Help with 8RGA+ config.
FINALLY!
Got the 8RGA+ back from Epox repair yesterday and fired it up.
I noticed the caps were a different color so it's either a new board or they did change them out.
Now, about settings for best *stable* performance:
It's populated with an Athlon 2500+ and a single 512 stick of 2700 ram.
Thing is, letting it autoconfig (new bios chip) it wasn't stable; spontaneous reboots every few minutes.
The auto config set FSB at 166 and that put the ram at 166 with tras=7, trcd=3, trp=3, and CAS late=2.5.
To make it stable I slowed the FSB to 100. 5,2,2,2.0 came up in auto mode and it is steady as a rock.
Now, WTF does this mean? Maybe the ram stick is a piece of crap?
Also if it is marginal, is there likely another set of numbers that might work with the FSB kept at 166? I don't like giving up the 166 FSB unless I have to.
I know the ram is the cheapest I could find at Fry's so it has to be the prime suspect even thought the repair shop claims to have tested it thoroughly.
BTW, the CPU is coasting at 40C with a stock cooler.
Further BTW, I use this machine for video editing only (no 3d graphics, AT ALL)
Thanks
Steve
Got the 8RGA+ back from Epox repair yesterday and fired it up.
I noticed the caps were a different color so it's either a new board or they did change them out.
Now, about settings for best *stable* performance:
It's populated with an Athlon 2500+ and a single 512 stick of 2700 ram.
Thing is, letting it autoconfig (new bios chip) it wasn't stable; spontaneous reboots every few minutes.
The auto config set FSB at 166 and that put the ram at 166 with tras=7, trcd=3, trp=3, and CAS late=2.5.
To make it stable I slowed the FSB to 100. 5,2,2,2.0 came up in auto mode and it is steady as a rock.
Now, WTF does this mean? Maybe the ram stick is a piece of crap?
Also if it is marginal, is there likely another set of numbers that might work with the FSB kept at 166? I don't like giving up the 166 FSB unless I have to.
I know the ram is the cheapest I could find at Fry's so it has to be the prime suspect even thought the repair shop claims to have tested it thoroughly.
BTW, the CPU is coasting at 40C with a stock cooler.
Further BTW, I use this machine for video editing only (no 3d graphics, AT ALL)
Thanks
Steve
0
Comments
Putting your FSB at 100 is hideous. Your processor lost 700MHz.
Actually, I can't seem to change those numbers by themselves. From what you said, I went back and fiddled till I got the FSB back to 166 then fiddled till I got the memory speed to 133 at which point the numbers went to 6,3,3,2.0.
That's where I am now as we speak (so to speak). No crashes in 10 minutes. CPU @ 46C.
Can any one help with how to fiddle those bios numbers seperately on this kind of bios?
Also what memory speed should I use with them?
And what does 6,3,3,2.0 or 11,4,4,3.0 mean?
Steve
Went back to the bios and figured how to do the 11,4,4,3.0 so I set the memory speed to 166 and set the memory things to 11,4,4,3.0.
I'll be at the monitor for some time so I should catch how long it is stable should it reboot.
Trax, Anybody? Can can you fill me in on what these changes do and how they effect stability?
Steve
Cliffnotes:
The timings (CAS/tRCD/tRP/tRAS) represents how quickly or slowly you're commanding your memory to handle data stored in residence. The higher the numbers, the less demanding you're being of your memory, but as a corollary your performance diminishes (Though not greatly). 3/4/4/11 is pretty damn slow for 166MHz, because newer memory modules use these timings for frequencies 250MHz and higher.
When you set the numbers too low for your memory, the DIMMs can't handle what you're demanding of it. The electric commands aren't completed, don't ever get sent, don't get properly calculated.. There are numerous ill effects. Suffice it to say, stability is impacted negatively. When you run into such problems, raising the timings reduces the stress you're placing on the modules and can positively influence stability.
CAS:
CAS is Column Address Strobe or Column Address Select. CAS controls the amount of time (In cycles (2, 2.5, 3..)) between receiving a command, and acting on that command. Since CAS primarily controls the locating of HEX addresses, or memory columns, within the memory matrix, this is the most important timing to set as low as your system will stably accept it. There are both rows and columns inside a memory matrix. When the request is first electronically set on the memory pins, the first triggered response is tRAS (Active to Precharge Delay, see tRAS below). Data requested electronically is precharge, and the memory actually going to initiate RAS is activation. Once tRAS is active, RAS, or Row Address Strobe begins to find one half of the address for the required data. Once the row is located, tRCD (See tRCD below) is initiated, cycles out, and then the exact HEX location of the data required is accessed via CAS. The time between CAS start and CAS end is the CAS latency. Since CAS is the last stage in actually FINDING the proper data, it's the most important memory timing. This is somewhat like UPS finding your house. Your package doesn't do a damn bit of good at the central office if it can't get delivered quickly.
tRCD:
Also known as RAS to CAS delay, In addition to Column Address Strobe, there is Row Address Strobe (As described a bit above). CAS and RAS combined allow for the exact location of memory blocks. There is an interval between RAS (Activated when data is first requested) and CAS (Activated when RAS is complete), as memory can't locate a block precisely in a single stage. tRCD is the cycle time between the first stage in memory access, the row strobe, and the second stage, column strobe. However the performance impact of this setting is often neglible, as memory tries to store data from programs in sequential order. That is, it tries to keep the same row for a single program, and ordered columns to reduce the time for tRCD.
tRP:
Also known as RAS precharge, this is the amount of time it takes for memory to terminate the access in one row and begin another. Put simply, after data is set to the pins and activates tRAS, then RAS, then tRCD, then CAS, the memory needs to terminate its current row and start all over at tRAS. This is the very BASIC function of how memory works. This is only an important setting when you're doing massive shifting in data, like working with large virtual buffers, or video rendering. At that point, several rows are being consumed by a single program, and it's advantageous for the program to be able to switch quickly between these rows.
tRAS:
Also known as Active to Precharge delay, this is the time between receiving a request for data electronically on the pins of a memory module, and then initiating RAS to start the actual retrieval of data. This command seems important, but really isn't. Memory access is a very dynamic thing. Sometimes memory is being hit hard, and other times very sporadically. Though at all times, memory access is a constant, so it is rare that the tRAS command is received to access <i>new</i> data. A large shift.. Like opening a new program. Furthermore, this last timing often shows to be faster at 11 cycles than at 6 cycles on an nForce2 machine.
OK, that's better.
Now it sounds like there's not much to try with the 4,4 but to go down to 3,3.
However, the 11 sounds like a place to drop a digit every day or two to find a sweet spot.
Also the CAS doesn't sound like moving from 3.0 to 2.5 will show any meaningful change in video rendering speed.
So my plan would be to stay 4,4,3.0 but drop tRAS to 10 if I find 11 to be rock steady. Then I'd drop a single click every few days after I'm sure I have a stable system.
This sound about right?
BTW, would a memory exerciser program help ring out the stablity of these settings quicker than just having the pc on and surfing for a few dozen hours?
Steve
Ah so!
You DID say that before. I just didn't recall it when I was formulating my plan.
BTW, I'm still golden after 40 mins. Course it's just sitting here as I'm doing other things.
Thanks,
Steve
Regards,
Robert