E2140 loses BIOS memory divider options

[martianrobot]

Hi,

I just built a new system as in my sig, moving my E6300 from my old system with its limited Asrock mobo, so I can make it fly at 2.8Ghz instead of stock, without any effort

I bought an E2140 to put in the old system so I can flog it off as a budget media/gaming rig, but I thought I'd have a go at seeing what it can do OC wise in the new system, which has a GA-G33M-DS2R mobo with the F4a BIOS.

Funny thing is some of the memory divider options disappeared - whereas before with the E6300 I had various choices from 2x to 4x, with the E2140 they were limited to just 3.33x and 4x, so my options for overclocking were severely reduced. I wanted to increase the FSB to 300 to make a relatively modest OC of the CPU up to 2.4GHz (compared to what some have achieved) but my memory would be set to 999MHz, which is probably too much for it without some severe voltage increases, beyong my knowledge and confidence! Even just a modest bump up to 250fsb to make the CPU 2.0GHz would send it over its rated 800MHz.

Can someone please explain why a change in processor would affect the memory divider options? Where's my x2 memory option gone?

 

[str]

From what I've read Gigabyte don't "endorse" overclocking with their "2" range of motherboards - only the "3" or higher versions. Yours is the DS2R so isn't considered an overclocking board. Recently a BIOS was released that allowed the 1:1 (x2 option) memory option for 1066 FSB CPUs but that was removed in the next release BIOS. It's highly unlikely they'll reintroduce it and likely never will it be available for the 800 FSB CPUs.

 

[martianrobot]

From what I've read Gigabyte don't "endorse" overclocking with their "2" range of motherboards - only the "3" or higher versions. Yours is the DS2R so isn't considered an overclocking board. Recently a BIOS was released that allowed the 1:1 (x2 option) memory option for 1066 FSB CPUs but that was removed in the next release BIOS. It's highly unlikely they'll reintroduce it and likely never will it be available for the 800 FSB CPUs.

Doh! I wish I'd known that before I bought it. I only really got it as it was mATX and had good reviews, from OCers too. But then I upgraded my case and PSU to the Sonata III, so I might as well have gone for the GA-P35C-DS3R board I was originally looking at!

Still, the G33 is a nice little board and OC's my E6300 to 2.8GHz with no sweat or fuss. Strange about the BIOS - I did originally upgrade to the latest one on the GB website but didn't see any change in the options, but then found a link to the F4a version which I'm now using.

Hmmm... but now you've got me thinking... maybe I'll move the G33 to my old system along with the E6300 and use that as a Media Centre PC (or flog it!), sell the Asrock I got in there, and then get a GA-P35C-DS3R board for my main rig with the E2140 OC'd, temporarily until the Penryns come out... but when will this ever end