Albatron KX18D PROII: nForce2 Ultra with Memory Ratios

FSB Overclocking Results

With the very complete selection of overclocking options on the Albatron, we had high expectations for the overclocking performance of the board. We fully expected to set new overclocking records with the KX18D PROII. For FSB overclocking, the following setup was used on the KX18D PROII:

Front Side Bus Overclocking Testbed
Default Voltage		Maximum Overclock
Processor:	Athlon XP 2500+ (Barton Core)	Athlon XP 2500+ (1837MHz) (Barton Core – 11x166)
CPU Voltage:	1.65V (default)	1.80V
Cooling:	Thermalright SK-7 with 80mm Thermaltake Fan	Thermalright SK-7 with 80mm Thermaltake Fan
Power Supply:	Powmax 350W	Powmax 350W
Maximum OC:	2332MHz (+27%)- 212FSB	2460MHz (+34.2%) (12x205)

The above overclocking setup at default voltage allowed us to reach a stable FSB of 212MHz. Considering the DFI NFII Ultra reached a stable 223MHz at the same default settings, we were disappointed in the Albatron overclocking performance compared to the best nForce2 Ultra 400 boards. We suspected the Albatron, like an earlier Soltek, was likely one of the board designs that does better with more voltage, so we pushed on.

When we increased our voltage settings even as high as 1.85V, we were never able to break beyond a FSB of 218. In the end, the best overclocking with the Albatron was achieved by adjusting multipliers and running overclocks closer to the 200 range. Using this technique, we achieved a stable overclock to 2466MHz — 12x205 at 1.8V. This is one of the highest overclocks we have seen with this chip, and places the Albatron as one of the top overclocking boards. Even higher overclocks may be reached if you are comfortable using higher voltages with this board. Out of the box, the Albatron is something of an overclocking disappointment — especially considering it is a high end board with the best range of OC options we have seen on an Athlon board. However, with higher voltages, it becomes one of the best overclocking nForce2 boards we have tested.

The Memory Ratios available on the Albatron KX18D PROII are unique, so we ran several tests to see how they worked. We had no problem setting lower memory ratios, but we were never able to get higher ratios to work. This was with known good DDR500 memory at known good timings as tested in Searching for the Memory Holy Grail — Part 2. The idea of memory ratios on nForce2 Ultra 400 is a good one, since it would allow Athlon users to benefit from DDR500 memory. So, we hope that Albatron can fix this in a BIOS update or tell us how to make the higher ratios work.