Finally happy with my EPoX 8RDA+

[Megatomic]

At the AOA forums, I have seen the mods endorse 1.85V as a long-term safe voltage for the Tbred "B" chips. What is the opinion of the experts here at AT?

 

[Shimmishim]

I was hesitant to run at 1.85V but i'm running it at 1.85V right now and things are great!

The last 4 chips i had before this were running at 1.775V .. i really think that 1.775 is the sweet spot.

only thing i can suggest is to run your mem at 100% (not by speed or auto) .... put your timing to expert so you can change everything manually and adjust it to a really relaxed timing (3-3-3-8)...

so do 12 x 166 or 13 x 166 or whatever and see if that works... if that does work, then you can manually change your timing to be more aggressive...

and yes, use a vdimm of 2.63 or 2.77...


and yes, the install order posted is correct

1. O/S
2. sp 1
3. nvidia nforce drivers...

there's a place where you can download sp1 from ... if you go look in the o/s forum i think you might be able to find a link...

you can download it before you install the o/s (if you have an extra harddrive or partition)...

then install in the order provided

 

[Megatomic]

Thanks for the tips shimmishim. I had already synched the memory to the CPU by selecting 100% but the rest of your stuff was good.

No one has addressed this question yet:

1) Before I installed the motherboard I removed the heatsink from the north bridge chip. I cleaned off the TIM pad the best I could but I couldn't find my Goof Off. I used nail polish remover (basic stuff) and isoproply alcohol to clean the heatsink and chip but they still felt tacky (i.e. there was a residue of TIM on them). I then applied Arctic Silver to the north bridge chip and reattached the heatsink. Could the residue of TIM on the chip and heatsink be causing improper cooling of the chip and thus this inability to to run at a FSB higher than 133MHz?

Can someone take a whack at this one? I can easily rip this board out and get some Goof Off to clean it up PROPERLY if that is a potential culprit.

 

[Megatomic]

Also, previously Prime95 had been stopping at the same point each time. I just set my system to be a DualDDR PC2100 with the CPU synched at 133MHz (the default settings for the CPU). Prime95 has now run longer than it ever has. Does this validate the 512MB DIMM / PC2700 issue I have been reading about?

 

[Megatomic]

I'll update even though I'm largely talking to myself here...

Prime95 is still running after 5 hours at default settings for CPU and turbo mode Dual DDR set to 100% of CPU bus speed. I'll now o/c the multiplier and leave the FSB at 133MHz and see what happens.

 

[Megatomic]

The system seems to like 15x133MHz (2GHz final freq.). Prime95 is cranking away. After 20 more minutes I may bump the multiplier up again. My goal is 2330MHz total (17.5x133). This way I'll know the CPU doesn't mind be overclocked.

I'm considering the relevance of setting the CPU to default and upping the memory to PC2700 and seeing if the memory can take DDR333 in dual mode. If the memory can do it by itself, I'll be lost. No clue after that... Ideas?

 

[Blain]

I like running the memory up, even if the CPU isn't pushed to its limit.

BTW, From what you've seen... Is 1GB of memory very much superior to 512MB?

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Blain
I like running the memory up, even if the CPU isn't pushed to its limit.

BTW, From what you've seen... Is 1GB of memory very much superior to 512MB?

In UT2003 it is. The game runs smoother and the swap file isn't raped when you exit the game while windows recovers all the memory it gave out. If I used Photoshop more frequently I'd be able to report better performance there as well (I have seen it in the past ). Btw, the system just as poorly with 1 DIMM as it did 2 so knocking back to 1 DIMM won't get me anything but inferior UT2003 performance.

For the record, I am now running Prime95 at 16x133MHz for 2.13GHz. It is running pretty well too. Another 20 minutes and I'll jack the multiplier up to 17x.

 

[Megatomic]

Alrighteythen. System is running swiftly and smoothly at 2272MHz (17x133MHz) with the memory at 100% of CPU FSB. Prime95 is happy as a clam. If Prime95 is cool here I'll go for 18x133MHz but I am not overly confident that this will work. That would give me an overall freq. of 2394MHz. An overclock of ~666MHz. :Q An overclock from hell.

 

[Megatomic]

I found the multiplier limit at 133MHz FSB. I was able to get into Windows and get a WCPUID snapshot of my system at 2400MHz (18x133MHz). System locked up hard as soon as I started Prime95. But all is not lost, 17x133MHz was a good setting (and at only 1.75Vcore too).

Now I'm upping the FSB incrementally to see where the FSB instability starts exactly. I jumped right to 140MHz and all is well so far. Prime95 has been running for 10 minutes now with no problems. If it runs for 20 more and I can complete a 3DMark2001SE I'll bump up to 145MHz and see what happens then.

One way or another I'll find the limit of this system (as it occurs now). Then I'll find out which is the limiting component and replace it. Then I'll move onwards and upwards. In the meantime, I press on.

 

[Megatomic]

The saga continues. I am now at 13x150MHz 100% Turbo 1.75Vcore (might be too high but I'm leaving it there until I need to bump it up more) and 2.77Vdimm. Prime95 again has been running for about 10 minutes. 3DMark to come if this goes well.

So far so good. I wonder where the instability is gonna be found at? Any guesses?


**crickets chriping**

Talking to myself here....

 

[Megatomic]

I had my first Prime95 failure at 155MHz FSB with 13x multiplier and RAM at 100% Turbo DualDDR. 1.75Vcore and 2.77Vdimm. Previous experience tells me that no matter what I set the memory to it's going to cause failure at this FSB so I am going to back it down 1MHz at a time until it is stable.

 

[Megatomic]

I changed my focus. Instead of bumping down to find the exact MHz that the RAM became unstable at I decided to go back to 150MHz (last known good) and started to ramp up the multiplier. I am now at 15x150MHz for a total of 2250MHz. Prime95 is doing it's thing currently. Oddly enough, the chip isn't given a PR rating at 2250MHz... Isn't the Tbred "B" 2800+ supposed to run at 2250MHz? If so, I wonder why this chip is recognized as a 2800+? I feel cheated.

 

[Megatomic]

It's been running Prime95 at 2250MHz (15x150MHz) for about half an hour now. I wonder if I should start to reduce voltages on Vcore and Vdimm now? If I can reduce the voltage to 1.7Vcore(slight overvolt there, it's ok to me) and 2.63Vdimm(default voltage) I'd be pretty happy with this setup. That is until I can afford to get THE RAM for this board, whatever that happens to be.

Edit to add: The CPU temp. according to MBM 5.2.x.x is reading 53C under full load (35 mins. of Prime95). Is this an acceptable temp. or what? New motherboard here, I'm unsure of what is an acceptable reading now.

 

[Megatomic]

I finally broke the 12,000 3D Marks barrier. Check it out.

 

[mboy]

As I already posted, your cooling is VERY weak. Also, why do u keep on insisting backing your voltage down to this and that.
Keep at @ 1.775vcore and vdim 2.77. Those are exteremly acceptable levels.

 

[Blain]

I wouldn't say his cooling is very weak. Sure, it's no Cool Running SK6+. But we all can't have cutting edge refrigeration.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: mboy
As I already posted, your cooling is VERY weak. Also, why do u keep on insisting backing your voltage down to this and that.
Keep at @ 1.775vcore and vdim 2.77. Those are exteremly acceptable levels.

Well, to my electronics trained mind (I was an electronics tech/instrument tech when I was in the Navy and for a few years after I got out of the Navy) the lower the voltage on semiconductor components that still provides for stable,proper operation the better. Electron migration speeds up with the additional voltage. That's why I want to run at lower voltages if possible. I have no doubt these components will outlive my use for them even at higher values but that's not really my point. My wife/kids could use this stuff when I upgrade.

And the HHC-001 is not VERY weak. It gets excellent marks from overclockers.com (I trust Joe Citarella's reviews, he knows his sh!t). I may have muted it with a quieter fan but it is still very acceptable and much better than the stock HSF that AMD provides with their higher speed AMD AthlonXP Thoroughbred chips. And it's quiet.

But mboy, even if I don't completely agree with your comments I still value them. I want to know if I am screwing up.

 

[mboy]

I dont think you are screwing up. It's just that if you want to overclock, you pretty much have to bump the voltage and have cooling that is above and beyond normal.

I think if u purchase different ram and get a better HSF like an slk 800, then you will be able to acieve your goals and with MUCH less headache

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: mboy


I dont think you are screwing up. It's just that if you want to overclock, you pretty much have to bump the voltage and have cooling that is above and beyond normal.

I think if u purchase different ram and get a better HSF like an slk 800, then you will be able to acieve your goals and with MUCH less headache

I do plan on getting new RAM and a bigger, even quiter HSF in the near future. But the wife and kids come at a co$t, I don't have too much disposable cash right now. I spend only after I save for a long time. But I see some overtime coming up soon at the lab I work at, I will have new memory and cooling soon.

 

[mboy]

Originally posted by: SeekingTao

Originally posted by: mboy


I dont think you are screwing up. It's just that if you want to overclock, you pretty much have to bump the voltage and have cooling that is above and beyond normal.

I think if u purchase different ram and get a better HSF like an slk 800, then you will be able to acieve your goals and with MUCH less headache

I do plan on getting new RAM and a bigger, even quiter HSF in the near future. But the wife and kids come at a co$t, I don't have too much disposable cash right now. I spend only after I save for a long time. But I see some overtime coming up soon at the lab I work at, I will have new memory and cooling soon.

You aint lying. I got married 2 weeks ago and my wife has a son that turned 6 yesterday ( he is my main man), so I hear ya on the disposable $$$, especially since my wife lost her job last week.

My lucky 6 year old just got himself my old 8kha+, 512mb crucial pc2100, gainward g4ti4200, maxtor 40gb 7200rpm and a 17" flat screen monitor for his bday yesterday (built the rig today). Needed speakers so ordered a set of z640's form myself and he gets my old 3 pc logitech setup :-0

No more spending for me, especially since I dumped $4k into new car downpayment 3 weeks ago :-(

I wont even buy a pack of gum next week

 

[cvb]

Tao,

doesn't 3DMark 2001SE require DirectX 8.1? And you "12,000+ setup" shows DirectX 9.0. How did you do that?

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: cvb
Tao,

doesn't 3DMark 2001SE require DirectX 8.1? And you "12,000+ setup" shows DirectX 9.0. How did you do that?

It requires a minimum of DX8.1 but DX9 works fine. There is really no downside to installing DX9 from what I have seen, it hasn't adversely affected my gaming or my system's performance.

 

[cvb]

Well, I installed a DX9 thingy from Microsoft and 3DMark2001 SE stopped working. Here's what it says:


Application info
----------------

Name 3DMark2001 SE
Build 300

Error log
---------

DirectX8 not installed.

 

[Megatomic]

That's very strange. Maybe you should uninstall 3DMark and reinstall it again. I am not a big software type (programmer) so I don't know alot about software, I can't help troubleshoot that too well. Sorry.