pci bus frequency. PCI bus versions

#PCI

Attention! This article is about the PCI bus and its PCI64 and PCI-X derivatives! Do not confuse it with the newer tire ("PCI Express"), which is completely incompatible with the tires described in this FAQ.

PCI 2.0- the first version of the basic standard, which was widely used, both cards and slots with a signal voltage of only 5V were used.

PCI 2.1- differed from 2.0 by the possibility of simultaneous operation of several bus-master devices (the so-called competitive mode), as well as the appearance of universal expansion cards capable of operating in both 5V and 3.3V slots. The ability to work with 3.3V cards and the presence of appropriate power lines in version 2.1 was optional. PCI66 and PCI64 extensions appeared.

PCI 2.2- a version of the basic bus standard that allows connection of expansion cards with a signal voltage of both 5V and 3.3V. The 32-bit versions of these standards were the most common slot type at the time the FAQ was written. 32-bit, 5V type slots are used.
Expansion cards made in accordance with these standards have a universal connector and are able to work in almost all later varieties of PCI bus slots, and also, in some cases, in 2.1 slots.

PCI 2.3 - next version common standard to the PCI bus, expansion slots conforming to this standard are not compatible with 5V PCI cards, despite the continued use of 32-bit 5V-keyed slots. Expansion cards have a universal connector, but are not able to work in 5V slots of earlier versions (up to 2.1 inclusive).
We remind you that the supply voltage (not signal!) 5V is stored absolutely on all versions of the PCI bus connectors.

PCI 64- an extension of the basic PCI standard, introduced in version 2.1, doubling the number of data lines, and, consequently, the throughput. The PCI64 slot is an extended version of the regular PCI slot. Formally, the compatibility of 32-bit cards with 64-bit slots (subject to the presence of a common supported signal voltage) is complete, and the compatibility of a 64-bit card with 32-bit slots is limited (in any case, there will be a loss of performance), exact data in each specific case can be found in the specifications of the device.
The first versions of PCI64 (derived from PCI 2.1) used a 64-bit 5V PCI slot and ran at 33MHz.

PCI 66- an extension of the PCI standard that appeared in version 2.1 with support for a clock frequency of 66 MHz, as well as PCI64, allows you to double the bandwidth. Starting with version 2.2, it uses 3.3V slots (the 32-bit version is almost never found on a PC), cards have a universal or 3.3V form factor. (There were also solutions based on version 2.1, casuistically rare on the PC 5V 66MHz market, such slots and boards were only compatible with each other)

PCI 64/66- A combination of the above two technologies, it can quadruple the data transfer rate compared to the basic PCI standard, and uses 64-bit 3.3V slots, compatible only with universal and 3.3V 32-bit expansion cards. PCI64/66 cards have a universal (with limited compatibility with 32-bit slots) or 3.3V form factor (the latter option is fundamentally not compatible with 32-bit 33MHz slots of popular standards)
Currently, the term PCI64 means exactly PCI64/66, since 33MHz 5V 64-bit slots have not been used for a long time.

PCI-X 1.0- Expansion of PCI64 with the addition of two new operating frequencies, 100 and 133 MHz, as well as a separate transaction mechanism to improve performance when running multiple devices at the same time. Generally backwards compatible with all 3.3V and universal PCI cards.
PCI-X cards are usually made in 64-bit 3.3 format and have limited backward compatibility with PCI64/66 slots, and some PCI-X cards are in a universal format and can work (although this has almost no practical value) in regular PCI 2.2 /2.3.
In difficult cases, in order to be completely confident in the performance of the combination of motherboard and expansion card you have chosen, in the case you need to look at the compatibility lists of the manufacturers of both devices.

PCI-X 2.0- further expansion of the capabilities of PCI-X 1.0, added speeds of 266 and 533 MHz, as well as parity error correction during data transfer. (ECC). It allows splitting into 4 independent 16-bit buses, which is used exclusively in embedded and industrial systems, the signal voltage is reduced to 1.5V, but the connectors are backward compatible with all cards using a 3.3V signal voltage.

PCI-X 1066/PCI-X 2133- projected future options PCI-X bus, with resulting operating frequencies of 1066 and 2133 MHz, respectively, originally intended for connecting 10 and 40 Gb Ethernet adapters.

For all variants of the PCI-X bus, there are the following restrictions on the number of devices connected to each bus:
66MHz - 4
100MHz - 2
133MHz - 1 (2, if one or both devices are not on expansion boards, but are already integrated on one board along with the controller)
266.533MHz and above -1.

That is why in some situations, in order to ensure the stability of several installed devices, it is necessary to limit the maximum frequency of the used PCI-X bus (usually this is done by jumpers)

CompactPCI- a standard for connectors and expansion cards used in industrial and embedded computers. Mechanically not compatible with any of the "common" standards.

MiniPCI- a standard for boards and connectors for integration into laptops (usually used for adapters wireless network) and directly to the surface. It is also mechanically incompatible with anything other than itself.

Types of PCI expansion cards:

Summary table of constructs of cards and slots depending on the version of the standard:

Summary table of compatibility of cards and slots depending on the version and design:

	Cards
Slots	PCI 2.0/2.1 5B	PCI 2.1 generic	PCI 2.2/2.3 universal	PCI64/5B (33MHz)	PCI64/universal	PCI64/3.3B	PCI-X/3.3B	PCI-X universal
PCI 2.0	Compatible	Compatible	Incompatible		Limited compatibility with performance loss	Incompatible
PCI 2.1	Compatible	Compatible	Limited compatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss	Limited compatibility with performance loss	Incompatible
PCI 2.2	Compatible			Limited compatibility with performance loss	Limited compatibility with performance loss	Incompatible	Incompatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss
PCI 2.3	Incompatible	Limited compatible	Compatible	Incompatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss	Incompatible	Incompatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss
PCIB 64/5B(33MHz)	Compatible	Compatible	Limited compatible	Compatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss	Incompatible	Incompatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss
PCI64/3.3B	Incompatible	Limited compatible	Compatible	Incompatible	Compatible	Compatible	Limited compatibility with performance loss	Limited compatibility with performance loss
PCI-X	Incompatible	Limited compatible	Compatible	Incompatible	Compatible

With the help of the utilities that you will find on our disk and this guide, you can overclock your computer directly from Windows - a performance boost is guaranteed!

At rest, OCCT shows that AI NOS overclocks the computer by 2.96%. In PCMark Vantage, the computer scored 3544 points, which is 8% more than it was before overclocking. Although it's hard to believe, even the latest Core i7 processor from Intel depends on the BIOS chip (Basic Input-Output System - base system I / O), which appeared at the dawn of the development of x86-compatible computers. The main function of the BIOS is to initialize the devices connected to the motherboard after the computer is powered on. The BIOS checks their performance, sets some low-level operation parameters (frequency system bus, various voltages, etc.) and and after that transfers control operating system.

Overclocking a computer from BIOS Setup is the most reliable and effective, but not every computer user can figure out all the settings of a modern BIOS. We will tell you how to do it from the Windows operating system and get an additional 20% performance. You will find all the necessary programs for this on the DVD attached to the magazine or in the Download section of the site.

PREPARATION: collecting information about the motherboard

Before proceeding to action, it is necessary to clarify the characteristics motherboard, processor, RAM and the current settings of these components. This must be done in order to have an idea of ​​the maximum operating frequency and voltage that can be applied to microcircuits, their thermal package and other important parameters. Otherwise, as a result of rash actions, you risk damaging expensive components. That is why motherboard manufacturers write not only drivers, but also various applications on optical discs supplied with their products that can provide the user with all the necessary information.

If you can't find your Drivers & Utilities CD, or it doesn't have any such applications, then use the CPU-Z program found on our DVD as an alternative. After installing and running it, you can find out the model installed processor and his clock frequency, as well as such important overclocking parameters as multiplier (multiplier) and system bus frequency (related FSB).

Click the Mainboard tab to determine the BIOS version and chipset model installed on the motherboard. The "Memory" and "SPD" tabs will tell you everything you need to know about RAM modules. We also recommend taking screenshots of all four bookmarks and printing them out so you can view this data at any time.

We back up data and control the temperature

Overclocking can cause damage to components and loss of data. Below we will tell you what you need to do to protect yourself from these risks.

Data reservation. If the computer does not boot after overclocking, resetting the BIOS settings most often helps. To do this, you need to find a special jumper on the board, which allows you to reset the settings using a jumper, or remove the battery that powers the BIOS for a few minutes. However, in some cases there is a risk of data loss, so before overclocking, you should save all important information- this can be done both manually and with the help of special utilities - for example, Norton Ghost or Nero BackltUp.

Temperature control. There is another danger - overheating. Therefore, before you overclock your computer, you need to install one or more monitoring programs. If PC components overheat, their lifespan will be shortened. In addition, in case of strong thermal exposure, they can fail. In BIOS Setup, which you can enter by pressing the "Del" key after turning on the computer, there is a section that allows you to view the processor temperature and fan speed. It is usually called "Hardware Monitor", "PC Health Status", etc.

To check the temperature of the main components of the computer under load, we recommend using the SpeedFan utility, which can be found on our DVD.

Install it and switch to Russian in the menu “Configure | Options | language | Russian". The "Metrics" section displays data on the speed of rotation of coolers and the temperature of the main devices, as well as the values ​​of various voltages. The amount of data displayed depends on the motherboard model.

If you did not see this information, then the installed board is not supported by the program.

For control hard state disk, SpeedFan has a S.M.A.R.T. True, on our test computer with an operating Windows system Vista Ultimate didn't work. If the same thing happens to you, install the similar HDDIife program from our DVD. In Vista, you can embed this tool in the sidebar, but it won't display all the information there.

Performance measurement. You will need to install another program that measures the overall performance of your computer. For Windows XP, use PCMagk 05, and for Vista, use PCMag Vantage. These programs can be found online at the developer's website at: www.futuremark.com.

After launch, you will need to register a free copy through Email.

Install PCMag, launch it and click the "Run Benchmark" button. The program will start executing a sequence of tests and measure the speed of the computer while solving various tasks, which performs ordinary user computer, such as HD video playback, photo editing, gaming, and browsing the Internet. During this procedure, do not touch the mouse and keyboard, as this may lead to an incorrect result. Upon completion of testing, a number will be displayed on the screen that characterizes the overall performance of the PC. The larger it is, the faster the computer runs. It can be compared with the one that will turn out after overclocking.

UPDATE: Newer driver and BIOS versions are almost always better than older ones

After completing the steps above, you need to take one more preparatory step - update the BIOS and drivers for the motherboard and video card. Do not neglect this, as new firmware and drivers can create a real miracle.

Motherboard manufacturers offer various means to update the BIOS. On our test computer with a motherboard ASUS board we used proprietary utility ASUS Update Tool, which automatically finds and downloads new version BIOS from the manufacturer's website, and then updates it directly from Windows. Before flashing, do not forget to do backup old BIOS.

Advice. If the motherboard manufacturer does not offer such utilities, then you should use UniFlash and Dr. DOS BIOS Boot Disk which can be downloaded from www.wimsbios.com/biosutil.jsp.

To collect information about others installed devices use the Everest Home Edition program, which you will find on our website at: http://download.chip.eu/en.

This utility automatically reads information about all system components. After that, select the "Report Report Wizard" item in the menu, set the profile "Only summary data about the system" and output it to a file HTML format.

The advantages of such a report are that you can directly get to manufacturers' websites from it using built-in links. Check the manufacturer's website for new drivers for your devices and install them. After that, measure the speed of your computer again using the PCMark test suite. On our computer, the final result increased from 3260 to 3566 points. Thus, the performance gain after updating the drivers and BIOS was approximately 9%.

ON THE AUTOMATIC: overclocking with the help of special utilities

Now it's time to proceed directly to overclocking.

Almost all motherboard manufacturers offer utilities and special sections in BIOS Setup, with which you can overclock your computer automatically, without manually setting all the parameters. CHIP will tell you how it's done using the ASUS P5B motherboard as an example. In other cases, the sequence of actions is almost the same.

If you decide to overclock your computer from Windows, you will need a special utility from the motherboard manufacturer, such as Guru OS (Abit), Easy Tune (Gigabyte) or, in our case, AI Suite (ASUS).

To let AI Suite raise the CPU clock speed automatically, go to the "AI NOS" section. Select "Manual" in "NOS Mode" and set "Sensitivity" to "Auto". After that, the utility will be able to automatically increase the processor clock speed when the load on it increases. You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Next, go to BIOS Setup and set it in the “Advanced | JumperFree Configuration" option "Ai Tuning" to "AI NOS" and "NOS Mode" to "Auto". Then you need to save the settings and load Windows.

Now check how your computer behaves when the ASUS utility overclocks the processor. To do this, install the OCST utility, which can be downloaded from: www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en.

After starting, select the options "Manual (continuous)" and "Mix". Press the "On" button and test the computer for fault tolerance for 15 minutes. If no errors are found during the test, the overclocking was successful.

Advice. If the operating system does not boot after overclocking, then you can roll back the changes made in the BIOS in the “Advanced | Jumper Free Configuration | AI Tuning.

OVERCLOCKING WITHOUT ECONOMY: turn off energy-saving technologies

If the computer passed the fault tolerance test, you need to measure how much its performance has increased after all the manipulations performed. In our case, the result turned out to be quite good. However, we are not going to rest on our laurels just yet, because the 3780 points scored in PCMark Vantage are still not enough for us. If you are also not satisfied with the result achieved, disabling some options in the BIOS, which can adversely affect performance, will help.

First you need to go to the section "Advanced | CPU Configuration" and disable the "C1E Support" option. This feature reduces the power consumption of the processor by lowering the voltage applied to it (VCore) and thereby limiting the maximum frequency of its operation.

Find in "Chipset | Northbridge Configuration" item "PEG Link Mode" and switch its value to "Auto". At other values ​​of this setting, it raises the clock frequency of the PCi Express bus by up to 15%. Double overclocking can make your computer unstable.

After these manipulations, the result in PCMark Vantage increased to 3814 points. We could not achieve the maximum possible overclocking of the test PC (20%, 3912 points) using AI NOS, but the system worked stably.

With such a small increase in clock frequency, you do not have to deal with overheating. Next, we will tell you how to increase performance even more, but this comes with a certain risk.

ONLY FOR PROFESSIONALS: at the limit of possibilities

With the risk and danger of failure of components, a real increase in productivity is associated - from 30% and above. However, whether such extreme overclocking makes sense is up to you. Either way, it results in reduced component life and an investment in highly efficient air or water cooling. One way or another, the pursuit of every percentage of performance forces you to use even the farthest corners of the BIOS.

At manual overclocking most often increase the clock frequency of the system bus, thereby increasing the performance of all system components. We have tried this method. However, before you do this, you need to make some important changes to the BIOS.

System preparation. Install in the "Advanced | JumperFree Configuration" set "Ai Tuning" to "Manual". Manually set the frequency of the PCI and PCI Express buses. Set the value of "PCI Express Frequency" and "PCI Clock Synchronization Mode" to 100 and 33.33 respectively. You also need to set the frequency of the memory. Select the minimum value in the "DRAM Frequency" field (on our ASUS P5B motherboard - "DDR2-533 Mhz"). After increasing the system bus clock frequency, it will need to be changed to the original one.

Also slightly raise the voltage applied to the memory chips. The nominal voltage of our memory modules is 1.8V (the standard for DDR2), we increased it with the help of the “Memory Voltage” item to 1.9V. Go to the “Advanced | chipset | Northbridge Configuration. In the "Configure DRAm Timing by SPD" subsection, set the value to "Disabled" and change the following values: CAS Latency: 5, RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5, RAS# Precharge: 5, RAS# Activate: 15. Leave the rest of the settings unchanged or set to "Auto".

Now the most important thing: since the processor will operate at a higher frequency, it will need a higher supply voltage.

But what? If overdone, the processor may overheat or even burn out.

With poor cooling, its service life will be significantly reduced. If you set the value too low, then the computer will be unstable.

Therefore, we recommend doing the following: find out the nominal voltage of your processor model (using CPU-Z or on the Internet), go to a website with a processor overclocking database (for example, www.overclockers.ru) and look at the overclocking statistics of this device. Please note that each individual instance of the processor is unique in its own way, so you should not immediately set the values ​​\u200b\u200bfound on the Internet. Raise the tension gradually. For our test dual-core CPU (Core 2 Duo E6600), voltages above 1.45 V can be considered dangerous, especially when using conventional cooling.

Computer overclocking. Set in BIOS under "Advanced | Jumper Free Configuration | FSB Frequency" value, which will be approximately 20 MHz higher than the nominal value. Run a fault tolerance test afterwards using the OCST utility in Windows. Keep an eye on the temperature of the processor. On Windows, this can be done using AI Suite, SpeedFan, or OCST. The processor temperature should not exceed 65–70 °С. Higher values ​​are dangerous.

If the system is stable, raise the "FSB Frequency" a little more. In case of problems, lower the value in steps of 10 MHz until Windows runs without errors.

Memory optimization. When you determine the optimal clock speed level at which the system runs stably and does not overheat, change in the “Advanced | Chipset North Bridge Configuration" options for memory modules. Reduce the value of "CAS Fatency" to "3" and try to start Windows. If the operating system does not boot, change it to "4". You also need to change "RAS to CAS Delay" and "RAS Precharge". For "RAS Activate to Precharge" enter "10". The basic principle: the lower the value of these parameters, called timings or memory delays, the faster it works. However, not all memory modules can operate at low latency. To act for sure, you can unwind the system unit and examine the memory chips - usually they have a sticker on them, which indicates the values ​​​​of the nominal voltage and delays.

Result.

We managed to manually raise the processor clock speed from 2.4 to 3.058 GHz. This means a performance increase of 27% or up to 3983 points in PCMark Vantage. It is impossible to achieve more without replacing the cooling system. After such overclocking, some games began to work noticeably faster.

Video card overclocking

The video card is equipped with BIOS, memory and processor. CHIP will help increase the performance of the video adapter on the example of a graphics card with an NVIDIA chip.

On boards with AMD chips, this is done in a similar way.

Preparing tools. To overclock a video card by editing the BIOS, you will need special utilities - NiBiTor for NVIDIA boards or ATI BIOS Editor and RaBiT for AMD boards. In addition, a benchmark package is required to measure performance: 3DMark 0b for Windows XP or 3DMark Vantage for Vista. Install a productivity measurement program and take control measurements. As in the case with motherboard they will be your guide. Used by us NVIDIA GeForce The 8800 GTS scored 8760 points before overclocking.

We save the BIOS of the video card. If you own a video card based on a graphic NVIDIA processor, install the NiBiTor software, which can be found on our DVD.

Go to the "Tools | Read BIOS | Select Device" and read the BIOS of the graphics card. Now use "Tools | Read BIOS | Read into file", save the ROM file to HDD and finally with the command "File | Open BIOS" open the file you saved in NiBiTor. You should now see graphics card data.

We raise the frequency. Increasing the clock speed of the graphics card through the BIOS is more dangerous than the same procedure with the motherboard. If something goes wrong, you will no longer be able to get into the NiBiTor program and roll back the changes without a PCI video card. Alternatively, we suggest you download a ready-made file of the tested BIOS version from the site www.mvktech.net or overclock the video card without editing the BIOS using the RivaTuner utility (www.nvworld.ru). To flash the BIOS, you will need to create an MS-DOS boot disk (www.bootdisk.com). On it, you need to save the modified BIOS and the nvflash.exe utility. Start the computer from the floppy disk and replace the graphics card BIOS with nvflash.

Result.

After overclocking, our test system scored 9836 in 3DMark, which translates into a 10 percent performance boost. At the same time, the core clock frequency increased from 515 to 570 MHz.

On disk: utilities for monitoring and overclocking

CPU-Z - details about the CPU, RAM and motherboard.

SpeedFan - monitoring various temperatures, voltages and fan speeds.

HDDIife - program for monitoring the state hard drives.

AMD OverDrive is a program for overclocking computers with AMD components.

NiBiTor - BIOS editor for video cards based on GPUs NVIDIA.

Greetings, Dear friends, acquaintances, readers, admirers and other personalities. If you remember, then a very long time ago we raised, but purely in a theoretical context, and after that we promised to make a practical article.

Considering that overclocking is still a rather difficult and ambiguous thing, there will be a fairly decent number of articles in this cycle, and we abandoned it for one simple reason - there are an infinite number of topics for writing, in addition to it, and it is simply impossible to be in time everywhere.

Today we will consider the most basic and typical side of overclocking, but with all this, we will touch on the most important and key nuances as much as possible, that is, we will give an understanding of how it works using an example.

Let's get started.

Sectional overclocking of the processor [on the example of the P5E Deluxe board].

Actually, we can say that there are two overclocking options: using programs or directly from the BIOS.

We will not consider software methods now for many reasons, one (and key) of which is the lack of stable adequate protection of the system (and, in general, hardware, unless, of course, considered as such) in the case of installation incorrect settings being directly in Windows. With overclocking directly from the BIOS, everything looks much more reasonable, and therefore we will consider this particular option (besides, it allows you to set more settings and achieve greater stability and performance).

BIOS options "and there are quite a few a large number of(and with the advent of UEFI, there were even more of them), but the basics and concepts of overclocking retain their principles from year to year, that is, the approach to it does not change, except for interfaces, sometimes the names of settings and a number of overclocking technologies.

I will consider an example here based on my old motherboard (which I once talked about a very long time ago) and a Core Quad Q6600 processor. The latter, in fact, has been serving me faithfully for the devil knows how many years (like the motherboard) and was initially overclocked by me from 2.4 Ghz to 3.6 Ghz, which you can see in the screenshot from:

By the way, for those who are interested, we wrote about how to choose such good and reliable motherboards, but about processors. I will proceed directly to the overclocking process, after recalling the following:

Warning! Achtung! Alarm! Hehnde hoh!
You are solely responsible for your subsequent (as well as previous) actions. The author only provides information, use or not which, you decide on your own. Everything written is checked by the author on personal example(and repeatedly) and in different configurations, however, this does not guarantee stable operation everywhere, nor does it protect you from possible errors in the course of your actions, as well as any consequences that may follow them. Be careful and think with your head.

Actually, what do we need for successful overclocking? Yes, in general, nothing special, except for the second paragraph:

• First of all, first of all, of course, a computer with everything you need, that is, a motherboard, a processor, etc. You can find out what kind of filling you have by downloading the above;
• Secondly, it is still necessary - this is good cooling, because overclocking directly affects the heat dissipation of the processor and motherboard elements, that is, without good airflow, at best, overclocking will lead to instability or will not have its own strength, but in in the worst case, something will simply burn out;
• Thirdly, of course, knowledge is needed, which this article is intended to give, from this cycle, as well as the entire site "".

With regards to cooling, I would like to note the following articles: "", "", as well as "". Everything else can be found here. We go further.

Since we have already analyzed all the necessary theory in detail in, I will immediately move on to the practical side of the issue. I apologize in advance for the quality of the photo, but the monitor is glossy, and on the street, despite the blinds, it is still light.

This is what the BIOS looks like on board my motherboard (to get into the BIOS, let me remind you, on a stationary computer, you can use the DEL button at the earliest stage of loading, i.e. immediately after turning it on or restarting):

Here we will be interested in the " Ai Tweaker" tab. In this case, it is she who is responsible for overclocking and initially looks like a list of parameters with "Auto" values ​​set opposite. In my case, it already looks like this:

Here we will be interested in the following parameters (I immediately give a description + my value with a comment why):

• AI Overclock Tuner- is engaged in auto-acceleration, supposedly with the mind.
  In meaning " standard" everything works as is, in the case of " Overclock 5%, Overtime 10%, Overtime 20%, Overtime 30%"automatically increases the frequencies by the appropriate percentage (and without guarantees of stability). We are interested here in the value Manual, because it will allow us to expose everything with pens. Actually, it's worth it to me.
• CPU Ratio Setting- sets the processor multiplier. You can set your own value, taking into account that the processor multiplier is unlocked. I set 9.0 here, i.e. the maximum available multiplier value for my processor from the unlocked ones. You need to do the same for your processor.
• FSB Frequency - sets the frequency of the system bus of the processor, it is also the so-called base frequency. As you remember from the theoretical article, the final frequency of the processor is obtained from the value of this frequency multiplied by the multiplier (how it sounds! :)) of the processor. This frequency is the main one in our process and it is this frequency that we mainly change to overclock the processor. The value is selected empirically, by combining with other parameters until the moment when the system works stably and the temperature regime suits you is reached. In my case, I managed to take the bar at "400 x 9 = 3600 Mhz" . There were moments when I took 3.8 Ghz, but the cooling simply could not cope with heat dissipation in peak loads.
• FSB Strap to North Bridge- the parameter here is nothing more than a set of preset delays, which, from the manufacturer's point of view, optimally correspond to a certain system bus frequency for a certain range of chipset operating frequencies. Here they are set for north bridge.When setting the FSB Strap value, keep in mind that a smaller value sets lower delays and increases performance, while setting a larger value slightly reduces performance, but improves stability. The most relevant option during overclocking is to ensure stability at high FSB frequency. I had to choose a high value in order to achieve stability. In my case it is 400 .
  
• PCIE Frequency- indicates the frequency for the PCI Express bus. Overclocking the PCI Express bus is usually not practiced: the meager performance gain does not justify possible problems with the stability of the operation of expansion cards, therefore, here we fix the standard 100 Mhz in order to increase stability. That is, in my case, here it means 100. I also recommend it to you.
• DRAM Frequency- allows you to set the frequency of RAM. Parameters for selection change depending on the set FSB frequency. It is worth noting here that often overclocking "rests" precisely on the memory, therefore it is considered optimal to set the FSB frequency at which you can select the working (standard) frequency of your RAM here, unless, of course, you are trying to overclock the memory. The "Auto" value is often harmful and does not give the desired result in terms of stability. In my case, "800" was set in accordance with the characteristics of the RAM. In your case, set as you see fit, but I recommend looking at your standard frequency through CPU-Z and setting it.
• DRAM Command Rate- nothing more than a delay in the exchange of commands between the chipset memory controller and the memory. High-quality memory modules are able to work with a delay of 1 tact, but in practice this is rare and does not always depend on quality. For stability, it is recommended to choose 2T, for speed 1T. Since the overclocking threshold is taken large, I chose 2T here, because in other positions it was not possible to achieve complete stability.
• DRAM Timing Control- sets RAM timings. As a rule, if the goal is not to overclock the RAM, then here we leave the parameter " Auto". If you catastrophically ran into memory during overclocking and do not even crawl through the frequency, then it makes sense to try to slightly increase the values ​​\u200b\u200bhere manually, abandoning the automatic parameter.
• DRAM Static Read Control- meaning " Enabled" raises the performance of the memory controller, and " disabled"- reduces. Accordingly, stability also depends on this. In my case, "Disabled" (in order to increase stability).
• Ai Сlock Twister- If you take it in a free translation, then this thing controls the number of memory access phases. A higher value (Strong ) is responsible for better performance, and a lower value (Light ) for stability. I chose "Light" (in order to improve stability).
• AI Transaction Booster - here I read a lot of bourgeois forums from which many data contradict each other, as well as in the Russian-speaking segment. Somewhere they write that this thing allows you to speed up or slow down the memory subsystem by adjusting the parameters of sub-timings, which in turn affect the speed of the memory controller. ", playing with the value in the figure until the moment when we catch the stability stage. For me, this parameter was stuck on 8-ke, because at other values ​​the system behaved unstably.
• VCORE Voltage- the function allows you to manually specify the voltage of the processor core. Despite the fact that it is this joy that often allows you to increase performance (more precisely, overclock the processor more) by increasing stability (without more power, you are unlikely to get a greater increase and quality of work, which is logical) when overclocking, this parameter is an extremely dangerous toy in hands of a non-professional and can lead to processor failure (unless, of course, the BIOS has a built-in protection function, as they say, "from a fool" (c), as it is in), and therefore it is not recommended to change the processor power value by more than 0.2 from staff. Generally speaking, this parameter should be increased very gradually and in very small steps, conquering more and more performance heights, until you hit something else (memory, temperatures, etc.), or until you reach the limit of +0.2 .
  I would not recommend looking at my value, because it is really overpriced, but powerful cooling allows me to play these games (the photo above does not count, it was outdated back in 2008), a good PSU, processor and motherboard. Be generally careful, especially on budget configurations. My value is 1.65. You can find out the native voltage for your processor from the documentation or through CPU-Z.
• CPU PPL Voltage- something for stability, but I have a very vague definition of what this voltage is. If everything works as it should, then it is better not to touch it. If not, then you can increase it in small steps. My value is 1.50, because I ran into stability when I took a frequency of 3.8 Ghz. Again, it relies on my processor.
• FSB Termination Voltage- sometimes referred to as additional processor supply voltage or system bus supply voltage. Its increase can in some cases increase the overclocking potential of the processor. My value is 1.30. Again, stability at higher frequency.
• DRAM Voltage- allows you to manually specify the voltage of the memory modules. It makes sense to touch it in rare cases to increase stability and conquer higher frequencies when overclocking the memory or (rarely) the processor. I have a little too high - 1.85 with native 1.80.
• North Bridge Voltage and soulth bridge voltage - sets the supply voltage of the north (North) and south (Soulth) bridges, respectively. Increase with care in order to improve stability. I have - 1.31 and 1.1 . All for the same purpose.
• Loadline Calibration- a rather specific thing that allows you to compensate for the subsidence of the core supply voltage with an increase in the load on the processor.
  In the case of overclocking, it is always worth setting "Enabled", as you can see in my screenshot.
• CPU Spread Spectrum- Enabling this option can reduce the level of electromagnetic radiation of the computer due to the worst form of system bus and CPU signals. Naturally, not the most optimal signal shape can reduce the stability of the computer. Since the decrease in the radiation level is insignificant and does not justify possible problems with reliability, it is better to disable the option ( Disabled), especially if you are overclocking, that is, as in our case.
  
• PCIE Spread Spectrum- similar to the one above, but only in the case of the PCI Express bus. That is, in our case - "Disabled".

To put it simply, first of all, you and I change the multiplier and FSB frequency, based on the final processor frequency that we would like to get. Next, save the changes and try to boot. If everything worked out, then we check the temperatures, and the computer in general, after which, in fact, we either leave everything as it is, or try to take a new frequency. If there is no stability at the new frequency, i.e. Windows does not load or blue screens or something else, then we either return to the previous values ​​(or slightly calm our appetites), or select all other values ​​exactly until stability is achieved.

Concerning various types BIOS, then somewhere the functions may be called something else, but they have the same meaning, as well as the values ​​+ overclocking principle remain constant. In general, if you wish, you will understand.

In a nutshell, something like this. It remains only to move on to the afterword.

Afterword.

As you can see from the latest proposals, if you think about it, then fast overclocking is generally not a problem (especially with good cooling). I set two parameters, several reboots and, - voila!, - the treasured megahertz in your pocket.

A thorough good overclocking by at least 50%, i.e., as in my case, by 1200 Mhz plus 2400 Mhz, requires a certain amount of time (on average, this is somewhere around 1-5 hours, depending on luck and the desired end result) , most of which takes polishing stability and temperatures, as well as a pack of patience, because the most annoying thing about the sim is the constant need to reboot to save and then test new parameters.

I suspect that those who wish to engage in this process will have many questions (which is logical), and therefore, if they do exist (as well as additions, thoughts, thanks, etc.), I will be glad to see them in the comments.

Stay with us! ;)

PS: I strongly do not recommend overclocking laptops.

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Chipset and bus overclocking options

By increasing the frequencies of the chipset and buses, you can increase their performance, however, in practice, it often becomes necessary to set these frequencies to fixed values ​​in order to avoid their excessive increase when overclocking the processor.

HT Frequency (LDT Frequency, HT Link Speed)

This parameter changes the frequency of the HT (HyperTransport) bus used by AMD processors with the chipset. Multipliers can be used as values ​​for this parameter, and the selected multiplier must be multiplied by the base frequency (200 MHz) to calculate the actual frequency. And in some BIOS versions instead of multipliers, you need to choose the HT bus frequency from several available values.

For processors of the Athlon 64 family, the maximum NT frequency was 800-1000 MHz (multiplier 4 or 5), and for Athlon P / Phenom II processors - 1800-2000 MHz (multiplier 9 or 10). When overclocking, the multiplier for the HT bus will sometimes have to be lowered so that after raising the base frequency, the HT frequency does not go beyond the permissible limits.

AGP/PCI Clock

This parameter sets the frequencies of the AGP and PCI buses.

Possible values:

□ Auto – frequencies are selected automatically;

□ 66.66/33.33, 72.73/36.36, 80.00/40.00 – AGP and PCI bus frequencies respectively. The default setting is 66.66/33.33, others can be used when overclocking.

PCIE Clock (PCI Express Frequency (MHz))

This parameter allows you to manually change the frequency of the PCI Express bus.

Possible values:

□ Auto – standard frequency is set (usually 100 MHz);

□ 90 to 150 MHz - the frequency can be set manually, and the adjustment range depends on the motherboard model.

CPU Clock Skew (MCH/ICH Clock Skew)

The parameters allow you to adjust the clock offset of the processor (CPU), as well as the north (MCH) and south (ICH) bridges.

Possible values:

□ Normal – the optimal value will be automatically set (recommended for normal operation and moderate overclocking);

□ 50 to 750 - amount of clock offset in picoseconds. Selecting this setting can improve system stability during overclocking.

FSB Strap to North Bridge

This parameter is used in some boards to set the operating mode of the chipset northbridge depending on the FSB frequency.

Possible values:

□ Auto – chipset parameters are configured automatically (this value is recommended for normal operation of the computer);

□ 200 MHz, 266 MHz, 333 MHz, 400 MHz – FSB frequency, for which the chipset operation mode is set. Higher values ​​increase the maximum possible FSB frequency during overclocking, but reduce the performance of the chipset. The optimal value of the parameter during overclocking usually has to be selected experimentally.

Chipset voltage adjustment

In addition to the processor and memory voltages, some motherboards also allow you to adjust the voltage of the chipset components and signal levels. The name of the corresponding parameters may be different depending on the board manufacturer. Here are some examples:

□ Chipset Core PCIE Voltage;

□ MCH & PCIE 1.5V Voltage;

□ PCH Core (PCH 1.05/1.8);

□ NF4 Chipset Voltage;

□ PCIE Voltage;

□ FSB OverVoltage Control;

□ NV Voltage (NBVcore);

□ SB I/O Power;

□ SB Core Power.

Practice shows that changing the specified voltages in most cases does not have a noticeable effect, so leave these voltages at Auto (Normal).

Spread spectrum

When components are running modern computer at high frequencies, unwanted electromagnetic radiation occurs, which can be a source of interference for various electronic devices. In order to somewhat reduce the magnitude of the radiation pulses, spectral modulation of the clock pulses is used, which makes the radiation more uniform.

Possible values:

□ Enabled - Clock modulation mode is enabled, which slightly reduces the level of electromagnetic interference from system block;

□ 0.25%, 0.5% – modulation level in percent (set in some BIOS versions);

□ Disabled - Spread Spectrum mode is disabled.

ADVICE

For stable system operation, always disable Spread Spectrum when overclocking.

Some motherboard models have several independent parameters that control the Spread Spectrum mode for individual system components, such as CPU Spread Spectrum, SATA Spread Spectrum, PCIE Spread Spectrum, etc.

Preparing for overclocking

Before overclocking, be sure to take a few important steps.

□ Check the stability of the system in normal mode. There is no point in overclocking a computer that is normally prone to crashes or freezes, as overclocking will only exacerbate this situation.

□ Find all the necessary BIOS settings, which will be needed during overclocking, and figure out their purpose. These options have been described above, but for different models boards, they may vary, and to take into account the features of a particular board, you need to study the instructions for it.

□ Understand the BIOS reset method for your board model (see Chapter 5). It is necessary to reset BIOS settings during unsuccessful acceleration.

□ Check the operating temperatures of the main components and their cooling. To monitor temperatures, you can use the diagnostic utilities from the CD-ROM to the motherboard or third-party programs: EVEREST, SpeedFan (www.almico.com), etc. To improve cooling, you may need to replace the CPU cooler with a more powerful one, and also take measures to improve the cooling of the chipset, video adapter and RAM.

Processor overclocking Intel Core 2

The Intel Core 2 family of processors is one of the most successful in the history of the computer industry due to its high performance, low heat dissipation and excellent overclocking potential. Since 2006, Intel has released dozens of processors in this family under various brand names: Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Pentium Dual-Core and even Celeron.

To overclock Core 2 processors, you need to increase the FSB frequency, the nominal value of which can be 200, 266, 333 or 400 MHz. You can find out the exact value of the FSB frequency in the specification for your processor, but do not forget that the FSB frequency is indicated taking into account four times the multiplication during data transfer. For example, for the processor Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33 GHz (1333 MHz FSB), the actual value of the FSB frequency is 1333: 4 = 333 MHz.

Increasing the FSB frequency will automatically increase the operating frequencies of the RAM, chipset, PCI/PCIE buses, and other components. Therefore, before overclocking, you should forcibly reduce them in order to find out the maximum operating frequency of the processor. When it is known, you can choose the optimal operating frequencies for other components.

The sequence of acceleration can be as follows.

1. Install optimal settings BIOS for your system. Select Disabled (Off) for Spread Spectrum, which is not very compatible with overclocking. You may have several such parameters: for the processor (CPU), PCI Express bus, SATA interface, etc.

2. Disable the Intel SpeedStep and C1E Support power saving technologies while overclocking. After all experiments are completed, you can enable these features again to reduce processor power consumption.

3. Set the PCI/PCIE bus frequencies manually. For the PCI bus, set the frequency to 33 MHz, and for PCI Express it is better to set the value within 100-110 MHz. On some board models, the Auto setting or the 100 MHz nameplate setting may result in worse results than the non-standard 101 MHz setting.

4. Reduce the frequency of the RAM. Depending on the board model, this can be done in one of two ways:

■ set the minimum value for the frequency of RAM using the Memory Frequency parameter or similar (to access this parameter, you may need to disable automatic tuning memory);

■ set the minimum value of the multiplier that determines the ratio of the FSB frequency and memory using the FSB/Memory Ratio, System Memory Multiplier or similar parameter.

Since the ways to change the memory frequency vary between boards, it is recommended to restart the computer and use the EVEREST or CPU-Z diagnostic utilities to verify that the memory frequency has indeed decreased.

5. After the preparatory steps, you can proceed directly to the overclocking procedure. To begin with, you can raise the FSB frequency by 20-25% (for example, from 200 to 250 MHz or from 266 to 320 MHz), then try to load the operating system and check its operation. The parameter to set may be called CPU FSB Clock, CPU Overclock in MHz, or something else.

NOTE

To gain access to manual FSB adjustment, you may need to disable automatic installation processor frequencies (CPU Host Clock Control parameter) or dynamic overclocking of the motherboard. For example, on ASUS motherboards, set AI Overclocking (AI Tuning) to Manual.

6. Using the CPU-Z utility, check the actual operating frequencies of the processor and memory to make sure that your actions are correct (Fig. 6.3). Be sure to monitor operating temperatures and voltages. Run 1-2 test programs and make sure there are no crashes or freezes.

7. If the test of the overclocked computer was successful, you can restart it, increase the FSB frequency by 5 or 10 MHz, and then check the performance again. Continue until the system gives the first failure.

8. If a failure occurs, you can reduce the FSB frequency to return the system to a stable state. But if you want to know the maximum frequency of the processor, you need to increase the core voltage using the CPU VCore Voltage or CPU Voltage parameter. It is necessary to change the supply voltage smoothly and by no more than 0.1-0.2 V (up to 1.4-1.5 V). When testing a computer with an increased processor voltage, you should definitely pay attention to its temperature, which should not exceed 60 ° C. The final goal of this overclocking step is to find the maximum FSB frequency at which the processor can run for a long time without crashing and overheating.

9. Choose the optimal parameters of RAM. In step 4, we reduced its frequency, but as the FSB frequency increased, the memory frequency also increased. The actual value of the memory frequency can be calculated manually or determined using the utilities EVEREST, CPU-Z, etc. To speed up the memory, you can increase its frequency or reduce the timings, and to check the stability, use special memory tests: the MemTest utility or the built-in memory tests in diagnostic programs EVEREST and the like.

Rice. 6.3. Controlling the real frequency of the processor in the CPU-Z program

10. After the processor is overclocked and the optimal parameters of the memory bus are selected, you should comprehensively test the speed of the overclocked computer and the stability of its operation.

Overclocking of Intel Core i3/5/7 processors

Until 2010, Intel Core 2 processors were the most popular, but by that time, competing models from AMD had practically caught up with them in terms of performance and were also sold at lower prices. However, back in late 2008, Intel developed Core i7 processors with a completely new architecture, but they were produced in small batches and were very expensive. And only in 2010 is expected the arrival of chips with a new architecture to the masses. The company plans to release several models for all market segments: Core i7 - for productive systems, Core i5 - for the middle segment of the market and Core i3 - for entry-level systems.

The procedure for overclocking Intel Core i3/5/7 processors is not very different from overclocking Core 2 chips, but to get good results, you should take into account the main features of the new architecture: transferring the DDR3 memory controller directly to the processor and replacing the FSB bus with a new QPI serial bus. Similar principles have been used in AMD processors for a long time, however, Intel has done everything very well. high level, and at the time of publication of the book, the performance of Core i7 processors is unattainable for competitors.

To set the operating frequencies of the processor, RAM, memory modules, DDR3 controller, cache memory and the QPI bus, the principle of multiplying the base frequency of 133 MHz (BCLK) by certain coefficients is used. Therefore, the main method of overclocking processors is to increase the base frequency, however, this will automatically increase the frequencies of all other components. As with Core 2 overclocking, you need to lower the RAM multiplier beforehand so that after increasing the base frequency, the memory frequency does not become too high. You may need to adjust the multipliers for the QPI bus and DDR3 controller under extreme overclocking, and in most cases these components will work fine at higher frequencies.

Based on the above, the approximate procedure for overclocking a system based on Core i3/5/7 can be as follows.

1. Set the optimal BIOS settings for your system. Disable Spread Spectrum, Intel SpeedStep and C1E Support, and Intel technology turbo boost.

2. Set the minimum multiplier for RAM using the System Memory Multiplier or similar. In most boards, the minimum possible multiplier is 6, which corresponds to a frequency of 800 MHz in normal mode. ASUS motherboards use the DRAM Frequency parameter for this purpose, which should be set to DDR3-800 MHz.

3. After the preparatory steps, you can start increasing the base frequency using the BCLK Frequency parameter or similar. You can start with a frequency of 160-170 MHz, and then increase it stepwise by 5-10 MHz. As statistics show, for most processors it is possible to raise the base frequency to 180-220 MHz.

4. When the first failure occurs, you can slightly reduce the base frequency to return the system to a working state, and thoroughly test it for stability. If you want to get the most out of the processor, you can try to increase the supply voltage by 0.1-0.3 V (up to 1.4-1.5 V), but you should take care of more efficient cooling. In some cases, you can increase the overclocking potential of the system by raising the voltage of the QPI bus and the L3 (Uncore) cache memory, RAM, or the processor phase-locked loop system (CPU PLL).

5. After determining the frequency at which the processor can operate for a long time without failures and overheating, you can choose the optimal parameters for RAM and other components.

Overclocking AMD Athlon/Phenom Processors

In the mid-2000s, AMD produced quite good processors of the Athlon 64 family for that time, but the Intel Core 2 processors released in 2006 surpassed them in all respects. Released in 2008, Phenom processors never managed to catch up with Core 2 in terms of performance, and only in 2009 Phenom II processors were able to compete on equal terms with them. However, by this time, Intel already had a Core i7 ready, and AMD chips were used in entry-level and mid-level systems.

The overclocking potential of AMD processors is slightly lower than that of Intel Core, and depends on the processor model. The memory controller is located directly in the processor, and communication with the chipset is carried out via a special HyperTransport (HT) bus. The operating frequency of the processor, memory and HT bus is determined by multiplying the base frequency (200 MHz) by certain factors.

For overclocking AMD processors, the method of increasing the base frequency of the processor is mainly used, this will automatically increase the frequency of the HyperTransport bus and the memory bus frequency, so they will need to be reduced before overclocking. Also in the assortment of the company there are models with an unlocked multiplier (Black Edition series), and overclocking of such chips can be performed by increasing the multiplier; in this case, there is no need to adjust the parameters of the RAM and the NT bus.

overclock Athlon processors, Phenom or Sempron in that order.

1. Set the BIOS settings that are optimal for your system. Disable Cool "n" Quiet and Spread Spectrum technologies.

2. Reduce the frequency of the RAM. To do this, you may first have to unset the memory parameters using SPD (Memory Timing by SPD or similar), and then specify the lowest possible frequency in the Memory Frequency for parameter or similar (Fig. 6.4).

3. Reduce the frequency of the HyperTransport bus using the HT Frequency parameter or similar (Fig. 6.5) by 1-2 steps. For example, for Athlon 64 processors, the nominal HT frequency is 1000 MHz (multiplier of 5) and you can lower it to 600-800 MHz (multiplier of 3 or 4). If your system has a parameter for setting the frequency of the memory controller built into the processor, such as CPU / NB Frequency, it is also recommended to reduce its value.

4. Set fixed frequencies for PCI (33 MHz), PCI Express (100-110 MHz) and AGP (66 MHz) buses.

5. After all the above actions, you can start overclocking itself. To begin with, you can raise the base frequency by 10-20% (for example, from 200 to 240 MHz), then try to load the operating system and check its operation. The parameter to set may be called CPU FSB Clock, CPU Overclock in MHz, or similar.

Rice. 6.4. Setting the RAM frequency

Rice. 6.5. Reducing the operating frequency of the HyperTransport bus

6. Using the CPU-Z utility, check the actual operating frequencies of the processor and memory. If the test of the overclocked computer passed without failures, you can continue to increase the base frequency by 5-10 MHz.

7. If a failure occurs, you can reduce the base frequency to return the system to a stable state, or continue overclocking by increasing the core voltage (Fig. 6.6). You need to change the supply voltage smoothly and by no more than 0.2-0.3 V. When testing a computer with an increased processor supply voltage, pay attention to the processor temperature, which should not exceed 60 ° C.

Rice. 6.6. Increasing the processor core voltage

8. After overclocking the processor, set the optimal frequency for the NT bus, RAM and its controller, test the speed and stability of the overclocked computer. To reduce processor heat, enable Cool "n" Quiet technology and check the stability of work in this mode.

Unlocking cores in Phenom ll/Athlon II processors

The AMD Phenom II processor family, which was released in 2009, has various models with two, three and four cores. Dual- and triple-core models were released by AMD by disabling one or two cores in a quad-core processor. This was explained by considerations of economy: if a defect was found in one of the cores of a quad-core processor, it was not thrown away, but the defective core was turned off and sold as a three-core one.

As it turned out later, a locked core can be enabled using the BIOS, and some of the unlocked processors can work normally with all four cores. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that over time, there were fewer defects in the production of quad-core processors, and since there was a demand on the market for two- and three-core models, manufacturers could forcibly turn off completely working cores.

At the time of the publication of the book, it was known about the successful unlocking of most models of this family: Phenom II X3 series 7xx, Phenom II X2 series 5xx, Athlon II X3 series 7xx, Athlon II X3 series 4xx and some others. In the quad-core Phenom II X4 8xx and Athlon II X4 6xx models, there is a possibility of unlocking the L3 cache, and in the single-core Sempron 140 - the second core. The probability of unlocking depends not only on the model, but also on the batch in which the processor was released. There were parties in which it was possible to unlock more than half of the processors, and in some parties only rare instances could be unlocked.

To unlock, the motherboard BIOS must support Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) technology. This technology is supported by AMD chipsets with the SB750 or SB710 southbridge, as well as some NVIDIA chipsets, such as GeForce 8200, GeForce 8300, nForce 720D, nForce 980.

The unlocking procedure itself is simple, you just need to set the Auto value for the Advanced Clock Calibration parameter or similar. In some boards from MSI, the Unlock CPU Core option should also be enabled. In case of failure, you can try to set up the ACC manually by experimentally choosing the value of the Value parameter. Sometimes, after turning on the ACC, the system may not boot at all, and you will have to reset the CMOS content using a jumper (see Chapter 5). If by no means you managed to unlock the processor, disable ACC, and the processor will work normally.

You can check the parameters of an unlocked processor using the EVEREST or CPU-Z diagnostic utilities, but to make sure that the result is positive, you should conduct a comprehensive computer test. Unlocking is done on the motherboard and does not change the physical state of the processor. You can refuse to unlock at any time by disabling ACC, and when you install the unlocked processor on another board, it will again be blocked.

Practical overclocking of the processor

Processor Overclocking Methods

There are two overclocking methods: increasing the frequency of the system bus (FSB) and increasing the multiplier (multiplier). this moment the second method cannot be applied to almost all AMD production processors. Exceptions to this rule are: Athlon XP (Thoroughbred, Barton, Thorton)/Duron (Applebred) processors released before week 39, 2003, Athlon MP, Sempron (socket754; downgrade only), Athlon 64 (downgrade only), Athlon 64 FX53/ 55. In serial processors manufactured by Intel, the multiplier is also completely blocked. Overclocking the processor by increasing the multiplier is the most "painless" and simple, because. only the processor clock frequency increases, while the frequencies of the memory bus, AGP/PCI buses remain nominal, so determine the maximum processor clock frequency at which it can work correctly using this method especially simple. It's a pity that now it's rather difficult, if not impossible, to find AthlonXP processors with an unlocked multiplier for sale. Overclocking a processor by increasing the FSB has its own characteristics. For example, with an increase in the FSB frequency, the frequency of the memory bus and the frequency of the AGP/PCI buses increase. Particular attention should be paid to the PCI/AGP bus frequencies, which are related to the FSB frequency in most chipsets (does not apply to nForce2, nForce3 250). This dependence can be bypassed only if the BIOS of your motherboard has the appropriate parameters - the so-called dividers, which are responsible for the ratio of PCI / AGP to FSB. You can calculate the divider you need using the FSB / 33 formula, i.e., if the FSB frequency = 133 MHz, then you should divide 133 by 33, and you will get the divider you need - in this case it is 4. The nominal frequency for the PCI bus is 33 MHz, and the maximum is 38-40 MHz, it is not recommended to set it higher, to put it mildly: this can lead to the failure of PCI devices. By default, the memory bus frequency rises synchronously with the FSB frequency, so if the memory does not have enough potential for overclocking, it can play a limiting role. If it is obvious that the frequency of the RAM has reached its limit, you can do the following:

• Increase memory timings (for example, change 2.5-3-3-5 to 2.5-4-4-7 - this can help you squeeze a few more MHz out of RAM).
• Increase the voltage on the memory modules.
• Overclock CPU and memory asynchronously.

Reading is the mother of learning

First you need to study the instructions for your motherboard: find the sections of the BIOS menu that are responsible for the FSB frequency, RAM, memory timings, multiplier, voltages, PCI / AGP frequency dividers. If the BIOS does not have any of the above parameters, then overclocking can be done using jumpers (jumpers) on the motherboard. You can find the purpose of each jumper in the same instructions, but usually information about the function of each is already printed on the board itself. It happens that the manufacturer himself deliberately hides "advanced" BIOS settings - to unlock them, you need to press a certain key combination (this is often found on Gigabyte motherboards). I repeat: all the necessary information can be found in the instructions or on the official website of the motherboard manufacturer.

Practice

We go into the BIOS (usually, to enter, you need to press the Del key at the time of recalculating the amount of RAM (that is, when the first data appeared on the screen after restarting / turning on the computer, press the Del key), but there are models of motherboards with a different key for entering the BIOS - for example, F2), we are looking for a menu in which you can change the frequency of the system bus, memory bus and control timings (usually these parameters are located in one place). I think that overclocking the processor by increasing the multiplier will not cause difficulties, so let's move on to raising the system bus frequency. We raise the FSB frequency (by about 5-10% of the nominal), then save installed changes, reboot and wait. If everything is fine, the system starts up with the new FSB value and, as a result, with a higher processor (and memory, if you overclock them synchronously) clock speed. Windows boot without any excesses means that half the battle is already done. Next, we launch the CPU-Z program (at the time of this writing, its latest version was 1.24) or Everest and make sure that the processor clock speed has increased. Now we need to check the processor for stability - I think everyone has a 3DMark 2001/2003 distribution kit on the hard drive - although they are designed to determine the speed of the video card, you can "drive" them to superficially check the stability of the system. For a more serious test, you need to use Prime95, CPU Burn-in 1.01, S&M (more on testers below). If the system has been tested and behaves stably, we reboot and start all over again: go into the BIOS again, increase the FSB frequency, save the changes and test the system again. If during testing you were "thrown out" of the program, the system hung or rebooted, you should "roll back" a step back - to the processor frequency when the system behaved stably - and conduct more extensive testing to make sure the work is completely stable. Don't forget to keep an eye on the processor temperature and PCI/AGP bus frequencies (you can check the PCI frequency and temperature in the OS using the Everest program or motherboard manufacturer's proprietary programs).

Voltage boost

It is not recommended to increase the voltage on the processor by more than 15-20%, but it is better that it varies within 5-15%. There is a sense in this: the stability of work increases and new horizons for overclocking open up. But be careful: as the voltage rises, the power consumption and heat dissipation of the processor increase, and as a result, the load on the power supply increases and the temperature rises. Most motherboards allow you to set the voltage on the RAM to 2.8-3.0 V, the safe limit is 2.9 V (to further increase the voltage, you need to make a volt mod on the motherboard). The main thing when increasing the voltage (not only on RAM) is to control heat generation, and, if it has increased, organize cooling of the overclocked component. One of better ways determining the temperature of any component of the computer is the touch of the hand. If you cannot touch a component without pain from a burn, it needs urgent cooling! If the component is hot, but you can hold your hand, then cooling would not hurt it. And only if you feel that the component is barely warm or even cold, then everything is fine, and it does not need cooling.

Timings and frequency dividers

Timings are delays between individual operations performed by the controller when accessing memory. There are six of them: RAS-to-CAS Delay (RCD), CAS Latency (CL), RAS Precharge (RP), Precharge Delay or Active Precharge Delay (more commonly referred to as Tras), SDRAM Idle Timer or SDRAM Idle Cycle Limit, Burst Length . Describing the meaning of each is meaningless and useless to anyone. It is better to immediately find out what is better: small timings or high frequencies. There is an opinion that timings are more important for Intel processors, while frequency is more important for AMD. But do not forget that for AMD processors, the memory frequency achieved in synchronous mode is most often important. For different processors, "native" are different memory frequencies. For Intel processors, the following combinations of frequencies are considered "friendly": 100:133, 133:166, 200:200. For AMD on nForce chipsets, synchronous operation of FSB and RAM is better, and asynchrony has little effect on the AMD + VIA bundle. On systems with AMD processor the memory frequency is set in the following percentages with FSB: 50%, 60%, 66%, 75%, 80%, 83%, 100%, 120%, 125%, 133%, 150%, 166%, 200% - this and there are the same divisors, but presented in a slightly different way. And on systems with Intel processor dividers look more familiar: 1:1, 4:3, 5:4, etc.

Black screen

Yes, it also happens :) - for example, when overclocking: you just set such a clock frequency of the processor or RAM (perhaps you specified too low memory timings) that the computer cannot start - or rather, it starts, but the screen remains black, and the system does not give any "signs of life". What to do in this case?

• Many manufacturers build in their motherboards a system for automatically resetting parameters to nominal values. And after such an "incident" with an overestimated frequency or low timings this system must do its "dirty" work, but this does not always happen, so you need to be ready to work with pens.
• After turning on the computer, press and hold the Ins key, after which it should start successfully, and you must go into the BIOS and set the computer's operating parameters.
• If the second method does not help you, you need to turn off the computer, open the case, find the jumper on the motherboard that is responsible for resetting the BIOS settings - the so-called CMOS (usually located near the BIOS chip) - and set it to Clear CMOS mode for 2-3 seconds, and then return to the nominal position.
• There are models of motherboards without a BIOS reset jumper (the manufacturer relies on its automatic system reset BIOS settings) - then you need to remove the battery for a while, which depends on the manufacturer and model of the motherboard (I conducted such an experiment on my Epox EP-8RDA3G: I took out the battery, waited 5 minutes, and the BIOS settings were reset).

Information programs and utilities

CPU-Z is one of the best programs, which provide basic information about the processor, motherboard, and RAM installed in your computer. The program interface is simple and intuitive: there is nothing superfluous, and all the most important things are in plain sight. The program supports the most latest news from the world of "iron" and is periodically updated. The latest version at the time of this writing is 1.24. Size - 260 Kb. You can download the program at cpuid.com.

Everest Home/Professional Edition (formerly AIDA32) is an information and diagnostic utility that has more advanced functions for viewing information about the installed hardware, operating system, DirectX, etc. The differences between the home and professional versions are as follows: the Pro version does not have a RAM test module (read / write), it also lacks a rather interesting Overclock subsection, which contains basic information about the processor, motherboard, RAM, processor temperature, motherboard board and hard drive, as well as overclocking your processor as a percentage :). The Home version does not include software accounting, advanced reports, interaction with databases, remote control, enterprise level functions. In general, this is all the differences. I myself use the Home version of the utility, because additional features I don't need pro versions. I almost forgot to mention that Everest allows you to view the PCI bus frequency - to do this, expand the Motherboard section, click on the subsection with the same name and find the Chipset bus properties / Real frequency item. The latest version at the time of this writing is 1.51. The Home version is free and weighs 3 Mb, the Pro version is paid and takes 3.1 Mb. You can download the utility at lavalys.com.

Stability testing

The name of the CPU Burn-in program speaks for itself: the program is designed to "warm up" the processor and check its stable operation. In the main CPU Burn-in window, you need to specify the duration, and in the options, select one of two testing modes:

• testing with enabled error checking;
• testing with disabled error checking, but with maximum "warming up" of the processor (Disable error checking, maximum heat generation).

When the first option is enabled, the program will check the correctness of the processor's calculations, and the second will allow the processor to "warm up" to temperatures close to the maximum. CPU Burn-in weighs about 7 Kb.

The next decent CPU and RAM tester is Prime95. Its main advantage is that when an error is detected, the program does not spontaneously hang up, but displays data about the error and the time it was detected on the working field. By opening the Options -> Torture Test… menu, you can choose from three testing modes yourself or specify your own parameters. For more effective detection of processor and memory errors, it is best to set the third testing mode (Blend: test some of everything, lots of RAM tested). Prime95 is 1.01 Mb and can be downloaded from mersenne.org.

Relatively recently, the S&M program saw the light. At first, it was conceived to check the stability of the processor power converter, then it was implemented to check the RAM and support for Pentium 4 processors with HyperThreading technology. At the moment latest version S&M 1.0.0(159) is supported by more than 32 (!) processors and there is a stability check of the processor and RAM, in addition, S&M has a flexible system of settings. Summarizing all of the above, it can be argued that S&M is one of the best programs of its kind, if not the best. The program interface is translated into Russian, so it is quite difficult to get confused in the menu. S&M 1.0.0(159) weighs 188 Kb and can be downloaded from testmem.nm.ru .

The above tester programs are designed to check the stability of the processor and RAM and identify errors in their work, they are all free. Each of them loads the processor and memory almost completely, but I want to remind you that programs used in everyday work and not intended for testing can rarely load the processor and RAM, so we can say that testing occurs with a certain margin.

The author assumes no responsibility for damage to any hardware your computer, as well as for failures and "glitches" in the work of any software installed on your computer.