Why wont my PC overclock etc?! help please

[dhicks2008]

Hi guys, here is my spec:

6GB DDR2 800 - Cheap ram from ebay, has samsung chips on it though
570W TRUST PSU
ASROCK PENRYN1600-110DB 650I SLI
300GB SATA HD
Q6600 QUAD 2.4
9800 GX2 LEADTEK
VISTA 32

I am quite new to overclocking and I have followed guides etc but to no avail.

I can overclock my cpu in the bios by raising the fsb but when I go beyond 300fsb, my multiplier is set to 9, It wont boot and i have to reset the cmos. I have tried increasing voltage etc. I have no idea.

Also I have 6Gb ddr2 but only 3 shows up in vista,Is it worth taking 2gb out, will it not be used? I have tried taking 2gb out so i could have dual channel but it wont boot at all. Any ideas?
What do i set my memory timing as etc?
My memory shows up at 533mhz instead of 800mhz - the memory setting is on auto if i change to manual i can select ddr2 800, does this work as its autodetecting 533?


I have a 9800 GX2, I think my fps are quite low for what it is, I have tried overclocking but it hardly does anything. I think i am being restricted by something. I cant get my head around this, its been driving me mad all day.

Please can someone help me . Will greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[Guest]

its possible your mobo just plain sucks at ocing... some do

my 680i board though... (cheat one from evga... don't even make it anymore because they don't support quads =( ) allows me to get stable 450 fsb.... unfortunately it then requires like 1.6 volts.... but at 400 fsb it only requires 1.3

 

[random1283]

PSU your power supply is simply too small what are the Voltages/ Amps on it. I personally wouldn't think that that power supply would have enough juice. That would explain all the problems as the computer is trying to tone things down to save electricity

 

[zipz0p]

To be more specific, the total wattage on the PSU may not the the issue - it's the wattage on certain rails. You'd need quite a lot of power on the 12V rail to power that 9800GX2. I've never heard of that power supply company, so it may be slightly suspect. Having good, clean power for your rig is quite important to overclocking efforts.

The reason you'll only see 3GB is because you're using a 32-bit operating system. It cannot reference more than 4GB of memory, and 1GB of that is on your graphics card, reducing the total system memory that can be referenced to 3GB.

Also, if you could list your voltages and settings, as well as how many sticks of RAM you have and what their amounts are. Run CPU-Z and look at the SPD timings are on each stick and post that too - it's likely that at least one of the sticks has lower default speeds, so it will default all the memory to that speed. Remember: all the memory has to run at the same speeds and timings, so mixing and matching sticks degrades memory performance to the lowest common denominator.

 

[V3NOM]

Your RAM is defaulting at 533 MHz because the quad's default FSB is 266.
RAM is "dual pumped" therefore 266 x 2 = 533. at stock freq, 800MHz is unnecessary.

Which slots are you taking 2 gigs out of? do you have 3 sticks of 2GB or 2x2GB 2x1GB? please post more specs... for dual channel read the manual - the 2 sticks have to be in 2 particular slots. i have an asrock 4core dual vsta so i know what i'm talking about...

usually the 2 sticks would be in slots 1&3 or 2&4, they do this to reduce more heat created by having sticks sitting right next to each other.

post some more stuff then maybe ill get a better idea of the problem...

 

[dhicks2008]

Hi and thanks for replies guys,

Here are my psu specs http://trust.com/products/product_detail.aspx?item=15317

Right I have 3x2gb ddr2 800 ram. Is it worth taking a stick out because vista doesnt support that much?

I have tried putting it in the same coloured slots but it wont boot when its in dual channel, nothng comes on screen.

All my settings in the bios are default.

On CPU-Z my core speed is moving up and down constantly as much as 0.8 mhz
Also my BUS SPEED and Rated FSB is going up and down constantly by like 0.2
My core voltage is also going up and down now and again :S, it goes from 1.304 to 1.280


Memory in CPU-Z

GENERAL

DDR2 SIZE 6144MB CHANNELS SINGLE

TIMING

DRAM FREQUENCY - 266.7 - Goes up and down by about 0.1
FSB😀RAM - 1:1
CAS# LATENCY (CL) - 6.0 Clocks
RAS# TO CAS# DELAY (tRCD) - 4 Clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) - 4 Clocks
Cycle Time (tRas) - 12 Clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) - 16 Clocks
Command Rate (CR) - 2T

All the other options arnt available.

ON SPD Tab

They are all the same

2048 Mbytes
PC2-6400 (400MHZ)
CORRECTION NONE



Thanks again for your help guys

 

[V3NOM]

OK, take all the sticks out, and stick 1 in slot 1 (the one closest to the CPU) and another 1 in slot 3 (should be same colour). Also, how many slots does that mobo actually have? some boards have 2 DDR3 slots adn 4 DDR2's hence why they may not boot?

thats all i can think of atm sry :S

 

[zipz0p]

On CPU-Z my core speed is moving up and down constantly as much as 0.8 mhz
Also my BUS SPEED and Rated FSB is going up and down constantly by like 0.2
My core voltage is also going up and down now and again :S, it goes from 1.304 to 1.280

This is totally normal. I'd like to give you an accurate explanation, but I don't really know how this is monitored, so I can only speculate.

Those memory timings are quite strange. 6-4-4? That seems quite out of the ordinary... usually all the first three numbers are the same, or within one.

That power supply webpage has NO information whatsoever. The type of information we need is how many amps are on the various rails. Also, the quality is likely to be quite suspect and it's easily possible that the PSU cannot properly power your components. Many (particularly cheap) PSUs rate their maximum power in fishy ways, and display that for marketing. The actual distribution of that power on specific rails (like the 12V rail) is often not very good, and so you just don't get the power you need to your components. If you have a friend with a different PSU you could try, you might want to consider using it.

On another note about overclocking, it's usually best to lower your multiplier down to its minimum while trying to find a good stable FSB. Then you can increase the FSB - careful to keep your memory operating within spec - to find a good, high and stable value, and then pop the multiplier back up and adjust the CPU voltage until it is stable.

Have you read your motherboard instructions for how to install memory in dual channel mode? It varies slightly from motherboard to motherboard, but usually it's as V3NOM said - slots 1 & 3 populated. I can't imagine why that shouldn't work, but if it doesn't follow V3NOM's suggestion and only use one stick for testing.

 

[V3NOM]

^ +1

 

[dhicks2008]

Hi and thanks for reply, right forget my psu, its give way, its dead, all my case fans flicker on and off instantly , i shorted the wires out that turns the psu on and it stil flickers, will my other components be damaged?

This is the psu im getting

Corsair TX750W Specifications: Model CMPSU-750TX
AC INPUT 90-264V ~ 10A 50/60Hz
DC OUTPUT +3.3V +5V +12V -12V +5Vsb
MAX LOAD 24A 28A 60A 0.8A 3A
MAX COMBINED WATTAGE 180W 720W 9.6W 15W
TOTAL POWER: 750W

is that ok, hopefully it will be ok.

So what should i do about the memory timings, change them in bios?

thanks

 

[zipz0p]

That PSU should work very well. I don't know what you mean when you say you shorted the wires... that doesn't sound good, and since I have no idea what you mean, I can't say whether your components could have been damaged or not.

Memory timings can be changed in BIOS, but if the timings you have are their SPD timings at that frequency, it should work fine.

 

[dhicks2008]

Hi , I mean i tested the psu by connecting the green wire on the 24 pin connector and the black wire (ground) i followed a guide, i disconnected all of the connectors and took the psu out, then connected it to a case fan then switched the power on, it done the same thing, fan flickers on and off in an instant then nothing. Just dont know if it damaged hardware when it was in the pc and i tried to turn it on a few times?

What should i change the mem timing to? maybe 5.4.4, i really dont know, when i get the psu and the artic freezer i am going to attempt to hit 3.ghz with my cpu. dont know what the mem settings should be. thanks

 

[zipz0p]

Well, you should try setting the memory based on the SPD timings you saw in CPU-Z. There might be different timing ratings at different speeds and voltages - look at the highest rated frequency, set the RAM to that voltage and the RAM to those timings. Run your memory at a 1:1 ratio with the FSB (which means that the effective speed of the memory will be FSB freq * 2), and as long as that speed is below that maximum rated speed for the memory, you won't even have to try to overclock the memory.

If you have to overclock the memory, you should try to do that independently of overclocking the CPU. That means you should lower the CPU multiplier to its minimum and raise the FSB with a fairly high northbridge voltage, and then adjust memory voltage and timings until stable. Once you attain a reasonably high FSB and stable memory settings, you can tweak the voltages on the MCH to lower the power usage and heat generated, and then you can bump the CPU multiplier back up and focus on getting the CPU stable at a higher frequency.

 

[doomsdaydave11]

To be more specific, the total wattage on the PSU may not the the issue - it's the wattage on certain rails. You'd need quite a lot of power on the 12V rail to power that 9800GX2. I've never heard of that power supply company, so it may be slightly suspect. Having good, clean power for your rig is quite important to overclocking efforts.

The reason you'll only see 3GB is because you're using a 32-bit operating system. It cannot reference more than 4GB of memory, and 1GB of that is on your graphics card, reducing the total system memory that can be referenced to 3GB.

Also, if you could list your voltages and settings, as well as how many sticks of RAM you have and what their amounts are. Run CPU-Z and look at the SPD timings are on each stick and post that too - it's likely that at least one of the sticks has lower default speeds, so it will default all the memory to that speed. Remember: all the memory has to run at the same speeds and timings, so mixing and matching sticks degrades memory performance to the lowest common denominator.

More likely it's just a sucky power supply. Even a quality 500-watt would be more then enough for that setup. That unit probably has low amperages on the rail(s) and is just an overstickered 350-watt.

 

[V3NOM]

noooo! it's not that theres not enough wattage... when connected ONLY to a fan it wouldnt work! fried/stuffed in some way PSU. RMA it.