Maximal Stable Overclock With A64 3200+

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
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I am curious about this. Now I have two of these CPUs and one gives me 2.26 GHz while another 2.27 GHz. This is all on K8V Deluxe and Prime95/Memtest86/Shredder704 stable. According to HardOCP, I am doing mighty fine since they were not successful geting their Abit K8 Max to go anywhere above 2.15.
I am using Winbond BH-5 memory but the settings are relaxed. It is a bit complicated in K8V but the main idea is CAS 2.5, TRP 6, TRC 11, TRAS 7, TRCD 3, and if you have DRAM idle timer that one to 16. TRC and TRP can go a little lower but I am not so sure I get anything out of it. Lowering TRCD or CAS is a no go at 226-227, you gotta seriously decrease the bus which is not an option for performance.
It seems that my CPU on 2.26 is a limitation, or perhaps motherboard.
In either case I get 91-92 seconds for SuperPI at 2 MB, which is better than 96 seconds I get from Barton 2500 at 2.35 GHz on NF7-S.
Post your results. I am curious about Abit boards, are they really that bad this time around?
It seems NF3 boards are no go for any decent overclock but I might be wrong.
By the way, I am using retail heatsink, there is just no better choice for now.
I am using Asus AMI Bios revision 3, I've seen revision 4 came out but didn't try it. Revision 2 that my first board came with will not give you anything over 2.2 if at all. So you gotta flash it.
 

Buickbeast

Platinum Member
Feb 9, 2003
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I would suggest going to Xtremesystems and reading there posts, all of the highest AMD64 overclocks are there. This forum doesn't seem to have many big overclockers here.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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You have two Athlon64 3200's? Fork one over... NOW
Well, one is for a server purpose so it is a sort of retired. Only one is for my overclocking chess.
I'd like to know what people with Abit K8 boards are getting, I cannot find that anywhere, maybe it is too early. This Asus board is a beauty, stable as a rock.
 

Ronin

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2001
4,563
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server.counter-strike.net
3000+ @ 2.18GHz
3100+ @ 2.25GHz
3400+ @ 2.37GHz
FX 51 @2.35GHz (I just got it today, so it's also a work in progress). :)
2xOpteron 240 @ 1.93GHz

These are all air cooled, and works in progress
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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Finally I got 2.28 GHz. Wow, every MHz is an effort. But no matter what I do when I go to 229 the BIOS comes "overclocking failed." I succeeded to get memory on 2-2-2-6 but with divider 5:3 which is a very little performance difference from 1:1 on relaxed anyway.
Any tricks with memory anybody else tried? Or something else. Is this board limitation?
Anybody got SuperPI 2MB better than 90 seconds? That is now my record!
It is 11 seconds better than Pentium 3.2 GHz using Winbond BH-5 at 436 MHz with 2-3-2-6.
Take that Intel. Also 6 seconds better than Barton 3200+ at 2.35 GHz with Winbond BH-5 at 430 MHz on 2-2-2-6.
By the way, I blasted dual Opteron 246 server in chess and he was using multiprocessor engine. So much about scaling dual processors when they have to use retarded memory settings.

This is an interesting read:
http://www.lostcircuits.com/motherboard/a64_oc/
(unlocked which proves the mobo is capable of going over 230 with Bios revision 3)

Onchip memory controller is something really hillarious, I put three sticks of memory in slots and I got 122 seconds for SuperPi though there are no visible Bios changes (auto memory settings change of course). That is like 50% performance loss.
 

Schneider

Member
Feb 14, 2003
59
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It could be your AGP holding you back on the VIA chip
Try booting @ 233 FSB coz at this speed your agp returns to the normal 66Mhz.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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Thank you very much, very good advice. Excellent.

**** 85 seconds for SuperPI at 2 MB ****

11 seconds better than Barton at 2.35 GHz.
To get this with HT Pentium you got to clock it to 3.8 GHz, no way without watercooling. My Pentium does 99 seconds at 3.3 GHz.

Great man, who would think of that. You are exactly right. I am booting in Windows at 233, 234, and 235 stable (well, need to do prime95 to claim that). Only I had to set auto instead of turbo for CPU interface.
Great, thanks again! Who says that AT has no knowledgeable readers. This is a rocket now baby !!!
Default voltage, retail heatsink!!!
I have to say VIA is back in business, no more memory compatibility problems like with NF boards. VIA rules once again.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
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I am now superstable (Prime95) on 233, not stable on 235 (Windows works but 100% CPU applications cause reboot of the Windows).
And I have to say this is with one of the CPUs I have, they are not the same. The other one is a "little less overclockable" so I use it in a server where it works on 64-bit Linux at default.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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Yes. Gives me SuperPI at 2 MB for 87 seconds. Not the fastest it has but very stable. I have to use 5:3 ratio for the memory but I got 2-2-2-8 on BH-5 that way.
 

Lyfer

Diamond Member
May 28, 2003
5,842
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What multiplier and FSB are you guys using to attain those speeds?:)
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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Ram 190x2=380 MHz versus CPU bus 228 for example. 380:228 is 5:3.
A little different than on K7 boards but not hard to understand.
I am using Winbond BH-5 (different manufacturers) at 2-2-2-7 or 2-2-2-8 or 2-2-2-6, makes no difference.
Essentially this is the best you can get. At 233 the performance is the max I have seen with any processor that I have. I finally found the way to get this A64 to perform thanks to Schneider, thanks again man.
By the way A64 3200+ has locked multiplier to 10 and I know of no way to unlock it. I think it would make no difference anyway.
 

Jeff7181

Lifer
Aug 21, 2002
18,368
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Ummm... it doesn't really work that way I don't think... I haven't read much on how the core speed is actually calculated, like what kind of dividers and multipliers are used... but... if you compare it to a P4 with a 800 mhz bus, you wouldn't say your DDR RAM is running 2:1 any more than you'd say your's is running 5:3.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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Ummm... it doesn't really work that way I don't think...
Hey, I have it right here, I am using it. My memory works at 194x2=388 MHz. My CPU works at 233 MHz. That is 5:3 as I said.
By the way to get Prime95 stable you need to set voltage 1.7 on CPU, and that is the only option beside default, at least in revision 3 of the BIOS. Some people got 100, 200, and 300 mV ranges but I have only 150 mV.
I think I can go higher than 233 with Prime95 stable, I'll report later, I need to do more tweaking. I have a champ now. With my crapy cooler the temperatures on CPU are 57C reported by Sandra. That is under Prime95, idle is in the high 40ies. Not attractive so I need to get better cooler apparently. I just don't know which one is good. I don't believe Thermaltake, their coolers in the past proved to be crap, at least to me.

Booting at 236 into Windows is very unstable, voltage does not matter so that, 235 or 236 is the limit of the CPU/mobo whichever is the case.

Added later: I am Prime95 stable at 234. Excellent. 2.34 GHz, that is just a touch less I get on my Barton at 1.8 V. This is at 1.71 V as reported by Sandra.
 

Jeff7181

Lifer
Aug 21, 2002
18,368
11
81
Originally posted by: joe2004
Ummm... it doesn't really work that way I don't think...
Hey, I have it right here, I am using it. My memory works at 194x2=388 MHz. My CPU works at 233 MHz. That is 5:3 as I said.
By the way to get Prime95 stable you need to set voltage 1.7 on CPU, and that is the only option beside default, at least in revision 3 of the BIOS. Some people got 100, 200, and 300 mV ranges but I have only 150 mV.
I think I can go higher than 233 with Prime95 stable, I'll report later, I need to do more tweaking. I have a champ now. With my crapy cooler the temperatures on CPU are 57C reported by Sandra. That is under Prime95, idle is in the high 40ies. Not attractive so I need to get better cooler apparently. I just don't know which one is good. I don't believe Thermaltake, their coolers in the past proved to be crap, at least to me.

Booting at 236 into Windows is very unstable, voltage does not matter so that, 235 or 236 is the limit of the CPU/mobo whichever is the case.

Added later: I am Prime95 stable at 234. Excellent. 2.34 GHz, that is just a touch less I get on my Barton at 1.8 V. This is at 1.71 V as reported by Sandra.

Your RAM is running at 194... period... no x 2. It's double data rate, so effectively it's higher, but that's not how you figure those kind of ratio's. If you did, you'd say I'm running 2:1 because my FSB is set at 200, and my RAM is PC3200, so effectively it's 400 Mhz... and that's just not the way it works... so actually, if your "bus" is set at 233, and your RAM is at 194, you're running the RAM at 83% as most AMD motherboards call it, rather than a ratio like Intel motherboards use. But if you really wanted to use a ratio, it would be 5:6.
 

Jeff7181

Lifer
Aug 21, 2002
18,368
11
81
Ronin... since the FX's multiplier is unlocked, why haven't you been changing that???
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
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Your RAM is running at 194... period... no x 2.
???
Why is this useless argument neccessary for you?
I am describing 5:3 what is stated by many and it is right there in Asus K8V BIOS, what are you trying to convince me?
Whether memory is selling as 200 MHz or 400 MHz? I think most of us accepted that PC2700 is 333 MHz and PC 3200 is 400 MHz. That has become accepted nominal standard. I think I know what DDR is, I need no tutorials, thanks.
 

Jeff7181

Lifer
Aug 21, 2002
18,368
11
81
Originally posted by: joe2004
Your RAM is running at 194... period... no x 2.
???
Why is this useless argument neccessary for you?
I am describing 5:3 what is stated by many and it is right there in Asus K8V BIOS, what are you trying to convince me?
Whether memory is selling as 200 MHz or 400 MHz? I think most of us accepted that PC2700 is 333 MHz and PC 3200 is 400 MHz. That has become accepted nominal standard. I think I know what DDR is, I need no tutorials, thanks.

Don't get your shorts in a knot.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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Alright. I don't want to beat the dead horse either.

Anyway to confirm for the people that are looking for this board, the BIOS in revision 4 offers now much better voltage ranges for the processor in increments of 0.25 mV, I was able to run 1.6 V with Prime95 stable at 235 without excessive temperatures on the CPU (bellow 40C under Prime95 load! my windows open and outside in 50F+).
I shall try higher FSB and report that later.

Here it is:
Booting in Windows at 236 at default voltage, some Bios tweaking probably needed to get this working properly since I am actually losing a second on SuperPI, now 88 while it was 87 on 233, weird. Prime95 fails at 236 with 1.55V on the CPU.
Booting in Windows at 238, SuperPI does only 87! This is becoming Asus standard, the later the BIOS the worse performance and more stability, interesting. Arithmetic/Float benchmarks in Sandra went up though. Anyway 2.38 GHz not too bad, I'd say. Under 1.625V (Sandra reports 1.6, undervolted) the CPU temperatures as reported by Sandra are in very low 40ies and that is with Prime95 loaded.

Asus offers stern warning not to use Windows based flashing of BIOS, so I went for good old floppy Alt+F2 method.
 

joe2004

Senior member
Oct 14, 2003
385
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0
Booting in Windows at 239, that 2.39 GHz, BIOS reports 2.403 GHz. Windows is not stable though.
I think CPU could take it, my memory is definitely up to it, PSU is Antec True 480W, there is something else.
I'll have to settle for 2.38 GHz, sounds good. Prime95 seems stable (short test) under 1.65V with CPU temperatures under load at 45-47C which is quite acceptable. I am getting Venus 12 cooler to get this under control during the summer.

Anyway, this revision 4 of the BIOS unlocks Athlon 64 3200+ multipliers!