WARMACHINE 1.5 Build Phase

[martini161]

woah, looks like your board is quite a vdrooper! im assuming those shots are at idle and you already have .026v drop!

[Skippman]

Not sure what vdrooper means. Explain please. And yes, those are at idle. Althought at full load it won't break 34C.

[martini161]

vdroop is the discrepancy between the voltage set in the bios and the actuall voltage. it ussually increases under load

[Skippman]

So I guess the first thing I need to do is stress test this thing and get a base line for what the max voltage and temp it uses under normal clock speeds?

I let Prime95 run for 6 min and heres what it came back with.



So at full load I'm only producing 33C per core. BTW, the second core was fluxing between 32/33C. Do I need to let this test run for a longer length of time to get an accurate load reading?

[DMB2000uk]

Yeah, just a bit longer >_>

With watercooling, you'll not be running it to find max temps, as you'll probably hit a wall before temps become an issue, but to make sure the overclock is stable.

Boot into windows, then do a 5min test to see if it's 'stable' at that clock, then ramp up the speed and try again. Once you are near your target clock, test for longer to see if it's stable for real use.

Dan

[Skippman]

Sooo... start with increasing the FSB? How will I know if I need to ramp up the voltage?

[DMB2000uk]

It'll either fail to boot or will error on your quick Prime95 tests.

Dan

[Skippman]

Ok, I just went into my BIOS and started ramping up the FSB. I left the voltage on automatic and left speed steping turned off. Here's my results. Should I push past 3.0G ?

3.0G at Idle



3.0G at Load for 10min

[DMB2000uk]

If you've got the hang of it, get rid of your training wheels, and put the voltage on manual.

Auto voltage often uses more than is needed, and you can't tell how far it's going on your current voltage level, which means you don't know how much further you can overclock. (I hope that makes sense >_>)

Dan

[Skippman]

Ok, here's my latest batch. Sorry for the frequent updates. This is as much to get assistance as it is for me to keep a log of my progress/failure.

I tried backing the VCore to 1.25V and the machine wouldn't run Prime95 for a full iteration. So I raised it up. Here's where I'm at as I type this.

3.0G at Load for 20min at 1.26V



If I'm understanding this right then I should still be able to crank more FSB out of this thing. At what point do I need to be concerned about the memory's FSB?

[DMB2000uk]

Did you lower the memory divider like I recommended a few posts back before starting?

If not, what is CPUz's memory tab saying the memory is running at?

To check the memory is alright at this FSB setting, you should grab a memtest86+ CD and run a pass of the test suite.


If you want more CPU speed, then by all means go for it

Dan

[Skippman]

I left the RAM clocks at AUTO I think. Here's what CPUZ is showing. Not sure why two of the banks have diffrent timers than the rest since they're all the same model.

[DMB2000uk]

Wrong tab, you need to read the frequency from the memory tab.

It'll read half of whatever the rated speed is (because it's DDR, so needs doubling i.e. stated at 450Mhz, is actually running at 900Mhz)

Dan

[Skippman]

Ok, here's the memory speeds. It appears to be at 333mhz which is 1:1 for the FSB but not the max for the memory if I understand this correctly.

[DMB2000uk]

Correct.

Another thing you'll have to watch out for is the extra strain running 8GB will have on your NB, so even though the memory is underclocked, a memtest run would still be a good idea at this point.

Dan

[Skippman]

So do I want to leave this at a 1:1 ratio or do I want to set the RAM modules for faster timings?

[DMB2000uk]

If you are leaving it at 3Ghz, then you can choose a divider that puts it close to it's stock speeds, but if you are ramping up the CPU some more, then leave it where it is.

Dan

[Skippman]

I don't know what's considered unsafe voltages on the processor. I gave it 1.35V and tried to post at 400mhz on the FSB but the system wouldn't post. I don't know if it was due to the FSB or a lack of voltage. I don't really think I have to worry about heat so much if at 333mhz and full load I'm not breaking 40C.

Dare I try 1.5V at 400mhz and see if it posts?


***EDIT***

Saw Bio's getting 3.6 @ 1.424v on his Q6600. Wonder if I can push my little Conroe that hard. I'm wanting to come up with a speed I can leave it at for everyday use, not just seeing how fast I can set it to.

[DMB2000uk]

That's why you're supposed to ramp it up slowly so you know what's not working.

If it gets to a point where it wont boot/isn't stable and you've tried adding two clicks of voltage to the CPU, then take the CPU back down to where it was when it stopped working, and look at your NB voltages etc.

Dan

[Skippman]

Does the north bridge ramp up automatically or do I have to do it manually?