error message due to memory

Solarstarshines · 21 Jul 2010

Just a question I finally figured out why my machine would quit on a over clock it was due to a memory error

so what i am basicly asking is when i oc'd my cpu to the most stablist point which is 3.36 off a 2.8 ghz processor am i overloading the memory that it can't handle it or do i need to adjust my ram voltage settings ? or am i just bottle necked at 3.22 ghz?

I have been battling this for a while but kinda gave up but just wondering i have a TA785GE 128 MB MOBO AM2+ RUNNING 8 GIGS OF DDR2 G SERIES VIPER RAM PATRIOT RAM USEING A AM3 PHENOM II X4 QUADCORE CHIP 2.8

now one more stupid question if i uped the cpu and over clocked a higher phenom would that make any differnce or would that just be better all the way around ?

profdlp · 21 Jul 2010

Solarstarshines said:

...am i overloading the memory that it can't handle it or do i need to adjust my ram voltage settings ? or am i just bottle necked at 3.22 ghz?...

Could be any of those. Upping the voltage is the "standard" response, though that would depend on how much, if any, you had raised it already. Be forewarned that at some point you could fry it.

...if i uped the cpu and over clocked a higher phenom would that make any differnce or would that just be better all the way around ?

Depends on where your OC is coming from now. If it's all from raising the multiplier then you'd probably just get stuck at the same point. (Roughly 400 MHz above stock.) Or, you could just hit the high end of the max your parts can do now. As a general rule, the best CPUs are not the best overclockers. This is because when a company makes a batch of chips they sort them according to how they test out. The "best" chips are already usually pretty close to max anyway.

Also take into account that a company will often underrate a CPU for marketing purposes. In other words, if almost all of them score super high they might rate some at a lower speed just so they'll have some to sell. For this same reason, some dual and triple core CPUs are actually quads with one or two fully functional cores disabled.

The whole point of overclocking is to get more out of your CPU than you paid for. Buying a new and more expensive chip is a waste, in my opinion. I take the same attitude toward watercooling. If you have to spend another couple hundred bucks for a faster CPU why not just buy a faster CPU?

(Before anyone complains: I understand the fun of doing it as a hobby. If that's your goal then go for it.)

Solarstarshines · 21 Jul 2010

well th ats pretty much what im thinking im still using ddr2 ram i mean if i up the chip might as well do the board and memory as well i barley built this rig about hmm month in a half ago

I trying to get more bang for my buck but honestly im already getting it I just wanted another opinion cause in retrospect im running a very fast system compared to some with a higher cpu i think from 2,8 to 3.22 is atleast a decent bump and it still can run just as fast as a cpu already clocked that speed

i think i would hang on to this rig for atleast a year and then see what my options are i just dont see anything that would increase my performance by much anyway .....but this being my first official rig i built myself i often questioned is this system good enough

profdlp · 21 Jul 2010

Solarstarshines said:

...but this being my first official rig i built myself i often questioned is this system good enough

I'd say you are doing just fine.

There are lots of people who brag about their spectacular overclocks and some of them are no doubt legit. I do wonder how many of the rigs with those awesome CPU-Z screenshots I see were stable just long enough to get the picture saved and then crashed big-time right afterward. Then there are the folks I mentioned before who get a great OC, but only at the expense of spending more on their cooling system than they did on the CPU.

If it were me, I would take what you've got and be happy with it. :)

Solarstarshines · 21 Jul 2010

yeah i understand where your comming from i had the stock cooler then i went and bought a $20 dollar after stock it only cooled it down by like 8 degrees not too much but it keeps it betwen 30 to 32 c if anything full load maybe 37c but not by much which im thankfull for that its a little cooler but not impressed by the afterstock cooler

stormy13 · 22 Jul 2010

Seeing as your 925 has a locked multiplier (locked up that is, unlocked down due to Cool and Quiet) and you can only do FSB/HT overclocking, did you remember to run the ram at a lower frequency?

For example if your ram is 800 MHZ, set it to 667 or lower in the bios, then start raising the FSB. Just remember that when FSB overclocking the ram speed will go up as well.

Solarstarshines · 22 Jul 2010

that was one thing i never looked at so if i take off the cool and quiet it will let me increase the fsb? and allow me to do more oc'ing? also the ram is running at 460 mhz

stormy13 · 22 Jul 2010

if i take off the cool and quiet it will let me increase the fsb?

No it won't, but turning it off until you find the max stable overclock is a good idea. The x4 925 runs on a multiplier of 14 and a FSB/HTT of 200 MHz. You can lower the multi down from 14, but it is locked from going higher than 14. You need the black edition's to get an unlocked upwards multi.

also the ram is running at 460 mhz

Is the ram 800 or 1066 MHz? If it is only 800 MHz, then there is a good possibility that 460 is to much for it. Just had a look at the manual for your motherboard and there isn't much in it with regards to the clock speed for the ram. It only shows it as having three settings; auto, manual and limit. It doesn't show what if any other settings might be available when set to manual or limit. If when set to manual allows for manually setting the clock speed, set it to less than the ram's rated speed (the lower the better, till the max CPU overclock is found).

Give this a play around with,

A64Calc.rar

it isn't quite accurate with AM2/AM2+/AM3 CPU's have changed how some of the values are calculated from the old socket 939 it was made for, but it is close enough to give you an idea as to what kind of numbers to go for.

Solarstarshines · 22 Jul 2010

the ram is 800mhz but clocked at 460 it is g series patriot ram ddr2

Mellon Head · 23 Jul 2010

Solarstarshines said:

the ram is 800mhz but clocked at 460 it is g series patriot ram ddr2

The RAM is clocked at 460, meaning that with DDR2, the effective clock is 920. Running 8 GB of DDR2-800 at that speed is probably going to require a pretty good voltage bump for the RAM, and you may even have to up your NB voltage to keep it stable if you want to go any higher.

8 GB of RAM puts a pretty good strain on the memory controller when overclocking, and you will eventually hit a wall where you can't raise the FSB any higher without increasing the memory voltage past the high limit of your sticks. That extra voltage also increases the strain on the Phenom's memory controller, and adds to the heat in the CPU. You may not be able to push the FSB any harder unless you lower your RAM to 667, as suggested, or else buy some 1066 and run it at 800. That's what I did in my last build, and it worked great.

Getting 900 MHz out of DDR2-800 isn't all that bad, because the whole system speeds up with an FSB overclock. You'll get better performance out of a stable FSB of 225 to 228 or so in your current rig, than you would with a Black Edition at 3200, and a stock FSB of 200, for example. You've got a pretty respectable OC for a Phenom 925, just don't wreck the hardware by trying for pie in the sky numbers.