ocing...

[pax]

Just got my 3200 a64 with msi k8n neo2 and 2x512 meg corsair value. Anyone else with that setup?

I keep reading about memory problems overclocking with this setup. It seems you can lock the ram at 200 as well as agp\pci but if you up the fsb (the only means to oc the cpu) the memory is still affected? They say the cpu can do 2.6 ghz easy but many are maxing out at 2.2-2.3 ghz. Id be happy with 2.4 ghz.

I was wondering if there was a failsafe way to oc without affecting memory at all...

thx for any info...

 

[incurable]

I keep reading about memory problems overclocking with this setup. It seems you can lock the ram at 200 as well as agp\pci but if you up the fsb (the only means to oc the cpu) the memory is still affected? They say the cpu can do 2.6 ghz easy but many are maxing out at 2.2-2.3 ghz. Id be happy with 2.4 ghz.

You can't fix the speed of the K8's memory controller while o/cing the reference/HT clock, as it's connected to the core speed via multiple selectable dividers which depend on your CPU. The Socket939 3200+ runs at 2 GHz and offers 1/10 (DDR400), 1/12 (DDR333), 1/15 (DDR266) and 1/20 (DDR200) dividers, which you can choose from through your BIOS.

According to the manual of your board, it supposedly takes care of this automatically and ensures that the memory doesn't run faster than the speed you selected. However, I would not rely on this BIOS option and its functionality - it should be easy to test if the memory is limiting your overclock by selecting the lowest memory option (DDR200) and sticking to it until you know where the CPU tops out.

Of course, with overclocking nothing is ever guaranteed, you might end up with a bad CPU or board that might never hit the desired 2.4 GHz no matter what memory you use.

cu

incurable

 

[Killer-Kris]

I suppose I have to ask, but what's your big fear of overclocking the memory? The extra memory speed will help just as much, if not more in many circumstances than the extra CPU speed would.

 

[Mize]

The best BIOS for overclocking the K8N Neo2-P is 1.36. It usually ships with 1.3 or 1.4. Check out the forums at amdmb.com for more on the 1.36 bios and some modded versions of it.

 

[pax]

Oh the worst fear I have is frying the mobo like one guy did (tho its unlikely as I dont oc all that much) or borking winxp and having to format (that would suck)...

 

[martrox]

I've been overclocking ever since I ran my Cyrix P166 at 185.... and have never burned a processor or motherboard.....

However, I did break a Duron 600 in 3 pieces

Last time I used a shim!

 

[Himself]

Running a A64 3200 at 2.6Ghz with water cooling. 40C/56C temps (CnQ) Abit av8 3rd eye board. 1.575V Was getting 36C/56C with the default heat sink and a lot more noise.

Using PC3500 corsair ram (512) with 2T command transaction, 6 3 3, HT set to 4X "fsb", that was the tricky one for me, apparently 1.3Ghz is too much of an overclock for that.. lol

 

[pax]

I have 36c now unoced... you say at 2.6 ghz with retail hs\fan you still only had 36c idle?

 

[Himself]

wasn't oc'd with retail heatsink, no 36C idle is due to cool and quiet mode, cpu is at reduced voltage and only around 1GHz. Basically my point was that with water cooling and a 600MHz oc I was getting similar temps to regular heat sink not overclocked. Also the noise is a lot less too.

Actually, I just had to drop it to 2.5GHz because found some games didn't care for 2.6GHz. Could probably be higher but don't really see the need, 25% oc is plenty.

 

[pax]

OK man this chip is great... Im at 2.4ghz from 2.0 no voltage tweaks and with stock hs\fan and its 39c idle 45c load... I think I can get 2.6 easy... I should too as Im at 3x HT so ht is only like 720... ram is locked at 333 according to bios but in bios it says 203... the ram is the quirky part.

 

[incurable]

ram is locked at 333 according to bios but in bios it says 203... the ram is the quirky part.

I guess I wasn't all that wrong not trusting your board in my above post, sounds like it doesn't fix it at a certain max speed but at a certain HT/reference clock // memory clock ratio, in your case the one used for DDR333.

At ~ 240 MHz reference clock, it'll result in a ~ 200 MHz memory clock (240 MHz [HT/reference clock] * 10 [CPU multiplier] * 1/12 [DDR333 memory divider] = 200 MHz [memory clock]) , which is just what you're reporting.

So if you run into trouble with your RAM, just use the DDR266 setting in the BIOS and you should be fine to go to a HT/reference clock of 300 MHz. (if your other parts permit, of course)

cu & good luck

incurable

 

[pax]

OK I tried 260 (for 2.6 ghz) with ht 3x and ram 266 and no go (ram was at 178 mhz so even slower there)... tried upping cpu voltage a bit to 1.55 then 1.6 then I went back to 2.4 ghz settings. I dont think its the peripherals as agp\pci are locked at 66\33. I think its just my cpu limit but Im very happy with such an easy 400 mhz oc.

MSI has a cool bios here I like it a lot... once you see what readings you are given in bios, at boot up and under cpuid and cool and quiet you feel pretty much in control of whats going on...

This is great I havent oced a cpu since the old days of the cel 300a at 450.