Increasing the memory clock speed through overclocking
Increasing the memory clock speed through overclocking
Hi everyone!
I'm currently using an Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 mainboard with the latest BIOS and an AMD Phenom II X6 1090T processor. I want to install this Corsair Vengeance RAM at the specified 1866MHz clock. In the BIOS I can only choose up to 1600MHz.
I'm not very experienced with overclocking yet, so I'm struggling to understand the information I found online. I think I need to raise the Northbridge clock, but I'm not sure how to do that properly.
Any assistance would be really helpful!
PS: Feel free to share any BIOS screenshots.
PPS: If the Corsair link isn't working:
http://www.corsair.com/de-de/vengeance-8...3m2a1866c9
Countmike mentioned these boards aren't really built for speeds beyond 1600mhz, though I've experienced issues at 1796mhz—it's not guaranteed. Running at higher frequencies could destabilize USB and PCI lanes, increasing the FSB significantly. I don’t strongly recommend it, as benchmarks outside those limits show no real benefit. Still, since you're planning to keep digging, proceed with caution.
That's just BIOS and MB limitation and could be bypassed by raising FSB above that but... and there's big BUT, Memory controller on those processors is at 1333MHz and pushing RAM above 1600MHz is not going to improve it's performance much and may even bring lower results and more heat to processor. You would probably run into BSODs and general troubles most probably.
In other words, if you are not overclocking processor, be satisfied with 1600MHz memory. Even that is above AMD recommendation.
Countmike mentioned these boards aren't really built for speeds beyond 1600mhz, though I've experienced issues at 1796mhz—it's not guaranteed. Running at such high frequencies could destabilize USB and PCI lanes, increasing the FSB significantly. I don’t strongly endorse it, as benchmarks outside those limits show no real benefit. Still, since you're planning to keep digging, proceed with caution.
madmatt30 :
As countmike has said these boards aren't really meant to run past 1600mhz, its possible as I've had ram at 1796mhz but is not straightforward or guaranteed.
You risk destabilising USB & PCI lanes upping the fsb that much.
I'm not recommending it really as has been stated outside of memory benchmarks you will see no difference.
But seeings as you're just going to keep digging ;-)
CPU multiplier - 13
Turbo multiplier - 15.5
Fsb multiplier - 233
Ram (if set to 1600 originally) will now be at 1864mhz which is the closest you'll get.
CPU should be as close to stock speed as possible
Ram Timings will need to be entered manually to 9-10-9-27.
Save as a profile & be prepared to do a CMOS reset if it fails a bios boot.
I did as you described and it seems to work. I ran Memtest and did a rudimentary USB test and everything seems to work fine.
So thanks for your help!
Although I have one more question: I assume reducing the CPU multiplier is only to keep the original clock speed of the CPU?
Since I'm not using the stock cooler would keeping the multiplier at 16 be just like overclocking the CPU to ~3.7GHz?
^ precisely what you said – even though the 1090t is a 125w stock chip, I’d be cautious about using it on the small Asus board.
You must have a tower cooler, right?
If you do, then those VRMs under load will get quite hot because there’s no airflow over them.
Exactly what you said – even though the 1090t is a 125w stock chip, I’d be cautious about using it on that small Asus board. You probably have a tower cooler? If so, those VRM under load will get quite hot, just like they do without airflow.
What you didn’t see in the BIOS picture from my first post:
"AMD Turbo CORE technology [Disabled]"
😀
You’re right about the tower cooler and the VRM. Also, a quick question: does the Fsb overclocking affect the PCIE clock in the same way as it affects the CPU clock? Thanks again for your useful answers!
FrankenDesign shares his experience with a high-performance setup. He mentions his sabertooth has no bios limits and supports buying 2400 sticks at 2400mhz on skt am3+. He runs it at 4.9ghz with DDR3 2400 and reports stability without BSODs or issues, though a p95 stress test passed after setting memory to 800mhz. He has been overclocking for weeks without problems, including playing Fallout 3, Tomb Raider 2015, and other titles at various settings. He notes idle temps around 25°C and load temps near 60°C. He plans to push the CPU further this week, aiming for 5ghz and considering a CPU upgrade. He also asks about the rams' brand and model along with current settings.