Overclock 3%, 5%, 8%, 10% on an x2 4200

[Qballbandit]

Hi,
I know that there are some oc'ing options on my x2 4200+/A8N5X system.
One called "Manual", with abvious meaning,
One called "AI Overclock", giving me options to load set profiles of 3%, 5%, 8%, and 10% overclock,
And one called "AI N.O.S." which apparently boosts performance when the system needs it.

The "AI" overclock I tried, and set it to 3%, which I belive raised it from 200 to 206mhz. My question, which is not explained in the mobo manual is, do I need to change memory timings, memory voltage, Hyper Transport Freq, CPU voltage, and Multiplier settings too? Or does the "AI" overclock profiles handle all that for you using these profiles????

Anyone with similar system or broader knowledge please chime in, as no matter how much info on oc'ing I read, I walk away more confused because of the plethora of settings involved. :P Just one of those things that just don't sink in for me...

Thanks,
Neil :7

[noell]

It is my understanding that the ASUS "AI" overclocking feature will adjust all parameters as required.

Having said that, I could not get a stable overclock of my Athlon 4000+ at the 10% AI setting. However, by setting things manually (and later adding liquid cooling), I was able to apply a 25% overclock with rock solid stability.

From what I have read about the dual-core 4200, it seems to be a pretty decent overclocker. You should be able to get at least a 20% OC (about 2.7GHZ) on air and get to about 3GHz on liquid.

To help sort out the "OC puzzle", there were two websites that did it for me. The first one explains the terms and walks you through a typical overclocking session. Its at:
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha...es/a64ochowto/

This next one is a spreadsheet that allows you to plug in the various numbers to see how they interact. Its at:
http://math.gogar.com/a64ocbrowser.html

Watch those temps!



....Noell

AMD Athlon 4000+ (San Diego) @ 2750MHz
CoolerMaster 'Aquagate 120' Liquid Cooling
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2GB Corsair TwinX2048-3500LLPro @ DDR500 (2.5-3-3-6&1T)
BFG 7900GTX OC (512MB) @ 670/1640MHz (Driver: XG92.91)
2 X 36GB WD Raptor (RAID 0)
74GB WD Raptor
120GB WD Caviar
SB Audigy Gamer
OCZ GameXStream 700W
Antec P180B case

[Qballbandit]

Noell,
This is fantastic. Thank you for your reply! I will dive into this stuff tomorow for sure.

Take care,
Neil :7

[noell]

Great! One more comment - the AI overclocking feature will only go to a 10% overclock and 10% is not be enough of an increase to give you anything meaningful in the way of a performance boost. To put it another way, if you want to get higher performance from your processor you will have to forget about AI overclcocking and do it manually.



.....Noell

[Qballbandit]

Thank you Noell,
I am really going to try to comprehend how to do it manually, though I have one question about my stock, or 3% overclock i have it set on currently through the AI setting. My memory, Corsair XMS pc3200 is running at 3-3-3-8 currently. Would you suggest that I relax the setting at all at this stage? And what would you change them to? I know on my old XP3000, because it was underclocking at stock, I changed to 2.5-3-3-6 by suggestion, and I noticed a nice difference. I just never know ( i still have to visit your post above) how to determine how much to change the timings...I feel so dumb, and it it's killing me, because i'm not!! :P

I will let you know how a get on after reading your link.

Again thanks for your time and generosity!
Neil :7

[noell]

You don't need to change the RAM timings if things are running OK. A defacto test is to run a program called Super PI (http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=36).

What you need to do is work through the overclocking session in the link I provided. What you do is work on one thing at a time. First lower the RAM speed and then concentrate on getting a stable CPU overclock. With that out of the way, start playing with the RAM clock speed, timings and voltage (Vdimm) if necessary. Overclocking is a slow, tedious process. Go in small increments and only change one thing at time running Super Pi after every change to see if things are stable.

Another suggestion - if you don't already have a program called CPUZ, make sure you get it as it is an invaluable tool when overclocking. You can get it here:
http://www.softpedia.com/progDownloa...load-6980.html

And another MUST have program is one to monitor your CPU temperatures.
Your ASUS mobo CD should have ASUS Probe on it.


....Noell

[Qballbandit]

The only thing I don't have is Super Pi which I will go grab.
I have been reading through the meat of that link, and it may be sinking in slowly. The example of boosting cpu to 240, and dropping mem to 166 (6:5 for 200mhz) put it into a workable equation which I understand. We'll have some fun. I am well aware of the fact that it's the voltage and temp that are the key things to keep an eye on when experimenting, as they are the danger devils!
I'm getting excited about this stuff now!!!!

Thanks you Noell,
Neil :7