Tuning overclock on a 4600+ (65w)

[Tasandmnm]

I am using an Asus M2N32 SLI Deluxe board with 2 gigs of Corsair XMS2 memory.

I am currently at 2835mhz with a 315 bus speed, 9x multiplier, and a 3x HT. I have CPU voltage set to 1.3875 in the BIOS but I get actual readings of 1.44 volts using Asus PC Probe and CPU-Z, memory voltage is set to 2.2 volts and I am using the stock timings the motherboard gives me (5,5,5,18,2T) since I wasn't able to get 1T stable with this clock, memory speed is at 405mhz (x2 of course). I am Prime stable with this setup and temps haven't went over 53, I just feel I can get more out of it and am pretty disappointed in only getting a 435mhz overclock.

I can get a 325 bus speed to boot me into Windows with all the other settings the same, but after a couple minutes it will lock up. Am I doing something wrong? Should I try setting the volts a little higher? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated as I really want to take this processor over 3ghz, otherwise I am going to feel pretty bad about spending the extra money on the 4600+ instead of a 3800+.

 

[Liberator21]

Is this AM2 by any chance?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Thats a good overclock for an X2. the 4600 is a higher end part you can't expect as much overclocking headroom

 

[myocardia]

If you're wanting a higher overclock, you're going to have to give your cpu some vcore. If you're just wanting to tighten it up, as you said in your title, then drop your memory timings down to 4-4-4-12-2T.

 

[n7]

You've gotten a very good OC...nothing to complain about.

But i would suggest using the 12x multi you have, since it sounds like you're maxing out your mobo on the 9x.

Also, yeah you'll likely need more vcore to get higher, but really 2.8 GHz is very good.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: n7
But i would suggest using the 12x multi you have, since it sounds like you're maxing out your mobo on the 9x.

True, but I'd probably try it at 10x300, or at least 10x290, first. That would provide more performance than 12x250 or 12x245. To the OP, you aren't trying to use the factory heatsink, are you?

 

[Tasandmnm]

It is indeed socket AM2, and no I am not using stock CPU cooling. I am using a Zalman 9500, I wish I would have gotten a Scythe Ninja after reading through some forums, unfortunately I based my CPU cooler decision almost solely on Newegg reviewers

Also, what is the maximum temperature I am safe to run this processor at? I have heard conflicting numbers....

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: n7
But i would suggest using the 12x multi you have, since it sounds like you're maxing out your mobo on the 9x.

True, but I'd probably try it at 10x300, or at least 10x290, first. That would provide more performance than 12x250 or 12x245. To the OP, you aren't trying to use the factory heatsink, are you?

Erm, no it wouldn't.

A64s aren't like Intel in that way.
Faster HTT doesn't mean faster performance, unless the RAM divider being used for the lower multi happens to give faster RAM speeds.
But we don't know how far the OP's RAM can go.

 

[n7]

Okay i did the math for the OP on RAM ratios, but the only way to really know what the best combination is if he tests how far he can get with 4-4-4 vs. 5-5-5, not to mention how far with 1T vs. 2T.

So yeah, kinda hard to know which is the best combination, but i'd suggest trying 12x w/ 333 divider & see if you can get 1T working at that lower RAM speed.




12x238 = 2856 MHz
w/ 333 divider = 357 aka DDR2-714
w/ 400 divider = 476 aka DDR2-952

11x259 = 2849 MHz
w/ 333 divider = 407 aka DDR2-814

10x285 = 2850 MHz
w/ 333 divider = 475 aka DDR2-950
w/ 266 divider = 356.25 aka DDR2-712.5

 

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: Tasandmnm
It is indeed socket AM2, and no I am not using stock CPU cooling. I am using a Zalman 9500, I wish I would have gotten a Scythe Ninja after reading through some forums, unfortunately I based my CPU cooler decision almost solely on Newegg reviewers

Also, what is the maximum temperature I am safe to run this processor at? I have heard conflicting numbers....

The most important temps are going to be your core temps. Are you getting accurate readings from Core Temp?

If not, I'd say stay below 60 degrees C.

Furthermore, I wouldn't be too disappointed by that OC with a Windsor, especially not one of the low-voltage ones. They don't OC as well as the standard 89W Windsors (or Brisbanes for that matter).

edit: don't worry about 1T command rate. At best, it will lower your latency by maybe 4-5 cycles at best. It might provide some non-essential memory bandwidth as well. Not really important. Tighter timings are nice, but faster memory speed will help you more if you have the option to trade off between the two.

 

[Tasandmnm]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I am regretting going with the 65w model now, I was trying to decide which to go with and took some advice from someone on another forum

On the plus side I tried 10x multiplier and Bus speed of 290 and am stable through 30 mins of Prime95, however my RAM speeds will need to be tweaked since it is now running at 362.5mhz with the same timings I mentioned earlier. I think I will try to take my CPU further before playing with my RAM settings though.

BTW, anyone here ever switched from a Zalman 9500 over to a Scythe? I would love to know what the temperature differences are between the two....

 

[Tasandmnm]

OK, anyone know what this error in Orthos Prime 95 means: 2:FATAL ERROR: Final result was 411FFFE8, expected: 86B106EB.

I don't think it is Temp related because my temps were just fine when it happened, it was about 2 mins in and I was running two instances of Prime 95, it will not reproduce the error when I am only running one instance of it.

 

[n7]

It means you ain't stable.

small FFTs = stresses CPU primarily
Blend = stresses CPU & RAM
Large = stresses everything (CPU/RAM/mobo) afaik

 

[Tasandmnm]

OK, I have 2.88ghz stable with a 12x multiplier and a bus speed of 240 and using 1.45 volts, not too bad I guess. My RAM timings are still 5-5-5-18 but RAM is now running at 480mhz (x2) which is a nice overclock, but it will not boot at this speed with the recommended 4-4-4-12 timings and I definitely cannot get 1T. I am fairly happy with this overclock, but it could probably still be tuned a bit better. I had 2.95ghz Prime stable for over an hour with excellent temps, I stopped the stress test and everything was ok for a while but then I had 2 complete shutdowns in which the power to my PC just went *by-by* so I tuned it down. I know I could run 2.95-3.0ghz, I may just need a better cpu cooler so I can crank the voltage a little higher (I did get 3.0 stable but my core temps were bouncing between 61-63C with 1.55~volts).

So at this point should I try a slower RAM speed so I can tighten up the timings or just stick with the hefty RAM overclock with the sucky timings?

 

[deepakev]

Hey, get TRUE (ThermalRight Ultra 120 extreme) cpu cooler..Its one of the best air coolers available..will defntly aid in better overclocking !!