How to overclock Crucial Ballistix 2x 2gig ram

[fraya713]

This is 2 gb ddr2-800 CL4 Ballistix ram

I am having trouble overclocking it

I have read that it can get 1066 with 5-5-5-15 timings

my issue is this, i don't know what the timings are refering to. I know where the timings are, but i am confused as to which timings are for what... if any of you could help me with this, i would very much appreciate it

I should say this is my first time clocking ram..

thank you

-joe

 

[sneekypeet]

Timings:

5- CAS latency or tCL
5- RAS# to CAS# read delay or tRCD
5- RAS# precharge or tRP
15- Precharge Delay or tRAS

 

[HTC]

Don't know where you read that but, to be sure, do this:

- Power down your PC and remove 1 GB of RAM to see what it says, exactly: it should say timings AND voltage required.

- Insert it back on and be sure to confirm that it's correctly placed.

- Power the PC on and go to BIOS (usually, press the "DEL" key right after POST).

- In order to manually enter timings, you need to set the DRAM setting from "Auto" to "Manual" (this will add a bunch of options in you BIOS) and, if necessary, change the 1st 4 entries to match those that you read in the 1 GB RAM stick and make the rest (of the ones that were added when you changed the DRAM setting) to "Auto".

- Normal voltage for DRAM is 1.8 volts but, if the memory stick said 1.9 or 2.0 or something, you need to change it accordingly, from "Auto" to the value in question.

- That's about it.

EDIT

For example:

I have 4 sticks of Corsair Dominator CL4 DHX 800 MHz memory but, in BIOS, i have to manually alter the timings because it detects the timings as 5 / 5 / 5 / 15. In the memory stick, it says that it supports 4 / 4 / 4 / 12 @ 2.1 volts, so it changed the setting in BIOS to reflect this.

However, because i'm overclocking, i need to loosen the timings so i changed them to 5 / 5 / 5 / 15 @ 2.1 volts because they are @ 1060 and not 800.

 

[fraya713]

what should i do for trac? its the last one on the list...

 

[fraya713]

is something wrong here?

 

[Duxx]

Mmmm they come stock at 5-5-5-15, just try raising the MHz. I got mine running at 1100+ with RAM on Auto, just to see what they would do. Oh and i raised the Vdimm to 2.2V. They are rated at that so it shouldn't matter.

 

[HTC]

is something wrong here?

No. Leave it in Auto.

I edited because i was confusing tRC with tRD

 

[fraya713]

i changed those values actually, i'm not sure what they come at stock, but they are working at least

so bump up the memory clock right? not the fsb

so leave trc to auto?

 

[HTC]

i changed those values actually, i'm not sure what they come at stock, but they are working at least

so bump up the memory clock right? not the fsb

so leave trc to auto?

Dunno, actually: i overclocked the RAM because i overclocked the FSB.

What i did in mine was:

- Set it @ 4 / 4 / 4 / 12 with 2.1 volts (written on the memory stick)

- Started raising the FSB

- Soon, i had to loosen the timings because i was unable to even reach POST, so i loosed it to 5 / 5 / 5 / 15 @ 2.1 volts

- Managed higher then what i'm now (see pic below, in one of the CPU-z) but, currently, i'm @ 3536 MHz, with the memory @ 1060. When i raise the FSB, the DRAM also raises: i set mine @ 667, for the pic below, but as you can see, it's @ 930 (465 * 2).

 

[fraya713]

whenever i raise the memory clock to more than 900 it wont boot... is 900 my limit then?

 

[fraya713]

hmm.. i checked my cpu-z and it says fsb : Dram is 2:3...

shouldn't it be 1:1?

 

[HTC]

hmm.. i checked my cpu-z and it says fsbram is 2:3...

shouldn't it be 1:1?

Depends on the configuration. I edited my previous post, right before the pic: my memory is @ 800 but i set it @ 667 so that, with the overclock, it jumps to 930.

EDIT

If i had left it @ 800, with the overclock, it would have almost reached 1200 and, obviously, it would not boot.

 

[fraya713]

im confused, why did you set it to 667? and how does it jump to 930?

 

[HTC]

im confused, why did you set it to 667? and how does it jump to 930?

Because i raised my FSB from 333 to 465 and, as you can see in that pic, the ratio FSB / RAM is 1 /1 so it too climbed to 465 but, since it's DDR2, it's 465*2 which gives 930.

If @ 800, the ratio is 5 / 6 and not 1 / 1.

EDIT

The total MHz of my PC is 8 * 465 = 3720 (other CPU-z, in the pic): a 720 MHz overclock (from 3000).

For a better explanation, you should read this:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=22916

 

[fraya713]

should i increase my front side bus so it is a 1 : 1 ratio?

i have a feeling that is my issue

 

[HTC]

should i increase my front side bus so it is a 1 : 1 ratio?

i have a feeling that is my issue

It's not changing the FSB that changes the ratio.

In your board, i don't know how it's done. In mine, i have an option to change this ratio: "DRAM timing control".

Check the address in my previous post.