New at 64 overclocking

[KeyKeeper]

Im under the impression that htt refers to hyper transport tech... Maybe im on crack in my sleep though. I have overclocked many other cpus before and never had to mess with anything called hyper transport freq before. I know its is something new with the athlon 64 stuff. Im trying to get a decent clock speed out of my 3000+. The most I have been able to recieve is 2.16ghz. I currently have my fsb set at 240, multi @ 9, v core @ 1.52, dimm v @ 2.75, and memory timings at 2.5-3-3-6 T1. Is it possible to get more out of this slow processor? I havent had much time to sit down and mess with it given the 65+ hours I am at work.

Current system
ASUS A8N SLI-DELUXE
Corsair TWINX1024-3200C2PT
PNY 6600 GT
2 WD 80GB in raid 0 on nvraid controller
Athlon 64 3000+ winchester (1.8ghz)+

 

[ts3433]

The HTT frequency is basically the proper name for the FSB clock on the A64. Raise it to overclock your processor. However, there's now another thing you must watch a bit--the HT multiplier. You'll experience instability if the total HT frequency goes far over 1000 (HTT * HT multiplier). You must then lower this multiplier (you're about where you should be lowering it to 4x). Don't worry if you don't have something real close to 1000; I haven't heard of it affecting performance a whole lot (after all, the NF3 150's inferior 600 HT didn't stop its performance from being comparable to the old K8T800's 800 HT).

 

[KeyKeeper]

I have the HT multi at 4X right now with a fsb of 960. The ai booster program shows my 240 as fsb and also the 960. Kind of confusing. Also when I came home this evening the ai app showed my clock speed back to 1800mhz, so did windows but the numbers that I had put in my bios were still the same, as well as the fsb, multi @ 9, and ht(fsb) at 960. Im trying to figure out how the clock speed could be 1800 when with the same settings after reboot, it shows 2.16ghz. If I turn down the HT multi and raise the cpu mhz will it perform better and be more stable? It is currently folding at the moment with a cpu temp of 49c with the stock hs/f. I plan on installing a Zalman (all copper) to defeat the heat issue. I know that that really aint a high temp, but to me the cooler the better.

 

[ts3433]

Just make sure your load temp doesn't go far above 55 C--generally accepted limit. I'd also avoid an all-copper cooler, as they can put considerable stress on the motherboard. The AlCu variant of whatever Zalman you plan to use should be cheaper and cool just as well.

As for your clock speed changing, I might make sure Cool and Quiet is off. I'd also use CPU-Z instead, but that's a personal preference.

You'll definitely see better performance turning down the HT multiplier and upping the CPU speed. You should be able to go even higher with that chip. If you experience other walls, make sure your RAM is divided appropriately (if it isn't stable at an overclock, divide--you won't see a performance loss), your HT multiplier is lowered accordingly (depending on what HTT you're at), SATA drives are on locked ports, etc.

 

[sangyup81]

Yup, you need to disable cool and quiet.

And people typically get around 2500mhz with that processor although you may be unlucky and get less than 2300.

 

[KeyKeeper]

I havent been able to get a clock speed over 2.2ghz with any cpu freq, ht multi, or cpu divider. Maybe I am running my mem timings to tight, not sure what you mean about dividing the timings. Currently at 2.5-3-3-6 T1. I have read in many other posts that you dont want to use T2. I tried using 2.5-3-3-7 and had no luck. I have never used good mem in any other machine before, so timings really didnt matter. If I raise the fsb over 241, it locks up. I tried raising my v core to compensate but ended up with 1.85 to achieve 1.505 with asus probe app. The psu is rated at 500W with an amperage rating of: +3.3-28A,+5v-30A,and +12V-34A. Is this a sufficient power supply? I thought about increasing the dimm voltage, but figured that it wouldnt make a difference. The bios has a dram clock feature to lock the mem at 400mhz so I figured that the mem wasnt being overclocked. 2.4 seems a little fast for a 1.8ghz chip though, im sure it has been done but with what cooling system.

 

[richardrds]

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

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1497607&enterthread=y

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=107925

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=151373

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1475190&enterthread=y

 

[KeyKeeper]

Well I managed to get 2.21ghz so far. Havent tried to push it any farther yet. Ended up using the following settings:
FSB:245
MAX MEM CLK:433MHZ
TIMINGS:3-3-3-8 T1
DIMMV:2.80
VCORE:1.53
HTT MULTI:4x
CUP MULTI:9
Ok, maybe Im retarded or something, cant seem to find any divider for the mem in the bios anywhere unless you are talking bout running the mem at "max mem: 333". Cpu temp round 47-49c. Been folding for a few hours and no problems, maybe it will be stable.

 

[thanatos355]

some people have had problems oc'ing on the asus. you might try to flash the bios to a newer version, if you dont already have the newest.

 

[KeyKeeper]

No, I have an older version: 1002. I thought about flashing to the 1006 but figured it works fine just the way it is, no need to get greedy. It plays doom 3 at ultra performance with res real high with no problems to that is good enough for me. Did overclock the vid card a little with the 71 driver though.

 

[KeyKeeper]

Workin now: 2.45ghz,272x9 rock stable, full load folding=52c, max mem set to 333 with 228mhz actual speed,2.5-3-3-6 T1@2.75v

 

[GuitarDaddy]

:thumbsup: As long as you keep ram below 240mhz you can likely push it a little farther. And I would recommend the 1004 bios, it seems the best so far for O/C. The memory dividers are wonderful on A64's. Try the DDR266 divider also if your chip can go past 2.6 you will need that one.

Using the 1004 bios set vcore at 1.55 in bios, this gives 1.57-1.58 per CPUZ and it will occasionally jump to 1.60 under load. This is the max voltage available for winchesters on this board. As long as you temps don't go far over 55c your OK

 

[KeyKeeper]

I have the 1004 bios. I heard in other threads here that it was the most reliable overclocking version. I could barley get 2.2 out of my winie before, but now I have no problems. I can achieve a higher clock speed(2.6) but I end up declocking my mem severly and putting my HTT far below 1000. Right now if Im not mistaken it is 1060, so I would rather go a little over than far under. I may be wrong, but I tried using a larger mem devider and seemed to have a overall slower machine due to the mem underclock. I know cpu is "King" but declocking my mem and bringing my HTT under 900 seems to defeat the purpose. What good is a really fast cpu with slow mem and slower communication with all the other hardware? Overall performace seems to be better with my current clockspeed. To get a stable machine at that clockspeed I have to up my mem timings considerably, so that seems to choke my entire system in a whole. My folding scores did considerably better, but boot times and App starts were longer, along with some games.