more mileage out of my 2.4c?

sucky noob · Aug 3, 2004

Hey guys, the situation is boggling me:

Right now, my 2.4c is running stable at 3.3, with the memory on a 5:4 ratio, so the cpu clock is 275, and the memory is 220. This means that my memory, which is bargain brand, has a pretty good OC. When i try and push the OC any farther, it wont post, even when i use a 3:2 ratio. Until this point I assumed the problem is memory related until it dawned on me that its probably the cpu, seeing how the 3:2 ratio actually underclocks the memory when i run at 3.3ghz.

So i need some help to try and push my cpu faster. My system is watercooled, the vcore is at 1.65 right now, the vmem is 1.7. I have tried to boot the thing with the vcore at 1.9 before, but no such luck, it will only take me up to about 3.39. I would really love to get the FSB up to 300 (x4).

Any of you have any suggestions that may help?

batboy · Aug 3, 2004

Well, 300 FSB probably ain't happening. I've seen this 275 FSB brick wall before. If you go back to some of my old posts from when the 2.4C was new you'll see I ran into it myself once. It's almost always a RAM conflict. Abit mobos are a little picky about RAM. I'd almost bet that RAM has CH-5 chips.

I highly doubt vdimm is 1.7v... more likely 2.7v. Unless you can do 3.3 gig on a lot less vcore than 1.65v, I'd say you're done. I don't recommend trying anything above 1.65v for very long. Certainly if you try 1.9v much more you are going to fry your CPU. What RAM timing are you using?

Jarlax · Aug 3, 2004

275 seems to be the hard wall that the 2.4c runs into. Take a look at my sig to see what I mean. I have tried everything I can think of except a volt mod for the memory and nothing works. I have a OCZ booster coming to try and get me a little bit further, but I think that 275 is about all the 2.4c I have is going to give me...and you to it seems.

batboy · Aug 3, 2004

In my situation, I tried different RAM and got past the wall. Here is how I figured out it was RAM. I tried just one stick and suddenly I was past the wall. Tried the other stick and it went past it too. But they wouldn't do it together.

I.R.wes · Aug 4, 2004

i was in the same mess but my wall was at 3.2 with 2.4c even when i switched to h2o it just wouldnt happen.....3.3 is pretty good.i would agree with batboy and play with ram timings and try using ram so it isnt in dual channel mode..(if it is)

sucky noob · Aug 4, 2004

well my ram is generic ram, and the timing is set at 3-8-3-3 right now i think.

So how come dual channeling the RAM causes the limit? is it a lack of voltage? In which case couldnt i just turn the Vdimm up higher? I have heatsinks and a small fan running over them right now, so they stay pretty cool, even at 220mhz.

And i can run 3.3 on a lot less than 1.65, i just have it running high to increase stability.

What about raising the frequency or the voltage of the AGP? i've heard things about increased stability with doing that.

And what should i set the N/B strap to? right now i have it set to psb800 or something like that. is it important?

EDIT: i had the wrong timings and n/b strap. so i changed them

sucky noob · Aug 4, 2004

would selling my 2 x 512 and buying a 1gb ram stick help? how would that affect performance?

hUMANbEATbOX · Aug 4, 2004

if your ram has ch-5 chips on it, it won't like 3:2 period.

my ram will doo 300fsb at the 3:2 devider, putting it right at 200mhz. a lot of ram will not on abit boards.

Jarlax, a booster isn't going to help in your situation AFAIK. if your ram is really BH-5 you should be able to do the speeds you are at now but wi 2-2-2-5 timings at the same voltage. at 2.8v i have no probs running my ram 2-2-2-5 @ 220mhz. and my ram is rated pc2700. with looser timings like you've got now, i would think you could go a bit higher still. and your ram should have no probs with the 3:2 ratio, so if you can't go higher than 3.3 in 3:2, i'd say its your cpu.

hUMANbEATbOX · Aug 4, 2004

sucky noob said:
would selling my 2 x 512 and buying a 1gb ram stick help? how would that affect performance?

not the answer. then you would be giving up dual channel.

i would shop for some good GOOD pc3200-3700 or higher, keeping 2x512 configuration. first of all though, i would make sure my cpu wasn't maxed by trying 1 stick like batboy suggested.

sucky noob · Aug 4, 2004

ok ill try the one stick thing, but spending another $200 on ram is all but out of the question. As far as my ram not liking the 3:2 ratio, i tried booting the cpu at stock speed, 2.4, and setting the ratio to 3:2. It worked, and i crawled it up until the cpu was around 284fsb or something, the cpu was at 3.39 and the memory was running at 189mhz, which is underclocking it, but once i pushed the fsb past 284, and the memory past 190, the next boot would simply be....BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

how do i know if my ram has ch-5 chips?

Jarlax · Aug 4, 2004

hUMANbEATbOX said:
Jarlax, a booster isn't going to help in your situation AFAIK. if your ram is really BH-5 you should be able to do the speeds you are at now but wi 2-2-2-5 timings at the same voltage. at 2.8v i have no probs running my ram 2-2-2-5 @ 220mhz. and my ram is rated pc2700. with looser timings like you've got now, i would think you could go a bit higher still. and your ram should have no probs with the 3:2 ratio, so if you can't go higher than 3.3 in 3:2, i'd say its your cpu.

I had the timings at 2-2-2-5 and I would boot ok, but it didn't take long for the machine to reboot itself or lock up. That is why I figured a little more juice to the ram might help make the system a little more solid.

I will have to try the single ram idea and also the 3:2 divider. But I wonder how 3:2 will affect performance?

batboy · Aug 4, 2004

For those that are trying to use tight timings, but are limited to 2.8v or 2.85v vdimm and are having trouble going higher... try relaxing just the RAS to CAS delay setting one notch.

sucky noob · Aug 6, 2004

ok, i tried the one ram stick thing, and i could not push the fsb past the previous 284 limit. I used various voltage and timing settings.

Does that mean i've reached my chip's limit? say it aint so!

Lat · Aug 6, 2004

i think you have reached your chip's limit

well, be glad...my 2.4c's limit (D1) is 260x12

batboy · Aug 6, 2004

I thought your first post said 275 FSB was as high as you could get? Regardless, 3.4 gig is fairly average for a 2.4C. Heck, it's a 1 gig increase over default speed and high FSB. That's pretty dang good.

Chaos_Being · Aug 6, 2004

I have the exact same "wall" with my 2.4c and IC7. I just upgraded my cpu and NB cooling and modded my case, partially just to get it cooler and partially because I was curious to see if it would increase my OC. It didn't. Just as before, it can't even do 276 fsb, and adding more voltage seems to just make it freeze or fail prime even faster

That leaves me either with a maxed cpu, or a ram conflict as Batboy described. I have BH-5 though which usually plays pretty nicely with Abit boards, so there's a good chance it is my cpu. Granted, I haven't tried to run with just one stick, but even if it is my ram I can't really justify purchasing a new set of ram for maybe 100 or so more mhz. I'd rather throw that money towards a new video card...maybe a new processor, but I'd have to get pretty lucky with say a 3.0 to get better performance.

more mileage out of my 2.4c?

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