P6T6 WS ddr3 question

GoodBoy

GoodBoy

2[H]4U
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Nov 29, 2004
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Ok I've got me a P6T6 and really liking it (Intel X58 chipset). Question on the DDR3 ram speed. I have Corsair 1600 triple channel kits installed, 6x2gb sticks all identical.

Post shows 1066,

CPU-Z v1.50 shows on the memory tab: dram freq 534 (tripled this sounds like it is running at 1600) fsb:dram 2:8, nb freq 2138.1 Mhz. (On the CPU tab it says Bus Speed is 133.6 Mhz)

A utility I have that reads WMI data shows 1066 speed on a per slot basis.. (maybe it thinks its plain ddr)

So is it running at 1600 or no? The mobo is on Bios 0407, the most current
 
DDR3 is doubled, so 534 = 1066/1067. Your ram is running at 1066, go into your bios and adjust the settings for ram speed, or you may need to overclock the ram or qpi or whatever, I heard that's necessary for i7 920/940, but I dunno.
 
Thanks, I'll give that a try.

So far I haven't overclocked anything, it's all on auto. Why wouldn't the ram be at the correct speed?
 
Most corsair memory uses xmp profiles to allow for very easy adjustment to the correct overclocked speeds. I would recommend you check if your memory does and then set the bios settings to xmp profile.
 
The "correct" speed for memory on i7, from Intel's point of view, is 1066 MHz (or 1333 MHz for the Extreme 965/975). That's the supported speed the i7's integrated memory controller runs at.

This is why you see 1066 MHz. If you want to run faster, you'll need to overclock the memory. At stock CPU speed on a 920, changing the memory ratio to 2:12 would take you to 1600 MHz. Yes, if you have XMP, one of the profiles should reflect this configuration.

Now, once you start overclocking the CPU (if it's not a 965/975)... XMP is thrown out door.
 
GoodBoy said:
Thanks, I'll give that a try.

So far I haven't overclocked anything, it's all on auto. Why wouldn't the ram be at the correct speed?
Click to expand...

In short, the memory must be able to be operated at the default settings the MOBO will use the first time you ever boot it, after a CMOS clear when it's at default, or if you use the setup defaults option in the BIOS. Otherwise, the system would not be bootable if the memory would only operated at 1600 and the MOBO was not set to run that.

And as Grommet noted:

The "correct" speed for memory on i7, from Intel's point of view, is 1066 MHz (or 1333 MHz for the Extreme 965/975). That's the supported speed the i7's integrated memory controller runs at.
Click to expand...

Anything faster than that requires OCing the memory controller.
 
Ok. havent rebooted yet. I'll try the xmp thing. and if I don't see that, the 2:12 multi
 
Well shit that was easy. All I did was went into the p6t6 bios, and under ram speed changed it from auto to "DDR3-1600" lol.

Post now shows 1600,
cpu-z shows 801.8 with fsb:dram 2:12
the WMI utility doesn't seem to be working anymore to grab the ram speed.... lists it as blank.

Time to load down the ram some and do some tests.
 
A lot of OCing enthusiasts don't really care for XMP or, SLI Ready EPP which is Nvidia's equivalent. However, it is an useful tool for some that don't enjoy or have the time for endless RAM tweaking.

In fact, I have had a lot of customers over the years that are gaming oriented customers state that they like these presets. They plug it in, tick 1 setting in the BIOS, then go frag people. Fragging is more fun than tweaking for them.
 
You might want to set the DDR bus voltage to 1.65v. That is what the sticks you have are rated for. Will likely give you better stability under load.
 
I'd need to look at the SPD but the XMP profile should set 1.65v DRAM BusV or 1.66v on ASUS if their BIOS is stil the same and.....IIRC, 1.35v on QPIv.
 
GoodBoy said:
Thanks, I'll do that. I should try a 166fsb on the cpu as well. Start overclocking it.
Click to expand...


My 920 is running solid at 3.6GHz on my P6T6 as I type this and has been solid for a week now.
 
Woot! Took me a few tries but im at 4.0 ghz =)

First I changed fsb to 166, ddr to 1.64 (typing 1.65 it goes to 1.66, so lowered it .01), but forget to mess with the dram multiplier. so no post.
<clear cmos>
Then I set fsb to 166 again, dram to 1334 (below the 1600 spec) (adjust all sorts of other shit back like it was, boot order, disable the sas controller, etc) ddr to 1.64.
posted ok. started to boot and decided to go back and try the 1664 on the corsair. no post.
<clear cmos>
Ok. so Im back in bios again. and dammit I want the ram running full speed. And I keep having to reset a bunch of settings.

So I set fsb to 200, ddr speed to 1604 choice, ddr to 1.64v, qpi voltage to 1.30000 (adjust all sorts of other shit back like it was, boot order, disable the sas controller, etc)

F10 save changes and boom, it posted, and booted :)

Time for some stability testing.

Quick update:
CPU-Z (v1.50) says my cpu's core voltage is now at 1.408. Bios it's on auto. Highest I ever saw it get before overclocking was 1.224.
Core speed reads 3989.5 mhz
on the memory tab the NB frequency is 3200 Mhz (NorthBridge?)
Dram freq 800.1 Mhz
fsb:dram 2:8
9.0 CL, 9 tRCD, 9 tRP, 24 tRAS, command rate 2T

Gonna fire up some apps now
 
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Ok I'm doing some Prime 95 testing and all 4 cores are 100% loaded down. The temp is currently at 180F / 82C on the CPU. The Asus PC Probe II Utility is set to give a temp warning on the CPU at 77C. Seems pretty damn hot... I've got a ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme 1366 heatsink, using the stock fan. The CPU's (i7 920) voltage gets to 1.424 during the Prime95 torture test.

Recommendations? Slow down the OC? Use a different fan on the heatsink?

Another question, after stopping Prime95, the temp dropped to 139F within 1 second, and a few seconds after that was below 120F. The Thermalright heatsink just that good?
 
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on the asus boards its recommended to set the dram voltage to 1.66v.. its still techniclly 1.65v its just a glitch in the bios that it goes to 1.66v.. you wont kill anything by going .01v over the 1.65v limit that intel recommends.. its probably why you are having stability issues..

northbridge frequency = memory controller which is integrated into the cpu.. also called an IMC.

also you should be manually setting your voltage.. now you know the system is stable at 1.40v. you should start working your way down with the voltage til it becomes unstable again. then bump it up 1 option and stress test it for a while and see if its stable at that voltage..

and those temps are actually very good.. the i7's run insanely hot due to the IMC..
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
on the asus boards its recommended to set the dram voltage to 1.66v.. its still techniclly 1.65v its just a glitch in the bios that it goes to 1.66v.. you wont kill anything by going .01v over the 1.65v limit that intel recommends.. its probably why you are having stability issues..
Click to expand...

Not having stability issues (only some trial and error during OC attempts), it's running fine. It's just getting HOTter than I would like.

sirmonkey1985 said:
northbridge frequency = memory controller which is integrated into the cpu.. also called an IMC.

also you should be manually setting your voltage.. now you know the system is stable at 1.40v. you should start working your way down with the voltage til it becomes unstable again. then bump it up 1 option and stress test it for a while and see if its stable at that voltage..
Click to expand...

This sounds like a good idea, I could try lowering the QPI a bit as well. Might help with temps.

sirmonkey1985 said:
and those temps are actually very good.. the i7's run insanely hot due to the IMC..
Click to expand...

Still, it's hotter than I would like.

I put the side back on the case and the asus utility for monitoring temps is reading 130F for the mobo temp (chipset I believe), 155F on the cpu (under about 25% load) at the moment. Hardrives are reading 84F to 95F, which is fine, GPU under moderate load is at 152F, so the internal components are at decent temps. The CPU temp still seems on the high side to me, especially when it's loaded down.

Any more feedback on the CPU and Chipset temps?
 
Try not to exceed 85 C on individual CPU core as a rule on torture tests. That gives you a decent buffer. (Use a tool that shows all 4 core temps, not one that just shows the i7 chip temp.) Anyway, the i7 will protect itself by 100 C, by trimming back speed.

Anyway, voltage = CPU temperature. It's all about the VCORE and CPU VTT. The more voltage your chip needs to stay stable, the more you need to worry about high-end cooling.
 
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