'Upgraded' RAM, now CPU won't overclock like normal?

[HollowRopes]

Hello. Let me start off by saying that I have a somewhat older system, here are the specs:

Raidmax RX-700Z
ASUS P5KC
Intel Core 2 Duo e6850 (3.0@3.51GHz, normally)
Patriot Viper II Sector 5 1333MHz 4GB (7-7-7-24)
Galaxy GTX 460 768MB
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS

I had some extra money about a month ago and I decided to upgrade my video card. A few days layer, one of the sticks of my older RAM died (which was Patriot PDC32G1333ELK) so I sent it back to Patriot. They said that they no longer produced or supplied that kind of RAM anymore, so they offered me this 'better' Viper II Sector 5 RAM. I remember seeing this RAM when I bought my old stuff; this kind was about $40 more for the same amount (just lower timings).

With my older RAM I'd usually run my e6850 at 3.51GHZ with 500x7.0, normally 1.45v vcore and I wouldn't have to mess with anything else. It's ran just fine like that for about two and half years, actually.

After installing this new RAM, I only changed the voltage and timings to what they specified them being (1.65v at 7-7-7-24) and I'd get a random blue screen and then a reboot normally while using any internet browser, but it seems like it was less likely to happen if I were to start up Windows and load up a game and start playing it. Sometimes I can load a game and play fine for an hour or so and never have a problem, other times I can simply be opening a file/folder or typing in a URL and I'll get the blue screen thing.

Since I had to send back both of my old sticks (it was 2x2GB last time and 2x2GB this time as well), I don't have an opportunity to put any older RAM back in it and test it out with something else. But like I said, I had ran this CPU at the 500x7.0 with no problems with the older RAM, so I'm sorta wondering why I'm having trouble all of the sudden with this newer RAM with lower timings. Anyone have any ideas why this might be happening? Thanks.

 

[Cerb]

What is your RAM actually running at? If your CPU is at 500x7, then you aught to run it at 1GHz effective (lowest FSB:RAM ratio; some BIOSes have it as 1:1, others 2:1). If it is running higher, try that first. Also, it would not hurt to relax timings (9-9-9-24, maybe?), to see if that helps, and maybe run memtest overnight.

 

[HollowRopes]

Well, CPU-Z reports the DRAM frequency to be 666.7MHz, FSB : DRAM is 3:4, I'll drop (raise) the timings and see if that helps. Here's something else I just noticed too, I'm not sure what could cause this, but..

I'm trying 500x6.0 right now with the regular timings (7-7-7-24) and I'm noticing some kinda audio 'garbage' and sort of a lagging choppiness to my music if I'm watching a video or using flash/lots of javascript. It also happens if I'm playing an audio file and I maximize a window. This wasn't happening before with 500x7.0, but it also doesn't happen if I run this current setup at complete default (that being the 3.0GHz, all RAM settings to default, etc).

 

[repoman0]

They probably sent you bad RAM, check it with memtest for windows or tests5/8 in memtest86.

 

[Cerb]

Or, maybe something else has gotten harmed, like the CPU or NB? Or, maybe the NB needs a mild voltage bump? If it runs at defaults, maybe see how 438*8 does, for 3.5GHz.

 

[HollowRopes]

Alright, check it out...

I ran the computer at 500x6.0 for the rest of the day yesterday and it ran fine with no reboots or blue screens or anything, then I ran memtest all last night with everything at defaults (just to check to make sure the RAM was okay to begin with). Everything came out fine with memtest, so I've been messing around with it a bit more this morning.

Something that I really don't like about the BIOS on this P5KC is that you can't select ".5" increments on voltage settings or even the ratio for the CPU clock. Everything is just.. 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 or 1.4v, 1.5v, 1.6v, 1.7v.. Back when I first got into overclocking was when the Durons and Athlons had came out and you could do the pencil trick to bridge the gaps and blah blah blah. Back then, the .5 increments on the CPU ratio was really good because it was the 'inbetween' that -might work- if the next ratio above it didn't. Now, if I want to run it the bus at 500MHz, I can either do 6.0 for 3GHz or or 7.0 for 3.5GHz. The 7.0 isn't working right anymore; 6.0 runs fine. I wish I could try a 6.5, but I can't. I hate that. Also, this RAM's voltage is 1.65v and I can't select that, I have to use 'auto' for it use 1.65v. I hate that too.

Could somehow the CPU be getting too hot all of the sudden? Speedfan says the 'CPU' is usually 40 C. while idle and it gets to about 49 C. at the most, and when I look at Core 0 and Core 1 they're never more than 5 degrees different than each other. I've noticed that my northbridge was getting hot, so I put a small fan I used to have on an old TNT 2 or something on it and it dropped the temp by about 6 degrees. Any time I've tried to do any type of voltage bump with either the CPU or the NB, it seems like it causes the blue screens to start a lot quicker than if I just leave everything alone and use a 1.45v vcore and then enable the load-line calibration to improve vdroop. System temperature usually stays between 32 C. and 38 C.

I just think it's weird that I was running everything fine and now, without even changing any settings for the CPU itself, I can't run it at the speed I had it at before. It makes me think something's tied into the RAM itself. The thing is, while I had sent my old RAM back to get my replacements, I was using a friend of mine's what he called "cheap RAM" which was some Corsair stuff, it was 1600MHz but my motherboard forced it to use 1333MHz since that's the highest my motherboard can support. The timings were 9-9-9-24, 2x2GB sticks again. The stuff was awful compared to even my old RAM; the audio garbage I mentioned in my previous post was more evident than ever and just moving a window around or clicking the start button would make my audio freeze/lag/chop up/sound awful. I'm still trying to figure out what that has to do with; maybe low timings? Using 2N instead of 1N command rate?

 

[HollowRopes]

Cerb;

The weird thing is, I can't run hardly anything in the 400s at 8.0 without it having problems (like not even being able to start Windows). I can do 420x7.0, but not 450x7.0. I can do 410x8.0 but it's unstable, and I can't do anything above 415x8.0 without it rebooting before Windows starts. I've pretty much given up hope on the 8.0 ratio.

I've always been somewhat surprised I was able to do the 500x7.0, is that something that's usually easy to get to with normal air cooling and everything with an older chip like mine (e6850)? I've been using the 1.45v vcore (CPU) option in the BIOS with the load-line calibration or whatever enabled to improve vdroop, should I try to raise that or is that just going to produce more heat before anything else? Maybe somehow something's getting warmer now and it doesn't like the heat?

 

[HollowRopes]

Well, I set everything back to default, then tried 416x8.0 just to see what would happen (it makes the RAM frequency land right around 1332MHz) and it worked and it's been working fine so far. Here are the settings that I'm using (some of this may not be needed but I'm just putting it down so it'll be there) :

CPU Ratio: 8.0
FSB Frequency: 416
DRAM Command Rate: 1N
DRAM Frequency: 1332MHz
CPU Voltage: 1.45v
CPU PLL Voltage: 1.50v
FSB Termination Voltage: Auto
DRAM Voltage: Auto
NB Voltage: 1.5
Clock Over-Charging Mode: Auto
Load-Line Calibration: Auto
CPU GTL Voltage Reference: Auto
BN GTL Voltage Reference: Auto
CPU Spread Spectrum: Auto
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Auto

If I've gotta drop the FSB a bit to get closer to the 3.5GHz, that's fine.. Just thinking I might be able to use some of these other settings, I just don't know what they're for exactly. I don't want to go messing around with stuff without knowing more about it. Anyone have any suggestions? And, should I be worried about heat?