Trouble overclocking with Geil Ultra Series and A64 Winchester...

[alex1122]

I recently put together a new A64 3200+ winchester system with MSI neo2 platinum and I want to use my 2x512 sticks of Geil Ultra Series pc3200 ram I was using in my athlonXP rig. After following the quick and dirty guide stickied at the top, I found my cpu is 100% prime95 stable at 2.5ghz @ 1.57v with the ram underclocked to 100mhz. However, the ram is another story. I tried running them at 1:1 at 250 htt with the most loose timings possible and max voltage but no dice. The pc would not boot, it would almost post, but freeze. I reset the cmos and tried running a divider. I limited the ram to 200mhz and stock timings, but still no dice. This time though, the computer would post but the bios would say that it is in 'safe mode' and to press DEL to get into the bios. I don't understand why the divider won't work even when limiting the ram to its stock speeds. I am now back to all stock settings, including stock cpu speed, and everything is fine. Is it that the ram just doesn't like the overclock or is it something else? I don't know how the ram can't do its stock speeds when I use a divider but it can when not overclocking anything.

This ram has run 250fsb before in my old Barton system so I am pretty sure it can do it now. Unless I am misunderstanding something?

 

[Duvie]

All bets are off once you start to OC....Onboard memor controllers get more finicky the higher the HTT and overall clock speed.....

I can run 8x300 with 1:1 cas 3,4,4,11, 1t....cant even boot it at 9x300 (will boot at 166 or 133)...cant even get cas 3,4,4,11, 1t to work 1:1 at 9x283 HTT.....I start having issue the higher I get in HTT with a lower and lower ddr speed I can use at each timings until nothing is left. NOw my geil sticks ultar plat. pc3500 (probably better then those) would do 240 1:1 but wouldn't do 166 at 290 no matter the vdimm..Also no cas 3 would work period no matter the speed...tried 3 diff bioses....I ultimately ran it at 330 HTT with a 133 divider for a few weeks (still not 100% stable...had to bump down to 325) until I bought these TCCD Gskill sticks....

What vdimm are you giving it??? I am not surprised 250 1:1 wouldn'y work cause that is 500ddr on 400ddr memory..That seems hard to get on most sticks....

Have you tried other bioses??? I am not sure the chipset used on those ram sticks, but some bioses worhk with better with some chipsets...Try 1.37mod or 1.41mod....Stay away from most of the official MSI crap!!!

 

[ssvegeta1010]

As Duvie said, the onboard memory controller may be keeping you fron the 250FSB you had before.
Try running a 133 divider. If im correct that would be about 166 for the ram. (Sorry if youve already tried this)
Also, can it boot with ram at 100 again?

Modded BIOS are a good idea, too.

 

[alex1122]

well, I have tried the dividers with this situation, but it doesn't like them at all. It will post but the bios will report that its in safe mode. The only divider which the memory worked at was 100mhz mem with 250htt and the cpu was 100% prime stable for a full day. I understand I am trying to get quite a bit out of ddr400 ram when asking it to do 250mhz, but the pc doesnt boot when I limit it to say 200mhz, or even 166 or 133. I have also tried every voltage option, from 2.7v all the way to 2.85max. I am using the 1.36 beta bios, which seems to be a pretty popular bios for overclockers. Should I sell this ram and get something else a little more suited to my need such as ddr500 or tccd?