Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 OC guidance

[PicodeGallo]

I'm a little confused on what I need to set for the most effective OC, so I turn to you guys. I've read some guides, but I'm still a little confused. Here's what I'm working with:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 740, 4 cores unlocked and appears to be stable.
RAM: 2x2GB DDR1600 Mushkin Redline 6-8-6-24 RAM
PSU: OCZ GamerXstream 750w

Question 1: When set to AUTO, the voltages seem to vary as needed? The higher I raise the multi, the higher the VCORE reading...kind of strange. Stock it's like 1.28, now it's 1.38 with the multi at 18. Is this normal? I was under the assumption that you had to manually set voltages.

Question 2: I would post a CPU-Z snapshot, but I don't have any editing software installed. I haven't done much, so here's what it says:

CPU Tab:
Core Voltage=1.38
Core speed= 3612, Multi=18.0, Bus Speed=200.7, HT Link=2006.7

Memory Tab:
NB Frequency=2608.7
DRAM Frequency=802.7, FSBRAM=1:4
Latencies: 6-8-6-24-40-2T

I have bumped up the multi, adjusted the NB Frequency, and manually set the RAM to these settings. That's it. I'm not sure if these particular settings are stable yet, as I just adjusted the multi even higher, but a lower multi 17 & 17.5 appear to be stable.

This is where I need some advice. What would you adjust?

 

[k88]

I think you´ll need to set stable the cpu and later think on those 1600mhz and that latency for the RAM.....

 

[QuietIce]

Have you been through our Phenom II Guide? Dolk does a fair job of explaining what you need to do and when.

Personally, I'd lower the RAM to 667 MHz but leave the timings as they are.

I'd also manually set the vCore instead of relying on the BIOS to set it for me. Since it's using 1.38v at load I'd start with a 1.40v setting.

It might not be a bad idea to set the cpuNB manually as well. Start at 1.15v for that. Make sure you get the cpuNB and not the NB chipset.

It's looks like you're heading in the right direction just keep plugging at it - it takes time ...

 

[PicodeGallo]

Ok, I've read the guide about 3 times now, but there's still some questions. I think I'm beginning to get this down, but the RAM OC'ing is a bit confusing.

QuietIce, you said lower the ram to 667. Why? At 800, those are stock settings. Or, should I lower it and try to get 5-7-5-x or even lower?

The CPU-NB voltage is at 1.35v Auto. I could raise it some if I run into problems.

Also, I've mainly been checking the CPU at 3.6 GHz for stability. It was not stable, so I upped the voltage as you recommended. I will be checking for stability tonight and if that doesn't work, I'll adjust the CPU-NB voltage. The nice thing is that I have a lot of room to work with as temps are concerned. Under load, the CPU is well under 40C, and there is no hot air blowing out of the case (my informal check to make sure temp monitor isn't misleading). Should I continue increasing the multi and VCORE until temperatures get toasty?

 

[beenthere]

Ok, I've read the guide about 3 times now, but there's still some questions. I think I'm beginning to get this down, but the RAM OC'ing is a bit confusing.

QuietIce, you said lower the ram to 667. Why? At 800, those are stock settings. Or, should I lower it and try to get 5-7-5-x or even lower?

The CPU-NB voltage is at 1.35v Auto. I could raise it some if I run into problems.

Quiestice said to lower the RAM frequency because the Phenom II/AM3 socket max AMD officially supported RAM frequency is 1333 MHz. which is 2x 666.6 MHz. With it set to 800 MHz. you're running the RAM OC'ed which may limit the CPU overclocking ability. Tighter RAM latency and higher frequencies can limit the overall CPU overclock. You want to go in the opposite direction. The CPU-NB voltage is also unnecessarily high IMO.