P4 overclocking and RAM

[corinalbria]

Ok... here's what I understand thus far...

2.4c = 12x 200Mhz
2.6c = 13x 200Mhz
2.8c = 14x 200Mhz

I'm planning to use a 2.8c, so if I want a 20% OC, I would need to raise the FSB to 240Mhz (x14) = 3.36Ghz

It's best to keep the RAM synced to the FSB correct? (1:1 as opposed to 5:4 or 3:2) In order to keep the RAM Synced, I would need 480Mhz Ram (2 x 240Mhz)

My question is, for the RAM, could I use PC3200 (400Mhz) with stock timings of 2-3-2-7, and lower the timings to 3-4-4-8, and achieve a (large) 20% RAM OC?

Or could I use PC3700 (466Mhz) and do a small OC up to 480Mhz?

Or would I have to use PC4000 (500Mhz) in order to keep the RAM synced?

Have I got this stuff straight? Any input would be great!

 

[HardWareBoss]

OCZ PC3700 or OCZ4000.

 

[twofruitz]

my comp only uses 3200 ram as below and its up to 3.0

for optimal performance use pc4000 ram from either Corsair, twinmos, geil or ocz. this will provide a perfect OC.

<A HREF="http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=6973142" target="_new">3dmark2001</A>

2.4C @ 3.0G
Asus P4C800
Corsair 2x512 3200
Sapphire 9600pro @ 500/700
80G Seagate S-ATA150

 

[HardWareBoss]

Which Mobo do you have?

 

[corinalbria]

I'll be running on an ASUS P4C800-E.

I'm not really worried about the brands and such, my questions are more along the lines of OC theory if it could be called that. I'm trying to understand what it is exactly that the OC is doing. Thanks for the replies though.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by corinalbria on 11/12/03 11:24 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[scottchen]

If you're just using air-cool then OCZ's gold PC3700 will serve you well, since most of them could hit 250mhz anyways. If you're using 2.8C then PC4000 is not really necessary, since your CPU will probably start failing before the ram.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[Celo]

scottchen:
If you're using 2.8C then PC4000 is not really necessary, since your CPU will probably start failing before the ram.



What about 2.4Cghz or 2.6Cghz? I ordered the 2.8Cghz 800mhz with Geil Dual Ch. PC4000.

 

[scottchen]

2.4C and 2.6C has more headroom for FSB overclock since they use lower multiplier. While 2.8C uses 14x multiplier, and CPU has a limit of how far it'll go so without a decent heasink with loud fan or watercool, you'll have to run your ram under-clocked, because your CPU probably won't accept 250FSB without 1.7V and at 1.7V the cpu runs fairly hot.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[krazynutz]

hey scottchen, hopefully this will help the cause:
At what FSB setting did you have to raise your CPU vcore to continue overclocking? What's it currently set at? Also, I got that Geil Platinum PC4000 also and it's SPD setting says it's 2.5-7-4-4 but in CPUZ says it's 2.5-4-4-7. So would relaxing the timings to 3-4-4-8 be useful? or should I keep it at it's default?

:lol: <font color=blue> "You ain't leading but two things right now: Jack and sh!t, and
Jack left town." </font color=blue> :lol:

 

[corinalbria]

TwoFruitz - Is your Ram running Synchronous or Asynchronous?

 

[corinalbria]

Scottchen - I've read elsewhere that PC3500, 3700, 4000 RAM is all basically the same as PC3200 RAM, but with looser timings. Is that true?

If that's the case, would relaxing the timings on PC3200 to 3-4-4-8 (seems standard for PC3700 and 4000) allow an overclock to 480Mhz?

 

[corinalbria]

quote: Relaxing the timing would be very useful if you're going past its rated DDR500 mark.

PC3200 is rated at DDR400 right? and I'm asking whether the looser timings would allow that to go to DDR480.

Thanks again for replies

 

[krazynutz]

thanks guys. Ok, CPUZ said 2.5-4-4-7 and my DDR sticker said 2.5-7-4-4. The 2.5-4-4-7 seems correct when compared to 3-4-4-8, so which is right? I've never seen the second # be the highest. Is is just out of order but representing the same thing? Like a "tomate-o/tomaht-o" thing? Is the Geil more aggressively clocked at stock speeds than the OCZ? I know this isn't my thread, but I figured since I have the same equipment, any questions help the cause.

:lol: <font color=blue> "You ain't leading but two things right now: Jack and sh!t, and
Jack left town." </font color=blue> :lol:

 

[corinalbria]

Found an interesting link on memory timings and such. Any thoughts?

<A HREF="http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=873&page=1" target="_new">http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=873&page=1</A>

 

[corinalbria]

I'm hoping to use PC 3200 since it's alot cheaper, which is why I ask. At this point though I think I'd be willing to put a little more down for PC 3700 since that seems like I'll have a better chance at a 20% OC on the CPU

 

[scottchen]

First of all Corinalbria, PC3200 and 4000 or 4200 are NOT the same thing, PC3200 uses 5.0ns memory(or was it 4.5 can't remember) and PC4000 uses 3.5ns memory. Sure the higher rated ones are rated to run at higher latency, but if you pump enough voltage through it it'll run at low latency. PC3200 would generally overclock from default 200 to 216(PC3500) and some PC3500 can reach 233(PC3700), occasionally PC3700 can reach 250(PC4000), right now Geil's PC4000 and PC4200 are the EXACT same chips, except PC4200 runs at higher latencies, and comes with different stickers. OCZ had done something amazing, their PC4000 copper runs at 250mhz 3-4-4-8, their new PC4200 copper runs at 266mhz 2.5-4-4-8. At 2.8Vdimm of course. So that's a little brief description on memories.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[scottchen]

I set my CPU to 1.95 vcore for 10 min, it was running at over 4G on AIRCOOL! If you relax your timings to 3-4-4-8 that'll get you probably up to 270mhz on the memory at least that's what Anandtech said. Pump vdimm to max allowed, i think Geil supports up to 2.95

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[scottchen]

also wherever you read the PC3200 and up are all the same thing, give me a link to the site, i'll tell my friend to hack it and put some porn on it.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[scottchen]

remember the most important principal Frequency>Timings by a LOT.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[Vapor]

In theory, if PC4000 uses 3.5ns memory, shouldn't it be able to hit 285 or 286MHz (reference equation: 1000/#ns=MHz)? If OCZ can pull off that 266@2.5-4-4-8, I can't imagine they are that far from making PC4500 or 283MHz (which, according to my calculations, PC4000 should be able to reach anyway). A 2.4 would run at 3.394GHz at that speed and a 2.6 would at 3.679GHz (not without expensive cooling of course)!!! Imagine how fast those processors are (heck, your 2.6 is damn close to that, so you would probably know ). 9.0GB/s would be possible, too, something only the SiS659 RDRAM chipset can do.

Damn Rambus.

 

[scottchen]

I mean, somebody did get their OCZ PC4000 gold up to 296mhz stable, but that required 3.3Vdimm, and of course 3-4-4-8 timing. I just got myself a job at a local computer store, pays 10 canadian an hour, great deal and it's REALLY easy, just sit in the back occasionally fix a few computer other times just see who makes up the best insult. When i got enough money i'll definently get the OCZ PC4200 gold when it comes, i asked OCZ about it they said they're aiming for 2.0-4-4-7 on the PC4200 gold, however at 2.8-2.9 vdimm. So they're not sure how many motherboard actually supports 2.9 vdimm which could cause a problem.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[scottchen]

Geil's doing a pretty decent job in the high-end memory market, i wander when Corsair or Kingston or even Mushkin's going to make something insane, that's going to make us go oooh and ahhh. Because OCZ seems to be the only one that's doing any work lately.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[HardWareBoss]

Their working on PC5000.

 

[scottchen]

If they make PC5000 at 2-2-2-6 even if it's 500 US i'll buy it, under 1 condition, as long as it's under 3.0 vdimm.

-Intel PIV 2.6C @ 3.575G -Asus P4P800 -OCZ Copper 2x256 4000EL memory @ 275mhz 3-4-4-8 -Sapphire 9800np @ 432/760 -SB audigy -120G Maxtor Diamond Plus9 S-ATA150 hdd -450 Enermax PSU

 

[krazynutz]

man, a lot of posts since last time. Corinalbria, thanks for that website. The timings always confused me. And thanks everyone else for the added info! Hey scottchen, at what point did you have to up the vcore voltage on your CPU? At stock voltage, I could only make it to 245 FSB stable. I'm upping the voltages tonight and lets see what happens...


:lol: <font color=blue> "You ain't leading but two things right now: Jack and sh!t, and
Jack left town." </font color=blue> :lol: