Should I even bother OCing??

[Weioo]

I got some RAM advertised as 2-3-3-6 that turned out to default at 3-3-3-8. I've been messing with the latency settings and the command rate. It seems to want to stay at a 3-3-3-8 T2 and will allow the ram to OC above 200mhz if I keep it at these settings. I did get it to run stable at 2-3-3-6 but only at T2, and even then, when I went to OC, the RAM was running at below 200mhz. This is puzzling me. I'm new to OCing, but I'm trying to get my bearings straight.

I am running on an NF3 Ultra from EPoX and the exact RAM I am using can be found on Newegg HERE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145450)

I guess I have a few questions...
- How should I go about this situation with my RAM?
- Can I still get a good CPU/MoBo/RAM OC out of my computer with my RAM settings at 3-3-3-8 T2?? This is in the case that I can't find better settings that the ram will accept and still be able to OC.

Thanks in advance.

[Know Nuttin]

:welcome: to the forums!

What happens if you set it to 1T? Did you set the voltage according to specifications?

You can still get a good overclock. Just run the memory slower and see what your CPU is capable of first. Then, you adjust the speed/timings on your memory, to see what you can get that to run at with your CPU overclocked.

I find it's a real pain in the butt to try to overclock everything at once, then figure out what is causing the problem.

Don't forget to lower the HTT bus speed multiplier to 4x when you overclock.

[rseven]

I agree with Know Nuttin. I just want to acentuate that overdclocking your ram on an A64 rig is not very important. It's the CPU that you need to focus on to get it to run at the highest MHz possible.

[boris_37]

use dividers.... gosh i see people coming on here all the time thinking they need to OC their ram. Just know this, use dividers and you will never need to OC your ram. Chances are you will hit a different bottleneck like me (heat/ps/etc) so ram is usually not the issue. Timings don't matter too much if you take the easy OC way out.

[Weioo]

Hey guys and thanks for the help.

I have spent the last 4-5 hours messnig around witht he RAM latencies and timings. I can set it to T1 but in order to do so I need to take the RAM Frequency off "auto" and set it to 200mhz, otherwise it runs at around 166mhz. I am in the process of testing the different latencies for errors right now with memtest86+.

Here is what I'm thinking... I wantwed to get the RAM latencies/timings down first to see how high I can clock the RAM in MHz. Would this be the wrong way to go about it? I mean.... You are suggesting that I set the RAM back to the way it was (3-3-3-8 T2 @ 200mhz(On auto)) and then OC the CPU. Once I get that all set up, come back to the memory settings?? If I do this though, isn't there a chacne I will find my CPU speed and then it will differ once I change my latencies? Or if this happens, should I just leave the RAM where it is?

Sorry for the massive amount of questions. I'm sure everybody does it though on their first OC ^_^ .... I've spent about 20 hours in the last 3 days searchign thrut hese fourms and reading guides/faqs and talking to a friend/asking him questions.

[boris_37]

just set your divider lower and then oc your cpu and get ram back to 200mhz.... keep doing that until you either get too much heat, or need to bump up the voltage. If you have good cooling you could bump up the voltage rigth away if you wanted to be sure.

[Know Nuttin]

I'd run the memory with the 133 memory speed setting, lower the HTT/LDT multiplier to 3x, then overclock your CPU to the point where it is stable and you are satisfied with the clock speed.

After that has been completed, then you should calculate out what your memory speed will be if you change the memory speed divider. At this point, this is where you try to find the optimal configuration for your memory.

This 2 step approach may seem strange and time consuming but it's the way I've found that minimizes most of the guesswork of what is causing your overclock to be unstable. If you don't put the memory speed down while increasing CPU speed, you could be stuck trying to find out what is causing instability. At least doing one at a time, you have an easier time to find out what is the issue.

[tdamocles]

I got some RAM advertised as 2-3-3-6 that turned out to default at 3-3-3-8. I've been messing with the latency settings and the command rate. It seems to want to stay at a 3-3-3-8 T2 and will allow the ram to OC above 200mhz if I keep it at these settings. I did get it to run stable at 2-3-3-6 but only at T2, and even then, when I went to OC, the RAM was running at below 200mhz. This is puzzling me. I'm new to OCing, but I'm trying to get my bearings straight.

I am running on an NF3 Ultra from EPoX and the exact RAM I am using can be found on Newegg HERE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145450)

I guess I have a few questions...
- How should I go about this situation with my RAM?
- Can I still get a good CPU/MoBo/RAM OC out of my computer with my RAM settings at 3-3-3-8 T2?? This is in the case that I can't find better settings that the ram will accept and still be able to OC.

Thanks in advance.

You may never be able to get 1t. I have an epox 9nda3+ which cannot get 1t with any set of bh5 that I have. One set is a redline pc3200 and the other set is an ocz gold 2,2,2,5........... To combat the problem, I just installed all 4 sticks and run a divider at 133@2t

[wellnessoc5]

Nonuttin's right on the money