DDR Booster user guide.

Guys

We have done some pretty intensive testing on some returned RMA units and we found one major issue. We ran a booster for 4 hrs+ with ZERO ventilation at 3.6V and the POT failed. Now the POT was up over 100C at this time....heat is the issue here. Also the issue is related to current draw...TCCD draws a HUGE amount of AMPs where BH5 etc does not.This combined with high voltage = more heat.

If your going to run high voltages for prolonged periods of time PLEASE cool the booster especially the area over the POT and Mosfets.

High voltage is over 3V so please take this into consideration if you are using a booster...get a fan cooling your dimms and the booster and it should be ok.

Roger that ;)

...........DONE :toast:

if someone runs their ram at over 3.2v and still doesnt put a fan blowing over their ram/booster......they deserve to have it fry

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Originally Posted by Playful_Buffalo

if someone runs their ram at over 3.2v and still doesnt put a fan blowing over their ram/booster......they deserve to have it fry

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:with:

Thing is some people don't cool their memory so adding a booster is something they don't feel they have to cool either. Also ATX design is poor for airflow over the ram so dimms get hot as well.

TCCD is an animal with current, the dimms are like a 2 bar electric fire at 3V on high load at high fsb's and will eventually fail so cooling the ram and a booster is real important.

I just wanted to let you know we have looked into the boosters failing and the ONLY thing we found was heat, even some of the returned units are fine as long as they are cooled.

Bottom line is cool the ram and the booster if you plan on juicing it up ;)

How is the Crucial Ballistix (Micron) compared to the TCCD? I got my booster today, and Speedfan reports a ~0.1v drop loaded. (from 3.3 to 3.21v) My 5v rail is 5.26 idle and 5.25 load. Measured with a DMM.

I have a feeling something is wrong, cause i can do 255 3-3-3-10 with 2.75v, but not a sigle Mhz more with 3.0-3.4vdimm. The only difference is that I can do 245 3-2-2-10 with 3.3vdimm, but only 235 3-2-2 with 2.75vdimm.

Im not done testing, but the preliminary results feels strange.

I had to remove the POT and add two cords, cause it got in the way on my K8NS Ultra-939. With the RAMs at slot 1+2 i could not fit the booster. In slots 3+4 the BallistiX OC poorly.

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Originally Posted by Formann

How is the Crucial Ballistix (Micron) compared to the TCCD? I got my booster today, and Speedfan reports a ~0.1v drop loaded. (from 3.3 to 3.21v) My 5v rail is 5.26 idle and 5.25 load. Measured with a DMM.

I have a feeling something is wrong, cause i can do 255 3-3-3-10 with 2.75v, but not a sigle Mhz more with 3.0-3.4vdimm. The only difference is that I can do 245 3-2-2-10 with 3.3vdimm, but only 235 3-2-2 with 2.75vdimm.

Im not done testing, but the preliminary results feels strange.

I had to remove the POT and add two cords, cause it got in the way on my K8NS Ultra-939. With the RAMs at slot 1+2 i could not fit the booster. In slots 3+4 the BallistiX OC poorly.

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Not all memory will like the additional voltage. As far as Ballistics they should like volts fine, but the general overclockabilty and yield of the Micron chips has been all over the place. This is why we dropped the EB line with the same chips.

I am not sure that adding wire and attaching the pot that way is such a good idea. Understand that the booster PCB was kept low profile to insure that all of the traces were short. To relocate my pot I bought a Cermet 15 turn 10k pot and soldered that directly on the back side of the booster. Works like a dream with no "sagging". :)

I have seen a few posts stating that users have added wire leads to the booster to move the pot for mounting on a "reverse" motherboard.

I am not sure that adding a length of wire and attaching the pot this way is such a good idea. Understand that the booster PCB was kept low profile to insure that all of the traces were short. To relocate my pot I bought a Cermet 15 turn 10k pot and soldered that directly on the back side of the booster. Works like a dream with no "sagging".

Doing so will void your warranty, but none of you guys has a warranty left on anything you own anyway I'm sure. ;)

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Originally Posted by andyOCZ

I have seen a few posts stating that users have added wire leads to the booster to move the pot for mounting on a "reverse" motherboard.

I am not sure that adding a length of wire and attaching the pot this way is such a good idea. Understand that the booster PCB was kept low profile to insure that all of the traces were short. To relocate my pot I bought a Cermet 15 turn 10k pot and soldered that directly on the back side of the booster. Works like a dream with no "sagging".

Doing so will void your warranty, but none of you guys has a warranty left on anything you own anyway I'm sure. ;)

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I see. I have a lot of 20 turn 10k pots, so im gonna try one of them later today.
What kind of fluctuations are normal for a DDR booster @ 3.3+ vdimm? Not the kind im experiencing i hope.


BTW: I have warranty on my Headset, my Soundblaster and some harddrives. :D

Thanks for the info.

bump

hope you printed this in the manual of the new boosters :D

is the booster just several regulators? --- HOT HOT HOT

you should employ a buck-type switching regulator/s? ---not that hot...

I don't forsee any problems with a switching regulator...

Edit: bigtoe, do you have a ballpark figure into exactly how much current TCCD draw at their stock speeds/voltage? Say a 512mb stick...

Bigtoe, that's the most comprehensive guide I've seen in a while :) :) :).....

But I agree with some, if you run your RAM past 3v, active cooling is the name of the game ;)...maybe OCZ should put a qualification on who can buy this gadget, i am reselling this over here where I live and one of the qualification for me to sell the item is that they need to know how to OC effectively ;)...here's an online post i made: http://www.tipidpc.com/items/view.php?id=155588

why not make a v2 with a fan built in?

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Originally Posted by death metal

Bigtoe, that's the most comprehensive guide I've seen in a while :) :) :).....

But I agree with some, if you run your RAM past 3v, active cooling is the name of the game ;)...maybe OCZ should put a qualification on who can buy this gadget, i am reselling this over here where I live and one of the qualification for me to sell the item is that they need to know how to OC effectively ;)...here's an online post i made: http://www.tipidpc.com/items/view.php?id=155588

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Item: OCZ Booster Diagnostic Device
Price: Php4,500
Warranty: Manufacturer Warranty
Delivery: ~21days (earliest)
Info: <click here for link>

*Discount for volume buyers..

Another first and great item brought to you by DM.

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Disclaimer:
Playing with your hardware can be dangerous to you and your rig. Use at your own risk!!!!

Note0:
Not for the weak of heart!!!

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This post made specifically for a few guys.

Note2:
No need to post inquiries or comments here. It will serve its purpose. I'll just send this link for those inquiring, instead of me replying the PM with the same messages.

Note3:
If you think it's "mahal", go get it yourself for a cheaper amount. I don't care if you will buy from me or not. Just don't piss me off with your condescending remarks.

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Do you ever sell anything ??
If i ever buy something i want Receipt and not an opened box!

And this one is awesome:
"I could care less if you buy or not."

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Originally Posted by Ubermann

stuff

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not many customers.... :p:

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Originally Posted by Formann

How is the Crucial Ballistix (Micron) compared to the TCCD? I got my booster today, and Speedfan reports a ~0.1v drop loaded. (from 3.3 to 3.21v) My 5v rail is 5.26 idle and 5.25 load. Measured with a DMM.

I have a feeling something is wrong, cause i can do 255 3-3-3-10 with 2.75v, but not a sigle Mhz more with 3.0-3.4vdimm. The only difference is that I can do 245 3-2-2-10 with 3.3vdimm, but only 235 3-2-2 with 2.75vdimm.

Im not done testing, but the preliminary results feels strange.

I had to remove the POT and add two cords, cause it got in the way on my K8NS Ultra-939. With the RAMs at slot 1+2 i could not fit the booster. In slots 3+4 the BallistiX OC poorly.

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My crucial ballistix doenst respond to more volts. I get the same @ 2.9v as i do upping to 3.5.

I've got the first revision which is supposedly better. 255 1:1 @ 2.5-2-2 and 295 1:1 @ 2.5-3-3 @ 2.9v. That's in a DFI 250 board.

You dont need a ocz booster if your using ballistix ram. They need to go back to whatever they were doing with the revision 1 Ballistix. I've got 2 sticks that i got 3 days ago for a customers computer. And it doesnt clock like my revision 1. dam shame.

Nice info bigtoe, this will save both us and you guys at OCZ some time

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Do you ever sell anything ??
If i ever buy something i want Receipt and not an opened box!

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Here's my feedback: http://www.tipidpc.com/users/member.php?user=dm

So yes, I sold items, even DDR Boosters. And I don't want to give the receipt, why? Because I am using my credit card, so do you want to share your credit card number with each of your customer? You need to know your audience, and I am very strict and direct to the point. I don't want people telling me that they recieved an incomplete package (which in fact, they lost it). So to lessen all the mumbo jumbo, I'll open the package, take pictures, and be done with it. Have you been to any store? Bought a motherboard? And the box is already opened? Or would you rather buy it sealed, bring it home, found it's defective, go back to the store and RMA it? Why not test it upfront, saves you the trouble and you're going back to your place knowing the thing you bought is: complete, working, and free of of any defect.

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And this one is awesome:
"I could care less if you buy or not."

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Again, note that you should know your "audience" in that site. But yes, I don't really care if they buy or not, I have my own customer base who knows me and I know them and they know how expensive to get items from abroad.

So you customers try the motherboard at your place before they buy it then ?
You can wipe out the credit number from the paper.
We drop it, way off topic =)

Guys as far as I know it does state to cool the booster already in the manual, we just ran a few tests as we have had a few back on RMA and the only reason they fauiled was heat it seems.

I have used a 10K Linear 22turn cermet pot on my beta unit and i much prefer the accuracy the 22 turn pot gives. I posted pics ages ago but will post again if needed. I hot glued the pot to the PCB and just soldered the legs to where the old pot mounted...dead easy ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andyOCZ

but the general overclockabilty and yield of the Micron chips has been all over the place. This is why we dropped the EB line with the same chips.

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um, didnt micron quit selling the chips to ocz when they seen the potential of them and let their own company market them(crucial)

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So you customers try the motherboard at your place before they buy it then ?
You can wipe out the credit number from the paper.
We drop it, way off topic =)

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Yes, they try it in my place first.

And no, I can not wipe my credit card number on the paper. It's called tampering. And besides, like I said, I get items for many different people. So, I give the other guy the original receipt (with wiped out cc number) and the other photocopy? Smart move eh?

Look at my description again, and you'll see (even the one you pasted), I buy items for many people, plain and simple. My "personal" receipt is the email I sent them.

And I agree, off topic, and will drop it. Whether your post is sarcasm or not, your point is not well taken.

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Originally Posted by WeStSiDePLaYa

um, didnt micron quit selling the chips to ocz when they seen the potential of them and let their own company market them(crucial)

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Nope. They only started binning them before selling to anyone. They recently loosened the timings on their product, so apparently the "good" supply used on the EB is gone. :P

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Nope. They only started binning them before selling to anyone. They recently loosened the timings on their product, so apparently the "good" supply used on the EB is gone. :P

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arghhh....now i know :)

How much more current do TCCD draws? I an worring that the ram will not run nice at all on my Asus A8V rev. 2. Just read so in another tread... Can you please tell me that they will run as good as on any other A64 board...

I thought BH-5/6 was approximately 1amp per chip at ~2.9v? TCCD really has to be power hungry to beat that!

Where there is heat.... there is a custom water cooling solution. Get ye to work, lads!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saaya

bump

hope you printed this in the manual of the new boosters :D

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Manual? I got one sheet of paper saying what voltages I could use with different boards and that was it :confused:

JWB

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Originally Posted by LANjack

Where there is heat.... there is a custom water cooling solution. Get ye to work, lads!

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I think a copper pipe soldered to a copper heatspreader work work fine.

I dont think you will gain anything over a fan though.

I did use freeze spray on my ram once, but didnt gain anything.

so what is "tolerant" fluctuation with the booster, im getting up to 0.2v drops when using it. Few ppl asked the same but nobody answering :( btw my rails are really strong


could relpacing the pot solve the drops?

ps: I already tested couple PSU modded enermax 460 with strong rails and stock chieftec 360w, oh ya mobo is AN7

Ballistix are back to a 2-2-2-6 200MHz rating now...

How are you measuring the .2v drops?

I would use a dmm to measure at the power connectors of the booster to be sure that you arent suffering from line restrictions between the psu and booster.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STEvil

How are you measuring the .2v drops?

I would use a dmm to measure at the power connectors of the booster to be sure that you arent suffering from line restrictions between the psu and booster.

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Thats measured with MBM under load, it even showed 0.00v for the vdimm in the mbm log, in Bios it fluctuates much less, about 0.05v


thats a good idea ill try that, you mean just measure the 5 and 12 rails of the booster molexes?


K i measured 5 and 12 rails of the booster molexes, all 5v connectors are 5.45v to 5.44v under load but the 12v rail is 12.42-12.46 idle and it goes down to 12.31v under load.

I didn't measure the -5v rail is it safe to stick the dmm in there set at 20 DCV on the dmm or if not how is that measured.....

never trust software or the bios.

yes, as close to the booster or directly on the molex connections if you can. If any droop is happening it is most likely due to line restrictions, psu fluctuation, or an improper connection.

well i edited my post above with my findings..... i would measure of the mobo but i don't know the measure points for the AN7, but it does seem that the readings are real from my initial stability tests, better instability

When i run the booster at 3.2 v, my ocz 520 lights up a red led.Is this normal?

If you are carefull you can measure directly at the dimms. There are small square slots in the sides of the dimm slots and if you test a few of them you will find one that should be equal to what you have the booster set at assuming your booster has been calibrated.

bwanaaa - which one goes red? 5v? 3.3v? 12v?

the 3.3 v one

The vdimm circuitry may be backfeeding current from the booster.

I would take a vdmm and see what your +3.3 line is doing under system load and as you adjust the booster.

What motherboard?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STEvil

I would take a vdmm and see what your +3.3 line is doing under system load and as you adjust the booster.

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Do you mean i have to get a multimeter and stick the points somewhere near the ram? That scares me-like i would probably short out something.

Using a DFI lanparty UT nF3 250gb with 10/15beta bios.

No, just at the molex connectors on the booster and on a +3.3 source, either the atx header or the extra connectors that some PSU's have..

You can test on the back of the large mosfet in the top right of the board too, if you have room to do it carefully.