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

**~~Grnfinger~~** · 12-03-2008, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by MJR

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?

Mushkin Redlines would be a good choice there a decent performer
with this setup you should be golden

Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : Auto
FSB Frequency : 420
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 266 or 400
PCI-E Frequency: 100
DRAM Frequency: 1000-1066 are
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 : 4
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 60
Write Recovery Time : 6
Read to Precharge Time : 4

Read to Write Delay (S/D) : 10
Write to Read Delay (S) : 4
Write to Read Delay (D) : 5
Read to Read Delay (S) : 6
Read to Read Delay (D) : 6
Write to Write Delay (S) : 5
Write to Write Delay (D) : 6

Write to PRE Delay : 14
Read to PRE Delay : 6
PRE to PRE Delay : 1
ALL PRE to ACT Delay : 6
ALL PRE to REF Delay : 6

DRAM Static Read Disabled
Ai Clock Twister : lighter
Transaction Booster : Manual

Common Performance Level 8
concessions can be made after the rig is stable to tweak maximum performance.

**~~Grnfinger~~** · 12-03-2008, 05:14 PM

actually you could try this timing on your OCZ and see how it works out for you.

I have tested this for 45 mins and it passed prime blend and memtest, just a thought.

**~~Zucker2k~~** · 12-03-2008, 06:11 PM

Get this instead, it'll easily overclock past DDR2 1100; hell you could get two kits for that price. I'm about to pull the trigger for 4x2GB of this particular kit. I'm tired of being limited by ram. Look out for 4.3Ghz on my Q9550 when I get my dirty hands on them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231211

Edit: Hold on guys; looks like these are only good for 1:1 up to 960MHZ. I'll update if I find out anything else.

Edit: @ Grnfinger: what is the max frequency on 8800 PI?

**MJR** · 12-03-2008, 06:13 PM

So I tried with only 2 DIMMs and sure enough, it boots at 440 and 450 (although it crashes pretty quickly) which tells me the 8gb is definitely holding me back since I can't get a click over 435 with 8gb. To tell the truth, after looking at RAM prices I think I'll hold off for now. If I see a nice set on sale anytime soon I'll probably scoop it up, but there is no guarantee this board will take a divider at this speed with 8gb even if the RAM can do it. If anything, I might actually get just one set of good RAM for benching and playing with, but stick with my current setup for 24/7 use.

**MJR** · 12-03-2008, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Zucker2k

Get this instead, it'll easily overclock past DDR2 1100; hell you could get two kits for that price. I'm about to pull the trigger for 4x2GB of this particular kit. I'm tired of being limited by ram. Look out for 4.3Ghz on my Q9550 when I get my dirty hands on them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231211

You make a compelling argument. 4ghz with 8gb RAM, 24/7 stable and safe would be nice.

I didn't know if those sticks were worth it or not. Guess I'll have to wait and see what you do with them, although duplicating your results never is easy.

**t_ski** · 12-03-2008, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Grnfinger

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]

I'm not really trying to get the CPU to 500 MHz FSB, just the ram. If I run it at the right speed & divider, it puts the ram up to 500 FSB. I just want to get it stable there

Thanks for the info. Wife is out of town the next couple of days, so I will either tweak or put in the watercooling. Can't decide which yet

**adrenaline7879** · 12-03-2008, 06:26 PM

thanx grnfinger, cant wait to get my MFII

**t_ski** · 12-03-2008, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by 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.

Code:

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)

Hey MJR, did you mean set the FSB term v to 1.55v in the BIOS, or 1.55v actual? Seems my board is undervolting quite a bit on that (~.07v).

**~~Zucker2k~~** · 12-03-2008, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by MJR

You make a compelling argument. 4ghz with 8gb RAM, 24/7 stable and safe would be nice.

I didn't know if those sticks were worth it or not. Guess I'll have to wait and see what you do with them, although duplicating your results never is easy.

It's actually nothing, you gotta pay attention to how your chip is interacting with your mobo. Best thing is to have NB running cool. My NB never tops 40C under load even with 1.75v. The two crucial things, as far as the cpu is concerned, is vtt and gtl. CPUPLL is not as crucial as the other two. My stock cpupll is around 1.58v and I rarely get it any higher than. Sometimes, it is best to leave gtl on auto (I know I myself, am guilty of trying to set everything manually). I achieved this overclock with lowest volts all around... and gtl set to auto. You just have to pay attention to the behavior of your components as you push them...

8x450 (3.6Ghz)

All settings for the above overclock can be found here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...&postcount=964

**MJR** · 12-03-2008, 07:44 PM

I've known for a while that I need some better NB cooling. Right now I have an ANtec spot cool on the NB, but it can get a little out of hand when the fans are turned down. Honestly, I don' t know if my NB has EVER been as low as 40c. Do you have h20 on your NB? Maybe it's time I get a nb block for this thing.

**MJR** · 12-03-2008, 07:50 PM

dude! I just actually looked at your volts! That's just not right! You know ur only pouring salt on my wounds by showing me that...

**~~Zucker2k~~** · 12-03-2008, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by MJR

dude! I just actually looked at your volts! That's just not right! You know ur only pouring salt on my wounds by showing me that...

I know.... I also just run a quick test to see show these results can be duplicated... both chip and board are different, same ram. cpu volts are high, forgot to change them for this run.

Edit: OF COURSE, I"M RUNNING ON WATER!!!

**tiesum** · 12-03-2008, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by 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!

Bump

**~~Grnfinger~~** · 12-04-2008, 03:48 AM

Originally Posted by Zucker2k

Get this instead, it'll easily overclock past DDR2 1100; hell you could get two kits for that price. I'm about to pull the trigger for 4x2GB of this particular kit. I'm tired of being limited by ram. Look out for 4.3Ghz on my Q9550 when I get my dirty hands on them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231211

Edit: Hold on guys; looks like these are only good for 1:1 up to 960MHZ. I'll update if I find out anything else.

Edit: @ Grnfinger: what is the max frequency on 8800 PI?

Max is 1147MHz @ 1.9 volts, I can squeeze alittle more if I up the volts to 2.0
There not a bad kit for the money just wont do 1200MHz

**~~Zucker2k~~** · 12-04-2008, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by Grnfinger

Max is 1147MHz @ 1.9 volts, I can squeeze alittle more if I up the volts to 2.0
There not a bad kit for the money just wont do 1200MHz

The binning on that series is very tight indeed; my 8500s can do that. Anyway, I got 2 kits of the 7200s 4-4-4-12 coming. I'm excited, maybe I can get dd2 1066 cas 4; that'll be awesome.

**~~Grnfinger~~** · 12-04-2008, 09:53 AM

There the rejects IC's from the 9600 series, I like them cause they run at 1.9volts for 1132MHz. Not a stellar kit for sure and no records will be set using them
My Dominators are still the best

**MJR** · 12-04-2008, 12:24 PM

I think I'll get my NB under H2o before I get new memory. After a little research, i see the EK s-max is the way to go.

However, I'm still considering new memory. What's the real difference between the
8500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231184
8800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231194
and the 7200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231211 ?

Also, what about any of the Crucial Ballistix or Tracer 2x2 kits?

**Allubz** · 12-04-2008, 01:23 PM

Probably posted (a few times) already, but here's a RAM list with the chips on them if you're planning on upgrading:
http://ramlist.i4memory.com/ddr2/

I know the list isn't complete so make sure you Google your thing before you buy it. You're looking to buy the Micron D9GKX chips if possible.

**MJR** · 12-04-2008, 04:16 PM

does that list apply to 2gb sticks?

**t_ski** · 12-04-2008, 07:21 PM

I am just not having any kind of luck with these sticks. Both MJR and Grnfinger's settingsdid me no good. Now I am seriously doubting these sticks, but I also have doubt about the NB. As Zucker2k said, NB needs to be cool. Mine usually runs about 54C when the voltage is pushed to it. Right now at stock with all fans on high (1.34V) it's still over 43C w/stock cooling. I want to put the S-Max and EK Supreme back in sooooooo bad...

**w0lla** · 12-04-2008, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by MJR

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

I tried to loosen them again, it got a bit better. I guess my 4870x2 pushes the temps up :S

I noticed one more weird thing, I got my NB set at 1.45v in bios, checking it in windows (via everest) it fluctuates between 1.39/.42/.46/1.49v (idle), its jumping between those values constantly. While intelburning or prime:ing it usually is steady 1.47v. Is this normal?

**MJR** · 12-05-2008, 08:45 AM

I got an EK nb s-max on the way. It'll be interesting to to see how much difference this makes with my current hardware. IF it doesn't help my RAM overclocking, I'll definitely be investing in some new sticks.

**~~Zucker2k~~** · 12-06-2008, 05:54 AM

I got the F2-7200CL4 PIs, all 8GBs of tightly binned ics. Anyway, I have them running at 1:1 @ 942Mhz 4-4-3-12, 2.18v PL7; 5-5-5-15 is good up to 1060 and no more. The bandwidth is good however, I'll post screenies later. Here is a little something for you guys with the quads...

#25 on the world record database for Q9550,

http://en.ripping.org/database.php?cpuid=634