Overclocking Asus M2NPV-VM Help !

[grandmaster_b]

Hi guys I am very confused I have now purchased certified 800mhz Corsiar XMS2 memory 2*512 so running dual channel mode.
CPU is AM2 3800+ 64
In my bios I can only change whats stated as the cpu speed which default is 200 I assume this is the FSB speed or is this somthing different ?
Anyway I have set my memory to 800mhz and then changed the CPU speed to 400mhz and multiplier from 12 to 6.0 so that means my cpu is running at 2.4ghz on a 800mhz FSB now ?
Well if thats the case I have gone into windows which detects my cpu speed as 1.2ghz via the system info tool.
the Official AMD cpuid tool detects my cpu running at just over 2.4 but the multiplier is 12x and it says memory is running at 400mhz and cpu bus is 200 ?
In my bios before I go into windows it does state the multipler is 6 and that the cpu speed is 2.4 so my question is which is correct the bios or the official amd tool ?
Because if its defaulting back to stock when I enter windows I suppose I am better off overclcoking useing the stock multiplier settings so I get nearly 2.6ghz.
Hope I am clear in my explanation thanks in advance

[Redroar]

Waaaiiiit.

200 for your CPU speed which is the HTT (It's not exactly a FSB, however it's the closest thing to a FSB as there is on A64s) is correct. I just got your exact chip, the A64 3800+ AM2, and it should be at 2.4ghz. a 12 multi for the 3800 is the best speed for it to run at.

If the RAM is running at 400mhz, I am led to believe that is correct. Remember, with DDR(2) after original clock it doubles, increasing SDRAM 400 to DDR2 800

So you're saying you halved the multi, and doubled the HTT, giving you the same clock. That does not seem right. At all.

BUT THERE IS NO FSB!!! At 200*12, and you have the RAM set to either 400 in the BIOS, or a divider of 6 (the same thing as 400), then it is running at DDR2 800. When you OC, I recommending either lowering the DDR2 speed to 333 (or increasing the divider to 7) and increasing the HTT. That way you won't overclock your memory right away, but I imagine Corsair XMS is capable of it.

But don't forget to reduce the HTT multi to 4x.

Overclocking A64s isn't like overclocking Athlon XPs. It's a totally different architecture.

I am entirely amazed that it is booting for you at 400*6, however.

[grandmaster_b]

Thanks thats cleared up a lot for me.
My bios is limited I can adjust all the memory timings but not multiplier however I can set the max mem speed to 800mhz which is what I have done and managed to use the stock 12x212 thats the most I can get it to actually boot and run stable.
So which do you thin is correct in displaying the info my bios or windows ?
Because as I said I put the HTT on 400 and set multiplier to 6 it booted into windows perect ran stablilty tests all perfect but even thought the bios reported it as 400HTT and 2400mhz windows reported it as 200HTT and multilier of 12x so thats what confused me. So would you say I am running at optimun now 12x212 and mem 800mhz ? or would you recomend another setup. I cant adjust voltage on motherboard so I think around 2565mhz is the max I am going to get without touching voltage.
Thanks for your advice.

[Redroar]

Hey, no problem.

Well, in most cases I would trust the BIOS, but the thing is, I don't think it's possible to boot with 400x6. Especially if you have your RAM set at default divider, then RAM would be running at 1600mhz! I think that right now, Windows is reporting properly. You are using CPU-Z, I presume? If so, post a screenshot of the CPU tab and the RAM settings (not SPD) tab. What are your temperatures with 212x12, and are you using the stock cooler? You can might ba able to get another few hundred mhz out of it at stock voltage, if you have a good heatsink.

[grandmaster_b]

Originally Posted by Redroar

Hey, no problem.

Well, in most cases I would trust the BIOS, but the thing is, I don't think it's possible to boot with 400x6. Especially if you have your RAM set at default divider, then RAM would be running at 1600mhz! I think that right now, Windows is reporting properly. You are using CPU-Z, I presume? If so, post a screenshot of the CPU tab and the RAM settings (not SPD) tab. What are your temperatures with 212x12, and are you using the stock cooler? You can might ba able to get another few hundred mhz out of it at stock voltage, if you have a good heatsink.

Sorry..... I have a setting in my bios to limit the rams maximum speed I did this, set the maximum to 800mhz. I have tried a few CPUID tools including the official AMD one and they all report 2.4ghz and 12x when I set the bios to 400 * 6 and limit the ram to 800mhz so thats what I dont understand how bios says its running at 6 x 400 then windows says 12 x 200. I use the stock cooler and temp doesnt exceed 40% on motherboard or CPU.
Mystery
Thanks again.

[gedon]

1. DDR2 800 does not clock at 800MHz it clocks at 200MHz but is effective as 800MHz
the same thing with normal DDR1: DDR 400 clocks at 200MHz but is effective as 400MHz

2. you do not limit your ram. you set a divider.

example for DDR1:
400MHz means 1/1 divider
333MHz means 5/6 divider
200MHz means 1/2 divider

example for DDR2:
800MHz means 1/1 divider
667MHz means 5/6 divider
400MHz means 1/2 divider

on an old Athlon XP board: memclock = FSB x memdivider

now A64: memclock = cpuclock / (cpumulti / memdivider) but (cpumulti / memdivider) has to be a natural number
example:
htt=230MHz, memdivider=5/6, cpumulti=11
cpuclock = cpumulti x htt = 11 x 230MHz = 2530MHz
(cpumulti / memdivider) = 11 / (5/6) = 13.2 rounded to 13
memclock = 2530MHz / 13 = 194.6MHz effective: DDR2 778

[mrz258]

We have a similiar setup. I wonder how can u go up to 400 since my highest OC only at 226 x 10 = 2.26Ghz.

Here is my rig setup:-
Asus M2NPV-VM
AMD X2 3800+ AM2 (65W)
Kingston KVR 667mhz 512 x 2 (5-5-5-14)
Asus Silent Knight CPU Cooler
Gigabyte 7300GT
Enermax FMA II 460W
Seagate 250GB Sata 2
LiteOn 18X DVDRW

*this mobo doesnt allowed me to touch the Vcore.arhggg!!

[its_dude]

Hello I've built many computers but this is my first experience with over clocking here are my specs.
Asus m2npv-vm motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 x2 dual core 4800+ 2.0 GHZ Processor
using the onboard craphics oh I mean graphics and sound.

I have been reading for a week on how to overclock but for some reason I keep getting mixed up. So I just started messing with things and I managed to change from 200 mhz to 233 mhz changing my cpu speed to 2.92 ghz, I haven't changed anything else. It seems to have sped up some but I was wondering this" my multiplier is set on auto with options of 3 - 12.5 in .5 increments what is the stock setting for this board. and any other tips for this noob would be great! Thanx!!!

[noob]

There are a couple of FAQ's in the FAQ section which give some very good pointers.

For AMD 64 chips (I don't have exp with Intel, but some parts are the same)

1. Clock Speed. This is the base speed in which a reference pulse is generated and sent to the different components.

2. Multiplier. This is the number of times that the clock speed is multiplied, as logic circuits will only work on the up or down or both edge of a clock cycle.


CPU Multiplier. This multiplied by the clock speed gives your CPU core speed.

HTT link. This is basically the link to your northbridge (from memory), you shouldn't really take this above the max your board is rated at. The multiplier usually goes from 1x to 5x in 0.5 steps, but you shouldn't use the .5 steps. A lower the max speed doesn't really slow things down.
Normal ranges are 1800 or 2000MHz (2 * Clock speed * HTT Link multi)

RAM Divider, for A64 this is a bit different. Some boards show a MHz speed, some show a fraction . This will be your RAM speed at the default clock. BUT if your board shows it in MHz, you will still need to calculate it from your clock rate e.g. clock = 225MHz RAM set at 333MHz (DDR)
RAM speed = 2 * (275 * (333/400)) = 457MHz, which is a 57MHz overclock.

PCI/PCIe speed, this is done as a divider of the clock speed. You should also be able to lock these. As they easily become unstable when overclocked, its best to lock the speeds at default.

Basically you need to balance the clock speed with the CPU miltiplier and the RAM divider, whilst making sure you don't go above the max HTT link speed and the default PCI/PCIe speeds.

To find the max CPU speed, lower the HTT to ~3 and RAM to ~1/2 then slowly increase the clock speed while maintaining the highest/default CPU multiplier.

To find the max RAM speed, lower HTT to ~3 RAM at 1/1, and CPU multi to ~1/2 max/default, and then slowly increase the clock speed.

You may need to increase the core and mem voltages slightly to make them stable, and keeping them cool is a must, an aftermarket cooler is advised for both the CPU and the northbridge. Also you require a decent PSU BEFORE doing any of this. I don't know the max safe voltages, but someone here should be able to help with that.

Basically you want to find the max of each RAM, and CPU speeds, then balance 1 against the other, as you wont be able to have the max of each. Also you motherboard will have a max clock speed it can handle.

Running a synthetic benchmark will help find the sweet spot for your gear, as it's different for every machine, even with the same models.

[cloasters]

You da man, thanks for the information noob!

[dabaerman]

the Asus M2NPV-VM is a very stable Home Office solution. it is not a good overclocker. the difficulty lies in the
limited BIOS settings. I am sure it can be overclocked with much patience and more patience. just keep a LOG
of all the combinations you try. ALL of them, the ones that work and the ones that don't. keep at it!!!

Ron