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

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: 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

ok, thanks for trying to help. i set the 'max ram frequency' to 100mhz...is that what he's talking about? however, i still go into cpu-z and my memory is operating at half my htt (222 MHz), making it 111 MHz.

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: 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.

what kind of cooling do you have? stock? that may be the problem. otherwise it might be your chip. those 3500+, especially the 130nm, don't overclock as well as the 3000+ and 3200+ winnies. maybe you got a chip with bad stepping. what is your vcore at? you can safely set it at 1.65. that should get you above 255x10.

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: 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

ok, thanks for trying to help. i set the 'max ram frequency' to 100mhz...is that what he's talking about? however, i still go into cpu-z and my memory is operating at half my htt (222 MHz), making it 111 MHz.

this setting doesnt insure that your memory runs at 100. however, you can say that, because with the default of 200 htt, it will run at 100. this setting just means it runs at half your htt. you'll have a hard time getting your htt high enough to even get neer your stock memory speed, so memory is completely out of the equation.

 

[foges]

Originally posted by: theman

Originally posted by: 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.

what kind of cooling do you have? stock? that may be the problem. otherwise it might be your chip. those 3500+, especially the 130nm, don't overclock as well as the 3000+ and 3200+ winnies. maybe you got a chip with bad stepping. what is your vcore at? you can safely set it at 1.65. that should get you above 255x10.

Im using a Zalman Cu cooler. The temperature shouldnt be a problem, on normal websurfing use the temp is 34C. My vcore is at 1.65. I guess my chip just wont do any better. Ok, thanx for the help though

 

[theMan]

well, just keep tinkering with it. make sure your memory isnt holding you back, and try changing the combinations of multipliers and fsb. your multiplier goes up to 11 right? try that with a lower fsb.

 

[foges]

i had the multipliers on 11 to start off with. i just changed it down to 10 last time. Oh well, 3.55 ghz is good enough.

 

[theMan]

hmmmm that seems strange. what power supply do you have?

 

[foges]

some crappy LC-Power Powersupply (550 w)

 

[theMan]

well, if you keep the temps inside your case way down, the psu will supply the most power. thats the only thing i can suggest.

 

[Orac]

Helo.. i'm a noob.. i'm using

AMD64 3200+ (S939)
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum (NVIDIA nforce3 chip)
Crossair XMS3200 512 400Mhz(dual (2x256))


By using Zebo tips on the first page i got my:

1. Safe HTT on FSB=266
2. Max CPU Speed FSB=235= 2350Mhz(my prime)
3. Max Memory Speed FSB= 232

So.. for the first time i OC

HT=4x
HTT=x9
FSB=248
2.5-4-3-7 1T (166)

Now it's run 2233Mhz (248x9) with RAM 205 (166).. stable for 12 hours Prime.

Question:

1. Please Comment
2. Am i doing a right thing?
3. What can i do to make it better OC (more than 2233)
4. I've seen other using a same processor but can run 2.51Mhz.. how?..
5. My safe mem is 232.. is that meant that i can't OC more than that?
6. What's the different between Pentium and AMD? Which one is better?

Thanks!!!! please show me the knowledge!!!

 

[theMan]

first of all, what core do you have? winchester? that is important. the winchesters are much better overclockers than the other cores. they are cooler and have lower voltages. with these 90nm cores you can set the vcore up to 1.55v. if you have a 130nm chip like the newcassle, you can go up to 1.65v. ok, so, you couldnt post higher than 266 fsb? so if that is as high as it goes, set the voltage as high as zebo recommended. then set the multiplyer to 10, and work your way up to 266 fsb. when your chip has an error within the first 5 minutes if prime, reduce it by 5%. set it to that value, and run prime for 12-14 hrs. when you do this, make sure your memory is on the lowest setting. you can see this in cpu-z. if your memory goes over the limit, it will cause prime to fail even if your cpu can be overclocked way more than that. remember, cpu speed is king.

5. dont let your memory hold you back. set it on the lowest setting util you find your max stable cpu overclock. then leave the cpu alone, and increase the memory speed as close as you can to the max. if you cant get a high memory speed, like below 200mhz, just tighten up the latency a lot. this will give you better performance than those extra few mhz's.

6. there is no question that AMD is superior to intel in performance. in order to get an intel chip that performs as well as yours, you would have to pay WAY more money. also, the overclocking capabilies of AMD are far greater than intel. you made a good choice by buying that chip.

 

[FrustratedUser]

bookmarked

 

[Kazz]

First of all I'm sorry if I had some mistakes writing, I'm Spanish
Well as I read in the first page, my settings for Test 1 (Max HTT) are:

Cpu Multi: x7
Memory: 100 and the others parameters to SPD

I've started raising my HTT, I've managed to raise HTT to 330 :Q but it doesn't seem to stop. What's the limit??? I think I'm missing something.

Thanks for the answers

 

[theMan]

there is a limit. you just havent found it yet. the really high htt just means you have a sweet board!

also, you might want to lower your multiplyer to 6 when it gets that high.

 

[Kazz]

Well thanks for your answer.

I've found my HTT limit, at HTT 345 x 7 (LDT x3) my os don't boot.
So 345 x 0,95 = 327

About the multi the first page said that you can set it 6 or 7. Now I' going to test the Max chip, what test should I run for prime95? the first????
I'll post later.

 

[theMan]

just run the default torture test, it doesnt really matter yet.

 

[Kid Vicious]

ocing my system, AMD 3500, A8N-SLi, 1GB PC3200 2.5 ,3 ,3, 6 Kingston Value:

24 hour prime95 blend stable at:

CPUx : 10x
FSB : 250
HTTx : 4x

but i left my memory timings on auto and all voltages at stock values. I think the auto memclock values default to 266.

A8N memclock options.
200
266
333
400

should I just leave default in place? what would be an appropriate 1:1 setting?

lemme know if i confused any terminology.

 

[theMan]

ok, i have an asus a8v deluxe, but these settings should be the same. this should help you.

http://www.ocforums.com/showpost.php?p=3265285&postcount=4

you can check what the actual setting is in cpu-z.

also, you should set your cpu voltage/vcore up to 1.55v. then see how high your cpu will go. right now, you have a pretty mild oc. set your multiplyer to the max, which is 11 right?
dont worry about memory much. just get your highest cpu speed, then change your memory settings on top of that.

 

[Mean MrMustard]

What Prime Test should we use?

 

[theMan]

just use the default one. it doesnt matter that much, but you should use all three when you finish your oc.

 

[The Sauce]

Very valuable thread. Thanks all.

 

[mozg]

Hello everyone

First of all, many thanks for such a simple + usefull howto on clocking amd64 boxes.

I've followd this howto to find out the following max values:

---
Max HTT/FSB = 320Mhz + (i haven't tried doing more)
CPU= 2400 with 10 Multiplier; 2470Mhz with 9.5x260 Multiplier
Memory = 10x216Mhz (no errors running memtest 86+ version 1.55)
---
The CPU was stable for Prime95 12+ hours in windows. However, in linux I had kernel panic on 2.6.11 kernels, so i've lowered cpu to 9.5x255.

So, what i've tried to do is combine these values to get the best performance.
I've set the following values first:
Multiplier 9.5
HTT to 255
Mem to 100Mhz (DDR200)

Using these values, everything is working fine, no problems. Howver, the memory values are quite low, so i've tried to move it to 133 and 166 to see if it will work.
From the calculations table of the memory speeds i get the following values at multiplier 9.5:

100 = 127.5Mhz
133 = 173Mhz
166 = 201Mhz
200 = 255Mhz

Therefore, if my memory is running without any errors at 216Mhz using 10 Multiplier, it should handle very well 166Mhz memory setting using 255Mhz HTT. Am I right to asume that?

When I've changed the values for ram to 133, i started getting errors during memtest and switching memory to 166 produced unbootable machine.

I am doing something wrong? I've left all memory timings in default settings and the HyperTransport multiplier was set to 4x, which is close to 1000Mhz.

Is there a way to solve the memory issues and make it work at higher speed? Shall I try fiddling with memory timings?

Many thanks for all the help!

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: mozg
From the calculations table of the memory speeds i get the following values at multiplier 9.5:

100 = 127.5Mhz
133 = 173Mhz
166 = 201Mhz
200 = 255Mhz

Do not use a .5x multiplier. Your memory calculations are likely off due to this.

 

[mozg]

I've used the memory tables from the ocforums.com, where they've accounted for .5 multipliers, so there shouldn't be any difference in that sence, as my bios and memtest86+ gives me exactly the same values.

I've read that .5 multipliers don't work properly on amd64 systems. Well, if I use 9.5x255 the system is stable as a rock, but if I lower the multiplier to 9x270, the sistem is unstable. The similar happens if i use 10 as a multiplier and the FSB more the 240. So I guess 9.5 multiplier works better for me.

 

[imported_BUNGL3]

OK Im a newb when it comes to AMD. I have been running Intel up until now. I plan on getting a MSI K8N NEO2 Platinum and a A64 3200+ Venice core. My question is I have a 1 Gig set of Dual Channel Kingston HyperX PC4000 im using with my current intel rig. The timings are 3-4-4-8-1 and I will be using a 74 Gig Raptor and well as my BFG 6800 Ultra. Do you guys think I will have a problem trying to OC with this ram ? Do you know if there is a SATA lock on the mob I plan to get. I have been reading this thread and it sounds like OCing an AMD is a lot more difficult than the Intel. Please help thanks in advance