FSB Overclocking Results

Front Side Bus Overclocking Testbed
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (San Diego)
AMD Opteron 170 (Toledo)
CPU Voltage: 1.400V (1.300V default)
Memory Settings: 2-2-2-5 1T - (12x)
2.5-3-3-7 1T - (10x)
2.5-4-4-10 1T - (9x)
Memory Voltage: 2.8V
Chipset Voltage: 2.1V
FSB Voltage: 1.40V
HT Multiplier: 5x up to 240HTT, 4x up to 315HTT
Memory: OCZ PC4800 Platinum Edition
Cooling: Thermaltake Big Typhoon
Power Supply: OCZ Power Stream 520
Maximum CPU OverClock (4000+): 237HTT x 12 (2846MHz) +19%
Maximum HTT OverClock (4000+): 315HTT x 9 (2835MHz) +57%
Maximum CPU OverClock (O170): 270HTT x 10 (2700MHz) +35%
Maximum HTT OverClock (O170): 315HTT x 9 (2835MHz) +57%

Our 4000+ CPU was hampered in overclocking by the lack of additional voltage. This CPU has reached 3.1GHz on 1.475V in past testing. The board definitely has the capability to overclock well, but will not reach its true potential without additional CPU and Memory voltages. At these overclock settings, the system was able to complete all of our benchmark test suites three consecutive times and run Prime95 and SuperPI without issue.

Our Opteron 170 faired better due to the lower voltage requirements of the particular CPU when overclocking. However, this CPU has reached 2.95GHz on 1.450V in past testing. We were able to reach 2800MHz with the 10x280 setting, but we could not complete our test suite due to memory issues. Our memory has been able to reach this HTT setting with 3.0V in the past, but we were limited to 2.8V with this board. At the 10x270 and 9x315 overclock settings, the system was able to complete all of our benchmark test suites three consecutive times and run Prime95 and SuperPI without issue. Overall, the board would make a very good platform for enthusiast level overclocking with additional voltage options.


Memory Stress Testing

Memory stress tests look at the ability of the ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2 to operate at the officially supported memory frequencies of DDR-400, at the best performing memory timings that the OCZ PC4800 Platinum Edition will support.

ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2
Stable DDR-400 Timings - 2 DIMMs
(2/4 slots populated - 1 Dual-Channel Bank)
Clock Speed: 200MHz
CAS Latency: 2
RAS to CAS Delay: 2
RAS Precharge: 2
RAS Cycle Time: 5
Command Rate: 1T
Voltage: 2.7V

The ASRock 939SLI32 was extremely stable with 2 DDR modules in Dual-Channel mode at the settings of 2-2-2-5 at 2.7V. We will now install all four available memory slots that result in more strenuous requirements on the memory subsystem than testing 2 DDR modules on a motherboard.

ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2
Stable DDR-400 Timings - 4 DIMMs
(4/4 slots populated - 2 Dual-Channel Banks)
Clock Speed: 200MHz (800FSB)
CAS Latency: 2
RAS to CAS Delay: 2
RAS Precharge: 2
RAS Cycle Time: 8
Command Rate: 2T
Voltage: 2.7V

The ASRock 939SLI32 was very stable with 4 DDR modules in Dual-Channel operation at the settings of 2-2-2-8, but required the command rate be increased to 2T that is typical in AMD Athlon 64 based systems.

ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2: Features Test Setup
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  • Gary Key - Saturday, March 4, 2006 - link

    It works very well on this board with an Opteron. ;-)
  • Kiste - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    quote:

    The 1.31 driver release has now eliminated all stuttering in our current benchmarks while improving performance across the board except in Serious Sam II.


    In the past, Realtek has solved performance issues by reducing the number of buffers and disabling EAX effects without telling anyone. I hope someone will have a really good look at these integrated audio solutions one day, one that isn't just FPS and CPU utilization.
  • Gary Key - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    quote:

    n the past, Realtek has solved performance issues by reducing the number of buffers and disabling EAX effects without telling anyone. I hope someone will have a really good look at these integrated audio solutions one day, one that isn't just FPS and CPU utilization.


    To date with the HD Codecs, Realtek has not decreased the buffers nor have we noticed changes in EAX2 output except for the positive. It is a very subjective area to comment on but in BF2 I like the sound quality of the 1.29 drivers better but Serious Sam II seems to have improved a great deal in the 1.30 and 1.31 drivers. While the on-board audio solutions are still lacking in most areas compared to the add-in solutions at least the manufacturers (board/chipset) are trying to improve quality in this area instead of pumping out the same old AC97 codecs. If it were not for the cost I think we would have seen several additional Audigy-SE solutions on the motherboards by now and even possibly an improved offering from Creative. While the A-SE is an older chipset it does offer better performance and audio quality in gaming than the current HD codecs from Realtek, C-Media, ADI, and SigmaTel. I really thought the VIA Envy24 series would have had greater market penetration on the motherboards but one can only speculate as to why this never happened. ;->
  • tjpark1111 - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    is it just me, or does this thing have a 20-pin power connector. ?!?!?!??!???
  • kelim - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    Yes, the board does in fact use a 20-pin power connection. If you have a 24-pin PSU, this shouldn't be a problem, since most are 20+4-pin, meaning you can detach the extra 4 pins and only use the ones you need. Either that, or the uneeded pins will hang off the side.
  • Gary Key - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    You are correct, it is a 20-pin ATC connector as stated in the article. I was surprised also and did a double take after removing it from the box. :)
  • dab - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    It says that this motherboard supports ddr2,
    "(4) x DIMM, max. 4GB, DDR2 400/333/266, non-ECC, un-buffered memory..."

    Is this a joke? There's no 240pin slots on that board, only on the riser (which is not included). s939's IMC doesn't support this either..

    Am I mistaken?
  • Gary Key - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    quote:

    "(4) x DIMM, max. 4GB, DDR2 400/333/266, non-ECC, un-buffered memory..."


    I was just changing that to DDR, sorry about the mistake. The AM2 daughter card will have slots for DDR2 memory.
  • Puddleglum - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    The figure is noteworthy, but it's actually the only Firewire 800 test result I can find in AT's reviews.
  • Gary Key - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    quote:

    The figure is noteworthy, but it's actually the only Firewire 800 test result I can find in AT's reviews.


    I know we only have it in a recent review and probably should drop it. I keep hoping Firewire 800 will be implemented on the higher end boards or those designed for HTPC life. :) However, it appears to be a dead-end option at this point and the technology itself seems to be going away without a fight.

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