[3oh6]

i am back from my hiatus of fresh material and will be leading you down the twisted dark path that is overclocking in this the third installment of my visual guide series. many are intimidated by this subject and they shouldn't be. overclocking is simple and painless but much like dinner at the in-laws, it can be a long and tedious process. some refer to overclocking as an art form, if it is then call me Picasso or Monet and consider this guide to be oc101. i know stezo2k already has a guide for this here at 'the planet' that has served well for quite a while, but i figured it was high time to write up a more comprehensive and in-depth guide so no disrespect intended. i will concentrate on overclocking the AMD64 processor on a windows based machine...let's get started.

** of course there is one thing ** this guide is geared toward single core CPUs only and needs to be updated ** carry on **

i will be walking you through this journey from the front to the back with enough screenshots in-between to make your high-school computer science teacher proud. first up are the tools you will need to make the magic happen.


toolbox of programs
all programs that we will absolutely need are free of charge where a few programs may require registration to enable all the features but these programs will not be necessary as other free programs will substitute.

CPU-Z - system info
Everest Home* - system info, temp monitor, benchmark
SpeedFan - temp monitor
MotherBoard Monitor - temp monitor
Prime95 - system stability testing
SuperPi - system stability testing
Memtest86 - RAM stability testing
SiSoft Sandra* - benchmarking suite
PCMark 04* - system benchmark
PCMark 05** - system benchmark
3DMark 01 se* - system benchmark

* - requires registration for all features
** - registration required to use at all
there is no need to download all of the programs listed above as there are a few options for each use. i personally prefer CPU-Z for identifying system components, SpeedFan for temperature monitoring, Prime95/SuperPi for system stability testing, and Memtest86 for testing RAM stability. these are the programs that i will be using in my guide but will be touching on the rest so feel free to use others listed or not listed here if you choose.

you will notice there are no programs listed for overclocking from within windows. i feel that overclocking a component or system from within windows is dangerous and should be avoided. i will be utilizing the BIOS for all overclocking throughout the guide and would encourage you to as well.


OCing philosophy & terminology
right off the top, frequency = speed...the terms are synonyms in the overclocking world and i will refer to the frequency of components as speed from time to time.

i look at overclocking as a simple procedure where you find 4 values and then combine those values best you can into a complete package given the multipliers, dividers, and options in your BIOS. the 4 values being the maximum overclock of 4 components...

1/ HTT - measured in MHz - aka the FSB, AMD64s do not have a FSB anymore because the memory controller is on the die and now the HTT is responsible for linking the rest of the devices to the CPU and accompanying memory controller.
2/ CPU - measured in MHz - aka the processor, this is the big dog on the OCing corner and its frequency is derived using a multiple of the HTT.
3/ RAM - measured in MHz x 2 - aka memory, the reason the RAM speed is multiplied by 2 is because AMD64s use DDR (double data rate) memory. the frequency of the RAM is derived from a divider of the CPU.
4/ HyperTransport - measured in MHz - aka HT, LDT (Lightning Data Transport), not to be confused with the HTT, the HT like the CPU is derived using a multiple of the HTT. the default value of the HT is 1000MHz (5 x 200HTT).

as you can see, the values of the 4 components are all derived in some way, either directly or indirectly, from the HTT. the HTT can also be described as a systems 'clock speed' for this reason. we will be determining the maximum values of these components in the order listed as each component relies on the previous value.

to find the maximum value of each component, the other components will simply be dialed back to ensure they do not go over their rated speed. this will make testing stability of the single overclocked component easily decisive. the game plan is laid out and it's sunday afternoon...game time!


example system
as with all the articles in my visual guide series, learning with an example to implement the theory is generally easier and overclocking is no exception. the following list of hardware is what the example system is comprised of that i will be using in this guide...

CPU: AMD64 3000+ Winchester
CPU cooler: Asetek VapoChill Micro Ultra-Low Noise
MB: Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS / Asus A8V-E Deluxe will be used for some screenshots
RAM: OCZ PDC 2*512MB PC3200
GPU: Aopen 7800GTX-256DVD @ 505MHz/1400MHz
PSU: MGE Magnum 500W
HD: Dual WD Raptor 36.7GB 10,000RPM configured in a RAID 0
accessories: Ultra Fan Commander, 4 x 120mm Vantec Stealth
OS: Windows XP Pro x64 + Latest updates
case: the coolest air cooled case on the planet...Sheila


stability testing
everyone has different theories and practices to accomplish the same thing and they may be just as good, but i have found that this method has produced dozens and dozens of well overclocked systems that run rock solid for days on end at 100% load.

programs required - Prime95 / Memtest86 / SuperPi
i won't get into how to run each program but the web sites that you download them from do a good job explaining how to use both programs. i will mention this, when you first open Prime95 you are asked whether you want to join GIMPS! or whether you are just stress testing. for our purposes today you will want to choose just stress testing.

then you are left with a blank window. simply choose Options from the menu along the top and select torture test. a window will pop up, as seen below, asking which mode we want to run in.

blend mode is a good mix of CPU and RAM stress and is perfect for stress testing so this is what you will want to do the stress runs on. Prime95 is a great tool as it stresses the system with intense mathematical calculations and checks the results your computer produces with known values. if your system has any issues it will cause the calculation to be off and Prime95 will let you know. there are a few different errors in Prime95 but there is no point finding out what they mean exactly. simply put, your system just messed up a calculation therefore something is not running as it should be and this may cause instability at some time.

when figuring out a maximum overclock of an individual component i like to only go up by a small amount at a time and run a solid hour of Prime95 on torture test blend after each increase for the HTT/CPU/HT and/or a run of SuperPi32M. usually if there is a problem SuperPi will also stop with an error on a 32M run but i find that Prime95 will error out sometimes when SuperPi 32M has passed. for testing RAM i run at least 1 full pass in Memtest86. this may sound excessive but when it comes to stability my OCD shines through like the sun coming up over the clear horizon. i would rather be safe than sorry knowing that any instability in the system will rear its ugly head at the single most in-opportune time. what's the point of increasing performance if it causes you to lose work and re-do what you just did?

when each individual components maximum is found i will run prime95 for 12 hours, a couple back to back 32M runs in SuperPi, and a solid hour of PCMark 04/05 to make 100% sure that the component is stable. after all 4 components maximums are accomplished, and the maximum overall overclock is calculated, i run the system for at least 24 hours straight, a couple 32M runs in SuperPi as well as an hour or two of PCMark 04/05 and/or 3DMark 01 running in a loop. this, once again, will insure a 100% stable overclock...well nothing is 100% but this method will sure come close and is a great start.


home sweet BIOS
i've said it before and i'll say it again...ahhh the BIOS...so simple and elegant, quick and easy to navigate, yet so powerful and misunderstood.

to enter the BIOS you have to push <del> during POST when your computer first turns on. every BIOS is different, yet sometimes very similar. i will be using screenshots from the both the Asus A8V-E Deluxe and Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS but mostly the Foxconn board as all the tools we need are neatly placed on one single screen...BIOS Feature. this is very handy for overclocking and very straightforward. Foxconn is not known for overclocking but this board sure does a good job of turning that prejudice around.

your BIOS layout will be different and the same terminology will not always be used. i will try to provide as much info about other BIOSs that i have experience with, but you may need to find where or how some things are labeled in your BIOS so keep the manual handy if you are un-familiar with your BIOS. also, keep in mind that every BIOS is not equal and you may have more or less selections/options than in the BIOS i am using as an example. this may limit your overclocking abilities drastically.

the first and most important thing to find is the PCI/AGP/PCI-E locks. without the ability to lock your PCI BUS at 33MHz, your AGP BUS at 66MHz, or PCI-E BUS at 100MHz, then you are wasting your time in overclocking. your gains will be minimal and the likely hood of damaging hardware or corrupting data is very good. most newer socket 939 motherboards will have the PCI locked at 33MHz automatically, this Foxconn motherboard is no different. the option for the PCI Frequency seen above is where you will lock the PCI-E frequency at 100MHz. the option to overclock it to 145MHz is there but you will want to leave it at 100MHz.

this is a screenshot from the BIOS of an Asus A8V-E Deluxe. this BIOS gives us the option of overclocking the PCI-E and PCI BUS. to enable the locks you have to set the ...Sync. to CPU to disabled and then the option to manually choose the frequency is allowed. again, leave both of these to 33MHz and 100MHz.

this is about all i will cover for now in the big blue sea. as i go through the different components you will see more examples and screenshots from the BIOS so keep that manual handy.


voltage is your friend
*warning...increasing the voltage may stabilize your system...oh, and it may also void your warranty*

most people i talk to are scared to increase the voltage to their components as manufacturers warn against it and will void warranties if it is found that you increased the voltage from their recommendations. raising the voltage too much can also result in hardware failure but if you know how much is not too much, then you can safely play with the juice. increasing voltage is the only way to get a large increase in performance, without increasing voltages you will be drastically restricted in what you can get out of your system. there are really only 3 voltages that could/will be adjusted when overclocking the system...
a/ CPU vcore
b/ chipset vcore
c/ RAM voltage

when going through the overclocking process the components will require more voltage as their frequency increases. this is a pretty straight forward concept as everything needs more power to increase its speed. as you overclock your CPU, HTT, HT, and RAM you will need to increase the voltage to stabilize the components. once stability cannot be gained with further voltage increases or you can not provide anymore voltage then that is when you have reached the limit of that component. you will want to check what the maximum voltage for each component is before increasing it as again, raise the voltage at your own risk.

a/ CPU vcore - this is how much voltage goes to the CPU. stock voltage to most AMD64s is between 1.4v and 1.5v and will usually show up in the BIOS as CPU vcore or sometimes just vcore if it is in the same section as other CPU configuration settings. it can also be labeled as vid control as seen in the screenshots below. the Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS has a combination of two settings to determine the voltage sent to the CPU...

for example, to get 1.5v to the CPU i could set the CPU Vid control to 1.500v and leave the CPU Vcore Voltage at default or use a combination of +100mV setting for CPU Vcore Voltage and 1.400v for the CPU Vid control. the BIOS options on this board provide a maximum vcore of 1.69v.

the Asus A8V-E Deluxe has similar settings for its CPU vcore control...

again a combination of the two values will produce the voltage going to the CPU. it works exactly like the Foxconn board but the options provide a theoretical maximum of 1.7625v.

i say theoretical because the settings say we should be able to give up to that much voltage but it doesn't always work like that. the power supply you are using can have an effect on this but mainly it is just the power generation of the motherboard that determines how much voltage and how steady that power is that makes it to the CPU. i have only been able to get the Asus board to pump out 1.64v-1.66v to the CPU using the Magnum 500w power supply.

b/ chipset vcore - some BIOSs will provide the user the ability to increase the voltage that goes to the chipset. the Foxconn board i am using utilizes the nForce 4 chipset from NVIDIA while the A8V-E Deluxe runs the VIA K8T890/VT8237 chipset.

this screenshot is from the Asus board and only offers the option of 1.5v or 1.6v. normally a chipset voltage increase will do very little for increasing an overclock but it can be beneficial when increasing the HTT or even the HT so keep that in mind when you are finding those individual maximums. the Foxconn board does not have an option for increasing chipset voltage.

c/ RAM voltage - RAM voltage is very important and can be amazingly beneficial when overclocking RAM or even just getting tighter timings out of your RAM modules. i won't be getting into RAM timings as that is an article all by itself but i will go over increasing the voltage to maximize the overclock.

the RAM voltage adjustment is generally more straight forward than the CPU vcore adjustment and listed here as VDIMM Voltage Select. i am presented with a simple list of possible voltages to choose from in the Foxconn BIOS going up to 2.85v.

the A8V-E Deluxe RAM voltage is listed as Memory Voltage Adjustment and goes up to 3.0v. most RAM will have recommended and maximum voltages somewhere in the literature you got with your memory or you may have to check the manufacturer?s website. you should now have a decent idea of how voltage plays a role in overclocking and is really the last element to learn about before doing some actual overclocking.


step 1/ HTT
alright, with the garbage sorted, bagged and ready to go, it's time to get to work. first up is to find the max HTT that the system will run at. as mentioned earlier the reason we want to find out the maximum HTT that the motherboard is capable of is because everything else is derived from this value. i also mentioned that dialing back the other 3 components will be required to isolate the single component we are after so we begin there.

you might as well lower the HyperTransport multiplier first, drop it down to 3 for now. this will allow you to run the HTT up to 333 before the HT reaches 1000MHz. don't forget, this may be labeled as LDT as well. just look for the multiplier that gives you the option for x1/x2/x3/x4/x5. this is generally the only way the HT is listed. it can also be listed in the less common way of 200/400/600/800/1000 MHz. this is essentially the same thing as the multiple table listed earlier so set it to 600 if this is the case for you.

most motherboards won't actually have a list of dividers but some do, DFI for instance. for the most part though the RAM is listed with options of 300/266/233/200/166/133/100, or some combination of those options. the default option is 200 as this will run the RAM 1:1 with the CPU frequency and gives your RAM an effective speed of 400MHz (remember DDR RAM is doubled) when the HTT is at the default 200. for right now, we can just turn this down to 100 and pretty much forget about it for a while.

some people like to turn down the CPU multiplier and just raise the HTT. i like to keep the CPU frequency near or at the stock speed while raising the HTT. i have had a couple motherboards not like having the CPU frequency really low with stock voltages and you don't want to mess with the CPU voltage just yet so doing it this way allows you to leave the Vcore voltage at the default and just adjust the multiplier along the way to keep it near the stock speed.

with everything dialed back to ensure any stability issues will be at the fault of the HTT being too high, you can begin to turn up the HTT and see what the motherboard is capable of. you can see the maximum this Foxconn motherboard will allow is a HTT of 300 but many will allow up to 400 these days. it is highly unlikely that you will be going over 300 unless you are using a lower CPU multiplier than stock. i generally increase the HTT by about 15 or 20 when i am finding its maximum and this chart plots out the results for the Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS...

we can see the Foxconn motherboard can almost reach the BIOS limit of 300. at 299 the system was stable as a rock and had no problems but it would not POST at 300. this will definitely be enough to reach the maximum frequency of the 3000+ Winchester CPU that I am using. i ran about an hour at each stage and then a full 12 hours at the last setting of 299 to ensure that the system was stable at that speed. don't forget to try increasing the chipset voltage to see if that has any effect on getting a higher HTT out of your system. It is time now to move on to the CPU and see what it will be capable of.


step 2/ CPU
picking up steam...it's time to see what the CPU will do now that i know the HTT will run right up to 299. i just leave everything as it is but turn the CPU multiplier back up to the maximum (with the 3000+ it is 9) and start back at 200HTT with the voltage set to the processor default of 1.4v. from here it is just a matter or bumping up the HTT usually about 10MHz at a time for the first bit running a good hour of Prime95 at each stage.

keep going up by 10 until you get your first Prime95 error. at this point you will want to increase the voltage until the system stabilizes again usually increasing the voltage by .025v at a time. once Prime95 runs for an hour again, go back to increasing the HTT this time by only 5MHz with at least an hour of Prime95 at each stage. during this time you will want to keep an eye on the temperature of the CPU and MB using one of the programs listed at the beginning while under load.

a good rule of thumb with AMD64 CPUs is to keep them under 60C. there is no concrete temperature for each different chip but a little bit of searching on Google will provide a good guideline for the particular chip that you are using. i might update this section in the future with a complete list of AMD64 processors and their rated operating temperatures. you will also notice that SpeedFan picks up the vcore from the motherboard. you will not want to rely on just one piece of software until you can trust it. at first run a couple different programs and make sure the numbers for temperature and vcore are matching up. you can also check in the BIOS...

from here it is just a matter of going back and forth between raising the voltage and the HTT until one of 3 things occur...
a/ no increase of voltage will get the system to run a couple hours in Prime95
b/ your motherboard cannot provide any more voltage and Prime95 will not run for an hour or two
c/ the CPU temperature under load starts to cross over 60C

at this point you will be reaching the end of the CPUs ability to go any faster. you will want to run another extended period of Prime95 now to make sure the maximum you have found is completely stable for a long period of time. i recommend a good 12 hours making sure you keep your eye on the temperature throughout the run. here is another chart of the numbers during the overclocking of the CPU on the Foxconn board.

keep in mind that every system is different and will have different results based on their MB, PSU, and the CPU itself. so even if you have a 3000+ Winchester, it doesn't mean that your results will be the same or even similar to mine posted here. next on the list to play with will be the RAM.


step 3/ RAM
you will want to start your RAM overclocking adventure by setting your HTT and CPU multiplier back to the defaults. so reboot into the BIOS and do that, in the case of the hardware i am using for an example, that is 200HTT and a CPU multiplier of 9. at this point you will also want to bump the RAM back up to 200, from the 100 it has been at thus far, making it run 1:1 with the CPU frequency so it will essentially be the same as the HTT. it's also a good idea to set the RAM timings manually according to the manufacturer or the SPD data provided by CPU-Z.

the PC3200 (DDR400MHz) RAM i am using in my example is not a high-end set of modules that i expect to be able to overclock very much. the timings they are designed to run are that of most decent generic RAM at 2.5-3-3-7. setting the timings manually in the BIOS just ensures that they are running at what they are suppose to.

normally the timings are referred to in the form i used above and CPU-Z lists top to bottom...2.5-3-3-7 = CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS. the BIOS shot above is that of the Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS which has them ordered slightly differently. your BIOS will likely be different as well so make sure you know which timing you are setting.

the A8V-E Deluxe memory timings are pretty much the same. the other thing that i want to point out in the memory settings is the 1T/2T option seen for both motherboards. the performance difference between 1T and 2T can be significant in certain situations but it can also cause instability sooner having the RAM running in 1T. any double sided DIMM will most likely only run in 2T. single sided modules can run in 1T but you may also want to change that to 2T to try and increase your overclock when testing the RAM. it will be up to you to run the benchmarks to see if switching to 2T gains enough MHz to make up for the performance loss of the slower timing.

leave the HT at the multiplier of 3 that it has been at...that will be next. you may want to save and exit at this point just to make sure everything is working fine and jump back into the BIOS to start increasing the HTT. with most PC3200 RAM, your overclock will not be very high unless it is some good stuff built for overclocking. if you have faster RAM such as PC4000 or higher then you can jump right up to the rated speed. so with PC4000 the rated speed is 500MHz so you would raise the HTT up to 250(effectively 500MHz) and start there since the RAM is running at 1:1...that is if your system will run that fast. if not then you can overclock the RAM by putting it on a divider that runs it faster than the CPU but only some boards will have this option (233/266 would be the setting in the BIOS for this).

you will want to start with 5MHz increments so start out by increasing the HTT to 205 then save & exit booting into Memtest86.

get use to this screen because this is all your computer is going to see for some time. Memtest86 is very straight forward and simple to use. it starts running when you boot into it and doesn't stop. for today there is nothing you will have to change or adjust in settings, simply boot into it and let it do its thing. along the top to the right you can see your progress and the test that is currently running and on the left is a bit of system info. i would recommend letting it run one full pass or at least a half hour, whichever takes longer, at each stage of this process.

this is what an error will look like and if any errors come up then an adjustment will need to be made. very much like the CPU overclocking section it is just a matter of increasing the voltage to stabilize the speed when the errors show up. then go back and forth testing in Memtest86 and increasing voltage until no amount of voltage will stop the errors or your BIOS runs out of the option to increase the voltage then you are done overclocking the RAM and have found the maximum.

the option to loosen timings in conjunction with increasing voltage is there that may allow a further overclock but i won't get into RAM timings in this guide. if you want to learn more about RAM and timings you might want to check out this article over at anandtech.com, page 5 is dedicated to timings alone. also, don't forget to try switching to 2T if your in 1T to see if that will produce a higher frequency. again when you have found your maximum, let Memtest86 run for an extended period of time to ensure 100% stability. i like to give it a good 6 hours because i have nothing better to do with my time then watch the progress bar in Memtest86.

with my example RAM, 2x512MB OCZ PC3200 Premier Dual Channel, i was able to get it to overclock to 223MHZ without loosening the timings from the standard 2.5-3-3-7. again i will show the progress along the way with a pretty little chart...

like i said, mediocre RAM just won't overclock that much so i will definitely be using a divider to keep the RAM at 223 (effective 446MHz) or less when combining everything here in the last section. increasing the voltage over 2.7v up to 2.85v did nothing for being able to get stability past 223. the last individual component to push will be the HyperTransport.


step 4/ HT
this section is pretty straight forward and not really as important. the reason being is that you will likely only be using a multiplier of 4 or in most cases, 3, but it will still be nice to know what the HT will run at. to find this maximum, the easiest way is to set the multiplier to 5 (or 1000MHz if your BIOS uses this method) and set the HTT back to 200 working your way up from there. you might want to turn the RAM back to 166 to keep it under 200MHZ. here is the result for the Foxconn board in my sample...

the system would post and run Prime95 for a few hours at 1080MHz so that looks to be the maximum that this board is capable of. this is pretty surprising as most nForce4 based motherboards won't run with the HT going over 1000MHz at all. as mentioned when overclocking the HTT, if your motherboard has a chipset voltage adjustment you might want to try increasing that to see if it has any impact on the HT overclock.

with all the maximum values of the four different components, you will now just want to combine those for the best overall overclock and do some more stability testing.


bringing it all together
there is light at the end of the tunnel, if that's the case then get your sunglasses out. the fun part is upon us...finding out how everything is going to work together. you should know your max HTT, CPU frequency, RAM speed and HT. with the example hardware, this is what i have...
HTT = 299
CPU = 2430 @ 1.64v
RAM = 223 @ 1.7v
HT = 1080

the CPU will be the likely focal point so we will start there. to get 2430 i will be running the HTT at 270*9. obviously my RAM will not run at 270 and as stated earlier i will need to be on a divider otherwise my overclock would be limited to 223*9=2007MHz and my RAM running 1:1 at 223 (effectively 446MHz). if my processor for whatever reason would only reach 2010MHz or even 2100MHz this might be the best setup. RAM runs best with AMD64 CPUs when running synchronous with the CPU (1:1) but since my processor will run at 2430MHz it will be more beneficial to have the CPU that fast and the RAM running asynchronous (on a divider).

if i lower the RAM setting to 166 it will effectively run it at a divider of 11 from the CPU so at 270*9=2430 it would be running at 221 (effectively 442MHz), this is almost the maximum so that is just perfect. this also works out for the HT as well seeing as i will be running at 270HTT letting me leave the HT multiplier at 4. this means the HT will be running at the max that we found of 1080. this set of components really seem to work well together as everything is running at or near its maximum with a final overclock of 270HTT*9 = 2430MHz with the RAM on a divider of 11 at 442MHz.

at this point i like to test stability for at least 24 hours to ensure a completely stable overclock. for that Prime95 on torture test blend does the trick and if it will run without error for 24-48 hours then i know that i shouldn't get any reboots, BSODs, or other issues with the setup. keeping an eye on temperature throughout the run will be important as this is the first time i have stressed all components in their overclocked state.

that about wraps it up i guess. it may seem like a lot of information but overclocking is relatively easy, just time consuming and a bit tedious at times. the rewards definitely outweigh the work though as overclocking can increase performance for absolutely nothing. i hope this guide has helped and feel free to let me know if i overlooked anything. just remember to keep an eye on temps, and know what the voltage limitations are of your hardware. i nor 'the planet' are responsible for any damage or loss of warranty due to overclocking as i just held your hand, you did it...but we will take credit for your faster system

3oh6's 'visual guide' series...
'visual guide' - article 1: once you go RAID...you never go back
'visual guide' - article 2: get your paste on...with AS5
'visual guide' - article 3: welcome to...OC101

This post has been edited by 3oh6: Jun 4 2006, 01:18 AM

[Aries]

You know me , a excelent job. One more to recommend.

Aries

[necrocowboy]

Fantastic - many thanks for an easy to read & use guide

Will start tweaking a bit more now and am waiting for your RAM OC guide now

Thanks again

NC

[nuelrosson]

very nice job 3oh6

[D|cKspL@sh]

3oh6 stellar job and once again made simple for even someone like me to understand so great work there.

[David_Heavey]

I guess 3 (get it? ) really is the magic number

Super job as always 3oh6

This post has been edited by David_Heavey: Sep 21 2005, 05:11 AM

[3oh6]

I guess 3 (get it?  )  really is the magic number 

Super job as always 3oh6 

haha, oh i get it...hopefully i don't stop at 3or6 though

thanx for all the comments kids, as long as it is helpful then it should serve its purpose well.

[Athildja]

Nice read.
But wait that is an Asus board

[David_Heavey]

But wait that is an Asus board

PMSL

[Trido]

That was an awesome tutorial. Really explained things for me which is helpful since I am a little new to the OC game.

[Lobster]

ditto, Even though I'm happy with my system right now, a year down the road and I'll probably need to overclock. Your guide is very thorough; exactly what I was looking for

Cheers

This post has been edited by Lobster: Oct 27 2005, 06:24 AM

[Orkidea]

Nice guide, made it easy for me to understand and thanks to this guide I was able to squeeze 2,5Ghz out of my old 3200+ cheerz

[suryad]

Wow very useful stuff! Great work!

[Mike-Yagi]

Man! you the best! thanks for the very helpful tutorial... :thumbsup:

[3oh6]

Man! you the best! thanks for the very helpful tutorial... :thumbsup:

glad to see that this guide made it to the new year and that folks are still getting milage out of it. i think it is getting close to a re-vamp so that might happen in the coming months. there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that i want to.

[Ataraxia]

Thanks a mil 3oh6, your guide actually made it seem simple enough for me to finally give it a try.

But I am having a few problems... I can't get my HTT to go higher than 219!
If anybody thinks they can help me out, I would really appreciate a reply @ http://www.planetamd64.com/index.php?showtopic=17335

[mkw87]

I have read A LOT of overclocking guides, and this is one of the best I've seen. Very good information, and I was even able to confirm a few lingering questions I had.

Thanks!

[gddeals]

best OC'ing guide i have ever read.

[Tom Miller]

Great guide! I have an Asus Premium and there are a couple of more settings



I have this memory, just 2 GB with two more to be installed shortly.

http://www.corsairmicro.com/corsair/produc...2048-3200c2.pdf

Standard is 3-3-3-8. I have pushed it to 2-3-3-6 and all seems well.

My question is what should I do with these

Row Cycle Time (Trc) 11T
Row refresh cyc time (trfc) 13T
Read-ToWrtire time (Trwt) 5T
Write Recovery Time (Twr) 3T

I have seen nothing on these in any articles.

Thanks in advance.

[collinf]

Hi excellent guide, I am stuggling a bit though I have built my own PC Asus A8N SLI premium, 2 x 7800GTX, AMD 64 x 2 x 4800, 2 x 512 Corsair PC3200 (200MHZ) , 2 x Samsung spinpoints in a mirror plus a seasonic 600 watt PSU air cooled in a large case (5 x 120mm fans) I can only get the processor up to 2.7 when I get lock up and boot failures any ideas please ?

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