EP45T-DS3R - crashes at 1333Mhz

[elric_vh]

Hi there,

No im not on stock cooling - got an Artic Pro 7 (ive updated details my sig), I know it's not ideal, but it works (all the 3.6Ghz tests under load yield about 39C) and it fits! Tried to fit a OCZ VEndetta 2 this weekend, but it's too tall by 1cm for my case Also, I'm installing a XFX HD4870 later on this week, hopefully will help the rig out a bit, will keep updated with performance

Anyhoo, as to OC'ing:

• I've bit tweaking the MCH with voltages between 1.22-1.28 a bit to get stable 3.6Ghz - still no success, got loads crashes & reboots in GTA/Fallout/Firefox etc
• Followed instructions left by 152stars in previous post, adjusting MCH Ref/CPU PLL etc and system stablised a fair bit, with the odd crash/reboot here and there. Detailed BIOS settings below:

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............:Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.0
CPU Frequency ...........................: 3.60 (400x9)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 400Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:100

C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]

Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: 800
PCI Express Clock Drive.................: 900
CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: 0
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: 333
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 3.20B
Memory Frequency (Mhz) .............1066....1280
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control

CAS Latency Time........................7...[9]
tRCD .........................................7...[9]
tRP'...........................................7.. ..[9]
tRAS..........................................20.. .[24]

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...........................................4.. .[AUTO]
tWTR..........................................4...[AUTO]
tWR............................................8.. .[AUTO]
tRFC...........................................60. ..[AUTO]
tRTP...........................................4.. .[AUTO]
Command Rate (CMD) ....................0...[AUTO]

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................7...[8]
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................0.....[AUTO]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................0...[AUTO]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................0...[AUTO]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................0...[AUTO]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................9 ...[AUTO]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................7 ...[AUTO]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:7.....[AUTO]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................10.....[AUTO]

Channel B
Static tRead Value.........................7..[8]
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................0...[AUTO]
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................0...[AUTO]
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................0...[AUTO]
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................0...[AUTO]
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................9 ...[AUTO]
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................7 ...[AUTO]
Twr2rd(Different Rank)....................7...[AUTO]
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................10....[AUTO]


Motherboard Voltage Control

CPU
Loading Calibration ...........Enabled
CPU Vcore….……….........................1.25....[1.3]
CPU Termination…..... ...........1.200....[1.2800]
CPU PLL…………………..................1.500...[1.570]
CPU Referen.…………................0.760...[0.765]


MCH/ICH
MCH Core……………....................1.100...[1.360]
MCH Reference….……...............0.760....[0.810]
MCH/DRAM Ref.…....................0.750....[AUTO]
ICH I/O……………….....................1.500....[AUTO]


DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……..................1.500.....[1.700]
DRAM Termination .….................0.750...[AUTO]
Ch-A Data VReference ............: 0.750...[AUTO]
Ch-B Data VReference ............: 0.750...[AUTO]
Ch-A Address Reference ............: 0.750...[AUTO]
Ch-B Address Reference ............: 0.750...[AUTO]

Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]

Integrated Peripherals
Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............[Disabled]

And here are additional info using: Memset using the SPD and ">>" tabs // cpu-z main screen//EasyTune6 --> TUNER tab --> ADVANCE tab --> VOLTAGE tab

Attachment 1123

These tweaks seem to have helped a fair bit - I'm only planning to get around 3.8Ghz, any suggestions from now on? Much thanks again for your help!

[elric_vh]

Brainwave & Questions:

1) I got only on 4-pin 12V connector from my PSU joining the mobo, on top of the ATX24 pin one, could this be the problem?

2)Isnt the the MCH Core a bit high at 1.36V? The ET6 temp tool reports system running about 48C when loaded, should I be worried it's going to fry?

[profJim]

Most DDR3 setups I've seen have MCH Core set to around 1.26 volts when using 2x2GB modules. 2x1GB memory should require a bit less. MCH voltage is critical to a stable system. Too little or too much can cause booting problems or stability issues.

Your 4-pin ATX_12V connector is not ideal. The best solution (other than buying a newer psu) is to use an adapter that draws power form different psu cables, usually using one or two molex connectors to supply a separate power line to the unused portion of the mobo's 8-pin connector.

A google search on:
atx12v molex connector
will give you an idea of what is available.

[elric_vh]

Well...I've had had no luck with the molex converters, reboots and more reboots, so I sold the EZCool600 and got now got a OCZ StealthXStream 600W (see sig) and it seems to have stabilised the system no end - still getting crashes here and there, but back to Windows, and no system resets, so...

Q: What's next to get to 3.8~4 Ghz stable?

I'm planning to put a a couple of 40mm fans on the NB/SB to keep their temps down, as I have noticed the HW monitor in ET6 giving quite high temps since I got the HD4870 installed.

Meanwhile, I've set the Artic Pro at 55% speed, and same for the HD4870's fan - giving temperatures of 35C system/28C CPU at idle @ £3.6Ghz. Bit noisy but it's a start. Everything else in BIOS set as in previous post...

[elric_vh]

I'm ressucitating this thread as I got hold of some new RAM and hoping it will help (been running vanilla 3Ghz since last post since it was not stable). The RAM is 2x 1 Gb OCZ DDR3 PC3-16000 Flex II Edition - not watercooled yet, but thinking about doing it sometime (OCZ Technology | Products | Memory | OCZ DDR3 PC3-16000 Flex II Edition).

Any pointers on what I should do to get the system at his best performance? I am still hoping to to get around 3.8Ghz if possible, Cheers

[profJim]

It seems that DDR3 memory in an EP45 mobos can be difficult to get stable at rated speeds. Some memory vendors' websites recommend certain models of their memory for specific mobo models. The OCZ link you provided states:
Qualified on XFX and EVGA 790i motherboards. Due to the width of your memory's heat spreaders, you will be limited to only 2 modules on most motherboards due to the limited spacing between the mobo's memory slots.

I suggest that you initially run with 9x400 MHz using the 3.20B memory multiplier for 1280MHz memory speeds and work on stability. Then you can try:
425x9.0 (3.78GHz) with 3.20B (1360MHz)
425x9.0 (3.78GHz) with 4.00B (1700MHz)
Or you might need to use a cpu host frequency between 400 and 425MHz.
You can later test with higher cpu frequencies with lower cpu multipliers to find the optimum overall cpu/memory setup.

You'll need to find the optimal MCH Core voltage with your 2x1GB setup.
Static tRead Value (tRD) = 8 for both memory channels should work. tRD = 7 might work up to about 420MHz.

You should post to the OCZ forums and ask if this model of memory is recommended for your mobo or if they have a different model that will be more compatible with your EP45T-DSR.

Your CPU Core, CPU Term (VTT), and MCH Core settings from post #21 seem to be unnecessarily high, even though you claimed to have gained some stability with these settings. "153stars" didn't list his hardware in his forum signature so it's hard to say what he is basing his recommendations on.

Use the bios Profiles option to save any of your test or stable bios setups.

[Chike]

My pointers are 1:3 FSB to memory ratio. anything above that won't give you much more and is not worth the hassle. DDR-1200/1333 for 400FSB 1500/1600 for 500FSB etc basically a 3 multiplier.
Of course if a higher memory speed is easier to achive there's no harm in it.

[elric_vh]

I had a look at OCZ forums to check MCH Core settings and found an interesting post at:OCZ3P2000EB2GK DDR3-2000 2GB Kit Platinum Enhanced Bandwidth on a Gigabyte EP45T-Extreme - OCZ Forum

The settings are for a EP45T-EXTREME F5b BIOS with a E8500 @ 4Ghz / 2000Mhz memory, which I realise it is a fair shot from the E8400 / EP45T-DSR3 setup I have, but I thoght maybe some of these values might be useful to carry over?

Obviously, my system did not boot with these - I tried just in case - . Nevertheless, I copied over the advanced clock controls, timing settings, advanced timing controls as I guess these should be ok and continued with the rest of the settings from our previous posts - so I'm now running this configuration(stable):


GIGABYTE GA-EP45T_DSR3

[u]MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:
CPU Frequency ...........................: 3.60Ghz
Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 400Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: 100Mhz
C.I.A. 2.............................:[Disabled]
Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: 900mv
PCI Express Clock Drive...................: 900mv
CPU Clock Skew (ps).......................: 300ps
MCH Clock Skew (ps).......................: 300ps
DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance....................: [Standard]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.)........:
(G)MCH Frequency Latch.................: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 3.20B
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1280Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual] [Auto]
Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time...............................: 9
tRCD ..........................................: 9
tRP'...........................................: 9
tRAS...........................................: 30

Advanced Timing Control [Press Enter]
tRRD...........................................: 13
tWTR...........................................: 15
tWR............................................: 13
tRFC...........................................: 72
tRTP...........................................: 8
Command Rate (CMD) ............................: Auto
Channel A

Channel A Timings Settings [Press Enter]
Static tRead Value......................: 8
tRD Phase0 Adjustmen...................:Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)..................: 9
Twr2wr(Different Rank)..................: 9
Twr2rd(Different Rank)..................: 8
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 10
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
DDR Write Leveling..........................: Enabled
DDR Write Training..........................: Enabled

Channel A Driving Settings [Press Enter]
Driving Strength Profile:[AUTO]
Data Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto

Data Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto

Channel B

Channel B Timings Settings [Press Enter]
Static tRead Value.........................: 8
tRD Phase0 Adjustmen...................:Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...................: 9
Twr2wr(Different Rank)..................: 9
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................: 8
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 10
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
DDR Write Leveling..........................: Enabled
DDR Write Training..........................: Enabled

Channel B Driving Settings [Press Enter]
Driving Strength Profile:[AUTO]

Data Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto

Data Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto


{U]Motherboard Voltage Control{/U]
Voltage Type.…...……... Normal
CPU
CPU Vcore….……….........1.2500v...........: 1.2500v
CPU Termination…...... 1.200V*...........: 1.200v
CPU PLL………………….........1.500V*...........: v1.500v
CPU Reference............................: v0.760v
MCH/ICH
MCH Core……………..........1.100V............: 1.100v
MCH Reference..…...….….0.750V............: 0.750v
MCH/DRAM Reference.....0.750V............: 0.750v
ICH I/O…………....……......1.500V............: 1.500v
DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……........1.500V............: 1.900v
DRAM Termination ...…..0.750V............: 0.950v
Channel A Data Vref ...0.750V............: 0.950v
Channel B Data Vref ...0.750V............: 0.950v
Channel A Address Vref 0.75V.............: 0.950v
Channel B Address Vref 0.750V............: 0.950v


[b]{U]Advanced Settings[b]{U]
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Disabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]
No luck with memory @ 1600Mhz though, or with CUP @ 3.8Ghz

[profJim]

Just because your system doesn't crash or BSOD doesn't mean that your setup is stable. You need to perform extended stability testing to ensure that you won't get file corruption. Here's what I recommend:
1) Intel BurnTest (IBT) for 10 - 20 loops.
2) Prime95, OCCT, or Orthos; 3 separate tests using small FFTs, large FFTs, and Blend tests. Each test should be run for 8 to 24 hours.
Note: Most errors will occur within a 6 hour time frame. An error in any of these tests indicates that your system is not stable.
3) Extended tests with system intensive applications such as gaming, audio/video encoding, or document/picture conversion, depending on which of these applications you use.

Using the 3.20B memory multiplier and the 9x cpu multiplier, each increase of 10MHz in the cpu host frequency will yield:
90MHz increase in cpu speed.
32MHz increase in memory speed.

Your best bet is to focus on gradually increasing cpu speed and ignore trying for high memory speeds for now.

MCH Core will need slight increases at some point as you increase speeds. MCH core that is too low or too high will result in boot problems or instability.

CPU and MCH Clock Skews are usually not needed until you're clocking your system higher than the upper 400 to 500+ MHz range.

Once you've reached your final overclock, you can test tighter primary memory timings for improved performance and stability.

Please include the following screen-shots in your follow up posts:
cpu-z main (CPU) screen
Memset using the ">>" tab and SPD screen
EasyTune6 --> TUNER tab --> ADVANCE tab --> VOLTAGE tab

No luck with memory @ 1600Mhz though, or with CUP @ 3.8Ghz

This info is not at all helpful. Be specific in describing the problems. Boot/post problems? BSOD? Stability?

Update your signature to show your new OCZ memory/model.size.

Glad to see that you're making progress.

[elric_vh]

Hi again - I had some time this weekend to go back totweaking, so ran Prime95/IBT tests with the settings below and it stays stable (8hours ~ 50C under load), with beffing up the MCH to 1.200V; so I think the setup is ready to go up a notch towards the mythical 3.8-4Ghz maximum with your help...

One thing I noticed with the MEMSET/BIOS/ET6 values is that the MCH/DRAM reference show a big difference in between the BIOS values (0.750) and the ET6 values (0.550), is this indicative of a need to adjust the BIOS value?


GIGABYTE GA-EP45T_DSR3

[u]MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:
CPU Frequency ...........................: 3.60Ghz
Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 400Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: 100Mhz
C.I.A. 2.............................:[Disabled]
Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: 900mv
PCI Express Clock Drive...................: 900mv
CPU Clock Skew (ps).......................: 0ps
MCH Clock Skew (ps).......................: 0ps
DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance....................: [Standard]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.)........:
(G)MCH Frequency Latch.................: [333Mhz]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 3.20B
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1280Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual] [Auto]
Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time...............................: 9
tRCD ..........................................: 9
tRP'...........................................: 9
tRAS...........................................: 30

Advanced Timing Control [Press Enter]
tRRD...........................................: 13
tWTR...........................................: 15
tWR............................................: 13
tRFC...........................................: 72
tRTP...........................................: 8
Command Rate (CMD) ............................: Auto
Channel A

Channel A Timings Settings [Press Enter]
Static tRead Value......................: 8
tRD Phase0 Adjustmen...................:Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)..................: 9
Twr2wr(Different Rank)..................: 9
Twr2rd(Different Rank)..................: 8
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 10
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
DDR Write Leveling..........................: Enabled
DDR Write Training..........................: Enabled

Channel A Driving Settings [Press Enter]
Driving Strength Profile:[AUTO]
Data Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto

Data Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto

Channel B

Channel B Timings Settings [Press Enter]
Static tRead Value.........................: 8
tRD Phase0 Adjustmen...................:Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...................: 9
Twr2wr(Different Rank)..................: 9
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................: 8
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 10
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control................:Auto ps
DDR Write Leveling..........................: Enabled
DDR Write Training..........................: Enabled

Channel B Driving Settings [Press Enter]
Driving Strength Profile:[AUTO]

Data Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Up Level.............:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Up Level..............:Auto

Data Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Cmd Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto
Ctrl Driving Pull-Down Level...........:Auto
Clk Driving Pull-Down Level............:Auto


{U]Motherboard Voltage Control{/U]
Voltage Type.…...……... Normal
CPU
CPU Vcore….……….........1.2500v...........: 1.2500v
CPU Termination…...... 1.200V*...........: 1.200v
CPU PLL………………….........1.500V*...........: v1.500v
CPU Reference............................: v0.760v
MCH/ICH
MCH Core……………..........1.100V............: 1.200v
MCH Reference..…...….….0.750V............: 0.750v
MCH/DRAM Reference.....0.750V............: 0.750v
ICH I/O…………....……......1.500V............: 1.500v
DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……........1.500V............: 1.900v
DRAM Termination ...…..0.750V............: 0.950v
Channel A Data Vref ...0.750V............: 0.950v
Channel B Data Vref ...0.750V............: 0.950v
Channel A Address Vref 0.75V.............: 0.950v
Channel B Address Vref 0.750V............: 0.950v


[b]{U]Advanced Settings[b]{U]
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Disabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled]