[arjones85]

Hey guys, I've hit a dead end with this board and am hoping to get some expert help.

I am running the Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L with a Q6600 G0, and cannot get this thing past 333 FSB frequency (CPU 3.0Ghz) without also being forced to raise the PCI Express Frequency past 100Mhz. If I attempt to go past 3.0Ghz it refuses to POST. I was able to get it to boot at 3.2Ghz if I raised the PCI-E Freq to 105, but the video card would randomly freeze during graphics stress testing, so obviously that's an issue. Memory speed is not an issue, I've lowered it down to under 1000Mhz which it's always been happy with (DDR2-800 OCZ Reapers). During testing past 333 FSB the voltage was manually set and VCore raised to 1.5V, and everything else bumped up a notch with no change. It is definitely, without a doubt, the PCI Express Freq holding me back.


My last board before this, a Biostar, didn't care about the PCI Express Frequency and was happy to have it set to 100 without complaining, and I was able to overclock up to 3.4Ghz stable. I'm pretty disappointed with this new board so far. Am I missing something somewhere? Any help is appreciated!

[SamSaveMax]

G31/G41 are known to have FSB wall limit. P45 board would be your best bet.

[arjones85]

That sucks. Wish I would have known that before going with whatever board was the best seller at newegg Good thing I'm going with an i5 in a few months.

So much for the "This board overclocks great!" comments there.

Thanks. On a separate note, I noticed that you have an i5-750 build that you've overclocked. I looked at your pics but did not see the motherboard model mentioned anywhere. Mind letting me know what motherboard you are using to do that overclocking so I can be sure to not run into this issue again?

[redduc900]

Fill out this BIOS template for the GA-G31M-ES2L w/ all of your current settings at 3.0GHz (just disregard the settings in the template, and replace w/ your own)...

Code:

Robust Graphics Booster___________ [Auto]
CPU Clock Ratio ____________ [8] 
Fine Clock Ratio ____________[0.5]
CPU Host Clock Control_ [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (MHz)__________ [450] 
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz)_______ [100]
C.I.A. 2__________________________ [Disabled]
System Memory Multiplier (SPD)____ [2.00]
DRAM Timing Selectable_______ SPD __ [Manual]

Performance Enhance = [Standard]

CAS Latency Time________________ 
Dram RAS# to CAS# Delay_________ 
Dram RAS# Precharge Delay_______
Precharge Delay (tRAS)__________ 

ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD)_________ 
Rank Write to READ Delay________ 
Write to Precharge Delay_________ 
Refresh to ACT Delay______________ 
Read to Precharge Delay__________
Static tRead Value_______________
Static tRead Phase Adjust________ [Auto]

CPU/PCIEX Clock Driving Control [800mV]
CPU Clock Skew Control [normal]
GMCH Clock Skew Control [Normal]

System Voltage Control____ [Manual]
DDR2 OverVoltage Control__ [+0.300V] 
PCI-E OverVoltage Control_ [+0.1V] 
FSB OverVoltage Control___ [+0.1V] 
(G)MCH OverVoltage Control [+0.1V] 
CPU Voltage Control_______ [1.25]

Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]

Integrated Peripherals
Legacy USB Storage Detect___________________[Disabled]

Also post the VID of your quad, found by opening Real Temp to the Settings page. Also post the SPD timings and voltage for your RAM at DDR2-800, including the quantity installed.

[arjones85]

Originally Posted by arjones85

That sucks. Wish I would have known that before going with whatever board was the best seller at newegg Good thing I'm going with an i5 in a few months.

So much for the "This board overclocks great!" comments there.

Thanks. On a separate note, I noticed that you have an i5-750 build that you've overclocked. I looked at your pics but did not see the motherboard model mentioned anywhere. Mind letting me know what motherboard you are using to do that overclocking so I can be sure to not run into this issue again?

I appreciate your effort, but not necessary though. After Googling some more I'm not the first person to run into this issue (there's another thread on these forums with someone else having the same exact problem with the same exact board). It's not worth battling anymore =) I'm going to be getting myself a new i5 build in a few months.