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| by MAC | July 28, 2008 | ||
| Overclocking Results Overclocking Results With its brand new chipset, extensive BIOS settings, and epic voltage options, we were definitely looking forward to putting the P5Q PRO through its paces. Now we are happy to report that you can achieve respectable overclocks on this motherboard with very little tinkering, which is excellent for a mainstream motherboard aimed at slightly more novice users. The daunting memory options and Performance Level can be left at AUTO and the motherboard will make appropriate (if not slightly high) selections. However, for enthusiast users seeking high overclocks, our advice can be summarized in one word: finesse. The brute force approach of setting all the voltages to their maximum safe limits and then increasing the front side bus to find the ‘sweet spot’ will not yield optimal overclocking results. A more disciplined, incremental approach is necessary for those seeking to extract every last megahertz out of their components, and with the least possible voltage. Before starting, please note that Everest, MemSet and CPU-Z all mistakenly report the memory type as DDR3. Also, when using a 3:4 memory ratio, MemSet misreports the memory clocks, so rely on Everest instead. Maximum FSB Stability OverclockingClick for full size… Two dreaded words: FSB Wall. This insurmountable obstacle halted our progress much sooner than we hoped for. However, as is often the case, it was caused by the processor and not the motherboard itself. Nevertheless, a perfectly stable 473Mhz FSB at a mere 1.20V (measured via digital multi-meter) is nothing to scoff at, and hints at the solid overclocking potential that awaits someone with a more capable processor. We were able to achieve this FSB with a tRD (Performance Level) of 8, which is quite good. However, a tRD of 7 was usable up to around 460Mhz, and we would recommend giving up a few Mhz on the FSB to retain this higher performance setting. Having said that, after our extensive testing it is pretty clear that the P45 chipset was designed for high FSB over low tRD. Now let’s see if we can test out this model's claimed DDR2-1200 capabilities. Maximum Memory Stability Overclocking Click for full size… As you can see, we were able to reach the 10,000 MB/s Everest Read speed milestone with relatively low memory speeds. Not that you can really call DDR2-1216 a ‘low memory speed’, especially since it was achieved with run-of-the-mill Micron PC2-5300 modules. Based on our measurements, which can be found in the subsequent ‘Voltage Regulation’ section, the vDIMM required to attain this memory clock was 2.26V. We could have tried higher voltages, but this particular kit has always had a drastic point of diminishing returns at 2.28V, so rest assured that it’s not the P5Q PRO limiting the memory overclock. We did utilize MemSet in order to manipulate the Refresh Period (tREF), since the BIOS does not have this option. It didn’t assist in overclocking, but the 16383 setting provided a roughly 80MB/s Read gain compared to the stock 4171. On a side note, when using the 1:1 memory ratio the motherboard would not boot with any tRD under 10. It is too early to tell whether this is a BIOS or chipset limitation. Maximum Overall Stability Overclocking Click for full size… Our last area of interest is the overall system overclock. This is basically the configuration that we would use in our own 24/7 system. We settled on these settings because they form a nice combination of high CPU clocks, high FSB, high memory clocks, while still using relatively low voltage and running cool. So what are our overall thoughts regarding the P5Q PRO’s overclocking capabilities? Well…69% overclock on the processor, 69% overclock on the front side bus, 69%...no, 80% overclock on the memory, how can we possibly not be impressed? It proved to be an excellent overclocking platform on which to eek every last Mhz out of our components. Do keep an eye on our forums though, as updated overclocking results will be posted as soon as we receive a new C2D E8000 series processor. | ||
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