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Crank It

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Crank It
2005 CPU Special Issue
Page(s) 130-131 in print issue

Clocking Corner
Make The Most Of Your Megahertz
Over the years, an increasing number of computer enthusiasts have used various
techniques to get more performance from their gear. Today, overclocking is built into
most new hardware designs, from high-performance motherboards to graphics cards
and memory. Our goal is to suggest specific pointers for casual users looking to earn
their overclocking stripes while offering advanced tips for seasoned veterans. As always,
there is an inherent risk to pushing computer hardware beyond its limits, but with a more
thorough understanding of the task at hand, the effort can be rewarding. Keep in mind
that overclocking voids virtually every warranty available, so tread lightly, use caution,
and have fun.
Q: Can a GeForce 6800 be unlocked so all pixel
pipes and vertex shaders are enabled?

With a little tweaking,

you can turn a 12pixel pipeline NVIDIA
6800 into a 16-pixel
pipeline speedster.

A: The answer is both yes and no. The AGP GeForce

6800 is manufactured with 16 pixel pipes and six vertex
shaders, with four pixel pipes and one vertex shader
disabled in the BIOS. Recently, its been discovered that
the 12-pixel Pipeline GeForce 6800 could be unlocked to
a full 16 pixel pipes and six vertex shaders using a
simple software modification. It reverses the BIOS
settings, unlocking the full potential of the card. The PCI
Express version is physically manufactured with only 12
pixel pipes, so the BIOS changes wont work.

To start, download RivaTuner v15.5 from Guru3D.com.

Once installed, go to the Main tab and click Customize under Target Adapter. Choose
the image of the video card to bring up the Low-level System Tweaks tab. Next, click the
NVStrap driver tab and click the Install button to enable all settings. Now choose Custom
under Graphics Processor Configuration and check Allow Enabling Hardware Masked
Units. Click Customize, and you will see a list of Bit Fields/Bit Masks. Look for the two
that have Yes listed under HW Masked. Place a check mark next to each of these,
typically bit 00 and bit 11, and click OK. Now go back into this section, and the previously
disabled pixel pipes and vertex shaders should appear enabled. If not, reboot to enable
them. If they are enabled, you now have a GeForce 6800 with 16 pixel pipes and six
vertex shaders. Try a few games and see if there are any visual anomalies. If you
experience no artifacts in the games, your experiment was a success, and you can now
try overclocking the card to Ultra speeds. If you see degradation in image quality or
artifacts, try disabling the vertex shader to see if it clears up. If not, or if the Bit Fields still
say disabled, your card is not suited to this software modification, and you should return
all changes back to the default settings.

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Q: I have a Pentium 4 530 and MSI 915P Neo2 motherboard. Every time I raise
the FSB, the system locks at 220MHz and won't go higher. What am I doing
wrong?
A: I recommend locking your memory to 400MHz to isolate your overclocking to the
processor and motherboard. Now try raising your FSB. As long as you have sufficient
cooling, you should be able to push the FSB past 250MHz, increasing the CPU from
3GHz to 3.7GHz and beyond. If youre successful, this indicates that the FSB was
probably pushing your memory beyond its capability. If your memory frequency was set
for 533MHz, a 220FSB would increase the memory to 586MHz. By setting it to 400MHz,
an FSB of 250MHz would increase the memory to 500MHz, which may be more suited
for your particular DIMMs.
Q: What are the best memory timings for my ASUS A7N8X Deluxe motherboard
with 512MB of Kingston HyperX PC3500 DDR Memory?
A: Those modules are rated to run at 434MHz with 2-3-3-8 timings. Your board limits
peak memory settings to 400MHz, so there is a fair amount of headroom for
overclocking. In fact, you should be able to raise the FSB past 217MHz before youll
need to consider relaxing the timings. However, try increasing the voltage to 2.7V or
2.8V first and youll find you can go quite a bit higher before having to back off the
timings to 2.5-4-4-8.
Q: Is it true that I can overclock my AMD Socket A system by installing a mobile
processor?
A: Yes, this is true, and installing a mobile CPU can yield great overclocking potential.
After AMD started locking its Barton core processors, some crafty overclockers figured
out that the Athlon XP-M was fully unlocked because its a necessity for laptops to
throttle the speed down to reduce power. Additionally, these chips proved to be excellent
overclockers because they are designed to run at lower wattage than their desktop
counterparts. Because the Athlon XP-M has the same Socket A packaging as the Athlon
XP, installation is simple. The most youll need to do is make sure you have the latest
BIOS for your system so the processor is recognized.
Q: My Athlon 64 lets me lower the multiplier, but not raise it. What good is that?
A: Actually, that can be very useful when overclocking your system. Many users tend to
focus solely on increasing their CPU speed, when the goal is to increase overall system
performance. By lowering the CPU multiplier setting (remember, the Athlon 64 doesnt
have a multiplier), you can increase your FSB while keeping the CPU within operating
range. This means that if you have high-speed memory and a motherboard that can hit a
high FSB, you can significantly improve your systems overall performance, including the
CPU, memory, and system bus.
Q: What utility should I use if I want to overclock
my Radeon 9800 Pro, and what peak speeds can I
expect?

You can crank up

your Radeon 9800
Pros VPU and
memory speeds with
the ATITool utility.

A: One of my favorite utilities for overclocking ATI cards

is ATITool (www.techpowerup.com/atitool). This is a
great free utility that lets you set overclocking based on
2D and 3D settings and can test the card for artifacts
after you overclock it. Your Radeon 9800 Pro runs at
380MHz (VPU) and 350MHz (memory - 700MHz DDR).
Although overclocking results can vary widely depending
on the environment, you should be able to approach
425MHz for the VPU, and the memory may be able to hit
around 400MHz. These are estimates that you may not

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be able to reach or may even exceed. The main thing is to take baby steps and maintain
good airflow around the card.
Q: When I raise the FSB of my DFI NF2 Ultra Infinity system, the machine takes
several minutes to boot. Why is this happening?
A: First, make sure your memory is rated to handle the higher FSB speed. If your
increased FSB is pushing your memory beyond its range, you will see strange things
happening, such as BSODs, erratic booting, and even data corruption. If the memory is
still running within its rated speeds, try increasing its voltage in the BIOS. If all else fails,
try swapping the DIMMs with another set and see if it makes a difference. If the problem
goes away, the issue is with the memory. Either its not able to handle the higher speeds
or it may be defective. Try running a comprehensive MEMTEST and see if any errors
appear in the results. If any errors are reported, you should be able to RMA the DIMMs,
as most name brand memory sticks carry lifetime warranties.
Q: Should I use a Windows-based utility to overclock my computer or go
through the BIOS?
A: Most enthusiast-grade motherboard manufacturers offer their own custom
overclocking utilities, but I prefer to work with the BIOS. Most motherboards let you
access the BIOS by pressing the DELETE key during POST and often have a special
menu dedicated to overclocking settings. These settings are typically more
comprehensive and work more consistently than Windows-based overclocking tools.
Windows-based utilities tend to lack memory divider options and voltage settings, limiting
their effectiveness, but can be useful when BIOS options are limited.
Q: Is there a way to get more voltage to my DDR memory than the BIOS offers?
A: Serious enthusiasts like to perform a VTT (Tracking Termination Voltage)
modification, physically altering the motherboard using a soldering iron. A less risky
method is to use an ingenious device from OCZ called the OCZ DDR Booster. This
device occupies a spare DIMM slot and can push DDR voltage up to 3.9v. The unit also
conditions the voltage with OCZs innovative Power Clean technology, which improves
overall operating conditions and can aid in reaching higher overclocking results. Check it
out at www.ocz.com.
Q: What is the fastest DDR2 memory I can use for overclocking?
A: Initially, DDR2 came with higher clock speeds than DDR, but higher latency
hampered performance improvements. Today, DDR2 latencies have dropped, and
frequencies have increased, yielding higher performance. Corsair, Mushkin, OCZ, and
others now offer DDR2 PC5400 RAM, which runs at low latencies while operating at a
frequency of 675MHz. OCZ offers the fastest modules (DDR2 PC8000) that run at
1,000MHz, while Corsair offers PC6400 RAM at 800MHz. If your motherboard will push
into the 1,000MHz range, I would opt for the PC8000. Otherwise, PC5400 is an excellent
choice.
by Jeff Bouton

Copyright 2006 Sandhills Publishing Company U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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