Speed and Latency!!

[Pbirmingham1988]

I have the corsair xms2 8500 (1066mhz) @ 990 mhz though cuz i heard 680i has probs with any memory speeds above 1000... My latency is at 5-5-5-15 and my ratio is at 11:14... Is this bad? If so, how can i change this? Im running on windows vista if this should help at all.

[Capper]

Play with various settings and see what you get. Run Super Pi, Memtest, and something like Sisoft Sandra to test for best performance and stability.

No two people will agree whats more important, or what really matters....In the end its the processor that matters the most.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Capper

No two people will agree whats more important, or what really matters....In the end its the processor that matters the most.

That is so very true. People get so caught up in tight timings (myself included), but usually its just plain MHz that are really going to make the difference. Like Capper said, the best way is to just run some benchmarks at the different settings in question and find out for yourself!

[Pbirmingham1988]

The thing is I'm not experienced with oc'ing ram so i need a step to follow.. U know what i mean??? I don't know where to start!! U guys didn't answer my question though... Is 11:14 a good ratio w/ 5-5-5-15 latency @ 990mhz??

[Capper]

U guys didn't answer my question though... Is 11:14 a good ratio w/ 5-5-5-15 latency @ 990mhz??

We did answer the question, you just aren't hearing us.......you need to test various settings to see. Every system, and every O/C is different....what is best for you might not be best for the next person.

Download the apps that were mentioned, then run them at different settings to see what one works best for you.

Also, as I said, the processor is the most important aspect of overclocking

[Pbirmingham1988]

Oh now i get it!! Thanks man ill return when i got the results

[Quakindude]

You won't be overclocking your ram very much if you aren't running it at the stock speed of 1066Mhz that it's capable of. I've said that the 680i's are chewing up ram when run at 1066 and as far as I know, that wasn't fixed with the P25 Bios. So staying below that is your best bet for the time being. Since you have to stay below 1066, you are going to have an offset ratio like you do. My ram is DDR2-800 and the best I get when overclocking the nuts off it is a 6:7 ratio.

Since you don't want to run your Ram at the full 1066, here is where you want to tighten the timings. First off, see if it runs at 5-5-5-15 and 1T. If that works, then try lowering them to 4-4-4-12 1T and see if it boots. If it does, try testing the ram at those settings. If it doesn't boot, try setting the command rate to 2T. If it passes memtest86+ for one run, shut down and tighten them to 4-4-4-10. If that tests out fine, then go to 3-4-3-12. If that tests fine, go to 3-4-3-10. Keep doing that until they fail, which I would imagine will be around 3-4-3-12 and 2T.

All of that being said, if they will run at 5-5-5-15 and a 1T command rate, that will be faster than 3-4-3-10 and 2T as with a 1T, it only takes one clock cycle to process the data.

You can read up on this whole thing here.

I always preach to understand what you're doing and why you're doing it and what to expect for having done so. As long as you don't push too hard or give it too much juice, the worst that can happen is you could end up having to reload your OS. When it comes to messing with Ram timings and clock speeds(Mhz), a tool like Acronis TrueImage is more than worth the $30 you spend to download it from NewEgg. This way, if you push too hrd and corrupt your OS, instead of having to reload Windows, download drivers, install all of your app's, so on and so forth, you can be up and running like nothing happened in less than 15 minutes.

Here's my experience with Acronis True Image. Also, make sure you know where your CMOS jumper is. The 680i recovers nicely from CPU overclocks, but memory timings can make it freeze up hard requiring you to clear the CMOS jumper.

[Capper]

well, most DDR2 won't run a 1T command rate with any stability at anywhere close to 1000MHz.

Also, memory has minimal effect on performance in the grand scheme of things. Lastly, the P25 BIOS was supposed to address many of the memory issues.....now whether it has or not i don't know, I've been too busy to test it out

[Quakindude]

At stock settings, my DDR2-800 ram with 5-5-5-12 timings will run at CL1 even though it's rated for CL2. I've not had any ram with higher FSB capabilities to test with, but as soon as I get my ram over 840Mhz, I have to revert back to 2T. Even though 1T would be preferable, at 2T I can run my ram up to 875Mhz and 4-4-4-12 timings. At the higher Mhz, my benchmarks outscore the 1T and lower Mhz. So there's a point where you out-muscle the 1 vs 2 data cycles with pure Mhz power.

This is why Capper and Blake are telling you that they've given you good advice. Every single kit and stick of ram is different. You have to play with the settings to achieve the best timings. Since you're limited in the FSB for your ram, and I haven't tried P25 nor do I plan on it since my system is fine, I've not seen anything to indicate this Bios release is a cure all for the Ram 1066Mhz blues. There's still plenty of folks posting on eVGA's website who can't run their ram over 1000Mhz without either frying their ram or causing severe system instabilities.

Like has already been posted, you will have to experiment with your settings to see what works best for your gear and your system.