Intel P965: Mid-Range Performance Sector Roundup
by Gary Key on October 20, 2006 9:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
ASUS P5B-E 1.01G: Overclocking
FSB Overclocking Results
We were able to reach a final setting of 7x490FSB with our 1.01G board with a clock speed of 3430MHz. In previous testing with different memory this board reached 7x515MHz. Our FSB results were limited by the maximum memory voltage setting at 2.1V. Our memory voltages were set higher than normal for our CPU but this is due to the Vdroop on both boards being around .03~.05V during testing.
Our 1.02G board faired better as we could increase our memory voltage to 2.35V in order to reach the final stable setting of 7x520FSB resulting in a clock speed of 3640MHz. Both ASUS boards provided the best memory timings during overclocking although we noticed certain latency settings like tRFC were very relaxed when compared to other boards.
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests - ASUS P5B-E 1.01G
Memory stress tests look at the ability of the ASUS P5B-E to operate at the officially supported memory frequencies of DDR2-800 at the best performing memory timings our GEIL PC2-6400 will support.
Due to the 2.1V limitation on this board we had to settle for 4-4-3-8 timings at DDR2-800 with our particular memory choice. This also held true for our G.Skill, Super Talent, Transcend, and OCZ PC2-6400 memory modules. We were able to run our Corsair PC2-6400-C3 or OCZ-8000VX modules at 3-4-3-9 at 2.1V but considering the current price of these modules we think the minor performance differences are not worth the extra cost for this board.
The ASUS 1.01G board was stable with four DIMMs at 4-4-4-10 with 2.1V. However, we were limited to an overclock of 7x445FSB, DDR2-890 4-5-4-10, with four DIMMs installed due to the 2.1V limitation. We are still very impressed with the ASUS P5B-E 1.01G board even with the 2.1V memory setting considering its ability to almost reach 500FSB with DDR2-800 memory.
FSB Overclocking Results
| ASUS P5B-E Overclocking Testbed |
|
| Processor: | Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Dual Core, 1.86GHz, 2MB Unified Cache 1066FSB, 7x Multiplier |
| CPU Voltage: | 1.4750V (default 1.3250V) |
| Cooling: | Scythe Infinity Air Cooling |
| Power Supply: | OCZ GameXStream 700W |
| Memory: | Geil PC2-6400 800MHz Plus (2x1GB- GX22GB6400PDC) (Micron Memory Chips) |
| Video Cards: | 1 x MSI X1950XTX |
| Hard Drive: | Seagate 320GB 7200RPM SATA2 16MB Buffer |
| Case: | Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 |
| Maximum CPU OC: (1.01G) |
490x7 (4-4-4-12, 1:1, 2.10V), CPU 1.4750V, C2 Stepping 3430MHz (+84%) |
| Maximum CPU OC: (1.02G) |
520x7 (4-4-4-12, 1:1, 2.35V), CPU 1.5250V, C2 Stepping 3640MHz (+96%) |
| . | |
 |
| Click to enlarge |
 |
| Click to enlarge |
We were able to reach a final setting of 7x490FSB with our 1.01G board with a clock speed of 3430MHz. In previous testing with different memory this board reached 7x515MHz. Our FSB results were limited by the maximum memory voltage setting at 2.1V. Our memory voltages were set higher than normal for our CPU but this is due to the Vdroop on both boards being around .03~.05V during testing.
Our 1.02G board faired better as we could increase our memory voltage to 2.35V in order to reach the final stable setting of 7x520FSB resulting in a clock speed of 3640MHz. Both ASUS boards provided the best memory timings during overclocking although we noticed certain latency settings like tRFC were very relaxed when compared to other boards.
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests - ASUS P5B-E 1.01G
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Memory stress tests look at the ability of the ASUS P5B-E to operate at the officially supported memory frequencies of DDR2-800 at the best performing memory timings our GEIL PC2-6400 will support.
| ASUS P5B-E 1.01G Stable DDR2-800 Timings - 2 DIMMs (2/4 slots populated - 1 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
| Clock Speed: | 800MHz |
| CAS Latency: | 4 |
| RAS to CAS Delay: | 4 |
| RAS Precharge: | 3 |
| RAS Cycle Time: | 8 |
| Voltage: | 2.10V |
Due to the 2.1V limitation on this board we had to settle for 4-4-3-8 timings at DDR2-800 with our particular memory choice. This also held true for our G.Skill, Super Talent, Transcend, and OCZ PC2-6400 memory modules. We were able to run our Corsair PC2-6400-C3 or OCZ-8000VX modules at 3-4-3-9 at 2.1V but considering the current price of these modules we think the minor performance differences are not worth the extra cost for this board.
| ASUS P5BE 1.01G Stable DDR2-800 Timings - 4 DIMMs (4/4 slots populated - 2 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
| Clock Speed: | 800MHz |
| CAS Latency: | 4 |
| RAS to CAS Delay: | 4 |
| RAS Precharge: | 4 |
| RAS Cycle Time: | 10 |
| Voltage: | 2.10V |
The ASUS 1.01G board was stable with four DIMMs at 4-4-4-10 with 2.1V. However, we were limited to an overclock of 7x445FSB, DDR2-890 4-5-4-10, with four DIMMs installed due to the 2.1V limitation. We are still very impressed with the ASUS P5B-E 1.01G board even with the 2.1V memory setting considering its ability to almost reach 500FSB with DDR2-800 memory.
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smn198 - Monday, October 23, 2006 - link
Would you be able to re-run using 4 drives for all of the tests please?
jonp - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
-- “…budget sector and includes boards from ECS, Foxconn, Intel, and Gigabyte.” – will the MSI P965 Neo-F be in this set?-- the Abit AB9 Pro feature set does not show the eSata port on the SI 3132 (two SATA). it does show a serial port on the i/o panel but not one in the picture.
-- The Biostar feature set shows 4 USB on the i/o panel when there are six in the picture.
JarredWalton - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
Fixed - thanks.powchi - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Can I use a 20-pin power supply on these boards since all are using 24-pin connectors? Or will I be needing 20pin to 24pin adaptor?The PSU is an Enermax NoiseTaker EG475P-VE SFMA 470W ATX 12V v1.3.
Aikouka - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
Some motherboard manufacturers will no longer support your motherboard if they find out you've been running it with a 20-pin ATX plug or a 20->24-pin adapter. Just be safe and get a newer PSU :). I know DFI will no longer support the motherboard if it specifically asks for a 24-pin.JarredWalton - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Technically, yes you can use 20-pin PSUs. Will they work, and will the system be stable? That varies. I haven't had any issues on the systems where I've done it, but if you do high overclocking it will likely become a serious issue.powchi - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Jarred,So there's no need to use a 20pin to 24pin adaptor? What are the differences when using and not using an adaptor? Thanks.
lopri - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
No. As a matter of fact, the adapter should be avoided. Just plug the 20-pin connector to 24-pin receptacle with 4-pin left empty. Like Jarred said, it should work in theory and it does in practice. However, the quality of PSU and how intense is one's OC can affect the (long-term) stability.JarredWalton - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
I suppose the adapter *could* help, as it ensures power is available on all the 24-pins, but you're still taking the power from the same source so depending on how that works out it can actually make things worse. I would typically say that if you have a 400W or better PSU you should be fine with little to moderate OC'ing even with 20-pins. (I have an OCZ ModStream 450W that certainly works fine in a 939 board with a decent 2.0 to 2.6 GHz overclock.)lopri - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
Yes! Not to brag about myself or anything, but I went through countless Socket 939 Opterons on DFI NF4 SLI-D with original Antec TruePower EPS12V (20-pins, not the TP2 with 24-pins) including an Opteron 165 @3.0GHz (9x333). TCCD up to 325MHz/2.5-4-3-8! The setup was absolutely stable.