Prime 95

[Jenova]

i know this should be in here but
i got prime 95 and i am a bit unsure how to use it
???
any tutorials??

[MikeTimbers]

From one of the menu bars select Torture Test and let it run. A couple of hours or more should be a reasonable level of stability.

[01_VTEC SE]

I would run it for more than "a couple of hours". For me, 24 hours minimum. But hey, that's just me :D

[max0mus]

A few hours is ok for 95% stability

But like vtec said, 24 hours is golden. I shoot for 24 hours myself for 99.9% stability.

I've had Prime95 error out a test after 8 hours, so it can be on that hairy edge.

[Slyx]

I have a question, could adding something like a SATA drive or sound card make P95 less stable? I run an XP1700 (JIUHB 0302 ) on an Asus A7N8X Deluxe, 512 MB Corsair XMS TWINX512-3200LL in Dual mode (5-2-2-2T), w/ an Antec 430 Truepower. I am using the SLK-900 and Tornado fan on a speed controller, fan running around 3750 RPM.

I was running it at 166*12.5 (1.8v) and P95 ran fine overnight.

I recently added an Audigy (wanted EAX HD support for those that question why with my onboard sound :p ) and also added a Maxtor 6Y080M0 SATA drive. I reloaded from fresh when I made these changes.

Now P95 won't even pass the first test at 166*12.5 and will run for about 48 mins at 166*12. I even tried upping voltage to 1.85 and it won't pass.

[max0mus]

Originally posted by Slyx
I have a question, could adding something like a SATA drive or sound card make P95 less stable? I run an XP1700 (JIUHB stepping *for sure*, 0301 *I think*) on an Asus A7N8X Deluxe, 512 MB Corsair XMS TWINX512-3200LL in Dual mode (5-2-2-2T), w/ an Antec 430 Truepower. I am using the SLK-900 and Tornado fan on a speed controller, fan running around 3750 RPM.

I was running it at 166*12.5 (1.8v) and P95 ran fine overnight.

I recently added an Audigy (wanted EAX HD support for those that question why with my onboard sound :p ) and also added a Maxtor 6Y080M0 SATA drive. I reloaded from fresh when I made these changes.

Now P95 won't even pass the first test at 166*12.5 and will run for about 48 mins at 166*12. I even tried upping voltage to 1.85 and it won't pass.

Here are my thoughts,

There should be no reason why Prime95 is being affected at the system level by your hardware changes since Prime95 interacts with CPU and Memory H/W mainly.

However, there may be a secondary effect being cause by additional hardware that puts strain on your power supply? This is a bit of a stretch but it may be worth while to remove the sound card and sata h/d and retest your o/c stability.

The problem may lie elsewhere. Something you changed that you've ruled out or don't recall.

[Slyx]

Hmm I did forget something.

I upgraded my BIOS from 1003 to 1004. A friend (works for Asus tech support) suggested upgrading for better SATA support. Could 1004 BIOS be flakier then the other for OC purposes?

[max0mus]

When I upgraded my Abit NF7-S v2.0 bios from 1.2 to 1.4, my o/c was screwed. I have no idea why. Some people experienced simliar o/c issues and suggest a memory timing change in the bios was the cause (this was in the change-log).

So who knows. I reverted my bios to 1.2. Right now I have no clue which is the real overclock.