help me find my bottleneck

ThePiston

Senior member
Nov 14, 2004
861
0
76
I've been overclockign for a long time now, but I'm sumped as to why I can't get my E6600 and Gigabye DS3 past 3150 mhz. Look at these successful and non-successful specs and tell me what could be wrong:

7X440 = 3080Mhz (works)
7X450 = 3150Mhz (sometimes works)
8X400 = 3200Mhz (does not work)
9X350 = 3150mhz (sometimes)

I have good ram rated at 4-5-4-15 running at 5-5-5-15 and still no luck going past 3200. i've tried everything - even 1.5volts on CPU. Ram is overvolted +0.4 already. Any help is appreciated.
 

myocardia

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2003
9,291
30
91
Your problem is the memory strap. Try 401 FSB with a 8x multiplier, and whatever vcore that requires (shouldn't be more than 1.475v, and probably quite a bit less).

edit: You have updated the BIOS, right?
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
You really think his chip is going to boot at 3.6ghz? Mine didn't.....Wouldn't even post....Runs fine, stable at 8x425....
 

ThePiston

Senior member
Nov 14, 2004
861
0
76
this is weird - one of my ram chips is super hot and the other one isn't , is that normal?
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Originally posted by: ThePiston
this is weird - one of my ram chips is super hot and the other one isn't , is that normal?

depends on what's going on in that memory. It shouldn't be really hot though.
 

ThePiston

Senior member
Nov 14, 2004
861
0
76
i just had a hard shut down and in the PC Health status it said "DDR18V "Fail", it boots up fine, what's that?
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Originally posted by: ThePiston
i just had a hard shut down and in the PC Health status it said "DDR18V "Fail", it boots up fine, what's that?

it's booting at 1.8v which is the lowest setting for DDR2. Try putting the voltage on 2.1 or something and it should stabilize a bit too. 1.8v is pretty low for memory to be doing any sort of work.
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
after initial bootup when I then set the ddr to work with the ram sticks, i get the same reporting in the bios, though i have no issues...it is just warning you you are using more then 1.8v ddr2 standard. 1.8v is a JEDEC standard for PC4200 or 533mhz ddr2, but no current PC6400 800ddr2 (pretty much becoming a defacto standard) I am aware of will really do much with only 1.8v....I think I have seen some 1.9v PC6400 but for the most part it is standard to see memory sticks of that speed rated for 2-2.1v and even 2.2v....with 2.2-2.3v needed for 1000ddr2....

Bottomline that is not your issue...Your hardlock could still be memory related but that warning has nothing to do with it...
 

ThePiston

Senior member
Nov 14, 2004
861
0
76
another problem: my ram should be 4-5-4-15 (from newegg's specs) but the SPD in bios says 5-5-5-15. Is my ram underclocked or is newegg wrong?
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
No its gigabyte's auto settings suck!!!

If you want to check the spd timings....go into windows and use a program called cpu_z to tell you...Auto never gets mine right either, and hasn't for 3 different sets of sticks I have used....

I have 3 gigabyte boards and after months of using them I have come to the conclusion you get what you pay for....I think they are crap. I think they have barely capable power ability for us enthusiast. their bios support sucks the big one...How long did it take those inept morons to fix the D9 micron issue? It took to Bios F8i...F9 official...F8j just killed the boards (literally)...


INEPT INEPT INEPT....

Contact is tough to find, and they have no official forum like some of the better motherboard makers...Oh well I have tried them and now iwll likley stay away from them....


In my opinion they still have some serious timing issues along with power issues which will creep up once ppl try to add quadcores to their DS3 and S3's eventhough Gigabyte says they will work...There is data corruption sometimes popping up even at stock settings....check the reports....


IMO...

Sell it and get an Asus P5B deluxe or wait for the Asus P5B-E plus to finally hit the shelves...



I am in full rant mode today.....I am just in that mood...
 

ThePiston

Senior member
Nov 14, 2004
861
0
76
i know something is wrong - but others using same board are getting awesome results. Might be my ram is incompatible, but the finicky BIOS is telling me to get rid of this board. It will boot great a few times OCd, then BOOM, it won't boot one day with the same settings it has been booting at for a few days and i will lose settings. this board is crap. my last Shuttle mobo blew this thing out of the water when it came to ease of OC and 2nd bios.

I guess I need to set the ram settings to manual and do them myself. I can do the 5-5-5-15 stuff, but what about all the other settings?

last thing: i think a major problem with this board is that when you change the multiplier - the BIOS messes up a lot and tries to boot you at stock 9X multiplier. that's the only thing i can think of as being the problem when it doesn't boot. The ETC program that ships with the board even reports the incorrect multiplier as does Sandra which is telling me that the bios is reporting it wrong. I think the board sets your mutiplier incorrectly at boot a lot of times which would explain the strange results and unexpected non-boots.