Mamba wrote:

Any suggestions?

Dont oveclock that high , or use a faster cpu.

emosun wrote:

Mamba wrote:

Any suggestions?

Dont oveclock that high , or use a faster cpu.

I think it should be a joke of some kind...

How many sticks of RAM do you have installed on that computer? I have no experience with Opterons, but Athlons from back then sometimes got confused when overclocking if there were more than 2 or even 1 stick of RAM installed.

Aideka wrote:

How many sticks of RAM do you have installed on that computer? I have no experience with Opterons, but Athlons from back then sometimes got confused when overclocking if there were more than 2 or even 1 stick of RAM installed.

Actually I have 4 sticks of RAM installed, 8Gbyte total, PC3200R Micron.
I really don't know of Athlons getting confused by installed ram, they are supposed to work with ram installed.

I'm not familiar with this particular board... but socket 940 in general isn't very OC friendly. It seems 3 GHz is simply too much, not all K8 can handle that. Try 2.9 or 2.8 and see how it works.
Memory shouldn't be a problem as long you are below 400 MHz, also command rate could cause trouble. For 4 sticks you should set it to 2.

I tried overclocking my Opteron 185, which is essentially the same CPU, but without multi-CPU support and requiring more power (110 W). Even 200 MHz more was asking for too much. Btw, this CPU is in my main computer today. Is it too slow for you at 2.6 GHz?

Mamba wrote:

Aideka wrote:

How many sticks of RAM do you have installed on that computer? I have no experience with Opterons, but Athlons from back then sometimes got confused when overclocking if there were more than 2 or even 1 stick of RAM installed.

Actually I have 4 sticks of RAM installed, 8Gbyte total, PC3200R Micron.
I really don't know of Athlons getting confused by installed ram, they are supposed to work with ram installed.

I have a Newcastle core Athlon 64 computer, 3500+ model. The memory controller is on the processor itself, and since Athlon 64's were the first CPU to incorporate the contoller on the CPU itself, it wasn't always up to snuff when all memory slots were filled. For example, the CPU I have does 400MHz memory speed, when there is just 2 sticks installed, and when you add more it drops to 333MHz. Also, when I fill all the 4 memory slots, my maximum overclock goes down by 200MHz. Opterons might have a more robust memory controller, but since they are server chips, they are not exactly meant for overclocking anyway.

Surfing the net I found that opty 185 can easily hit 3ghz, I was trying to do that with a 285.
I am setting up a period correct AMD rig, in particular the most powerful 2005 PC, so I am looking for a pair of g92 cards (or two gx2) for SLI, maxing out a cheap Opty 285.
Using 939 is a no go because cpus are way too expensive and don't like 8gb of ram.
The Foxconn I found seems perfect and really full of Features so I stick happily with it.

S939 w/8GB RAM and 3GHz Dual-Core CPU : LINK

I would guess the problem is either IMC (lower RAM speed and/or set higher timings should help), or CPU itself (Vcore = 1,5V is simply too low for it to be stable).

Also, K8 CPU's like to be kept cool.
What cooling are you utilising for those settings ?

GX2 or G92 for this rig ?
I guess it's period correct in CPU/MB combo only... either way - go DX11 (Radeon 5750/5770 or GTS 450).

agent_x007 wrote:

S939 w/8GB RAM and 3GHz Dual-Core CPU : LINK […]
Show full quote

S939 w/8GB RAM and 3GHz Dual-Core CPU : LINK

I would guess the problem is either IMC (lower RAM speed and/or set higher timings should help), or CPU itself (Vcore = 1,5V is simply too low for it to be stable).

Also, K8 CPU's like to be kept cool.
What cooling are you utilising for those settings ?

GX2 or G92 for this rig ?
I guess it's period correct in CPU/MB combo only... either way - go DX11 (Radeon 5750/5770 or GTS 450).

Is not that simple to get 8Gbyte properly working on an Asus A8N family board.
I have tried a lot with A8N32-SLI, premium or -E. It needs a particular type of registered ram ecc to work.
Plus those 939 mainboard are expensive even today AND the CPU is even more (look at ebay bids...)
Finding a 940 board with some features is the real deal because 940 CPU are really cheap.

And I don't understand your statement about getting a dx11 card, it does not make sense, dx11 titles are too demanding for this rig.
G92 chip is an evolution of a 8800 so it is period correct with motherboard (late 2005), 7950gx2 would be perfect (and I could use a quad SLI also)
I will stick with DX9 and Windows XP64.

My cpu is cooled by a Big Shuryken with a Silverstone AP, never goes hot.
Maybe the problem is the CPU itself, 68w Opterons doesn't clock that well... Don't know.

My point for DX11 cards is longevity and power consumption/thermals.
1) GeForce 8800/9800 series die easily (thermal problems + shitty 1-st gen no Pb soldering), and may need "oven-o-therapy" to keep working.

2) Who said anything about DX11 titles ?
I played Crysis 1 with Very High details on Full HD resolution with 16xQ AA using a DX11 card and 3,05GHz FX-60 CPU.
Try to do that on DX9/DX10 only card (even SLI/CFX'ed) 😜

3) GeForce 8800 series from NV is a Late 2006 tech (November 2006 to be exact), and has no "common things" with anything that was earlier (we are talking 1-st GPU with Unified shaders here). G92(b) from 8800/9800 series is either 2007 or 2008 chip (depends on 65nm or 55nm manufacturing process).

Also, you can't have exactly period correct system with GX2 card anyways (since oldest GX2 is from mid 2006, not counting Rage Fury Maxx 😉).
Going to max. 2005 tech you are stuck with 7800 GTX 512MB SLI or X1800 XT CF (X1900 series are early 2006 cards).
Proof : LINK
Thread : LINK

Points taken,

but the scope of all of this is to set up a cool rig with contemporary hardware without spending a lot of money.
Of course I can slap a GTX1080 on it, or two Titan X in SLI. But there is no sense in doing that.
Is not my vision.

Who ever said to you DirectX 11 hardware is pricey is... not well informed 😉
7950 GX2 : LINK
GTS 450 : LINK

GTS 450 will crush 7950 GX2 in any shader based game (DX9 and higher) + is compatible with Win XP and almost all PCI-e 1.x boards.
On the other hand, 7950 GX2 will be "kinda" period correct, and can work with Win 98 (if it's your thing in future).

Basicly : Everything depends on how compatible/period correct you want to be.
I prefer to get "100% period correct" thing out the window when I want something to work properly for longer periods of time.

I will think about it.
But I have also to say that some time ago I built another rig with a Tyan S2895 with two 285 and two GTS450 (I really miss that Tyan...)
Crysis performance where really disappointing.

That is why I don't think that a GTS450 is faster than a G92 in DX9 games, I am not convinced.

Right now I am doing tests with a GT640 (gf116 based) DDR3 clocked at 800core/900mem, it should be a little faster than a GTS450 DDR3. I get 10400 3dmark06 score (Opty at 2800Mhz), not so much.

G92 may be faster in Crysis, BUT it will die faster/easier than GTS 450.
Still, if you don't like GTS 450, buy Radeon 5750 : LINK

PS. GTS 450 must have GDDR5 memory with 192SP's.
If it's made with GDDR3 or has 128SP's or less, it's just a rebranded GT 440 card.
Here's my GTS 450 with 1GB GDDR5 result using Crysis benchmark tool ("High" Preset with 1280x1024 resolution) :

Aideka wrote:

Mamba wrote:

Aideka wrote:

How many sticks of RAM do you have installed on that computer? I have no experience with Opterons, but Athlons from back then sometimes got confused when overclocking if there were more than 2 or even 1 stick of RAM installed.

Actually I have 4 sticks of RAM installed, 8Gbyte total, PC3200R Micron.
I really don't know of Athlons getting confused by installed ram, they are supposed to work with ram installed.

I have a Newcastle core Athlon 64 computer, 3500+ model. The memory controller is on the processor itself, and since Athlon 64's were the first CPU to incorporate the contoller on the CPU itself, it wasn't always up to snuff when all memory slots were filled. For example, the CPU I have does 400MHz memory speed, when there is just 2 sticks installed, and when you add more it drops to 333MHz. Also, when I fill all the 4 memory slots, my maximum overclock goes down by 200MHz. Opterons might have a more robust memory controller, but since they are server chips, they are not exactly meant for overclocking anyway.

That might be my problem then. I have all 4 RAM slots filled, which should be 4 GB (2.85 GB usable). Just for the system to be stable, I have to increase the RAM voltage from 2.5 V to 2.7 V. I'm running the RAM at 200 MHz (DDR400).

Mamba wrote:

Surfing the net I found that opty 185 can easily hit 3ghz, I was trying to do that with a 285. I am setting up a period correct […]
Show full quote

Surfing the net I found that opty 185 can easily hit 3ghz, I was trying to do that with a 285.
I am setting up a period correct AMD rig, in particular the most powerful 2005 PC, so I am looking for a pair of g92 cards (or two gx2) for SLI, maxing out a cheap Opty 285.
Using 939 is a no go because cpus are way too expensive and don't like 8gb of ram.
The Foxconn I found seems perfect and really full of Features so I stick happily with it.

Interesting. Maybe your cooling is better than mine. Or maybve your motherboard more robust. What CPU voltage are you using and what are you overclocking on the motherboard, e.g. the buses, memory, etc?

agent_x007 wrote:

S939 w/8GB RAM and 3GHz Dual-Core CPU : LINK […]
Show full quote

S939 w/8GB RAM and 3GHz Dual-Core CPU : LINK

I would guess the problem is either IMC (lower RAM speed and/or set higher timings should help), or CPU itself (Vcore = 1,5V is simply too low for it to be stable).

Also, K8 CPU's like to be kept cool.
What cooling are you utilising for those settings ?

GX2 or G92 for this rig ?
I guess it's period correct in CPU/MB combo only... either way - go DX11 (Radeon 5750/5770 or GTS 450).

That is an FX-60, which is the same as the Opteron 185, but with an unlocked multiplier. Unfortunately, the FX-60's are going for about $100, whereas the Opteron 185's sell for about $50. Too much for me. The advantage of the FX-60 is that you can run everything else on the MB within spec and synchronously.

agent_x007 wrote:

G92 may be faster in Crysis, BUT it will die faster/easier than GTS 450. Still, if you don't like GTS 450, buy Radeon 5750 : LIN […]
Show full quote

G92 may be faster in Crysis, BUT it will die faster/easier than GTS 450.
Still, if you don't like GTS 450, buy Radeon 5750 : LINK

PS. GTS 450 must have GDDR5 memory with 192SP's.
If it's made with GDDR3 or has 128SP's or less, it's just a rebranded GT 440 card.
Here's my GTS 450 with 1GB GDDR5 result using Crysis benchmark tool ("High" Preset with 1280x1024 resolution) :

GeForce GTS 450 (783-3608) mini.png

The results you posted are obtained with a qx9770 (and a total different platform).