SOLVED Troubles overclocking AMD 980BE

[scrambler]

I decided to step down to 4.1 at 1.4V. I save about 3-4 degrees under load. To get 4.4, I need 1.46 volts and that puts me at 57 degrees under load, not comfy with that. I decided that 4.2 was nice, but having an overall cooler system was better. I might go out and buy a couple of more fans for my system. Specifically the top and side and I think I might look into buying one for the bottom as well. Might allow me to run 4.3 much more comfortably.

I also changed the memory timings a little bit. 8-8-8-22-32 are the new timings, and Prime tells me we are good to go after a 20 minute blend test.

 

[RGone]

In all honesty, I have found that the cpu mhz increase needs to be about 300Mhz for most individuals to actually feel any difference in speed. So dropping 100Mhz for a little more cooling makes absolutely perfect sense in day to day use. Good, sensible move. Congrats on your setup.

 

[scrambler]

Okay, I think I have my set up nailed now. I moved the GPU from the x16 slot to the x8 slot so that it further down in my case. Before, it was about 6cm away from the CPUs cooling fan, and I found that when the GPU started to get hot (50-60 degrees) the heat from the back of the card would be pulled into the CPU heatsink from the fan. With it further down in the case, it leaves a nice big open area between the GPU and CPU.My side case fan is positioned as such that it blows air over the top of the card and into the big open area feeding the CPU fan. Before, this fan was too low to do anything but blow the air from the GPU around the bottom of my case.

Which brings me to my problem now. I can't add a second side fan like I had wanted, as I have misjudged the spacing between the heatsink and my case. It is a very tight fit, and no fan I have is small enough to fit. Kind of a monkey wrench in my plans, but I can still get a top fan and bottom fan if I want. I'll look at the small fans I saw the other day which appear to be almost half the height. I fear they'll have very poor airflow though.

Anyways, the pic is my CPU temps after a 20 minute prime run. The 53 is very misleading. It peaked to 53, but never stayed there. It stayed at 50 through most of the test.

 

[trents]

Moving your GPU from the 16x to the 8x PCI-e slot can also make the NB chip run cooler.

 

[scrambler]

Mostly for giggles, I tried to hit 4.4Ghz. I did. With a 1.52Vcore and temps hitting 58 degrees after 4 minutes of Prime. Good to know it can reach it, I just need a better cooler.

 

[scrambler]

There is an option in BIOS for my Ram which controls delay. It is in nano seconds, and it is set to 160. What exactly is this? Sorry I keep bringing up my own dead thread.

 

[scrambler]

So, I have been playing around with my CPU for the last little bit. I got it clocked at 4.4Ghz @ 1.52V. 20 Minute Prime run passed. 2 Hours of gameplay passed. Temps never went above 57 degrees during gameplay. However, Prime pushed it into 60 degrees right at the end of 20 minutes, I know I am on the edge.

However, I want to also know if those volts are too high? They seem very high to me, but it is unstable at any voltage lower than that.

 

[keny]

Personally , I would say you're ok , but you will degrade you're CPU faster than most, and will you really notice the difference in day to day computing, also is the amount of extra MHz you're gaining worth the amount of extra vcore you're having to give you're chip ! I'm a bencher so speed is king to me and wins every time but if longevity is what you're after then high vcore is not so good of an option. Nice clocks by the way

 

[scrambler]

Well, it yields about 3-5 frames in BF3, and about 10 in Arma 2. It is quite the jump.

I figure if I can squeeze a year out of it, that be good for me.

 

[trents]

Do you have Load Lind Calibration enabled? If not, that can save the CPU some by keeping the vcore lower when the CPU is not under load and doesn't need it for stabilikty. Is the 1.52 vcore what you have it set to in bios or what it draws under full load?

 

[scrambler]

I can't seem to find the LLC in my BIOS. I have looked for it, but I can not find it. 1.52 is what I have it set to draw in BIOS, but under load it draws 1.54.

 

[RGone]

These two knowledgeable users say there is LLC on that motherboard. They seem using the newer FX-series processor.


"ssjwizard" Use the lowest LLC setting on these boards. Regular will add about .03 to .05v depending on how heavy the load is. I rock my 8120 on 1.25v and @ full load LLC will push it to 1.3 solidly which is all I ever needed to get 4.2-4.4ghz stable. IMO just adjust LLC to stabilize your system, because the only reason to go above 1.25vCore on these chips outside of sub zero benching is when you hit the point where it wont boot with 1.25v(around 4.8ghz) and honestly there just isnt much point in overclocking higher than that anyways.

 

[trents]

Is it Gigabyte or MSI that unhides hidden bios features when you hit the F9 key?

 

[scrambler]

I looked, and I'm unable to find it.

However, when I try and get C1E (I think that's what it was) the BIOS freezes and nothing happens. I have to restart.

 

[RGone]

Okay after following a long g00gle trail and with no real help at Giga site, I now know this:
1. The GA-990XA-UD3 was released as Rev 1.0 and within a very very short time Rev 1.1 and 1.2 were released.

2. Every early 'user' review for the GA-990XA-UD3 said that the first Rev of the board had no LLC adjustment in the bios.

3. The latest bios is in version F11 but I don't think I would flash it yet as it has caused some pretty serious problems for at least on user here in the forum.

4. You need to determine which Rev of the GA-990XA-UD3 you have in your possession. If you have Rev 1.0, I do not think you will have LLC. Later Rev's it appears to have LLC.


Title: Re: GA-990XA-UD3 vcore throttling
Post by: Hippie Tech on May 03, 2012, 03:54:06 pm
Quote from: omagic on May 03, 2012, 08:57:38 am
Im afraid this mainboard doesnt have LLC option

Look under 'Advanced'. Its called 'Load line control'.. my bad lol..

I'm a little confused and concerned, as to why they would have the 'auto' mode set to such an aggressive state. There should be no auto setting and normal should be default.

With LLC on auto, my cpu would jump to 1.45v (maybe more), while watching video or surfing the web.

 

[scrambler]

I'm guessing the only way to know what revision I have is to look at the mobo?

 

[RGone]

I'm guessing the only way to know what revision I have is to look at the mobo?

Only way I know of. It is silksreened on the board somewhere along with other stuff like serial number and model number. Most boards at one of the corners, but I have never owned a Giga so I really don't know for certain.

 

[scrambler]

Completely off topic, but do you think buying a Noctua DH14 would be worth it? I was thinking of buying one. I see some people get around 10 degrees cooler over the CM Hyper 212+ and that seems very impressive but, I don't know anyone who owns one.

 

[RGone]

Is it worth IT???

Completely off topic, but do you think buying a Noctua DH14 would be worth it? I was thinking of buying one. I see some people get around 10 degrees cooler over the CM Hyper 212+ and that seems very impressive but, I don't know anyone who owns one.

"Worth IT"? The question is asked alot about many things. You really have to be stable to try and answer such a question.

On the surface, in your situation, I would say n0.

1. > You have a good cpu and 'many' would wish their 980BE like cpus would clock where yours does with your stated voltages. BUT you may have that motherboard with a very unregulated LLC type voltage that spikes the heck out of the cpu and your voltage under load maybe much higher than we think. HWMonitor open on desktop and logging min/max temps and Volts is a better way to know for sure while running Prime95 Blend mode for at least 20 minutes. Then that HWMonitor caputered and posted to forum for examination. Need CPUz tabs for speed of cpu at the CPU tab also.

2. > 4.1Ghz at a stated 1.4Vcore is awesome if real. Temps you could live with for about $35.00. Go to $85.00 for a little cooler? $85.00 from reputable sales sites for maybe 200Mhz more? That $85.00 dollars would be worth it to me only if I was benching for posts at HWBot where every last advantage needed to be take for getting a score. In day to day use...well you have to make that last dollar decision.

3. There are other air coolers now that beat the NH-D14 for cooling. BUT they are noisier for sure.

Edit: I had looked this stuff up and forgot to post it before I saved earlier >>


TOP 5 AMD Heatsinks by Temperature


A long list of AMD coolers at FrostyTech. The thing I see is the noise level of the NH-D14 compared to other coolers.

Caution:
The NH-D14 is a big cooler that extends over the first RAM slots on most mainboards. The cooler offers sufficient clearance for all standard size memory modules, but you won’t be able to use memory modules higher than 44mm.
End Edit.

 

[trents]

If you can afford a Noctua D14, go for it. I would expect you will see more like a 5c drop in temp. But that could be enough to lower electrical resistance a little and allow you to reduce vcore a little and get by with a tad less voltage and still be stable.