What else can I do to break 2300MHz?

[Caviman2201]

I have upped Vcore and Vdimm to 1.8 and 3.0, respectively. I am running a 2800+ stable at 230x9.5 but I just can't hit that 10x multi without throwing an error in Prime95. PCMark2002 finishes just fine, and with great scores I might add.

My BIOS has different "auto" settings for memory timings such as Optimal, Aggressive, Turbo, Expert (to set them yourself). I have them set to Optimal on my Kingston HyperX PC4000, and according to CPU-Z, they're 2.5-4-4-10. Those timings sound pretty loose to me, although I guess I could try CAS 3.

What else can I do to get this thing stable? Temps aren't bad, never getting near 50C on FULL LOAD (running Prime95 at Priority 10)

Thanks

[Steven4563]

yup the Vcore to 1.85V see if that does it

[Caviman2201]

well, that seems to have stabilized it, however, after 7 mins, I shut it down because Socket temps hit 50C while Diode temps (according to MBM5) were hitting 58-59C... Thats too hot, isn't it?

by the way, this sucker seems to now be running 39C at IDLE!

[Steven4563]

make sure the heatsink is on correctly and u have good air flow, try to keep temps under 55C full load:)

[Caviman2201]

I would have to say airflow is just fine with my huge floor fan blowing directly into the side of the box ;) also, I'm fairly certain my heatsink is properly installed, but I plan on ordering a thermaltake heatsink in the next day or two.

[tn_wstlnd]

What heatsink do ya got in there now?

[Caviman2201]

I have a vantec Aeroflow TMD fan... ok, Prime95 ran for 14 mins and crashed... temps only went up to 43-ish that time... what else can i do???

Vcore is already at 1.85, Vdimm is at 3.0... what else can I do to keep errors from coming up at this speed?

anyone?

[dead_man311]

try 10.5x220 = 2300 / 11x210 = 2300 / 11.5x200 = 2300 / 12x191 = 2300 / 12.5x184 = 2300

all those will give you 2300MHz. id try them ans see what one is the best and go from there

[Caviman2201]

well, the thing is, I really wanna keep my FSB high... I would think that a high FSB is more important than a high MHz

[dead_man311]

then you will have to stick with a lower MHz and have a higher FSB

[Caviman2201]

I really don't have any other options? I've maxxed out my hardware? Is it, in your opinion, better to have a high FSB than high MHz?

[dead_man311]

both are good. im pertty much stuck at a 12.5 multi with my old PC-2100 not liking my FSB to high. once i get some Pc-3200 i might see how far i can get it on a 12.5 multi. i knda want to get the most MHz as i can

one way is to change it around and try a few benchmarks and wright them down and see where it shine's and where its not so good and from there you can pick yuo best config. for your setup

[Caviman2201]

I wonder what 14 mins stable of Prime95 at Priority 10 translates to in real-life stability... I've often noticed that my benchmarks will fail if Prime fails almost immediately.. <3 mins... but once it gets over 10 mins, benchmarks run fine and games dont' crash... I'm almost tempted to leave it this way until the PC crashes... then drop it back if it is in fact unstable...

[dead_man311]

im not sure about Prime95. since ive never ran it on any of my systems. i use sandra benchmark's

[Kenshiro]

You have a good fan there, what kind of heatsink are you using. I am running a 1800 JIUHB and it is not stable if them goes above 55degrees under load. Lowering your temp might help. I will recommend a thermalright heatsink, since they are the best in the market.

[Caviman2201]

MY HEATSINK (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-110-007&catalog=62&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1)

my temps don't climb to 55... they usually stay around 50C full load... I don't think heat is causing the prob, but I plan on getting a SLK900A as soon as I find out if it will fit on my Infinity board...

[Caviman2201]

Ok, I'm pretty sure at this point that it is NOT the RAM... for whatever reason, now I'm failing prime at 230x9.5 as well. I booted at 230x9.5 and I ran Memtest86 last night for close to 7 hours. When I woke up, it was still running and had 0 errors. It is still running now, I'll check it when I get home tonight. At that time, it will have been running for over 20 hours... does that prove that the RAM can run at 230MHz or that there's simply nothing wrong with the RAM? I'm not exactly familiar with what Memtest actually proves...

Also, if in fact Memtest goes for 20+ hours error-less, where do I go from there to see if I can correct the problem. I really want to run at 230 MHz, and with PC4000 RAM running at very loose timings (2.5-4-4-10) I don't see why I can't.

Thanx

[clash_27]

I'm almost tempted to leave it this way until the PC crashes... then drop it back if it is in fact unstable...

I've done this myself. It ended up writting jibberish to the HD and caused my OS to no longer boot. I got the pleasure of reinstalling...

[Caviman2201]

is that so.... lol.... maybe I should reconsider then :)

although, do/did you have a VIA chipset? If so, that doesn't apply to me because my PCI Bus (the one that drives the HDD) isn't affected by overclocking so I woudlnt' be messing with my HDD at all.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.


Could hiking up the NB voltage help me attain 230MHz stable?

[Caviman2201]

Ok, I ran Memtest86 for 19 hrs, 33 mins and ZERO errors... so the RAM is just fine at 230MHz... does that mean that I don't need to up chipset voltage? Does that mean that it's the processor that simply can't take 230 Mhz?

Talk to me, people... :rolleyes:

/EDIT

Well, I tried booting with a 1.6v chipset voltage, MANUALLY SET 3.0-3-3-3-8 timings and 230x9.5, 1.8Vcore, 3.0Vdimm... the system gave me a corrupt system file error...

/EDIT2

Great... tried booting at 220x10 w/ 1.7vcore and the system won't do ANYTHING... just black screen...

/EDIT3

I guess the system just doesn't like any different RAM timings... only the optimal or aggressive setting...

so that leaves me with a couple choices... I can go with

-512M of Kingston HyperX PC4000 @ 220x10 @ 3.0-3-3-3-8
-1G (Kingston stick plus Crucial DDR400) @ 200x11 @ 3.0-3-3-3-8

which is better?

[snvpa]

it might be combination of the chipset and processor. The nf2 chipset has known issues running certain multipliers, specifically 10 and 10.5. Id definately max out the chipset voltage i believe you have up to 1.9. set it at 1.8 then at 1.9 and see what happens. Ass a response to your question of whether overall mhz or fsb is better, it depends on the situation . I'd rather run 230* 10 for 2300 that 205 * 11.5 for 2325 but If the differnce is between 230*10 and 200*12.5 I'll take the 2500 everyday of the week. What I do is figure the max my chip can go and then obtain that using the fastest fsb possible. In order to do this though you need to find the limit of your chip.

[Caviman2201]

this retarded thing isn't interested in taking ANY timings other than 3.0-4-4-9.... thats crazy... anything else and it won't boot

so you're saying set the FSB to 166 and up the multi until I get the highest MHz possible... then try to keep that MHz while upping the FSB...

I seem to be stable at 220x10 at this point... running Prime95 now...

[t30t28t16t12]

I would stay with 10 x 220 if it primed stable.

[Caviman2201]

great, Prime crashed in 14 mins... trying 200x11 to make sure there's not a serious problem.

at $130, did I get ripped off for this memory... So far, I'm not real impressed by it...

[tfr2087]

if you memtested at 230, you can't blame the memory. Sometimes procs can't take a combo of high fsb and cpu speed. But usually 10MHz fsb>100MHz cpu.

[Caviman2201]

so 230 might just be over the limit of my Processor... regardless of voltage and whatnot?

also, does the fact that it ran Memtest for 19.5 hrs at 230MHz mean that the MOTHERBOARD can take 230MHz or ONLY the RAM?

I ask because I'm wondering... the PC boots at 230x9.5... it boots at 230x10... but it fails Prime95. Could upping the chipset voltage help stabilize it or would that be pointless if it's passing memtest?

[tfr2087]

Well, at a certain speed in some cases. i can do around 2.6 in freezing temps at 227, but cant go over 217 at 2.7, for example. It's strange but can happen. Try 230 with a low multi, like 8x or so, and see how prime does there.

[Caviman2201]

well, i'll try that after trying 1.6 and 1.7v for my chipset... if that doesn't work, i'll lower the multi and see what happens. too bad I can't touch the RAM timings... although as loose as they are, I"m sure tightening them up isn't going to help stability any... LOL :)

also, can a too aggressively overclocked FSB/CPU/Memory affect how high you can overclock your vid card without the progs crashing? or does that overclock not affect the vid card overclock?

[tfr2087]

Keep all your voltages up when ur beginning an oc. Sometimes Cas3 can be less stable than 2.5, another weirdity. but if it passed Memtest, you should be all set with the memory.

[Caviman2201]

basically you're saying set the voltages as high as you're willing to go right off the bat, that way you have eliminated one more possibility of instability...

can instability be caused by too high voltages? (i'm not talking stupid high) but like, if you up Vcore to 1.8 and you're only trying to run stock speeds, can it mess things up or does voltage always help stability at the expense of heat?

[Caviman2201]

I'm beginning to think that my system just simply isn't interested in putting out 2300 MHz... lol... regardless of any settings... I may just have to settle for some FSB multiple of <2300MHz

[tfr2087]

An SLK900A would give you a good 100MHz more easily I think. Some processors are really temperature sensitive and need lower than 40°C to do their best. But you can expect some scaling with better cooling nonetheless.

[dead_man311]

The SLK-900A is very nice. it will help you lower your temp's ( it droped mine 20f over stock ) then you will be able to get some more FSB and MHz out of your chip

[Caviman2201]

I want to get one but I keep looking inside my case wondering if that sucker will fit on my mobo...

[dead_man311]

http://www.thermalright.com/product_default.htm to to SLK-900A. then under the pic you can get a list to see if it will work on your board

[Caviman2201]

well they say no for mine :( so what's the next best one?

[dead_man311]

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-136-137&catalog=22&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0 this your board ? if it is looks like the SLK-900A should fit your board

Email thermalright and see what they say

[Caviman2201]

thats my board... and they say right on that page you sent me "Infinity NFII Ultra--NO"

but I can email them and ask...

[dead_man311]

it wont hurt to email them to ask to make sure

[Caviman2201]

and before when I was asking about FSB vs. MHz... another way to ask is to say, with reference to gaming, what will give you the best hike in performance? a 10MHz jump in FSB or a 100MHz jump in MHz... for instance... 210x11=2300Mhz... -OR- 220x10=2200MHz... which would perform better overall?

[dead_man311]

they both will be pertty equal to each other

[Caviman2201]

yeah, you're probably right...

[dead_man311]

at 220x10=2200MHz you can say you got a Athlon Xp with a pertty wicked FSB

[tfr2087]

220x10 is a better idea. You can run slower, thus cooler, and still have a good fsb which is what counts in games.

[Caviman2201]

yeah? cuz right now It's running completely stable at 220x10 1.8 Vcore, 3.0 Vdimm, 1.7v chipset, 2205MHz and apparently (according to CPU-Z) timings of 2.5-4-4-9... which isn't bad for 220MHz...

[Caviman2201]

ok, after running several bechmarks, I'm as stable enough for me and running temps under full load of, according to MBM5, 44C Socket, 50C Diode... which will go down after getting a new heatsink... which leads us back... what heatsink should I get... (and i know part of the reason my temps are a little high is because I didn't use halfway decent thermal paste... just the cheap stuff that came with my first heatsink) I'll pick up some Artic Silver 5 from newegg and WHAT heatsink? :)

[dead_man311]

let me go look on newegg. what are you looking to spend on a heat sink ?

[Caviman2201]

hmmm.... name a price... if it's a really good one, I'd pay $50 for it...

[dead_man311]

here are a few
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-183-107&catalog=62&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-183-108&catalog=62&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-106-035&catalog=62&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-118-101&catalog=62&depa=0

there are a few dif options

[Caviman2201]

they all look good... I like the first one particularly... I noticed it had the under-motherboard bracket and the side clips... is it so you can mount it either way or do you have to remove the motherboard to mount that one?

the reason I ask is because my mobo doesn't come pre-drilled with those mounting holes and I'm not up for drilling holesin my motherboard

[dead_man311]

i seen it had the holes. you got to remove the mother board to install it

[Caviman2201]

mine has A hole near the socket but it's a motherboard mounting hole... not for mounting heatsinks... so I can't install any of the ones with the underside bracket... if you have to mount it with that, why does it have the little 3-hole side clips?

[dead_man311]

it can hook both ways either with the clip or bolted to the board

[Caviman2201]

thats what i thought... i might go for that one if it's not necessary to remove the mobo...

that and some AS5 should drop my temps pretty good...

[dead_man311]

with the clips. there is no need to romove the motherboard. and it looks like a sweet heatsink and its rated for a 3600+

Hey Good Luck with it

[Caviman2201]

thanks a bunch, man.. you've been a huge help through this... I'm gonna order that and some AS5 tomorrow... I'll post results when i get it on. btw, on their website it says the underside bracket is for P4 installation...

thanks again, man

[dead_man311]

Hey No problem, id like to see the results you get from it. figure what your idle temps are and your load and then you can compair them to each other

[Caviman2201]

yep... I'll post them under AMD CPU's prolly under the header of "AeroCool HT101 Results" or something to that nature... look for it... If I order it tomorrow... I"ll get it by either Friday afternoon or Monday afternoon... so def. by Monday night :)

[Grifff]

If you want to see what is better (mhz or fsb) download aquamark. It's a benchmark program just like 3dmark, but it gives you a cpu score and a gfx score.

On my old nf7-s i did some testing.
This is with 200 fsb and 2300 mhz
AquaMark Score: 40889 (CPU: 7034, GFX: 5763)
This is with 210 fsb and only 2154 mhz
AquaMark Score: 40799 (CPU: 7130, GFX: 5715)

On my dfi inifinity
This is with 230 fsb and 2190 mhz
AquaMark Score: 42762 (CPU: 7966, GFX: 5844)

These are all with nice timings (2-2-3-11 .. corsair doesnt do 2-2-2-11).

With some adata ddr500 (3-4-4-11) i'm getting
This is with 270 fsb and 2165 mhz
AquaMark Score: 42046 (CPU: 7841, GFX: 5745)

Maybe this would give you some insight on fsb vs mhz :)
Clock on ;)

[obsolete]

I can say the Thermaltake Volcano 12 performs nicely!! I used it before I set my water cooled system up. Pretty much the same OC I have now. FSB - 223x11. Temps were about 40ºC-42ºC. Temps will vary from case to case, room to room, setup to setup. But it's not a bad heatsink at all!! :D

[Caviman2201]

I wonder if running dual-channel on an AMD system really makes a difference in gaming as well...