ASRock ConRoe945G-DVI: Core 2 Duo goes mATX

FSB Overclocking Results

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.