ASUS Maximus II Formula - new P45 king?

[gotsoul]

Try my template I gave you but since you have a 9550, try first 424 FSB, 8.5x MP and use 1.35 vNB, 1.25 vFSB The template I sent you is for an e8400. 4GB ram will be easier to overclock, but to compensate with 8GB, increase the vNB a few notches. I would recommend upgrading to 1307 BIOS, it has been the best one for me.

@CryptiK

I will try those settings you gave me. I just don't exactly where to start. Hehe! Wish me luck! Thanks again for you help!

[Ender3rd]

@Cryptik & 64DRAGON,
Sounds like a plan...thanks guys, I'll pick up some AS-Ceramique or Shin Etsu tomorrow and re-seat the NB heatsink and see if the temps get better.

Harsha,

I think you will find the NB heatsink advice here is right on target. You have to remove the whole heatsink/heatpipe assembly to resolve the problem. Not a big deal, just remove all the spring-loaded screws (12 of them I believe) on the underside of the MB.

I would second Cryptik's advice regarding the two little fiber washers that are glued to the bottom of the screw posts on the heatsink/heatpipe assembly. These are the posts that straddle the NB chipset. In many cases, the little washers prevent the heatsink from making physical contact with the chipset no matter how much you tighten the spring-loaded screws under the MB. In my case, the only contact was through a blob of dubious looking thermal paste even with additional washers added under the spring-loaded screws underneath the board.

Removing those washers on the heatsink posts, cleaning off the factory applied goop, and using a thin layer of Ceramique, then tightening down the whole heatsink/heatpipe assembly adequately, dropped my NB temps from the 60c idle 77c load temp range to a much healthier 32c idle and 44c load range.

It will behave much better for you then!

Ender

[Devious]

quick question without reading all of the thread. I have a Q9650 and need stable FSB, is this better than the P5Q delux ?

[BuGjAE]

Thanks for every useful answer for this thread especially CryptiK .I just have got a stable point for 4335 mhz and I 'll testing to reduce some vNB and vFSB

[CryptiK]

@CryptiK

I will try those settings you gave me. I just don't exactly where to start. Hehe! Wish me luck! Thanks again for you help!

Just start by choosing the lowest possible ram speed as I suggested, set everything as I gave in the template except for these settings: 424 FSB, 8.5x MP, 1.35 vNB, 1.25 vFSB and go from there If you have more questions don't hesitate to ask.

quick question without reading all of the thread. I have a Q9650 and need stable FSB, is this better than the P5Q delux ?

Another guy got 475 FSB stable, but I think there is more in this board than that. If the CPU can do it, 500 - 520 FSB should be doable on this board IMO.

Thanks for every useful answer for this thread especially CryptiK .I just have got a stable point for 4335 mhz and I 'll testing to reduce some vNB and vFSB

Nice clock, good work there You should be able to pull vFSB down to about 1.25v, not sure how much lower on vNB you could go, depends on your particular board and your ram configuration, you're probably about spot on with it actually for 4GB 1:1 at 510 MHz and 510 FSB. Are you running PL 10?

[radaja]

well it looks like all my tweaking is starting to pay off. do you think its safe to run it like this 24/7?

[BuGjAE]

@radaja. OH I think your clock setting ,temp, voltage is very well fine.
And I try to follow you ,radaja. Reduce vNB and vFSB from auto setting
and here is my result.

Extreme Tweaker
Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 8.5
FSB Frequency : 510
CPU Clock Skew : Normal
North Bridge Clock Skew : Normal
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1022
Dram Clock Skew CH1 A1 : Advance 300 ps
DRAM Clock Skew CH1 A2 : Auto
Dram Clock Skew CH1 B1 : Advance 300 ps
Dram Clock Skew CH1 B2 : Auto


DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 18
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) : Auto
Write to Read Delay (S) : Auto
Write to Read Delay (D) : Auto
Read to Read Delay (S) : Auto
Read to Read Delay (D) : Auto
Write to Write Delay (S) : Auto
Write to Write Delay (D) : Auto

Write to PRE Delay : Auto
Read to PRE Delay : Auto
PRE to PRE Delay : Auto
ALL PRE to ACT Delay : Auto
ALL PRE to REF Delay : Auto

DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
Dram Read Training : Disabled
MEM OC Charger : Disabled
Ai Clock Twister : Lighter
Transaction Booster : Auto


PCIE Frequency : 104

CPU Voltage : 1.33125
CPU PLL Voltage : 1.5000
FSBT : 1.15300
DRAM Voltage : 2.2240
North Bridge Voltage : 1.20xxx
South Bridge Voltage 1.5 : 1.5
South Bridge Voltage 1.1 : 1.1

CPU GTL Reference 0 : AUTO
CPU GTL Reference 1 : AUTO
CPU GTL Reference 2 : AUTO
CPU GTL Reference 3 : AUTO
North Bridge GTL Reference : AUTO
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : AUTO
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : AUTO
North Bridge DDR Reference : AUTO

Load Line Calabration : Enabled
CPU Sread Spectrum : Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum : Disabled

[radaja]

@bugjae, that looks great.your clocks keep getting better and better. i wish i could get my cpu up to 4300. highest ive gotten is 4221 and very unstable. fails prime within 1 minute.for some reason im stuck having to use these low volts. my setup is very very very picky. i cant raise vfsb higher than 1.2,vnb 1.24 or no boot /prime fails within 1 second. its frustrating seeing everyone post with high clocks and high volts to get ther (vnb 1.26-1.36.so im kind of limited. im going to give your settings a try (seeing that your volts are within my boards range) ive had no luck with 500 fsb.wish me luck

[moogle]

Hi all,

I've just got my 4GHz test stable, only problem now is my ram doesn't seem to want to overclock at all. I've got 8GB of Mushkin Ascent 1066 and at my chosen FSB's 475 or 471 (1153 and 1133 respsectively) the ram just doesn't want to budge. Now this is the first time I've had Mushkin ram and I'm thinking it's just the ram that doesn't want to budge. Before with 4 x 1GB sticks if I couldn't go up in speed I'd accept the lower speed BUT have it at 4-4-4-12 but this ram doesn't seem to want to do that either (presumably because it's 2GB sticks). I've been told by Greg at Mushkin that it could be the bios that is not incompatible but makes the ram a real to work with. Can a bios really affect that? I've got the latest bios for this board (1307) but what versions have you guys got and if anyone has the same ram or same amount with this board what bios version have you got?

Thanks

PS - Weird things I've noticed about the board. Won't do 500FSB but will do 499 but still unstable though. Could be my bios and possibly CPU though.

[CryptiK]

well it looks like all my tweaking is starting to pay off. do you think its safe to run it like this 24/7?

Looks great for 24/7, nice work. Please test large FFT and use Windows memtest to test for ram/NB errors to make sure it's stable. You should be able to set Clock Twister to 'moderate' if it's not already, although since you can't raise vNB without issues maybe it won't be stable.

@radaja. OH I think your clock setting ,temp, voltage is very well fine.
And I try to follow you ,radaja. Reduce vNB and vFSB from auto setting
and here is my result.

Looks good too, nice work. You also need to use Orthos blend and Windows Memtest to look for errors.

Also try setting transaction booster to manual and choosing PL 10, and setting Clock twister to 'moderate' it should give you a bandwidth boost. This will most likely require more vNB.

Hi all,

I've just got my 4GHz test stable, only problem now is my ram doesn't seem to want to overclock at all. I've got 8GB of Mushkin Ascent 1066 and at my chosen FSB's 475 or 471 (1153 and 1133 respsectively) the ram just doesn't want to budge. Now this is the first time I've had Mushkin ram and I'm thinking it's just the ram that doesn't want to budge. Before with 4 x 1GB sticks if I couldn't go up in speed I'd accept the lower speed BUT have it at 4-4-4-12 but this ram doesn't seem to want to do that either (presumably because it's 2GB sticks). I've been told by Greg at Mushkin that it could be the bios that is not incompatible but makes the ram a real to work with. Can a bios really affect that? I've got the latest bios for this board (1307) but what versions have you guys got and if anyone has the same ram or same amount with this board what bios version have you got?

Thanks

PS - Weird things I've noticed about the board. Won't do 500FSB but will do 499 but still unstable though. Could be my bios and possibly CPU though.

From what Ive read, those sticks tend to top out around 1140, so your getting toward their max if you're not already there. What vNB does it take to get the 8GB stable at ~1133? What PL are you using? I'd recommend using BIOS 1307 it has the most memory compatibility and is stable.

[Harsha]

Hi guys,
Well I got some Shin-Etsu X23 and did the complete clean-up and removal of TIM on the heat pipe assembly. Just because I was playing with the MB out of the case I re-applied TIM to the CPU as well.

WOW....talk about a temp drop. The NB has gone from 52*C idle to 35*C.

The SB is at 43*C so I'm assuming that I need to take it out again and be more careful with the TIM on the SB this time as well. Just to show you my ignorance (...not too hard really ), I used silicone washers for the NB instead of metal ones. Will that be a problem because of heat transference from the NB when I start OC this machine..?

[CryptiK]

Good work, I'm glad that was the problem. That temp is much better, and better than mine, my board idles at 38*C and typical max load temp (orthos/gaming) is ~47*C and my ambients are around 20*C.

The washers you used will be fine, don't worry.

[moogle]

From what Ive read, those sticks tend to top out around 1140, so your getting toward their max if you're not already there. What vNB does it take to get the 8GB stable at ~1133? What PL are you using? I'd recommend using BIOS 1307 it has the most memory compatibility and is stable.

It doesn't even go stable at 1133
I've tried up to PL 14 and 1.55NB 1.38VTT. I see everyone easily reaching the 1133 speed and up but they only have 2 x 2GB so I'm thinking it's because I got 4 sticks it's the problem.

I'm currently at 951 5-5-5-15 PL10. I can't have the ram performance setting on Light it must be on Lighter to pass memtest.

Do you think I should stick my Crucial Ballistix 8500's in here and try for higher speeds? They could do 1066 4-4-4-12.

[SiGfever]

Question for you guys. If you were getting a chip with a very high multi do you think the Rampage Formula would be a better choice than my Maximus II Formula?

[radaja]

@cryptik, ive only used memtest a couple of times so i have a few questions. first do i run while overclocked w/ these setting? second, do i just let it run after booting from cd or do i pick specific test to be run? thanks again for your help.

[64dragon]

Hi guys,
Well I got some Shin-Etsu X23 and did the complete clean-up and removal of TIM on the heat pipe assembly. Just because I was playing with the MB out of the case I re-applied TIM to the CPU as well.

WOW....talk about a temp drop. The NB has gone from 52*C idle to 35*C.

The SB is at 43*C so I'm assuming that I need to take it out again and be more careful with the TIM on the SB this time as well. Just to show you my ignorance (...not too hard really ), I used silicone washers for the NB instead of metal ones. Will that be a problem because of heat transference from the NB when I start OC this machine..?

good to hear about the nb temp drop. i wouldn't worry about the sb, mines the same way, currently nb is 38C and sb 42C. i think its just the nature of the chip, (all voltages listed at stock) the sb is getting 2 voltages, 1.1v and 1.5v where as the nb only has the 1.1v

[CryptiK]

It doesn't even go stable at 1133
I've tried up to PL 14 and 1.55NB 1.38VTT. I see everyone easily reaching the 1133 speed and up but they only have 2 x 2GB so I'm thinking it's because I got 4 sticks it's the problem.

I'm currently at 951 5-5-5-15 PL10. I can't have the ram performance setting on Light it must be on Lighter to pass memtest.

Do you think I should stick my Crucial Ballistix 8500's in here and try for higher speeds? They could do 1066 4-4-4-12.

Every set will be different, however as you said it can't be set to light it seems to be you NB at it's limit. 4 2GB sticks would really be loading it up. If you need 8GB, use it, but if 4 GB is enough you may be better off using it at a higher speed (1100 - 1150) if the sticks will do it. What speeds can you get with only 4 GB installed?

Question for you guys. If you were getting a chip with a very high multi do you think the Rampage Formula would be a better choice than my Maximus II Formula?

Yes and no. It is a different chipset and is more efficient than a P45 but the board is apparently less conducive to overclocking especially quads (which I assume is why you specifically said a high MP cpu). I don't know a lot about the rampage formula specifically though. The real world gains of the X48's efficiency are IMO minor compared to a P45. The only real thing the X48 is much better for is DDR3 overclocking and crossfire setups, from what I have seen the P45 is just too weak to clock DDR3 very well, although I must say the Gigabyte P45 DDR3 board is pretty damn impressive.

@cryptik, ive only used memtest a couple of times so i have a few questions. first do i run while overclocked w/ these setting? second, do i just let it run after booting from cd or do i pick specific test to be run? thanks again for your help.

Yes run it overclocked, I like to let it run through a few loops of all the tests, then I select test 5 and let it do perhaps 30 loops.

I recently found out though that the memtest application that you run in windows is actually harder on the ram & NB than DOS memtest, orthos or linpack. Memtest 3.2 I think it's called.

[Shiranui Gen-An]

Bah, I'm beginning to think my E6300 just can't do 500FSB after trying on three different platforms (Asus 965P, DFI P35, Asus P45 Maximus II Formula). But hey, at least I can run my Dominator 10000 kit on my M2F at DDR2-1200 with only 2.05V. Not much consolation...I think I'll grab an E8400.

[Grnfinger]

Yes and no. It is a different chipset and is more efficient than a P45 but the board is apparently less conducive to overclocking especially quads (which I assume is why you specifically said a high MP cpu). I don't know a lot about the rampage formula specifically though. The real world gains of the X48's efficiency are IMO minor compared to a P45. The only real thing the X48 is much better for is DDR3 overclocking and crossfire setups, from what I have seen the P45 is just too weak to clock DDR3 very well, although I must say the Gigabyte P45 DDR3 board is pretty damn impressive.

Ummm no.

Rampage will out perform the MIIF hands down, It overclocks quads just fine
Not many boards will run 500FSB on a 65nm quad, Rampage will.
Rampage offers better bandwidth and is a superior platform.
High FSB is not an issue on X48
I have a Rampage comming to play with , my first one arrived DOA and the online stock is zero. Once my board is sent out I can confirm all this.
My MIIF is gone to ebay once the X48 arrives.
And Rampage Formula is DDR2 not DDR3, Rampage Xtreme is DDR3

Question for you guys. If you were getting a chip with a very high multi do you think the Rampage Formula would be a better choice than my Maximus II Formula?

Definately

[Hazzan]

I trying this board on weekend....some problem on HOT Chipset Temperatur....I replace with MX2 thermalpasta...so I can reach FSB 615 but not stable yet !!

[CryptiK]

Ummm no.

Rampage will out perform the MIIF hands down, It overclocks quads just fine
Not many boards will run 500FSB on a 65nm quad, Rampage will.
Rampage offers better bandwidth and is a superior platform.
High FSB is not an issue on X48
I have a Rampage comming to play with , my first one arrived DOA and the online stock is zero. Once my board is sent out I can confirm all this.
My MIIF is gone to ebay once the X48 arrives.
And Rampage Formula is DDR2 not DDR3, Rampage Xtreme is DDR3

Really, they are that good? Thanks for the insight, I have not used one, but wasn't convinced that the real world performance would be noticeably better than a P45 at exactly the same settings. I know the Formula is the DDR2 version, and that they have very similar efficiency to the X38, I'd just heard they weren't so good for high FSB and quads, unlike the Rampage Extreme, which is very good for high FSB and quads.

I'd like to see a side by side X48 vs P45 comparison when you get your board if that is possible.

[radaja]

well, i decided to see how low i could lower all my voltages and see iff i could drop my temps. this is what i got so far

[Gunnz Akimbo]

Whats the Raid controller like.

Im thinking of getting 2 150GB V-Raptors and using the Speeding HDD controller.

[genec57]

The ICH10 controller is a bit faster and, unlike the Speeding HD, will be upgraded from time to time.

[ATLNY]

It only works in 2:1 mode
I can't get it to work with my 5:1 set up