Ok guys, how is this OC setup for my 3200+ Winchester.

[GizmoCC]

Hello folks.

First of all, thanks for taking the time to read this.
I know this is a LONG post, but I will appreciate it if someone can answer whatever they can.. This will help many people like myself!

I've been doing intense research on many forums and I've come up with the following plan/questions. PLEASE comment on it.

BTW, I am a newbie OCer... infact, I've never OCed in my life, I just know some theory behind it thats all.

My system:
- A64 3200+ (939,90nm, Winchester)
- Thermalright SLK948Uheatsink + Vantec Tornado 92mm fan
- MSI Neo2 Platinum (with BIOS 1.3) - any comments on my BIOS choice?
- TwinMOS 512x2 PC3200 RAM (read below for RAM comments)
- Vantec 520w or 470w PSU.
- WD Raptor 74gb SATA 10k RPM
- XFX nvidia 6800GT
- Audigy 2 ZS

NOTE: I am limited to buying the ABOVE mentioned parts due to the country I live in. SO PLEASE, as much as I appreciate it, dont recommend other alternatives and make me feel so sad


___________________________________________
1) I want to OC my 3200 from 2.0ghz to 2.4 max, maybe 2.3 too. Now, my problem is I dont know how to acheive this OC!
Should I go 240x10? or 265x9?

1.1) Also, I read many times that I should reduce my HTT to 4x. Why?

1.2) I am inclined to go with 240x10 because I want to enable Cool n Quiet. Now you might ask, what does CnQ have anything to do with 240x10? Well, I read that CnQ has a bug: During load, when CnQ is increasing your modifier setting... it DOES NOT respect the modified you have set in the BIOS. Instead, it simply choose the highest modifier capable and uses that. As you can see, this can pose a problem when CnQ goes from, say, 265x4 to 265x10 (eventhough the modifier in the BIOS is set at 9!)
(Read more here: http://msihq.designlab.info/th...lightuser=0&page=1]Cool 'n' Quiet FAQ[/url]

1.3) Do I need to change my voltage to the CPU if I am gonna OC? I see people modified something called "vcores"... do I need to do this? Why? by How much? PLEASE explain!

1.4) Has anyone had any installation issues installing the Thermalright SLK948U on the MSI Neo2 ? Anything I should be aware of? Do I need to remove the backplate?

________________________________________
Memory questions

2) RAM. Ok, quite simply... will I be able to run a stable PC if I DONT run 1:1
Unfortunately, TwinMOS is the best I can find where I live... and it cannot really be OCed. Will this RAM "support" my CPU OC?
2.1) Also, I've seen people change their "vcore" for their RAM.... why? should I do that?
2.2) Also, what are memory dividers? What memory divider should I use?
________________________________________
BIOS setting questions

3.1) Do I enable PCI/AGP lock ? Why?
3.2) Do I enable/disabne "Aggressive Timings"? I've heard people do this sometimes, dunno what it means tho.
3.3) Any other BIOS settings I should be aware of?
________________________________________
Harddrive

4) I've heard that the MSI mobo has some issues with SATA drives. As mentioned above, I am gonna buy a WD Raptor 74gb SATA hd. Are there any "special" configuration issues I should be aware of? I dont intend on doing any RAID.
I've read that I should connect my SATA hd to SATA3 or SATA4 on the mobo, I will do that. Anything else ?
_________________________________________

Apart from the above questions, if you have any tips or anything please share them!


THANKS A TON!

 

[eyeballkid]

Answers
- - - - - - - -
1.0 - I'd go with a CPU multiplier of 10.

1.1 - The Hypertransport speed should be kept within the 1.0 GHz range, therefore you need to lower the HT multiplier in order to raise your HT frequency (the performance loss is negligible).

1.2 - There is an utility that will give you the same functionality as C'n'Q without having to use the highest multiplier.

1.3 - I believe you'll have to raise your CPU voltage in order to get it stable. Sometimes the CPU voltage setting is called Vcore in bios. My guess to get a 300-400 MHz overclock to run stable would be "Default Voltage + 5.0%".

1.4 - No issues that I've heard of. If it turns out that you have to remove the backplate, and it is glued, then apply a little nail polisher to loosen it.

2.0 - If by support you mean running in 5:4 or 2:1 when overclocking your CPU then yes.

2.1 - The only reason to change your Memory voltage or Vdimm would be to tweak timings or overclock your memory. Not all memory can handle more voltage than specified.

2.2 - Memory dividers are used to get the memory running at lower frequencies than the HTT frequency. You should choose a memory speed of 166 MHz which corresponds to a 5:4 ratio (i.e. with a HTT frequency of 250 MHz the memory speed would be about 200 MHz)

3.1 - In order to prevent hard drive corruption and video card errors you should enable the PCI/AGP lock. This is done by setting the AGP frequency to 67 MHz.

3.2 - When overclocking you should disable the "Aggressive Timing" option in the bios.

3.3 - "High Performance Mode" = Manual, "Dynamic Overclocking" = Disabled, "HT Frequency" = 3x (for a start), "Cool´n´Quiet" = Disabled (try to enable it when you've reached a stable OC), "Adjust AGP Frequency" = 67, "Memory voltage" = 2.6 V.

4.0 - There are no SATA issues or Raptor issues you should be aware of other than connecting your drive to SATA port 3/4 as they are the only ones with the AGP/PCI lock enabled.

Tips
- - - - - - - -

• Make sure you upgrade to bios version 1.36b (to allow vcore up to +18%) or 1.51 before overclocking. (http://www.lejabeach.com/MSIK8N/k8nneo2.html)

• Do not use the MSI Corecenter software when overclocking (it is crap).

• Put your memory in slots 1 and 2 (closest to the CPU)

• Try the following settings:
  Max Memclock @ 133 MHz, 2T, DRAM Settings (Default), Memory Voltage @ 2.60V, HTT Freq. @ 240-250, HTT Multi x3, CPU Multiplier @ x10, CPU Voltage @ Default, CPU VID +5.0% - +8.3%.

• When the system is running stable try tweaking the following (one at a time):
  Max Memclock @ 166 MHz, 1T, HTT Multi x4

Good luck with your overclock! :thumbsup:

 

[nitenichiryu1]

wow nice. hmm i was wondering. i noticed that you said to put the sata drives in ports 3 and 4. i have already built my rig and have 2 sata drives in ports 1 and 2. can i safely connect them to 3 and 4 without messing anything up?

 

[Appledrop]

on my a8v with my 3200+ at 2559mhz (stock fan too ), i didnt change any "HTT mutliplyer", i could find no option, so i must assume that my moterhboard tries to keep it automatically at 1000?

 

[Matrix333]

you do have to remove the backplate when installing the 948U
so simply press down on one of the screw holes that stick up through the mobo until it starts to peel off
then just continue to peel it away

larger video cards are a problem with the k8n neo2 plat and the 948u heatsink
i have both and a gigabyte geforce 6800gt and it is extremely tight
it almost did not fit, but i forced it and was lucky i didnt screw anything up

 

[Mean MrMustard]

Originally posted by: nitenichiryu1
wow nice. hmm i was wondering. i noticed that you said to put the sata drives in ports 3 and 4. i have already built my rig and have 2 sata drives in ports 1 and 2. can i safely connect them to 3 and 4 without messing anything up?

It won't screw anything up moving to different ports.

 

[nitenichiryu1]

so if i move ports, i can being the magic of oc'ing because ports 3 and 4 are locked? oh and in the bios, i noticed i could set my agp to 67mhz, but is that it? is there anything else i needa lock up? didnt see anything for pci.. and i know im newbie, but i didnt see any pci/agp lock function (if there is one). anyone know where i can lock it down for some oc'ing? thanks

 

[nitenichiryu1]

ne one?

 

[drifter106]

sweet post...

 

[DaveRun]

nitenichiryu1: I've seen it posted on the MSI site to set the AGP to 67 to get the lock activated. I haven't done too much testing one way or the other to confirm but have had no problems so far. Also, you need to use the SATA 3&4 ports if you want to OC.

1.4 - For removing the back plate, applying nail polish remover may have some effect on the laquer on the board I'd think. I've seen MILD heat from a blow dryer while constantly touching the plate trying to lift it recommended. You do not want to get things too hot (ie burnt plastic, melted components/solder, etc)

 

[Sylvanas]

id get a better PSU ive never really heard much of vantec, its always good to get a quality psu maybe something from antec or OCZ.

 

[nitenichiryu1]

thanks daverun. i'll try that out. i actually thought there was a agp/pci lock enable or disable. hehe but i guess locking the agp to 67 is just as simple. hehe

 

[Rapier]

SATA is not locked on SATA 1 & 2 only on 3 & 4

 

[chavalcito]

Why would you recommend setting AGP to 67 instead of the regular 66?

 

[eyeballkid]

Originally posted by: chavalcito
Why would you recommend setting AGP to 67 instead of the regular 66?

The AGP/PCI lock is not enabled unless the AGP frequency is changed.

 

[McArra]

Originally posted by: Sylvanas
id get a better PSU ive never really heard much of vantec, its always good to get a quality psu maybe something from antec or OCZ.

Vantec is a known brand.

 

[jayzsayz]

I thought I'd take a shot at it too. I have the same mobo and cpu as you. Nothing new, just rephrasing and adding new things to the first reply. I wont be answering all questions.

First of all flash your motherboard bios from 1.3 to 1.41. Do not flash it to 1.51 because the VCore Overclocking percentage only goes up to 10%, which ver1.41 has it to 18%. Althought this can be remedied by going into CoreCenter and changing it there, but it's almost best to do this in bios.

_________
1) I want to OC my 3200 from 2.0ghz to 2.4 max, maybe 2.3 too. Now, my problem is I dont know how to acheive this OC! Should I go 240x10? or 265x9?

A: Currently Im OCing the same cpu to 2.5ghz with Vcore at 1.7volts. I used to have it at 2.4ghz and the best way to do that is this:
set the multiplier (CPU Ratio) to 10,
LDT (HT Frequency) to 4,
CPU FSB Frequency to 240,
CPU VID (Vcore) at 1.50v
and the CPU Voltage at 3.3%, which should give you roughly 1.55v (1.5495v to be exact) For some weird reason it works better than just picking 1.550v.

1.1) Also, I read many times that I should reduce my HTT to 4x. Why?

A: You only run the LDT at 5x when you?re leaving the FSB at 200(FSB is really called HyperTransport Bus) LDT or HT Frequency is multiplied by your FSB. You need to keep it to around 1000 for stability. So from 201-250 FSB, you need a LDT of 4x, 251+ FSB needs 3x LDT and so forth.

1.2) I am inclined to go with 240x10 because I want to enable Cool n Quiet. Now you might ask, what does CnQ have anything to do with 240x10? Well, I read that CnQ has a bug: During load, when CnQ is increasing your modifier setting... it DOES NOT respect the modified you have set in the BIOS. Instead, it simply choose the highest modifier capable and uses that. As you can see, this can pose a problem when CnQ goes from, say, 265x4 to 265x10 (eventhough the modifier in the BIOS is set at 9!)
(Read more here: http://msihq.designlab.info/th...lightuser=0&page=1]Cool 'n' Quiet FAQ[/url]

A: Go with 240x10 but disable that feature, it only causes trouble when overclocking.

1.3) Do I need to change my voltage to the CPU if I am gonna OC? I see people modified something called "vcores"... do I need to do this? Why? by How much? PLEASE explain!

A: Yes, as the CPU is pushed to go on higher speeds it needs the power to fuel it, thus allowing it to have a higher clock. Use either 1.550V or what I said above. See which one works better.
________________________________________
Memory questions

2) RAM. Ok, quite simply... will I be able to run a stable PC if I DONT run 1:1
Unfortunately, TwinMOS is the best I can find where I live... and it cannot really be OCed. Will this RAM "support" my CPU OC?

A: I looked up the ram and most of the 1gb kits have latency of 2.5-3-3-8 so let?s just assume you have it too. With that latency, it doesn?t really leave you much of a room to overclock the memory. So set your timing to 1T, Use a Divider of 166. That?s .83 multiplied to 200. So 240FSB x .83 is 200mhz dRAM. So you wont be Overclocking your Ram but your CPU. Good enough for your chips.

2.1) Also, I've seen people change their "vcore" for their RAM.... why? should I do that?

A: It?s called VDIMM for RAMs. Bump you voltage to 2.70v and if things aren?t stable, 2.8v

2.2) Also, what are memory dividers? What memory divider should I use?

A: 166. Do not set everything to Auto on the DRAM configuration. The CAS latency should be 2.5, Ras to Cas Delay is 3, Ras PreCharge is 3, and Tras Cycle time is 8.
________________________________________
BIOS setting questions

3.2) Do I enable/disable "Aggressive Timings"? I've heard people do this sometimes, dunno what it means tho.

A: Disable it, Anything from 240+ FSB will only cause errors if you have this on.

3.3) Any other BIOS settings I should be aware of?

A: Well, here?s a link of the BIOSes http://www.lejabeach.com/MSIK8N/k8nneo2.html

________________________________________

THANKS A TON!

You?re welcome.

 

[eyeballkid]

Originally posted by: jayzsayz
First of all flash your motherboard bios from 1.3 to 1.41. Do not flash it to 1.51 because the VCore Overclocking percentage only goes up to 10%, which ver1.41 has it to 18%.

The only bios versions that allow CPU Voltage adjustments of +13%, +15% and +18.3% are 1.2 and 1.36. Bios 1.41 and 1.51 will only provide default voltage at these settings. So, if you want to pump your Winchester with more than 1.6V you need to use one of those, preferably 1.36 (Default voltage for the Winchester is 1.4V and for the Newcastle 1.5V. The bios will give Winchesters 1.4 when set to 1.5)

I am currently running bios version 1.51 and would recommend it. It allowed me to reach a stable overclock of 2600 MHz with a 3500+ Newcastle CG processor at 1.65V, with memory running at DDR520 with 2.5-3-3-10 timings at 2.90V. This was not possible with earlier versions.

To access the hidden options in bios versions that have not been modified press Shift+F2 and ALT+F3.


MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum Tips, Bugs, and Workarounds at The Rebels Haven Computer Forum

 

[hamidjunior]

Originally posted by: McArra

Originally posted by: Sylvanas
id get a better PSU ive never really heard much of vantec, its always good to get a quality psu maybe something from antec or OCZ.

Vantec is a known brand.

What about Link Depot? You know like Super Flower TITANIUM BLACK 550W 14CM Super Silent Power Supply, Model "TT-550TB"? Any good?

 

[eyeballkid]

Originally posted by: hamidjunior
What about Link Depot? You know like Super Flower TITANIUM BLACK 550W 14CM Super Silent Power Supply, Model "TT-550TB"? Any good?

No! If you have got the money, go for the "PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe", it is without a doubt the best psu you can buy. If the price is too steep, then go for a OCZ or Antec unit. Of the latter two I'd recommend the OCZ Powerstream because it has a powerful 12V rail.

 

[hamidjunior]

Thanx...Yeah PC Power is kinda steeeeppyyyy..But OCZ420ADJ is definitely within my range. U think OCing 64 3200+ 90nm to 2.4+ and running Gig 'a' Ballistix 3200(with 3 hards, AIWX600 PCI-E, 2 3500As) with according config would be stable with it (Tsunami Dream is the case)?

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: eyeballkid

Originally posted by: chavalcito
Why would you recommend setting AGP to 67 instead of the regular 66?

The AGP/PCI lock is not enabled unless the AGP frequency is changed.

are you positive? proof?

 

[eyeballkid]

Originally posted by: hamidjunior
Thanx...Yeah PC Power is kinda steeeeppyyyy..But OCZ420ADJ is definitely within my range. U think OCing 64 3200+ 90nm to 2.4+ and running Gig 'a' Ballistix 3200(with 3 hards, AIWX600 PCI-E, 2 3500As) with according config would be stable with it (Tsunami Dream is the case)?

Yes. I do think it would be stable.

 

[eyeballkid]

Originally posted by: nick1985
are you positive? proof?

Maybe it is a bios issue, maybe not. My board would not enable the locks unless I set the AGP Frequency at something else than 66. You can easily check it with "ClockGen for nVidia nForce3".

 

[klah]

Originally posted by: Azzy64
on my a8v with my 3200+ at 2559mhz (stock fan too ), i didnt change any "HTT mutliplyer"

Advanced -> CPU Configuration -> HyperTransport(HT) Configuration