mitro's adventures in overclocking

[mitro]

Well today I got a new processor, an Opteron 165. I’ve been watching the trends lately to see what models of the dual cores were doing well and recently its been the 165s. And I knew what steppings were doing the best. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, steppings are a code on the CPU that refers to the week manufactured and the fabrication plant it came from (as well as other info). Many people were getting good results with 165s with the 0610 DPMW stepping. So I took a chance and ordered a 165 from Monarch Computers and guess what shows up:

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/165new.jpg

Time to swap my best 3800 X2 out of my main computer (“Project SR-71” (http://www.dualcoreamd.com/sr71.htm)) and see what this sucker will do! :P

[mitro]

So the first step was to lower the overclock of the computer to a level that I know where it would start up no matter how good or bad the new chip would be. Which was 2.5GHz (278x9). THEN shut off the computer and removed my 3800 X2.

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/3800out.jpg

Notice the 3800 looks a little different? Its integrated heat spreader (IHS) has been removed. More about that later, since the 165 will soon look the same.

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/165in.jpg

[mitro]

So I hit the power button and she started right up (Always a tense 10 seconds). I always test stability with two instances of Prime95, or the prettied-up version of it: SP2004 (http://sp2004.fre3.com).

I’ve found that if I can get 5-10 minutes of SP2004 that it will ATLEAST boot into windows 100MHz higher at the same voltage. This speeds up the process of finding the limits of the processor. Also, at this point I’m running the memory on a low divider so I can push the limits of only on thing at a time: the CPU.

Well here we are at 2.5GHz on stock voltage:

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/First-p95.gif

I also am not liking the cpu temperature as its 5C higher than my 3800 when its getting 1.5v. I'll take care of the temps later. :P

[mitro]

The next 100MHz, still on stock voltage:

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/FXwhat.gif

Ahh an FX-60 for $800 less :lol:

[mitro]

How about a 50% overclock? OK… no problem:

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/50percenter.gif

At this point I know this is a better chip than even my best 3800 X2.

[mitro]

Now things are just getting silly! 2.8GHz at stock voltage:

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/2ateup.gif

[mitro]

Well at 2.9 and stock voltage I found the limit. SP2004 crashed after 3 minutes. OK… time for a little more voltage then. I set the voltage to 1.4 in the BIOS but it was still reading 1.36v. So other than the “auto” voltage its off by -.05v. So then I set it for 1.45v (1.4v reported):

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/29145.gif

Back in business. Those temps though…

[mitro]

Well after trying 3GHz and failing with voltages up to 1.5 (reported) I knew it was time for this processor to go naked! And by “naked” I mean it was time to remove the integrated heatspreader (IHS). The IHS does work to spread out the heat from the core, but that’s what we have heatsinks or whatever for. The IHS just adds one more layer for heat to pass through to escape and no matter how perfectly its done, it always retains more heat.

This is something I do not recommend and should ONLY be done if you can afford to lose the processor, because there’s a high probability of that if you don’t know what you are doing. If you want to know more about how to do it then search Google, because I’m not going to be held responsible. :P

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/pleasedont.jpg

In the process of doing this I bent a pin on the bottom side and didn’t know it. I managed to fit the CPU back in the socket (which made it worse) and almost broke the pin off after taking it back apart and realizing what I’d done. It would have been a real shame to have killed this one.

[mitro]

Well… the results are extremely good. An approximate 10C drop in processor temps and much more stable. 3GHz with 1.5v (1.45v reported):

http://www.dualcoreamd.com/images/165/3gig.gif

As of right now it’s been Priming at that speed/volts for 3 hours error free! Woo!

I think that’s it for today. Tomorrow its time to get ready for the Championship. :P

EDIT: I stopped Priming after 6 hours with no errors and fired Boinc back up. If I have any errors all I'll need to do is bump the voltage up .025v.

[NVM]

good stuff. i was going to give it a try myself but i'm stuck with stock cooling.

[Keith75]

What is the handy info utility you have at the top of your screen shots showing CPU temp and whatnot.

Also what is your opinion on safe temps? I usually try to keep mine under 50-52 deg. under full load.

And one last thing. How is it according to BOINC your floating point speed on the Opteron is 4 times the speed of mine running at 2.3GHz? The integer is almost the same.

Keith

[Electabots]

wow nice mitro, my max is still sadly 2200mhz stable with these old sledgehammers until i get better cooling...or some dual core opterons like yours :P
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3708/screenshot0010iu.th.jpg (http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot0010iu.jpg)
click the picture :) Yes on stock voltages(1.5v, cpu-z can't read them right for some reason)

[mitro]

What is the handy info utility you have at the top of your screen shots showing CPU temp and whatnot.

Motherboard Monitor 5, technically thats what they call the "Dashboard". MBM5 is no longer in development by the author, so if your motherboard was made in the past year its probably not easily used. I say "easily" because some people have taken it upon themselves to make it work with certain newer boards, my DFI included. Here the link to MBM5:

http://mbm.livewiredev.com/


Also what is your opinion on safe temps? I usually try to keep mine under 50-52 deg. under full load.

Safe is whatever it runs at (if we're talking A64). :) An A64 has a max temperature that it can handle thats coded in the chip which can be determined by using A64 TCaseMax (http://www.thecoolest.zerobrains.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=83). All the processors I've had will crash, restart, or shut down when it hits that temp. Also some boards/programs report higher than actual temps <coughLagucough>. Low to mid 50's is fine if its stable AND thats the actual temp.

With this 165 I just knew that it was running higher than what MY board usually reports with dual cores and a 10C drop can make quite a difference.


And one last thing. How is it according to BOINC your floating point speed on the Opteron is 4 times the speed of mine running at 2.3GHz? The integer is almost the same.

Keith
Possibly because of the BOINC client I use? :dontknow: Your guess is as good as mine.

[Electabots]

Hey mitro, you are watercooling that opteron right? Does your waterblock sit on the edge of the zif socket after the ihs is removed? I'm thinking about removing the ihs of one of my opterons

[mitro]

Ahh... now theres a specific, advanced question, I like those.

Yes its watercooled and the WB is a Swiftech Storm. The bottom of it is tapered so its only as wide as the processor itself and doesn't extend over the cam box of the socket. I have sanded the socket down a bit before when I was still air cooling.

[Electabots]

Ah nice. I hear the storm is just about the best block out there but it restricts(?) water flow like crazy. I currently have a old Koolance Exos kit with the standard block. I was thinking about getting the new Koolance Exos 2 and that Apogee block but I dunno yet...

Another question for you, Is it hard to mount the storm after removing the ihs? I would be worried about cracking the core since you have to bolt down the WB

[mitro]

Mounting isn't all that bad, you just need to make sure you hold the block still and level and then tighten each side a little bit trying to stay even. You have to consider that all the old athlons were exposed cores and most were sitting under clip-on heatsinks. You just have to be careful not to rock the heatsink/waterblock on the edges of the core.

The Storm is a bit more restrictive than some, but with the right pump its almost unbeatable. I have the Swiftech MCP655 (which is actually a Laing D5) pump. Here (http://www.dualcoreamd.com/sr71mods.htm) are the pics of my whole setup.

[NeoGen]

Mitro... this is not an original idea, I've heard it around already, but as I don't know how high or low the temps are, I don't know if it's true or even possible. :P

Would it be possible to "hook up" a computer's water cooling system to an aquarium to keep in it some warm water fishes? (And at the same time cool the machine) Or would it heat up too much and boil them? :lol:

[Nflight]

There in lies the thought pattern from an odd platform, using two items never associated with each other before with the same functioning mechanism, water.

I too am curious as to the response of mitro on this inquisitive question! :?:

[Electabots]

I'm not mitro...but...
On the question about whether or not the cpus would make the aquarium(?) to hot...I have no idea.
But you can't run a water cooling setup with fish anyways because the waterblocks/radiator would clog up real quick, plus the chemicals you need to use to keep the water from growing algae and from rusting/corrode(?)ing the waterblock probley would kill the fish.

[mitro]

Electabots is right, so I'll answer the other part. A computer could never come close to heating an aquarium. I don't know the exact numbers, but with a typical watercooling setup the water only changes a few degrees celcius and a watercooling setup has much less volume of water than an aquarium.

Then again maybe I'm wrong, as I am finding site with aquarium heaters that put out less watts than my processor. :P

[mitro]

Just a bit of an update...

The 165 has settled in and been flawless at 3GHz @ 1.5v (1.45v reported). Its crunching away at Leiden Classical as we speak.

I have done some suicide runs and have had it as high as 3.3GHz, which crashed within 15 seconds of using clockgen to bump it there. It can SuperPi 1M at 3.2GHz, but to me all of those things don't matter. If its not 100% load 24/7 its not my concern. :)

[BlackAdder]

DAMN...good job MITRO...I only wish I could afford to step up from my XP3200's and go to the newer processors. :D

[mitchellds]

Hey Mitro,

I'm curious, on that Opty 165 of yours that you have been running at over 3GHz, what kind of host average returns can you get running the einstein@home per day :?: :?: :?:

[mitro]

I haven't had it on einstein yet. Its crunching what ever the BOINC race call for for the next couple months.

[NeoGen]

mitro, not only it's crunching, but it is also crushing :twisted: hehe

[Electabots]

Hey mitro, I decided to be a copycat and removed my ihs also. Haven't overclocked yet(waiting for as5 to settle in ) but here's some pictures for now.I took these with my cell phone so they are a little fuzzy :oops:
Oh and click on them to get a bigger picture

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8826/05070614596hh.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=05070614596hh.jpg) http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5024/05070615002ai.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=05070615002ai.jpg) http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7214/0507061500a8uw.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0507061500a8uw.jpg) http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4043/0507061501a3ha.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0507061501a3ha.jpg) http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3462/0507061501b2ga.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0507061501b2ga.jpg)

[mitro]

Man I like the looks of that. Have any problems getting the IHS off?

[mitchellds]

Hey Electabots,

What kinda MB is that anyhow? I need a dual/duel core board. I havent had a dual since I had a dual abit 500 mhz celeron years ago. :roll:

[Electabots]

Took forever to get the ihs off the first cpu. I used a box knife from work and went around the ihs over and over. The second cpu only took 5 minutes :dontknow:

The motherboard is a Msi K8N Master2-FAR http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/server/svr/pro_svr_detail.php?UID=613
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130523

One of the few motherboards with dual socket 940/dual pci-e AND some basic overclocking functions. Plus it fits in just about any atx case :thumbup:

I think there may be something wrong with the thermal sensors on the motherboard/cpu because after replacing the stock coolers with my watercooling setup I get just about the same exact temps...weird

Edit: Oh and I am running at 2250mhz 9x250 right now stress testing overnight