A8n-SLI Deluxe OC and RAM questions

[Gelardi]

I have bought the mobo and i'm about to build a new computer.
I have tough 2 questions:
1. there are three different OC software , that you can use with this mobo.
AI NOS, Ntune and cool`n Quiet. I mean all three programs are overclocking the COU automatically, if necessary. Is it possible to use alle three progams together ? Wouldn't they disturb each other?
2. Dou you recommend a specific DDR-400 dual channel ram, 2*512 MB at the cheapest. i think maybe Kingston Value ram: KVR400X64C3A/512. Does somebody have any experience with those?

Tks

 

[Insomniak]

1) Don't touch those programs. If you're going to do any overclocking, do it through the BIOS. It's always better to change things at the firmware level.

2) Mushkin, OCZ, Patriot PDP, Corsair, Kingston, PQI, Samsung, Crucial, GeiL, are all excellent memory manufacturers. My personal favorites would be Mushkin, OCZ, and GeiL. However, any of those should do fine.


I suggest doing your homework before overclocking - it's not something to be undertaken lightly, or if you don't know what you're doing. Do some research first.

 

[imported_RedStar]

i am no overclocking expert at all.

that said i would choose only 1 program..the 1 most referenced.

The ASUS is not supposed to overclock well at all...and is primary reason why this board is given a lower score than MSI and DFI.

One recent review, the guy said he was able to go to 270 with bios 1004 (compared to 340 for DFI) but still up from 214.

I'm not too worried as i got the board with NO overclocking in mind.
--

As for memory ..the lower the latency the better. but you have to trade of performance gained by the huge price increase from value series to performance. I settled on value OCZ (still has way cool heat sinks )

Both kingston and OCZ have lifetime warranty. So Kingston sounds good too.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: RedStar

The ASUS is not supposed to overclock well at all...and is primary reason why this board is given a lower score than MSI and DFI.

One recent review, the guy said he was able to go to 270 with bios 1004 (compared to 340 for DFI) but still up from 214.

I'm not too worried as i got the board with NO overclocking in mind.

This board has some quirks that you have to work around, mainly the 245 1T ram limit.
But the reviews done so far where pretty lame, as the reviewers didn't even discover the limits of the board much less work around them.

One week after I got mine in December with a 3200+ I had it running over 2.6gz, and its been running there ever since. I have tested pretty extensively on this board and except the 1T ram limit its a fantastic overclocker. I can hit HTT 325mhz and I'm currently 9x292=2628mhz with ram @ 239mhz DDR478. And there are many others overclocking this board very well

Screen shot @ 2628mhz

And since its widely reported that running high ram speeds at 1:1 only provides a mininal performance boost on A64's because of the onboard memory controller. Your overall performance will be determined more by the overclock ability of the CPU than the mobo.

 

[Insomniak]

No problems overclocking this board for me. 300x8 = 2411Mhz, according to CPU-Z, and it did it without a hitch. RAM is still at 1T. I'll try taking it up to 2.6Ghz sometime down the road.

What's this 245 1T limit I keep hearing about? Does the board not like taking memory over 245Mhz at 1T command rate?

 

[imported_RedStar]

well then..i am very pleased you can nicely overclock this (asus) board!

is there a major difference between 3200+ and the winchester 3500+? (2.6 ghz seems very impressive to me

I'm getting a bit confused with the ratings..

the 3500+ is clocked 200mhz slower but has a larger cache.. is that it?

 

[Insomniak]

Originally posted by: RedStar
well then..i am very pleased you can nicely overclock this (asus) board!

is there a major difference between 3200+ and the winchester 3500+? (2.6 ghz seems very impressive to me

I'm getting a bit confused with the ratings..

the 3500+ is clocked 200mhz slower but has a larger cache.. is that it?

The S939 3000+, 3200+, and 3500+ are all on the same core. The only difference is clockspeed - and the funny thing is, they all seem to be overclocking to the same speeds: between 2.4 and 2.6Ghz max. These speeds are equivalent to a 3800+ - 4000+.

It's pretty amazing that you can buy a ~$150 CPU (like the 3000+) and OC it to be the exact equivalent of a ~$420 CPU (3800+). Hell of a savings....nearly $300.

 

[Gelardi]

How do you overclock the clockspeed ?
i'm not the biggets OC, but slow learning...

 

[Insomniak]

Originally posted by: Gelardi
How do you overclock the clockspeed ?
i'm not the biggets OC, but slow learning...

Before you do anything, read this:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1441072&enterthread=y

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: Insomniak

What's this 245 1T limit I keep hearing about? Does the board not like taking memory over 245Mhz at 1T command rate?

Yes, there is a BRICK wall running 1T somewhere between 240-250 depending on your ram. The only people who can get past it are running 256mb modules. 2 x 512mb will BSOD everytime once you hit the mark.

For me with OCZ plat. rev2, I can run 245mhz 2-3-2-6 1T 2.85v, but 247mhz BSOD's every time even at 3-4-4-10 1T 3.00v. If I drop to 2T, I can run 287mhz 3-3-3-8 2.95v.

I have heard rumors here that this issue will be fixed by bios 1007. But you know how rumors are

 

[johnh123]

So it would seem that is only an issue with good ram- I have corsair vs, which can't do over 220 anyway. I have no problems overclocking to 2.5........

 

[Thorsson]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Screen shot @ 2628mhz

What's 66 degrees in that screenshot? If it's graphics card what prog is reporting that? Thx.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: Thorsson

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Screen shot @ 2628mhz

What's 66 degrees in that screenshot? If it's graphics card what prog is reporting that? Thx.

LOL thats Weatherbug! That was the outside temp here in DFW Texas on that day.

I don't know of a program that monitors the GPU. I have a temp probe taped on the back on mine with thermal tape. My 6600GT runs about 42c idle and 55-58c heavily loaded.

 

[Gelardi]

i read it.

does it mean, if i oc the CPE i have to OC the RAM too?