've read from several sources (AnandTech & others) that Nvidia bins their nForce4 chips, using the ones that will reach

[Nlight95]

I've read from several sources that Nvidia bins their nForce4 chips, using the ones that will reach a higher speed for SLI parts.

For those of you who have recently purchased the LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D, what northbridge speeds are you topping out at and at what voltage?

Is there an advantage of purchasing an SLI board in that regard, even if you only run one video card?

Also, is it better to have a PSU with 33A on the 12v rail (PowerStream 520), or one like the Enhance ENS-0560G with four 12v rails @ 18A each?

 

[CP5670]

My experience has been that the SLI-DR AD0 I have does at least 400 (didn't test it any higher) while the Ultra-D AE0 I recently got tops out at around 370. Both are at stock NB voltages. It's hardly enough of a sample to make any conclusion, but it does support what you're saying. Although either speed is more than I need.

As for the power supplies, it depends on whether you're using multiple video cards. I think in general, a single rail is the best option for one video card, while three or more rails (not two) is optimal for SLI/Xfire setups, although there are plenty of exceptions to this.

 

[F1shF4t]

My ultra-d starts being unstable after 270 HTT, which i'm sorta dissapointed in, as this cpu prolly can overclock much more.
Well also u can always mod the ultra -d board to sli
With the rails it will depend on the usage, cause with multiple rails u can overload one and keep the others mostly unloaded which would not be too good.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

i have this before and i'll repeat. getting a nice sli board (in sig....cheap too ) is always a good idea whether you run sli or not. the 2 PCI-E x 16 slots could always come on handy for something like physics cards etc. so yeah get a sli board if you can. or crossfire.

 

[Elfear]

My Ultra-D tops out at ~345MHz.

 

[Absolute0]

My Ultra-D has done 370 with 9x multi

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/absolute035/Opty%20Dual/902bbc43.jpg

and that was the chip giving out, not the board. Most Ultra-Ds should be good for 400.

 

[uOpt]

I have seen many times that the DFI SLI-DR apparently reach higher averages than the Ultra-Ds, or at least they have less that perform lousy.

However, I am not convinced that binning takes place.

For example, in the above observation DFI cannot bin. Because the NForce chipsets already come designated SLI or non-SLI, so DFI does not have the freedom to bin them and use the better ones for SLI.

 

[Nlight95]

Originally posted by: MartinCracauer
I have seen many times that the DFI SLI-DR apparently reach higher averages than the Ultra-Ds, or at least they have less that perform lousy.

However, I am not convinced that binning takes place.

For example, in the above observation DFI cannot bin. Because the NForce chipsets already come designated SLI or non-SLI, so DFI does not have the freedom to bin them and use the better ones for SLI.

Actually my post was not concerning whether DFI speed bins the chips, but Nvidia.

 

[Nlight95]

Originally posted by: Absolute0
My Ultra-D has done 370 with 9x multi

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/absolute035/Opty%20Dual/902bbc43.jpg

and that was the chip giving out, not the board. Most Ultra-Ds should be good for 400.

Well, I'm sure your watercooling is helping out. The Opterons also seem to hit higher number for some reason--perhaps that AMD bins them because they're server/workstation parts and the temp requirements are more stringent.

From what I've read, it appears the Ultra-D stock cooler is goood up to 300-350 depending, I'm sure, on case temps and that no two boards are exactly the same coming off thte assembly line.

 

[EffeX]

They bin their gfx cards too. Thats what topped it off to go with ATi.

 

[d3lt4]

I did 355, and didn't bother to go any higher.
EDIT: that is on the ultra-d BTW, and 345 on nf4-d but it can go higher as well.

 

[Nlight95]

Once I get my Ultra-D I will have to see how far it goes. 350 would certainly be high enough for me. The ability to change the CPU divider will help further tweak my memory. The divider is one thing my current A8N-E lacks (among the ability to overclock well in general).

 

[Nlight95]

Originally posted by: EffeX
They bin their gfx cards too. Thats what topped it off to go with ATi.

Are you sure? I've seen where some have been able to push the 7900GT far past GTX levels.

It's been hit-or-miss for me. My current 1800XT has been the best overclocker yet at 700/800 with stock cooling but my old 9800 Pro hit a wall quickly. The 1800 will go more with additional voltage but I need to replace my PSU first because it's at its limit. I had good luck with a GeForce 3 several years ago. Up until ATI's X800 series I think Nvidia cards had more overclocking room, but that's just my experience.

Generally I've noticed that as the die process improves so does overclocking. In other words, don't buy a new model card when hits the street. Wait a little for later revisions and some refinements to the core first.