OC Virgin

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Nico_Palm, Apr 13, 2011.

  1. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Hi guys,

    I'm realtively new to overclocking. I've always found it fascinating, but at the same time intimidating, So I've been reading up on it as much as possible for quite a while now.

    The other day I had an opprtunity to grab a P4 northwood on an msi pm8m-v mobo. I tried experimenting with the bios a little bit, and have it running stable @ 2.479Ghz from 2.40Ghz. and I know thats almost nothing really, but when I try to push my CPU/AGP/PCI frequency past 137/68/34Mhz, I start to get BSOD's. I am running stable at 137/68/34 though. But I'm sure I have to change more than just the CPU/AGP/PCI freq. to really overclock, thats why I'm asking here.

    My Bios contains all of these options that look like they may be of interest:


    IN CELL MENU:

    >Adjust CPU/AGP/PCI frequency
    -default
    -133/63/33Mhz
    -137/68/34
    -140/70/35
    -142/71/35
    -146/73/36
    -153/76/38

    >Memory Voltage
    -2.5V
    -2.6
    -2.7
    -2.8

    >AGP Voltage
    -1.5V
    -1.6
    -1.7
    -1.8

    >Auto-Disable DIMM/PCI clock
    -enable/disable

    >Spread Spectrum
    -enable/disable



    IN HW MONITOR:

    > Chassis Intrusion
    -enable/disable

    >CPU SMART Fan Temperature
    -enable/disable


    IN DRAM CLOCK/DRIVE CONTROL:

    >DRAM Clock
    -By SPD
    -100Mhz
    -133
    -166
    -200

    >DRAM Timing
    -Manual
    -Auto by SPD
    -Turbo
    -Ultra

    >DRAM Command Rate
    -1T
    -2T



    I'm wondering where I should be making changes to try and get a higher stable OC. I'm really interested in this and would like to learn how to OC on this PC before trying it on my more expensive PC. Remember this is my first time so take it easy on me, I promise to listen and be patient, as long as someone gives me good advice to help me learn. This PC was free, so it doesnt matter if she blows up, it's a P.O.S learning machine, I just need a teacher? lol

    Thanks for your time everbody
    Nico
     
  2. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    I also just bought This Alienware case with a 480W PSU. I brought him down from $75 to $60, and it's brand new, still in the box :-D

    http://cornwall.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Computer-case-W0QQAdIdZ271589906

    I would like advice on a cheap, powerfull, easy to OC motherboard and CPU combo from Newegg.ca if possible.

    I can spend $200-$400 on the mobo/CPU but would like to keep it low if possible.

    since after reading alot about my BIOS on the P4 northwood, I'm come to the conclusion that an OC wont work with those options (could be wrong)

    I'll just build an OC'able rig from scratch with help from you guys of course..

    So what to buy? :drool
     
  3. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    I was thinking something like this to stay in the price range of around $300 :

    Processor- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103894

    Motherboard- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128440


    will this combo work well, and is it OC'able?


    I have a couple Sata HD's I can drop into it, will need to buy the RAM. I can suffer with on-board audio and video for a couple months then upgrade to 7.1 sound and a GPU.


    I just dont want to buy a bunch of stuff that wont work together.
     
  4. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Don't forget if your upgrading your motherboard for overclocking you need to get some decent memory also. High speed memory is important when overclocking as it gives you headroom to push your CPU over clock before you have to knock your ram divider down a notch.

    Upping PCI and AGP frequency doesn't offer any performance benefit at all,upping AGP voltage is used to overclock your video card it offers no performance benefit otherwise so leave that alone or you will kill your video card.I'm not sure which clock your upping but really you need to lock out your PCI/AGP frequencies and don't touch them!If its an older motherboard or one not designed for overclocking you may not be able to.

    When overclocking you must only push one thing at a time,by this I mean knock your dividers for everything else down,this takes them out of the equation so you know exactly what your pushing and exactly what's preventing you from going any higher.For example if your going for a CPU overclock you would knock your ram deviders down to decrease your memory frequency then up your FSB to increase your CPU frequency alone.Once you know the maximum your CPU will go to knock your CPU divider down and up your FSB to ONLY overlclock your memory to find its maximum.

    Only then do you try and aim for the best combination of both CPU and memory overlclock.

    If your new to overclocking the best thing to do is READ!Everything you come across,start with overclocking guide here at MG then google overclocking for beginners and read as much as your can.

    Your pushing it at $300,everything is overclockable:-D The more you spend the more overcloking features the motherboard will have,you've chosen a micro ATX motherboard which isn't full size look for a full ATX motherboard.At that price I'd look for a decent motherboard/cpu/ram combo.The CPU you've chosen is a good one for overlclocking as the multiplier is fully unlocked making CPU overclocks very easy,this takes your ram out of the equation so it matters less how good your ram is although its still important for overall system performance as you will end up with a bottlneck.

    EDIT the 480watt PSU you've bought won't be enough if you plan to install a half decent video card at a later date,480 watts is minimum would consider 5 years ago stock,that's without overclocking.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2011
  5. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Remember cooling is paramount I didn't see any temperature readings in your first post.Only when you have your cooling sorted out should your consider upping ANY voltage,upping voltage on the stock cooler is usually a no no.

    You should never be left wondering is its temperature or voltage that's stopping you from overclocking higher,it should always be voltage,as long as you keep your temperatures below normal operating temperatures your CPU should be safe and you should only up your voltage when you've reached your maximum frequency overclock at a specific voltage.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2011
  6. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist



    Thanks Rikky,

    Yea, I've concluded that theres no point to OC this P4, I cant lock the AGP/PCI values, so upping my bus speed raises those as well, so 2.47Ghz is all it will do.

    Thats why I've chosen to build a cheap, but decent PC to learn on and at least have the proper options in the Bios to tinker with.

    regarding full atx vs. micro-atx, I'm dont think the case is a full-size case, but I will know for sure this weekend when I take a look at it before paying for it.

    regarding the PSU, I will be upgrading it in the future. Possibly 2-3 months after I complete the basic build. Thats why I'll have to tough it out with on-board audio/video until then, but that doesnt bother me too much. A good 850W PSU will be a good birthday present for me in june :-D

    as for RAM, I was thinking 2 of these chips to start, and another 2 when I add the GPU and larger PSU.

    I've heard good things about crucial RAM, but it's very cheap, is this RAM decent?
     
  7. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    So, you think I should just get a combo like this one instead?

    the processor is a little weaker, but only by .3Ghz.. I can suffer I suppose lol..

    andit does end up being quite a bit cheaper after factoring in shipping costs and tax.. so I might just lean towards this instead as it also comes with a new 1TB HD wich would be nice to add as well.

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.548060
     
  8. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    That's pretty decent for a budget machine and OC'able, prolly to 4 GHz. First thing I always do is run OCCT to stress the crap out of my machine for 24hrs, It keeps logs of temperatures and voltages for as long as it's running. You will need an after market CPU cooler but some good ones are quite inexpensive.
     
  9. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    BTW, don't get the case if it's a micro, not enough space for what you want to do, not enough airflow AFAIC.
     
  10. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    A 1TB drive would be nice but a decent psu is necessary:-D That's a pretty good combo deal but I'd hold on for one without a hard drive and spend the extra dinero on a power supply.

    Power supply's are often overlooked by newcomer to overclocking and PC's in general,I know the feeling well as they offer zero extra performance like a CPU or video card but they are paramount.The more you read and delve the more you will come across guys like me/us who rave about decent power supplies,its for a reason,its because of hard won experience with low wattage,low current and cheap power supplies.They are especially important when overclocking as the more stable your power supply the more stable your overclock will be and the more chance you have of going higher,you won't end up in a situation where you have no idea why you can't go any higher or your comp is stable one minute then crashes the next.

    If you overlook it you can go the experience route if you choose,I wouldn't recommend it though:-D
     
  11. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    hmm, good advice.. so basially that cool looking case wont serve any functonality for what i want to do, thats good advice.

    It would actually be smart I guess to take a trip to the local scrapyard and grab a full-size case for a buck and spray-paint it black :-D and just use the cash for a better PSU. The case doesnt make it run faster, it just looks good, so it shouldnt really be a priority until the machine is up and running strong and stable.

    ok, so I've crumpled up my list and I'm starting over.


    I think I might still grab that case with the 480W PSU and build it up for my little brother though, he just turned 13 and doesn't have a PC for schoolwork, researching, etc.

    he would love it, and I can use cheap parts I have laying around in case he fries the bugger.

    Many Thanks, I'll start looking at the full-size stuff later. :)
     
  12. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Now your talking my language:major Get yourself a cheap case and do the work yourself,this is the fun part of custom building a machine.Spray it black and cut some blow holes in it and fit some 3-4 140mm fans,one or two on the top,one at the back and one at the front.

    If you want any advice modifying the case just start a thread in the mod forum I've got extensive experience,you can PM me too if you get stuck.

    Here's some pics of mine to inspire you.

    140mm blow hole

    http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/Rikky_/DSCF1975.jpg

    Clean fan wiring

    http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/Rikky_/DSCF1971.jpg
     
  13. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Looks like NASA can come test their new shuttle at your place with all that airflow :-D

    it looks nice though, I like the clean wiring job, it has inspired me to start organizing the birds nest in my tower lol.

    on another note, I've been playing around with the settings in my Bios since I cant lock the PCI/AGP values and I cant mess with the FSB by itself, or the multiplier.

    however, I can mess with voltages, RAM timings, and I can change the CPU/PCI/AGP frequencies (Mhz) in 3Mhz increments up to a maximum CPU frequency of 154Mhz or 158.. I forget atm..

    it became unstable at 2.47Ghz.. I raised the RAM from 166Mhz to 200Mhz and dropped the voltages on the PCI and AGP by .1 each and everything has been holding stable for 4 hours now doing windows upadates on a fresh XP install at 2.52Ghz..

    I'm wondering if I can up the FSB more by playing with the RAM timings? the multiplier is 18, so upping the CPU only 3Mhz makes a nice little dent.

    Pic below of my very first (Tiny) OC :-D
     

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    Last edited: Apr 14, 2011
  14. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    I should mention, The CPU/PCI/AGP frequencies are locked together, and must be changed together..

    weird Bios.. lol
     
  15. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    Obviously not an overclocker mobo.:( Main OC parameter is FSB.
     
  16. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Look for a setting in bios to drop your AGP/PCI express ratio down it should be labelled AGP/PCI ratio ect. Once you get up towards 80mhz your pushing your AGP frequency and the stability of your system.
     
  17. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    my AGP frequency is currently 70Mhz, the next step up is 71Mhz..

    I'm thinking it's the PCI frequency affecting the HD controller? I read somewhere that the HD contoller uses the PCI voltage and/or frequency?

    either way, I'm just screwing around for kicks and giggles so its no big deal.. just curious whats causing the instability at the point I'm at for knowledge purposes lol..
     
  18. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    and on another note, I'm OC'ing an Ati Radeon 9550 8x AGP for kicks.

    it seems with the higher AGP/PCI frequency in Bios, I can push my GPU core higher as well.

    stock is 250/200 core/memory speed (Mhz)

    right now its running as what you see below, I can get the core to 500Mhz but the cheap aluminum heatsink wont take anything past 475Mhz, or it will start to get heat-induced artifacts after about 25 minutes @ 500 Mhz.

    I want to see how high this core will go :)

    I have a Radeon 9500 Pro with the giant heatsink/fan combo. think it will work? lol
     

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  19. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    dont mean to bump my own post (not like theres any competition in this thread)

    but ATITool also has memory timing adjustment.. and I read that you can adjust the memory timings to tighten them up and make the memory run faster as well.

    how does one go about doing this the smart way ;) lol
     

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  20. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    One must read a few of these,slow down a little:cool

    http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/AMD/memory/131

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/282327-12-memory-timing

    You still don't know what's stopping your previous overclock from going any higher,try dropping your CPU voltage down in the smallest increments until your computer becomes unstable and make a note of each step and its stability,this can give your clue if your at the right voltage for the speed and whether any more voltage will help.You also haven't ran any stress test to test how stable your overclock is,windows update isn't a stress test.As Augie said your need to run OCCT or my favourite Prime 95 for a few hours to stress your computer.

    And one of THE the most important thing are benchmarks,you need to find out if what your doing is improving the speed of your computer or there is no point at all.

    Download the best 3Dmark your computer will run and Sandra lite from here at Majorgeeks,sandra has lots of built in benchmarks to test everything.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2011
  21. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Thanks Rikky,

    That first article on ram-timings makes alot of sense. by lowering the gaps between cycles, you obviously decrease the amount of time needed to complete commands. but what makes me curious is that my radeon has alot more than 4 timings to change, theres 12-14 different timings that can be altered. and I have no idea what they are yet, so they are being left alone until that time lol.

    I ran comparison benches with 3DMark05. The average of 3 passes with no OC (250/200) on the GPU yielded low 1200-range scores. With an OC to 470/240, it pushed the scores over the 2000 mark and into the top 5% of similar rated systems.

    I ran burn-in 2008 on the CPU for 4 hours, didnt have anything of relevance from that, other than temps topping out at 48 celcius and no errors.

    My radeon doesn't have a built-in temp sensor, so I've been using a glass baby-thermometer laying on the GPU, with the little glass bulb right over the core to get fairly accurate temps from my dinosaur lol..


    I will download prime95 and start torture testing everything today.
     
  22. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    well,

    Prime95 wouldnt run, it said a hardware error was preventing it from running. but it didnt tell me what was preventing it from running. should have taken that as a sign to run a battery of tests.

    instead I ran OCCT, and it found an error 2:46 into the first test.

    So I shutdown right away to reset back to original speed, and upon rebooting after resetting, windows would not boot :|

    So I tried running system repair.. nothing..

    was about to re-install windows then i pulled out my memtest CD first..

    about 3 seconds into memtest I found my problem, OCCT blew up the 1 stick of cheap RAM I had installed beside a decent stick of kingston RAM..

    The stick is visibly fried, the 2 chips closest to the left have grey charring along the connectors.


    I'll take it easy for today, and find some better RAM and re-run the test lol..
     
  23. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    Ouch man! Did you volt your RAM? Those things are easy to fry with too much voltage, much like everything else really.;) Take your time.:)
     
  24. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    the ram was being fed 2.6V according to the bios, and thats the default setting.

    I think when you pay $15/Gb for RAM, thats pretty much what you get, a firecracker.. I have some better RAM in a box somewhere, my closet is full of parts from stripped down non-functional PC's as is alot peoples here at MG's I'm guessing :-D

    I'll throw in some better RAM and take it slow..

    either way though, I'm not going to get very high on the CPU with this motherboard.

    I am having fun however OC'ing the crap out of this older radeon card, it takes a good beating, and the larger heatsink/fan combo lines up perfectly with the original plastic pin holes, so hitting 500Mhz is in this cards future.

    at least I'm learning, and if I muck up it's cheap :-D

    I also added a 3rd fan to the side of my tower blowing air directly onto the card, the case already had a hole with a grille cover, and wind tunnel pointed directly at the GPU, like it was meant to be..
     
  25. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Haha wicked:-D Look out for a thermal monitoring system for your computer,I have one with 4 thermal sensors going to various bits of my computer to give me a second opinion,only cost me about £8 new and its all digital with high temp alarms and even fan speed control.

    They are cheap as chips you can probably pick one up for $10-15 and you can easily transfer them to your next project.

    Above my fan controller.

    http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/Rikky_/DSCF1977.jpg

    Bummer on the memory,I hope you'll take a deep breath and pull on the reigns a little :p But your having fun and that's what its all about:)
     
  26. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist



    Thats a neat little device I didnt know about yet, I'll definately look into one for my new build. but I havent spent a dollar on this little project so far, and I'll be damned if I'm going to now lol

    This PC got to me un-bootable and was on its way to the dump. the previous owner had deleted most of the system/system32 directories and changed just about every setting in the BIOS he could. needless to say, he just gave it to me and laughed lol. since it's a northwood, and I've heard good things on forums about northwoods, I kept it around figuring free is free lol.. I have about 6 radeon cards all 9500's and 9550's so I picked the only one with 256Mb memory and 128bit interface and stuck it in.. it was a real pain in the butt over in the drivers forum getting this card working.. windows XP wouldnt recogize any driver at all, Windows 7 Pro Fire Edition with added graphics support did the job quite nicely though, everything was auto-detected.

    so I'm already pleased with the result thus far, now I'm just fooling around with it to learn new stuff i.e. OC'ing and computer diagnostic/troubleshooting. and since I cant use it to OC the CPU (much more than 5-8%), I'll be doing alot of tuning on the GPU overclock I suppose to learn the memory timing aspect of OC'ing.

    I'm pretty sure I know and understand how FSB/Mhz and multipliers work and interact with other parts of the system, thats the easy part. Its the memory timing part of OC'ing that still goes over my head. I dont know how to properly time memory, or what to look for to figure out how to properly time my memory to maximize efficiency and make everything stable like anyone dreams of :)

    I wont even touch the timing just because at this point I know I would just mess them up. But what is the real benefit of tuning your timings in the first place? is it really worth the hassle and learning? or should I just be happy and stick with the OC on the GPU and leave that old memory alone?


    And I was going to ask how on earth you powered all those fans and controlled them, looks nice.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2011
  27. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Ok,

    I found a matching 1GB stick of kingston rAM with the same specs as the one I had left inside the machine, I was able to run Prime95 without any more problems, I have yet to start doing runs on OCCT but that is next.


    Results:

    2.40Ghz (stock)
    4 hours on Prime95
    No errors
    46 degrees celcius steady on full-load

    2.47Ghz
    4 hours on Prime95
    No errors
    48 degrees loaded

    2.52Ghz
    10 minutes shy of 4 hours on Prime95
    No errors
    50 degrees loaded

    Current OC:
    2.57Ghz
    just finished 4 hours on prime
    No errors
    52 degrees loaded with 53 degree peaks..



    The next step on my Bios' scale is 2.62Ghz, but that will also raise my AGP frequency to 73Mhz, and my PCI frequency to 36Mhz, as my Bios cant lock the PCI/AGP frequencies.. the Bios will let me bump it all the way up to 3.2Ghz, but the AGP/PCI frequencies would almost definately stop me from ever reaching that point...

    I'm just wondering what sort of problems will I encounter if any if and when I take the next step up? :)


    I cannot alter my Vcore as well, only memory and AGP volatges are adjustable in my Bios.. at least it has some sort of options, better than fully locked I suppose... any idea's?
     

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    Last edited: Apr 17, 2011
  28. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Check for bios update first but only flash it if it improves the bios or its too risky so read the notes that come with the bios,since your having fun and learning if you haven't flashed a bios before maybe now's the time to have a go:)

    Unless there's a vcore option there isn't a any way around it BUT it is very strange the vcore can't be altered,I don't think I've come across a mobo that doesn't have Vcore setting and I'm talking the last 6-7 years so have a good look for it.It may not be in cell menu,look for an option that allows you to unlock advanced CPU features Ect,this may unlock more options in cell menu.

    Is your CPU multiplier unlocked at all?If you could knock the CPU multi down to take it out of the equation then bump up the FSB you can find out how high the AGP/PCI bus can go before it becomes unstable.
     
  29. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    ok I'll search every option in the Bios.

    I had a go at 2.65Ghz, but my radeon AGP card started getting artifacts at stock speeds.. I'm figuring that was the AGP frequency being too high?

    and no, my multi is locked at 18, and my PLL doesnt seem to be supported by any software, its a winbond w83627thf

    ill look for any Bios unlocks as well..
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2011
  30. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    definately no Vcore adjustment, it's there, but it's greyed out and locked. theres also no way to take the PCI off of auto-clock.

    Under AGP & Bridge Control I have these options;

    AGP Size- 128M
    AGP 3.0 Mode- 8x
    AGP Driving Control- Auto
    AGP Driving Value- DA
    AGP Fast Write- Enabled
    AGP Master 1 WS Write- Disabled
    AGP Master 1 S read- Diabled
    AGP 3.0 Calibration Cycle- enabled
    VGA Share Memory Size- 64M




    Also, when I tried a go at 2.65Ghz, it gave me a BSOD, upon resetting everything, when I logged into windows it asked me for a password, and this account had no previous password. I managed to set a new password and got through, could this be a result of RAM sending corrupt data?
     
  31. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Try Dropping the AGP bus down to X4,run 3dmark before and after to see if there are any performance or stability losses or gains.

    Sometimes the bios will reset if you push it too hard for safety could be for various reasons.
     
  32. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    ok I will try changing the AGP speed. What about dropping the RAM from 200Mhz to 166Mhz, will that give me more headroom before I start getting BSOD's hopefully?
     
  33. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    If its your ram that's killing your clock,one thing at a time is the key to try and isolate the problem.

    200mhz to 166mhz is also known as a 4/5 divider.
     
  34. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Well Rikky,

    I read a page (forget where) where a guy kept getting BSOD's aroung the 10% OC mark like myself, so he lowered the RAM frequency and it seemed to help him.

    I just tried lowering my RAM frequency to 166Mhz, and made it through 1.5 hours of prime95 so far and 1 run of 3dmark03.

    after 40 minutes of prime, I started getting artifacts again, but I was using my GPU OC'ed and scanning for artifacts while running prime95. I had to lower my OC on the GPU from 472.5Mhz Core/243Mhz Memory to 450/222 and there doesn't seem to be any more artifacts at this point. I'm still going to try your suggestion when I bump it up one more notch later, but so far it seems that it was the memory causing artifacts.

    Something to note, I noticed on this Run at 2.64Ghz that my temps were a full 4-5 degrees lower on average than my previous runs at 2.57Ghz, and that the Vcore seems to be auto-adjusted, if thats even possible?

    I've also noticed that The rated FSB for this cpu is 533Mhz, but in reality, it is 133Mhz x18. meaning I should consider my FSB to be 133 and not 533.. so by lowering the RAM to 166Mhz, I think I should be able to hit the next step where the FSB would be 154Mhz x18.. just guessing here..



    oh yea, and I just broke the 10% barrier.. I've upgraded from virgin to noob :)

    on a locked OEM board to boot :p
     

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  35. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    ok just cleared another run of a couple hours on OCCT doing the linpack test. temps stayed below 50 and no errors :)

    So I got to thinking, if lowering the divider worked to go up to 2.64Ghz, then surely dropping it 1 more divider should get me to 2.76Ghz, this Bios' final step.

    I tried just bumping up the CPU speed, no luck, got tons of artifacts everywhere.

    So I went and dropped the memory down to 133Mhz and she booted up nice :) No artifacts so far 20 minutes into the scan, and no BSOD's or errors thus far. I will be running 2 back-to-back 6 hour tests now, 1 on prime, and 1 on OCCT. I think she'll pass though.

    looks nice seeing that 2.76 :)
     

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  36. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Also, I'm curious.. since I just effectively clocked my RAM from 200Mhz to 133Mhz, I'm almost certain the timnings are still set to the 200Mhz timings.

    And I know that the slower the speed of the RAM, the faster you can set the timings. So does this mean I need to, or can speed up my RAM timings to match those of DDR133 RAM?

    and on another note, dropping the RAM did not decrease my WEI score of 4.2 for RAM speed and calculations per second, but the last bump on the CPU raised the WEI CPU score by .3 :) win/win lol
     
  37. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Exactly you can lower your latencies now you've clocked your ram back.

    Play with them,see how each alone effects performance and stability.

    Best way to learn.
     
  38. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Sounds good, I'll get started on that once it gets through this first Run on Prime. Right now it's sitting there at Max load and temps are holding steady at 50-51 degrees, it seems to be completing the tests about 25% faster now which is interesting. and since lowering the RAM to 133 and jumping to 2.76Ghz, I've managed to get my OC back on my GPU without any artifacts. I even got an extra 1Mhz on my memory lol.

    another question, is it possible to raise the AGP voltage to atain a higher stable core speed on the GPU, like a CPU. Or will that just fry the GPU?
     
  39. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Yes increasing the AGP voltage can increase stability in overclocked video cards,without any extra cooling mods on the video card its highly likely to blow it though,video cards have poor cooling at the best of times.

    Remember any increase in voltage from stock should be accompanied by a relative increase in cooling on any component,its the voltage that creates the heat.
     
  40. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist


    well according to the glass thermometer, I havent gotten hotter than 48-49 degrees on the PCB opposite the core so I figure add 2 degrees for variable, and I might have room for .1 maybe .2 volts? with a steady watch on temps just in case.. I did add a 3000rpm fan 2 inches away from the GPU on the side of the case blowing directly onto the heatsink/fan of the gpu, and that seems to help the little fan do its job.. and if she blows, its only a 9550 lol..
     
  41. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Ok, I'm running into something thats bugging me, I have not upped the AGP voltage yet.

    I can run 3dmark for 10+ consequtive runs without artifacts. I can Run Aquamark3d for 10+ consequtive runs without artifacts. I can play Need For Speed Carbon for 4+ hours without artifacts.

    Yet, when I fold using the graphical client, I'm almost certian that I'm getting artifacts (see attached pic), and theres no way it's more graphics intensive than the benchmarks I've been running.

    AtiTool shows no artifacts after a 12-hour scan and keeping the GPU as hot as possible for those 12 hours.

    What gives?
     

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  42. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Looks like a problem with FH client.

    If your GPU core temp is lower than running 3dmark you can't be getting artifacts so check it.
     
  43. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    the heat was around 38-40 celcius, and on my dual-core pentium e5400 with on-board graphics the client is working perfect..

    could it just be that the client uses newer technology than the card is capable of providing?
     
  44. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    And Speaking of my E5400, it's sitting on an asus p5ql DDR3 mobo and I just downloaded Ai suite as my FSB is locked in the bios for some reason (needs a flash maybe?).

    my FSB is currently 200 stock, but can be raised in 1Mhz increments up to 400mhz, and my multiplier is unlocked below 13.5, but locked above 13.5. and it can be adjusted in .5 increments..

    I'm thinking 3.4-3.5ghz is reachable from the stock 2.7Ghz.. what do you think? :)

    and also just curious, how do you reset the OC to stock if you pushed it too far with software like ai suite?
     
  45. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    In Bios 'load default settings'

    You'll have to find out yourself how high you can go:)
     
  46. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist



    Ok thanks, I wasn't sure if software Oc's reset the same way.. I didnt want to get stuck with a bad Oc and then realize I couldnt reset it from the Bios.. :-D
     
  47. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Bios trumps software;)
     
  48. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Hmm.. I dont like this software overclocking too much. My multiplier is in the bios, my vcore is auto regulated, and my FSB can only be changed through software.

    and this aisuite is very, very picky about FSB speed. it's stable at 200, unstable at 201, stable at 205, unstable at 207, and stable again at 210mhz.

    That makes no sense to me, I wonder if theres a flash to unlock my bios completely.. the mobo is an asus, there should be a flash somewhere, no?
     
  49. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    ok so I'm still a noob.. a friend of mine who owns nothing but asus boards came over and showed me that my Asus p5ql is not locked, it just appears that way to scare off inexperienced Oc'ers. he showed me that by entering the "Jumperfree" menu is Bios, that I had acess to FSB, PCI, and DRAM frequecies, fully adjustable, and I could diable the auto-underclock feature for my board as well.

    So now i'm in business i raised FSB to 210 from 200, and DRAM is at 840mhz DDR3.. PCI locked at 100Mhz.. where do I go from here?

    I figure 223Mhz FSB will get me to 3.0ghz on the stock 13.5 multi.. thats my first goal.. will i need to alter my memory frequency at all? Vcore is automatic.. I think.. there may be a trick to that too though..
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2011
  50. Nico_Palm

    Nico_Palm Specialist

    Ok, ran into my first roadblock..

    I have my bus speed set to 225 for an FSB of 900mhz (3.04ghz).. everything is stable at this speed.

    when i try for a run at 230 bus speed or 930Mhz FSB, the PC reboots after 8 minutes on prime. No BSOD, no hang-ups, just restarts.

    The RAM I have now is 800Mhz DDR3. Is that preventing me from going over the 900Mhz barrier, and would using 1066 or higher RAM let me go higher?
     

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