# RAM settings



## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm going through the OCing tutorial, and I'm going to manually set the RAM timings, but my screen in BIOS is a lot different from the screenshot in the tutorial. What I have is:

tCL (Cas latency)=6
tRCD = 5
tRP = 5
tRAS = 17
Command Per Clock = 2T
tRRD = 3
tRC = 24
tWR = 6
tWTR = 11
tREF = 7.8 uS


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

tanusgreystar said:


> I'm going through the OCing tutorial, and I'm going to manually set the RAM timings, but my screen in BIOS is a lot different from the screenshot in the tutorial. What I have is:
> 
> tCL (Cas latency)=6
> tRCD = 5 (RAS# to CAS# Delay)
> ...


The items in blue above are the ones you want change. The lower the number the tighter the timings (faster)

If you are also overclocking your CPU you'll be limited as how tight you go on your RAM Timings. 

CPU-Z will tell you what you RAM timings are rated for, and the voltage needed for those timings.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I am planning on oc the cpu.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

mattlock said:


> The items in blue above are the ones you want change. The lower the number the tighter the timings (faster)
> 
> If you are also overclocking your CPU you'll be limited as how tight you go on your RAM Timings.
> 
> CPU-Z will tell you what you RAM timings are rated for, and the voltage needed for those timings.


ok so do I set those timings according to the cpuz table for 400mhz fsb or what the screenshot says in the tutorial??


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

It would help if knew what Tutorial you are looking at and the details of your hardware. (Make and model of the CPU, Motherboard, RAM, & PSU) Tutorials are more of of guide to help you learn to OC since no two systems will OC the same. 

The CPU-Z timings are what the manufacturer says the RAM is capable of handling. Good RAM will typically out perform those timings. 

Since you plan on OCing you CPU also, that's throws a whole other twist into things.

Please provide us with the system details and your goal for your OC and then we can give you a little better guidance.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I guess I should have clarified. I want to oc the cpu, and I was going by Linderman's sticky thread on overclocking, and the first thing it talks about is changing the RAM timings. This is what I have for hardware:

Foxconn MCP73M05 mb
Crucial DDR2 6400 2x2gb
C2D E7200 2.55 ghz
Antec Earthwatts 500w PSU
Masscool CPU cooler
Thermaltake SopranoRS case

Before I got the Masscool cooler and the case I was able to oc the cpu to 3.17ghz. I didn't change the ram at all. Right now it's at stock speed. I hope this helps! Thanks.


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Ok, since you alerady know how to OC your CPU that's where you want to start. Run your CPU up the speed you want it, once you know you have a stable OC (a min 12 hour run of Prime95) Then start tightening up your RAM timings.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Oh ok. When I oc'd before, I had used the auto oc tool that came with my mb to find out how high I could go and just set it in BIOS after I knew how high it went before it locked up. I kind of wanted to do it "right" this time around. But I'll try what you said and see how it goes. I basically want to get the most out of my CPU, RAM, MB, and VGA without wearing them out too much. On Computer Geeks.com they have chipset coolers. Are those any good? They're by NVIDIA. Will that help do you think? They also have 120mm fans for like 5 bucks! I have 3 places where I can put those in my case. Thanks!


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

The case fans are a worthy investment. As for the the chipset fan, IMO, unless you're really pushing your OC to the point where have to increase the chipset voltage, you don't really need one.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

mattlock said:


> Ok, since you alerady know how to OC your CPU that's where you want to start. Run your CPU up the speed you want it, once you know you have a stable OC (a min 12 hour run of Prime95) Then start tightening up your RAM timings.


What does Prime95 do??I'm running it but I don't know what it's doing. Shouldn't I stress test it?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Yes, you want to choose "Just Stress Testing" It puts a full load on your CPU and will reveal instability that gaming and everyday computing will not. Most people in to OCing consider 12+ hours of Pirime without any errors a stable overclock.

Here's a good explanation:



mattlock said:


> *How to Stress Test Your Multicore Processor *
> 
> This is a short guide explaining how to put a 100% load on Single, Dual or Quad Core CPUs using Prime95 version 25.6. This is not an official release as of 3-15-08.
> This guide is written for PCs running Windows XP.
> ...


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Ok. Well apparently I'm running it right but I started it over just to be sure. The cpu's running at 38 in BIOS/45 in RealTemp under 90%+load after several hours. I'll run it for 12 hours since I restarted. Doing blended test.


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

That's a really good temp.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

That happened after 4 1/2 hours into torture test. It did it again when I ran it again, but only there were two torture tests going on at once. Does this mean I can't oc the cpu that much?? I had it at 3.17 before and was able to run games like Oblivion with no problems. This was with stock cooling and OEM case. Then again I never ran anything like Prime95. Any ideas?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

When running P95 you should see one "Worker Thread" for each core of your CPU. You can have an OC that is Game stable but still fail a P95 torture test. 

I've seen many E7200 reported to run prime stable @ 3.17 with no increase in Vcore, but no two processor will OC the same. A little increase in your Vcore will likely get you Prime stable. It will increase your temp also, but if your at 44c under load @ 3.17ghz you've some head room left on your safe temp range.

Please post a screenshot of the CPU-Z CPU, Memory, and SPD tabs. So I can see your Vcore, RAM divider, and RAM timings.

Thanks,


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I've attached the images. Hopefully I can oc more, since I was able to achieve 3.17 stable (at least game stable) with stock cooling and small case. I've heard of people getting 3.6, but I think he probably had an even better cooler. :4-dontkno


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Ok, your Vcore is at 1.16v you need to increase that to get Prime stable. Since you ran P95 for 4 1/2 hrs before error, I would think a jump of .5v to 1.21v should get you Prime stable. Be sure to check your CPU temp again while running P95.

To get into the 3.6ghz neighborhood, you would likely be looking at a Vcore of 1.3-1.36v.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Ok I added .05v. I'll run Prime. It's a little more than 1.21v. Is that ok?? Sorry, I'm a relative noob!


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Temp 44 (BIOS)/52 (RealTemp)

I had another question. While I'm running Prime95, should I also be running other programs?? Like I have uTorrent going as well as antivirus, antispyware, and Zone Alarm, ATI-Catalyst, APC Powerchute, etc. I just thought of that.:1angel:


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Voltage range for your CPU is .89v-1.36v by Intel specs. I've had my E8400 to 1.45v (same voltage as the E7200)

Back ground programs are OK to run, but you don't want to run anything that is CPU intensive. 

Your temps are still OK. Anything under 60c at Max Load is alright. (Actual max temp for the CPU is 100c with thermal slowdown kicking in at around 85-90c)


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I got an error at 11 hours 5 minutes. Should I up the voltage a little more and try again?? It's worker 1 again too. Is that on one of the cores? So the same core is getting the error?? Temps are still great.:sigh:


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Bump it to 1.26v, that's what I've seen others running @ 3.17ghz. 

You can run P95 if you want but I really don't think it's necessary since you were so close to 12 hrs when the error occurred. You should however run it long enough to check your temp with the increased voltage. (30 mins running Large in place FFT's will show the max temp)

What kind of thermal compound did you use when installed you heatsink? Good thermal compound, such as Arctic Silver 5, will drop your up to 10c vs cheap thermal paste. 

Could you post a link of your Masscool Heatsink?


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=8WA741&cat=FAN&cpc=FANbsc

Antec Silver 5


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Do you think I can try to go higher?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Sure you can. As Long as your temps are acceptable and you remain stable. 

Set your memory divider to 1:1 then start increasing your FSB 5-10mhz at a time. After each bump, run Prime for a couple hours, if no error increase it again. When you get an error either back down your OC or increase your Vcore. Once you hit your desired OC then tweak it until it's 12-24hrs Prime stable. After that run some benchmarks, do some gaming, etc until you're confident that the system is stable. 

After about a few days of running with just the CPU OCed and no issues arise, then you can start on tightening your RAM timings.

Keep me posted.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

The way my BIOS goes, 1066mhz gets me 2.55 (stock), and 1333 gets me 3.17ghz. So should I go in 5 to 10mhz increments or more?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Just a little info on how the FSB calculations work. 

1066, 1333, and 1600mhz FSBs are theoretical. The actual FSB is 266, 333, and 400mhz. It's quad pumped for the CPU and double pumped for the RAM. So 400mhz on the FSB with a 1:1 memory divider would give you a CPU speed of 3.6ghz and your RAM would be running at DDR2 800. Now, you are currently running a 5:6 memory divider so your CPU is at 333mhz (333x4=1333mhz) and your RAM is at 400mhz (400x2=800).

Now back to the overclock. There a lot of different opinions on how move up the ladder when OCing. Some would run at your current speed for week then start pushing for more. I don't buy into that method. Personally, I'm a little unconventional when it comes to overclocking my own systems. I usually start high and work down from there. For example, on my E8400, I knew that most were getting 4ghz at 1.4v on them so that was my first OC. I took it up to 4.3ghz then eventually backed it down to my everyday OC of 3.6ghz on 1.2v. Enough about me and unconventional methods. :grin:

You should increase it 10mhz at a time following the steps laid out in previous post until you reach your desired stable clock speed at a good temp.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm sorry. How do you put the cpu/RAM ratio at 1:1? I don't see anywhere in the BIOS for that. The RAM is unlinked from the cpu because when I oc with it linked it locks up.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

After a few hours I got an error. It's at 3.19 right now. Temps are good.


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Then you're going to need more voltage. 

As for the RAM divider, I can't find a manual to download for your board, but basically linking the ram and cpu should put at 1:1. Have you tried it linked now that you are have OCed you FSB?


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I did once but it locked up. I had to clear CMOS. I don't know if I have crappy RAM. I'm not sure. I only paid $35 for 4gb, but it was one of those really good deals. It's Crucial RAM so I figured it was good. I'll try it again and see what happens! Thanks!:grin:


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Yeah, I linked the CPU/RAM and when I rebooted it froze after the memory check. It finds all the ram but it stops and I have to clear the cmos. ????


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Could you post a link to your motherboard, or look on the board for the model number? If I could look at the manual I could provide more specific instructions.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186140


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

A little off topic. I don't want to start another thread over this, but do you know how I can go about getting a I/O shield for a Gigabyte GA-81945GZME-RH motherboard??? I found it at Goodwill of all places but it doesn't have the shield. I checked ebay but I didn't see one for my mb.:4-dontkno

On second thought I should post this in the proper forum.


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Contact Gigabyte and ask them if you can order a replacement.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/AccessoryList.aspx

Scroll down to the bottom of the page I linked to and you can get the S/N # of the I/O shield that matches your board.

Good luck.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I had the cpu at 1343, and at 1.38v it failed after an hour. I saw someone online who had a E7300 and Foxconn mb who couldn't get the FSB past 1333. Was I supposed to loosen the ram settings? In the sticky showing you how to oc, it shows a lot of the RAM timings at 10. ?? I think for right now I'll put it back to 1333 until I figure out what to do. Thanks.

Matt


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

tanusgreystar said:


> I had the cpu at 1343, and at 1.38v it failed after an hour. I saw someone online who had a E7300 and Foxconn mb who couldn't get the FSB past 1333. Was I supposed to loosen the ram settings? In the sticky showing you how to oc, it shows a lot of the RAM timings at 10. ?? I think for right now I'll put it back to 1333 until I figure out what to do. Thanks.
> 
> Matt


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

I don't know if you were able to get info on my mb, but this is what I have to work with in BIOS:

Central Control Unit/Intelligent Overclock

FSB-Memory Clock Mode: Unlinked (if I link it with the cpu oc'd it freezes)
FSB-Memory Ratio: Auto
FSB-(QDR)MHZ: 1333
MEM DDR MHZ: 800
CPU Clock Ratio unlock: Enabled
CPU N/2 Ratio: Enabled
CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
CPU Mult Adjust: 9x (as high as it goes)

I don't know if that gives you any ideas. There's a forum for Foxconn mb's. Should I look there?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Sorry, I missed the fact that you posted the Newegg link. I'm downloading the manual now. I won't be able to post anything back until tomorrow after noon though.


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## tanusgreystar (Apr 18, 2007)

Hey, thanks for taking the time to help me.


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