It has been 3 weeks since I got my 940 BE and I have been busy. Not only Have I been trying to get above and beyond 4.0ghz, I have been doing a lot research as to see how the 940 works with the NB and Ram and vise verse for them all. My research has been very complicated and all over the place. I wish to share what I have learned so far, hopefully this may be able to help you with your OCing.
Once I am done with my research I will have a nice large paper for everyone to read and learn from. Already its 30pages long and includes information about AMD, the CPU, and how to Overclock. With your help I can get this paper done, and get back to my normal life. [This CPU will be the death of me].
Please note that I will be editing this post as I update my research.
Info you should know before reading:
I believe that there is two (possibly more) Overclocking zones. The 30% zone and the 30%+ zone. These zones apply to all Phenom II CPUs. The 30% represents the speed of the CPU. I will use my 940BE for example. As I approach the limit of 30% the CPU becomes more stubborn with overclocking. In fact once the 30% mark has been reached things become extremely difficult.
64bit vs 32bit:
A 32bit OS is more stable then a 64bit OS when it comes to Overclocking. Not as much demand on the CPU means more room for your CPU to gallop. If you like 64bit, then you should be able to go as high as 3.8ghz with a good W/C system. Same rule applies to 32bit as well though. But if you ever want to have some fun and get into the 4.0ghz range, I suggest you boot up into a 32bit OS. I do not believe it matters if your OS is XP or Vista. Not to sure about W7. I use it for my games and run my 940BE at 3.7ghz @ 1.53v.
NB research:
Most of you know that I have spent a lot of time working with the NB, maybe to much time. I believe that there is some linear relationship with the NB and the CPU as far as how much you should increase the Frequency and the voltage as you in crease the speed of your CPU. So far this theory has been proven while in the 30% range. I have not yet been able to test the 30%+ range.
My theory so far with the NB involves one important equation. The 3.15:2 ratio. The ratio is the CPU Frequency to NB Frequency. For example a 4000MHz 940BE would require a NB Frequency of 2539.683. Depending on the RAM you are using the Voltage needed could be from 1.25v - 1.35v. While inside the 30% range this ratio does not apply to much. I have seen people use 2.8ghz NB while the CPU frequency was around 3.6ghz. I would like to test this theory in the 30%+ zone but so far have not been able to get anything higher then 4.0ghz.
My other research with the NB is high voltage with a low Frequency. It seems that if you increase the voltage of the NB you can create a more stable environment, along with lossening your RAM timings. So far this has been true, especially in a 64bit environment. I have been able to run a 3.8ghz stable in W7 @ 1.55v using 1.35v NB @2.2ghz and my RAM at 5-7-7-27.
My research for the NB has come nearly to its end. I will be running a bench mark test from 1.8ghz to 2.8ghz and compare the difference. I'll even see how it helps with higher CPU clocks and HT clocks and different timings with the RAM. Graphs should be up soon for everyone to see.
NB Conclusion based on Theory:
After a couple of weeks of testing and benching, I have come up with the data in the next post. Most of the data shows what it should show. A higher NB yeilds a a better result in your benchmarks. Which is true, but not in all cases. The data shows that in some cases the respected NB frequency was the better choice. In most cases the Respected NB Frequency to the CPU Frequency was the cut off before a change in scores accured. Sadly I don't have enough data to show a more variety of scores. I would love to have 4.0ghz and higher but I am unable to do this as of now. I will conclude in saying that it is no doubtly true that if you raise the NB you will yield better scores.
CPU Research:
The 30%+ zone is not fun to try to get into. I really need to find a stress ball when working with 4.0ghz.
As far as the CPU goes, its pretty messed up. The amount of voltage needed for a specific speed will depend on the factors of your NB voltage and ram timings. If you can even out the load everything becomes smoother (<-- that sentance gave me some ideas). I have not tryied out a variety of different FSB speeds, but will sometime soon. I've heard that if you hit a wall with the multi then just go to the FSB and work with it.
FSB:
I would like to know what the FSB does to the NB, HT, and RAM. Does it help with the spread, or does it just complicate things? Does it complicate to help? Is there a god? Sorry getting out of hand here...
RAM Research:
One of the strangest things I learned and tested was the losser timings in a 3:8 ratio. Apparently if you have losser timings it creates a more stable environment. How this effects benchmarks, I'm not entierly sure. It could help because you now have a faster CPU and NB, but I am lead to believe that it will have a slight decrease in performance.
Most of the time I have spent in the 3:8 ratio, not really working in the 1:2 ratio to much. I believe that the 1:2 ratio should only be used once you start OCing the FSB.
HT Research:
Once, when I was trying to cold boot into 4.0ghz, I tried upping the HT link from 1.8ghz to 2.2ghz and instantly I got a stable platform (using an FSB of 200). I'm pretty sure something is here, but it could be a minor thing. If you experaince an unstable system and you have already increased NBv and lossened your timings, try increasing the HT link. As I continue with my research I'll be trying this same thing out to see if it does anything.
The HT Also has a voltage and can be accessed in some motherboards' BIOS. Will increasing this have any effect with the stability of a CPU. Do you need to any higher then 2.2 ghz at any time?
ACC:
Maybe? Could it do something? IDK I've never tried it out. Any info on this feature would be great.
Once I am done with my research I will have a nice large paper for everyone to read and learn from. Already its 30pages long and includes information about AMD, the CPU, and how to Overclock. With your help I can get this paper done, and get back to my normal life. [This CPU will be the death of me].
Please note that I will be editing this post as I update my research.
Info you should know before reading:
I believe that there is two (possibly more) Overclocking zones. The 30% zone and the 30%+ zone. These zones apply to all Phenom II CPUs. The 30% represents the speed of the CPU. I will use my 940BE for example. As I approach the limit of 30% the CPU becomes more stubborn with overclocking. In fact once the 30% mark has been reached things become extremely difficult.
64bit vs 32bit:
A 32bit OS is more stable then a 64bit OS when it comes to Overclocking. Not as much demand on the CPU means more room for your CPU to gallop. If you like 64bit, then you should be able to go as high as 3.8ghz with a good W/C system. Same rule applies to 32bit as well though. But if you ever want to have some fun and get into the 4.0ghz range, I suggest you boot up into a 32bit OS. I do not believe it matters if your OS is XP or Vista. Not to sure about W7. I use it for my games and run my 940BE at 3.7ghz @ 1.53v.
NB research:
Most of you know that I have spent a lot of time working with the NB, maybe to much time. I believe that there is some linear relationship with the NB and the CPU as far as how much you should increase the Frequency and the voltage as you in crease the speed of your CPU. So far this theory has been proven while in the 30% range. I have not yet been able to test the 30%+ range.
My theory so far with the NB involves one important equation. The 3.15:2 ratio. The ratio is the CPU Frequency to NB Frequency. For example a 4000MHz 940BE would require a NB Frequency of 2539.683. Depending on the RAM you are using the Voltage needed could be from 1.25v - 1.35v. While inside the 30% range this ratio does not apply to much. I have seen people use 2.8ghz NB while the CPU frequency was around 3.6ghz. I would like to test this theory in the 30%+ zone but so far have not been able to get anything higher then 4.0ghz.
My other research with the NB is high voltage with a low Frequency. It seems that if you increase the voltage of the NB you can create a more stable environment, along with lossening your RAM timings. So far this has been true, especially in a 64bit environment. I have been able to run a 3.8ghz stable in W7 @ 1.55v using 1.35v NB @2.2ghz and my RAM at 5-7-7-27.
My research for the NB has come nearly to its end. I will be running a bench mark test from 1.8ghz to 2.8ghz and compare the difference. I'll even see how it helps with higher CPU clocks and HT clocks and different timings with the RAM. Graphs should be up soon for everyone to see.
NB Conclusion based on Theory:
After a couple of weeks of testing and benching, I have come up with the data in the next post. Most of the data shows what it should show. A higher NB yeilds a a better result in your benchmarks. Which is true, but not in all cases. The data shows that in some cases the respected NB frequency was the better choice. In most cases the Respected NB Frequency to the CPU Frequency was the cut off before a change in scores accured. Sadly I don't have enough data to show a more variety of scores. I would love to have 4.0ghz and higher but I am unable to do this as of now. I will conclude in saying that it is no doubtly true that if you raise the NB you will yield better scores.
CPU Research:
The 30%+ zone is not fun to try to get into. I really need to find a stress ball when working with 4.0ghz.
As far as the CPU goes, its pretty messed up. The amount of voltage needed for a specific speed will depend on the factors of your NB voltage and ram timings. If you can even out the load everything becomes smoother (<-- that sentance gave me some ideas). I have not tryied out a variety of different FSB speeds, but will sometime soon. I've heard that if you hit a wall with the multi then just go to the FSB and work with it.
FSB:
I would like to know what the FSB does to the NB, HT, and RAM. Does it help with the spread, or does it just complicate things? Does it complicate to help? Is there a god? Sorry getting out of hand here...
RAM Research:
One of the strangest things I learned and tested was the losser timings in a 3:8 ratio. Apparently if you have losser timings it creates a more stable environment. How this effects benchmarks, I'm not entierly sure. It could help because you now have a faster CPU and NB, but I am lead to believe that it will have a slight decrease in performance.
Most of the time I have spent in the 3:8 ratio, not really working in the 1:2 ratio to much. I believe that the 1:2 ratio should only be used once you start OCing the FSB.
HT Research:
Once, when I was trying to cold boot into 4.0ghz, I tried upping the HT link from 1.8ghz to 2.2ghz and instantly I got a stable platform (using an FSB of 200). I'm pretty sure something is here, but it could be a minor thing. If you experaince an unstable system and you have already increased NBv and lossened your timings, try increasing the HT link. As I continue with my research I'll be trying this same thing out to see if it does anything.
The HT Also has a voltage and can be accessed in some motherboards' BIOS. Will increasing this have any effect with the stability of a CPU. Do you need to any higher then 2.2 ghz at any time?
ACC:
Maybe? Could it do something? IDK I've never tried it out. Any info on this feature would be great.
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I'll setup a benchmark system for the NB and do that next week. I'll let you guys know by Friday.
