ABIT IC7/IC7-G/IC7-Max3/IS7-X Failsafe BIOS settings. Read First!

[crotale]

ABIT IC7/IC7-G/IC7-Max3/IS7-X Failsafe Overclocking BIOS settings. Read First!

I've seen alot of posts in the last couple of months with troubles regarding instability and overclocking.

I thought I could post the basic BIOS setup to get a good
overclocking start. The images shown here are version 1.9 for IC7. The layout of the BIOS is similar, if not the same, on all the IC7 and IS7 series of motherboards.

This is the Soft Menu Setup with the settings I recomend for a start:

People with 2.8C CPUs or higher might not be able to post with this FSB, start at 200 and find a sweet spot with ClockGen for example.

This is the Advanced Chipset Feature page:

The last two settings are very important!
Remember! PC4000 memory will likely not work with these settings, for them I recommend 3-8-4-4 timings.
After you've find a sweet spot for your CPU, try lowering the first four settings (called timings). Lower are faster.

As always, use your favorite stressing program to make sure your system is stable. I recommend Prime for stressing,
ClockGen for overclocking and CPU-Z to keep an eye on clocks.

 

[batboy]

Nice post. I'm going to put a link for this in my IC7 sticky.

 

[shortbus_]

does increasing the agp voltage help wth stability? and will it hurt my video card?

 

[crotale]

Some people say it helps the chipset in some way, but I can't swear on that one... You could try, I don't think it'll destroy a vid card, but I can't promise...

 

[unreal]

perfect, just what i was looking for

 

[batboy]

Some people claim that using the AGP voltage at max setting will provide a little more voltage to the chipset which might help stability when max overclocking. Personally I can't tell any difference and since I have expensive vid cards, I don't run high AGP voltage very long since it don't help my O/C. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Shane5578]

i have the stock ic7-max3. and can reach 310fsb at 1.6vagp (i can also use 1.55v at 310fsb but it is less stable)

i didn't see any improvements using 1.65v (prolly cos i'm using stock cooling on the chipset)

 

[crotale]

That's interesting Shane5578. I'm fiddling around to get a couple of more MHz FSB over 300... I'll try this!

 

[barondekalb]

thanks very much for this thread . this is my first post.
i have a new system on the way close to this, here are the specs.

cpu : p4 2.8c
mombo : abit is7-e
mem : 512k (256x2) pc3200 400mhz
vid : (move from old system)-raydon9500pro-oc360core-310.5m
hd : 80gb ata100
case : aspire x-deeamer 350/w power:
fan : intel certified cpu fan heatsink + 3 extra case fan.

- was wondering what settings i should start with or if before
i do anything should i change the cooling. all i hope to get is
a conservative o/c of 3.4 . (if possible) i dont want to go crazy.

- thanks, baron

 

[spclwpns]

System & video cache to 'enable' ? Thought that was a no-no for awhile now ?

 

[crotale]

barondekalb: Just use the settings described above. But start a little lower with the FSB. 220 to be on the safe side.

spclwpns: I've never tried to change system/video bios cacheable. Maybe someone can give us a hint what it's about.
This thread is not meant to be a complete, optimized, bios guide, just some basic settings.

 

[barondekalb]

thanks crotale,

still waiting for cpu to get here from cyber, just trying to read up
first

i did find this really well written quide for ic7 boards which could
help readers of this thread, didn't see it linked yet.

Starters quide to O/C IC7 Motherboards

this was very helpful for me, to get the basics down.

 

[crotale]

barondekalb: That's nice to hear! Keep us updated on your progress! Good Luck!

 

[Edward2]

I have also heard that you should set the System & Video Cache to Disabled, although maybe this is only necessary when you are actually benchmarking. I think that it frees up some of your RAM memory by disabling these 2 items. It could also be that this was more important when computers were much slower.

 

[crotale]

I will try it as soon as I have time to do any extensive testing.

 

[spclwpns]

It's really suggested settings from the video card companies to have these disabled.
Both ATI and nv have suggested this for a couple years now I believe.... I forget but it was something about caching being old and outdated and system/vcard memory now handling the job and is much faster
I also wonder if that's true, why are these functions still in place, oh well..........

 

[jhl3]

The max3 is not on the clockgen chart. Does it work on them anyway?

 

[crotale]

The max3 is not on the clockgen chart. Does it work on them anyway?

Yes, the version for IC7 will work...

 

[jhl3]

Thanks crotale

 

[Shane5578]

adjusting the the agp to 68 on the max3 makes my system more stable at any fsb. i'm using ide hardrive though