Athlon64 x2 4800+. Have I hit the limit?

Hendrix89

I have been breaking sweat trying to get stable past only 2.7GHz with no luck... Been at it for 2 weeks, and tried many things but failed prime before 2hrs max...

I know these CPU's arent know for decent overclocks but i have seen most at 2.8GHz at least and thats what I want. Correction, need... It's really anoying cause this is the limit I reached with my Athlon 3700.

Although I have tried so much settings I still don't want to accept that this is a brick wall (on the cpu) cause some things seen a bit fishy...

First of all when I tried dropping the RAM down to ddr266 the other day (giving 160mhz) I was able to keep prime stable an FSB of 248 (2.73GHz) which I could never get before at ddr333 (193Mhz ram speed)... I got hopeful then and decided to crank the memory voltage up to 2.9v and pop back up to ddr333. I then failed prime quickly at 2.75... Now that does not make sense... My ram can't run at even 196Mhz (at 2.9v) when it's rated at 200mhz!?

Would you say it's my ram?

I of course have had everthing else at it's max voltage in BIOS apart from cpu . CPU was at 1.47v when trying for 2.75GHz...

What do you think, any suggestions?

Help very much appreciated.

awhir

ok when you are trying to get max overclock on cpu set ur ram to 100mhz then that eliminates the ram try seting ltd mulity at 3 or 2.5.

Hendrix89

Okay I will get the ram down to about 100mhz (I think thats ddr166?), and I thought 160mhz was low...

Do you mean HT multi to 3? I will do that.

I usually set the chipset to it's highest at 1.6v and likewise the HT voltage (1.25v). I guess theres no need for a high ram voltage in this case then, seeing as i'll be setting the speed low.

Also should I keep with an 11 cpu multi? What FSB do you suggest I try to find my CPU's max?

By the way forgot to say my current temps:
CPU at 2.70GHz/1.43v; 24C idle/43C average max load.

I have noticed before that when trying for a high OC on this CPU I have hit bad temps around the high 40's due to the fact that I put quite alot of voltage to it.

So i'll have another go then with the ram low later and will report back.

awhir

try 270x10 and also try 248x11 not shure about the 2nd 1 if it will work.

Hendrix89

Yeah okay i will try a 10 multi, which i actually have never tried before so this could be the key! I have just been trying 11 and 12 multi's. I know that I never get past 248mhz fsb with an 11multi, it has always been there that i fail.

Okay so gonna do it now.

Memory down to 100mhz,

CPU multi down to 10.

I will set the chipset and ht voltage to highest again.

Fingers crossed:eek:

Hendrix89

Okay well it failed prime in 5mins:(

This is at 275x10. 1.47vcore (cpu-z's reading). (I actually set to 1.45 in bios...)
RAM was running (frequency) 137mhz... Stock volts.

So what now?

Anti

IF that is the max vcore you can set on your motherboard yoru screwed. To get 3.2ghz i need to be at 1.7v. 2.85 requires 1.55v.

3.2ghz is not stable at all, and bsod's kust after booting into windows.

What you should try now. it have the cpu/fsb running 1:1.

Drop the multi ot 9/10. And work your way up the fsb untill you get a bsod. When you get this. give more juice to the ram. Still fails, some to the cpu. still fails. give some to the chipset. See where im going?

If this fails, drop the ram back to something like 5/6 or 9/10. and start again.

For comparission, my ram runs at 3.2v with the option of adding 0.3v more if needed.

Also i just noticed. Your running 2gb of ram. For big overclocks 2gb is always a problem, No idea why. So if its 4x512mb or 2x1gb Whip half of your ram out.

I also find upping the pci-express speed up to 101mhz.

Also remember about the HTT. You never want it over 1200(max) 1000 is ideal. So when you get say a fsb of 285. Dont run it at x5 or even x4. Drop to x3.

When doing all this have the side of the case off too.

Hope some of this helps you.

Hendrix89

No it's not the max vcore core i can have. I have the option of up to 1.55v in the bios i think (but for some reason tht would equal to say 1.6...). But even so i would not want to go high with the vcore cause sadly i am reaching a limit in my temps...

Anyway i just upped the vcore to my CPU to 1.5v (cpuz reading) after the last config failed and it's doing quite good in prime at 2.75ghz (275x10) so far, its about 1/2 hr in. I will see how this goes first. If it fails then i will try some things your suggesting.

By the way my chipset temp is hitting 55C in prime...

CPU now is spiking 46C (mostly around 44). All this is at only 19C room temp so thats kinda concerning. I actually have every single window in the room wide open!!

Also I have the ram back to stock volts for this run. Was that a wrong move? I thought there was no need for extra ram volts cause i am running the ram at a low speed at the moment, as suggested.

Anti

46c isnt high at all, These cpus dont crap out till 65+c. And dont worry about 1.5/1.6 vcore. ITs not that high to be honest. I ran a 3500+ at 1.6 for 8 months solid. no poblems.

Your chipset temp is very worrying though. Mine never breaks 34c under dual orthos 24 hour burn.

When all else fails, up the volts.

And yes you still need to over volt your ram.

Hendrix89

Oh no thats not good:( I have had ppl tell me that 55C chipset is normal and it craps out at 80C, but if your saying it's not good...then it's not good.

The chip temp never used to be this hot. It would reach a max of like 40C when i had my 3700 in and even with the 4800 and my tuniq in there it was normal for a while... Then after the overclocking started I noticed it shoot up to the low 50's... Strange though cause when ever i touch the chipset heatsink during load (at 55C) it doesnt feel all that hot unless im touching the wrong thing... I even went and positioned a 90mm fan right up at it and temps did not change...
I think I might buy a chipset cooler, or maybe even try and make a passive device myself (In other words clunk a bit of copper on it...) I hope it will be okay at this temp for now?... Oh yeah and heres something weird... My northbridge never exceeds 24C...

About progress. Still hasnt failed the prime run! Still going steady at close to about 2hrs id say! Looks like voltage is the key. Although i didnt overvolt my ram, i didnt actually think it was neccerary. If it fails I will crank the ram volts up and run again. I shoulda done it in the first place as i usually do..

Anti

If it was at 60c you would feel it as being rather warm. Maybe the temp diode has crapped out? Especially as you said you put a 90mm fan near it and it didnt change.

Your southbridge is probably the most important factor in overclocking, As increasing the fsb put more strain on it.

Dont worry about the northbridge. Its not vitla to overlcocking. If you are gonna get a cooler for the southbridge get this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-033-TR

And cable tie one of these onto it:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-029-AK

Thats what i did. But the fittings are very poor for it.

Hendrix89

Yeah well i couldnt get the fan directly in front of it but it is around 4/5'' away. No change in temp. Forgot to say it idles at only 28C. Also now i have it facing more towards the gfx card cause i have oc'd it quite a bit and the fan is now essential for it!

Thanks for those links, i will consider getting one. Although for now maybe i could stick some AS5 onto the chip core? Im not sure if that would work...

Of course the prime update. Still going stable! Looks like I can safely say my cpu is at 2.75GHz! Will have to see how it fairs out through the night though... but now i got chipset temps to worry about

Hendrix89

Im gonna call this stable now. Still running prime, no fail. Im now gonna try get my ram as close to 200mhz as possible then i will run prime over night to be sure im stable. Gonna stick the ram volts at 2.9v. Is that alright or too much?

Anti

its fine.

Hendrix89

Yeah! 12 hours prime stable at 2.75GHz

Low ram speed though. Due to the large jumps whenever I tried changing the ddr setting I had to leave it at ddr266 giving me only 183Mhz according to cpu-z... If i hit 2.8GHz I will get the speed to like 186 though.

About the chipset temps... I am occassionally hitting 58C in a 12degrees room!!! I really am concerned about this cause I will be going to 2.8GHz soon so I can expect an even higher chip temp:( By the way I looked into that heatsink you suggested and it's actually not compatible with my motherboard... Same with alot others... I am gonna have to find another solution.

Do you have any tips I good use to drop the chip temp? Maybe lighten the load on it by changing my OC config (eg. to 253x11)? Or would I be able to drop the chipset voltage back to normal without making my OC unstable?

Either way I think i am gonna take a risk today and pull the fan i have in there away from the graphics card and try find a way of mounting the fan right infront of the heatsink. Maybe hang it from the gfx card or sumtin.

Anyway some chipset cooling solutions would be very valuable to me as I need to get this sorted.

Thanks guys so far. Got my OC going again.

awhir

take the chipset heatsink off and put some ac5 on it and put it back on this may help a good bit.

Hendrix89

Yes thanks awhir, I was thinking of putting some arctic silver on it but I wasnt sure if my chipset or heatsink would allow it. I'll give it a go soon.

I just found this. I'm thinking of doing what this guy did with his asus a8n premium (same mobo as mine). Just one of those small cheapy zalman passive things plonked onto the original heatsink. Doesnt cool much but it's something. This is pretty much the only heatsink otion i have due to my motherboards incompatibility with almost all other chip coolers.

Hendrix89

Guys I tried 2.81GHz (280x10) but prime failed instantly. I think I have to raise the cpu voltage again. Bit weary of going higher though...

Right now im on 1.50vcore (-spfan reading/cpu-z reads 1.53 sometimes). Actually set it to 1.47 i bios..

So can I safely raise the voltage a notch higher? I mean as long as the temps are in the safe zone a load of voltage means nothin, right? Im not gonna do anything till i know.

By the way I didn't put as5 on the chipset cause i just realised i have to remove my mb to do so... I would also have to take off my tuniq... I am just going to ignore the stupid chip temp.. f*ck it.

awhir

ahh dont ignore or you may have a borked mobo.try 1.55 maby it might pass then.

i have my mobo at 1.5 and my core temp is 29c and chipset is like 40c

so well allright temps for me:D

Hendrix89

:eek: Is that idle or load!? My CPU at the mo idles 26/27C. Although it maxes at around 46/47.

Do you think I might get away with lowering the chipset voltage back down to stock (1.5)? That would defo decrease chip temp.

By the way i won't get 2.8GHz ever. I set my vcore to the max my bios would allow and still failed prime...

Not too annoyed though cause at least i have 2.75 In an attempt to decrease the chipset temp I have changed to 250x11 (from 175x10) and it's seems stable so far. Seems to have gone down like 1 or 2 degrees, but my cpu has actually gone up a bit at load (probly due to the higher multi). Only to 47 max though.

Also with the different config (250x11) I have my ram faster now so hopefully i can keep it like this.

So could i put the chip temp back to stock?

Hendrix89

Damn 250x11 didn't work. Failed prime within an hour. I've gone back to 275x10 but now im stuck with the slow ram frequency... 183mhz (cpuz).

awhir

that my readings for load and would say they are pritty acc because if i turn all fans off it can go upto 35c on ideal but thats with all fans off and thats not gona happen much

Hendrix89

Wow! Whats your CPU OC'd to?

Any idea on how I can get my ram speed up? Like I said cause of the config (275x10) and having to use ddr266 I have ended up with a memory frequency of only 183MHz.

awhir

ok now you gota test ur ram.

download mem test for dos.

set ur cpu divider to 7

set ur ram to 200 1:1

put ur cpu to 200x7

and then run mem test.let 25 passes of test 5 go on and if you dont get any error raise it to 210x7 and keep going

EACH memtsest test should take around 1h

Hendrix89

Okay i'll give it a go.

Any idea on what I should be capable of getting with my ram? I already tried setting it to 2.9v and trying to hit 230MHz before but i had a serious system error on startup.

Anti

Your ram is rated to 200mhz. Even seriously overvolting it might not help. And in your case it seems it isnt.

I have a feeling it is the ram holding you back. You ideally need some ddr4000. Or some nice a-data 3500 which is a great overclocker but not easy to find.

Hendrix89

Anti wrote:

Your ram is rated to 200mhz. Even seriously overvolting it might not help. And in your case it seems it isnt.

I have a feeling it is the ram holding you back. You ideally need some ddr4000. Or some nice a-data 3500 which is a great overclocker but not easy to find.

Ah damn. I find it strange that I can't get the speed of this ram at least to 230mhz with added voltage...

Anyway i'll have to forget it then and just have to make do with this 183mhz ram speed along with my 2.75GHz. It wouldnt slow it down that much would it? I mean it is better than 2.70GHz with 194mhz ram speed right? I hope so.

I just can't go buying new memory. I am trying to get an 8800GTX and I keep buying other things to help me OC... Cheapest i can find the 2GB 4000 ram (or even 3500) is still well over 200 so i will have to leave it.

Hendrix89

I managed to actually get stable with 250x11. Just needed more vcore than 275x10 required... Great thing is now I have my ram running at 196Mhz which is fine.

Also my mb sensors are definately messed up... I just did a little test.
I grabbed a 70mm fan plugged in and held it right up infront (literaly 1inch) of the chipset heatsink while running prime and the chipset temps were reading near 60C on speedfan.... I even touched it at that point and it was barely even warm! Although oddly the fan did make a difference in the bios temp reading. When idle it read 23C with fan right at it, and 24/25 when i moved it away.

I have actually just attatched the 90mm fan directly infront of the heatsink now (theres clearly heaps of air flowing on it) and im 'apparently' getting 59C chipset load.....

Guess my motherboards effd up then:rolleyes:

Anti

Looks like it is.

And to be honest i would hold of on a 8800gtx for now. Second gen nvidia cards are out soon, and will possibly be cheaper. And the new ati chip in march too.

I did mention in a previous post that if all else fails up the vcore.

And actually 2.70ghz @ 196 would be faster then 1.75 @ 183. As the memory bandwidth will be greater.

Luckily for me i can run 285*10 1:1 now. juts lots of volts to everything. Still she is to be watercooled soon, even the ram. So i hope i can hit 3ghz. And actually be stable and not just banzai stable

Hendrix89

Yeah i guess im in no rush to get a new card. I have a decent OC on my 7800 and also the only game i will be buying any time soon will be STALKER (shadow of chernobyl). Can't wait for that game! I'd say my card can handle that

I did mention in a previous post that if all else fails up the vcore.

And it's so true! Mostly everything i have ran into has been solved by more vcore, although of course i can't get 2.8GHz cause my mobo won't let me set that level of voltage..

I really hope the sensor for the CPU isnt off aswell cause that could prove fatal... although seeing as i have the tuniq i doubt it.

Good luck on the 3GHz OC.