Some good old A64 overclocking goodness

[americruzano]

Let me introduce my system first:

A64 3200 Venice
2x512 G-skill rated 2,3,3,6 1T
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum

So the last couple of days I've been working on overclocking my system and have compiled some pretty good information, but Im looking for some advice now. First of all, I'm having a hard time deciding which settings will result in the fastest real-world performance.

So far all my overclocking has been 1:1 (mostly because I havent figured out dividers)
with the LTD at x4 (I havent been able to get faster OC's or tighter timings with x3)
and the CPU multiplier at x10 (see above). Also, my memory refuses to work at CL 3, so the majority of my OC's are @ CL2.5

As far as voltages, for overclocking purposes I am running the RAM at 1.85 with the CPU and NB at the highest "safe" voltages allowed by the MB. I will eventually lower these to optimal settings once I decide on which settings to use.

These are my results from the Sandra Combined Performance Wizard Overall score

Running everything stock: 2,3,3,6 1T LTDx5 200mhz
Score: 3089

Max OC with low latency: 2,3,3,6 1T @ 207
Score: 3378

Slightly looser timing: 2.5,3,3,6 1T @ 227
Score: 3662

Loosest timings: 2.5,4,4,7 1t @ 243
Score: 3846


And thats as high as it goes. No matter what I do I cant go past 243.
For example, even with these settings I cannot excede 243:
2.5,7,7,15 2T LTDx3 and CPU multiplier x8

This leads me to believe that I have simply reached the limit for my ram. Which is about what I expected for $95

So, the question is, are these numbers from Sandra even remotely good indications of what I would see in real world performance, or would I see better performance by sticking with the lower latency settings. Right now I'm leaning towards 2.5,4,4,7 1T @243



My other dilema is that I am almost positive that my Venice can do better that 2.43 Ghz, and as i understand it I should be able to run asynchronosly so as to not be limited by my RAM, and then be able to get more performance from my CPU.
Is this true, and what are the advantages/disadvantages to running asynchronously?
Also, how do I set it up this way? (I cant find the setting in the bios of my MSI Neo4)

 

[NINaudio]

The settings you want are for ram speed. Set it to 166, which will give you a 6:5 divider.

From tests I've seen with the A64's there is very little if any penalty to running a divider, especially since the divider will usually let you run tighter ram timings as well.

Also, you will want to get a program such as cpu-z or motherboard monitor to find out what your vcore is at. I don't know if your mobo has the same problem with undervolting as the neo2's do. You should be fine pushing about 1.54-1.55v with the venice on air. Just watch your temps.

 

[americruzano]

Originally posted by: NINaudio
The settings you want are for ram speed. Set it to 166, which will give you a 6:5 divider.

From tests I've seen with the A64's there is very little if any penalty to running a divider, especially since the divider will usually let you run tighter ram timings as well.

Also, you will want to get a program such as cpu-z or motherboard monitor to find out what your vcore is at. I don't know if your mobo has the same problem with undervolting as the neo2's do. You should be fine pushing about 1.54-1.55v with the venice on air. Just watch your temps.

Thanks for the help. I'm sure by this time tomorrow I'll be running at 2.6~2.8Ghz

As far as the volts go I think I'm ok. The BIOS says 1.59 and CPU-z says 1.55 which is about where I want it maybe a little higher. I dont think going a little higher would be a problem as I have a Zalman7700Cu with AS5 so I'm on the higher end of air-cooling

What's a acceptable temperature to run at?

 

[NINaudio]

Keep it under 50C when loaded and you should do just fine.