ASRock ConRoe945G-DVI: Core 2 Duo goes mATX
by Gary Key on September 1, 2006 5:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
FSB Overclocking Results
This board is a decent overclocker for a budget board although we could not help but think the board would easily overclock better with additional memory and processor voltage options. At these settings the system was able to complete our benchmark test suites three consecutive times along with dual Prime95 and SuperPI 32M without issue.
We set our memory to a 4:3 (DDR2-400) ratio and were able to even post at 318FSB but could not get the system stable past 307FSB. Due to the reduced memory speed the performance of the system was decreased across all benchmarks so we left the memory at 1:1 where we achieved our best performance. Our board would boot up to a 305FSB with the 1:1 memory ratio but was not stable at those settings.
When we changed our memory to the 4:5 ratio (DDR2-667) our FSB capability dropped to 291FSB and we had to change our memory timings to 4-4-3-12 for stability. Our benchmark results ended up being slightly better or even with the 1:1 ratio results but with less stability over the course of testing. We tried different memory modules from our value memory roundup with the same results. Unlike the ASRock VIA PT880 board our memory was not as overclockable or stable with the lower timings, although performance at DDR2-667 is better with the Intel chipset.
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests
Our memory stress tests looks at the ability of the ASRock COnRoe945G-DVI to operate at the officially supported memory frequencies of 533MHz DDR2 at the best performing memory timings the Transcend DDR2-533 JetRam will support. Our DDR2 memory is from Transcend and was utilized in some extensive HTPC testing for our upcoming Intel DHCAT article. The memory features average 5-5-5-12 latencies at DDR2-667 but was able to perform at much lower latencies in our testing with increased voltages at DDR2-533 and DDR2-667 while costing around $70 for a 1GB kit.
The ASRock board was very stable with two DDR2 modules in Dual-Channel at the settings of 3-3-3-9 at 2.1v. We were able to hold 3-4-3-10 at 1.95V at DDR2-667 but could not overclock the board at this memory speed without increasing to 4-4-3-12. We will now fill all four available memory slots as that results in more strenuous requirements on the memory subsystem than testing two DDR2 modules on a motherboard.
The ASRock was completely stable with four DDR2 modules in Dual-Channel operation at the settings of 4-3-3-10 at 1.95V. We tried several combinations of memory settings and memory modules at lower timings but the board was not stable enough to complete our test suite. Overall, our recommendation would be to utilize DDR2-533 memory that offers low latency memory timings at reduced voltages on this board.
| Front Side Bus Overclocking Testbed | |
| Processor: | Core 2 Duo - E6300 1.86MHz |
| CPU Voltage: | 1.300v |
| Memory Settings: | 3-4-3-10 at 667MHz |
| Memory Voltage: | 1.95V |
| SPP Voltage: | Default |
| FSB Voltage: | Default |
| Cooling: | Scythe Infinity |
| Power Supply: | OCZ GameXStream 700w |
| E6300 OverClock | 300fsb x 7 (2100MHz) +13% |
This board is a decent overclocker for a budget board although we could not help but think the board would easily overclock better with additional memory and processor voltage options. At these settings the system was able to complete our benchmark test suites three consecutive times along with dual Prime95 and SuperPI 32M without issue.
We set our memory to a 4:3 (DDR2-400) ratio and were able to even post at 318FSB but could not get the system stable past 307FSB. Due to the reduced memory speed the performance of the system was decreased across all benchmarks so we left the memory at 1:1 where we achieved our best performance. Our board would boot up to a 305FSB with the 1:1 memory ratio but was not stable at those settings.
When we changed our memory to the 4:5 ratio (DDR2-667) our FSB capability dropped to 291FSB and we had to change our memory timings to 4-4-3-12 for stability. Our benchmark results ended up being slightly better or even with the 1:1 ratio results but with less stability over the course of testing. We tried different memory modules from our value memory roundup with the same results. Unlike the ASRock VIA PT880 board our memory was not as overclockable or stable with the lower timings, although performance at DDR2-667 is better with the Intel chipset.
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests
Our memory stress tests looks at the ability of the ASRock COnRoe945G-DVI to operate at the officially supported memory frequencies of 533MHz DDR2 at the best performing memory timings the Transcend DDR2-533 JetRam will support. Our DDR2 memory is from Transcend and was utilized in some extensive HTPC testing for our upcoming Intel DHCAT article. The memory features average 5-5-5-12 latencies at DDR2-667 but was able to perform at much lower latencies in our testing with increased voltages at DDR2-533 and DDR2-667 while costing around $70 for a 1GB kit.
| ASRock ConRoe945G-DVI Stable DDR2-533 Timings - 2 DIMMs (2/4 slots populated - 1 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
| Clock Speed: | 266MHz (1066FSB) |
| Timing Mode: | 533MHz - Default |
| CAS Latency: | 3 |
| RAS to CAS Delay: | 3 |
| RAS Precharge: | 3 |
| RAS Cycle Time: | 9 |
| Voltage: | 1.95V |
The ASRock board was very stable with two DDR2 modules in Dual-Channel at the settings of 3-3-3-9 at 2.1v. We were able to hold 3-4-3-10 at 1.95V at DDR2-667 but could not overclock the board at this memory speed without increasing to 4-4-3-12. We will now fill all four available memory slots as that results in more strenuous requirements on the memory subsystem than testing two DDR2 modules on a motherboard.
| ASRock ConRoe945G-DVI Stable DDR2-533 Timings - 4 DIMMs (4/4 slots populated - 2 Dual-Channel Banks) |
|
| Clock Speed: | 266MHz (1066FSB) |
| Timing Mode: | 533MHz - Default |
| CAS Latency: | 4 |
| RAS to CAS Delay: | 3 |
| RAS Precharge: | 3 |
| RAS Cycle Time: | 10 |
| Voltage: | 1.95V |
The ASRock was completely stable with four DDR2 modules in Dual-Channel operation at the settings of 4-3-3-10 at 1.95V. We tried several combinations of memory settings and memory modules at lower timings but the board was not stable enough to complete our test suite. Overall, our recommendation would be to utilize DDR2-533 memory that offers low latency memory timings at reduced voltages on this board.
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JarredWalton - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
The SATA issues at least are chipset/BIOS/motherboard dependent. As this uses an Intel 945G chipset, it should work fine with SATA. NVIDIA chipsets should also work fine, but I don't know what exactly ASRock did with the AM2NF4G-SATA2. Normally, for XP installs you want to set the SATA ports to IDE mode, and once XP is installed with all the drivers you can switch to AHCI mode instead... not that there's much performance difference anyway.In terms of stability, have you run without the OC? I really don't trust $50-$60 boards for overclocking. Some will do it, but it's still a bit of an iffy propositions for long-term use. I'd much rather spend $100 on a board I know will OC reliably.
yyrkoon - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
Yeah, I ran everything per spec. for 3 weeks, and wasnt until recently that I decided to OC it. My thinking is that, if this board isnt going to be stable for more than 3 days, I dont care much for it anyhow. Also, I had planned on replacing it with a ABIT AN9 32x when I bought it. Now Im starting to think maybe I'll replace it with a ABIT AB9 Pro, and a E6x00 CPU.Anyhow, the HTT is slightly above 1000MHZ, the memory is running ar 832MHZ, and CPU is reported by the BIOS as running at 2.76GHZ (although CPU-Z says a bit lower), and its running as stable, load, or idle as before. CPU temperatures havent exceeded 122F much, if at all. I have run nvmonitor stability tests, and sandra burn-in test on this system without a hitch, and if you think about it, 16% really isnt a huge OC . . .
JarredWalton - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
I'm guessing you have a 4200+ chip, right? 11X multiplier with a 250 MHz bus?Deoending on CPU, RAM, etc. you're possibly hitting other limits. Just for kicks, try dropping the RAM from DDR2-800 to a lower speed, like set it for DDR2-533 instead of DDR2-667. That should put the RAM at DDR2-611 vs. DDR2-786 (with a 250 MHz HTT speed).
I would also adjust the memory timings for more conservative values. I'm guessing that with limited memory voltages, you might have problems running any DDR2 memory at 800 MHz. It's a thought anyway. :)
yyrkoon - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
Also, according to Sandra, my memory bandwidth is slightly above 7000MB/s int, and float. IS this decent ?yyrkoon - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
Oh, sorry here:Asrock AM2NF4G-SATA2
AMD 64 3800+ (single core)
2x1 GB Cosair XMS 6400 DDR2
eVGA 7600GT KO (stock), Antec SL 450 450W PSU.
Since on this board there is no divider settings (or atleast none that I know of), basicly, all I've adjusted is memory (533,667,800), HTT link speed, CPU FSB, and multiplier. First I started off at 12x multiplier, and achieved a 230 FSB, anything above, wenbt unstable either in windows, or wouldnt boot. Here, I noticed the memory was quite capable of 880MHZ DDR, but I've had it as high as 902MHZ DDR stable(5-5-5-18). This memory will also run 4-4-4-12 stock volts at stock settings(even though SPD says otherwise). OK, then I dropped the multiplier, and increased FSB in increments of 10's until it failed to boot, then I dropped HTT link speed(800/1600), and memory to 533 standard. After this I increased FSB speed by 10's again, until falure, and eventually arrived at 250MHZ. Dropping the multiplier to 10x would not post with minimum FSB speed I wanted, so I called it quits.
So in summer basicly, right now, my HTT link is 800/1600, multiplier 11x, and memory is set to DDR2 667 (in the BIOS). nvmonitor reports CPU is running at 2.7x, memory is running at 832, and HT bounces around from high 900's to low 1000's. CPU-Z says the memory speed is 392.xx, CPU is 2.7x, and HT is 1000.
As far as I know, I've done about all I can, and still maintain a decent clock/ ratio settings. However, I havent OC's since I owned a P55 233mmx CPU (yes, MANY years ago) so I may be missing something. If so, Im all ears :)
yyrkoon - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
err summer = summary ? :/JarredWalton - Saturday, September 2, 2006 - link
Your CPU multiplier should only affect things if you set it lower than stock. The Athlon 64 3800+ has a 12X multiplier by default. I generally don't think there's much point in using lower multipliers, as the difference in memory bandwidth has very little impact on Athlon 64 processors. At the stock 12X multiplier, you get nicer memory ratios at DDR2-800 and DDR2-533 settings. Remember that memory speed is actually based off of a divider of the CPU speed. So:12 x 200 = 2400 MHz
DDR2-800 = CPU/6 = 400 MHz (DDR2-800)
DDR2-667 = CPU/8 = 300 MHz (DDR2-600)
DDR2-533 = CPU/9 = 267 MHz (DDR2-533)
Overclocked:
12 x 233 = 2796 MHz
DDR2-800 = CPU/6 = 466 MHz (DDR2-932)
DDR2-667 = CPU/8 = 350 MHz (DDR2-799)
DDR2-533 = CPU/9 = 311 MHz (DDR2-621)
Change the multiplier to 11X and you get the following:
11 x 200 = 2200 MHz
DDR2-800 = CPU/6 = 367 MHz (DDR2-733)
DDR2-667 = CPU/7 = 314 MHz (DDR2-629)
DDR2-533 = CPU/9 = 244 MHz (DDR2-489)
Notice how certain memory ratios and up with odd final results. That's what you're getting right now most likely. Let's say you go with a 250 MHz bus as an overclock. This is what you get:
Overclocked:
11 x 250 = 2750 MHz
DDR2-800 = CPU/6 = 458 MHz (DDR2-917)
DDR2-667 = CPU/7 = 393 MHz (DDR2-786)
DDR2-533 = CPU/9 = 306 MHz (DDR2-611)
yyrkoon - Saturday, September 2, 2006 - link
Jarred, heres a link to a post I made on the forums, if you care to comment further, to see a couple of OC test cases I've done so farhttp://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid...">http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...amp;thre...
yyrkoon - Saturday, September 2, 2006 - link
Perhaps I should benchmark both, although all sanda CPU tests already indicate that my system performs a slight bit slower than a Fx-57 system.The reason why I dropped the multiplier, was in hopes of gaining a higher CPU Frequency, which proved true. My thinking was that if voltage is limiting my increases, perhaps lower the multiplier will relax the CPU some. Since memory bandwidth to a point is rather moot, memory bandwidth isnt a big deal IMO either, how I may do some serious benchmarking comparrison for the hell of it, and may even post them somewhere. I can tell you however that Oblivion does perform better with the OC (was the first thing I checked).
Dfere - Friday, September 1, 2006 - link
Anyone give me a general ballpark on what this integrated video should perform as? 6200 TC ?? 7300?Thanks