Ram limiting my overclock?

benjo

benjo

benjo

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Hey all

I've got some G.Skill PC6400 4Gb 2x2 ram running with my Q6600. My current settings are 380x9 = 3.4Ghz.

My ram is running at 760Mhz at this clock. But i've found that anything above 800 and i get no post. I've tried upping the voltage to around 1.9v but still the same thing happens. I'm using an Abit IP35 motherboard, does anyone know of any settings i need to change?

Also, with this motherboard, where can i try and change the command rate of the ram? It's currently on 2T.

Thanks :)
 
Maybe 400x9 is just too high for your CPU. Have you tried increasing the CPU voltage?

You can't alter the command rate on the IP35 (board limitation).
 
Thanks for your reply!

When i was at 400x9, i was running 1.4v in bios. I'm just more concerned that my ram doesn't like overclocking past stock speeds even a little bit?
 
I think you'll find that the RAM is just maxed out at it's rated speed. If you think about the production processes, the yield on that RAM will be quite low, so anything that runs stable at 800MHz will get shipped. But - as it is 800MHz then it should run at 800MHz, so if you are maxed out at 760MHz then the RAM needs to be RMA'd. I've also checked the minimum voltage on your RAM and it's actually supposed to run at 1.8-2.0V so you may find it needs more than that to get over 400MHz - I doubt it though - I reckon it's just not for overclocking.

If it's not actually maxed out at 760, then you could try loosening the timings (I always overclock the CPU with the RAM on AUTO as that way I know it's not likely to be the RAM that's limiting me) and you could also try dropping the multiplier to 7x or 8x to check that you are not FSB limited by the motherboard as there are lots of conflicting reports about the IP35 and IP35-E as regards to what their maximum FSB actually is. I have seen reviews where the IP35 wouldn't go over 375MHz and the IP35-E maxed out at 350FSB, so it's worth playing about to see what actually is limiting the overclock.

You also sound a bit timid on your voltages. Many Q6600's need 1.45V to get to 3.4GHz, so you're doing quite well by the looks of things, and of the half dozen or so G0 Q6600's I've tried recently, only one would do 3.6GHz stable. You may find that one of your cores is limited to 3.4GHz and that's all you'll get. A common sign of this is that the CPU will boot into Windows quite happily at high overclocks then bluescreen or blackscreen the moment you apply any load to the bad core.
 
Try dropping the cpu multi from 9 to 8, and run 400x8 to test your ram 1:1. The cpu will be under 3.6 (which could be past its limit) and you will just be stressing your ram. Have fun! :D
 
Sorted it guys. Running at 400x9 - 3.6Ghz, and my Ram is at stock speeds of 6400. Just needed a little more cpu voltage :) It's at 1.4v in windows, and temps are reaching mid 50's
 
Aye, it suprised me too. It's what coretemp is reporting, but i've got a feeling its getting hotter than it says.
 
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