Official GIGABYTE Forum

GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem

Morgs

  • 3
  • 0
GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem
« on: June 13, 2011, 01:17:19 am »
Just putting together a new build and found out my UD5 won't support 2000 MHz RAM and is winding it back to 1333 MHz. After spending a lot of time reading up on OC'ing (all new to me), there are two things I'd like to achieve:

1:   Manually set my RAM to 1866 MHz
2:   Modestly OC the CPU to a point where it still runs comfortably without needing a cooling upgrade.

My setup is as follows:

GA-890FXA-UD5 (revision PH-E0)
PhenomII X6 1100T Black Edition
GSkill Ripjaws F3-16000CL9D-8GBRM 2000 MHz (CL9-10-9-28 1.55v)
Gigabyte NVidia GeForce GTX 570
120gb OCZ Revodrive PCI-E SSD
Thermaltake 750w Evo Blue PSU
Antec 900 case

NOTE: I'll be getting another 8gb of (same) RAM next week and plan on getting another GTX570 later down the track.

Wondering if anyone can suggest a configuration to sort both problems at the same time? As I said I'm new to this so a walkthrough would be a huge help.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2011, 08:47:45 am by runn3R »

absic

  • *
  • 5815
  • 529
  • Never give up; Never surrender!
    • Bandcamp
Re: GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2011, 08:25:32 am »
Hi there,

You might like to look through this thread: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,3637.0.html which may help.
Remember, when all else fails a cup of tea and a good swear will often help! It won't solve the problem but it will make you feel better.

Morgs

  • 3
  • 0
Re: GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2011, 11:30:38 am »
Thanks, that did help.

In case anyone else is just getting into this- I've done a bit of research, started simple and this is what's worked well for me so far.

NOTE:  I am new to this, don't take my word as gospel. You fck it? Well, my mistake your fault.

Hardware I'm OC'ing:

1.  AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 3.3g processor
2.  8gb (2x4gb) GSkill Ripjaws F3-16000 DDR3 RAM at 2000 MHz

Mobo:  GA-890FXA-UD5    ***Issue with this mobo: If you put RAM in that's above 1333 MHz it automatically winds it back to 1333. Frustrating, but fixable. Mobo will allow you to OC RAM to 1866 MHz.

Therefore:  my 2000 MHz RAM is running at 1333.

-All the below was done in the MIT menu in the BIOS-

1.  I disabled the core performance boost (if you're unsure why check out a few forums to get an understanding of what the CPB actually is, it needs to be disabled).
2.  I then set the memory clock to manual, then went to the option below and increased the multiplier from x6.66 to x8. This overclocked the RAM from 1333 MHz to 1600 MHz.

     Easiest way to explain is: the CPU clock frequency is set to 200 MHz. 200 x 6.66 = 1333 MHz, 200 x 8 = 1600 MHz.

RAM is now up to 1600MHz.

3.  I then manually changed the CPU clock ratio to x19.

    ie CPU clock frequency is set to 200 MHz. 200 x 19 = 3800 MHz.

CPU is now running at up to 3800MHz, easy as that.

I saved my changes in BIOS and booted Windows, no probs. Haven't fully stress tested it yet but have had a fair load on it for 2 hrs and it's not showing any signs of instability.

If it did:

I'd go and set all settings back to normal in the BIOS MIT menu. I'd then OC the RAM, try again. Would then set everything back to normal again and OC the CPU. This wold tell me which (if not both) are causing the problem.

If it was the RAM, I'd OC it, increase the the voltage (in MIT menu under DRAM voltage control) in small incriments at a time (each time saving, exiting the BIOS and booting up and then stress testing it). Note: do your research on this first to find out what your RAM can handle. Don't exceed it's limits or you risk damaging it.

If it was the CPU, I'd OC it, increase the voltage to the CPU in small incriments at a time (each time saving, exiting the BIOS and booting up and then stress testing it). As above don't exceed your recommended voltage range. Once you've increased the voltage enough that it's all stable, OC the RAM and make sure it all works together.

The entire time you're increasing voltage, keep an eye on system temps. When I did the above they went from mid 20*C to low 30's. Not an issue, but be aware your mobo has temp limits that you'll probably want to keep well within (mine is about 62*C max).

Overall, I found this a very easy way to get a bit more bang out of the box.

I'm now playing around with the CPU clock frequency to get the RAM to 1866 which is creating a few headaches, will put in a different reply.

absic

  • *
  • 5815
  • 529
  • Never give up; Never surrender!
    • Bandcamp
Re: GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2011, 12:07:00 pm »
Pleased that you're moving forward and that you reached 3.8 GHz without too many problems. Getting above that will require a bit more tweaking, especially with NB & HT Link frequencies.

If you have read the sticky at the top of the AMD forum regarding RAM speeds on the Phenom ii Processors you might want to take the time to do so as, running RAM above 1333MHz is not really advisable. Check here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2515.0.html
Remember, when all else fails a cup of tea and a good swear will often help! It won't solve the problem but it will make you feel better.

Morgs

  • 3
  • 0
Re: GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2011, 06:08:22 am »
Cheers.

I'm not sure if that post was for the last gen of mobos? I checked the AMD specs for mine and they say it'll handle up to 1866 MHz no probs. (I've seen posts of it being pushed above 2k with fans directly on the ICs etc - not something I'll attempt at this stage!). Going to keep it around 1600 until I install the additional RAM (4x4gb total) and then try to push it to 1866 and see how stable I can get it. Unfortunately due to the MIT memory/NB/HT link multipliers available you can't do this without increasing/decreasing the NB + HT link freqs.

I'm now just trying to get my head around pushing the CPU to 4+ GHz which I'm finding more complicated due to all the other factors in play.

May take another week/2 due to work schedulle but will post an update once I get it all up and running and stable.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2011, 06:13:45 am by Morgs »

absic

  • *
  • 5815
  • 529
  • Never give up; Never surrender!
    • Bandcamp
Re: GA-890FXA-UD5 RAM + OC problem
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2011, 08:30:19 am »
Hi there,

the boards will run RAM at the specified speeds and that is not really the problem. The risk is with the memory controller which is built into the AM3 processors. If you are only running with 2 sticks of RAM you will probably be OK but if you try with all the slots filled be prepared for your CPU to fail.
Also make sure when running RAM at the higher speed that you use the 2 slots furthest away from the CPU (on the Rev 2.1 these are DDR3_3 & DDR3_4) but also check your User's manual as different revisions of the motherboard may have different slots for Dual Channel.
Remember, when all else fails a cup of tea and a good swear will often help! It won't solve the problem but it will make you feel better.