Comment thread for DFI Infinity P965-S Dark review

[sswilson]

Yeah, I've still got a lot of research to do on overclocking the Intel platform.

Not only is this my first real kick at overclocking a C2D, it's also my first kick at dual core so I've got a couple of hurdles to make it over.

The first wall I hit at 425 was because I wasn't aware of what VTT did... :) That paired with having to concern myself with a memory controller outside of the chip (my last OC rig was a 3700+) gives me a pretty steep learning curve.

[Eldonko]

External mem controller just means no cold bug and more benching fun. :) And if you have questions just ask, chipset straps and mem dividers can be overwhelming until you get used to it.

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

This is true, esp with the new 4000 series CPUs, FSB wall sucks. That's why it is good to test CPU fsb so you arent banging your head against the wall tweeking a board when CPU is issue.

Just so I'm clear on what you mean......

You are talking about dropping the multi of the cpu to make sure that it isn't high cpu freq holding it back right?????

Or is there a FSB wall that a CPU won't breach no matter what freq it's actually running at?

[Wankerfx]

Nice review. I'll be buying this motherboard for $80.00 CAD from another forum. He says it did a 535mhz FSB, and does a 510mhz FSB orthos stable without a problem. It just takes a lot of tweaking.

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by Wankerfx

Nice review. I'll be buying this motherboard for $80.00 CAD from another forum. He says it did a 535mhz FSB, and does a 510mhz FSB orthos stable without a problem. It just takes a lot of tweaking.

Wow!!!!!

Grab it up quick at that price!!!!! :)

I think it's a keeper.

[Eldonko]

No not freq, each CPU has a FSB wall just like MBs do. You test it buy running the CPU on a board that is proven to have high FSB. I have a P5B Vanilla that does near 600 FSB so when I get a new CPU I throw it in there to see how high it will clock. If it does 540 the the CPU wall is 540. Problem is you need extra hardware to test this, i.e. MB and chip that are proven for high FSB. Otherwise you wont know if the bottleneck is the CPU or MB.

Generally, the older CPUs E6600, E6400, E6300 etc have good fsb wall (most >525), the new 4000 series ones suck (can be as low as 420-430), an the 20 versions (like yours) are somewhere in between. That's my experience anyway.

[cdn_Madrach]

I know this is a n00b quesion...but couldn't you find the max fsb on any mobo by lowering the cpu multi? Or does the max fsb affect the cpu irreguardless of frequency.(hmmm...is that what u were asking Wilson....ok I'm confused lol.)There certainly seems to be a lot more to understanding oc'n on intel

[pscout]

there are lots of factors that affect how linearly cpus/mobos oc.

here is an interesting read ... and there are a few others on that site
Secrets of the i965 based Asus P5B and chipset strap uncovered. - The Tech Repository Forums

When someone claims stability because it is orthos stable, i always ask have they run smp folding at those clocks. Cuz in my experience with the c2d and especially c2q's, smp folding is the best stress tester for non video intensive use. Well, at least for me it is the only relevant stability test since i build all mine to fold. With presslers, orthos was a pretty good indicator of stability, and still is pretty good with c2d's, but with c2q's it isn't even close (4xp95 is my orthos equivalent for quads). SMP tests more than just cpu and memory ... it is heavy on interprocess communication and cache usage.

So i keep a copy of some of the more demanding SMP work units so i can use them to test oc's with.

I realize i am somewhat atypical tho, since i use virtually no intense video, and anybody building gaming/video compostion rigs would need to use video stressing tools, possibly in addition to smp like testing. If video is the bottleneck that you oc for, then orthos/4xp95 may be sufficient.

[Eldonko]

Originally Posted by cdn_Madrach

I know this is a n00b quesion...but couldn't you find the max fsb on any mobo by lowering the cpu multi? Or does the max fsb affect the cpu irreguardless of frequency.(hmmm...is that what u were asking Wilson....ok I'm confused lol.)There certainly seems to be a lot more to understanding oc'n on intel

MB max FSB and CPU max FSB are independent. What you said would work as long as your CPU max FSB is not lower than the MB max FSB. Not really something to worry about though unless you plan on doing extreme benching >500fsb or if you have a 4000 series CPU.

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by cdn_Madrach

I know this is a n00b quesion...but couldn't you find the max fsb on any mobo by lowering the cpu multi? Or does the max fsb affect the cpu irreguardless of frequency.(hmmm...is that what u were asking Wilson....ok I'm confused lol.)There certainly seems to be a lot more to understanding oc'n on intel

Yeah, that is exactly what I'm asking as well.

I was working under the assumption that chips without an onboard memory controller would be pretty well "skys the limit" as far as upper FSB was concerned...... Guess I learn something new every day.... :)

That said, I guess I'm going to have to get my hands on a board to test out the upper limit of this cpu.... :)