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new to 3v+ to ddr... corsair xms 466.

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InThrees

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Location
Southeast US
So roughly 1.5-2 years ago I bought an AI7 and a boxed pair of Corsair XMS DDR466 because I had acquired a 1.8a that was a great overclocker. I planned on using it for a while, and then getting a 2.4c (and pushing 250+ fsb.)

Obviously, being a 100mhz part, the 1.8 wasn't up for stressing memory designed to run at 233mhz+. I ran it 18x175 until about 3 or 4 weeks ago when I bought a 2.4c.

When I put the 2.4c in, it was kind of bittersweet. Running at a ratio, 3:2 or 5:4, I could get a pretty nice OC. An hour ago I was running 12x280 5:4, for example. Running 1:1, however, was a different story. Memtest failures, or plain boot-failure with angry beeps (and lots without, too, and lots of "It's an AI7" frustrated cmos-resetting expeditions. If you're an AI7 owner, you know what I'm talking about winkwinknudgenudge.)

Anyway, it kind of hit me tonight that I had never really played with the ddr voltage all that much. 2.9 was the highest I had ever tried, and I felt bad while doing it - guilty almost, like I was actively flipping my wallet off. "I'M GONNA BURN OUT THIS GIG OF RAM AND THEN YOU'LL BE SORRY, MR. WALLET."

Except actually it would be me that was sorry, it's just easier to pin it on the wallet.

So yeah, back to an hour-ish ago, step by step:

- Rebooted, bios, relaxed fsb to 233, changed ratio to 1:1 and rebooted @ the 2.8 vdimm I was running. More or less stock for what the memory expects by spd. Quick tests 1 and 2 in memtest with no errors, so...

- Rebooted, bios, fsb 240 @ 2.8, back to memtest. Tests 1 and 2, no errors.

- Rebooted, bios, fsb 240 @ 3.1. Saved and rebooted to make sure the board would boot at this vdimm, because previously I had had issues with single-variable tests, ONLY upping the vdimm and then not being able to post. But I posted with 240 @ 3.1 so...

- Rebooted, fsb 250 @ 3.1, let memtest run the first 5 tests while I went to get some soda and *cough* get rid of some soda. ("afk, bio")

I had no idea how helpful 3+ volts to the memory really could be. Previously I had TREMENDOUS problems getting the machine to post or do much if it did post with any memory speed greater than 240 mhz. The only thing stopping me from pushing it further right now to see how high I can go is that I'm feeling way to lazy to crawl under the table and reset the cmos if it comes to that. ;)

So my problem is HOW DO I GET TO SLEEP WITH ALL THIS SODA IN ME?!?! ANSWER ME THAT.

Ok, really, what I'm curious about is a maximum reasonable expectation for 18-24month old XMS DDR466. The board supports vdimm up to 3.2v, and I have it set to like 3.1 and uGuru is reporting 3.2v vdimm right now, so I know it's able to provide it. Should I go for broke tomorrow and try to reproduce a 1:1 280mhz fsb, or be happy with the 1:1 250? I know the processor can do 280, and possibly more. I haven't tested beyond 280, but it's rock solid at 280 5:4... I really would like to avoid releasing magic smoke, but... want to goose it and see what happens, too. Since this is new territory for me, some advice would be appreciated.

edit - oh yeah, forgot to mention - all of this is at 3-4-4-7. I don't even want to TRY 2.5 or 2, because i'm 99% sure it will result in me under the table cursing at a battery clip / trying to reset the board. 3-3-6 is scary too.
 
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rather than add to that mess, double post:

It's kind of moot. I tried 254mhz at 3.2 and 3.1 vdimm 1:1, no luck. This is at 3-7-4-4. I also tried higher than 280 5:4. I think I could maybe get stability at 290 5:4, but would need to test it for a while. 295 5:4 results in loads of memtest errors, 290 doesn't.

251 1:1 @ 3.0ghz or 290 5:4 @ 3.48 ghz, kind of a hard choice. 250 1:1 is probably better for most real world stuff, right?
 
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