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

[By0T0xN]

I cant speak for 1201, but v0907 was far from stable for me w/ a E6750 & Q6600, but it was mostly to do w/ it corrupting my eProm so it didnt matter what I flashed or CPU I ran there after. Eaqch of our experiences is different, so really depends on who answers, I know there are some that will swear by v0970. I can speak of v1004, it doesnt support S3/STR, but for testing, it is nice for a q6600/E6750 and Tracers on low vDIMM w/ relaxed trfc.

You'll find a lot of us using the older double sided w/ great results just fine. There are a lot of unlucky one too, but same for any part we buy, some go further then others. Intel will tell you they cant guarenty your CPU over 10% OC but we all do it anyways cause it works for the most part. A good handfull of errors are user side, so I'm sure Crucial and ASUS are not willing to deal w/ the droma anymore and keep it simple. Mine have worked on every BIOS since new, and a previously daily user, P5K Deluxe and test bed Gigabyte P35C-DS3R and even an older set in a P5WDG2-WS Pro. If you have 'em now and they are over 9 months + old, chances are you're good to go. Just keep them cool, Mine respond well to relaxed sub timings and can work on lower vDIMM.

It weird how some boards work well with certain bios versions and others don't. I personally don't completely understand what exactly causes this. But my board is running v907 w/E6750 and just recently Q6700 completely stable @ 3.4/1.31v along with my dbl sided 8500 Ballistix @ 1133 @ 2.2v. I want to try 1201 but I'm a lil apprehensive just because I'm happy with where I'm at right now with v907. I'm also curious about the Rampage mod, but again is it worth the effort/process to do the switch? I mean am I really going to gain anything out of it performance wise to risk the instability that might occur?

slightly paranoid,
By0T0xN

[Edro Davis]

I'm trying to baseline my BIOS config before OCing my new build but I'm concerned about high NB and SB temps when I haven't even done anything yet in the BIOS.

Before I installed the mobo I removed the entire NB/SB/heatsink assembly, removed the oem paste or whatever it was, applied ac5, and reassembled the mobo. I think that I did a decent job of it. It is possible that I used a little too much paste.

Note that my ambient room temp is a little high: 30c
But these temps seem high for running idle:
NB: 53c
SB: 51c

Can anyone offer some advice on this?

[Sem]

the Voltiminder LEDs near my SB after orange and flashing

the LEDs near the CPU, NB, and Memory are all green

does it mean i need more volts for my SB
i think i left it on default

using a quad core @ 400x9

[The Coolest]

Odd, I had the best luck w/ OCZ Platinum. When BETA BIOS screwed up my system, I could only boot w/ OCZ to load profiles and put Tracers back in.

As for a good 4g kit, do try to stick to a 2 slot kit, 2x 2g. You'll of corse need to relax timings accordingly, as they will most likely not hold to your old profile w/o some volting in vDIMM and vMCH. I found the OCZ Platinums to bee good and stable and OC pretty good for what they were. I had a 2x 2g DDR800 kit to DDR1000 @ 2-2-2-13 w/ trfc to 50 @ 2.20vCel Shock makes a nice 2x 2g but I cant speak for their DDR2 version.

I have a theory (which might be very wrong, but I'll post it). This RAM is rated at DDR2-533. It doesn't have SPD settings for anything higher than that. Is it possible to add SPD settings for higher speed? I think I saw some time ago a program that allows you to edit a stick's SPD chip.

[MaXXimus]

Ok so I went ahead and did the Rampage Conversion and all went well using BIOS 0401. But as a noob Im a little confused as to why is my DRAM Command Rate listed as 2N and not 2T? Is this typical for a X48?

[aicjofs]

It doesn't have SPD settings for anything higher than that. Is it possible to add SPD settings for higher speed? I think I saw some time ago a program that allows you to edit a stick's SPD chip.

SPDtool

http://www.techpowerup.com/spdtool/

You don't really add settings as much as change the settings that are already there. It's usually more useful in an enviroment where you have no BIOS control. i.e laptop, HP, Dell, etc

I doubt it with the OCZ's but some sticks are read only. If it's hardware wirte protect you can pull an EEPROM leg to ground, if it's software write protect, there are 2 versions of software, one cannot be defeated, and the other you need a special tool with code.

That said, I'm not sure that's your issue because you have full control over almost all timings, but you can try. Only flash one stick and test so you have a bootable one to flash back to...like I said I doubt that is your issue but if you are feeling like trying something new...

(BTW as a side note I thought I read some time ago that OCZ was making their own SPD editor...don't know if that ever happened or not)

[MaXXimus]

Anyone give me some insight to overclocking my QX9650 to 3.6GHz? I have the Rampage Conversion and have my CPU @ 9x, FSB to 400 and Strap to 400, with these simple changes I should only need to up my NB volts correct? Any suggestions?

[ante_ante]

Whats the highest recommended PLL voltage for daily use on a E8400 ? Is there any risk of frying the cpu with to much PLL ??

[ChaosMinionX]

Whats the highest recommended PLL voltage for daily use on a E8400 ? Is there any risk of frying the cpu with to much PLL ??

Dont go over 1.7v PLL

[Kyo`]

Hello after a while
I have some issues with my newly bought Maximus. For a start, it overvolts every voltage - except VCORE - by +0.05-0.1v. I set PLL on 1.5v, it's working on 1.6v. I set NB on 1.41, and in reality it's 1.46v, and so on. Is this normal?
Next thing is something that bothers me greatly. I own a pair of 1GB 1066 KingMax RAM sticks, which worked great on my old DS3R, that are supported officialy by the Maximus (at least that's what the fookin manual says). But no matter what settings I use, and I've tried really everything doing 2 weeks of tests, they don't want to work properly. When I set them on 900MHz (1:1 FSB ratio, 3600MHz Q6600) and start blending in Prime, I get errors after ~45 mins (just when the 896K test starts). When I set them on 1066MHz, I get errors after 1 min of blending - they don't even pass the first test! And I get instant freezes/restarts when playing games too.
At first I thought it's a RAM problem, so I installed another pair of KingMax's (yes, I love them), which are also mentioned in the officially supported list. This time it was a 800MHz pair, which worked great @ 960MHz on the DS3R. But that didn't solve the problem, even on those sticks I still get the blending errors as soon as the 896K test starts.
It's also worth mentioning that I pass the small FTT's test 5H+ with no errors, so the CPU works fine - it's purely a RAM situation here.
What the hell is the problem here, could it be a motherboard hardware problem? Is something wrong with the board and I should RMA it?
The issues started as soon as I got the board, on the 802 bios. Then I tried 2 other bios versions - 1004 and 1201, but that didn't change anything. Could flashing to Rampage Formula help?
When I said I tried every setting, I really mean it - various voltages and their combinations, straps, ratios, transaction boosters etc.
I need some advice badly, I'm desperate, sending another ASUS board to RMA is just too much

[Dynacore]

@ above:
The overvolting is a known issue in some of the latest asus boards.
Maybe putting your dimms in the white slots can help, if you have not tried yet.


I finally got my E6850 over the 3,6Ghz on my RF. Enabling Loadline Calibration did the trick, also had to add a little PLL voltage for 8+ hours Orthos stable at 3,7Ghz.
I know there are problems with these settings on the 45nm models but I should be ok. Temps went thru the roof though, 66 coretemp at full stress is no joke, still long way from Tjunction.
Of course should be able to down vcore a bit since my vdroop is gone.
Memory running at 822Mhz, 1:1, 4-4-4-12
Strap 400
Command Rate 1
Clock Twister Strong
Performance level 7

When I try performance level 6 I get the det ram error, but to be honest I didnt expect my ram to overclock even this far with these timings.
Cant wait to try out 3,8 Ghz... falling in love with this mobo.

[Kyo`]

Aye, I did try to put them in the white slots, didn't change a thing tho.

[Grnfinger]

there is no benifit from white or blue slots, ppl see what they want, bandwidth scores however are hard to argue.
Have you tried memtest and I see your running the dimms at 2.0, Have you tried the rated 1.8volts @ stock speed running memtest?
Depending on heat, volts and NB volts your ram could just be a poor performer @ 46 bucks for 2GBs I would not expect to much from it.
Try running it at maybe 800MHz 4-4-4-12 and see if that helps, I also see your running NB at 1.41 volts thats kinda low imo for a quad at 3.5GHz, try upping it to 1.47-1.49 and see if it improves any.
I would guess its just a few settings need tweaking to get you running smooth again.

[Talonman]

How hot is your NB getting when under load?

[Grnfinger]

I might be mistaken but the Maximus board is NOT listed on the KingMax website as compatable ram

[Kyo`]

My NB is at fairly low temps, around 40-46C. I've tried applying as much as 1.7v on it, didn't help with anything tho. Also it's not a CPU or RAM voltage problem, since they were running at the exact same settings on a cheap-ass Gigabyte DS3R. KingMax states on their website that 2.0 is normal for running their memories when overclocked, I've also seen lots of people running them as high as 2.2-2.3v without problems. I tried putting more voltage on the cpu (why would it matter I don't know tho, as long as it's a few hours small FTT's stable how can if affect the memory in any way?), but that didn't help either.
Tighting the timings even on low frequencies ended up with instant blending errors and unstability, just like running 1066 modules @ 1066.

/edit
Grnfinger: but the exact same RAMs are listed as compatible in the ASUS Maximus Formula Manual along with some other brands.
Look here:
http://www.asus.com/999/download/pro...89/1889_10.pdf

[Grnfinger]

My NB is at fairly low temps, around 40-46C. I've tried applying as much as 1.7v on it, didn't help with anything tho. Also it's not a CPU or RAM voltage problem, since they were running at the exact same settings on a cheap-ass Gigabyte DS3R. KingMax states on their website that 2.0 is normal for running their memories when overclocked, I've also seen lots of people running them as high as 2.2-2.3v without problems. I tried putting more voltage on the cpu (why would it matter I don't know tho, as long as it's a few hours small FTT's stable how can if affect the memory in any way?), but that didn't help either.
Tighting the timings even on low frequencies ended up with instant blending errors and unstability, just like running 1066 modules @ 1066.

/edit
Grnfinger: but the exact same RAMs are listed as compatible in the ASUS Maximus Formula Manual along with some other brands.
Look here:
http://www.asus.com/999/download/pro...89/1889_10.pdf

Have you tested the dimms with memtest?

[Kyo`]

Have you tested the dimms with memtest?

Not yet, but will do - I'll post some results later.

[The Coolest]

What do you think about the Mushkin DDR2 4096MB (2048MBx2) 800Mhz CL 4-4-4-12 XP ? These have Micron D9 chips and are very well priced.
I'm just completely lost in the different memories on offer and I don't know what to chose. This set seems to be guaranteed to have D9 chips, good timings and capable of 400MHz FSB without too much hassle.
Any other suggestions?

[HDPC]

Hi there Grnfinger,

I use your as a template but I am having no luck.
For the section:
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF

Mine show as DRAM instead of DDR2.

When I change that to DDR2-REFF it turns redish pink, and my Frequency on the CPU configuration still shows as 2.4GHz. But when I put it to AUTO then the Frequency shows a 3.6GHz, but I get a 'Det Ram' on boot up.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

-hdpc

For the guy that was looking for a stable q6600 overclock
here is a 9x425 6.5 hours prime blend stable



Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 9
FSB Frequency : 425
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 400
PCI-E Frequency: 110
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1133
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 : 30
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 [6]

Pull-In of CHA PH1 Disabled
Pull-In of CHA PH2 Disabled
Pull-In of CHA PH3 Disabled
Pull-In of CHA PH4 Disabled
Pull-In of CHA PH5 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH1 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH2 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH3 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH4 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH5 Disabled

CPU Voltage : 1.475
CPU PLL Voltage : 1.50
North Bridge Voltage : 1.51
DRAM Voltage : 2.12
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.40
South Bridge Voltage : 1.050
Loadline Calibration : Enabled
CPU GTL Reference : 0.67X
North Bridge GTL Reference : 0.67X
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : DDR2-REFF
SB 1.5V Voltage : 1.5

All voltages are bios set not actual

[Sparda]

What do you think about the Mushkin DDR2 4096MB (2048MBx2) 800Mhz CL 4-4-4-12 XP ? These have Micron D9 chips and are very well priced.
I'm just completely lost in the different memories on offer and I don't know what to chose. This set seems to be guaranteed to have D9 chips, good timings and capable of 400MHz FSB without too much hassle.
Any other suggestions?

I heard Mushkin XP2 PC6400 4-4-4-12 (white) do fine.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=185948

So as Corsair Dominator 2x2GB PC8500 DDR2.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=179555

[The Coolest]

Looks like this is it: http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/...ail.asp?id=634
The one with model number 996580.

[Dostoyevsky77]

Whats the highest recommended PLL voltage for daily use on a E8400 ? Is there any risk of frying the cpu with to much PLL ??

I use 1.54 for PLL, because that seems to give me just under 1.60 actual. It has been satisfactory for three different E8400s including suicide runs past 4.7GHz.

[Sparda]

Whats the highest recommended PLL voltage for daily use on a E8400 ? Is there any risk of frying the cpu with to much PLL ??

Yeap dont go over 1.7v PLL. Several people at DFI thread cap their cpu when set the PLL at 1.74 v. They lost their max fsb.

Btw that black mushkin can only do around 1000mhz with loose timing.

[The Coolest]

The store has pics of both the black and white model.
The only XP series fitting the specs on Mushkin's site is the one I linked to. I don't know.
Do you have any other recommendations, something not expensive?