[magusbuckley]

Hello:

I've just built a new computer with Kingston 1066MHz RAM and am using an AMD Quad Core Processor but the Motherboard detects the RAM at 800MHz.

I tried to figure out how to overclock the ram from 800MHz to it's normal operating mode of 1066MHz, but I don't know a think about overclocking. I don't even know if we can call it that this time because the stuff is underclocked right now. I wish I could understand why the MB just doesn't pick up on the correct speed.

Until today, I've had NO experience with overclocking. I did a lot of research online, but it didn't help me much. Here are the two things that confused me the most:

1. The BIOS would demonstrate that my configuration would put the RAM to 933MHz, but a save and reboot would actually put the RAM at around 850MHz. I don't know why the two numbers differ that way.
2. I read many people speak of using 2.2 for a voltage so I assume that's a fairly common voltage. My RAM is actually rated for 2.3 volts. Although I didn't save my changes, I maxed out the voltage of the RAM and it would only go to 1.97. I couldn't even get to 2 volts, much less the 2.2 most people are using and certainly not the 2.3 my RAM is calling for.

I can't stand it. I've wasted my entire afternoon and now it is very late.

Is there anyone that can please walk me through overclocking this RAM, step by step, from 800MHz to 1066MHz?

I've tried and tried and tried but can't get a stable system unless it's all set to AUTO for the 800MHz to appear. I'm not trying to make my RAM run off the charts, I'm simply trying to make it run as fast as it's suppose to!

Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Magus

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Most of the Phenom processors have an FSB of 1000Mhz which is 4 x 200Mhz (4 because it's four cores on it) doubled to 2000Mhz. Which Phenom processor have you got and what board are you running?

Edited by Neil Jones, 21 December 2008 - 06:26 AM.

[Neil Jones]

Most of the Phenom processors have an FSB of 1000Mhz which is 4 x 200Mhz (4 because it's four cores on it) doubled to 2000Mhz. Which Phenom processor have you got and what board are you running?

Edited by Neil Jones, 21 December 2008 - 06:26 AM.

[magusbuckley]

Neil:

Motherboard = http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128370

Processor = http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103249

RAM = http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820104058

Thanks for your help thus far.

Just so I can stay on the same page with you, can you explain why you said "doubled to 2000MHz"? I suppose I was with you up to that point. My processor says Hypertransports of 4000MHz.

Magus

[magusbuckley]

Neil:

I just looked up that RAM on the Kingston web page to look for more information. I found a "Spec Sheet" for the RAM.

In it, I found this:

1066MHz is 5-5-5-15 @ 2.2V
800MHz is 5-5-5-18 @ 1.8V

The line right after that says: "The SPD is programmed to JEDEC standard latency 800MHz of 5-5-5-18 at 1.8V."

So...it appears as though the RAM is telling the motherboard to run SLOW! Hmmm...not happy about that.

Well, whenever someone is ready, I'll take that lesson on overclocking now.

Thanks,

Magus

[amw_drizz]

i got the same style of problem with my Intel core 2 duo E8400 Wolfdale with kingston 2x2gigs x 2 and my ram clock is just about 900mghz now since i oc'ed the cpu to 3.6ghz

[magusbuckley]

amw_drizz:

So if your RAM clock speed is now 900MHz, did it go up or down?

Sounds like you know how to overclock. Wanna help me get started? I don't know much of anything about this stuff. In fact, I just learned from your post that overclocking the CPU affects the RAM. I didn't realize that.

Maybe I should be trying to overclock my CPU instead of my RAM.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Magus

[amw_drizz]

When I put the system together it was @ 800 mghz and the CPU running @ 3.0 Ghz. I found out that the cpu can handle 3.6ghz without increasing the voltage for the cpu and on my mother board has 3 setting for ram speed, auto, linked, unlinked. I set it to linked and bumped up the FSB of the board until the CPU speed was @ 3.6ghz Now I am trying to figure out how to get the ram @ 1066 and possibly push the CPU to 4.0 Ghz

[james_8970]

The reason for both of your issues is because the RAM needs to be overclocked to the correct timings. Currently, your RAM is running at the JEDEC SPD timings and frequencies. These values to ensure compatibility with a wider range of motherboards and to lower RMA rates. To get your RAM to run at it's rated frequencies/timings, you'll need to make some overclocking adjustments. Each board's BIOS is different, so I cannot give you guys specific directions. I suggest you both read this RAM overclocking tutorial.
If you guys have any additional questions, feel free to ask. If you are still confused as to where you need to go into your BIOS to overclock your RAM, I'll likely need some pictures of your BIOS to give you specific directions.

amw_drizz, if you need further advice, please make a new topic so that we can better serve your interests and the interests of the OP. Thank you for your cooperation.
James

Edited by james_8970, 23 December 2008 - 10:31 PM.

[magusbuckley]

james:

Thanks for the reply. I'll have a look at that overclocking web site soon.

When I get started again, I'll go ahead and take the pictures of my bios screen so you can see what I'm working with. I really appreciate your help.

Thanks,

Magus

[magusbuckley]

james_8970

I printed the manual you linked to and used it to help me overclock my RAM from it's SPD of 800MHz to it's rated 1066MHz. It was a long bumpy road, my friend, and my knees are still shaking.

I haven't pushed the system to the limits yet, but it is the one I'm writing this reply on so I guess I didn't do too bad.

I want to run a few things by you.

I changed my Memory Clock to x5.33 to make the jump from 800MHz to 1066MHz but the system wouldn't boot. I then manually changed the voltage on the RAM. This is where I was getting worried. The RAM is rated for 2.3 volts and my MB defaulted it to 1.90V. In the DDR2 Voltage section, I couldn't pick an actual voltage, I could only pick "+" and then a portion of a voltage (+.100, +0.120, etc.). At some point, the numbers are written as red, which of course signals DANGER. I had to bump my voltage to the MAX setting of +0.375V to get the RAM voltage to 2.175. That's the max that my MB is screaming at me about but according to Kingston, it still isn't enough. Either way, I'm afraid I'm pushing to much power through the chips.

After reading that manual, I can tell you that my RAM and CPU can be overclocked seperately and that all other features are turned to AUTO. Well, actually, I did set the timings, but I did those according to the Kingston site as well. It was 5-5-5-15.

I'm about to test this box and see what happens with a benchmark. Should I be worried?

I'm wondering if I should overclock my CPU a bit so I can bring down the power on the RAM.

Without making it too confusing though, I really just want the RAM to run at it's advertised 1066MHz.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Magus

[magusbuckley]

Another Update:


I installed two programs from the MB CD. One was called EasyTune5 and the other was for viewing MB information. When running the second program, it said the RAM was using 3.3V, unlike the MB BIOS which rated it at 2.17V. I figured I was burning up the RAM so rebooted, entered the BIOS, and reset all to Auto. Then, back at Windows Desktop, I ran the EasyTune5 program. When I clicked to view MB status, I showed a flashing exclamation mark next to the CPU and the Case fan, but I never could figure out what it was barking about. It didn't come with a manual or anything. I know the CPU is running around 40 degrees. Is that too hot?

So, back into the program, I entered the Overclocking mode and found two modes (easy and expert). Obviously, I chose easy first. The only thing I could click was "GO". When it finished, it showed only changes for the CPU. The old settings showed it at 2.5GHz (correct) and the new settings showed it at 2.3GHz. I couldn't believe it actually lowered the CPU clock. I didn't save my changes and then entered the expert mode. There I found settings for the CPU, RAM, Video, etc. On RAM, I could only change the clock speed and the voltage. The clock was set to 800MHz and the voltage was set to 1.8V. I changed the clock to 1066MHz, but the voltage would only let me go to 2.17. I assume, then, that this motherboard will only allow the voltage of RAM to bump to 2.17 wich may not be enough for my RAM to run at 1066MHz.

I uninstalled both programs and left all settings in the BIOS set to AUTOMATIC so the RAM is running at 800MHz with 1.8V.

I'm shipping this computer out after new years a friend of mine. If you can believe this, it's a gift from me. If anyone can help me before then, I'll be glad to pull this PC out of the box, hook it up, and try a few things. As far as trying this stuff on my own...I'm spent.

What I do know, is that my Vista Ultimate PC Score is 5.9 and the system runs great so if I can't make the jump to 1066, it'll be my little secret.

Thanks,

Magus

[james_8970]

Firstly, I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT overclock with software (in this case EASYTUNE 5).

When running the second program, it said the RAM was using 3.3V, unlike the MB BIOS which rated it at 2.17V.

There is no way the RAM was running at 3.3V, you sure you where reading the 3.3V rail?

I had to bump my voltage to the MAX setting of +0.375V to get the RAM voltage to 2.175.

This is the correct assumption, your RAM was getting 2.175V, not 3.3V

What I do know, is that my Vista Ultimate PC Score is 5.9 and the system runs great so if I can't make the jump to 1066, it'll be my little secret.

To be honest, you or your friend won't notice any difference between a system with the RAM running at 1066MHz vs. 800MHz.

I know the CPU is running around 40 degrees. Is that too hot?

Not at all, unless the CPU exceed 60*C on load, there is nothing to worry about. If it's hitting 60*C or more on idle, turn the machine off.

I had to bump my voltage to the MAX setting of +0.375V to get the RAM voltage to 2.175. That's the max that my MB is screaming at me about but according to Kingston, it still isn't enough.

Unfortunately, it would appear as if you're motherboard is incapable of supplying enough power to the RAM for it to run at it's rated speed. Are you aware of your BIOSes version?
James

[magusbuckley]

James:

Thanks for the reply. Sorry to be such a hassle. You're talking to a guy who has built well over a hundred computers in his lifetime, but has never overclocked any hardware. I appreciate your patience.

No, I don't know the BIOS version number off hand. Unfortunately, I've already boxed that machine up for the night. See, I have two little girls so I can only work on these things while they sleep. If I don't put my toys away before bed time, my PCs will be broken in some shape, form, or fashion by the time I get home tomorrow afternoon.

I'll pull it out tomorrow and get that information for you.

The strange thing about the voltage on the RAM was that it was the MAX setting in the BIOS and it was red so I was just a little panicky (hmm, is that even a word?).

It's surprising to think you can't notice an increase in speed from 800MHz to 1066MHz because that's a 33% increase in speed! But, I suppose you don't usually run that fast anyway, right? This guy will be gaming, watching Blu-Ray movies, and editing photos (not using professional programs though).

Well, if you think it's worth the trouble, I'll pull that box out tomorrow and have a look at that BIOS version for you. If you don't think we'll crank much more out of this beast, I'll let it sit until shipping time.

Again, I appreciate you're help.

Thanks,

Magus

[james_8970]

You're not being a hassle at all, I'm here to help as I enjoy doing so

The strange thing about the voltage on the RAM was that it was the MAX setting in the BIOS and it was red so I was just a little panicky

I don't blame, you. When you're doing this for the first time, red automatically means danger and stopping before that point. I'm going to be honest, 2.3V is fairly high for stock timings/frequencies for a DRR2 kit and would go as far as suggesting to run a fan over or ensure any kind of active airflow over the modules, if you actually intend on running them at that voltage, simply because it is quite high and may damage the modules over the long term. 2.3V is when I begin recommending this, anything less is fine without active cooling in my opinion.

Well, if you think it's worth the trouble, I'll pull that box out tomorrow and have a look at that BIOS version for you. If you don't think we'll crank much more out of this beast, I'll let it sit until shipping time.

I don't think overclocking memory is worth the hassle. The only real need to overclock the RAM is for benchmarking purposes, rather then real uses as the difference will not be noticeable. That being said, if you wish to just run them at the SPD values, I recommend running memtest over night to ensure the 1.9V is sufficient, given that the RAM does need 2.3V to run stable at it's rating frequencies/timings. There would be nothing worse then shipping off the PC, to have your friend receive an unstable system.
James

Edited by james_8970, 28 December 2008 - 11:46 PM.

[magusbuckley]

I'll give that a try to make sure things are stable.

Well, I learned something (a lot actually) from all of this so although I'm not overclocking the RAM I can still say it was worth the time.

Thanks a gazillion for your help.

You've been great.

Magus