A64 101

[ap673]

Hey I was wondering if anyone knows if the socket939's are better overclockers, or anything else new that will be coming out, like 90nm and socket900.

 

[Vortexkrow]

man im just so cusfused now! im getting amd64 but want to oc and whats the best motherbaord that has good APG Speeds and pci locks because im getting radoen x800XT and want to get the best performce out of it!

 

[Gautam]

I've got tons to update. If this guide is actually helping anyone, I may bother. But it doesn't look like it.

Anyways, I can't recommend mobiles anymore. They're just too iffy. A desktop CG Newcastle is sort of replacing it in my mind as the best choice, a good thing too because these are the easiest to find.

As far as motherboards go, I'd personally rank the Abit KV8 Pro, Epox 8KDA3+/8KDAJ, and Gigabyte K8NS Pro at the top. These are the three smoothest boards ATM. The MSI seems to be having voltage regulation issues and things of the sort. Note that the MSI is still the only choice for mobiles.

 

[sulu]

Hi Gautam,

If it makes any difference, your post has helped me alot!
AS newbie to amd64 oclocking I was bit lost, but after reading your article. It made the process very clear to me.

Now if I can get my 3200+ newcastle to stabilize at 2400, I would be happy. I have:
HTT at X3
218FSB
VCORE 1.7V
5:3 memory divider

It still will not pass prime95.
maybe it's this ASUS K8V DX SE and VIA chipset...

 

[Gautam]

Hi Gautam,

If it makes any difference, your post has helped me alot!

Yes it does does make a difference! It's always good to know that I've helped.

I don't think the board will get in the way of 218HTT. 36.3MHz PCI isn't too far out of spec. It's probably possible to even run an ATi-based card at a 72MHz AGP.

Something else seems amiss. What cooling,power supply and memory do you have?

Also, I'm not positive about this, so take precaution if you wish to test this out, but I *believe* that the board has a 1/7 HTT/PCI divider. If you think that the PCI bus is getting in the way, you could try dropping your multi to 10x and raise the HTT to 133MHz.

Edit: From looking at your other post, you're still using the retail cooler, and your CPU temp is at 53C. This is what I'd venture is holding you back right now. With the cooler upgraded, you should get much further. I wouldn't be surprised either if you could actually get a higher overclock by dropping your voltage down to 1.65v.

 

[Onkyo]

so i want to buy a clawhammer from newegg it has 1mb cache l2 and the newcastle is 512 liek you said so which one is better ? i am assuming the clawhammer ?

 

[Gautam]

Some updates in lieu of some new developments, etc.

Now there are more actual A64 users out there than when I first wrote this, so, you guys can probably tell me what else I need to add.

 

[dumbfish]

i have been studing this and it will be very helpful building 64's for other people i just havent bought one yet for me due to cash reasons.

 

[Captain Newbie]

Bumpskies. Very helpful.

 

[johan851]

This post helped me quite a bit. I didn't know a thing about this stuff before...didn't really take much time to learn. I appreciate it.

This stuff though...

What complicates what multiplier and HyperTransport speed you should use are the CPU/memory dividers. No motherboard allows you to manipulate them directly. Instead, they provide “maximum memory clocks,” or supposed HTT/memory ratios. Make no mistake, no such thing exists. The memory is derived off of the CPU speed, but it’s never made clear, and the dividers need to be manipulated indirectly. Also, CPU/mem dividers are integral only; there are no half dividers, so it’s advisable not to use half multipliers. Ok, what I just said probably doesn’t make much sense, so here are some examples of how to get certain get CPU/mem dividers:

CPU/5-8 - Set memory to 200 and multiplier to desired divider

CPU/9
Memory to 200, multi to 9x(if available)
Memory to 183*, multi to 8x

CPU/10
Memory to 200, multi to 10x(if available)
Memory to 183*, multi to 9x(if available)
Memory to 166, multi to 8x

CPU/11
Memory to 200, multi to 11x(if available)
Memory to 183*, multi to 10x(if available)
Memory to 166, multi to 9x(if available)
Memory to 150, multi to 8x

Ok...this still isn't making much sense, after reading it three or four times. The memory speed is derived from the total CPU clockspeed, right? So it needs a divider. In "CPU/xx" is "xx" the divider? Next, you say "Memory to xxx." I thought the memory speed was a result of the divider, and couldn't be adjusted...so when you say "Memory to xxx" is that something you set, or a desired setting? And the "multi to x" means...setting the CPU multiplier? Or the memory multiplier? Or the memory divider...ouch.

 

[Gautam]

lol, yes it can be a bit absurd.

The motherboards all seem to have options for a "Max memory clock" or "Memory Clock." For the non-overclocking folk, they set the memory right where they set it to. Set the memory to 166, and the board sets the appropriate diividers. It's just a gimmick. With AthlonXP's, if you've got a board option that sets the memory to 166MHz, for example, it just uses a 6:5 ratio. For the A64, it'll pick the memory divider to hit 166MHz. For a stock 3200+, that'll be 2000/12.

By multi to xx, I meant the CPU multiplier. By changing the multipliers and "memory clocks," you indirectly manipulate the CPU/memory dividers. I just listed some combinations to get some commonly used dividers.

 

[johan851]

I see. So really instead of the BIOS coming right out and saying 6:5, or 12:1, it says "200mhz" or whatever. More of a naming issue than anything tricky.

 

[Gautam]

Yes. Not all nForce2 boards came right out and said 6:5, eg, either. They had mem clocks in the BIOS, but actually used ratios behind the scenes. The CPU/memory dividers are what are going on behind the scenes with the A64's. The only thing that confuses it is how they change as you change the CPU multipliers. That's not something you'd encounter with AthlonXP's.

Bumpskies. Very helpful.

Thanks, appreciate it.

 

[johan851]

Alright, that clears it up. This is a great article for A64 n00bs - I say sticky it.

 

[d]g[ts]

too helpfull to let fall

nice work gautam

 

[Jarlax]

Wow, this post is just full of good info! Nice work Gautam!!! I should be getting the AMD combo deal (3200+, Asus A8V, etc.) soon and I will be looking back here for pointers for sure!

 

[kurisu]

For what it's worth, the 2800 [retail] I bought from newegg less than a month ago is a 2800+: ADA2800AEP4AX 1.5V (DH7 CG rev, FC0h) <- NewCastle, 512 KB L2, 1.8 GHz, x9.

Also..great post. bumpity.

 

[Gautam]

I happened to update it a little today, but really just the config section.

That's all that's changed I think, mostly ocing it is the same as before.

How's the K8N-E? I haven't heard anything about it.

 

[Sentential]

Well Ive decided (now that I have funds) that Im going A64 the moment 90nm is in the channel.

Gautam Ill hit you up for info later on this matter....although a Dual Opty rig would be sweet.

 

[Catalan]

Actually the new DFI board supports mobiles now as well thanks to oskar wu.