EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

[CanyonRunner]

Gents,

This is my first Gigabyte motherboard and it took me a while to find this forum! I'm glad to have found it and I'm happy to see that it is so active. Thanks in advance to all who so freely share their time and knowledge.

I built this system (like my last several systems) primarily to edit and create high definition video and audio. Given a choice between the last few hz on an overclock or being stable - I will always choose stable.

I have an Intel Q9550 with 4 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 4,4,4,12 installed in the EP-DS4P right now with Vista x64 installed. Memtest and Prime95 tests are stable. Everything is stock settings on the CPU. I have tweaked the DRAM settings to disable the DRAM performance enhance, I've manually set my timings to 4, 4, 4, 12 and I've set DRAM voltage to 2.0v. Crucial has it rated for 2.1v at these stock timings.

I ordered and intend to install 4 x 2GB Muchkin model 996587, DDR2 800 SDRAM, 5, 4, 4, 12 1.8v sticks this weekend. I intend to run them at stock speeds and voltages - or as close as possible.

I would like to request the forum's imput on what BIOS settings I need to make to get 8GB to run stable. Once I get the RAM stable I would like to OC the Q955o to 3.4GHz if possible by increasing the FSB frequency to 400GHz or so.

I intend to work with only one variable at a time (memory then CPU) but it may be of some benefit to you to know what my ultimate goal is as I am first working with the memory.

I have not included my full system specifications but I can provide more information if needed. With my last motherboard's user forum it was common practice (even required and enforced) to include in your sig your full system specs. However, that doesn't seem to be the case on this user forum.

Again, thanks in advance.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

I can help you for sure, and am a fellow Mushkin Supporter and "advertiser"

Well system specs are enforced/implied at alot of forums because when you ask questions like this they are needed to answer. That way multiple useless replies about "Give me your Specs" are not having to be posted

But you have posted enough for now for sure

That model is warrantied to 2.1V but you will not need that since you do not plan any overclock of the ram.

Here is some suggested starting settings for Q9550 at stock and ram at >>>>

Once you get going and are ready to overclock I can help you as well, just post back anytime

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: [Auto]
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 8
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.5
CPU Frequency ...........................: 2.83Ghz


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 333Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:Set to 100


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: 800mv
PCI Express Clock Drive.................: 900mv
CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: <<<
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: <<<


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [333]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 2.40
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 799Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................5
tRCD .........................................4
tRP'...........................................4
tRAS..........................................12

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...........................................3-4
tWTR.......................................... 4-6 (9-11 Benchmark to see if better)
tWR............................................3-6
tRFC........................................... 62-75 (Will be needed for 8GB, Maybe more, maybe less. Start high for now)

tRTP...........................................3-6
Command Rate (CMD) ....................:2

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:7-12
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:<<< Leave for all below as well
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto ps

Channel B
Static tRead Value.........................:7-12
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:<<< Leave for all below as well
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto ps

Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type.………... Manual
CPU
CPU Vcore….……….........................:
CPU Termination…..... 1.200V*.......: <<< Leave
CPU PLL…………………....1.500V*.......: <<< Leave
CPU Referen.…………....0.755V*.......: <<< Leave
CPU Reference2………,,0.800V*.......:<<< Leave

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: << 1.3+ will be needed for 8GB
MCH Reference….…….0.800V...........; <<< Leave
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........: <<< Leave
ICH I/O……………….....1.550V............: <<< Leave
ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: <<< Leave

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 1.8-2.0 (MAX Warrantied is 2.1V)
DRAM Termination .…0.900V............: <<< Leave
Channel A Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave
Channel B Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave

Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Thanks for the quick reply! =)

I'll install the RAM with these settings to start. I'll test and report my success ... or not.

HAGD

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Good luck and post back for sure

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Just a quick follow-up question...

In the BIOS DRAM Advanced Timing settings you specify several settings with value ranges such as:

tRRD...........................................3-4
tWTR.......................................... 4-6 (9-11 Benchmark to see if better)
tWR............................................3-6
tRFC........................................... 62-75 (Will be needed for 8GB, Maybe more, maybe less. Start high for now)

tRTP...........................................3-6
Command Rate (CMD) ....................:2

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:7-12

Should I set the initial values low? high? close my eyes and use the force?

As an aside, when I built this system the first thing I did when powering on the board for the first time was up update my BIOS from vF3 to vF6. Now, when I check the BIOS page for my board vF6 is no longer even offered for download. It looks like Gigabyte hurried out a vF7 and took down the vF6 link. Do you know of any problems with the F6 version of BIOS that would indicate that I should update my BIOS again?

Thanks!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Set to higher first, then lower one at a time testing with memtest86+ between each move so you can know if any one change is giving you errors.

I do not know what to say about that, some get pulled sometimes with no mention of why. Also some are listed on certain pages (.com, or .tw, .de, .au ect) and not on others.

I did look on each of the above mentioned and F6 is gone from all of them. So there may have been a issue, I would suggest after seeing that maybe you should flash to F5 or F7

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Update:

I flashed the BIOS to the newer version f7 and haven't noticed any real difference between it and the v f6. All M.I.T settings look exactly the same. My board was running fine after the BIOS update so I proceeded with the memory installation.

I installed the 8GB of Mushkin memory using the settings suggested above. Where value ranges were given on the advanced settings I used the higher values as suggested. I entered BIOS, made the changes and saved the profile as my 'Baseline' (yes, I read your guide). I had no problems at all. After POSTing I booted to Memtest86 and ran it for about 3 hours (one pass with all 8GB) with no errors. I then re-booted to Windows and ran Prime95 for a couple of more hours. In Prime95 I selected the 'Blend' test that uses lots of memory. Again, no errors. Temps are all good. It looks like my system is stable.

Should I now further tweak the memory settings attempting to lower some values ( I don't know which ones); or, should I attempt to OC my CPU now?

I have a Q9550 that I would like to OC to around 3.4GHz by raising the FSB to 400 -- if that's possible. I wouldn't mind a little OC on the memory at the same time but not at the expense of spending hours doings it. I have limited time to test because this is a 'work' machine.

Thanks a lot for your help so far.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Nice!

Great to hear, some have issues with 8GB that take a bit of tweaking just to get going at first.

As for your tweaking, I would suggest you do the CPU first, and then work on bringing the ram down later. You may want to use the lowest Ram multi, and or higher MAIN timings while you do that just so you know for sure when you get errors it is because of your CPU. Know what I mean? If not ask for sure!

Ohh and hey, not alot of people notice, and not sure if I added it in the guide or not. On the MAIN Page of the BIOS you can save Profiles. F11 is Save and F12 is Load. Save your settings you have now as "Stable" or something like that, then you can start changing settings and go back to The MAIN page and save again and call this profile "Overclock" or "Working Overclock".

This way you will always have a stable BIOS profile so that anytime you do not have time to mess around or need a for sure stable system you can go in and load the Stable profile and be on your way. Then when you have time to play around load the Other profile. You can save 6-10 I think, some boards differ but you should at least be able to save 6 or so I think.

Be sure when you go to save your second, third and so on profiles that you use the down arrow to move to the next space for the saving of the name of it otherwise you may overwrite your Stable one.

You will have to raise your Vcore, but since you read the guide you should know and expect that. Good luck, and if you need help with something please feel free to post back what settings are failing for you and I will advise

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

One thing I'm not too sure of is what to do with is the Memory Frequency Latch as I start OCing my Q9550. These are my present settings with the CPU at stock settings:

DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [333]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 2.40
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 800Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Since I intend to raise the FSB to ~400MHz to OC my Q9550 to 3.4GHz shouldn't I also reset the (G)MCH Frequency Latch to 400MHz and reset the Memory Multiplier to 2.0 so my memory continues to run at 800MHz? Or does it matter that with my present 333 MCH that the memory would be running asynchronously with the CPU?

Thanks.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Once you get over about 430 FSB you can start testing 400 MCH latch. You can do it anytime really but it may be more stable after 430 or so FSB. Keep in mind you will need to be using looser ram timings as your overclock things

If you only plan to do 400, do 402 or so, just so it is not right on the 400 MCH strap line. Ya, you can do 400 MCH latch at any freq around 400, but it just may take you some tweaking to the ram

400 FSB and 2.00 ram multi would be what you would want to use, now 400 MCH latch may or may not work that close to 400

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

I'm still working on this OC as time permits. I've been successful in nudging the FSB frequency up to 377MHz with gives me a CPU core frequency of 3.2GHz on my Q9550. I've done this without having to increase the Vcore on the CPU from its stock 1.2500volts.

My concern as I head towards my desired 3.4GHz OC is the temperatures I'm generating. I've installed the latest version of CoreTemp which I use to monitor core temps as I run Prime95. I run the large FFT test option that is supposed to create the greatest amount of heat etc.

After a couple of hours of running Prime95 all four cores register 71c to 73c prettty uniformly. This seems a bit high and I don't like it. Case temps are running about 31c and room temps are 21c. I have a concern about my present temps and I'm greatly concerned that my temps will redline if I have to increase Vcore as I keep rasing FSB frequencies. After all, heat increases exponentially as voltage increases.

I have an ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 HSF installed with Arctic Silver 5 paste in a Lian-Li PC-201 server case. I've checked and reseated the HSF to make sure the contact is good. I believe I've done a good job of installation but I really don't like the cheesy mounting method used on a Intel socket 775 motherboard. I know it's not Gigabyte's fault - but I still think the mounting method is cheesy.

Anyway, I digress. Any thoughts about my core temps and how to bring them down?

Thanks.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Looks like you will need a larger heatsink then. Maybe Thermalright Ultra 120 or Tuniq Tower, or Xigmatek 120

Whats the idle temp, and are you sure you did not use too much paste?

That is hot for stock voltage for sure, I did not even get that hot at 4Ghz with my old Zalman 9700 with 1.3+ Volts. Maybe 60's

On water now, but That just seems pretty hot at those volts to me. Maybe that cooler isn't up to snuff to cool a Quad

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Thanks for the quick reply and the suggestions on the larger HSF.

I'm confident that I didn't use too much silver paste. I'm pretty careful about reading and following the installation instructions.

Idle temperatures right after POST and booting to Vista are in the mid 40s. Idle temps after ending an instance of Prime95 and giving things a chance to stabilize are even higher - 50s.

Any quality heat sinks out there that you are aware of that have a more positive connection to the motherboard than the little plastic clicky-things that came on my Arctic Cooling HSF. I'll have to unassemble my whole computer and take the motherboard out (again) to mount a new HSF so I may as well look for something that mounts through the board to a plate/bracket on the back.

I really don't want to mess with water cooling but might consider it. What are your thoughts on a Peltier cooler (TEC)?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Ya, all those I suggested above use a Bolt Thru with screws and a backplate so they would all be good for your thoughts about it all.

TEC is harder to get setup then water, I'd suggest a good air cooler until you have $200-300 to spend on a quality water setup

[CanyonRunner]

Re: EP45-DS4P and Mushkin Memory Settings

Thanks. I need to resolve the temp problem before I continue with the OC. I'll report back later.

Best regards.