Intel P965: Mid-Range Performance Sector Roundup
by Gary Key on October 20, 2006 9:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests - ASUS P5B-E 1.02G
We now take a look at the 1.02G revision motherboard to see if additional memory voltage can improve our timings on the GEIL PC2-6400 modules.
We were able to set our timings to 3-3-3-9 by increasing the memory voltage to 2.20V with our GEIL memory. This also held true for several other DDR2-800 modules that required at least 2.2V for improved memory settings. Although the performance differences are negligible, the additional memory voltage will assist in overclocking and allowing most memory modules to run at tighter timings at like memory speeds.
The 1.02G board allowed us to run four DIMMs at 3-4-3-10 with only 2.2V which matched the Abit board. However, we were able to overclock the board to a very impressive 7x483FSB, DDR2-966 4-4-4-15, with four DIMMs installed; however, this required us to increase our memory voltage to 2.35V. Our maximum overclock at 3-4-3-10 with four DIMMs was 7x410FSB (DDR2-820) at 2.30V which means we were already near our maximum limit at these timings. We were able to reach 7x440FSB (DDR2-880) with our memory set to 4-4-3-10 at 2.3V.
Memory Tests - ASUS P5B-E 1.02G
Click to enlarge |
We now take a look at the 1.02G revision motherboard to see if additional memory voltage can improve our timings on the GEIL PC2-6400 modules.
ASUS P5B-E 1.02G Stable DDR2-800 Timings - 2 DIMMs (2/4 slots populated - 1 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
Clock Speed: | 800MHz |
CAS Latency: | 3 |
RAS to CAS Delay: | 3 |
RAS Precharge: | 3 |
RAS Cycle Time: | 9 |
Voltage: | 2.20V |
We were able to set our timings to 3-3-3-9 by increasing the memory voltage to 2.20V with our GEIL memory. This also held true for several other DDR2-800 modules that required at least 2.2V for improved memory settings. Although the performance differences are negligible, the additional memory voltage will assist in overclocking and allowing most memory modules to run at tighter timings at like memory speeds.
ASUS P5BE 1.02G Stable DDR2-800 Timings - 4 DIMMs (4/4 slots populated - 1 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
Clock Speed: | 800MHz |
CAS Latency: | 3 |
RAS to CAS Delay: | 4 |
RAS Precharge: | 3 |
RAS Cycle Time: | 10 |
Voltage: | 2.20V |
The 1.02G board allowed us to run four DIMMs at 3-4-3-10 with only 2.2V which matched the Abit board. However, we were able to overclock the board to a very impressive 7x483FSB, DDR2-966 4-4-4-15, with four DIMMs installed; however, this required us to increase our memory voltage to 2.35V. Our maximum overclock at 3-4-3-10 with four DIMMs was 7x410FSB (DDR2-820) at 2.30V which means we were already near our maximum limit at these timings. We were able to reach 7x440FSB (DDR2-880) with our memory set to 4-4-3-10 at 2.3V.
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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.