TriBeCa

actually 32 bit OS's do address up to 4GB RAM, it's just that some portion of it has to be allocated for hardware, so you don't see all of it as being available to software.

I would strongly, strongly, strongly recommend reinstalling windows if you're switching the motherboard on it. windows tends to be picky about that kind of thing.

also make sure you have a decent PSU with that rig, it's gonna draw a lot of wattage....

__________________


Pictorial Lapping Guide--Check this out if you're thinking of lapping an HSF and/or IHS!!

ASUS P5N-E OCing Guide

Best RAM timings guide I've seen

"Incorrect using it may cause your system broken. For power End-User use only!"
-Gigabyte MB manual (8I865GME-775-RH-Rev2.0)

macgregor98

I plan to do a clean install of xp64bit. as near as i can tell the PC Power & Cooling S610EPS will make the grade.

PEproES

Thanks teK0wnzU, TriBeCa, But no matter what I do I cant seem to get this beyond 3G. can the NVidia software/drivers be getting in the way?

teK0wnzU

Is your BIOS updated all the way, not sure if that could be your deal but I know I had the same issue before I updated my BIOS. Also what is your VCore at?

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PEproES

Are you asking if I have the latest bios (yes 1202) or if the bios is working properly?

Vcore is at 1.28 (Now after your last post.)

teK0wnzU

Has your system stabilized yet? What is your OCing goal, and what are you using to test stability?
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm trying to find out why your system isn't stable.

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macgregor98

What's the best free tool to benchmark my system when its built?

PEproES

teK,

I really thank you for taking time to try to help me.
As for my goal, I am not a gamer, I am a designer, so my primary use for the computer is CAD, I do all of my work in 3D and I do renderings which both take alot of processor power (Very similar to gaming). So my goal is the highest stable speed that I can get (IF I can get this to 3.3~3.5 I would be very happy). I have built several rigs in the past but have never OCed any of them ( never had the capabiity). I bought what I believed to be a versitile motherboard (Asus striker 2 formula which if you have seen any of the forums here and on asus may have problems, some have great success, others are RMAing thier boards) and a newer CPU ( without breaking the bank for an extreme) that believed to have headroom for higher speeds. Currently Autocad doesnt utilize multiprocessor CPUs but I expect that to change soon, so I wanted to be ahead of the curve (They just recently started supporting 64 bit OS, which is the reason I have 8G RAM and the dual boot to XP 64, but that is a seperate issue). I searched some reviews and found the combination I am using on Toms Hardware.

As for Stability testing I dont have a stability tool, Can you reccomend one? I have done some 3DMark06 testing, This rig scores over 14,000. But I dont think this is what your asking. As I stated earlier I am VERY new at this, so please excuse my ignorance.

Thanks Again!

teK0wnzU

Well I know a little about CAD, I used it back in HS, and I play around with Bryce and 3D Max from time to time. So I know how taxing rendering can be on a CPU.
As for not being a gamer, I'm not much of one myself. But the ones I do play the most are RTS's like Civilization, and what not.
I'm going to list the programs I use and a little about when they are for.

cpuz - this program will tell you detailed info on your system, cpu, cache, mobo, RAM, and RAM speed.

RealTemp - just a temp progie that will tell you the temp of your CPU and how close it is the TJ Max.

prime95 - this is a stability tester for the CPU. It's goal is to push the CPU to 100% and keep it there. The longer it goes the more stable. So far if it goes past 2hrs without crashing, it's not going to. It will also show you what the max temps will be with your system at 100%.

HWMonitor - CPUID Hardware Monitor that will tell you voltages, temps, fan speeds, CPU temps (are all off use RealTemp), GPU temp, HDD temps.

What I do is put my FSB to the speed where I want my CPU to be, then I alter the vcore up or down to get to the lowest stable vcore for that speed. Just remember to never go above 1.36v or you will burn your CPU up and let out the magic smoke. Also I know it's tasking but sometime write down your BIOS settings or take a pic of them to see if something is on or off that shouldn't be.

TTYL
teK

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TriBeCa

That's the PSU I've got my rig it, should be fine for your needs.

It's probably your RAM holding you back--it just can't be the CPU at those speeds. As you increase the FSB your board will push the RAM harder, forcing both the DIMMs and the MCH to work harder. Either could be causing instability.

Set your RAM divider to 1:1. This will make the RAM run at 800MHz when your CPU is at 3GHz, and 900MHz if you get it to 3.375GHz (for example). I'm not sure what your RAM speed is at stock, but if you haven't changed the divider it'll be running at 1.2x it's stock speed right now--that may very well be the max it can tolerate, or that the MCH can tolerate at stock volts.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the MCH (aka northbridge or NB) might need more voltage to run the CPU at FSB's higher than 400. I'm not specifically familiar with the chipset you're on, but all modern MCH's will tolerate up to 1.5v with decent cooling. If you haven't replaced the stock TIM I wouldn't go over 1.4v, but even that will help immensely over the stock voltage.

Give that stuff a try and report back--good luck!

The most commonly used ones are the FutureMark benchies--3dMark and PCMark. SiSoft Sandra and Everest are very popular as well. And the 1M and 32M tests in SuperPi are quite common as well.

__________________


Pictorial Lapping Guide--Check this out if you're thinking of lapping an HSF and/or IHS!!

ASUS P5N-E OCing Guide

Best RAM timings guide I've seen

"Incorrect using it may cause your system broken. For power End-User use only!"
-Gigabyte MB manual (8I865GME-775-RH-Rev2.0)