Overclocking Opt. 144, what memory to get

[Extelleron]

After seeing the Opteron 144 OEM combo deal at Monarch for $130.75, and then some good mobo's as well, I'm considering building a new PC now (was originally going to wait for Vista+DX10). I want to get the 144 to at least 2.5-2.6 GHz which I know is possible in most cases with the 144, and I know for 2.6 which is what I want I'd need to have the HTT @ 288x9...... would be so much simpler if you could increase multiplier, wouldnt it? Anyway, when it comes to the memory I dont really understand what I need to do. I need to have the memory clocked somewhere around 288, correct? I've heard about "ratios" and having a 2:3 ratio on the memory, can you explain that a bit better? I've read the OC'ing guide at the top of the page but it's a bit over my head....... Here's what I was planning on getting (If I decide to do this, not sure yet)

Mobo= DFI NF4 Ultra, $95
Processor= Opteron 144 OEM, $130.75
Thermal Grease= Shin-Etsu G675 $14.99
Heatskin Fan= Zalman CNPS7000B- $46.74

Memory= Here as I said above I'm not sure. Would getting this memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustRatingReview.asp?Item=N82E16820227208
be a good idea? I dont really want to spend that much on memory, but if I have to it's within my budget........... It's DDR600 so that means it's clocked at 300/600 effective, correct? So can anyone help me with what I need to do memory-wise? Like I said I'm a n00b when it comes to OC'ing........

Thanks in advance.

 

[5t3v0]

m8, if you're building a new pc from scratch, get a 2Gb kit - this will future proof you for a good while. You will have to pay a lot of money to get ram that will go to 288 & even then it will be hit or miss. So you'll need to run on a memory divider which sets the memory frequency at a ratio of the cpu. The DFI board is a good choice as this has a wider range of dividers than most other brands. Using 9 x 288 HTT as an example, the DFI divider options give you the following memory frequencies:

133 = 185MHz
143 = 199MHz
150 = 216MHz
166 = 236MHz
183 = 259MHz

(Note 133 = DDR266 = 2:3. Board mfrs show the same dividers in different ways)

If you download an app called A64MemFreq1.1, you can quickly calculate memory frequency using different HTTs, multiplier and divider combinations.

With a DFI board, I would aim for the 183 divider which means getting memory that will run at 259MHz. The G.Skill HZs that I have will almost certainly do this.

Are you a gamer? What graphics card are you getting?

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: 5t3v0
m8, if you're building a new pc from scratch, get a 2Gb kit - this will future proof you for a good while. You will have to pay a lot of money to get ram that will go to 288 & even then it will be hit or miss. So you'll need to run on a memory divider which sets the memory frequency at a ratio of the cpu. The DFI board is a good choice as this has a wider range of dividers than most other brands. Using 9 x 288 HTT as an example, the DFI divider options give you the following memory frequencies:

133 = 185MHz
143 = 199MHz
150 = 216MHz
166 = 236MHz
183 = 259MHz

(Note 133 = DDR266 = 2:3. Board mfrs show the same dividers in different ways)

If you download an app called A64MemFreq1.1, you can quickly calculate memory frequency using different HTTs, multiplier and divider combinations.

With a DFI board, I would aim for the 183 divider which means getting memory that will run at 259MHz. The G.Skill HZs that I have will almost certainly do this.

Are you a gamer? What graphics card are you getting?

If I ran it @ 143 it would be clocked at 199 MHz which is fine for DDR400.......... so that would be a good option, correct? At Monarch they have 1GB of DDR400 OCZ ram for $89.
And if I do decide to go for this I'll probably get a 6600GT for now. I have a limited budget and I see no reason to get a 7800GT or so rather than living with a satisfactory 6600GT and waiting for DX10 cards.

 

[Mucker]

Hey Ex, I notice from your price of motherboard that you are ordering a DFI Infinity. I wouldn't recommend getting this board. The DFI you want has this stock code at Monarch:

110224

It is the DFI LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D. The Infinity and Ultra-D are worlds apart in terms of OC.

As for RAM, I suggest you get a 2 GB kit and either of these two G.Skill sets:

2GBZX
2GBHZ

Both cost around $200 (Newegg). I own the 2GBZX and love it. Running it 3-3-2-5-1T @ DDR504 @ 2.7v

m

 

[5t3v0]

DDR400 is a good option or even DDR500 which will give you a bit more OC headroom. DDR600 isnt available in 2Gb kits as far as I'm aware & if it was it would be prohibitively expensive. You really want to get 2Gb - my page file usage was 1.4Gb while playing FEAR & there'll be plenty more games like that out over the next year. The ZX Mucker has is a bit hit or miss in overclocking according to some forums I've read, & the HZ I have, while having slower timings, can at least do 250MHz out of the box. In reality you'd have to loosen the timings on the ZX to get HZ speeds so they're pretty similar. The HZs can also OC to 270-280 for some folks, not for me though :frown:. If you're going to go for budget & get 1Gb, chose a value ram option. I had a GeIL value kit before this G.Skill which I could OC to 237MHz on 2.5-3-3-6 (thats a 166 divider on 9x290HTT).

Edit: Fixed graphic

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: Mucker
Hey Ex, I notice from your price of motherboard that you are ordering a DFI Infinity. I wouldn't recommend getting this board. The DFI you want has this stock code at Monarch:

110224

It is the DFI LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D. The Infinity and Ultra-D are worlds apart in terms of OC.

As for RAM, I suggest you get a 2 GB kit and either of these two G.Skill sets:

2GBZX
2GBHZ

Both cost around $200 (Newegg). I own the 2GBZX and love it. Running it 3-3-2-5-1T @ DDR504 @ 2.7v

m

The mobo in the combo for $95 is the:

DFI NF4 Ultra Infinity Audio/GB-LAN/IEEE-

Theres another option, the:
DFI Lan Party UT NF4 Ultra-D for $119

Is this what you're talking about? If so how is it better?

 

[Mucker]

The Infinity is a basic 939 board not really built for OC...it's more a mainstream board. The Ultra-D on the other hand was designed to be a rocket and contains a bios and beefed up hardware components that satisfies die-hard OC'ers. Check out www.dfi-street.com forums for further info....

m

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: Mucker
The Infinity is a basic 939 board not really built for OC...it's more a mainstream board. The Ultra-D on the other hand was designed to be a rocket and contains a bios and beefed up hardware components that satisfies die-hard OC'ers. Check out www.dfi-street.com forums for further info....

m

If I got the Ultra-D, the Opt. 144, and 1GB of OCZ......... how far do you think I could OC it without messing with voltages?

 

[Mucker]

That is something that can only be determined by trial and error. I have owned and tested five Opteron 146's. As far as voltage goes, the best one did 2870 MHz on 1.375v (actual). The worst was 1.525v (actual at 2800 MHz). They all did 2700 MHz on stock voltage.

It's always a roll of the dice with cpu OC'ing.

 

[5t3v0]

Why the fear of voltage? Are you planning on keeping the cpu for a full 10 years?

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: 5t3v0
Why the fear of voltage? Are you planning on keeping the cpu for a full 10 years?

I've never oc'd a processor before and am pretty afraid of frying something, especially since I dont have an unlimited budget like some people on here do.

 

[Mucker]

I wouldn't be too worried about frying things as long as you set some limits and use care in your approach. For Opteron, I set my limits at 1.55v (actual) and 50C max cpu temp. I never exceed those limits, but that's my personal preference. The Ultra-D is built to handle the extra electricity.

 

[5t3v0]

Yeah, I would agree with Mucker on 1.55v although my board will overvolt this up to 1.58v at idle. I get round this by using Cool & Quiet which lowers multiplier & vcore at idle to x5 & 1.25v respectively.

 

[Zebo]

The cheapest ram you can find.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141164

Becuase it looks to me you gotta save for something actually important like a real videocard.

What's wrong with using your ram out of your old P4 rig?

And if I were you I'd cancel that $15 thermal grease.. Wasteful since the Zalman come with it.. So does the cheaper $12 thermaltake HSF they offered.

 

[5t3v0]

Make sure you get a 256Mb graphics card. Have you looked at the 6800GS? Its very overclockable from what I've read & doesnt require any modding. The Sapphire X800 GTO2 I have is also a good overclocker & will reach X850 XT speeds & sometimes XTPE speeds & over. It can also be BIOS modded from 12 to 16 parallel pixel pipelines if you're brave enough.

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: Zebo
The cheapest ram you can find.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141164

Becuase it looks to me you gotta save for something actually important like a real videocard.

What's wrong with using your ram out of your old P4 rig?

And if I were you I'd cancel that $15 thermal grease.. Wasteful since the Zalman come with it.. So does the cheaper $12 thermaltake HSF they offered.

I cant really use much RAM from this rig because I dont own it (it's my parent's), I could take out 512MB but thats about it. Not like you need more than 512MB (right now have 1GB) for looking at email and on the internet anyway.

And how much difference is there between the Zalman and the cheaper Thermaltake heatsinks?

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: 5t3v0
Make sure you get a 256Mb graphics card. Have you looked at the 6800GS? Its very overclockable from what I've read & doesnt require any modding. The Sapphire X800 GTO2 I have is also a good overclocker & will reach X850 XT speeds & sometimes XTPE speeds & over. It can also be BIOS modded from 12 to 16 parallel pixel pipelines if you're brave enough.

With the X800GTO2, can you unlock the pipes via Rivatuner like you can the 6800GS AGP?

 

[5t3v0]

Originally posted by: Extelleron
With the X800GTO2, can you unlock the pipes via Rivatuner like you can the 6800GS AGP?

Not that I'm aware of. Its a BIOS mod but I just read on techpowerup that Sapphire are releasing the card with all 16 pipes already enabled so saving you voiding your warranty. Modding is easy though & has a 100% success rate as far as I know providing the correct instructions are followed. With ATI cards, you need to use a tool called ATITool to OC the card or Radlinker. I prefer ATITool.

Another cheap, quiet & effective cpu cooler to consider is the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro. My load temps are around 45C under load with 1.55v going through the chip. I do have a good few case fans too which do help.