Overclock and RAM timing correction

My PC has been driving me nuts. Between usb faults causing bsod, nvldmkm bsod and that's it for crashes.

I am trying to get the whole system stable. It's been very tough.

Specs: Gigabyte EX-58 Extreme
I7 920 @ 2.66
6xPC3 15000 OCZ Reaper 12gig
2xBFG GTX 295 dual pcb (quad-sli)
Water cooled Apogee XT CPU and Danger Den GPU's
Silverstone DA1000 single +12v rail @ 80A

I had to get a pci-e extension to utilize the lower #3 PCI-e 16x slot in order to get the quad sli working. It worked with #1 and #2 in vista but wouldn't with seven. Extension fixed that problem.

I need some "good" info on a proper cfg for the RAM to run at it's rated speed. Mobo auto is 7-7-7-20 @ 1.5v however, the ram is rated 1866Mhz @ 9-9-9-28 @ 1.6v

The issues I have with stock performance is that it seems to have a bottleneck. It runs games pretty well. Considering it's age. Roughly 3-4 years old. But I really want to see this old beast running @4.0 Ghz and the RAM at 1866mhz.

I can't find decent info on the standard voltages of a dual pcb gtx 295. Since the mobo is running things at lower than standard speeds I think if I get this zoned in it should increase performance considerably.

I also have a question about USB issues. I've checked case grounds and everything is fine. Thought about soldering the tabs on the grounding plate on the back of the pc. I still get crashes/BSOD with certain device combinations. My external cd rom can create a failed boot or system freezes. I need to get a new internal.

This is still a powerful setup, just needs a little rearing. Thanks for the help in advance.

I have tried UD4P settings that I found on the overclockers.uk site but they ultimately turn out close but not quite stable.

Is nvldmkm related to heat?

I need some "good" info on a proper cfg for the RAM to run at it's rated speed. Mobo auto is 7-7-7-20 @ 1.5v however, the ram is rated 1866Mhz @ 9-9-9-28 @ 1.6v

Click to expand...

Use the XMP profile.

The issues I have with stock performance is that it seems to have a bottleneck. It runs games pretty well. Considering it's age. Roughly 3-4 years old. But I really want to see this old beast running @4.0 Ghz and the RAM at 1866mhz.

Click to expand...

Overclock the CPU.
http://www.overclockers.com/3-step-guide-overclock-core-i3-i5-i7/

I can't find decent info on the standard voltages of a dual pcb gtx 295. Since the mobo is running things at lower than standard speeds I think if I get this zoned in it should increase performance considerably.

Click to expand...

Increasing the voltage of this card in its own will not increase performance.

I have tried UD4P settings that I found on the overclockers.uk site but they ultimately turn out close but not quite stable.

Click to expand...

Every CPU is different. While cookie cutter settings can work, they may not be optimized if they do work. If they work the last bit to optimize is up to the user.

Is nvldmkm related to heat?

Click to expand...

Its an NVIDIA driver issue there.

May I ask why you are running quadfire? Its a major hassle uses a ton of power, and puts out a lot of heat. Are you running a couple monitors or something? Truth be told, if I was you, I would sell off those dinosaurs, and grab a SINGLE new card (assuming you play at 1080p or 2560x1440/1600).

EarthDog said:

Use the XMP profile.

Overclock the CPU.
http://www.overclockers.com/3-step-guide-overclock-core-i3-i5-i7/

Increasing the voltage of this card in its own will not increase performance.

Every CPU is different. While cookie cutter settings can work, they may not be optimized if they do work. If they work the last bit to optimize is up to the user.

Its an NVIDIA driver issue there.

May I ask why you are running quadfire? Its a major hassle uses a ton of power, and puts out a lot of heat. Are you running a couple monitors or something? Truth be told, if I was you, I would sell off those dinosaurs, and grab a SINGLE new card (assuming you play at 1080p or 2560x1440/1600).

Click to expand...

I left my comp on while I went to the doctor. Came home and restarted my computer because my wireless adapter was not on. When it restarted for some reason the primary GFX card changed to Slot 3 and now the Quad SLI is no longer available. It only recognizes one GPU on card one and Two on the other. Any ideas?

As far as why I was using quad it's just because I am a fanatic about Ultra gfx settings. Other than that it is more the fact that my system isn't running the way it should.

Are there any diagnostic tools or custom forceware that I can use to get things working better?

As far as XMP is concerned that option is not available on this RAM.

No ideas. Get rid of that quad sli nightmare. Seriously. What res do you game on?

Your system isn't running well due to your quad sli. It's finicky like this man. It's really only used for.benchmarking or ultra high res.

No diagnostic tools or special drivers I am aware of.

Can you link to the EXACT ram you have please?

www.memoryc.com/computermemory/ddr3ram/6gboczpc315000reapertriplekitcl9.html

I would love to get rid of these cards. But I'm on SSI and going to school. Cannot afford it.

Try running just one of the card and see if it helps.

Yeah, I'd run one then.

Posting screen shots like this would be also helpful if removing one of the Gpu's doesn't help. It will let us see the memory profiles and also where the timings are set at.

I know it runs well with one card already. Not the issue.

I suspect bios related issues. If I do optimized defaults quad works. If I do fail-safe it doesn't. If I use a custom profile it is wishy washy.

I've tried guru3d forceware, updated all drivers, reseated all components. Might even try a powered pci-e extension. My system is rather complicated. Originally the idea was to build a future proof pc. Though that really only means 10yrs. But still, software trying to catch up with hardware. So I'll be ok for a while.

I wish I could find another motherboard to test with but it would seem that LGA1366 is a very hard one to find these days.

Here's a thought. Who knows of good info on learning how to write a bios?

I rarely ever give up, and will take alot before I give in..

Thanks for all the input guys.

10 years... no way. Not with any gaming. There is no way in hell I could be playing ANY games right now with X850 XT PE (a 10 year old card). The problem is new API's. I think the X850 series is only DX9 and we are on 11.1 so you are missing a lot of eye candy and a lot of games won't even work as they do not have DX9 paths. That is not even to mention that games couldn't run on 256MB of v ram. Nor could I play modern games well on a P4d or A64 2800+. Unless the PC is a web/email PC, there is no way it can last 10 years.

I don't think its bios related either. Leave it at optimized defaults and only change the clockspeeds and there should not be an issue. The issue is

There are LGA 1366 boards in many places... some are being sold here, ebay... etc. they can be found if you look in the right places.

Id seriously scrap the second. Sorry I keep coming back to it, but you built a monster. You can continue to muck with it for the rest of its viable life... or down size to something a lot less complicated and easier to deal with.

Was wondering what you guys may know about system stability when a ground from a USB is damaged.

I just repaired my mouse which had a frayed ground in it from long term use. The mouse would turn on and off and sometimes require that I unplugged it and plugged it back in.

Would the faulty ground cause fluctuation in the entire circuit to the PSU, resulting in system crash and or freeze?

Also, hope I'm not posting too off topic with this stuff.

But anyone ever seen a hard drive not want to boot if it's in a horizontal position?

Just found article stating that nvlddmkm.sys bsod could be related to loose connection. These cards are hella heavy. The waterblocks weigh at least 5 pounds each. Going to do a complete disassembly later today and see about tightening the pci-e slots a bit. Considering yhe fact that they worked for a while I guess I will just have to hope it's a gravity issue.

Unless you can solder, you will not be tightening the Pcie slots...

Oh I can solder, I used to do ps2 mod chips. Quite good at fine solder work.