The Official OC (OverClocking) Thread!

To ask again, can I clock the comando ram past 800 mhz?
It says it supports 533/677 and 800.
If I buy corsair 800mhz can I push it past that with the board?

Ive got my mobo now and I dont think the shop will let me take it back for a refund with out good reason? Ill see how I get on with my e6600 when all the parts arive. I will be back here asking for you guys to help me get the most out of my set up though....?!

 

tinytom,
I got this from Asus web site!

Commando
-Intel® Quad-core CPU Ready
-Intel® Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Duo Ready
-Intel P965 chipsets
-Dual-channel DDR2 800/667/533
-Extreme Tweaker
-SupremeFX / DTS Connect / Noise Filter
-LCD Poster
-Onboard Switches

You are going to raise the fsb anyway so with the right multiplier you should be fine.

Best Regards,
Russ

 

YES, if you get either mobo, and want to push for higher OC, stay w/ only 2 RAM sticks in dual hannel. It's not the mobo, it's the MCH and chipset handling.

The Commando is based off the P965 NB of the well loved P5B, so it should be good for 500+FSB w/ the compatible CPU. The only CPU's I got to 511 and 532FSB were the E6300 & E6400 and thus the RAM did well as 1:1 DDR1064. The P5W-DH is gonna be better for higher to near FSB600 but I had no CPU to take it there, but know people using OCZ DDR1200 on some.

Remember, ASUS like Corsair is usually the 1st to bring us these hot toys, so cut them come slack if it needs some smoothing out in the end. If the model is prooven a good one, then you'll see fixes rather then a new one. Lokk at the famus`P4C800-E, or P5WD2, still rock solid for their time, and hard to beat.

 

It's mostly us, the consumer that are to blame for these early bugs. We push thes companies to get it to us so quickly we dont care. So tyhey do and we get 1st flight bugs. I'ts OK to be the 1st to get on the band wagon, but leave room for advancement and except bugs.

It sucks wanting to be 1st on the block. I remember my 1st P4C800 (non E) and liking it , nut only to find it was revised for new features too soon after getting into it. So I buy it again cause I wanted the latest Intel CSA Gigabit LAN. But thats just me. Lot of us will never use the features we brag about before upgrading to all new system. Example; I never once, used my secure IDE of my then new ABIT IC7-MAX3. That was the last year (2003) I even had an EIDE HDD to try it with. and only used IEEE 1394 for my iPod then, or Wi-Fi at home was too slow (out dated) too soon.

Buy it cause you like it today, unless you expect to keep it for more then 3 - 5 yrs. If thats the case, then by all means, I'd go for ASUS known stable model today. And in my experience, it looks like the P5W-DH for now. It's had well over 1.5 yrs service so what does that tell you. P4C800-E's are stillbeing sold (hard to find). and many will likely be in service for closer to 10 yrs.

I don't claim to be an ASUS fan-boi, but I can speak from personal experience of over 13 yrs of ASUS. I buy the new cause I hate waiting for months to read a synthetic lab test of a bin picked OC and get excited over numbers.

I will admit I have had several issues with new ASUS mobo's over time but nothing too serious, and nothing that wasnt fixed via BIOS flash. My CROSSHAIR is a yr old last month and I had all kinds of weird little issues, but over the yr, they were fixed 1 by 1.

 

Im lost now, so does this mean with 800mhz corsair ram I will be able to clock it on my board to for aguments sake 1066mhz?
Ive not even built my system yet, Im just trying to get my head round what I can expect from a comando board, e6600 (L629F) and pc6400 corsair dominator ram? Ive got an AC 7pro, AC silver paste, AC 500w psu. Id like 3.6g minimum really, is this realistic?

 

As I mentioned earlier, the E6600 is gonna be the limiting factor here. I never got it over 500FSB to use DDR1000 @ 1:1. 1066 was only done 1:1 w/ a rest E6300 on both the P5W and P5b (1P965). The newer ICH8R SB used in new !P965's make it 1333 ready for new BIOS flash so you can expect to see a new BIOS for these mobos soon as it becomes the norm. Now that really only applys to stock 1333 CPU's since we can already hit FSB2000 on these. If you want to use DDR1066 or 1200 for that mattter, you will need to use deviders. OK if moderate OC, but not too high. The E6600 did like 1:2 10 1100 as 275x.

Does this help?

 

I think Im just going to have to get it built, then maybe these numbers will start making sense. Its all starting to sound like Im not going to get very good results even with the money Ive spent, or maybe I have just bought the wrong parts?

 

you will be in good shape using DDR2 6400. if you set the fsb (cpu freq) to 400mhz [whether it's x8 (3.2ghz) or hopefully x9 (3.6ghz)], you will be able to run the memory at it's rated speed of 800mhz (400 x 2) with the fsb:dram ratio at 1:1 which is ideal. even if you max out at around 3.4ghz, you can either underclock the memory a little keeping it at 1:1 or overclock it to run at 4:5. whichever it performs better at.

 

You picked out great parts. If you got the 1066 version, great. The 1111 version you really cant go wrong. w/ DDR1111 @ stock of 4-4-4-12 you can easily get some fun out of them using a 2:3 (set as DDR800) with this stuff. You should be good for a 2:3 stable up to FSB375 easy on !975X (375x9 = 3.4GHz at DDR1120, 2:3 @ 4-4-4-12 @ 2.4v).

I never said you couldn't use it, just gotta devide it if you want full RAM bandwidth. But at 1:1 with the DDR1111, you got the upper hand in tightening up the timings a bit more and lower volts. But it can hit DDR1200 if you use 2:3 at 400x9 = 3.6GHz. This was teted on a P5W-DH, I never had RAM like this to use on the P5B when I had it a yr bk. I also am testing on my AM2 at the moment and more weird for a nV 590i oC but will come bk when moved to !975X again for more test. I know the P5B can handle 1066 easy as I did it on my old E6300 in 1:1 but over was never tested. I will be soon as I think I can go for DDR1333 @ 2:3 w/ added fan set and 2.5+v at 444x8 = 3.5GHz. Wish me luck.

Hope this helps you to get clockin' with it

 

And all this talk of dodgy P5N-Es, it's my A8N that's going back for an RMA! Interesting, huh?
The one thing that annoys me about Asus motherboards is they say they're 'moving away' from LED-based fault codes and using audible messages. This in an age when computer case manufacturers seem to be 'moving away' from including PC speakers in them. Neither of my cases have one, and both my Asus motherboards require them to tell you any information whatsoever.

 

I have a A8N, and after enabling the "Speech POST Reporter" all audio from the BIOS is played through my external speakers,

 

Really? Excellent stuff. I presume that's using the onboard audio though? I use a USB sound card normally, but if that's true, it will definitely help.

 

Sam,

You might try what I did to solve that problem on one of my old cases. I have one of those tiny case "speakers" with a couple of short wires on it and I just stuck it on the speaker terminals at the front panel connections on the MB and now it beeps at you like it's supposed to. Cheap too! Most electronic stores here have them for a buck or two. It's the same tiny little round "slice of a barrel looking" thing that they put in most cases. Hope this helps!

BTW! The problems Asus have been having come from their MB suppliers in China (I think). It's not just the P5N-E, but several different ones. This is all nickel and dime stuff, cheap (beyond belief) stuff that costs pennies. Minor electronic components. We all know that the design is good. I think they just got some rubbish for parts that found their way into several different model MBs.

Best regards,
Russ

 

I can believe that, it happens in this industry a lot. Hehe remember the Capacitor plague?
I realised they were just tiny speakers you could attach, but I'm sure I remember seeing 4 wires for them on the board instead of the obvious two, which is why I wasn't sure. I will investigate the sound being routed to the sound card though, that could be useful.

Interestingly enough, my P5N-E doesn't even have the speech POST reporter feature. it's also not listed in the manual for my A8N board (haven't checked the BIOS for that yet though). So no speech POST reporter, no LEDs, not really a lot of diagnostic facilities! All you get is whether or not the monitor shows you the POST screen.

 

Sam,

There's 4 pins but the speaker only uses the two outside ones. The middle two don't do anything. Usually if a case has one, it's a wide 4 pin plug with a red and a black wire on each end!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

The Comando only supports 800hz tho, will it still let you change the settings on 1066mhz ram? Im starting to think I should have got a better specced board so I could run pc8500/1066mhz ram? I really would have liked to push mine past the 3.6ghz marker, I spent ages finding an e6600 with the right batch number!

 

You can hit that on any of the better ASUS mobos and likely on some other good models. DFI, MSI, EVGA, or now Gigabyte are known good players in the game, I just not used them personally, except for DFI in the day of AMD OC's and for that thenm they were great and getting better.

The current JEDEC specs for RAM is only tested to be 100% stable as DDR800, so thats what they will claim to cover themselves. But honestly, Every ASUS mobo I had since 1st !925XE has hit DDR1066 stable, so you are good to go. You have to adjust devider and OC to get it but you can.

I have the same RAM you mentioned so it is good (the PC8500 ver). I borrowed the PC8888 for test on my AM2 rig but it is twice the $$ (800.00 US dollers). To start out, I'd stick w/ the PC850 since it came down in $$ since I got it and is as low as $220. 00 US. This on any of the 2 mobos you picked would be great. OCZ PC9200 is 1150 @ 5-5-5-18, not too bad. I use their 1066 and are very stable too.

We'll help and you shell be a happy clocker soon!

 

You guys inquiring about this, forgive me if I can't remember names, as I don't get enough responces from this post to know all yet. One of you mentioned getting message via your speakers. "YES" this is only good for spkrs connected to mobo I/O pannel and if enabled in BIOS weather or not you use PCI or external audio solution.. Also to add, ASUS is coming to, not getting away from using LED/LCD to report, but only on the "Republic Of Gamers" series as of now. All top models since the P2B had onboard diode box for beep code to be decoded in manual. Some lesser models did not, but the circle was there if you wanted to add it yourself. But then I personally can barely recall when I ever had to use it, since I never had a crash that didn't recover. I know it can happen, just hasn't since my P2B (incompatible AGP voltage). If you want to use post reporter you must have the I/O panel spkr jack connected to a spkr during post. It can be flashed using EZ Flash to report custom post if you need, but its more for noobz and just for fun I think. If trouble comes, better off with classic beep code of onboard diode or sdd the beeper box as mentioned earlier as needed. I just got so used of not hearing beeps. Some mobos came w/ one.

 

well, a selling point for one of my motherboards (I forget which one) read "no complex LED fault codes to read - audible POST report messages" or something to that effect. LEDs would be a hell of a lot easier!

 

That would be correct.