Crucial Ballistix Z503 2x1gig revisited !

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09-29-2005, 06:53 PM
Major

Crucial Ballistix Z503 2x1gig revisited !

I thought since G.Skill, OCZ, and Mushkin are producing 2x1gig DDR500 kits now
I would share some results with my Crucial Ballistix Z503 so that anyone thinking
of going with 2gig can make an informed decision.

First some links:
2x1GB/1x1GB OC Database
My initial thread with Crucial Ballistix Tracers
My OCZ DDR500 Gold results thread
New OCZ 2GB Part......Initial Testing
G.Skill 2GBHZ test report
Denny's G.Skill 2GBHZ Test result
Mushkin PC4000 2GB kit. 3-4-3-8
Kakaroto G.SKILL PC4000 2GB HZ testreport

And now some results:

DFI NF4 Ultra
704-2BTA bios
FX57 & Vapo LS

Highest Stable OC's:

2-2-2-5 = 208mhz
2.5-3-3-7 = 250mhz
3-3-3-8 = 300mhz

The following results where the highest stable OC using 2-2-2-5, Tref of 4708, Drive strenghts of 6/2, 2.7vdimm

I ran memtest during Spi8m, sorry but no time for Spi32m right now

Sorry for the quilty of some of the SS, I had to reduce the file sizes.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37695&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37692&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37693&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37694&stc=1
09-29-2005, 06:54 PM
Major

This is the highest stable OC using 2.5-3-3-7 , Tref 4708, Drive strenghts 6/2, 2.7vdimm. BTW my other set of Ballistix do exactly the same 250mhz on my work rig at cas 2.5.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37699&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37696&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37697&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37698&stc=1
09-29-2005, 06:54 PM
Major

This is the highest stable OC using 3-3-3-8, Tref 2560, Drive Strenghts on Auto, 2.9Vdimm

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...chmentid=37309

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37703&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37704&stc=1

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...id=37705&stc=1

And Finally, my current 24/7 settings

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...chmentid=37659
09-29-2005, 07:01 PM
eBoy0

Uhh might be stupid question, but is there a diffrence between ballistix tracer and regular ballistix w/o leds? Nice results :D hope i get that high.
09-29-2005, 07:16 PM
guess2098

man..... Z503 is the king of 2GB.......
Major, this is a super nice kit u have
09-29-2005, 07:18 PM
Major

I beleive the new Z503 (not the tracer) clock alittle higher, but not 100% sure since most people are buying the Z503 right now. I had a set of tracers too that did 285mhz on the X2 4400+ not sure if they would have clocked higher on the FX57 or not.
09-29-2005, 07:21 PM
Major

Quote:

Originally Posted by guess2098

man..... Z503 is the king of 2GB.......
Major, this is a super nice kit u have

All four of my Z503 clock over 300mhz ;) they were bought at Newegg

BTW, this thread is NOT intended to take anything away from OCZ, G.Skill, or Mushkin. I just thought since results with the new DDR500 kits were being posted that I would offer a convient place to compare results with the Ballistix.
09-29-2005, 07:32 PM
guess2098

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

All four of my Z503 clock over 300mhz ;) they were bought at Newegg

BTW, this thread is NOT intended to take anything away from OCZ, G.Skill, or Mushkin. I just thought since results with the new DDR500 kits were being posted that I would offer a convient place to compare results with the Ballistix.

mind to share a pair with me?^^ heheheheeee
my friend had 3 pairs but only one pair can do 300, but most can do 29X without any problem
09-29-2005, 07:37 PM
Major

Quote:

Originally Posted by guess2098

mind to share a pair with me?^^ heheheheeee
my friend had 3 pairs but only one pair can do 300, but most can do 29X without any problem

The memory controller plays a huge part in max oc with 2x1gig sticks, I've not been able to do 300mhz on my X2's, my 4600+ did 292mhz and my 4400+ did 286mhz max at 1T.
09-29-2005, 08:04 PM
eBoy0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

The memory controller plays a huge part in max oc with 2x1gig sticks, I've not been able to do 300mhz on my X2's, my 4600+ did 292mhz and my 4400+ did 286mhz max at 1T.

Crap... no 300 x 10?? :( i hope my 4400 x2 does better than you'res. ;)
09-29-2005, 08:08 PM
Major

Quote:

Originally Posted by eBoy0

Crap... no 300 x 10?? :( i hope my 4400 x2 does better than you'res. ;)

I hope so too ! ;)

but 272x11 aint too shabby either :D
09-30-2005, 03:06 AM
Vincentvega18

WOW, nice looking results. I didnt know any memcontroller could handle 2*1gb at 2-2-2-x...........very cool.
09-30-2005, 03:59 AM
airwolves

Hey major since you got a very good processor and very good at overclocking. Can you try 3 2 2 2 5 as for some reason the ballistix I got run better times at that but so far i'm at 11*210.. But produce better numbers than when I was at 3 3 3 3 8 11*240.. so 3 for cas and rest like 2 ras it runs better.. If you have time could you please check and see if thats the case..

Thanks
09-30-2005, 04:45 AM
eva2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

The memory controller plays a huge part in max oc with 2x1gig sticks, I've not been able to do 300mhz on my X2's, my 4600+ did 292mhz and my 4400+ did 286mhz max at 1T.

question you your new ballistixs able to do 300mhz on FX-57 on air or just phase ?

seems you new ones do much better than old.... both my sets only max at 285mhz so far with 623-3 being a better bios than 704-2BTA
09-30-2005, 05:45 AM
Sentential

I tell ya what, these ballistix are quite impressive. I gotta give Micron a hand when it comes to this design. Clearly they hit a homerun with these chips
09-30-2005, 05:58 AM
largon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vincentvega18

WOW, nice looking results. I didnt know any memcontroller could handle 2*1gb at 2-2-2-x...........very cool.

Easy as pie. 2x1GB xxxMHz x-x-x-x is just as stressing as 2x512MB at same settings.
If a 512MBit chip can do tight timings, your memcontroller can run it at those timings. High density memory ICs don't make a module stressful to run. All that matters is number of ranks, both 512MB and 1GB modules are "only" dual ranked.
09-30-2005, 07:01 AM
Major

@George, only on phase with the FX and that could be the difference with the X2's the 4600+ was on phase and did 292mhz max stable while my 4400+ was under water and only managed 286mhz. I agree the 623-3 is the best bios with the ballistix ;)

@Jason, I don't bench sp32 so not sure if its high or low. wasn't try for a WR just to show stabliltiy of the ram. IMO I had 40-50 processes runing and no tweaks :D

@airwolves, I wont be at the house where I have my FX again until Monday, but I'll be glad to run whatever tests anyone wants ;)
09-30-2005, 07:26 AM
eva2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

@George, only on phase with the FX and that could be the difference with the X2's the 4600+ was on phase and did 292mhz max stable while my 4400+ was under water and only managed 286mhz. I agree the 623-3 is the best bios with the ballistix ;)

Thanks for confirming what i suspected :)

me needs to make my cpu colder :D
10-01-2005, 07:01 AM
bachus_anonym

Thanks for sharing your great results, Major :up: Some work you've done :toast:

BTW, If you don't have any fancy-shmancy desktop wallpaper picking out you can save screenshots as .PNG. It's loosless compression and mostly never above 150KB for 1600x1200 screen ;)
10-01-2005, 07:07 AM
ozzimark

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

but I'll be glad to run whatever tests anyone wants ;)

*ponders*

mind trying for some 2.5-2-2 action? :toast:
10-01-2005, 08:17 AM
Major

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozzimark

*ponders*

mind trying for some 2.5-2-2 action? :toast:

I'll be glad to on Monday ;)

I'm away from the FX computer, its at my other house. I do have my work computer here but I've got to do some proposals for work this weekend and not sure if I'll have time to try it on this computer or not.

I did try 2-3-2 and 2-3-3 and didn't gain anything over 2-2-2, but never tried 2.5-2-2 ;)
10-01-2005, 09:12 AM
\Karting_freak

major
nice mem.
i'll probably get one kit...
10-01-2005, 05:37 PM
EnJoY

Nice stuff Major, always impressed by your results. ;)
10-03-2005, 12:04 AM
LlamaOfDoom

I'm having trouble finding the max of these sticks. :(
@280MHz, timings as per Majors 24/7 stable settings, I am getting ~50-80 errors right at the end of memtest test5 (looped).
Using the BT BIOS, dont think its BTA version, will changing to 623-3 give me any benefit?
Running RAM in the orange slots, haven't tested the sticks individually, 2.9V with active cooling although the sticks are still getting quite warm :(
Will see if I can hook a 60mm delta over the sticks to give them a little extra.

Any ideas?

EDIT: Just going to give it a run now with Tref 2560 instead of 4708. Hopefully!
Also, what cooling are you guys using over your modules?
10-03-2005, 05:20 AM
bigjohns97

I have heard 623-3 was the best bios for ballistix, I can't wait to get my hands on some of this memory.

Just to confirm this is the memory we are talking about ???
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146578
10-03-2005, 08:26 PM
Deus Falsus

Man I ordered mine from Newegg today and should be here wednesday, they shipped from NJ. Mickey where did your friend's ram ship from NJ, CA or TN? Also how bad did they suck? Thanks.
10-04-2005, 04:42 AM
s7e9h3n

Nice Job Major! :toast: Looks as if there's a new champ in ddr1 (at least @ 2gb). Glad to see you're running 4708 now as opposed to 3120 :p:
10-04-2005, 07:14 AM
Major

Quote:

Originally Posted by s7e9h3n

Glad to see you're running 4708 now as opposed to 3120 :p:

LOL, It works ! :D
10-04-2005, 07:28 AM
Diverge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vincentvega18

WOW, nice looking results. I didnt know any memcontroller could handle 2*1gb at 2-2-2-x...........very cool.

Mine ran 2 2 2 too, i forget the max speed (at work). But i know they didn't OC too much at 2 2 2, so it was probably something very similiar. I intented to test my sticks from 200 - 300mhz, in steps of 5 mhz, with the best timings i could, but i got lazy and never finished my spreadsheet.

It seems that most of the ballistix are very similar and all OC quite well :)
10-04-2005, 09:23 AM
TRF-Inferno

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyMouse

yeah thats it but I recomend you buy from crucial direct, as my friend bought 2 sets from newegg and his sticks all sucked :(

even mismatching his 4 sticks his couldn't matchup to mine wheich I bought from crucial direct.

Whoa man, that's almost $100 more than NewEgg! :eek: Thanks for the insight, but I'm gonna have to take my chances with NewEgg's batch.
10-04-2005, 10:30 AM
Deus Falsus

@ Major,

Did you purchase your sets from Newegg or crucial direct? TIA.
10-04-2005, 11:22 AM
Major

I've bought 6 individual sticks from Newegg, 2 were ballistix tracer and 4 were the Z503 ballistix. All of my Z503 will do above 300mhz individually, its the memory controller that plays a big part in max OC with 2x1gig sticks.
10-04-2005, 01:12 PM
Deus Falsus

thanks, What I purchased is the dual channel set of z503 ballistix, hopefully it'll be good.
10-04-2005, 01:15 PM
Major

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deus Falsus

thanks, What I purchased is the dual channel set of z503 ballistix, hopefully it'll be good.

I really don't think there is any difference between the sticks you buy from Crucial, Newegg, or anywhere else. They are all the same ;)
10-04-2005, 01:33 PM
ben805

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major

I've bought 6 individual sticks from Newegg, 2 were ballistix tracer and 4 were the Z503 ballistix. All of my Z503 will do above 300mhz individually, its the memory controller that plays a big part in max OC with 2x1gig sticks.

Strongly agree with Major, I bought my Z503 sticks from neweggs as well, they will do 297 on Venice, only 290~292 on my previous X2 3800, 4200, and 4400, and now they can do 300 on my new 4200. :D It really doesn't matter where you get them from, overclocking is no guaranteed anyway but from what I've seen they'll easily do 270 @3-3-3-8 unless your memory controller is seriously jacked.
10-04-2005, 07:54 PM
Deus Falsus

Major, I'm aiming for 285mhz 3/3/3/8, any higher will be welcome but 285 is my goal. Now I'm looking for a combination of performance and stability, Game stability to be exact.

a)What tref value do you recommend?
b)What bios should I use I've heard 623-3 are good, but you use 704-2bta?
c)In which of the 2 orange dimm slots should I place the strongest STICK?
d)Do I really need to actively cool the ballistix at 285mhz?
e)What's the Best Drive strenght/Data strenght, My tccd like 7/2.

I apologize for the nature of the request but can you post a picture of the bios timing page and of a64 tweaker when running the settings on your sig. Game stability is what I want, I'd like to avoid bf2 quitting on me or triggering bsods when things get good. Thanks.
10-05-2005, 05:59 AM
Major

a)What tref value do you recommend? 2560 or 4708
b)What bios should I use I've heard 623-3 are good, but you use 704-2bta? 623-3 or 704-2BTA either work fine
c)In which of the 2 orange dimm slots should I place the strongest STICK? Dimm 3 furthest from cpu
d)Do I really need to actively cool the ballistix at 285mhz? YES for reliablity
e)What's the Best Drive strenght/Data strenght, My tccd like 7/2. 6/2 works nice but you can leave them on Auto aswell
10-05-2005, 06:14 AM
stealth17

just picked some up today from newegg. should be here friday. have to see what they do on a 3700+ SD

thanks
10-05-2005, 08:44 AM
Deus Falsus

Hey Major thanks, they'll be here today, (FedEx usually comes after 5pm, sometimes 8pm ARGH) I'll post some results as soon as I can.
10-06-2005, 05:47 PM
Diverge

I just figured I'd add that i purchashed mine as individual sticks from Newegg as well. And each stick does 300mhz, so i gotta agree with Major in that they are all the same, where ever you order them.
10-07-2005, 09:42 AM
Deus Falsus

My initial 100% stable results @ minimum possible voltage 2.5v. Major how high can you go with only 2.5v? I'm trying to decipher if the walls I'm hitting are due to the memory controller or the memory itself. These sticks seem to love low voltage.

http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/3...stix5ee.th.jpg
10-07-2005, 03:21 PM
stealth17

Major,

Could you give me a read out of your DFI bios settings?

Like

200mhz
3
3
8
3
7
15
ect....

plz plz pretty please!

Just got mine today. Look awesome!
10-07-2005, 03:24 PM
eBoy0

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben805

Strongly agree with Major, I bought my Z503 sticks from neweggs as well, they will do 297 on Venice, only 290~292 on my previous X2 3800, 4200, and 4400, and now they can do 300 on my new 4200. :D It really doesn't matter where you get them from, overclocking is no guaranteed anyway but from what I've seen they'll easily do 270 @3-3-3-8 unless your memory controller is seriously jacked.

You serious? Only 290? :( damn you x2 mem controllers!

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