Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (
More info?)
Thanks Paul,
I appreciate all of the info.
Ed
"Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message
news:nospam-3001050728440001@192.168.1.177...
> In article <5eSKd.10$P87.8@bignews6.bellsouth.net>, "Edward Smith"
> <9285smit@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>> Power supply is 480 not 380
>>
>> "Edward Smith" <9285smit@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
>> news
😀bSKd.9$P87.3@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>> > Hi, I need some advice.
>> >
>> > I just built a new system. I am using auto settings for all parameters
>> > under
>> > dram
>> > Does anyone have any suggestions on what may be the best manual
>> > settings.
>> > In particular 1T or 2T, Cas#, Ras# to Cas# delay, Min Ras# active time,
>> > Row
>> > Precharge,
>> > and voltage?
>> >
>> > Asus A8N-Sli
>> > Athlon64 3500+
>> > 2x512 Kingston HyberX 3200 (in dual channel mode)
>> > PNY Geforce 6600GT 128MB PCI-E
>> > Maxtor 250gig 16MB cache Sata hard drive
>> > WD1200JB 120gig 8MB cache ide hard drive (backup)
>> > Pacific Digital 48x16x48 CD-RW
>> > Sound Blaster Audigy
>> > Antec Neo Power 380 psu
>> > AntecP160 Case
>> > Windows XP Home SP2
>> >
>> > Thanks
>> >
>> >
>
> One thing you can try, is use the Auto settings, then use a Windows
> utility to examine the hardware settings being used. That will
> give you a starting point. CPUZ from cpuid.com is an example,
> and you might also find Everest from lavalys (formerly called aida32)
> or Sandra from sisoftware helpful as well, when it comes to
> listing system properties.
>
> You can also look up timing information from the product datasheet.
> The datasheet links are on this page. A typical number might be
> 2-3-2-6-1.
>
>
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/thelines/default.asp?type=khxu
>
> This page has a slide show about memory. Slide 24 shows the order
> these numbers are listed in (CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-commandrate):
>
> http://corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/tech/memory_basics/
>
> On Athlon64, command rate, DDR clock rate, and number of sticks
> go hand in hand. The command rate of the memory is always
> basically 1T, so in a way, including that parameter is a
> misnomer. If you have four sticks of RAM in a dual channel
> system, it is likely the BIOS will set the command rate
> automatically to 2T, which reduces memory bandwidth by perhaps
> 20% or so on benchmarks. (With only two sticks, the BIOS might
> use the 1T setting, as there is less electrical load.) The 2T
> setting means two clock cycles are used to pass a command to
> the memory, while 1T means one clock cycle is given instead.
> The memory basically always takes a command per cycle, and
> when the memory controller uses 2T timing, is basically wastes
> a cycle to improve memory timing and allow the address/command
> more time to settle.
>
> With any of these settings, start with the values returned in
> CPUZ, with the board all set to Auto. Get a copy of memtest86
> from memtest.org and use that to test the memory. The memory
> must be error free, no matter what final settings you decide
> on, because otherwise the system will crash at some point in
> time. Tighten up a timing parameter, then re-test, to make sure
> you haven't pushed the memory too far.
>
> The datasheet for the memory will also have a suggested voltage
> setting. 2.5V is the memory chip voltage rating for memory
> slower than DDR400, and 2.6V is the number used for DDR400 or
> higher. Those are minimum acceptable values. The maximum
> allowed voltage is determined by which of two devices has the
> lower breakdown voltage - the memory controller or the memory
> chips on the DIMM. Some memory chips are intolerant of voltage
> increase, while others can take a lot more. For example, the
> Winbond memory BH-5 can be pushed all the way to 3.3V, and not
> too many other chips can take that kind of voltage. In your case,
> your memory controller is in the processor, and section 7.1 of
> the processor datasheet, says 2.9V is the max the memory interface
> pins on the processor can handle.
>
> (see section 7.1 "Absolute Maximum Ratings" for S939 processors)
>
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/31411.pdf
>
> Generally, the Asus voltage range listed in the BIOS, should not
> go high enough to damage a motherboard component, but only you
> the user can decide whether or not to use more voltage than the
> value listed in your memory DIMM datasheet. For example, the
> Kingston datasheet mentions 2.6+/-0.2V as the voltage spec,
> meaning you can set the BIOS to no more than 2.8V for the memory.
> Thus 2.75V would be as far as I would push it, as there can be
> some setting error in the motherboard circuits. (Generally, I'm
> very impressed with the precision of the Asus circuits I've
> measured with a multimeter, so it won't be too far off.) A
> setting of 2.75 is less than the stated 2.8V limit of the
> memory and 2.9V limit of the memory controller on the processor.
> While in the private forums, you can find overclockers applying
> more voltage than the stated maximums, the results of such
> experiments can be unpredictable (burnout the memory overnight or
> kill the processor).
>
> You can purchase third party devices, like the OCZ DIMM booster,
> and these devices can override the voltage limits of the motherboard
> circuits. Using such a device generally means a "mad overclocker"
> doesn't give a damn if they burn out a component while testing.
>
> HTH,
> Paul
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