stinkydiver wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:11:

Some pics of the build so far […]
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Some pics of the build so far

I moved the GPU to the bottom PCIe x16 slot for better airflow, I'll think I'll add a couple of intake fans to help.

The ram is running at 752mhz so I might do some tweaking to get it running at 800mhz

3d Mark 06 score went from 11065 to 11513 after upgrading the ram.

Jedi Knight 2 Jedi Outcast baby! Love that game. Shaping up to be a killer XP rig.

I honestly don't put too much stock in the bumpgate stuff. I have lots of dead GPU's that aren't from the supposed bumpgate era so I don't see much point in worrying about it. Just keep things cool as most modern pc builders would anyway. GPU's went from 4 pipes @ 200mhz to 24 or 128 pipes @ 500mhz in such a short time. People were just slapping them into any old crusty ass cases with bad cooling and hoping for the best.

stinkydiver wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:11:

The ram is running at 752mhz so I might do some tweaking to get it running at 800mhz

That's the consequence of how memory controller works in AM2. Not much you can do about it, the only way is to increase base frequency/OC everything a bit. You need less then 10% to get to 800, so it'll probably work and provide performance boost mostly because of overclocking, not because of faster memory.

Or you could just leave it be, it is working as intended, i doubt there is significant performance impact from slightly lower memory clock...

Dothan Burger wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:45:

People were just slapping them into any old crusty ass cases with bad cooling and hoping for the best.

The way coolers are configured on many (most) of those cards - they'll run at 80-90C no matter the case or airflow. If the cooling is too good they'll simply ramp the fan down to maintain temperature. Without modifying fan control better case/airflow does very little or nothing to make them last longer.

Archer57 wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:49:

That's the consequence of how memory controller works in AM2. Not much you can do about it, the only way is to increase base fre […]
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stinkydiver wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:11:

The ram is running at 752mhz so I might do some tweaking to get it running at 800mhz

That's the consequence of how memory controller works in AM2. Not much you can do about it, the only way is to increase base frequency/OC everything a bit. You need less then 10% to get to 800, so it'll probably work and provide performance boost mostly because of overclocking, not because of faster memory.

Or you could just leave it be, it is working as intended, i doubt there is significant performance impact from slightly lower memory clock...

Dothan Burger wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:45:

People were just slapping them into any old crusty ass cases with bad cooling and hoping for the best.

The way coolers are configured on many (most) of those cards - they'll run at 80-90C no matter the case or airflow. If the cooling is too good they'll simply ramp the fan down to maintain temperature. Without modifying fan control better case/airflow does very little or nothing to make them last longer.

Even the OC 7950gt I run never see's above 65C in Half-life2 on 98. Maybe it does come down to fan profiles, fan noise doesn't bother me much. In 98 once the fan ramps up, it hardly ever backs down though.

stinkydiver wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:11:

Some pics of the build so far

That looks very good, that case is a stunner and plenty of room to work in too. If the copper on the VRM gets too hot for comfort, a gentle breeze will knock that temp right down.

stinkydiver wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:11:

The ram is running at 752mhz so I might do some tweaking to get it running at 800mhz

That's normal for a 6000+ at full speed it runs at an odd multi of 15x, with the memory running a divider of CPU/8. Run it in a calculator, It's perfectly normal for a 6000+

stinkydiver wrote on 2025-09-06, 02:11:

3d Mark 06 score went from 11065 to 11513 after upgrading the ram.

Worth it! 😁

Your memory benchmark proves there is no relation between lower write performance and Command Rate 1/2T as suspected in Re: Any love for AM2? . Interestingly, my Vishera FX-8370 runs with 4 sticks with Command Rate 1T which is very unusual and I didn't see any measurable benefit in Aida64 (newer version of Everest). Aida64 should be more accurate as it supports newer CPU architectures better. Therefore reducing sticks to 2 just to use Command Rate 1T is not worth it. The difference is perhaps related to single rank/dual rank memory.

I agree that tinkering with DDR speed is not worth it if you do not want to OC HT/CPU. 750 vs 800 will have very negligible impact.

NiBitor can be used to flash custom fan configuration in BIOS and works until GeForce GTX 5xx series. Keeping temperature between 60-65'C is very easy with custom fan profile in BIOS without any app. The temperature problem mainly affected GTX 2xx up to 5xx.

AlexZ wrote on 2025-09-06, 08:55:

Your memory benchmark proves there is no relation between lower write performance and Command Rate 1/2T as suspected in Re: Any love for AM2? . Interestingly, my Vishera FX-8370 runs with 4 sticks with Command Rate 1T which is very unusual and I didn't see any measurable benefit in Aida64 (newer version of Everest). Aida64 should be more accurate as it supports newer CPU architectures better. Therefore reducing sticks to 2 just to use Command Rate 1T is not worth it. The difference is perhaps related to single rank/dual rank memory.

Ah your wondering why your Piledriver's write speed jumps off a cliff? Seems to be normal, K10, Zen2 and Zen3 have it too. And i have no idea why that happens, AMD keeps screwing with that. With Zen4 and 5 it's the other way around and write speed gets turbocharged. As for 1T CR it can be worth it, for 939 systems at least. With my M2N-E, I can't get it to 1T even with 2 sticks. I wonder if stinkydiver can get his M2N-SLI Deluxe to run at 1T, should be faster. I did a test between 1t vs 2t couple weeks ago, i'll attach it.

Raldsen wrote on 2025-09-06, 12:24:

I did a test between 1t vs 2t couple weeks ago, i'll attach it.

Yep, this is consistent with my experience with S939 too - 1T vs 2T makes a significant difference.

AM2 is different and it does not have as much of an effect there...

AlexZ wrote on 2025-09-06, 08:55:

NiBitor can be used to flash custom fan configuration in BIOS and works until GeForce GTX 5xx series. Keeping temperature between 60-65'C is very easy with custom fan profile in BIOS without any app. The temperature problem mainly affected GTX 2xx up to 5xx.

I find msi afterburner or riva tuner to be extremely useful for experimenting. Figuring out where fan speeds will settle with specific settings, if the noise is acceptable, etc. After that flashing the bios makes sense to avoid having to run the stuff all the time. Experimenting by flashing bios multiple times is highly inconvenient...

But yeah, most of the cards can easily stay at reasonable temperatures with modified fan profiles. It is annoying how they are intentionally configured to kill themselves just because it allows for lower noise under load.

The problem with MSI afterburner is that fan regulation doesn't seem to work with old cards. In Rivatuner it works, but you have to set up fan profile rules manually to adjust fan speed based on temperature. It's a very different experience compared to dynamic fan configuration in BIOS where the change in rpm is continuous. Pitty that custom fan profiles in BIOS are no longer possible with GeForce GTX 6xx and newer.