The Maximus Formula Thread - Help/OCing/Guide/Rampage conversion

[t_ski]

Sorry (I'm used to having them in my siggy everywhere else). System specs are:

Maximus Formula (Rampage Mod) 308 BIOS
2 x 2gb G.Skill PC2-8000
QX9650
Dual 4870X2's in CrossfireX
4 x 250 GB Seagate drives (Raid 0/5)
Noctua NH-U12P with dual fans
Thermaltake Spedo case w/five 120mm fans, one 140mm fan and two 230mm fans
Thermaltake 850W PSU

I have tried running the ram at DDR-1000 (NB @ 266), DDR-961 (NB @ 333) and both did not work. Saw a PDF file on the G.Skill site that lists the BIOS settings for this ram with this board, and it said to put the CPU at 333, the NB at 266 and the ram at DDR-1000 (or 1003 maybe) with all other ram settings at Auto. I did this with the CPU at stock speed and voltages. Same thing happened - no more than 5 minutes of Prime.

It seems the only thing I can get this ram stable at is DDR-800 with Auto timings (5-5-5-15). Unfortunatley, that makes the bandwidth suck (around 6300 MB/s). Running the ram at DDR-1000 gave a nice little boost (around 7600 MB/s) so I would like to do that and run the CPU around 4 GHz like I had it before.

[MJR]

I need some advice trying to get my ram stable at 500MHz. CPU is stable up to 4.0GHz, so I'm testing it lower (3.2GHz).

FSB Strap to North Bridge : not sure about this
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 55
Read to Precharge Time : might need this at 4

Ai Clock Twister : Moderate to light
Transaction Booster : Manual
Common Performance Level: 8 or 9 (if 8 doesn't work)

North Bridge Voltage : raise this as needed, maybe <1.6
FSB Termination Voltage : raise this as needed, maybe <1.5 
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2-REF
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2-REF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REF (reads 1.072v)

suggestions are in bold.
the Row Refresh Cycle Time : 55 is a must as far as I know, the rest is what made the difference for me but of course voltages can vary from board to board.

[MJR]

Update on my Q9550/Maximus ventures...

I'm locked in at 430, PL8. Pretty sure I'm stuck there. Tried everything I knew but no go. Any suggestions guys? Can I egt PL7 at this speed or are there other settings to squeak out some xtra performance?

[tiesum]

Hi Guys,

A quick question here.

I have a set of Crucial Ballistix PC8500 2 x 1 GB (D9GMH) RAM. For a contest I'm trying to find the highest (superpi 1 M stable) speed at 5-5-5-15. What are the most loose timings for the other settings? It's not about the most effective timings, but about maximum DRAM Frequency. How far can I go in Voltage without frying my beloved RAM?


Thanks!

[scottath]

i would say maybe 2.5v max for a quick session - just make sure you have some form of cooling on them (dual 80mm fans etc)

[tiesum]

i would say maybe 2.5v max for a quick session - just make sure you have some form of cooling on them (dual 80mm fans etc)

Thanks for the quick response. I'll use a big fast fan on them. What about the timings? Any idea? Is just setting all the timings to their maximum a good idea?

[scottath]

i havent tried much with my timings - just 5-5-5-15 and the rest auto....i have got to 1200mhz with my 800mhz sticks.
So i have no idea about the other 2 sets of subtimings.....sorry
just note - 2.5v MAY be a bit excessive.....may want to wait on anothers responce before trying that high.....

[t_ski]

FSB Strap to North Bridge : not sure about this
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 55 Auto in BIOS is 52. I tried 55 before and got really long boot times. 50 gave a nice response, and 45 is the EPP setting
Read to Precharge Time : might need this at 4 have not tried

Ai Clock Twister : Moderate to light I've tried all six settings, from Auto to Lighter to Stronger. Mostly tested light/lighter, as I was trying to get it stable
Transaction Booster : Manual done
Common Performance Level: 8 or 9 (if 8 doesn't work) I have tried 7, 8 and 9 already (9 since the original post)

North Bridge Voltage : raise this as needed, maybe <1.6 NB was already at 1.59v in BIOS, reading 1.6v. Dou you mean >1.6v?
FSB Termination Voltage : raise this as needed, maybe <1.5 I have tested 1.4v to 1.55v
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2-REF have not tried
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2-REFhave not tried
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REF (reads 1.072v)

the Row Refresh Cycle Time : 55 is a must as far as I know, the rest is what made the difference for me but of course voltages can vary from board to board.

Comments are added above in bold. I'm not trying to be a "negative Nancy" but I have tried nearly all those settings, most of which were altered one at a time (basic setup was entered and tested, then settings were manipulated from there). I'm willing to try more if you guys can steer me in the right direction.

[MJR]

try these exact settings and see if it works. Once you get it stable you can try to lower the voltages if you like.

FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
Row Refresh Cycle Time : Auto
Read to Precharge Time : 4

Ai Clock Twister : Moderate
Transaction Booster : Manual
Common Performance Level: 8

North Bridge Voltage : 1.65v
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.55v 
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2-REF
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2-REF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REF (reads 1.072v)

[MJR]

OK guys, so as I said earlier, I got my system stable at 430fsb.

Right now my volts are:
1.7v nb
1.6v fsb term

How safe is that? or am I going to kill something?

[Grnfinger]

OK guys, so as I said earlier, I got my system stable at 430fsb.

Right now my volts are:
1.7v nb
1.6v fsb term

How safe is that? or am I going to kill something?

Thats alot of NB juice, if temps are ok then it should be fine but I would really try to lower it.

FSBT is way to high for 24/7 use, it needs to be lowerd ALOT

Comments are added above in bold. I'm not trying to be a "negative Nancy" but I have tried nearly all those settings, most of which were altered one at a time (basic setup was entered and tested, then settings were manipulated from there). I'm willing to try more if you guys can steer me in the right direction.

What are you trying for ?
Post your hardware as well please.

[t_ski]

What are you trying for ?
Post your hardware as well please.

I am just trying to get my ram to run at DDR2-1000 like it is rated at. System specs were listed at the top of the page, but here they are again:

Maximus Formula (Rampage Mod) 308 BIOS
2 x 2gb G.Skill PC2-8000
QX9650
Dual 4870X2's in CrossfireX
4 x 250 GB Seagate drives (Raid 0/5)
Noctua NH-U12P with dual fans
Thermaltake Spedo case w/five 120mm fans, one 140mm fan and two 230mm fans
Thermaltake 850W PSU

[t_ski]

try these exact settings and see if it works. Once you get it stable you can try to lower the voltages if you like.

FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
Row Refresh Cycle Time : Auto
Read to Precharge Time : 4

Ai Clock Twister : Moderate
Transaction Booster : Manual
Common Performance Level: 8

North Bridge Voltage : 1.65v
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.55v 
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2-REF
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2-REF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REF (reads 1.072v)

Will do as soon as I get the chance. Thanks

[Grnfinger]

I am just trying to get my ram to run at DDR2-1000 like it is rated at. System specs were listed at the top of the page, but here they are again:

Maximus Formula (Rampage Mod) 308 BIOS
2 x 2gb G.Skill PC2-8000
QX9650
Dual 4870X2's in CrossfireX
4 x 250 GB Seagate drives (Raid 0/5)
Noctua NH-U12P with dual fans
Thermaltake Spedo case w/five 120mm fans, one 140mm fan and two 230mm fans
Thermaltake 850W PSU

You have tested dimms with memtest?

Assuming the answer is yes...getting your quad to 500FSB for 1000MHz ram is highly unlikely on this board.
It will require alot of volts that will not be a great 24/7 setup.

for 4.0GHz and best ram I would run

Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 9
FSB Frequency : 450
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
PCI-E Frequency: 110
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1081
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 3
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 55
Write Recovery Time : 6
Read to Precharge Time : 3

Read to Write Delay (S/D) : 8
Write to Read Delay (S) : 3
Write to Read Delay (D) : 5
Read to Read Delay (S) : 4
Read to Read Delay (D) : 6
Write to Write Delay (S) : 4
Write to Write Delay (D) : 6

Write to PRE Delay : 14
Read to PRE Delay : 5
PRE to PRE Delay : 1
ALL PRE to ACT Delay : 5
ALL PRE to REF Delay : 5

DRAM Static Read Control: Enabled
Ai Clock Twister : Stronger
Transaction Booster : Manual

Common Performance Level [7]

This will give you decent bandwidth and allow for resonable volts

Now if your ram can do it there is this alternative

Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 8.5
FSB Frequency : 471
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
PCI-E Frequency: 110
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1132
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 3
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 55
Write Recovery Time : 6
Read to Precharge Time : 3

Read to Write Delay (S/D) : 8
Write to Read Delay (S) : 3
Write to Read Delay (D) : 5
Read to Read Delay (S) : 4
Read to Read Delay (D) : 6
Write to Write Delay (S) : 4
Write to Write Delay (D) : 6

Write to PRE Delay : 14
Read to PRE Delay : 5
PRE to PRE Delay : 1
ALL PRE to ACT Delay : 5
ALL PRE to REF Delay : 5

DRAM Static Read Control: Enabled
Ai Clock Twister : Stronger
Transaction Booster : Manual

Common Performance Level [7]

[w0lla]

So while remounting my cpu cooler I noticed that the screws on the NB heatsink were "loose", so I screwed them all in, and my NB temps went higher :S What is this, has this happened to anyone else ?

running a NB voltage at 1.47, temps around 65-67'C when blending in prime95, it is idling at 59-60'C.SB is almost allways around 52-55'C

Q6600@400x8, vcore 1.28. HD4870x2.

[MJR]

So while remounting my cpu cooler I noticed that the screws on the NB heatsink were "loose", so I screwed them all in, and my NB temps went higher :S What is this, has this happened to anyone else ?

running a NB voltage at 1.47, temps around 65-67'C when blending in prime95, it is idling at 59-60'C.SB is almost allways around 52-55'C

Q6600@400x8, vcore 1.28. HD4870x2.

ur probably bowing the board causing poor contact with the core. don't over tighten the screws.

[MJR]

DRAM Static Read Control: Enabled
Ai Clock Twister : Stronger
Transaction Booster : Manual

Common Performance Level [7]

I've never been able to get this to work. I know it will increase performance, but I'm at 430fsb right now,

DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
Ai Clock Twister : Moderate
Transaction Booster : Manual
Common Performance Level [8]

What can I do to get over that hump?

[chawks2]

I've never been able to get this to work. I know it will increase performance, but I'm at 430fsb right now

Have you tried to see what max FSB you can get by lowering the multiplier?

[Grnfinger]

I've never been able to get this to work. I know it will increase performance, but I'm at 430fsb right now,

DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
Ai Clock Twister : Moderate
Transaction Booster : Manual
Common Performance Level [8]

What can I do to get over that hump?

Hell I can get it at 500FSB and higher
430 is not your problem, it would be your ram.
I would remove 4GB's run 2x2GB's and start clocking up, to find your max MHz

[kup]

Grn, what ram is that @ 1200MHz?

[MJR]

Hell I can get it at 500FSB and higher
430 is not your problem, it would be your ram.
I would remove 4GB's run 2x2GB's and start clocking up, to find your max MHz

I know my board will hit 450+ as I did that with my e6700 and some ballistix. At this point I'm only interested in what I can do with 8gb or RAM. My RAM is rated for 1000mhz. Does RAM have FSB walls as well? I just assumed this RAM would be good all the way up to 500fsb 1:1. I'll get some new RAM if that'll help, but I want to max out performance on this board with 8gb of RAM.

[Grnfinger]

Grn, what ram is that @ 1200MHz?

Dominators version 1.2 Micron D9GMH

I know my board will hit 450+ as I did that with my e6700 and some ballistix. At this point I'm only interested in what I can do with 8gb or RAM. My RAM is rated for 1000mhz. Does RAM have FSB walls as well? I just assumed this RAM would be good all the way up to 500fsb 1:1. I'll get some new RAM if that'll help, but I want to max out performance on this board with 8gb of RAM.

8GBs will be hard on the NB.
I would remove 4GBs and find your max MHz running 4GB's.
Once you have 4GBs stable you can make concessions to get/keep 8GBs stable.
Because your ram is rated for 1000MHz dosent mean 8GBs will run that fast, there is a trade off...So depending on what you want for a cpu clock you might want to look at better ram, I mean no offence but that ram is far from the best and Asus boards are not very OCZ friendly at times.
Post what your ideal setup would be
FSB
Multi
Divider
Ram MHz

Then various setups can be tested, I have the same board and chip, altho not OCZ I have 8GB's of Mushkin XP-2 I can use.

[MJR]

Dominators version 1.2 Micron D9GMH



8GBs will be hard on the NB.
I would remove 4GBs and find your max MHz running 4GB's.
Once you have 4GBs stable you can make concessions to get/keep 8GBs stable.
Because your ram is rated for 1000MHz dosent mean 8GBs will run that fast, there is a trade off...So depending on what you want for a cpu clock you might want to look at better ram, I mean no offence but that ram is far from the best and Asus boards are not very OCZ friendly at times.
Post what your ideal setup would be
FSB
Multi
Divider
Ram MHz

Then various setups can be tested, I have the same board and chip, altho not OCZ I have 8GB's of Mushkin XP-2 I can use.

No offense taken. The best part of the RAM (maybe the only good part) is that its shinny heat spreaders match the OCZ cooler I have. I'll test 4GB and consider upgrading the RAM. Honestly, if you think it's likely I'll get 450+ with some better RAM, I'll order some new stuff. This Q9550 and Maximus board will not go to waste due to the RAM. I can promise.

What would be the recommended RAM for 8gb on this board?

[adrenaline7879]

Well it seems my single sided tracers decided they needed to lay to rest. Had them running at 1081 for quite some time. Would love to hit 3.8 with a 2x2 set if someone could help me with my decision. Also have plans to get MF2 after the holidays
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...page=2&bop=And

[Grnfinger]

I have this kit and there great, if you have the budget then I would get them

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231194