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1. Phoenix Awardb IU JS Setup U System Clocks CPU Multiplier 1X Menu Level PCIe x16 1 MHz Auto CPU Spread Spectrum PCIe x16 3 MHz Auto selection PCle x16 2 MHz Auto SPP lt gt MCP Ref Clock MHz Auto ip titip ler KA nForce SPP nForce MCP 5 x nForce SPP lt nForce MCP 5 x spread Spectrum Setting xx CPU Spread Spectrum Disabled HT Spread Spectrum Disabled PCIe Spread Spectrum SPP Disabled PCIe Spread Spectrum MCP Disabled SATA Spread Spectrum Disabled Tl e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 4 Disable Spread Spectrum DU 02451 001_v01 11 October 23 2006 NVI DIA CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Overclocking the CPU The main objective of overclocking is to obtain a stable system at the highest CPU core clock frequency ideally with the lowest voltage settings In general a higher frequency results in greater performance CPU Core Clock Frequency The CPU core clock frequency is not a value we can explicitly adjust but rather is determined by two separate settings the CPU multiplier and the FSB frontside bus speed This brings us to a key formula for overclocking CPU core clock frequency CPU multiplier x FSB As the formula states we have two ways to increase our clock frequency and finding the best combination of CPU multiplier and FSB is generally what yie
2. Hardware and driver version information can be viewed and saved using this interface The status of the system including current system clock speeds system temperatures memory timings and system voltages is presented with View System Information View system information Control Panel Categories Performance Review version information for system hardware and drivers Save this information and more system details to a log for technical support or for your own review Detailed CPU and memory information is provided by double clicking a Processesor or DIMM form the lists below Hardware information Processor information pe 0 AMD Athlon tm 64 FX 62 Dual Core P Memory information DIMM O vendor name Corsair DIMM O part number CM2X1024 6400C4 DIMM 1 vendor name Corsalr Motherboard information Vendor Version Model nForce information MCP version SPP IGP version GeForce information NVIDIA 20 NYMSS XECRB nForce 590 SLI A2 nForce 5PP100 AZ DIMM 1 part number CM2X1024 6400C4 NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX Software information NVIDIA nTune 5 00 00 nForce IDE Not reported nForce networking Not reported nForce audio Not reported GeForce video 84 21 6 14 10 8421 Microsoft Directx 9 0c 5 3 2600 2180 Operating system Microsoft Windows XP R Professional Service Pack 2 Build 5 1 2600 Figure 23 View System Information System information Reference clock HTT HT mul
3. User Guide NVIDIA nForce 6801 SLI Overclocking Guide NVIDIA Confidential Prepared and Provided Under NDA October 2006 DU 02451 001_v01 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Document Change History Version Date Responsible Reason TT CM October 23 2006 GL DV Initial release release il DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Table of Contents System OVEFCIOCKING nasa AA 1 JE CONE aa m a e na 2 CODING Pe m e e e E O II A 2 PT ALA 2 DNT 3 Overclocking nForce 6801 SEN sssrinin aaaeei 5 Overclocking BAS CS e o e ANA en 7 Tweaking Overclocking Components kakaa aaa 9 Disable Limiting PETITE ans as 9 Overclocking the CPU ovaa dakaka aa 12 CPU Core Clock Frequency seed a a osa AG obod dd ta doskoka 12 SUNNE 12 On A e rn o 13 FN rara dansa a 15 Increased Frequency vs Reduced Latency aka aaa 15 Increasing the Frequency Laserline a e AA 15 lo le GE go EN E o EERE A E 17 Overclocking PCI EXpresSS usina dia deda ida 19 HEV 20 Maximum Recommended VoltageS vaaaaaaaaa aaa aaa kakaa 21 Orla o ooo o A E 22 Using NVIDIA TUNE Oia 22 Overclocking PANNE PAA AA AA AA AA a a alias 25 CPU Multiplier PAPA PA AA APA PAA 25 gg es oj s ee ee O A 21 Memory Overclock EXampl s sisi iia NANG JG 28 Memory die CA genre me kn vn 28 NVIDIA NT NS 5 5 sia OE E AA A A AKK AAA 31 Usina NUDIA ATUNG NN 31 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SL
4. default depending on the motherboard you are using but you should always double check Technology that puts the CPU into a significantly lower power state than the conventional halt state by decreasing the clock multiplier to its minimum value and reducing voltage Technology that provides two levels of thermal protection by reducing processor performance when the CPU reaches certain temperatures Central Processing Unit Graphics Processing Unit Basic Input Output System The bus interface connecting the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI SPP and MCP This is a Quad Pumped bus that runs at 4x the speed of the system clock Multiplier for your frontside bus FSB Multiply this value by the speed of your FSB to get the end CPU clock speed CPU Clock Speed Multiplier x FSB Program that searches for very large prime numbers It contains stability tests and is an indication of how robust a system is Video game which is used by overclockers to test system robustness Very popular benchmark for testing performance of the CPU the memory and the motherboard independently of 3D performance Row Address Strobe time is the amount of time between a row being activated by precharge and deactivated A row cannot be deactivated until tras has completed The lower tras is the faster the performance If it is set too low it can cause data corruption by deactivating the row too soon NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL twr t
5. and it brings up a menu you can choose from as shown in Figure 11 9 Once you have made all your voltage adjustments press F10 to save and exit the BIOS Phoenix AwardBI0S CMOS Setup Utility System Voltages Parameters Setting Current Value Item Help CPU Core Auto CPU FSB Auto Menu Level gt gt Memory Auto nForce SPP Auto Voltage level for CPU nForce MCP Auto Core CPU VID HT nForce SPP lt gt MCP Auto ti e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 11 System Voltage Settings Recommended Voltages Note Be very careful when increasing voltages as setting them too high can destroy the processor and other components on the motherboard Below is a list of the safe maximum voltages that should be used for overclocking Any voltages not mentioned are best left at their Auto setting g CPU Core 1 58750v q CPUFSB 1 5v q Memory 2 3V a nForce SPP 1 50v 21 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Overclocking the GPU GPU overclocking can significantly boost gaming performance This method of overclocking is quite easy T here are three settings that increase G PU performance a 2D core frequency q 3D frequency q Memory frequency 2D frequency is not relevant to gaming or 3D application performance The focus therefore should be on 3D frequency and G PU memory performance
6. epp whitepaper html Increasing the Frequency First we demonstrate how to overclock the memory by adjusting its frequency 1 Enterthe BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during POST 2 Navigate to the Advanced Chipset FeaturesN FSB amp Memory Config 3 Make sure SLI Ready Memory is set to Disable as shown in Figure 7 DU 02451 001_v01 15 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Phoenix AwardBilil JS Setup l FSB amp Memory Config Setting Kodai SLI Ready Memory Disable Disable Menu Level bb reg MHz 2933 3 2933 3 PU Multiplier 11X 11X CPUOC MAX realizes FSB Memory Clock Mode Unlinked the complete optimized lt FSB Memory Ratio Auto memory settings when FSB QDR Miz 1066 1066 7 SLI Ready memory is Actual FSB QDR MHz 1066 7 installed MEM DDR MHz 860 800 0 Actual MEM DDR MHz 800 0 Optimize memory settings by allowing X Memory Timing Setting Press Enter CPU overclocking CPU overclocking may require manual overvoltaging of the CPU to improve system stability tlee Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 7 Disable SLI Ready Memory A Set FSB Memory Clock Mode to Unlinked Now the MEM DDR MHz field can be changed as shown in Figure 8 9 Enter your desired memory frequency value and press ENTER Press F10 to save changes and exit If a perfo
7. gaming or lower performance to conserve power and create a quieter user environment amp Adjust motherboard settings P Control Panel Categories Performance ECL Adjust the performance of the system by changing the system clocks system vokages memory controller timings and system fans not all selections may be avaiable Note al the changes on this page wil be dynamec vri apphed and you may save these settings as a profile for use later by a the Prohle menu kem If selting does not allow change it ely requires reboot and should be changed in the BIOS or from the Dynamic BIOS Access page E available M System Clocks I System Yokages banca 100 EE Caution Overvokagng components may resdt in damage clock HTT MHz jegy a CPU 1 525 Memory CPU multipler 12 0x CPU core frequency 3 120 MHz F NjA he HT CPU lt gt nForce SPP HT multiplier sx HT bus frequency 1 300 MHz NJA m HT nForce SPP lt gt MCP Memory dock 400 DOR MHz Memory bus frequency 520 DDR MHz N A PCI E 1 6004 16 PCIE 100 sne Ka ea 3 125 MHz MHz MHz nForce MCP spp w pu NJA gt Ref 100 200 Aui eference uxliary dock PCI E MHz Mi 2908k m Memory Timings Row Address Strobe RAS to CAS access Memory bank switch Row Cycle Time tRAS fis y tRCD fz y tap B RE fiz Write Recovery Time RAS to RAS Delay R to WW Turnaround We to R Command Delay UWR 3 Y tRRD 1 v RWT f2 r CATA la W
8. 066 7 QDR reflects the MEM DDR Miz 800 800 0 actual frequency that Actual MEM DDR MHz 800 0 will take effect on a reboot b Memory Timing Setting Press Enter Tl e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 6 Frontside Bus Settings 14 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Overclocking Memory Memory overclocking is slightly more complicated than CPU overclocking because there are several more memory settings at your disposal Increased Frequency vs Reduced Latency There are two main approaches to overclocking memory a Increase frequency Adjust the frequency of the memory to provide a faster bus to the memory a Reduce latency Adjust memory timings to reduce the time it takes the memory to respond latency For this guide we are using Corsair CM2X 1024 9600C5D SLI Ready Memory Below we demonstrate both methods of memory overclocking Note SLI ready memory contains a very useful technology for overclockers called Enhanced Performance Profiles EPP EPP is a NVIDIA developed technology that provides a one click hassle free memory performance boost for the PC novice and an established memory overclocking baseline for the enthusiast who wishes to get the most out performance out of their memory To download a technical brief on SLI ready memory with EPP go to http www nvidia com object LO
9. 451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Overclocking Examples T his section demonstrates some overclocking examples by providing specific values for the CPU Multiplier Frontside Bus and Memory Frequency The examples here are designed to give you an idea of how overclocking works using real world values K eep in mind that individual results will most likely vary The numbers used here are relatively conservative and are meant to serve as a solid performance boost for the casual overclocker and as a baseline for the more serious overclockers CPU Multiplier T he first component we overclock is the CPU multiplier Before doing so we must adjust a few voltage settings to supply the system with some extra power Follow the steps shown in the Increasing V oltages section and enter the settings shown below in Figure 15 Phoenix AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility System Voltages Parameters CPU Core CPU FSB Memory nForce SPP nForce MCP HT nForce SPP lt gt MCP Setting Current Value Item Help 1 58750 1 5V 2 300V 1 50V Auto Auto 1 27V 1 21 Menu Level gt gt 2 300V 1 50V Voltage level for CPU 1 500V Core CPU VID 1 45V tl gt Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Hely F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 15 CPU Overclocking Voltages DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 25 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking To achieve a C
10. 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking C ausaausaasseal o CCCCECCCCCCE 9 ar AMA MANA NAAN NVIDIA Figure 2 PCI Express Slots for an SLI System DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Tweaking NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Overclocking Components T his section describes how to adjust the available switches for overclocking It is very possible that you will not use all of these options but it s good to know that they are available And although the switches are described individually it is important to know that your best setup is likely to be a combination of changes Because we are looking to maintain a stable system while squeezing out some extra performance an important part of the overclocking process is to test for stability every time a setting has been adjusted The following is a very general procedure to follow when overclocking 1 Increase whatever value you are playing with by some increment that is raise the multiplier by 1x or raise the FSB by 10 MHz and so forth 2 Reboot and see if everything loads correctly 3 Run stability tests to make sure everything works Ideally you want something that is very CPU intensive A quick stability test used by many overclockers is SuperPI Since this is the time where you are trying to feel out maximums SuperPI is best because it is relatively quick 3D Mark is an example of a longer and more intensive test that should be used to
11. A Show Enabled x 33 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Tune 34 In the Dynamic BIOS Access page click the Available BIO S Pages list arrow and click the BIOS page you want to edit The BIOS page chosen determines which items on the page are available for changing To edit an item click the corresponding list arrow and then click one of the values from the list When finished making your changes click OK or Apply Note This feature is available only with BIO S support from the motherboard manufacturer System The NVIDIA nTune performance manager uses a complex search algorithm to test the highest possible performance settings that still allow the system to run in a stable manner The nTune tuning engine runs internal benchmark tests on your system and creates performance profiles and rules These profiles can be used to adjust your system performance using the Adjust Custom Rules interface Tune system F Control Panel Categories Performance Allow NVIDIA nTune to use a complex searching algorithm to determine the best stable performance for your system Because nTune is pushing the system to tt tuning process until it is completed Note at the end of tuning nT une will create a profile and automatically assign a rule for it Coarse tuning approximately 20 minutes Fine tuning approximately 3 hours o A A Set tuning time I AAA 20 minutes S 9 e Tune
12. Frontside BUS rararurararararararararararerarerererererereverevsvsvevenenenenesesnsene 27 Figure 18 Memory Frequency Voltages sees eeeeeeneeeseeneeeteeneeetaeneeeteneetes 28 Figure 19 Overclocked Memory Frequency 29 Figure 20 Starting NVIDIA TE Sr 32 Figure 21 Dynamic BOS ACCESE iaa eon E 33 Figure 22 TUNE SVETOM reason inata ini ija NE 34 Figure 23 View System Information oveeka kakaa kakaa aaa aaa aaa 35 Figure 24 Adjust Custom Rules de 36 Figure 25 PENT ve 37 Figure 26 MP 38 DU NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Vi DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 System Overclocking The purpose of this document is to guide users through overclocking the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI SPP system platform processor and MCP media and communication processor This document also outlines and demonstrates some of the tools and other features available with NVIDIA chipsets to help boost system performance and enhance end user gaming experience In the past overclocking PCs was a much more complicated process than it is today Companies that designed motherboards CPUs memory and graphic processor units were not supportive of overclocking nor were they supportive of allowing users to tamper with qualified and tested settings This lack of support would require users to modify hardware play with dip switches or change ju
13. I Technology Chipset Overclocking Mantal TUNNO ir NEE 32 Adjust Motherboard Settings sense essen sees een eeee een eeeteeneeetaeneeetaeaenetes 32 Ben BIOS ACCESS nana pz NANG span teas ika aan tang aiid te AA o a ones 33 EEE pam np me e pr e o o 34 VIEW Sy Stein ATOMA OM oeste eek oo ono do S o o teszta 35 USA GUSTO RULES ora po rode io NG PAL ae es ae et een ee E Ek ee ee ee 36 Ps Trav 37 NVIDIA MONIO EEE OR 38 Final eeo EEE ica 39 October 23 2006 October 23 2006 List of Figures Figure 1 High Level System Diagram v aaaaa kakaa kaka kakaa kakaa kakaa aaa aaa 6 Figure 2 PCI Express SIS Tor an SLI Sveen ad 8 Figure 3 Disable LIMINNI Features aar seere 10 Figure 4 Disable Spread pecar a ia aia 11 Figure 5 CPU M l plier SELOS EE id dA A AAA 13 Figure 6 Frontside Bus Settings 14 Figure 7 Disable SLI Ready Memory kakaa kaaa aaa 16 Figure 8 Memory Frequency Settings scarico 17 Figure 9 Memory Timing Settings kakaa kakaa kakaa aaa aaa 18 Figure 10 PES 20 Figure 11 System Voltage Settings kaka aaa kakaa kaaa aaa 21 Figure 12 NVIDIA Control Panel aaaaa aaa aka aaa aaa aaa 22 Figure 13 nTune 5 5 Performance Menu aaaa kakaa aaa aaa aaa 23 Figure 14 GPU Core and Memory Frequency Settings a 23 Figure 15 CPU Overclocking VoltageS a aaaaaaa kaaa kakaa kakaa aaa aaa 25 Figure 16 Overclocked CPU MUI 26 Figure 17 Overclocked
14. M DDR MHz 1142 9 will take effect on a reboot b Memory Timing Setting Press Enter ti e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F Defaults Figure 19 Overclocked Memory Frequency DU 02451 001_v01 29 October 23 2006 NVI DIA CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking T his page is blank 30 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nTune 5 5 NVIDIA nTune 5 5 is a full featured application for accessing monitoring and adjusting your system components including bus speeds and voltages with clear user friendly control panels Overclock your system for highest performance or underclock it for near silent operation As an alternative to making system level changes through the BIOS as described in this guide NVIDIA nTune 5 5 can be used to perform much of the same functionality NVIDIA nTune 5 5 easily lets you modify system settings and then test them without having to reboot the system With NVIDIA nTune you can q Modify system performance settings such as bus speeds CPU voltages fan speed GPU speeds and other system performance options that are supported by the BIOS using Dynamic BIOS Access q Save a single or set of modifications to a file so that you can quickly apply those settings to specific application environments q Monitor hardware temperature voltage timing and fan speed 9 View other system informatio
15. NVIDIA Control Panel DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking 2 Select the Performance icon and it brings you to the screen as shown in Figure 13 x Performance Control Panel Categories mng Manual Tuning Adjust Motherboard Settings Adjust GPU Settings Automatic Tuning Tune System us Management Pi View System Information Adjust Custom Rules Figure 13 nTune 5 5 Performance Menu 3 Select Adjust GPU Settings and you will be brought to the screen shown in Figure 14 In this menu you are able to adjust the core bus and memory bus speed by using the slider bars Adjust GPU Settings Control Panel Categories Performance You can override the shipped clock frequencies of your GPU and GPU memory and zet the GPU fan speed Increasing the clock speeds will increase your GPU performance but may necessitate improved cooling to maintain the same level of reliability GPU clock settings f Factory shipped clock Frequencies no overclocking Custom clock frequencies Pag Core bus 4 650 Mhz a Memory bus os i 800 Mhz GPU Fan settings Show in degrees Celsius GPU 20 100 00 1 380 amp 350 GPU SD 3 100 00 1 380 835 Figure 14 GPU Core and Memory Frequency Settings DU 02451 001_v01 23 October 23 2006 NVI DIA CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking T his page is blank 24 DU 02
16. PU multiplier value of 14x which results in a CPU frequency of 3 3 G Hz follow the steps outlined in the CPU Multiplier section then use the settings shown Figure 16 Phoenix AwardB IU System Clocks Menu Level bb MHz LUbb 7 CPU Multiplier 14 X CPU frequency multiplier PCIe x16 1 MHz Auto CPU core clock PCIe x16 3 MHz Auto FSB Ref Clock 4 s PCIe x16 2 MHz Auto CPU Multiplier SPP lt gt MCP Ref Clock MHz Auto Mult Liplier EH sates SPP gt nForce MCP 5 x nForce SPP lt nForce MCP 5 x Spread Spectrum Setting CPU Spread Spectrum Disabled HT Spread Spectrum Disabled PCIe Spread Spectrum SPP Disabled Tl e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 16 Overclocked CPU Multiplier 26 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Frontside Bus The next component we overclock is the frontside bus Use the same voltage settings as shown above in Figure 15 An overclocked FSB value of 500 MHz 2000 MHz QDR along with a 6x multiplier results in a CPU frequency of 3 0 G Hz Note that we are merely trying to find an individual max value for the FSB to use it as a ceiling when you eventually try to find a combination that will yield the highest overall CPU frequency To obtain these settings follow the steps outlined in the Frontside Bus section and use the setting
17. Spread Spectrum SPP Disabled tlee Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 5 CPU Multiplier Settings Note At the time of this documents release only the multiplier of the Intel Core 2 Extreme X 6800 processor is fully unlocked Therefore this is the only Core 2 Duo CPU where you can change the multiplier from its default value All other Intel Core 2 Duo processors are hard locked and you will not be able to adjust the multiplier Frontside Bus The frontside bus is the second factor in determining your CPU s clock frequency On the Intel Core 2 Duo processor architecture the frontside bus is actually a quad data rate QDR bus This means the actual speed of the bus is one quarter the speed that the data travels For example the Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X 6800 runs at a 266 MHz FSB but because it is quad data pumped the actual data rate is 1066 MT sec 266 MHz 4 1066 T herefore using the equation to calculate clock frequency we get the following for the Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X 6800 processor Clock Frequency 266 MHz 11 multiplier 2 93 GHz 2 930 MHz DU 02451 001_v01 13 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking FSB overclocking is the most common method of overclocking as almost every CPU allows you to adjust this value As mentioned in the section above the Intel Core 2 E
18. Unlike the other overclockable system components the G PU is typically overclocked using NVIDIA nTune amp 5 5 provided in the next paragraph The GeForce amp 7900 GTX GPU can overclock from 675 MHz to 710 MHz core frequency and from 850 MHz to 900 MHz memory frequency using the stock cooling solution Increasing the G PU to these speeds can significantly boost graphics performance With water cooling the G PU can be overclocked a bit further As with all other adjustments a stability test should be used to test the new overclocked settings Using NVIDIA nTune 5 5 22 You must first install nTune 5 5 to have access to your G PU s settings See NVIDIA nTune 5 5 on page 31 for complete instructions of installing and using nTune Once nTune 5 5 is installed on your system the following steps explain how to start tweaking your G PU settings 1 Right click the Desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel This brings up the screen shown in Figure 12 A Select a Category m en rd 3D Settings Display Networking Configure 3D performance and Setup display resolution multiple Enhance and configure your picture quality settings displays photos and video support networking solutions OG a Li P Performance System Stability Video amp Television NVIDIA nTune Tune and manage View system status or perform Edit video settings and configure system performance system stability test your television settings Figure 12
19. WRRD tRcD trrD treF trp tRWT tRDRD trc twtr TwrwR te tcpc NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Write Recovery time is the memory timing that determines the delay between a write command and when a precharge command is set to the same bank of memory W to R Termination Tumaround time is the number of clock cycles between the last write data pair and the subsequent READ command to the same physical bank RAS to CAS Access time is the amount of time in cycles for issuing an active command and the read write commands RAS to RAS Delay is the amount of cycles that it takes to activate the next bank of memory Refresh Rate is the amount of time it takes before a change is refreshed If the charge is not refreshed enough the signal loses its charge and corrupts data It is measured in microseconds Row Precharge time is the minimum time between active commands and the read writes of the next bank of the memory module Read to Write D elay is when a write command is received this is the amount of cycles for the command to be executed Read to Read Timing is the number of clock cycles between the last read and the subsequent READ command to the same physical bank Row Cycle time is the minimum time in cycles it takes a row to complete a full cycle This can be determined by tac tras tap If tac is set too short it can cause data corruption If tac is set too long stability increa
20. a high level diagram of an Intel Core 2 Duo system 1066 MHz FSB Quad pumped DDR2 interface x16 PCI Express Link gt NVIDIA p nForce 680i SLI SPP I l BN p TITT TET gt NVIDIA GPU e gt AA DDR2 Memory Clock Reference Clock 100MHz typical System Memory HyperTransport Link MCP HT Clock A 4 x16 PCI Express Link NVIDIA gt nForce NVIDIA GPU l IM ami sana gt e 680i SLI MCP Reference Clock 100MHz typical Figure 1 High Level System Diagram 6 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Overclocking Basics DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Overclocking is far from an exact science and there are several factors that go into producing an optimally overclocked system This guide describes the individual switches available to the user Because these factors are interdependent the secret to obtaining the highest system performance is often determined by finding the best combination of overclocks rather than maxing out the performance of any individual component Following is a list of the key switches available to the user CPU Core Clock Frequency CPU Multiplier Frontside Bus DDR2 Memory Frequency and Timings PCI Express x 16 Busses System Voltages Several of these can also be manipulated using NVIDIA nTune 5 5 NVIDIA nTune provides the flexibility to adjust many
21. ailability of easy to use utilities to tune a PC system The NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI chipset for Intel Edition has been engineered from the ground up with enthusiasts and overclockers in mind An entire platform solution is designed to provide gaming enthusiasts and overclockers the necessary means to improve their gaming experience With new technologies such as SLI ready memory with Enhanced Performance Profile EPP Memory technology and NVIDIA nTune G eneration 5 5 overclocking has never been easier This guide was meant to demonstrate how to take advantage of all these features and engineering efforts to produce your very own overclocked system DU 02451 001_v01 39 October 23 2006 Notice ALL NVIDIA DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS REFERENCE BOARDS FILES DRAWINGS DIAGNOSTICS LISTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS TOGETHER AND SEPARATELY MATERIALS ARE BEING PROVIDED AS IS NVIDIA MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESSED IMPLIED STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE MATERIALS AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NONINFRINGEMENT MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable However NVIDIA Corporation assumes no responsibility for the consequences of use of such information or for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties that may result from its use No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of NVIDIA Corpor
22. ation Specifications mentioned in this publication are Subject to change without notice This publication supersedes and replaces all information previously supplied NVIDIA Corporation products are not authorized for use as critical components in life Support devices or systems without express written approval of NVIDIA Corporation Trademarks NVIDIA the NVIDIA logo GeForce SLI the SLI logo NVIDIA nTune and nForce are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and other countries Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated Copyright O 2006 NVIDIA Corporation All rights reserved NVIDIA NVIDIA Corporation 2701 San Tomas Expressway Santa Clara CA 95050 www nvidia com
23. ditions meet Clear Game is stopped which Temperature is lower than xx degrees Cel AID which Temperature is higher than xx degrees Ce w o ea He A nE i Pa or Rules Figure 24 Adjust Custom Rules With custom rules you can make your system run faster when playing games or make it run quieter when you are surfing the Intemet 36 DU 02451 001 v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Perform Stability Test Use Perform Stability Test to quickly diagnose potential system performance issues and to gather troubleshooting data Perform Stability Test Control Panel Categories gt System Stability Select a specific system component to stress or perform a stress test upon the entire system Verify the stability of the following fv All system components Fr r Baa Var po IT POE bus Wi Using the curent settings of selected profde FZ Use current settings Select settings file 0 0 10 Minutes Start Results Figure 25 Perform Stability Test Stability Test performs a series of quick checks to identify probably causes of performance issues and then creates a list of the results providing recommendations for improvements DU 02451 001_v01 37 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking NVIDIA Monitor 38 NVIDIA Monitor displays performance for individual compo
24. e to Disable as shown in Figure 3 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking 9 Set Intel Speedstep to Disable as shown in Figure 3 6 Press F10 to save configuration and exit the BIO S NOCNIX HWAard Il JS Setup I y CPU Configuration Limit CPUID MaxVal Disabled Item Help Intel SpeedStep Disabled CPU Thermal Control Disabled Menu Level b C1E Enhanced Halt State Disabled Execute Disable Bit Enabled Set Limit CPUID MaxVal Virtualization Technology Enabled to 3 Should Be Disabled for WinXp CPU Core 0 Enabled CPU Core 1 Enabled x CPU Core 2 Disabled x CPU Core 3 Disabled tls e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 3 Disable Limiting Features We must also disable the spread spectrum features of the system before we begin overclocking Enter the BIO S by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during POST Navigate to the Advanced Chipset FeaturesN System Clocks menu Set CPU Spread Spectrum to Disable as shown in Figure 4 Set HT Spread Spectrum to Disable as shown in Figure 4 Set PCI e Spread Spectrum SPP to Disable as shown in Figure 4 Set PCI e Spread Spectrum MCP to Disable as shown in Figured AI M OT H OL N gt Set SATA Spread Spectrum to Disable as shown in Figure 4 10 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking
25. ended CPU coolers a NVIDIA SLI technology NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Key Concepts Cooling Overclocking refers to operating PC components beyond what the manufacturer guarantees When overclocking is not done responsibly it can lead to system instability crashes or data loss and could even destroy components However when overclocking is performed carefully it can increase overall system performance significantly and pose a minimal risk to the PC system Heat is the number one enemy to overclocking therefore PC components must have sufficient cooling K eeping the CPU GPU and other system components cool is vital to ensuring a successful overclocked system Without proper cooling higher temperatures lead to system instability and unpredictable behavior T heoretically frequency is directly proportional to power and temperature The higher the frequency the more power consumed and the hotter the device becomes In order to achieve higher frequencies component temperatures should be kept as low as possible With proper cooling overclocking is highly attainable The most commonly used cooling techniques are air cooling with fan mounted heat sinks and water cooling blocks Although water cooling is harder to install it is generally better for overclocking compared to air cooling because it keeps temperatures lower However recent technological advancements have made air cooling a very practical option
26. for overclocking In addition to air and water cooling more exotic methods exist such as liquid nitrogen cooling However such methods are usually reserved for only the most serious of overclockers Visit www SLIZone com nForce for alist of NVIDIA recommended CPU cooling components Power Supply Units Power supply units are also important when it comes to overclocking Overclocking generally includes an increase in voltages which translates into increased power consumption Having a power supply that generates enough power with headroom for overclocking is essential to ensure system stability Visit the following site for a list of power supplies suitable for SLI systems www slizone com obiject slizone2 build html certified powersupplies DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Glossary of Terms 3DMark Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology Enhanced Halt State C1E CPU Internal Thermal Control CPU GPU BIOS Frontside Bus FSB Multiplier Prime95 Serious Sam SuperPi tras NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Synthetic 3D benchmark that provides a measure of graphics performance It is often used to test a system for stability Technology that changes CPU frequency dynamically depending on power and thermal requirements of a CPU Because it can limit the ability to overclock an Intel CPU it needs to be turned off for best results It is possible that this feature is tumed off by
27. lds the best overclocking results CPU Multiplier The CPU multiplier is one of two components that makes up your CPU s clock frequency T herefore this is the number that is multiplied by the FSB to determine the core clock frequency The following steps show you how to adjust this value 1 2 3 S Enter the BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during PO ST Navigate to the Advanced Chipset Features N System Clocks CPU Multiplier is the multiplier If you are using an Intel Core 2 Duo EE 2 93 G Hz the default value should be 11X You can adjust this value from 6 to 60 but for practical purposes this number is never out of the 6 to 20 range Type your desired value and press ENTER as shown in Figure 5 Press F10 to save changes and exit If a performance or stability wall is reached providing extra voltage to the system as described in the section Increasing V oltages can be helpful DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking System Clocks Item Help Menu Level b CPU Multiplier 11 X CPU freguency multiplier PCIe x16 1 MHz Auto CPU core clock PCIe x16 3 MHz Auto FSB Ref Clock 4 PCIe x16_2 MHz Auto CPU Multiplier SPP lt gt MCP Ref Clock MHz Auto HI Multiplier xx nForce SPP gt nForce MCP 5 x nForce SPP lt nForce MCP 5 x ex Spread Spectrum Setting xx CPU Spread Spectrum Disabled HT Spread Spectrum Disabled PCIe
28. more fully stress test a system Y ou want to keep iterating through these steps until something stops working It could be anything from the computer not booting to the classic blue screen of death to artifacts on the screen to some sort of register error any non normal behavior Once an issue arises step your system back until you once again obtain system stability Follow this process for each of the components so that you can find their individual maximums which is helpful to use when you start combining values T his section demonstrates how to actually adjust each of these switches in the BIO S It does not demonstrate actual numbers as that is described later in the Overclocking Examples section Disable Limiting Features DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Before you begin overclocking your system you must first disable a few features that would prevent your system from reaching its maximum potential More specifically the following BIO S settings must be disabled a CPU Thermal Control a CIE Enhance Halt State a Intel Speedstep Some motherboards have these disabled by default but it is always good to double check The following procedure demonstrates how to disable these features 1 Enter the BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during POST 2 Navigate to the Advanced Chipset Features N CPU Configuration menu 3 Set CPU Thermal Control to Disable as shown in Figure 3 4 Set CIE Enhanced Halt Stat
29. mory s timing properties as shown in Figure 9 The following is a list of the options available to you tCL CAL Latency tRCD tRP tRAS Command Per Clock CMD tRRD tRC NG NG NG NG XK XK K DU 02451 001 v01 17 October 23 2006 NVI DIA CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking y tWR y tWTR Y tREF 6 Note x tCL CAS Latency x tRCD x tRP x tRAS x Command Per Clock CMD tl e Move Enter Select Figure 9 18 Press F10 to save changes and exit If a performance or stability wall is reached providing extra voltage to the system as described in the Increasing Voltages section can be helpful If the SLI Ready Memory setting is enabled it automatically sets most of these timing options to pre verified and enhanced values Although these might not be the most bleeding edge settings we recommend that the enthusiast use these values as a baseline for their future overclocking efforts NOCNIX AWardB ivy JS SETUP Memory Timing Setting setting Current Value D ma i lt arat LET S Optimal Menu Level bb Auto 5 Auto 5 Auto 5 Auto 18 Auto 1T Memory Timing Setting Select Expert to enter timings manually xx Advanced Memory Settings tRRD Auto 3 tRC Auto 22 tWR Auto 5 tWTR Auto 9 tREF Auto PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help FS Previous Values F7 Defaults Memory Timing Settings DU 02451 001_v01 Octobe
30. mper settings to try and squeeze that little bit of extra performance out of their system Things have changed recently however Companies are more accommodating of PC enthusiasts and have even begun to build features into their platforms to facilitate overclocking For example hardware designers now incorporate performance and overclocking headroom in the chips they produce and motherboard manufacturers include BIO S features specifically for easy overclocking and tweaking With the availability of highly overclockable PC components and the utilities that allow users to easily attain higher performance overclocking has moved more into the mainstream NVIDIA GPUs and MCPs have always enjoyed good reputations as products that are highly overclockable These products have provided higher performance for PC gaming enthusiasts searching for the ultimate gaming experience NVIDIA specifically designed the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI SPP and MCP for the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor with overclocking enthusiasts in mind In addition to the SPP and MCP being highly overclockable NVIDIA built an entire support platform around the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI core logic Features in addition to the GPU products that support overclocking include the following q Software utilities such as the newly redesigned NVIDIA nTune 5 5 and its highly sophisticated SBIO S q Special high performance memory with Enhanced Performance Profiles Technology q Recomm
31. n such as hardware and software revisions and other capabilities a Have your system automatically reboot if some settings are overly aggressive You can find more information about nTune and download a copy here http www nvidia com object sysutility html Using NVIDIA nTune You can start NVIDIA nTune in several ways a From the desktop select Starty All ProgramsY NVIDIA Corporation NVIDIA Control Panel or a Right click the Windows desktop and select NVI DIA Control Panel from the pop up menu then from the Select a Category page click Performance or q From the Windows Control Panel double click the NVIDIA Control Panel icon then from the Select a Category page click Performance Once nT une is launched two category choices are available Performance and System Stability 31 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking NVIDIA nTune is divided into three categories Manual Tuning Automatic Tuning and Management The subcategories available include the following depending on support built into the BIOS by the motherboard manufacturer q Manual Tuning y Adjust Motherboard Settings y Adjust GPU Settings y Dynamic BIOS Access Automatic Tuning y Tune System Management y View System Information y Adjust Custom Rules q Manual Tuning Adjust Motherboard Settings The controls located in the Adjust Motherboard Timings screen allow the bus speeds to be adjusted manually to increase performance for
32. nents including CPU Network Disk and Memory Bus speeds for CPU Memory HyperTransport HT and PCI Express PCX can be monitored along with temperature and voltages To display the NVIDIA Monitor select Starty All Programs NVIDIA Corporation NVI DIA Monitor Performance Bus speeds voltages E PU 2 E Memory 20 E CPU core 2940 306 MHz m SPU 1 1440 v l m FSE 1069 384 ODRI Mhz o Memory 1 8600 Y E Disk 0 M Network 0 bi o Sui g o Memory 802 038 DDRZI MHz m FSB 1 2000 Y m SPP PCI E 500 000 MHz HTISPP MCP 1 2500 Y E MCP PCI E 2500 000 MHz m PCI E 1 5000 Y A nForce 1 3750 Y m Alla 1 5000 Y button To view temperatures and fans click the E Temperatures Fans CPU 3790 GPU 1 9C GPU Ba System 31859 RPM nForce 675 RPM AL 18 RPM Figure 26 NVIDIA Monitor The NVIDIA Monitor specifies the temperature reading interval the transparency level of the NV Monitor so that background information may be viewed through it the ability to keep NVIDIA Monitor always on top so it cannot be hidden by other tasks and temperature tracking by components showing temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit Events such as changes to profiles temperatures performance usage bus speeds and S M A R T status can be logged DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Final Thoughts Overclocking has become a mainstream practice mainly due to technological advancements in device manufacturing as well as the av
33. of the parameters that affect overclocking within a Windows environment The greatest benefit of this is that these adjustments can be done dynamically with an intuitive user interface without requiring reboots between changes The amount of adjustable settings available to the user however is limited by the BIO S of your motherboard For this guide the primary method for adjusting these factors is directly through the BIO S However GPU overclocking is done through nTune O 010 HS OC N Ar Note For more information on using NVIDIA nTune 5 5 refer to the latest version of the NVIDIA nTune U ses G uide D U 02486 The system configuration used in developing this guide is as follows g CPU Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Edition X 6800 2 93 GHz g Motherboard EVGA nForce 680i SLI a Graphics Dual NVIDIA GeForce 7900G TX in SLI q CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS9700SE with Intel mounting bracket a Memory Corsair CM2X 1024 9600C5D SLI ready memory with Enhanced Performance Profiles EPP Technology Note Forthe EVGA nForce 680i SLI motherboard it s important to note that there are three PCI Express slots To setup an SLI configuration you must use the slots labeled PCIE X16_1 and PCIE X16_2 The PCI express slots can be seen in Figure 2 PCIE X16_1 and PCIE X16_2 the black slots The third slot PCIE X16_3 which is blue can be used for another NVIDIA based graphics card for physics acceleration NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce
34. r 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Overclocking PCI Express PCI Express is the bus that connects the G PU to the NVIDIA 680i SLI SPP and MCP This bus can also be overclocked Below is the procedure to manipulate this bus 1 Enterthe BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during POST 2 Navigate to the Advanced Chipset Features N System Clocks 3 There are three PCI express frequencies you can adjust V PClex16 1 MHz T his is the bus frequency between the NVIDIA 680i SLI SPP and a single GPU in slot 1 V PClex16 3 MHz T his is the bus frequency between the NVIDIA 680i SLI MCP and the third PCIe slot that can be used for a physics card in slot 3 V PClex16 2 MHz This is the bus frequency between the NVIDIA 680i SLI MCP and a single GPU in slot 2 4 To change any of these values press ENTER and it brings up a menu you can choose from as shown in Figure 10 9 Press F10 to save changes and exit If a performance or stability wall is reached providing extra voltage to the system as described in the Increasing V oltages section can be helpful DU 02451 001_v01 19 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Phoenix AwardBil JS Setup l System Clocks Menu Level b CPU Multiplier 11 X Freguency selection for PCIe x16 slot 1 PCIe x16 1 MHz Auto black closest to the PCIe x16 3 MHz Auto CPU PCIe x16 2 MHz Auto SPP l
35. requires a reboot and should be changed in the BIO S or from the Dynamic BIO S Access page if available Increasing the voltage or the clock speed of a component may void its warranty due to exceeding recommended specifications NVIDIA and the board manufacturer are not responsible for damage that may occur when component tolerances are exceeded Dynamic BIOS Access DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 This page allows you to change your system BIO S settings The changes do not go into effect until after you reboot your system Since these changes are made to actual BIO S settings in the CMO S the settings remain active until you change them again or restore the CMO S to the default settings sz Dynamic BIOS Access Control Panel Categories Performance This page allows you to change your system BIOS settings Changes take effect on the next boot Available BIOS Pages eros Features y General Setting Boot up Setting Virus warning CPU Internal Cache First Boot Device Second Boot Device Disabled X Enabled Removable v CDROM v CPU External Cache Quick Power On Self Test Third Boot Device Swap Floppy Drive Enabled v Enabled Y Hard Disk z Enabled gt Boot Up Floppy Seek Boot Up NumLock Status Enabled y On v Gate 420 Option Fast x Advanced Setting Security Option APIC Mode Setup v Enabled v MPS version Control For OS Select For DRAM gt 64 1 4 s osz y Small Logo EP
36. rmance or stability wall is reached providing extra voltage to the system as described in the Increasing V oltages section can be helpful 16 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Phoenix AwardBIUs CPUS Setup I FSB 4 Memory Config setting Current Va lue SLI Ready Memory Disable Disable Menu Level bb MHz 2933 3 2933 3 PU Multiplier 11X 11X Memory frequency To FSB Memory Clock Mode Unlinked adjust enter a neu FSB Memory Ratio Auto value or use keys FSB QDR MHz 1066 1066 7 Note that Actual MEM Actual FSB QDR MHz 1066 7 DDR reflects the MEM DDR Miz 800 800 0 actual frequency that Actual MEM DDR MHz 800 0 will take effect on a reboot b Memory Timing Setting Press Enter Tl e Move Enter Select PU PD Value Fi0 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 8 Memory Frequency Settings Reduce Latency Next we demonstrate how to overclock the memory by adjusting its latency and other timing attributes 1 Enter the BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during PO ST 2 Navigate to the Advanced Chipset FeaturesN FSB amp Memory Config 3 Make sure SLI Ready Memory is set to Disable as shown in Figure 7 4 Continue to the Advanced Chipset FeaturesN FSB amp Memory ConfigN Memory Timing Setting menu 9 Change the Memory Timing Setting option to Expert This allows you to individually adjust the me
37. s shown in Figure 17 Phoenix AwardBI0S CMOS Setup Utility FSB amp Memory Conf ig Parameters Setting Current Value Item Help Expert Disable SLI Ready Memory Menu Level gt gt CPU Freq MHz 3000 0 3000 0 CPU Multiplier 6X 6X CPUOC MAX realizes FSB Memory Clock Mode Linked the complete optimized FSB Memory Ratio Sync Mode memory settings when FSB QDR MHz 2000 2000 0 SLI Ready memory is Actual FSB QDR MHz 2000 0 installed x MEM DDR MHz Linked 1000 0 Actual MEM DDR MHz 1000 0 Optimize memory settings by allowing X b Memory Timing Setting Press Enter 7 CPU overclocking CPU overclocking may require manual overvoltaging of the CPU to improve system stability tl gt Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Hely F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 17 Overclocked Frontside Bus DU 02451 001_v01 27 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Memory Overclock Examples This section shows examples of how to overclock the memory frequency It will describe how to overclock the memory bus frequency While this option gives you more flexibility a simpler one click method to overclock is to use SLI ready memory If your system has SLI ready memory and is enabled in the BIOS your memory will automatically be overclocked More information about SLI ready memory can be found in the Overclocking Memory section Memor
38. ses at the expense of performance Write to Read Delay is the amount of cycles required between a valid write command and the next read command Lower is better for performance but can cause instability Write to Wnite time is the number of clock cycles between the last write and the subsequent WRITE command to the same physical bank CAS latency is the number of clock cycles between the memory receiving a READ command and actually starting to read Command per Clock has only two values 1 and 2 When set to 1 it provides the best performance but limits memory frequency In order to overclock memory frequency a value of 2 is more reasonable DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 This section describes how to maximize the performance of an NVIDIA nForce 660i SLI PC system based on the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU via overclocking It will describe how to adjust settings for the major chip interconnects and components that affect performance CPU system clock Intel Core 2 Duo CPU core frequency Frontside bus FSB frequency DD R2 memory interface bandwidth and latency NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI SPP MCP PCI Express bus GPU core and memory frequency Ke O O O O This section also provides information about following q Some overclocking numbers NVIDIA has achieved and the settings to obtain them q Overclocking the system NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Figure 1 shows
39. t gt MCP Ref Clock MHz Auto HI Mul tip ljer xx nForce SPP gt nForce MCP 5 x nForce SPP lt nForce MCP 5 x ex Spread Spectrum Setting xx CPU Spread Spectrum Disabled HT Spread Spectrum Disabled PCIe Spread Spectrum SPP Disabled Tl e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 10 PCI Express Settings Increasing Voltages As the previous overclocking components directly impact performance adjusting system voltages helps in a more indirect way Increasing voltages alone does nothing but make your system run hotter Adjusting the various voltages is best used as a compliment to your other overclocking efforts When you reach a maximum value during your overclocking endeavors sometimes increasing the voltage supplied to the specific component can help provide a little more headroom to go faster The procedure below describes the best method for adjusting the various system voltages 1 Enter the BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during POST 2 Navigate to the Advanced Chipset Features gt System Voltages 3 In this menu you see the following choices y CPU Core y CPU FSB 20 DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 Maximum DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking y Memory y nForce SPP y nForce MCP y HT nForce SPP lt gt MCP 4 To change any of these values press ENTER
40. the following a Y Memory Vere Y I GPU Progress Results It is expected that the system will hang or crash during the tuning process V Select to continue the tuning progress upon reboot Figure 22 Tune System DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Because nT une is pushing the system to the limits some system hangs and reboots occur but on restart nTune continues its tuning process until it is completed It is recommended that Automatically continue at reboot be checked to disable prompts on reboot during the tuning process The effects of the tuning apply to the current Windows session only q The Course Tuning method takes approximately 20 minutes to run while it adjusts system bus speeds and parameters It first saves current bus speeds as two profiles the D efault npe file with current bus speeds and Bestsystem npe with the highest passing settings q The Fine Tuning method takes approximately three hours to perform a more thorough performance analysis It will create the same default and best system files but will require additional cycles to perform more complex tests a The Tuning using custom settings method allows users to manually select a test or group of tests using the run button to start the tests progress bar appears when the benchmarks are being executed The user may cancel the tests at any time View System Information
41. tiplier HT bus frequency CPU multiplier CPU core frequency Memory clock x16 PCI E bus PCI bus GPU core 2D 3D GPU memory speed Current profile None Memory bus frequency 259 384 MHz 5 0 x 1296 920 MHz 12 0x 3112 607 MHz 400 000 DDR MHz 518 768 DDR MHz 3125 000 MHz 33 000 MHz 275 000 650 000 800 000 MHz Create a tech support log file Save D etailed CPU and memory information is provided by double clicking a processor or DIMM from the list DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVI DI A CONFI DENTI AL 35 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking Adjust Custom Rules NVIDIA nTune allows you to create rules for how the system uses nT une profiles nsu files or npe files After you create the rule the system automatically selects an enabled profile according to the criteria set up within the rules SA Adjust Custom Rules Control Panel Categories Performance After creating a profile from a manual or automatic tuning session you may create a rule to define when the system should use that profile Make the system faster when playing games or save horsepower when reading e mail Take this action O Load this Profile O Pop up a warning message DO Signal a warning tone Launch the Application When the Following condition s is are met The system first starts Windows Game is loaded ES ake these actions hen these con
42. to R Termination Turnaround Refresh Rate R to R Timing W to W Timing tWRRD lo HREF 3 tRDRD fo EARR fo r System Fans Control temperature Direct fan control NJA CPU System nForce Auxi Aux2 Pa s E CAS Latency Command Per Clock 4 ing tcpc nd Clock Drive Strength Async L tency 0 y s r View SPO Figure 20 CAUTION 4 Starting NVIDIA nTune 5 5 Increasing the voltage or the clock speed of a component may void its warranty due to exceeding recommended specifications NVI DI A and the board manufacturer are not responsible for damage that may occur when component tolerances are exceeded 3d DU 02451 001 v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking The number to the right of the slider is the new bus speed that will be applied Adjustments can be made by using the mouse to drag the slider All changes take effect immediately after selecting Apply However these setting only remain active for the current Windows session This allows a user to safely return to Windows in the event of a crash without any possibility of boot issues since the changes are not made directly to the BIOS settings Note All the changes on this page are dynamic when applied and only remain active for the current Windows session You may save these settings as a profile for use later by using the Profile menu item If a setting does not allow a change it likely
43. xtreme X 6800 is the only processor model that you can increase the multiplier value This means that the only way to overclock a lower Core 2 Duo model s clock frequency is through the FSB The following procedure explains how to do this 1 Enter the BIOS by restarting your computer and pressing DEL during POST 2 Next navigate to Advanced Chipset Features N FSB amp Memory Config 3 Go to the FSB Memory Clock Mode and you see three options a Auto this is the default setting to let the BIOS determine the FSB and MEM clock values b Linked this mode allows you to change only the FSB bus speed the MEM bus speed adjusts accordingly C Unlinked this mode allows you to independently change the FSB and MEM bus speeds Set FSB Memory Clock Mode to Unlinked D If you select FSB QDR MHz you are able to input a new value Enter your desired FSB value as shown in Figure 6 Press F10 to save changes and exit 7 If a performance or stability wall is reached providing extra voltage to the system as described in the Increasing V oltages section can be helpful X HWArdbBil Ing INE FSB amp Memory Config setting Current Value SLI Ready Memory Disable Disable Menu Level bb CPU Freq MHz 2933 3 2933 3 CPU Multiplier 11X 11X CPU FSB frequency To FSB Memory Clock Mode Unlinked adjust enter a neu x FSB Memory Ratio Auto value or use keys FSB QDR MHz 1066 1066 7 Note that Actual FSB Actual FSB QDR MHz 1
44. y Frequency 28 As with CPU multiplier and FSB overclocking before adjusting the memory frequency we must adjust some voltage settings to supply the system with extra power Use the procedure given in the Increasing V oltages section and enter the settings shown in Figure 18 twardb IUS CMOS Setup Utility System Voltages Item Help Menu Level gt gt CPU Core Auto CPU FSB Auto Memory 2 300V nForce SPP 1 500 nForce MCP Auto HT nForce SPP lt gt MCP Auto Voltage level for CPU Core CPU VID tl e Move Enter Select PU PD Value F10 Save ESC Exit Fi General Help F5 Previous Values F7 Defaults Figure 18 Memory Frequency Voltages DU 02451 001_v01 October 23 2006 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Technology Chipset Overclocking To achieve an overclocked memory frequency value of 1142 MHz use the procedure outlined in the Overclocking Memory section and use the settings shown in Figure 19 Phoenix AwardBI0S CMOS Setup Utility FSB amp Memory Conf ig Parameters Setting Current Value Item Help SLI Ready Memory Disable mable Menu Level b CPU Freq MHz 2933 3 2933 3 CPU Multiplier 11X 11X Memory frequency To FSB Memory Clock Mode Unlinked adjust enter a new x FSB Memory Ratio Auto value or use keys FSB QDR MHz 1067 1066 7 Note that Actual MEM Actual FSB QDR MHz 1066 7 DDR reflects the MEM DDR MHz 1143 1142 9 actual frequency that Actual ME

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