then. Make sure you go into the bios, i think where the cpu voltage is, and set the agp/pci frequency from [auto] to [66.66/33.33]. If you are running a sata drive or raid array, i recommend using the promise ports (the red ones on the bottom) because i think the pci lock doesnt work on the via controller. still looking into it though. if you go above 220 htt without the lock you will end up, as i did, having to reinstall windows, or formatting your hard drive. If you are using the via controller, and want to switch, go into the bios, to [advanced]>[onboard devices config]> and enable the promise controller. then change it to [onboard ide operate] if you have a single sata drive, or [raid mode if you are running a raid array]. leave your drive(s) in the via port and go into windows. put in your setup cdrom and install the drivers for the promise controller. shut down the computer and plug your drive(s) into the promise port, boot up, and that should be it. i dont know much about raid, since i dont use it, but i know this works for a single drive.

also, it isnt recommended to fill all four slots with ram. this can slow down your system a considerable amount. just letting you know...

good luck!

 

[foges]

ok, thanx a lot. i dont run any sata or raid drives. Ive heared before about the problem with too much ram do you know how much it affects you and would it help to have 3 of the slots filled up?

 

[theMan]

Running 4 sticks is very bad. apparently with 4 sticks you are only able to run 2T command. It decreases bandwidth a lot. I have heard you can lose up to 10% performance. im not sure about three. it doesnt seem like you would want three though. my suggestion would be to just get 1024 mb with two sticks dual channel. just two sticks will give the best performance. i dont think you will ever need more than 1gb of ram, so you dont need the xtra stick.

btw, i have noticed with that board, and some others, that low speed fans, like 120mm that run below 2000rpm, can make the mobo less stable. you can turn off the speed monitor on these fans and it will correct this problem. to do this with the a8v deluxe, go to [power]>[hardware monitor] and select your low speed fan. you will have an option for [ignore] use it. after doing this in my bios, i was able to increase the htt by 16 more than i could before.

 

[foges]

ok, i just tried to oc again with the instructions and i got 50 MHZ now (2.55 GHz) more . I basically took out two extra sticks of ram. Then i changed the mem thing and got my max safe cpu to be 238. Then i changed th voltage to 1.65 and tried to oc. I now get up to 132 stable. I was a bit dissapointed, so i tried to put all the ram back in and changing the Select 1:1 DDR200 back to auto. Everything still runs fine. Wierd.

 

[theMan]

i guess im not quite sure what you mean. what do you mean by saying you could only get to 132 stable? is this your fsb? the board doesnt allow less than 200. please clarify, and i can try to help you. make sure you run your two sticks in the A1 and B1 slots when running dual channel. it is the first blue slot from the left, and the first black one from the left. look in the manual.

 

[foges]

oops, yeah sorry i mean 232 fsb.
Regarding the ram, i did put it in the first and third slot.

 

[theMan]

thats very strange. I was able to get my fsb up to 300, and my chip cant reach 3000, i dont think. however, i like to leave my multiplyer at 10. Anyway, make sure you have your multiplyer at 6 or 7, BTW the A64 does not support half multiplyers. using them makes your system unstable, at least to my knowledge. why those settings are in the bios, i dont know. just stick to whole numbers. ok, change the mem divider to ddr200, and set your hypertransport frequency to 600. that actually means 3*fsb. keep it under 1000. what are your full specs? that might be helpful

 

[foges]

ok, i changed the ht to 600 and it allowed me to get my fsb up to 260 (stable) at 7 cpu multi. I then put the cpu multi to 10 and tried. I get to the fsb to 255, before my mouse fails. Either i am really stupid or something is going wrong for me.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Zebo
-Set mem to SPD and 100, this will take memory out of equation

not sure what you mean by this, could you clarify? set what to 100?

 

[theMan]

ok, xtknight. spd just means that you want to have all the memory settings on auto. also, the default mode for your board is for ddr400 ram. however, when you overclock the htt, it also overclocks the ram, causing your system to crash. to ensure that your ram is at a low frequency so you can find your max htt, you need to set it to the lowest setting. i have an a8v deluxe, so im not sure where that setting is in your bios. look in the manual. it should say like 2:1 ddr 200 or something like that, or in my case it says 1:1. not sure why since this makes it seem like the ram is running with the htt, when its actually the lowest setting. oh well...