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

[eSp!s0]

BIOS 903
Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : Auto
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
-Ratio CMOS Setting : Auto
FSB Frequency : 450
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 400
PCI-E Frequency: 100

DRAM Frequency: 1200
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 5
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 12
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 3
Write Recovery Time : 42
Read to Precharge Time : 6
(missing setting?: 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
DRAM Static Read Control: Enabled
Ai Clock Twister : Light
Transaction Booster : Enabled
-Boost Level 0

CPU Voltage : 1.33100 | 1.312VCPU-z
CPU PLL Voltage : Auto | 1,65V Bios
North Bridge Voltage : 1.25 | 1.26V Everest
DRAM Voltage : 2.16 | 2.19-2.21V Everest
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.20 | 1.22V Everest
South Bridge Voltage : 1.050 | 1.06V Everest
Loadline Calibration : Enabled
CPU GTL Reference : 0.63x
North Bridge GTL Reference : 0.67x
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : Auto
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : Auto
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
SB 1.5V Voltage : Auto

NB LED Selection : NB Volt
SB LED Selection : SB Volt
CPU LED Selection : CPU Volt
Voltiminder LED : Enabled

CPU Spread Spectrum : Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum : Disabled

Could lower VCore a bit and tested with prime custom in-place fft 10h without an error.
A few days I tested 1,325V VCore with OCCT "CPU" and had an error next day from OCCT, but a small error-window, like the windows-error-windows, lol. The test itself ran on till I stopped it after 12hours and no stress-test error. But this OCCT-error (sth like wrong address in A777Fccx0, but don`t know excactly), what was that? Is it stable, or not!?

[billdavis]

is anyone having problems with the pci-e land switching from 18x to 8x ??

here is my benching problem http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=171511

[Warboy]

is anyone having problems with the pci-e land switching from 18x to 8x ??

here is my benching problem http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=171511

18x to 8x? there isn't a 18x speed

[Leeghoofd]

he means 16x/8x warboy, I don't think there's another option then PCI-Z speed in the bios I lock mine at 101... not sure if it's related

[S1mon-]

I cant really understand this board with my Ballistix, They were Rock stable @ my P5K deluxe @ 1167 5-5-4-9 / 1200 5-5-5-12 @ 2.05v with Dram static read control Enabled. Now I cant even get 1133 ( 425x9) with same timings and even tried 5-5-5-15 up to 2.17v........still cant pass OCCT ( havent tried prime blend yet) but according to memtest86+ it was 14 hours stable @ 1133 5-5-4-9 @2.00v with both dram static enabled / transaction booster enabled/ clock twister...... I tried disabled all and put clock twister to light, even transaction relaxed to 1. still wont pass OCCT, even @ 850mhz 5-5-5-15 all disabled..... could it be MY default primary and secondary timings are to tight? They are: primary: 3-42-6-3 second: 8-3-5-4-6-4-6. Tried btw 0802/0903/0907(currently) all same prob

I used to have the same thing myself, I tweaked for over a week trying to figure what was going on with my RAM, then I cranked my NB voltage from 1,55V to 1,6V and then no more problem what so ever

[HempHog]

I can't get the bios to post past 440, no idea why. This will have to do for now, not too bad. I changed the ram to Patriot Extreme PC2-9600, more tweaking to do.
My cpu is watercooled, I have a 120mm on the ram and 90mm on the NB. Temps dont go above 41 on the nb and 48 on the core's.

[atomica]

Ballistix is rated for 2.2v. Half your issue is undervolted RAM. Set yout RAM for 2.15 and this will yield you 2.25v as there is about a .10v overvolt on this board.

Doesn't seem to work for me. tested 2.10v to 2.20v and I get memtest errors.

Turned off DRAM Static Read Control and disabled Transaction Booster to 0 and no more memtest errors. But once in a while the PC won't boot and will get stuck at det ram stage.

Everthing is at default setting:
4-4-4-12-3-42-6-3
8-3-54-6-4-6

Am starting to get really upset with this board. Sigh.

Should I increase the Northbridge voltage?

[S1mon-]

Should I increase the Northbridge voltage?

Yes

[atomica]

Yes

May I know what is the default value and what I should bump it up to? Do I follow the same value as yours and set it as 1.6v?

[S1mon-]

May I know what is the default value and what I should bump it up to? Do I follow the same value as yours and set it as 1.6v?

I don't know what kind of FSB u are running at but if you are running 425 fsb+ with high memory clocks, I would suggest to test with 1,55V to 1,6V until you get the stability you are looking for.

Personnally, at 450 fsb, I had to reach 1,6V NB to get my system stable... with 1,55V, I was sometimes getting memory errors even with my sticks at 2,24V and some games would hard-lock for no reasons... with 1,6V NB, I reached 8 hours P95 stable with my memory @ 2,1V I haven't tried lower than 2,1V but I will do tomorrow

[atomica]

Thanks for the info. fsb is 400.

The board has just gone wonky on me again. Even though i have gone back to my usual stable setting, it is giving memtest errors. Sigh.

[Leeghoofd]

Atomica it also might be your ram mate that has gone bad, don't always blame the board as many stuff is user related here... Can you verify the ram on another board to see if it works properly there ? and plz post ya settings here...

[newls1]

Thanks for the info. fsb is 400.

The board has just gone wonky on me again. Even though i have gone back to my usual stable setting, it is giving memtest errors. Sigh.

Use NB strap 400. Your DET DRAM getting stuck area will stop. I have the same issue, alond with many others, for some reason NB STRAP 400 seems to be the most stable. TRY IT! We have the same ram, same motherboard, I have been thru all these issues before, very anoying . Good board once you figure ouit all this crap.

NB STRAP 400
transaction booster ENABLED
Boost level "0"
DRAM statc read control - DISABLED
Dram Voltage 2.16V

Set those settings, and let me know.

[cadaveca]

same parts here, too, i run 400x9 (2900's, not 38xx's tho)

NB STRAP 333
transaction booster auto
Boost level n/a
DRAM statc read control - ENABLED
Dram Voltage 2.00V

running4 gb of pc6400 tracers @ 960 4-4-4-8.

[CERO]

Yep I cant even get even stable with downclocked 850 mhz 5-5-5-15mhz and it corrupted my OS, screen became light blue or pink some times, eventually I cant come into windows..... I am gonna switch to 2x2GB G.Skills, I think this board doesnt like the ballistix..... on the P5K deluxe my ballistix where flying, high speed + low volts required 24.7 stable....

[cadaveca]

i have a theory that older boards without dual-channel DIMM PWM had much higher drive strength to deal with issues reaching high clocks, and teh Maximus, with dual-channel PWM, does not need such high drives for the same speeds.

So, on your P5K, drive was high. This did a bit of damage to your DIMMs, and when plopped into the maximus, with it's lower drive, you DIMMs are unstable, due to the damage suffered from your other board.(similar to BH-5 burn-in, if you've been clocking that long)

If you still have the P5K, try the DIMMS on it again, if you can. I was presented with the same problem when moving from P5K to Maximus; Crucial quickly RMA'ed my sticks. My sticks were still good in P5K, but not Maximus. Second set was fine tho...but the bad set had spent alot of time on P5K and other boards, while the second was only on P5K for about 3 days...

[magica]

Thanks for the info MC2K and Cadaveca

I am currently building a new Maximus Formula with a Q6600 slacr. I am also shooting for 9 x 400 and might just stick with that so thanks to Mc2k for documenting his build. My fans are not here yet for my Gemin2 cooler so I might get her fired up monday or Tuesday. I also have a brand new set of crucial ballsticks the pc8500. I hope Cadavecas story is right for everyone and my memory works. I will be reporting here my findings also.

Good luck to us all

[CERO]

np magica thats what this forum is for , well I gave up on the Ballistix and I switched to the 2x2GB G.Skills that are brand new. I thought it was easier to test this board with 2x1GB, but cadaveca theory could be right, the ballistix were used on the Black slots of the P5K Deluxe, the back slots were protentially yield better clocks, and probbly because of the Higher drive strenght. Well when I pop back into my p5K Deluxe, the ram is working without dropping a sweat. So either your theory is right or this board Simply dont play that well with my set of Ballistix. I am now looping memtest86+ with the G.sKills, I am just wondering how much MB I need to use @ prime Blend to stress the 4GB. default is 1750 MB , should I use 3500MB?

[newls1]

np magica thats what this forum is for , well I gave up the Ballistix and I switched the kit 2x2GB G.Skills that were brand new. I thought it was easier to test this board with 2x1GB, but cadaveca theory could be right, the ballistix were used on the Black slots of the P5K Deluxe, the back slots were protentially yield better clocks, and probbly because of the Higher drive strenght. Well when I pop back into my p5K Deluxe, the ram is working without dropping a sweat. So either your theory is right or this board Simply dont play that well with my set of Ballistix. I am now looping memtest86+ with the G.sKills, I am just wondering how much MB I need to use @ prime Blend to stress the 4GB. default is 1750 MB , should I use 3500MB?

When you have a chance, please let us know how that 2x2GB gskill ram clocks on this board. I've been eyeing that ram for a while, but wasnt sure how it OC's.. Thanks

[CERO]

When you have a chance, please let us know how that 2x2GB gskill ram clocks on this board. I've been eyeing that ram for a while, but wasnt sure how it OC's.. Thanks

Sure newls1 ofc, I am now looping memtest86+, and still have to decide if I am gonna install Vista 64 or XP 64, i got both, But I am still not out, how much RAM should I put in use @ Prime Blend, default for 2GB= 1750MB, should I then do Custom then 3500MB? or is that 2 much....since the size is doubled.

@ 425x9, @400 strap, I can use only 850mhz or 1133, I doub that can be runned on this ram with 2.1v... on the other hand if I choose 333strap, and disable transaction booster it is bootable @ 1021mhz, Or I can test first @ 400x9 using the 400 strap for 1066 ( which is a sweet spot) , Or 450x8 fsb then 333strap 1081mhz.

[cadaveca]

just as an example of what the board is capable of with 4GB of ballistix with "low volts":


This was done with 2.1v bios(2.183 approx real, read from DIMM slot), giving me slightly over 10k in sandra tests.

So, either you are not giving your chipset enough voltage to hit those clocks, the divider timings are different on this board than P35(which is partially true, but not in such a way that I have found they affect clocks by more than a mhz or 2), or your ram is damaged, MC2K.

Compound that with it still working in the old board, sounds like you got some drive issues, to me. I'd be RMA'ing those sticks, unless you plan of keeping the P5K. Kepp in mind as well that secondary timings from P5K do not translate well over to X38...

[iadstudio]

can you post you bios settings for that? I just got these Crucial sticks and I'm used to OCing Corsair and OCZ which both need lots o' volts to stabalize. I'm especially interested in the RAM related settings on this board.

[ChaosAD]

I also use ballistix 8500.I managed to run them 5-4-4-9 @ 2.0v in everest.But then i got this 47min error in prime95 blend test.Still working on it.
Some of you seem to use the 400 strap.I use the 333.400 just dont work for me.I dont know why but it doesnt even post.Transaction booster doesnt work either.No post for tras booster even at 333 strap.

I dont know if i do something wrong.If anyone has any idea about any of these problems i would be glad to hear

[cadaveca]

Iastudio, here's my settings for that screenshot. Passed Prime95 small FFT and blend 48 hrs, OCCT testing, game testing(basically every title out in last 6 months, except MoHA) Alos of note is that I set SB 1.5v to the same as cpu PLL volt, as in previous boards these voltages were linked, and it did seem to help with long-term stability testing. Also note that this is with an E6600, not a quad, so the chipset load is a bit light.

BIOS 907
Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : manual
OC From CPU Level Up : Auto(Crazy causes some issues on 400 strap with earlier bioses)
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
-Ratio CMOS Setting : 8
FSB Frequency : 475
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
PCI-E Frequency: 115

DRAM Frequency: 1140
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 5
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 15
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 3
Write Recovery Time : 42
Read to Precharge Time : 6
(missing setting?: 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
DRAM Static Read Control: Enabled
Ai Clock Twister : Auto
Transaction Booster : Disabled
-Boost Level 0

CPU Voltage : 1.60v
CPU PLL Voltage : 1.70
North Bridge Voltage : 1.65
DRAM Voltage : 2.10
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.6
South Bridge Voltage : 1.150
Loadline Calibration : Enabled
CPU GTL Reference : AUTO
North Bridge GTL Reference : AUTO
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : Auto
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : Auto
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
SB 1.5V Voltage : 1.7v

NB LED Selection : NB Volt
SB LED Selection : SB Volt
CPU LED Selection : CPU Volt
Voltiminder LED : Enabled

CPU Spread Spectrum : Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum : Disabled

[iadstudio]

9x 475? is that right?

Another question, how much did you have to mess with the memory sub timings? Did auto work out for you or was it necissary to hard set all of them.

Thank for posting that. I look forward to OCing these sticks.