F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH + ASRock Extreme4 BIOS settings?

[Tradesman]

Set the XMP setting to auto and the DRAM freq should show up and allow for manual change, under the cpu settings is your multiplier, prob at to OC the easiest way you can raise the multiplier, the mobo should have preset OCs in the tweaker section near the top to like 3.6 up to 4.8 or so

[bs27975]

Set the XMP setting to auto and the DRAM freq should show up and allow for manual change ...

D'oh! <sigh> Of course. <Slinking away, shoulders slumped, feeling really, really, stupid ...>

... under the cpu settings is your multiplier, prob at to OC the easiest way you can raise the multiplier, the mobo should have preset OCs in the tweaker section near the top to like 3.6 up to 4.8 or so

OK, currently 'Advanced Turbo 50' set to Enabled.

Disabling it enables (and makes visible so it can be set) 'Load Optimized CPU OC Setting' (and GPU, for that matter, next line), currently disabled, which can be set from 4.0 GHz to 4.8GHz. (I'm assuming your 3.6 - 4.8 above is GHz, and you're referring to CPU clock.)

Thank you for this - right in front of my face syndrome. And good info for this thread.

Set to 4.8GHz, mem to 2133 and got on with it. Running memtest again shows the same CPU and BCLK rates as originally reported. Memory settings now reported as :

Settings: RAM : 753 MHz (DDR3-1507) / CAS : 11-15-15-38 / Dual Channel

So, although ick CAS settings, and probably correct, and the speed probably wrong (reporting by memtest), the changes are clearly having an effect - i.e. memtest is not just reporting a stored string.

(I'm pretty sure I've seen 4.8GHz happy in the past, somewhere in my playing, so I expect the poor CAS is due to memory settings.)

DIGRESSION 1 - 'TYPICAL' BIOS POST DISPLAY:

Version 2.02.1205. Copyright (C) 2010 American Megatrends, Inc.

The current version of Intel ME firmware is 7.1.10.1065, backup is 7.1.10.1065.
Z68 Extreme4 UEFI P1.60
CPU:Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.4GHz Speed:4800MHz

Total Memory: 7934MB

USB Devices total: 0 KBDs, 1 MICE, 0 MASS, 2 HUBs

Detected ATA/ATAPI Devices...
SATA Port5: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4167B
Press F11 for Boot Menu.

Press F2 or DEL to run Setup.

(F6, not listed, will boot to flash update.)

Thus, yes, that's where I've seen 4800 MHz, showing / confirming the current in use CPU speed. (And having been running that way during all tests to date, ASRock auto-overclocking is taking the CPU to max, and working just fine so far as I can tell to date. Kudos to ASRock for making it this easy.)

</DIGRESSION 1>

Next changed:
'Internall PLL Overvoltage' Disabled -> Enabled
'GT Over Clock' Disabled -> Enabled
(Doing so revealed 'GT Frequency' and 'Voltage Override', both defaulting to Auto, and left there.)
- no change to 'Settings' above.

DIGRESSION 2 - BCLK changes per CPU Speed Setting, per memtest, now believed to be accurate:

4.8 - 70
4.6 - 73
4.4 - 77
4.2 - 80
4.0 - 84
Disabled (Leaving 'Advanced Turbo 50' at Disabled) - 99

[Calling it 100, as set it the BIOS, would then seem to indicate that memtest is indeed reporting correctly.]

Returning 'Advanced Turbo 50' to Enabled, and memtest again reports BCLK at 70.

So ... it would appear that memtest is reporting correctly, and using XMP Profile 1, with all OC features set to Auto, which is to say, everything as in my original post, the BIOS is auto-setting BCLK to 70, and memtest is not misreporting.

</DIGRESSION 2>

Going back to DRAM Frequency, I note the CAS settings match memtest, so the BIOS is nicely showing you what it's going to use for each DRAM Frequency Choice. Mmmm. Maybe not. Choices are Auto and DDR3-1066/1333/1600/1866/2133. CAS settings aren't changing with each choice. So, CAS settings display is showing what it currently used this latest boot.

2133 - Settings: RAM : 753 MHz (DDR3-1507) / CAS : 11-15-15-38 / Dual Channel
1866 - Settings: RAM : 659 MHz (DDR3-1319) / CAS : 11-13-13-33 / Dual Channel
1600 - Settings: RAM : 565 MHz (DDR3-1130) / CAS : 7-8-7-24 / Dual Channel

- which is to say, back to as originally reported, and auto-loaded by choosing Profile 1.

So, thank you, the question of how to set DRAM and CPU frequency now answered. [Choosing Enabled / Auto for everything hides what would have been the intuitively obvious things to modify to change speeds, revealed when 'Auto Turbo 50' disabled, and load memory profile set to auto. (The last, on auto, now permitting memory setting changes - previously disabled due to selection of Profile 1.)]

Now I just have to find something (other than memtest) that properly reports DRAM speed, if only to cross-check memtest's display.

Returning 'Advanced Turbo 50' to Enabled, (and using memory profile 1) and memtest again reports BCLK at 70, and I'm back to where I started - which, thus far, seems to be a sufficiently optimal place to be.

So ... it would appear that memtest is reporting correctly, and using XMP Profile 1, with all OC features set to Auto, which is to say, everything as in my original post, the BIOS is auto-setting BCLK to 70, this is not a memtest misreporting.

The remaining questions being:
- it would seem to make sense to load Profile 1, get CAS settings of 7-8-7-24, and just get on with my day. Agree?
- Leaving 'Advanced Turbo 50' (BIOS' automatic, figure out the best settings on your own feature), chooses 4.8GHz, as per POST, and 70 BCLK, as per memtest. Not knowing overclocking, is there any point to seeking a higher BCLK, and if so what should I also be looking to have to change (correspondingly)?
(I do not game. I will be doing sporadic image/video editing, and running a number of VMs. One system will run Myth and drive a 1080i TV, IN ADDITION. The point of the purchase is more about getting over the hassle of hardware purchase, now in one shot, while being reasonably future proof. i.e. 5 years from now, I won't be looking to replace the systems again, for lack of speed. May need more memory, but that's it. {In the past, I've bought one or two steps less than latest and greatest speeds, expecting to upgrade CPU, etc., later when parts become more reasonably used priced - only to find can't get the parts at all. I'm done with going down that road. Latest experience - Pentium D 2.8, and the Pentium D line went the way of the dodo not long afterwards.})

Summary:
OC Auto: 4.8 GHz, BCLK 70
OC Off: 3.4 GHz, BCLK 100

Do I care, why, and what to modify / look for, if so?

Observations / corrections to any of the above, welcome.

CORRECTION: memtest would appear to be correctly reporting BCLK speeds, but still not accurately reporting memory speeds. Or there is some other element sticking their fingers in the memory speed, such as BIOS auto something. I need to find an alternative memory speed reporting utility, to back check memtest's report. And, I presume, it is worthwhile pursuing higher memory speeds - higher speeds would be non-trivially noticeable, over the lifetime of the system.

[bs27975]

Update:

I need to find an alternative memory speed reporting utility, to back check memtest's report.

lshw -short -C memory

is showing the memory speed (1600 MHz, in this case) , running a (Kubuntu 10.04.3 LTS) LiveCD. [Most any Linux LiveCD will have this built in.]

And memtest does seem to be correctly reporting the CAS settings, even though it's not showing the correct memory speed (at least for me).

So, there are viable memory proving / testing methods, without purchasing software, nor having Windows installed (to run CPU-Z), present in a LiveCD - many of which also have the memtest86+ menu entry present.

[Tradesman]

I'm sure this will be of help to others also, thanks for sharing your experience

[bs27975]

I'm sure this will be of help to others also, thanks for sharing your experience

Just trying to give back / help others get through some of this faster.

Outstanding: To what extent should I care about BCLK?

[Tradesman]

The BCLK is stock at 100, you can try raising it (gradually) and possibily can get it up towards 103-104...doing so OC your system and DRAM in slight increments

[bs27975]

The BCLK is stock at 100, you can try raising it (gradually) and possibily can get it up towards 103-104...doing so OC your system and DRAM in slight increments

Right, but if it's set to 100 as per the BIOS settings, and memtest is reporting it at 70 ...

- my changes aren't having an impact, anyways?
- given the auto-overclocking features, if it's going down to 70, I assume that's the auto-highest it's stable at?
- how much of an impact will I notice from an increase?

Am I understanding all this coherently?

[Tradesman]

Believe since it's not at full load it may be showing 70 at idle, depending on how your BIOS setup, using my system hear as an example, I'm set to 4.93 (x49) right now, but with no load, at idle it drops to x16 or 1.6

[bs27975]

Believe since it's not at full load it may be showing 70 at idle, depending on how your BIOS setup, using my system hear as an example, I'm set to 4.93 (x49) right now, but with no load, at idle it drops to x16 or 1.6

Cool. Good to know, thank you.

So, under Kubuntu, how do I find out the current setting? (The only way I can put the box under load.)

[Tradesman]

Got me, I used to use Unix some but never touched Kubuntu

[bs27975]

Looks like the non-graphical equivalent to CPU-Z is the non-GUI command line dmidecode. (Do aptitude search decode to find other 'inspectors', e.g. biosdecode, vpddecode, biosdevname, smbios-util)

[So, google searches on 'dmidecode' will likely take you useful places, if you run Linux.]

e.g. dmidecode -qt memory
(q = quiet, a little less deep / verbose)[2x4GB installed, out of 4 slots, at the time, revealed ...]

Physical Memory Array
Location: System Board Or Motherboard
Use: System Memory
Error Correction Type: None
Maximum Capacity: 32 GB
Number Of Devices: 4

Memory Device
Total Width: 64 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 4096 MB
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelA-DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 0
Type: DDR3
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 1600 MHz
Manufacturer: 04CD
Serial Number: 00000000
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: F3-12800CL7-4GBXH
Rank: 2
Configured Clock Speed: 1600 MHz

Memory Device
Total Width: Unknown
Data Width: Unknown
Size: No Module Installed
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelA-DIMM1
Bank Locator: BANK 1
Type: Unknown
Type Detail: None
Speed: Unknown
Manufacturer: [Empty]
Serial Number: [Empty]
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: [Empty]
Rank: Unknown
Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Memory Device
Total Width: 64 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 4096 MB
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelB-DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 2
Type: DDR3
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 1600 MHz
Manufacturer: 04CD
Serial Number: 00000000
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: F3-12800CL7-4GBXH
Rank: 2
Configured Clock Speed: 1600 MHz

Memory Device
Total Width: Unknown
Data Width: Unknown
Size: No Module Installed
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelB-DIMM1
Bank Locator: BANK 3
Type: Unknown
Type Detail: None
Speed: Unknown
Manufacturer: [Empty]
Serial Number: [Empty]
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: [Empty]
Rank: Unknown
Configured Clock Speed: Unknown