Official GIGABYTE Forum
Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with AMD processors => Topic started by: wanner on August 10, 2010, 10:03:00 am
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I have an X4 945 processor which has locked multipliers .My memories are rated at 1600MHz.
What if I overclock the CPU by increasing the FSB. By doing this I will also increase the speed of the memory. Does this mean that I should underclock the memories in order to not exceed 1333MHz?
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Hi,
good question and one I had to double check with my own system before replying to.
If you set your RAM to 1333 Mhz (which I would strongly recommend you to do) when you increase the CPU Multiplier to overclock the CPU the RAM will stay at 1333 Mhz. I think this is because the Memory Controller is now part of the CPU, not part of the Motherboard Northbridge. The extra headroom that the 1600 Mhz RAM gives you when downclocked to 1333 Mhz gives you more room to manoeuvre with the overall increased speed of the CPU.
If you are going to overclock your CPU remember to make sure you have a good heatsink and be careful to monitor temperatures as they can get rather high. Also don't forget to take into account that AMD & Gigabyte do not officially support Overclocking and doing so can void your warranty.
Hope this helps.
UPDATE:
Just digging into this a little more I came across this thread at Overclockers. http://overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=642099
Although the guy is using an X6 CPU if you look at the first picture you'll see he has got 4 Ghz with the RAM set at 1333 Mhz. The same would apply to all of the Phenom ii CPU's
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Hi,
good question and one I had to double check with my own system before replying to.
If you set your RAM to 1333 Mhz (which I would strongly recommend you to do) when you increase the CPU Multiplier to overclock the CPU the RAM will stay at 1333 Mhz. I think this is because the Memory Controller is now part of the CPU, not part of the Motherboard Northbridge. The extra headroom that the 1600 Mhz RAM gives you when downclocked to 1333 Mhz gives you more room to manoeuvre with the overall increased speed of the CPU.
If you are going to overclock your CPU remember to make sure you have a good heatsink and be careful to monitor temperatures as they can get rather high. Also don't forget to take into account that AMD & Gigabyte do not officially support Overclocking and doing so can void your warranty.
Hope this helps.
UPDATE:
Just digging into this a little more I came across this thread at Overclockers. http://overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=642099
Although the guy is using an X6 CPU if you look at the first picture you'll see he has got 4 Ghz with the RAM set at 1333 Mhz. The same would apply to all of the Phenom ii CPU's
From the pictures it looks as he has left the FSB@200MHz and increased the multiplier. If you change the HT Ref Clock you will increase the speed of the memory as well?
I tried increasing the HT Ref Clock from 200MHz to 220MHz and here are the results.
(http://i37.tinypic.com/wcjneh.png)
Before OC the memories ran at 666.7 * 2 = 1333.4 MHz
After the OC they ran at 733.4 * 2 = 1466.8 MHz
So it does indeed seem that the speed has changed?
Please correct me if Im wrong.
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Yes, if you increase the speed of the HT link then the RAM speed will increase. But as your RAM is rated at 1600 Mhz you are still below the threshold of 1600 Mhz that I was alluding to which is why I said to downclock to 1333 Mhz.
The only problem that I envisage with bumping up the HT Link is that the system could become unstable due to the limits of the Memory Controller and the increased speed of the RAM. Normally, increasing voltage could help with system instability but, I would be very wary of doing this.
If you leave everything at default and just increase the CPU multiplier you gain from the increased speed of the CPU without running too much of a risk of damaging the Memory Controller.
As they say: "You pays your money, you take your choice."
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If you leave everything at default and just increase the CPU multiplier you gain from the increased speed of the CPU without running too much of a risk of damaging the Memory Controller.
Phenom II X4 945 has a locked multiplier which means it cant be increased over 15.
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Sorry, my bad and you are right.
but as I said earlier, even when you increase the HT Link your RAM is still running below 1600 Mhz and, as long as your system is stable, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The other option would be to drop the RAM to 1066 Mhz and see if you can gain more from the CPU as this should keep the RAM to nearer the 1333 Mhz and might be a safer choice.
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Sorry, my bad and you are right.
but as I said earlier, even when you increase the HT Link your RAM is still running below 1600 Mhz and, as long as your system is stable, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The other option would be to drop the RAM to 1066 Mhz and see if you can gain more from the CPU as this should keep the RAM to nearer the 1333 Mhz and might be a safer choice.
I have thought about that aswell. Dropping it to 1066 MHz instead. I havent OCd yet and i am not sure i will but I will keep all this in mind if I choose to. Thanks for all your research and help (applaud)!
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No problem and the issues concern me and the system I am running as well.
When/if you have a go at overclocking don't forget to let us know how you get on and post your results in the overclocking section of the forum. And, of course, if you encounter any hiccups feel free to contact me. :D
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No problem and the issues concern me and the system I am running as well.
When/if you have a go at overclocking don't forget to let us know how you get on and post your results in the overclocking section of the forum. And, of course, if you encounter any hiccups feel free to contact me. :D
I sold my 945 today, and ordered a 955 BE instead. Now if/when i overclock i can just increase the multiplier ;).
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Good move but don't forget, the same rules will still apply even with an unlocked multiplier. It's just that, with the unlocked multiplier, it is much easier to increase the speed of the CPU without affecting the speed of the RAM.
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Good move but don't forget, the same rules will still apply even with an unlocked multiplier. It's just that, with the unlocked multiplier, it is much easier to increase the speed of the CPU without affecting the speed of the RAM.
I thought so, felt kinda stupid since i bought the 945 just three weeks ago, lost some money became an experience richer :).
My plan is to OC by increasing the multiplier. However I think its a shame I wont be able to run my memories@1600MHz as they are intended too.
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Yes, I feel exactly the same about that and in some ways I also feel that I have been cheated by AMD as they haven't made the situation very clear. Hence my research and this thread, as I think people should know the reality rather than the hype.
You may find that your new CPU will run OK with your RAM at 1600 Mhz and without issue, my 1090T does but I have actually pulled it back to 1333 Mhz especially after discovering that, in some cases, your system can appear to be OK only for the Memory Controllers to give up the ghost without warning.
And, to be totally honest, upping the speed of the CPU and keeping the RAM at 1333 Mhz will actually give you better overall performance.
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Here are a couple of AMD links that you might find useful:
Check here for Athlon ii CPU's: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/processors/athlon-ii-x2/Pages/AMD-athlon-ii-x2-processor-model-numbers-feature-comparison.aspx
Check here for Phenom ii CPU's: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/processors/phenom-ii/Pages/phenom-ii-model-number-comparison.aspx
You have to go down to near the bottom of the page to find the Memory Support specs.
From this info, when running a Phenom ii the officially supported speeds are: 1066 Mhz if you are using DDR2 & 1333 Mhz with DDR3.
With an Athlon X2 CPU the official speed is 1066 Mhz with DDR2 or DDR3.
If you are running an Athlon X3 or X4 the official speeds are: 1066 Mhz DDR2 or 1333 Mhz DDR3.
Just to re-state my earlier comment, as I have had a couple of PM's about this, the official RAM speed limitation has been set by AMD and is not due to Gigabyte or the BIOS.
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Ok first off I must apologise for making a basic mistake when talking about Dual Channel/Single Channel and Ganged/Unganged Mode. In my attempts to make things easily understood I actually mixed my terminology and would like to clarify my error.
Gangedl Mode and Unganged Mode are not the same as Single Channel or Dual Channel configuration.
The Ganged/Unganged mode refers to how the RAM Modules actually talk to the Memory Controller(s) on the CPU.
Single or Dual channel configuration refers to how the RAM is installed in the memory slots on the motherboard. With one stick of RAM you are using single channel mode. With two sticks of RAM you can run in either Single or Dual Channel mode depending on how you fill the Memory Slots on the motherboard. If you use three or four sticks of RAM you will be running in Dual channel mode.
On the majority of Gigabyte's AMD Boards there are two channels, each of which address one of the two memory controllers on the AM3 CPU. Channel 0 normally equals the Memory slots on the motherboard identified as DDR3_1 & DDR3_3 whilst Channel 1 normally refers to DDR3_2 & DDR3_4.
If, for example you have two sticks of RAM and you put them into slots DDR3_1 & DDR3_2 you are running in Dual Channel Mode, each stick of RAM talks to its own Memory Controller. If you put the RAM into slots DDR3_1 & DDR3_3 you would be running in single channel mode, where both sticks of RAM are only talking to one of the Memory Controllers. (You would need to double check with your motherboard's own manual for correct Memory Slot Channel configuration)
Ganged Mode is where you utilize both Memory Controllers on the CPU as a single unit giving you a single 128 bit channel. (You may not be able to run RAM faster than 1333Mhz in this mode. I haven't been able to with either the X4 965 or the X6 1090T.)
Unganged Mode is where each of the Memory Controllers on the CPU work independently and equals 2X64 bit Channels. (I can run my RAM at 1600 Mhz only in this mode)
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Thats great to know.
Especially since I've built 3 PC's using the Althon X2 processor.
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Thanks absic :)
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dont for get the phenom ii will still run on CORSAIR DDR2 XMAS2-6400 800mhz CL4 ram at 555 18 dual channels /unganged
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Thanks for all the work you did here, wouldn't have known a thing about the memory needing to be at 1333 Mhz, had mine at 1600 Mhz (for a short while) on a GA-890GPA-UD3H Rev. 2.0 with a Phenom II X4 955. Changed it to 1333 Mhz to be on the safe side and cranked the 955 up a bit to 3.8, works like a dream at the moment.
Cheers.
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Yes it was a very important bit of work and meticulously doicumented and thankfully it will stop a lot of disasters for people who wouldn't have known any different.
Maybe he's not as bad as I make out sometimes ;)
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hi all- first post here..
um- i was not clear on this part.. not sure if its saying its best to run mem at all times in single channel un ganged- no matter if trying to run up to or above 1333-
" AMD recommend running RAM in Unganged (Single channel) mode.
From my own testing, RAM above 1333 Mhz can be extremely fussy if you insist on trying to run in Ganged (Dual channel) Mode and will often return an Overclock warning at start-up and revert to 1333 Mhz., by default. In most modern mult-threaded applications there is actually no loss in performance when running in Unganged Mode and, in some instances, Unganged mode is actually superior. "
to read this- i sounds like its best to run single channel un ganged if you plan to run your memory over 1333- being we cant run our memory over 1333 with out possible damage to the memory controller- well i have no plans to run it over 1333.. i guess my question is- running memory at no higher than 1333- would single or duel channel and or ganged- un ganged be best.. should i just assume single channel un ganged is best no matter what my memory speed is? being a fps type gamer- i need to know these things- i had always thought duel channel is best for gaming- but ive never used a am3 either..
** im getting ready to buy and build 2 GA-890GPA-UD3H and a Phenom II X6 1055T for my bud and i- well he is buying. memory is my snag right now. i was thinking id buy 1600 memory. after reading this i still might and just drop it back to 1333 and try to up the multiplier a lil- id be happy at 3.2 to 3.4gigs on the cpu and if i can do it and not up any voltages id be even more happy. i will not oc my buds system. i do not know how to oc.. i was going to get a msi or asus mobo because of oc tools built in.. but for the newer chip sets they all lack older legacy support and all my ide opt drives and sata 3gig hdd would be useless..
i plan to run our nvidia video cards 1 each system- he has a nv 9800gt mine is sig below- but soon i hope to get a 4700. i never plan to run sli or cf but might think about a added vid card for physics.. no disrespect but i have no plans to ever run ati vid cards- i think its less problems with nvidia.. but i cant get a sli mobo with features i want.. and again. i have no plans to sli.. its just mobos with multi pcie vid card slots generally have better caps and cooling etc on them. most of the mobos with out extra slots have less power phases and maybe no cooler etc. im a fps type gamer and make in game videos and post on line- convert cds and general surfing-- my bud is just a general user- office type stuff and weather info and mostly flash weather maps etc.. gees trying to find 6gig sata drives and under 100 bucks and under 640gigs with good ratings is like pulling teeth- i do not plan to run raid. i think 320gig main drive is to much.. but i could live with that.. will not take forever to scan or defrag- and id never fill it up and maybe lose all info on it if it breaks.. selection sucks its maybe 10- 6gig sata drives on earth- its still 5 million sata 3gig drives..
i have been reading everything all week.. but this post on memory and the controllers on the cpu's has really helped me a lot- and is first ive seen on the topic.. Congrats to you guys for putting this together.. now i need to figure out what would be best 2 stix 4gig and 8gig kits would be- brand etc. the list from the mobo site page is out dated and has no info for any 4 or 8 gig kits- well 1 kingston i think.. but id like to get the most low cl and voltage i can- best i read id want 1.5v some mem is 1.65 or so. im not sure if that is put on the controller or not or what its limits are-- like i read you should never push cpu voltages past a certain limit etc.. should i assume i should not buy memory that is stated to run at over 1.5v. i plan to run 4gig in my buds system and 8gigs in mine.
and i see 1600 memory at say 8-8-8-18 or 8-8-8-24- which would my mobo and cpu above generally like best- 18 or 24? any way.. i plan to start a thread about this build.. sorry i went on and on and cant type etc either..
gigabyte has the older legacy support i need- so i guess you folks will get our cash.. we will buy 2 of these asus monitors in the next week or so.. maybe buy all of the hardware at that time- im not sure yet.. but i plan to carry over as much stuff as i can.. oh ya i plan to go with w7 upgrade- we have had it a year or so now- i plan to install it for the new builds.. and being i will use our thermalright si128's i will have to change the cpu cooler braket you guys have on the mobo- yours is the older type with only 1 catch on each side- i need 1 with 3 catches on each side.. but they come with the coolers- i might have to buy 1 tho..>
Asus ML238H 23" 1920 x 1080 2ms Full HD Swivel and Tilt adjustable LEDBacklight LCD Monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 10,000,000 :1
thanks again for you guys work on this topic.. im sure it will help lots of folks..
see ya..
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sorry to go on and on, but id like to add.
i seen in the other post that sent me here.. the fella at first did not run memtest86, then it seemed like he ran it out of spite. i think he said he ran it 2 pass'
it should be made clear that is just wrong. and should not be recommended. i know from my own stress testing. it is a standard by which i have always read and gone by my self.. i understand folks might be in a hurry when testing and trying to post for such things like these info purpose threads.
i have always read and tested like this.. you are supposed to run memtest86 24 hours if all is good, fine. if not good reset things and try again, but should pass for 24 hours.. after booted into windows and drivers etc installed, you should run prime95 for 24 hours. what i do to get 100% cpu is run cpu burn in at the same time. it should run for 24 hours with out fail.. if all is good after say 40 minutes, and if all my security etc is installed, i might surf the net while stressing in the back ground.
i know from my own stress testing and reading from others.. memtest if not fail in first pass or 2, most likely will fail in pass 4 or pass 7. most every 1 know will run memtest if in a hurry, no less than say 8 to 10 passes.. also a few times ive had prime fail after about 7 hours for some reason.. i make changes and test again. i let tests run while i sleep what ever. say i am in a hurry for some reason and only run memtest for 8 passes, and prime for say 10 hours.. i will later come back and run the tests for another 15 on up to 24 hours each. you pretty much know for sure you are safe.. 2 pass' and let it go should never be recommended- ever.
id say bare minimums should be, memtest86 10 pass' and 10 hours of prime95. i have had prime fail at like 13 hours.. again if in a hurry, id run tests more later, just to feel safe. especially if this is a new build, you want to try and break it, so if it does break, its more easy to return to the store in first 30 days versus the manufacturer after 30 days, or normally any way.. so if it stress' for 24 hours, it should run forever.. and normally the cpu etc will never run at 100% again.
if im just doing a mem upgrade, after memtest and in windows, i run prime and cpu burn in, but might end cpu burn in after 6 or 8 hours and just keep prime running in the back ground.. im not sure if you can run multi instances of prime at 1x, but all my abit systems have ran great for me.. im sad they abit is no more.. im looking for a new mobo home..
any way.. we need our stuff to last-- i know i do not have money to burn or waste.. and its other folks who know no better.. you should not short folks on proper stress test practices, and being you put so much effort into your thread about memory and over clocking etc.. its not done until its stress tested.. by all ive ever read, you should stress in memtest for 24 hours and stress in windows for 24 hours..
1 more note: you can stress 24- 48 hours all is good, then run maybe 3dmark graphics tests and fail. then you have to figure out if it is mem or cpu or vid card or psu or heat etc, maybe have to start all your tests all over again.. ha ha.
some say stress for 24 hours total.. i normally test 30 or so. i split it 15 or so hours for memtest and then 15 for prime/ cpu burn in combo.. i feel pretty safe.. 2 pass is nothing.. please help folks to understand, its not done until they have stress tested for said 24 hours.. thanks..
you folks take care.. see ya..
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Well thanks for your input and views. You raise some very good points there and it would be good if some people would listen. So many people can't be bothered to test thoroughly and as you noticed sometimes we have trouble even getting them to test at all. ::)
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true..
it cant hurt to press the value of stress testing. even if it has to be added to a sig or banner or something.. it benefits us all in the end, to know we cant break our gear, and it should last..
cant wait to get my new monitor. my 19" viewsonic died. im on my back up.. well- i cant wait to build these new systems and get me a 4700.. i need some high res gaming. ha ha..
take care :)
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Hi Absic,
I just took the time to register on this forum to say thank you very much.
I just built a system with a GA-890GPA-UD3H (Rev 2.1) with a Phenom II X4 965 BE and Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz HyperX Memory. I was aware that with this RAM you had to set your mobo's BIOS settings to run it at 1600mhz otherwise it would run at 1333mhz. So I thought i was being very clever by setting it to run at 1600Mhz and I then went merrily along installing windows etc. The result: random BSODs and freezes running anything in windows, from installing programs to games. In games I couldn't do anything for more than a few seconds without a BSOD. Ran Memtest86+ which actually itself froze after 3 or 4 minutes. Stripped system to barebones, switched out components with another PC... ended up with nothing but a severe headache and a load of stress.
Thank god I came on this forum and read your post. I set my mobo BIOS back to defaults and it put all the RAM settings back to default (1333Mhz). Now my system appears to be completely stable, just played Battlefield Bad Company 2 for 2 hours without a suggestion of a problem. Before it quite often wouldnt even load a map without a BSOD.
So again, you have my sincere thanks.
All the best
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Hi!
I´m new on this forum. I´ve just bought a GA-890GPA-UD3H (Rev 2.1) with a Phenom II X6 1090T, and I´m in trouble choosing RAM. My idea was to buy G. SKILL FLARE [ FL] F3-16000CL9D-8GBFL (4Gx2) (which are for Phenom II x6 only), but it seems that they are discontinued or something.
Other options are:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model F3-16000CL9D-8GBRM
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A2000C9
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory with Airflow Fan Model CMT8GX3M2A2000C9
Any advice? Considering compatibility & stability which is the best option??
If anyone knows where I can buy the G. SKILL FLARE model please tell me...
Referred to the topic, G.Skill guarantees 2 Dimms dual channel operation would reach DDR3-1800 (PC3 14400) with this specification:
(link to g.skill web http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=275)
Main Board AMD ( For Phenom II x6 only )
System Desktop
System Type DDR3
M/B Chipset AMD 790/890 Series
CAS Latency 6-8-6-24-2N
Capacity 4GB(2GB x 2)
Speed DDR3-1800 (PC3 14400)
Test Voltage 1.65 Volts
...And this is Qualified Motherboards List
ASUS M4A89GTD PRO
ASUS M4A89TD PRO
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe
ASUS M4A78T-E
ASUS Crosshair IV Extreme
GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD7
GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5
GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H
GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H
GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3
GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P
GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P
Acording to this they have tested their RAM at this speed, or am I wrong?
Thanks in advance
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I take it that you are insinuating that this memory would be safe to run at that speed on this platform. If htat is correct then I am sure they hav etested it and it runs but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is safe or wise to do so if you value your CPU. Please see this thread written by the AMD Section Moderator for more information.
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2515.0.html
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I take it that you are insinuating that this memory would be safe to run at that speed on this platform. If htat is correct then I am sure they hav etested it and it runs but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is safe or wise to do so if you value your CPU. Please see this thread written by the AMD Section Moderator for more information.
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2515.0.html
yes, I´ve previously read it :'(
Thanks
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Ok first off I must apologise for making a basic mistake when talking about Dual Channel/Single Channel and Ganged/Unganged Mode. In my attempts to make things easily understood I actually mixed my terminology and would like to clarify my error.
??? I'm not sure where the error was..
I have used this excellent post as a guide when I first started to purchase my system..It no doubt has saved me countless hours in troubleshooting time and money..If more people would just read this sticky first, then build, my guess this forum would
have less troubled posts , and more success stories..
No matter how smart we think we are, generally the experts that have tested and learned by trial and error and have documented
here in this forum can lead us in the right direction if we choose to follow..
Just one persons opinion.. Have Fun all
jolphil :)
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???Have to agree with you Jolphill, gosh its only a year ago that I didn.t know how to open a computer case, never mind build my own rig, but these two guys here DM & Absic helped me on and gave me so much knowledge and now that I have built 2 rigs. Yes they know their stuff 8)
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... but these two guys here DM & Absic helped me on and gave me so much knowledge and now that I have built 2 rigs. Yes they know their stuff )
You should have seen the pair of us in the snooker/pool hall before computers came along! ;)
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Ah, takes me back. One hand on the zimmer frame and one on the cue!
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And it always amazed me how you could also hold a pint of beer too! :o
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You know how it is absic...where theres a will... multitalented!
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you almost let it slip out there, didn't you?
By the way, I always thought it was..... Where there's a will there's a relative. ;)
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Usually more than one...brings them out of the woodwork. Often never even heard of them before!!
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Daddy!!! :o
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This thread (and the sticky) have been very helpful, since I unknowingly bought two 4 gig sticks at 1600 freq. ram for my Phenom ii 965 BE, and after much frustrating snooping have decided that downclocking it to 1333 might be best for now.
However, what are my options IF i want to hit 1600 with my ram? You mentioned earlier that:
Unganged Mode is where each of the Memory Controllers on the CPU work independently and equals 2X64 bit Channels. (I can run my RAM at 1600 Mhz only in this mode)
Were you able to run it at 1600 in this mode with/without BIOS tweaking? I had my two sticks in unganged mode and it was unstable, but that was without any other changes. The Gskill forums suggested (quoting AMD) that for 1600 ram, increasing the CPU NB freq to 2400 was ideal, along with upping the voltage slightly (though I don't know what "slightly" is). I don't do much overclocking, so how much would these increases affect my system long-term?
I'm currently erring on the side of caution, but if these changes are slight and could noticeably increase performance, it might be worth it, no? I'm sure others are asking themselves the same. ???
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Hi there,
if you could post back with your system specs it would be easier to offer practical advice. In particular your motherboard and RAM details would really help.
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Hi, thanks for replying!
Specs:
CPU: Amd Phenom ii x4 3.6 Black Edition
MB: Gigabyte GA - 870A-UD3, BIOS Rev 0.0
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Video: Radeon 4870
PSU: Antec TP New 750w
Hope that helps
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Hi again,
the revision number of your motherboard can be found on the bottom left hand edge/corner of the board itself or on the label on the box it came in.
It will be either: 2.0; 2.1; 2.2 or 3.0 and this is important as, depending on which revision your board is, will dictate how best to configure your RAM.
Also the BIOS version you are using should be shown on your POST screen but if you go into BIOS and press the F9 key on the first page it will show you which version you are running. This will probably be shown as F2; F3; F4 or maybe FA
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Oops, that's what I get for using Cpu-Z...
I found it on the box: Rev 2.1
edit: And Bios is F2 for both main and backup
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OK
You need to put your RAM Modules into slots 1&3 or 2&4 on your motherboard for dual channel mode.
In the first instance I would suggest that you try just increasing the RAM speed to it's rated 1600MHz. To do this you need to go into the MIT Section of BIOS and change the parameter "Set Memory Clock" from the default x6.66 to x8. Press F10 to save the changes and then reboot your PC.
If doing this results in your system becoming unstable the next step would be to slightly increase the Voltage to the RAM. Again this is done under the MIT Section of BIOS and before you can make any changes to the voltage you have to set the System Voltage Control from Auto to Manual. Once you do this the Options that are greyed out become available. Now this is where you will have to experiment to find the best solution. Usually you can increase the voltage in 0.025V increments. Raise the voltage by +0.025V Save and exit BIOS reboot and see if things are better.
If you are still having issues try raising the NB Voltage control a little and test the system again.
It is often a balancing act between these settings to obtain the best results but, be careful not to go to high with your RAM Voltage as it is rated at 1.5V to start with.
I have to also say though, that you might be better off by just increasing the speed of your CPU and leaving the RAM at 1333MHz which is probably safer for your processor.
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Thanks a lot.
Since I already tried running the RAM on x8 in dual channel unganged mode and it was unstable, I'll try your suggestions on the voltage increments.
But since you say that it might be safer to increase the speed of the processor, how exactly would I do that? I thought the CPU-NB controlled the memory and CPU speed, so raising that IS speeding up the CPU. Is this what you mean by increasing the speed of my CPU?
Also, is the BIOS's green/red warning text in the MIT screen (the "warning: system voltages are not optimized or system is optimized" messages) a valid indicator for me of whether or not I'm OCing the processor properly?
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With the BE edition CPU, that you have, you can increase the speed of the CPU without it affecting the RAM. Basically it is the same as buying a faster processor but at no extra cost. However, the headroom on your CPU is not as great as they are on lower spec'd versions as AMD have already pushed it. I have an X6 1090T Rated at 3.2 GHz but it runs quite happily at 3.8GHz without to much effort.
If you want to try increasing the speed of the CPU all you really need to do is adjust the CPU Clock Ratio. With your CPU it will already be at X18 but you should be able to hit 3.8GHz easily enough just by changing this to X19.. Going above 3.8GHz can prove a little trickier and you might find you need to adjust the CPU Northbridge Frequency along with the HT Link Frequency although I was able to run my old 965 CPU at 4.2GHz without a problem. But, once again, if you decide to do this you need to make sure that your CPU Cooler is capable of getting rid of the extra heat. It is not a good idea to do this if you are using the stock AMD cooler
Another thing that is advisable when over clocking the CPU is to disable the CoolnQuiet feature along with the Turbo CPU and Core Performance Boost.
The warning dialogues in BIOS are just that a warning. They are not very practical in reality, for example, my RAM is designed to run at 1.64V. By default the motherboard drops it back to 1.5V but when I try to manually set the 1.64V I get an over voltage warning which is clearly incorrect.
You might like to check through this item: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,3637.0.html as it might help. Also look through the overclocking section of the forum as there are some useful pointers to be found there.
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Ok thanks; once again very helpful. What you say is interesting since on other forums people have suggested that OCing the BE will also affect the RAM by default, or perhaps they weren't taking the BE into consideration at all. I'll probably just keep the Ram at 1333 and not OC since I'm on the stock cooler and don't want to risk damaging anything.
Another suggestion i've found is to leave the ram at 1333 but tighten the timings for better performance. As it is mine are on stock 9-9-9-24. Would you recommend this? Is it as easy as just changing the numbers once again in the MIT section, or would it require some experimentation, like with the voltages discussion of before?
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Yes, if you are running a standard CPU (not a BE) then increasing the speed of the CPU will affect the RAM speed.
If the rated timings for your RAM at 1600MHz are 9,9,9,24 the slowing the RAM to 1333MHz should allow you to tighten them a bit. Once again though, there is no hard and fast rule for this and it is often a case of experimentation to find the best settings for your own hardware. If you want to experiment with timings you need to go to the DRAM Configuration section of BIOS and alter the DDR3 Timing Items from Auto to Manual. You can then change the numbers under the SPD Heading. You might find some figures on the Kingston site to help you get started on this.
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Alright thanks for your help, it seems I've got more than a few options. :)
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Hi absic
In your excellent piece "VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING AMD AM3 CPU's and RAM SPEEDS", you state:
remember that officially, neither Gigabyte or AMD support overclocking of their products
This being the case, why did Gigabyte include EasyTune 6 on the Utilities DVD with my MB?
(I took one look at the program and set everything to default immediately)
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CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE, 6x 3.2GHz
MB: GA-870A-UD3, BIOS F5a
RAM: 4GB Corsair XMS3 Dominator DDR3-1600 CL7
Video: ATI Radeon HD 5750 1024MB passive
PSU: 550W BeQuiet! System Power
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The thing is this is one of those grey areas as most companies support overclocking but only to an extent. They can't afford to say that they fully support it or everyone would be testing their boards/cpus to destruction and then wanting a replacement. Corporate suicide.
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In the very useful original post it was stated:
On Gigabyte's AMD Boards there are two channels, each of which address one of the two memory controllers on the AM3 CPU. Channel 0 normally equals the Memory slots on the motherboard identified as DDR3_1 & DDR3_3 whilst Channel 1 normally refers to DDR3_2 & DDR3_4.
On the GA-870A-UD3 v2.2 (the only one I've looked at) the manual says:
The four DDR3 memory sockets are divided into two channels and each channel has two memory sockets as following: Channel 0: DDR3_1, DDR3_2Channel 1: DDR3_3, DDR3_4
Should I conclude from this that I should follow the manual's advice and use 3_1 and 3_3 for my two sticks of RAM? The thinking being that this would make use of both channels, which could then be set as unganged in the BIOS?
If the answer's yes, I'd suggest updating the original post to make it clear that people shouldn't assume 3_1 and 3_2 should be used.
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In the very useful original post it was stated:
On Gigabyte's AMD Boards there are two channels, each of which address one of the two memory controllers on the AM3 CPU. Channel 0 normally equals the Memory slots on the motherboard identified as DDR3_1 & DDR3_3 whilst Channel 1 normally refers to DDR3_2 & DDR3_4.
On the GA-870A-UD3 v2.2 (the only one I've looked at) the manual says:
The four DDR3 memory sockets are divided into two channels and each channel has two memory sockets as following: Channel 0: DDR3_1, DDR3_2Channel 1: DDR3_3, DDR3_4
Should I conclude from this that I should follow the manual's advice and use 3_1 and 3_3 for my two sticks of RAM? The thinking being that this would make use of both channels, which could then be set as unganged in the BIOS?
If the answer's yes, I'd suggest updating the original post to make it clear that people shouldn't assume 3_1 and 3_2 should be used.
Hi, in the original post I do state that:
(You would need to double check with your motherboard's own manual for correct Memory Slot Channel configuration)
Which I think covers it.
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If the answer's yes, I'd suggest updating the original post to make it clear that people shouldn't assume 3_1 and 3_2 should be used.
To be honest I wouldn't expect anyone to expect to use the DDR3_1 and DDR3_2 slots together.
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Hey all... First post here.
Just wanted to say thank you for all your research and time put into this. I've been struggling with my setup for a few months now. Before I go any further I'll share my setup.
GA-MA785GMT-UD2H rev 1.1 MOBO
Phenom II X2 555BE CPU
GSkill F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL (DDR3-1600)
When I first built the machine I had 2 x 2GB dimms that I put in slots 1 & 2. I noticed that the system was running at 1333 but didn't pay much attention. Recently Newegg had a sale so I purchases 4 gb more. This is when the problem started. When I added he next two sticks the system just continually rebooted. I've been on some other forums, Gskill told me to RMA the older RAM because of chip incompatibility which I did. Still didn't work. I tried bringing the clock down to 1333 and tightening the timings, that didn't work. Now I read your post and in 5 minutes learned more than the past two months elsewhere.
So I guess I'm asking what you recommend to get the optimal system performance . MAybe I'll overclock the CPU a little but I want to make the most of this memory without endangering the IMC. Do I had to bring it down to 1066? Would it be better to get 2x 4gb sticks and run them at 1333?
I also noticed that the native voltage on this MOBO for the RAM is 1.6v and this particular ram is supposed to be 1.5. Should Intry reducing it? Please let me know what I can do. Thanks in advance for your help.
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Looks like I'll be reverting mine back to 1333. I've not had it running long enough to know if I have issues.
I got these settings from another forum.
Set System Voltage Control to {Manual}
Set DRAM Voltage Control to {1.65 volts}
Set CPU NB VID Control to {1.35 volts}
Set DCTs Mode to {Unganged}
Set DDR3 Timing Items to {Manual}
Set DRAM Timings to CL 9-9-9-24 (CL-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
Set 1T/2T Command Timing to {2T}
See if these settings work @1600 Mhz DDR
I was concerned though because that level of voltage increase shows in red in the bios.
I have a phenom II 3.4 quad core, with 4x 2gb 1600 ocz ddr3 cards. Is there any more updates to what I should be doing, some more links would be very helpful.
Thank you.
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hi,
Not really sure what kind of updates links you are after but there is a lot of information about RAM settings on the forum for AMD systems.
If your RAM is rated at 1600MHz at 1.65 Volts then setting the voltage manually will cause a Red overvolt warning in BIOS because the system default is 1.5V. This warning can be ignored, just so long as you keep within the specified voltage range for your RAM.
The warning about running your RAM above 1333MHz is more for information as there were a lot of problems in the early days. But things have moved on a bit since I first wrote that item and whilst it is still true, there are many users running their RAM at 1600MHz who have not encountered any problems. This tends to be with the newer Phenoms and especially those with the latest stepping.
However, the reality is, that overclocking the CPU and pulling the RAM back to 1333MHz will actually give you a better overall speed increase rather than just running the RAM at 1600MHz and, if you have a BE CPU then overclocking it is much easier.
The information that you have quoted is good advice, if you want to run your RAM at their rated speed and is where I would start if I were to do that on my own system.
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Erik1 your main problem after the difference in sticks due to the ages was that you just tried to add the extra 4GB and fill all the slots without altering all the settings. Because you filled all the banks with modules you put an added strain on the memory controller and that has to be taken into consideration with the voltages and settings. You cannot just leave them at "Auto" and expect them to work. :-\
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Its true what they say, the more you learn the less you know... As it looks like I will be reading about over clocking now too. This machine I have has been sat in bits for weeks, nearly a month. Windows must have been reinstalled on it at least 20 times now. What started off as a simple upgrade has turned into a full on course into computers.
Thank you for the help. The information on this forum has been very useful. And, yes I've got the black edition 3.4 phenom II.
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Hi, as a newbie to this forum, I was very interested to read all the knowlegeable posts on this topic.
I will be building myself a PC (for the first time) and have so far bought the following items:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
Giigabyte Mobo GA-880GA-UD3H Rev. 3.0
2x4GB Corsair DDR3 PC3-12800 Veangance 1600MHz
From reading the above posts, I think it would be safer to initially let the RAM run at 1333Mhz, to try to avoid potential insatbility problems.
How do I detemine the RAM speed setting and how would I change it?
I presume 1333MHz is the BIOS default setting? :-\
The MB manual doesn't appear to tell me this - or maybe I don't understand what it is telling me.
With thanks, in advance
Chris B
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Hi
The BIOS will read the SPD on the memory to see what it is capable of and then give you the option of using severral different settings. One of these is an XMP setting which is basically a higher setting than the default frequencies allowed. If you select this setting it will then set the timings and voltage to suit.
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Hi there,
Sadly DM Is talking about Intel again and the XMP settings aren't present on AMD boards or memory which use BEMP instead (Black Edition Memory Profiles) for runing RAM autiomatically at higher frequencies.
By default, when you put your system together the BIOS will set the RAM to 1333MHz with default voltage and timings that should work straight away. Sometimes there can be issues but I wouldn't expect any from the Vengeance RAM which I have used in several recent builds and on my own system without problem.
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Thanks DM & absic for the info. Good to know that help is at hand!
Chris B :)
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Hi there,
Sadly DM Is talking about Intel again and the XMP settings aren't present on AMD boards or memory which use BEMP instead (Black Edition Memory Profiles) for runing RAM autiomatically at higher frequencies.
By default, when you put your system together the BIOS will set the RAM to 1333MHz with default voltage and timings that should work straight away. Sometimes there can be issues but I wouldn't expect any from the Vengeance RAM which I have used in several recent builds and on my own system without problem.
Sorry for that as you said that is on Intel boards. Do the likes of Vengeance modules have the BEMP attached as they do have the XMP for runnning faster profiles ?
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It's pretty difficult to find RAM that do have BEMP and from Corsair there are only a couiple of Dominator sets that I have seen. The vast majority of RAM seems to be geared towards Intel with XMP. :'(
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I haven't personally seen any memory modules with a BEMP attached but I just figured that was because I didn't have an AMD motherboard and so maybe they didn't display.
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Nope, just a really short supply of RAM with BEMP! :'(
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There really does seem to be a major leaning towards all things Intel doesn't there even though AMD is very appealing in many ways and many people are resolute users of the platform. I know the market share is in Intel's favour by quite a large percentage but even so it would seem to not make sense to ignore the AMD side of the market if you are in the industry.
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Maybe AMD will buy a RAM maker like the did with GPU's...... Well, one can live in hope!
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Ideal situation have it all in house and you can control the way everything workls together. ;)
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Hello, I will make this very short. My cpu is amd am3+ 8120fx . I should be able to run memory at rated stick speed ? Which is 1866 corsair vengence
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Very short answer - yes.