GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

[bhaz]

Hi - I've been trying to get a little more out of my ageing system lately but after hours of attempts I always run into instability. I've managed to keep it 100% stable for two months now with the settings below, at what seems to be the bare minimum. Trying to up anything causes the occasional hard-lock (doesn't even reach BSOD) anywhere from once a day to frequently.

I'm looking to increase my RAM speed and/or tighten the timings, and perhaps add a light CPU overclock. Any advice that could be offered would be appreciated,

Cheers.

Current specs:

GA-EP45T-DS3R BIOS F4c
Q9400 @ 2.66GHz
4GB Corsair RAM, 4 DIMMs:
   - 2x1GB CM3X1G1600C9DHX
   - 2x1GB CM3X1G1600C7DHX
PowerColor Radeon HD 6850
CoolerMaster eXtreme Power Plus 550W

BIOS settings:

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)Robust Graphics Booster .............: [ Auto ]
CPU Clock Ratio .....................: 8 X  
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.................: 0  
CPU Frequency .......................: 2.66GHz (333x8)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control...............: [ Enabled ]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 333  
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: 100 
C.I.A.2 .............................: [ Disabled ]


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive......................: [ 800 mV ]
PCI Express Clock Drive..............: [ 900mV ]
CPU Clock Skew (ps)..................: [ 0ps ]
MCH Clock Skew (ps)..................: [ 0ps ]


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance..................: [ Standard ]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [ 333 MHz ]
System Memory Multiplier ............: 3.20B  
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ........1066..: 1066
DRAM Timing Selectable ..............: [ Manual ]


Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.....................: 9 
tRCD ................................: 9 
tRP'.................................: 9 
tRAS.................................: 24 


Advanced Timing Control
tRRD..............................4..: [ Auto ]
tWTR..............................4..: [ Auto ]
tWR...............................8..: [ Auto ]
tRFC.............................60..: [ Auto ] 
tRTP..............................4..: [ Auto ]
Command Rate (CMD) ...............0..: [ Auto ]




Channel A
Static tRead Value...................: 9
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 1 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 1 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 1 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [ AUTO ]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [ AUTO ]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [ AUTO ]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 7 [ AUTO ]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)............. .: 10 [ AUTO ]


Channel B
Static tRead Value...................: 9
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 1 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 1 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [ AUTO ]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [ AUTO ]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [ AUTO ]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 7 [ AUTO ]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)...............: 10 [ AUTO ]




Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type...............
CPU
CPU Vcore............................: 1.23750V [ 1.23750V ]
CPU Termination�.....................: 1.200V   [ 1.200V ]
CPU PLL..............................: 1.500V   [ 1.500V ]
CPU Reference........................: 0.760V   [ 0.760V ]




MCH/ICH
MCH Core.............................: 1.100V   [ 1.200V ]
MCH Reference........................: 0.760V   [ 0.760V ]
MCH/DRAM Ref.........................: 0.750V   [ 0.730V ]
ICH I/O......................�.......: 1.500V   [ 1.500V ]




DRAM
DRAM Voltage ........................: 1.500V   [ 1.700V ]
DRAM Termination ....................: 0.750V   [ AUTO ]
Ch-A DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [ AUTO ]
Ch-B DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [ AUTO ]
Ch-A Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [ AUTO ]
Ch-B Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [ AUTO ]


Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3...............: [ DISABLED ]
No-Execute Memory Protect...........: [ ENABLED ]
Load-Line Calibration...............: [ DISABLED ]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E).............: [ DISABLED ] 
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) .........: [ ENABLED ]
CPU EIST Function...................: [ DISABLED ] 
Virtualization Technology...........: [ ENABLED ] 


USB Legacy Support..................: [ DISABLED ]

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Is this your memory, with 1.8v for DDR-1600? http://multi.gnt.lt/Pages/brochures/...G1600C9DHX.pdf
To run ram at DDR-1600, set DRAM Voltage as specified on the sticker, SMM 4.00B, and try increasing MCH Core up to 1.28v.
Do you have an aftermarket CPU cooler or the stock cooler?

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Is this your memory, with 1.8v for DDR-1600? http://multi.gnt.lt/Pages/brochures/...G1600C9DHX.pdf
To run ram at DDR-1600, set DRAM Voltage as specified on the sticker, SMM 4.00B, and try increasing MCH Core up to 1.28v.
Do you have an aftermarket CPU cooler or the stock cooler?

That's one of them, two 1GB sticks of TW3X2X1600C9DHX, and another two 1GB sticks of TW3X2G1600C7DHX

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

We will have to go with the higher timings.
What is the memory layout? From my experiments it is preffered to have each kit in it's own channel. One kit at slots 1 & 2, and the other at slots 3 & 4.
Which settings have you tried, those I posted or the lower timings?

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

We will have to go with the higher timings.
What is the memory layout? From my experiments it is preffered to have each kit in it's own channel. One kit at slots 1 & 2, and the other at slots 3 & 4.
Which settings have you tried, those I posted or the lower timings?

In the mobo manual, channel 0 is listed as 1 + 2, and channel 1 is 3 + 4 - DDR3 slots being numbered from left to right.
Right underneath that, it says to place matching RAM in the same coloured socket, which is 1+3 and 2+4 -- this is how they're placed now.
That's got me completely confused now - should I switch them around?

I tried the settings you posted above half hour ago, which gave me the boot loop. I also ran 1333 at 9-9-9-24 for a week or so - which booted, but gave me a BSOD every day or two, though most of my voltages were still Auto at that point. I'm now on the settings quoted in the OP which have been 100% stable for a couple of months.

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Use 1 + 3 or 2 + 4 if you are using 2 sticks. When mixing rams it's better to have each in different channel, that's what I've found.
I am wondering about the MCH Dram ref, which voltage does it scale with? DRAM Voltage, VTT, or MCH Core?
I'd go and load optimized defaults and change only the nesessary values, SMM, timings, MCH Core and DRAM Voltage.

System Memory Multiplier ............: 4.00B  
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ........1066..: 1333
DRAM Timing Selectable ..............: [ Manual ]


Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.....................: 9 / 8
tRCD ................................: 9 / 8
tRP'.................................: 9 / 8
tRAS.................................: 24 / 24

MCH/ICH
MCH Core.............................: 1.100V   [ 1.2-1.28 ]

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ........................: 1.500V   [ 1.800V ]

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Use 1 + 3 or 2 + 4 if you are using 2 sticks. When mixing rams it's better to have each in different channel, that's what I've found.
I am wondering about the MCH Dram ref, which voltage does it scale with? DRAM Voltage, VTT, or MCH Core?
I'd go and load optimized defaults and change only the nesessary values, SMM, timings, MCH Core and DRAM Voltage.

System Memory Multiplier ............: 4.00B  
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ........1066..: 1333
DRAM Timing Selectable ..............: [ Manual ]


Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.....................: 9 / 8
tRCD ................................: 9 / 8
tRP'.................................: 9 / 8
tRAS.................................: 24 / 24

MCH/ICH
MCH Core.............................: 1.100V   [ 1.2-1.28 ] (i went with 1.22)

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ........................: 1.500V   [ 1.800V ]

Optimized defaults + the quoted settings boots and runs fine so far.
I ran MaxxMem2 a few times, then switched the kits into their own channels and tried again, and the results were pretty much identical. I'm not sure if it's important at all, but the C9DHX kit ended up in channel 0.
~7700MB/s copy, ~7350MB/s read, ~6980MB/s write, 7.19GB/s, 70.3ns latency.

Memory timings also auto'd to different values, same for both channels:

Static tRead Value...................: 7
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 0 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 0 [ AUTO ]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [ AUTO ]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [ AUTO ]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [ AUTO ]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 8 [ AUTO ]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)............. .: 9 [ AUTO ]

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Looks good so far for 333MHz FSB.Can you post a screen capture of MemSet main window? (Alt + PrintScreen to capture active window only).
Were the temperatures you posted CPU temperatures or max core temperature?

EDIT: What MCH Core did you set?

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Looks good so far for 333MHz FSB.Can you post a screen capture of MemSet main window? (Alt + PrintScreen to capture active window only).
Were the temperatures you posted CPU temperatures or max core temperature?

EDIT: What MCH Core did you set?

Those temps were from TMPIN1 on hardware monitor, max core temps were slightly higher. It went up to 72C on IntelBurnTest (Maximum).
MCH core is on 1.22V.

MCH Dram ref, which voltage does it scale with?

It scaled with DRAM voltage.

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Is Static tRead Value(Performance Level in MemSet) set to 7 manually or is this it's auto value?
72c for IBT is not too high but it's high.
We can try a slight overclock with stock vocore and memory at 1422, it's max for CL 8.

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.
)Robust Graphics Booster .............: [Auto]
CPU Clock Ratio .....................: 8 X  
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.................: 0  
CPU Frequency .......................: 2.84GHz (356x8)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control...............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]Enabled[/COLOR]]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]356[/COLOR]] 
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: [[COLOR=#ff0000]100[/COLOR]] 
C.I.A.2 .............................: [Disabled]


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive......................: [800 mV]
PCI Express Clock Drive..............: [900mV]
CPU Clock Skew (ps)..................: [0ps]
MCH Clock Skew (ps)..................: [0ps]


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance..................: [[COLOR=#ff0000]Standard[/COLOR]]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]4.00B[/COLOR]]
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ........1066..: 1424
DRAM Timing Selectable ..............: [[COLOR=#FF0000]Manual[/COLOR]]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.....................: [COLOR=#FF0000]8[/COLOR] 
tRCD ................................: [COLOR=#FF0000]8[/COLOR] 
tRP'.................................: [COLOR=#FF0000]8[/COLOR] 
tRAS.................................: [COLOR=#FF0000]24[/COLOR] 

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD..............................4..: [Auto]
tWTR..............................4..: [Auto]
tWR...............................8..: [Auto]
tRFC.............................60..: [Auto] 
tRTP..............................4..: [Auto]
Command Rate (CMD) ...............0..: [Auto]


Channel A
Static tRead Value...................: [[COLOR=#FF0000]7[/COLOR]]
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [Auto]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [Auto]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 8 [Auto]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)............. .: 9 [Auto]


Channel B
Static tRead Value...................: [[COLOR=#FF0000]7[/COLOR]]
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [Auto]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [Auto]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 8 [Auto]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)............. .: 9 [Auto]


Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type...............
CPU
CPU Vcore............................: 1.23750V [[COLOR=#FF0000]Normal[/COLOR]]
CPU Termination�.....................: 1.200V   [[COLOR=#FF0000]1.200V[/COLOR]]
CPU PLL..............................: 1.500V   [COLOR=#FF0000][1.500V[/COLOR]]
CPU Reference........................: 0.760V   [Auto]


MCH/ICH
MCH Core.............................: 1.100V   [[COLOR=#FF0000]1.220V[/COLOR]]
MCH Reference........................: 0.760V   [Auto]
MCH/DRAM Ref.........................: 0.750V   [Auto]
ICH I/O......................�.......: 1.500V   [1.500V]


DRAM
DRAM Voltage ........................: 1.500V   [[COLOR=#FF0000]1.8[/COLOR]]
DRAM Termination ....................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-A DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-B DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-A Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-B Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [Auto]

I myself use IBT just as indication for (enough) vcore. Record IBT GFlops with 3072MB at stock, and see that it scale with the overclock (new clock/old clock shoud be close to new flops / old flops). 5-10 runs are sufficient, no need to run it for hours.
Prime95 is more reliable to find instability. You can customize the blend test to run each FFT for only 10 minutes, to have more FFTs tested over a period of time, and/or use more memory, just run all your tests with the same values.
Running the failed FFT size, may reproduce failure quickly and save a lot of time, record the failing FFT.

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Is Static tRead Value(Performance Level in MemSet) set to 7 manually or is this it's auto value?

It's auto - It was 9 until I switched the kits into their own channels.

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.
)Robust Graphics Booster .............: [Auto]
CPU Clock Ratio .....................: 8 X  
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.................: 0  
CPU Frequency .......................: 2.84GHz (356x8)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control...............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]Enabled[/COLOR]]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]356[/COLOR]] 
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: [[COLOR=#ff0000]100[/COLOR]] 
C.I.A.2 .............................: [Disabled]


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive......................: [800 mV]
PCI Express Clock Drive..............: [900mV]
CPU Clock Skew (ps)..................: [0ps]
MCH Clock Skew (ps)..................: [0ps]


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance..................: [[COLOR=#ff0000]Standard[/COLOR]]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]4.00B[/COLOR]]
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ........1066..: 1424
DRAM Timing Selectable ..............: [[COLOR=#FF0000]Manual[/COLOR]]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.....................: [COLOR=#FF0000]8[/COLOR] 
tRCD ................................: [COLOR=#FF0000]8[/COLOR] 
tRP'.................................: [COLOR=#FF0000]8[/COLOR] 
tRAS.................................: [COLOR=#FF0000]24[/COLOR] 

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD..............................4..: [Auto]
tWTR..............................4..: [Auto]
tWR...............................8..: [Auto]
tRFC.............................60..: [Auto] 
tRTP..............................4..: [Auto]
Command Rate (CMD) ...............0..: [Auto]


Channel A
Static tRead Value...................: [[COLOR=#FF0000]7[/COLOR]]
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [Auto]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [Auto]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 8 [Auto]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)............. .: 9 [Auto]


Channel B
Static tRead Value...................: [[COLOR=#FF0000]7[/COLOR]]
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 0 [Auto]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 [Auto]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............: 9 [Auto]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...............: 7 [Auto]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...............: 8 [Auto]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)............. .: 9 [Auto]


Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type...............
CPU
CPU Vcore............................: 1.23750V [[COLOR=#FF0000]Normal[/COLOR]]
CPU Termination….....................: 1.200V   [[COLOR=#FF0000]1.200V[/COLOR]]
CPU PLL..............................: 1.500V   [COLOR=#FF0000][1.500V[/COLOR]]
CPU Reference........................: 0.760V   [Auto]


MCH/ICH
MCH Core.............................: 1.100V   [[COLOR=#FF0000]1.220V[/COLOR]]
MCH Reference........................: 0.760V   [Auto]
MCH/DRAM Ref.........................: 0.750V   [Auto]
ICH I/O......................….......: 1.500V   [1.500V]


DRAM
DRAM Voltage ........................: 1.500V   [[COLOR=#FF0000]1.8[/COLOR]]
DRAM Termination ....................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-A DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-B DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-A Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-B Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [Auto]

IBT outright failed twice in a row with these settings. Should I start bumping the FSB down until I find something that works?
I've moved back to the previous working settings for the moment (stock CPU, 333MHz, DRAM 1333 8-8-8-24 @ 1.8V)

About a year ago when I knew almost nothing about this, I tried FSB400 (3.2GHz) with 1066 DRAM, and it was stable as a rock, though all my voltages were all auto. I got rid of it fairly quickly once I noticed my temps maxing out around 92C.

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Try increasing MCH Core one notch, then lower CPU Ratio to 7.5 see if those help, if not try to lower FSB.

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Try increasing MCH Core one notch, then lower CPU Ratio to 7.5 see if those help, if not try to lower FSB.

IBT still failed when lowering the ratio, so I set it back to 8 and started lowering the FSB by 5 at a time. IBT passed but Prime95 failed after an hour at 350.

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)Robust Graphics Booster .............: [Auto]
CPU Clock Ratio .....................: 8 X  
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.................: 0  
CPU Frequency .......................: [COLOR=#ff0000]2.76GHz[/COLOR] (345x8)



Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control...............: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: [[COLOR=#ff0000]345[/COLOR]] 
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: [100] 
C.I.A.2 .............................: [Disabled]



Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive......................: [800 mV]
PCI Express Clock Drive..............: [900mV]
CPU Clock Skew (ps)..................: [0ps]
MCH Clock Skew (ps)..................: [0ps]



DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance..................: [Standard]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [333MHz]
System Memory Multiplier ............: [4.00B]
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ........1066..: [COLOR=#ff0000]1380[/COLOR]
DRAM Timing Selectable ..............: [Manual]


Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.....................: 8 
tRCD ................................: 8 
tRP'.................................: 8 
tRAS.................................: 24 



Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type...............
CPU
CPU Vcore............................: 1.23750V [Normal]
CPU Termination�.....................: 1.200V   [1.200V]
CPU PLL..............................: 1.500V   [1.500V]
CPU Reference........................: 0.760V   [Auto]



MCH/ICH
MCH Core.............................: 1.100V   [[COLOR=#ff0000]1.240V[/COLOR]] - was previously 1.22
MCH Reference........................: 0.760V   [Auto]
MCH/DRAM Ref.........................: 0.750V   [Auto]
ICH I/O......................�.......: 1.500V   [1.500V]



DRAM
DRAM Voltage ........................: 1.500V   [1.8V]
DRAM Termination ....................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-A DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-B DATA VRef.......................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-A Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [Auto]
Ch-B Address VRef....................: 0.750V   [Auto]

Those are the values I'm on right now. I've only had the chance to run Prime95 for a couple of hours so far though.

[Chike]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Do you remember the FFT that failed at 350+?

[bhaz]

Re: GA-EP45T-DS3R - looking for overclock advice

Do you remember the FFT that failed at 350+?

It said FFT type-2 720K, I didn't write the other numbers down. I was doing the Blend test.