ASUS Maximus Formula SE

[ashefps]

Hello...

I have 4x1gb ballistix tracer 1066 on maximus with 0903 bios and Vista x64 installed.

I tried most of the settings posted in the thread but I'm having big problem with ram overclocking..(Anything other than stock ram speed results in memtest errors or os bsod).

I was running 4 x 1 GB sticks of two different brands, two Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5 and two Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA1065. They were both DDR-1066 and I ran them at 5-5-5-15 @ 2.2 V.

Currently I am running 8 GB of RAM, 4 x 2 GB of OCZ OCZ2N800SR4GK (DDR-6400 running at DDR-1066). I couldn't run these at their specified rating of 5-4-4-15 without tweaking the northbridge and DRAM voltage.

With my 4 x 1 GB setup, I had northbridge at 1.39 V and DRAM at 2.2 V. With the 4 x 2 GB setup, I had to increase the northbridge to 1.55 V and DRAM was fine at 2.2 V (2.12 V in the BIOS, but the board overvolts).

The OCZ were finicky. I couldn't get them running when manually setting the 5-4-4-15 timings and I had to set them to auto. After testing over the weekend, I found that some of the sub-timings had EPP values higher than what I could manually set in the BIOS.

I hope that helps, good luck with the overclocking.

[Nuckin_Futs]

Coretemp shows 70+ on all cores. I agree that is a normal temp with normal cooling but im running 8c chilled water cooling. I have ran q6600 on many boards in the past with the same cooling and have never seen temps that high with one exception..P5k deluxe

Interesting. I have the same set of mobos. As for the temp, this is normal read out for these latest BIOS and even on the P5B as well. It is reading a combined core temp of the actual cores now, not the CPU die like before. So this is better since this is what we areally interested in monitoring. I speak of the temp read out in BIOS not what PC probe reads out. If this is the case, then I dont know what to say to that.

As for the temps being high for the chiller, again , not too sure. It does sound high for only a moderate OC, and yet for this mobo is barely a mild OC as far as FSB is concerned.

I get those same temps (cores 1~4 average of 69~72c) on my Q6600 to 4GHz as 500x8 on air so ye, I'm suprised.

[2good4you]

Im on chilled water bro and i can tell you that it does not help on this board all that much. I can sometimes get a 3dmark06 run in at 4 gig with q6600 but not very often. After playing with this board for one month now i have decided that the only way im gonna get 4gig+ is with an extreme chip with unlocked multiplier. My x38 dq6 runs a q6600 at for gig 24\7 with much lower cpu temps. I have had problems with many asus boards regarding cpu temps and cant figure it out .

Loc.o has showed that it's possible to OC good with the Formula and 4*1GB config:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...17&postcount=9

And the X38-DQ6 is crap when having 4*1GB Ballistix RAM and OC.

[Severance]

Loc.o has showed that it's possible to OC good with the Formula and 4*1GB config:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...17&postcount=9

And the X38-DQ6 is crap when having 4*1GB Ballistix RAM and OC.

Im using 2x1024 mem Just loaded 802 bios and will give it a go

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Severance, no problem and I respect your opinion and was OK with everything you said.

[Severance]

Severance, no problem and I respect your opinion and was OK with everything you said.

Cool

[DMight]

OK, Grnfingers settings here work for me with BIOS 903. I have different RAM, so I couldn't go as high there, I had to use DDR2-901 with Strap at 333. OCCT 111b ran 30min Auto test stable. Funny thing is I haven't been able to find a 400x9 setup that runs stable for me, but this 450x8 setup is stable so far.

I did re-orient my TRUE to a South-->North push and used some tape and ziptie to tie in my Zalman 92mm for the Northbridge. Made a huge difference in my Northbridge temps. During the OCCT test there was a brief spike to 44C, but no higher than that.

My CPU is another story. Using Grnfingers settings and air cooling I'm getting ~43C at idle and during the test I maxed at ~74C on CPU1. I've seen two schools of thought on this. There's "Never let your CPU get above temp X" and "As long as you're stable, let it ride". Opinions?

During my initial test run OCCT stopped with a "CPU is too hot error". When I realized this was just a setting in OCCT, I set my max temp to 75C and just let the test run. Much to my surprise, the test ran successfully. So my plan is to now let it run an infinite blend test overnight. I'll report later tomorrow, hopefully with positive results.

[Trice]

How can one go from the 902 to the 505 BIOS? I keep getting that BIOS is older etc etc.

I wont boot with my RAM with this version.

[Grendel66]

Afterthought -- alway look for BIOS' on the ASUS master server ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/mb/so...ximus_Formula/ . 903 was on there ever since its release.

[pphx459]

I see alot of 450x8... Anyone doing 415x9 or higher 1:1 with a Q6600? If so, what are your bios settings?

[leoftw]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww it . I tried for two hours getting it to 3.6 Ghz and it kept failing . I got it to 4ghz and it was stable for 10 minutes . That was really weird but I can't find the right settings for 3.6ghz . I'm sticking with 3.0GHZ until I get the hang of this or my frustration level doesn't reach insanity .

[pphx459]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww it . I tried for two hours getting it to 3.6 Ghz and it kept failing . I got it to 4ghz and it was stable for 10 minutes . That was really weird but I can't find the right settings for 3.6ghz . I'm sticking with 3.0GHZ until I get the hang of this or my frustration level doesn't reach insanity .

I feel you.. there are a ton of settings to change.

My settings have dramatically changed from 3.6 to 3.75 on 1:1

I had to:
increase vcore 1.32 from 1.39
increase vpll from 1.6 to 1.7
increase vFSB from 1.4 to 1.6
increase vNB from 1.5 to 1.6

Also for some strange reason, I find Ai Clock Twister on Strong to be more stable than Light with my g.skill 6400.

took me about 2 hours to find this out.. so far prime is stable for 2 hours, will see overnight how it goes.. I guess it's all part of the fun.

[leoftw]

LOL I just said screw it . Hopefully its a bios issue and not a hardware issue .

[pphx459]

lol, who knows
I'll give 0903 a try later on the weekend..

[Nuckin_Futs]

I see alot of 450x8... Anyone doing 415x9 or higher 1:1 with a Q6600? If so, what are your bios settings?

Yes, but not on this mobo yet (but very doable). I ran my older Q6600 as 480x8 daily on air to only 1.48v 1:1 is a snap, but I am currently testing for 5:6 as DDR1152 and is needing just a lil tweak here and there.

Key settings for this mobo and Quad for stable 457~500 is 1:1, disabled DRAM Booster relaxed to 1~3(>5 if on deviders), enabled Static Read Control and light Clock Twister, especially if using a devider. 5:6 is in testig so far at 450/475/480. Forget the 400 or 425, this mobo loves the FSB (if CPU can handle it) so get your quad as high FSB as you can on whatever multi you need. Also I do this with only 2x 1GB RAMs in 2 slots. Add more at own risk and limit FSB OC and timings.

Hope this helps

[Talonman]

Guys a lot of good information is getting shuffled in this long thread. Kup has a good idea we should start compiling a list of Bios (check), Bios cpu/ram settings, general uses that will benefit anyone who starts reading this thread (preferably in the OP).

3 possible submissions for the Maximus knowledge base:

Official Water Cooling Thread of the Stock Maximus SE ROG NB Club:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=164610

Water cooling the Asus Maximus SE X38 using aftermarket blocks and sinks:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=162085

Getting RAID to work on the ASUS Maximus SE
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=166867

[pphx459]

Yes, but not on this mobo yet (but very doable). I ran my older Q6600 as 480x8 daily on air to only 1.48v 1:1 is a snap, but I am currently testing for 5:6 as DDR1152 and is needing just a lil tweak here and there.

Key settings for this mobo and Quad for stable 457~500 is 1:1, disabled DRAM Booster relaxed to 1~3(>5 if on deviders), enabled Static Read Control and light Clock Twister, especially if using a devider. 5:6 is in testig so far at 450/475/480. Forget the 400 or 425, this mobo loves the FSB (if CPU can handle it) so get your quad as high FSB as you can on whatever multi you need. Also I do this with only 2x 1GB RAMs in 2 slots. Add more at own risk and limit FSB OC and timings.

Hope this helps

Thanks, this definitely helps. My G.Skill is pretty limited so I can't use any other divider atm, that's why I'm going with what I can with a x9 multiplier. I got some new ram on its way, but I still haven't found the limit on my processor. Will be doing more testing. Also curious about the vpll, at 480x8 what do you have it set at? There are many out there that are using 1.6, but there's no way I can use anything less than 1.7 at 420x9..

[iadstudio]

Just got my mobo installed, most of the programs and updates i need for now. Looks like I'll need to reseat my cpu block, my temps are atrocious! I flashed to 0903 and as soon as I figure out the RAID I'll start to OC.

Anyone have any words of advice on getting a RAID 0 along with a single OS hdd working? I have the OS drive working now, but getting that RAID 0 up and running is another story?

Talonman , I see you have a thread about RAID, did you get it to work? I'm having trouble.

[jonny_ftm]

Yes, but not on this mobo yet (but very doable). I ran my older Q6600 as 480x8 daily on air to only 1.48v 1:1 is a snap, but I am currently testing for 5:6 as DDR1152 and is needing just a lil tweak here and there.

Key settings for this mobo and Quad for stable 457~500 is 1:1, disabled DRAM Booster relaxed to 1~3(>5 if on deviders), enabled Static Read Control and light Clock Twister, especially if using a devider. 5:6 is in testig so far at 450/475/480. Forget the 400 or 425, this mobo loves the FSB (if CPU can handle it) so get your quad as high FSB as you can on whatever multi you need. Also I do this with only 2x 1GB RAMs in 2 slots. Add more at own risk and limit FSB OC and timings.

Hope this helps

If you read through this 156 pages thread, you'll be the only one stating such facts.

I'd love to see a stable OCCT RAM or long folding@H OC for a Q6600 at x480 MHz FSB, or a 475, 470 MHz...

[Talonman]

Just got my mobo installed, most of the programs and updates i need for now. Looks like I'll need to reseat my cpu block, my temps are atrocious! I flashed to 0903 and as soon as I figure out the RAID I'll start to OC.

Anyone have any words of advice on getting a RAID 0 along with a single OS hdd working? I have the OS drive working now, but getting that RAID 0 up and running is another story?

Talonman , I see you have a thread about RAID, did you get it to work? I'm having trouble.

No, but am intreasted. I will be trying my first RAID setup with the Maximus.

I still have yet to power my board on..

Part waiting ...

[Nuckin_Futs]

Just got my mobo installed, most of the programs and updates i need for now. Looks like I'll need to reseat my cpu block, my temps are atrocious! I flashed to 0903 and as soon as I figure out the RAID I'll start to OC.

Anyone have any words of advice on getting a RAID 0 along with a single OS hdd working? I have the OS drive working now, but getting that RAID 0 up and running is another story?

Talonman , I see you have a thread about RAID, did you get it to work? I'm having trouble.

Yes, if already on single HDD AHCI/RAID controller (Intel ICH9R).Install Intel Matrix Storage Manager and follow instructions for Intel Windows RAID migration from 1 HDD to 3 or 4.

If you read through this 156 pages thread, you'll be the only one stating such facts.

I'd love to see a stable OCCT RAM or long folding@H OC for a Q6600 at x480 MHz FSB, or a 475, 470 MHz...

I did so Primed in 1:1. A devider of 5:6 felt nice and passed most test but came up w/ small errors and required more tweaking. Also, as I stated, I have not moved it to this mobo yet as I like how it does on the P5K Deluxe. However, as BIOS are maturing, it may be just as smooth if not better hen my old P35. If you read through a lot of these, you'll see too any people using deviders out of 1:1 and with 4 slot RAM. That in itself limits the FSB potential of any OC and worse for the Q6600. "YES" in my personal testing experienceand past 5yrs of DDR and Intel overcloks.

[Nuckin_Futs]

Thanks, this definitely helps. My G.Skill is pretty limited so I can't use any other divider atm, that's why I'm going with what I can with a x9 multiplier. I got some new ram on its way, but I still haven't found the limit on my processor. Will be doing more testing. Also curious about the vpll, at 480x8 what do you have it set at? There are many out there that are using 1.6, but there's no way I can use anything less than 1.7 at 420x9..

Well, getting the most FSB overclock closer to 500FSB for me, required no less then 1.632v PLL and as much as 1.745v to get there (as reported). FSBT needed to be anywhere from 1.47v min to as much as 1.50v w/ CPU NB GTL Ref' to each 63x

I do hear of guys using up to 1.8v PLL but I try to stay around 1.712v

[ReaperX]

Did you read any of my previous post? They all point to overclocking challanges when running 4 slots and overclocking at the same time. I and many serious overclockers since the birth of DDR have never fussed with overclocking 4 slots occupied. It put a major address load on the memory controller and is really only a bennifit for servers, not overclockers. 2 gb of RAM in 2 slots has prooven to be the most reliable for several years now. even dence RAM of 2gb x 2 is adding a challange.

You can do it but you now need to do a lot of relaxing and upping on some mobo volts.

For starters, try this. Keep strap and frequency to AUTO (1:1), up PCI-E to 111, open timings close to stock (usually 5-5-5-18 for 1066), Enable Static Read Control if using or wanting higher FSB, Disable DRAM Booster and relax to 3~5, set Ai Clock Twister to light. Up CPU GTL Ref to 63x, and chipset GTL Ref to 67x, FSBT to 1.47~1.50v, and NB to at least 1.5v~1.52v for the 450~485FSB range. Although, the 4 slot configuration is a compromise of a bit of less FSB on top of looser timings and yet a lil added mobo volts.

This should get you to Prime further. Scores will report a tad less on paper but you may never notice if you didnt see the numbers.

Let me know how it works

Well I am stable at 1066 (stock ballistix speed) with lower volts at northbridge and fsb.

My problem is with higher mhz or at 1000-1066 with tighter timmings (4-4-4-12)..

Loc.o has showed that it's possible to OC good with the Formula and 4*1GB config:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...17&postcount=9

And the X38-DQ6 is crap when having 4*1GB Ballistix RAM and OC.

Well I 've tried almost the same settings but when it boots in windows the mouse freezes or a bsod about usbuhci.sys appears when I try to move it

Tried raising southbridge voltage and ram but nothing...

[devilhood]

Hold the CMOS button it happened to me too .

Aha! cheers, glad I didn't get round to re-installing last night then
I'll give it a go when I get back from work.

[pazza316]

Nuckin futs and others when you are quoting CPU PLL voltages are you quoting the voltage you are setting in bios or the bios hardware managers given voltage?

At the moment I have PLL at 1.72V