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Keep overclocking CPU or maintain the memory speed?

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Spaft

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Jan 25, 2011
Dear everyone,

I'm pretty new to Overclock although have read some threads in this forum for basic OC knowledge. Now I'm Ocing an AMD 1055T with a 1600 memory chip. The question I have is: I'm now at FSB = 245, and my CPU speed it around 3.3Ghz where my memory can run at 1600 full speed. I notice that when I OC my CPU higher, I must lower my memory speed to keep my computer stable. To get to the next set with mutiplier of memory being 5.33 to reach the 1600MHz speed will require a FSB at around 300 which may not be that easy to reach. So I'm wondering if I should keep OCing my CPU or should I stop now to maximize my memory speed? In another word, is a higher CPU speed more important or a higher memory speed?

May be a noob question. Hope someone would like to share some ideas.

Thank you very much in advance!
 
Don't worry too much about lowering the memory speed; there are diminishing returns in pushing memory clocks higher and higher, while gains from CPU speed increases usually show better performance overall.

The deal is that if you lower memory speed, you can usually tighten the memory timings a little bit, maintaining good performance without having to sacrifice your CPU clock. For a PhenII system, the memory performance difference between, say, DDR3-1600 with 9-9-9-24 timings and DDR3-1333 with 7-7-7-20 timings are extremely small. Actually, you can often times tweak better performance using tighter timings and lower memory clock than with the higher memory clock. So, you're at an advantage by dropping memory clock, increasing CPU clock, and lowering the memory timings most of the time.

Hardly a n00b question; these are the things you pick up while experimenting and asking questions. :)
 
theflyingrat said:
Don't worry too much about lowering the memory speed; there are diminishing returns in pushing memory clocks higher and higher, while gains from CPU speed increases usually show better performance overall.

The deal is that if you lower memory speed, you can usually tighten the memory timings a little bit, maintaining good performance without having to sacrifice your CPU clock. For a PhenII system, the memory performance difference between, say, DDR3-1600 with 9-9-9-24 timings and DDR3-1333 with 7-7-7-20 timings are extremely small. Actually, you can often times tweak better performance using tighter timings and lower memory clock than with the higher memory clock. So, you're at an advantage by dropping memory clock, increasing CPU clock, and lowering the memory timings most of the time.

Hardly a n00b question; these are the things you pick up while experimenting and asking questions. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much theflyingrat! I've already set my memory timings at 7. So I'll lower the memory speed a little bit and trying to reach more with the CPU. Lol, thank you again for answering this nOOb question! Just cannot find an answer online.. maybe it's too obvious..
 
Like TFR said, OC that cpu!
Memory speeds are far less important then CPU speeds.
 
QuietIce said:
:welcome: to OCF!


Here's the basic order of importance for performance:

CPU
CPU
CPU
cpuNB
CPU
RAM

;)
Click to expand...

Hello, QuietIce. Thank you so much for your kindness! I've OCed the CPU to 3.8 GHz instead, the memory is runing at 1440MHz. Hope it can pass the stable test. :)
 
Spaft there is an additional advantage that you can exploit when dropping the RAM freq. down and that is tightening up the timing on the RAM :thup: Just like TFR explained above.

Here I have Geil Black Dragon 1600 9-9-9, but by dropping its freq. I have been able to get it to this point at 7-7-7 for better performance. Which the AMD seems to prefer over the higher freq.

So instead of 1600@9-9-9. I'm now at 1440@7-7-7 and able to be at 1T instead of 2T that I would have to be at when @ 1600.
 

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CgS Drone said:
Spaft there is an additional advantage that you can exploit when dropping the RAM freq. down and that is tightening up the timing on the RAM :thup: Just like TFR explained above.

Here I have Geil Black Dragon 1600 9-9-9, but by dropping its freq. I have been able to get it to this point at 7-7-7 for better performance. Which the AMD seems to prefer over the higher freq.

So instead of 1600@9-9-9. I'm now at 1440@7-7-7 and able to be at 1T instead of 2T that I would have to be at when @ 1600.
Click to expand...

Dear Drone, thank you for your reply! I have tried modify the timing on the RAM, yet what I have is a Mushkin silverline 1600 CL7 memory chips. I set it to 7-10-10 at 2T as shown in the CPU-Z for 1600MHz configuration for this ram. So should I try to make it something like 7-7-7 at 1T? I'm not sure about how this works and what does these numbers really mean.
 
I've ran a bunch of benchmarks with my PhenomII to test ram speed and timings and I can agree with whats being said. While doing benchmarks with my old ram, I got better results using ~1400 5-7-6-18 than with ~1670 7-8-7-24. From what I understand and have been told, memory speed corresponds with memory bandwidth which is beneficial to applications that use huge amounts of bandwidth like HD media editing, 3D CAD-like software, and photomshop etc. Tight timings benefit your usual computer programs, and thats what I tend to run.
 
CgS Drone said:
Post a SPD screen shot of your RAM, Please.
Click to expand...

Here we go. That's my SPD and what my ram is at right now. Please take a look~ Thank you so much! :)
 

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Dooms101 said:
I've ran a bunch of benchmarks with my PhenomII to test ram speed and timings and I can agree with whats being said. While doing benchmarks with my old ram, I got better results using ~1400 5-7-6-18 than with ~1670 7-8-7-24. From what I understand and have been told, memory speed corresponds with memory bandwidth which is beneficial to applications that use huge amounts of bandwidth like HD media editing, 3D CAD-like software, and photomshop etc. Tight timings benefit your usual computer programs, and thats what I tend to run.
Click to expand...

Hi Dooms101, thank you for your reply and knowledge. Now I understand how it works! Yeah, I should follow the advice and try to get a better memory timings instead of the bandwidth I guess.
 
Now I've reached 3.8GHz for that CPU and passed a 20 hrs test. I also reset the memory timing to 8-8-8-22-30-1T instead the 7-10-10-24-34-2T setting. I've tried to change the timing to reach 6 but cannot boot the computer no matter how I set those values. So is this the final point where I can achieve, or does anyone has any idea about how I can reach better timings?
Any replies are appreciated!
 
You could try for 8-8-8-24 1T @ 1333 and see if that will work. That would be a compromise between freq and timing but I don't know if you could get it to do that. You don't need to test for that long also, I generally test for 15-20 minutes then run my OS the way I would normally and if there is an issue later then I change the value's and run it as normal again until I don't have issue's that way my system isn't down that long.
 
CgS Drone said:
You could try for 8-8-8-24 1T @ 1333 and see if that will work. That would be a compromise between freq and timing but I don't know if you could get it to do that. You don't need to test for that long also, I generally test for 15-20 minutes then run my OS the way I would normally and if there is an issue later then I change the value's and run it as normal again until I don't have issue's that way my system isn't down that long.
Click to expand...

Hello Drone, thank you so much for your input. I'm now at 8-8-8-22 1T @ 1440. Should I leave it like this or can I tighten it more?
 
Personally I would leave it there and give it some time of running like you normally do and see if it remains stable. You have some good timing with good freq. there if it will hold.
 
CgS Drone said:
Personally I would leave it there and give it some time of running like you normally do and see if it remains stable. You have some good timing with good freq. there if it will hold.
Click to expand...

oh, really?! that sounds great! i will give it some test to see if its stable enough. thank you so much for guiding me all the way here. i really appreciate your patience and kindness:)
 
Try cas7, in theory you should be able to run cas6 at 1333, 6-8-8-21 is about right considering 7-10-10 at 1600.
Some AMD chips really don't like super low cas though.
 
Bobnova said:
Try cas7, in theory you should be able to run cas6 at 1333, 6-8-8-21 is about right considering 7-10-10 at 1600.
Some AMD chips really don't like super low cas though.
Click to expand...

wow, it works!!! after configuring it for a long time though.. clear the Bios twice in between. sign... now I'm at 6-8-6-16 1T. Exciting about this.. passed a short test.. I'll keep testing.. Thank you for your reply!
 
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