dfi nf4 lp: How to set your voltages RIGHT (w/ working C'n'Q *and* best overclock)

[flexy]

UPDATED 3/6
UPDATE 6/15:
UPDATE 7/11

7/11
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I found out (after months and months of using rmclock that my A64 is NOT stable if rmclock clocks down to 4xHTT. Solution is to set the minimum HTT to 5x. Voltage should be total to about 1.20V if you downclock to about 1200/1300mhz.
This may depend on what HTT you use. Right now use 260.
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IMPORTANT !!! IMPORTANT !!!

If you use Cool'n'Quiet and NOT a 3rd party tool like CPU rightmark:

CnQ always uses between 1V VCore voltage (for idle) and 1.40 VCore (for max), it uses the default CPU voltages !

THEREFORE if you use your bios settings,
eg. "CPU Special Control" = VID * 123% with CnQ your max. voltage (VCore)
*WILL* be 1.40 * 123% ~~ 1.7V which is WAY TOO HIGH in many cases and causes crashes or instability.

The "Special control" you set in bios is *always* added to the normal VCore voltage later.

A64 CPUs do usually NOT like high voltages, try to keep the total UNDER 1.60

If you use the original CnQ you HAVE to adjust your BIOS "Special Vid Control" this way that 1.40V + "SPECIAL VID CTRL" equals your desired VCore. Use "CPU Special Ctrl" values BELOW *123% !!

--> IF YOU USE a 3rd party tool like rightmark cpuclock:
rightmark takes over control of all this because in rightmark you can specify your min/max voltages for the CPU. This will have priority over ALL other tools
you have running incl. CnQ.

The "philosophy" behind rightmark/CnQ is basically *dynamic* adjustment of the HTT (multi) AND the VCore. AMD designed their A64 CPUs with this in mind.

END IMPORTANT INFO
************************************************** *

just a very quick and dirty guide.

In the bios:

Set
CPU VID Startup --> 1.400V
Set CPU VID --> AUTO
Set CPU VID Special Control to +112%


For *my* system (winnie 3500+) this prove to be the best and most stable voltage for overclocking - higher does NOT do any good, actually over 1.6V gets more instable. (Contrary to the oldschool thought of "more voltage=better overclock")

UPDATE:
In the section where you specify "MIN FID" and "MAX FID" (which actually is the CPU multi) you have to enter your OWN multi as MAX FID and not the default one. The default assumes you running 200HTT but you probably wont since you are a overclocker So: If you run 9x300 etc. use "MAX FID" == 9 !
These two values specify the multi CnQ clocks your CPU down when idle and clocks it up again under load.

-->
The "CPU VID" --> AUTO is a key to a working Cool'n'Quiet.

You have to set "CPU VID" to AUTO so you can change the voltages (CPU VID) on the fly in windows, eg. w/ various tools like clockgen, cool'n'quiet or tools like rightmark cpu clock.

(If its NOT on AUTO you can NOT set your CPU voltage at run-time, its stuck at what its set in bios + the special control.)


Also....Cool'n'Quiet AND overclocking work PERFECTLY together and i did NOT see any negative side-effects of C'n'Q in regards to my overclock !


I installed rightmark cpu clock utlity (which was quite a biatch to get it run and dont ask me how i got it to run all of a sudden)....but anyway i now can activate "automatic management" and my A64 clocks down to 1156Mhz at 0.800 (+VID SPC CTRL in bios), which makes roughly 0.90V which is "cool", no pun intended when idle.

(You can reach similiar results with Cool'n'Quiet, just not that much control over it)

I can leave at automatic - or for gaming and benching just set to "maximal" and it clocks up at 2601mhz 1.400+112%, about 1.57V which is my sweet spot for my CPU.

I never understood people claiming that C'n'Q must be turned off for overclocking - its just not true btw.

[i found nemo]

C'nQ can be enabled, just don't d/l the driver for it right?

[flexy]

C'nQ can be enabled, just don't d/l the driver for it right?

i/dl the driver and enabled CnQ - all works fine. But i override my CnQ anyway since i use rightmark clock.

[j3lly]

ah,so its the wrong method of voltage setting is the reason why some people have problems with C'n'Q while overclocked btw flexy,have you tried ram dividers and increasing the HTT to find out your max OC?

[OjorisO]

Nice info Thanks

[arctic-k20]

my system still hangs at the loading windows xp screen....if i disable cnq then it loads in fine.....

tried cpu vid = auto
startup vid = 1.425

hmmm

[mouawad]

nice info there flexy.

might be able to get away with 1 fan running on my rad overnight and get it even quieter.

[mongoled]

If i didnt set

CPU VID Startup == Set CPU VID,

then overclocking was a no-go!! My chip does 2.7ghz 24/7 with MSI Neo2, got the DFI and coulnt get passed 2.3ghz, after a few frustrating hrs I tried setting them to be equel to each other and CPU booted fine to its 'normal' setting (2.7ghz).

No idea why

mong

[arctic-k20]

mongoled: so did you get cnq to work? or are did you just disable cnq all together?

[Ailleur]

Didnt really work for me either
Set startup to 1.3 set cpu vid to auto, multiplier to 1.23, both c'n'q setting to auto.

After a reboot, the voltage was said to be 1.6, which is okay. But it wouldnt get to the os loading part, it would hang before the dmi pool part.

I tried setting the startup to 1.4 and then the voltage given by the bios was 1.7 (1.4x1.23) So i guess the multiplier affects any voltage going to the cpu.

[flexy]

ah,so its the wrong method of voltage setting is the reason why some people have problems with C'n'Q while overclocked btw flexy,have you tried ram dividers and increasing the HTT to find out your max OC?

EXCESSIVELY

I dont think that incr. memory HTT (then increased timings and higher latency) and divider would do anything..

[arctic-k20]

it would be sweet if i could get this working - be able to turn the fans right down but i dont think the cpu is getting enough juice during boot up - hence the hang at the xp screen...

[flexy]

let me see...AFAIK the C'n'Q should only kick in while in Windows, and according to AMD the minimum voltage for the CPU (down at 5x 200 (standard HTT) multi by CnQ is 1V).

So...as long as you have a normal voltage setting in bios (say anything from 1.3 to 1.65 total voltage including with what "special control" is set to....i really dont understand why people have problems doing this.

Are you maybe using an older bios where (maybe) CnQ doesnt work right ?

Btw. i am using the 310p bios.

I mean i just can tell you guys what i have running and i never had probs with CnQ. Had some probs with rightmark cpu clock (which basically does what CnQ does on top of it but rmclock goes down to 4x multi and 0.8V).

===========>>>>

BTW you people with problems, what settings do you have in bios where it says "MIN CPU FID" and "MAX CPU FID" ????????


This is important - since thats wherte you specify how far CnQ clocks down and what the MAX is if it clocks up again.

You need the RIGHT values in there of course.

Eg. i am running 9x989 so the "MAX FID" *has to be* NINE (9)- if you leave it at whatever value there is in CnQ will clock your CPU too high !!

There might be default values in there because the system assumes HTT==200, so default MAX FID might be 10 or 11 or whatever....but you are overclocking your HTT so you have to use the RIGHT value !

[arctic-k20]

haha - thank you for pointing out the obvious to me - i cant believe i missed that

as soon as i set the max fid to 9 - its working - and well too

thanks flexy for help !!!!!!!!!

[arctic-k20]

the only downside with cnq is you are capped off @ 1.648vcore and my cpu @ 2700mhz needs 1.680 to be stable......

other than that it worked great

[cantankerous]

yea same here. I need bios to read 1.67 to be stable.

[mongoled]

mongoled: so did you get cnq to work? or are did you just disable cnq all together?

Nope wouldnt work just locks up when booting

[drewski]

isn't Winnie 3500+ default voltage 1.4v? so +23% = 1.72v? as Ailleur mentions?

i'm not criticizing. just wondering what you needed to get up to 2.6GHz. i'm @ 1.6v && 2.565 (285 * 9) and have tried 1.65v and it wasn't enough to get me to 2.6 (anything about 287FSB isn't stable).

i might try 1.7, but just to see, not long term, unless i go H2O cooling or something!

[docah]

I just wanted to post up that this works great for me. My APC ups has an led indicator and the power draw actaully does drop a notch with this working. Good stuff!

[flexy]

isn't Winnie 3500+ default voltage 1.4v? so +23% = 1.72v? as Ailleur mentions?

i'm not criticizing. just wondering what you needed to get up to 2.6GHz. i'm @ 1.6v && 2.565 (285 * 9) and have tried 1.65v and it wasn't enough to get me to 2.6 (anything about 287FSB isn't stable).

i might try 1.7, but just to see, not long term, unless i go H2O cooling or something!

i think i replied to this over at dfi-street already

sweet spot for me is 1.6V, so i set 1.300V startup PLUS *123% special control == 1.5999 Volts

could also be your mem btw...maybe you have to fine tune your memory settings to go over 287

[drewski]

i think i replied to this over at dfi-street already

sweet spot for me is 1.6V, so i set 1.300V startup PLUS *123% special control == 1.5999 Volts

could also be your mem btw...maybe you have to fine tune your memory settings to go over 287

yeah, you did, thanks!

also, on the mem holding back the OC thing, the instability is with a mega low mem multiplier to see how far i could push the CPU.

[flexy]

made an important update

[[timko]]

I've been using the RightMark app instead and was wondering is there a way to increase the max vid that it supports? It's not a major deal but it would be nice to not have my CPU limited to the max overclock available with 1.45v when at 100% load

[ReelMonza]

New RMClock 1.6 !


New P-States Transitions management with user-definable P-States table feature.

New unified PST/ODCM management scheme (when both PST and ODCM are used).

Single set of profiles for PST, ODCM and PST+ODCM management schemes.

Added optional OS load-based management (a workaround for Intel Centrino platform).

Removed "Run HLT command when OS is idle"

Fixed restoring of Advanced CPU settings upon resume from Standby/Hibernate modes.

Added more configuration options for AMD K7 CPU family.

Added power management-related chipset configuration options for Intel Centrino platform (i855/i915M series).

Added FID/VID transition stabilization time setting for Intel Pentium 4 and Pentium M processors.

Fixed Transmeta LongRun Table Interface info.

Added independent AC and Battery settings for Transmeta processors.

CPU Load and Throttled Clock are now reported as "N/A" when CPU does not support necessary features.

Added logging period limiting and log file "rotating" (when max logging period elapses and at the program startup).

Added command-line parameters support (CPU info dump, profile change and exit commands).

[flexy]

I've been using the RightMark app instead and was wondering is there a way to increase the max vid that it supports? It's not a major deal but it would be nice to not have my CPU limited to the max overclock available with 1.45v when at 100% load

no, this is so not right.

the max available VID in rmark is 1.450, but this is only the base where the "CPU VID Special Control" from bios will always be added onto !

So..if you set "VID Special Ctrl" in BIOS at *123% and you use 1.325 max. VID in rmark it gives you ROUGHLY 1.6V total VCore.

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MAKE SURE you use a tool like mbm (with the RIGHT settings) or ITEmonitor or speedfan where you can check the voltages in real time too.