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Help me Overclock my Firestix.

Dethredic

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
18
Ok, I have these.

I have never overclocked ram before, and I am wondering, is it better to have tight timings, faster frequency or do they not effect each other.

As of now, all the timings are set to auto, the ram is unlinked and running at 850.


Apparently, "Auto" means a lot higher than factory settings.
they are suposed to run at 5-5-5-18, but they are running at 5-7-7-19 (what is the 26)?

f_Memorym_bed1bfe.jpg


How much would you suggest I increase it, and how would I test it?
 

3.0charlie

3.0 "I kill SR2's" Charlie
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
10,054
Location
Laval, QC
You oc ram just like you oc a cpu. Loosen the timings (5-7-7-19-26, why not), raise the speed by 10Mhz. If it does boot, use this little program to test: MemTest: RAM reliability tester for Windows. Test all unused ram, to 100%. You can also use SuperPi 1M (SuperPI - 1.1e Download - EXTREME Overclocking) to test the oc.

If no errors, re-raise the speed by 10Mhz. Re-test. If it does not boot (though it should), check your FSB and mem voltages. Raise one notch. Re-boot. Once you have reached the max speed, it is time then to tighten the timings one setting at a time. Still test using Memtest and SuperPi.

Make sure you have proper cooling on the North and South bridges. One last test I perform is running dual SuperPi 32M instances (running from seperate folders). If it passes that test, the memory is stable.

John
 

Dethredic

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
18
Ok, thanks. When you say tighten the timings, do you mean change it from 5-7-7-19-26 to 4-6-6-18-25, or something like 54-7-7-19-26???
 

Dethredic

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
18
Do you recommend going over 2.1 volts if I don't have any special cooling? ( I want these to last a long time)
 

3oh6

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
1,049
Location
Edmonton, AB
2.1V is no problem.
going over 2.2v for daily use is a hit and miss gamble with Micron based memory (like your Firestix). eveyone has theories as to why Micron tend to die randomly from power supply ripple, to electro migration, to heat, but no one knows for sure. in my experience, they can die at pretty much any voltage but staying at 2.2v or less is a pretty safe bet. staying at 2.1v or less is a great bet to keep them alive. at the other end of the spectrum, there are people that claim to run Micron based memory at 2.4v daily for over a year now...but i wouldn't try it :biggrin:

as for timings...you can check out my Firestix PC2-9600 overclocking report here:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...eport-buffalo-firestix-2x1gb-pc2-9600-c5.html

you obviously won't get as high frequencies at the different timing ranges because the 9600s are a much higher bin, but you can at least sort of see how Micron timings tend to scale and the hierarchy they run at. i guess this is all assuming that the PC2-6400 Firestixs still have Micron D9GMH...or at least yours do. HTH
 

Scratch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 1, 2007
Messages
362
Location
Victoria BC Canada
I was running OCZ Titanium that claimed to highly OC and found them to be anything but, so was perusing the forum one day and came across this excellent review by Babrbarossa :punk:. I was so impressed I bought 2 gigs and have them OC'd at a modest 900mhz for daily use.
I have just ordered another 2 gigs as I couldn't pass up the price at tdDirect.ca $110.00 for 2 gigs. I highly recommend them.
There is also an indepth memory comparative review done by Toms I think that was very helpful in determining latency v speed. To summarize the determination was that speed>latency. So attain your highest stable speed then lower your latency.
 

Dethredic

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
18
What are your voltages / timings Scratch???

EDIT: NVM I see your sig.

Double EDIT: What are you voltage?
 
Last edited:

enaberif

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 9, 2006
Messages
11,412
Location
Calgahree, AB
D9 can run pretty good but unless you need to run them at a higher voltage start low and work your way up.

Remember to also stress the CPU/RAM when you do overclocking to make sure they are stable. You might be able to run your memory at 1.9v and not need 2.1 or 2.2 for a good overclock.
 

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