Hardware Overvolting the QX9300

I've tried my luck with software overclocking, with no success. So now I'd like to finish something I started months ago.

I've already installed a hardware overclock that changes the FSB of my M860ETU to 1333MHz, and is activated via an easily-accessible switch. However the voltage is too low too run stable, so the switch remains "off". This is why I now need to overvolt my QX9300.

Is a "Pin-mod" the only means to do this? If so, how do I install a pin-mod to overvolt my QX9300?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Are you sure it's the CPU that's unstable? Could be your RAM, in which case overvolting your CPU would do nothing but shorten the life of your processor and create heat.

If it's your RAM you could use Typhoon Burner and up the latencies or lower the frequency of your RAM modules.

 

My RAM has a frequency of 1333MHz; which is normally downclocked to the laptop's FSB of 1066MHz.

So when my FSB is 1333MHz, my RAM isn't really overclocked, but it's running at its intended frequency.

 

IMHO, it's a bad idea to OverVolt, running Capacitors in your Power Circuit past there rating may lead to replacing your logic board and or PSU.

I'd go the Software OCing way, with SetFSB, that way you could go for the Max
stable speed, without going past the Voltage Rating of your CPU.

If you download SetFSB->Click Diagnosis->Chose Diagnose PLL in the Clock Generator field-> Check Ultra->Click GetFSB and post a ScreenShot, I maybe able to tell you what PLL you have and how to OC it.

 

The M860TU's PLL, "ICS9LPR395" isn't supported by SetFSB. SetFSB can get the FSB up to 1150MHz, but only when using the incorrect PLL "RTM876-660"; and 1150MHz is all it will do, no higher and no lower.

 

I see, so the PLL mod seems to be your only way.

I wonder if the ICS9LPR395 is TME Locked, or it just can't do High Precision SoftFSB.

 

I don't think anyone has a datasheet for it.


Anyway, first thing you can try to increase the voltage is RMclock.
Run regedit>HKEY_CURRENT_USER>software>RightMark>RMclock
then make a new DWORD.
Name it "UnlockVid".
Right click on it>modify

Change it to "00000001".

now run RMclock. You should be able to set any voltage (but some may just not work).

So increase the voltage with RMclock until it cant go any higher.
If that's unstable then yes you will have to pin mod the CPU:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=390696

Use this PDF to know what to change:
http://download.intel.com/design/processor/datashts/318726.pdf

Table 2-1. Voltage Identification Definition

Cheers

 

Don't forget that using your hardware OC you are tricking everything into thinking it is still running at 1066. So your RAM is going to be using its 1066 timings even though it is now at 1333.

I think it is worth trying the RAM thing before a pin mod. I have had massive problems with RAM in the past when doing hardware OC. In my findings, lower speed RAM actually worked, whereas newer much higher speed RAM didn't work on the same hardware!

 

have you tried the intel utility???

 

I did try some lower speed, 1066MHz, Crucial RAM, and the laptop wouldn't even boot.

XTU gives me the message, "Error loading application or connecting to XTU service", in both Vista x86 and Windows 7 x64. It probably means my BIOS isn't XTU enabled.

 

Try using only 1 ram in the upper slot. When i install a 2GB stick in the lower slot the system will post and hang on windows loading, but if all 4GB installed then no boot at all.
@default Vcore QX9300 may be not stable at full load but post and loggin windows is no problem at all.

 

Looks like installing just the 1066MHz stick in the upper slot was the trick. The 1333MHz gave BSOD's, and neither worked in the lower slot.

Completely stable at 3.2GHz.

Thanks for the help.

 

Prime 95 also no problem?

 

I did some more testing. The CPU benchmarks without problems, (Cinebench 13,257). But a few programs will cause a BSOD, so far this includes; Prime95 and 3DMark06.


Seems like it's the RAM, I might order some Kingston 1333MHz Cas 7 RAM.

 

No, don't spend any money, just use Thaiphoon Burner to flash in new timings to your old RAM.

 

I still think the CPU will overheat when benching Prime 95......

 

And if Prime 95 doesn't do it, maybe this will:

See:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/IntelBurnTest-v1.6-download-2047.html

 

I've been using Thaiphoon Burner to tweak my RAM, and I've gotten things to the point where I can boot with both sticks. But it still gives me BSOD's when I try to run Prime95, or any other stress tests. To verify that the RAM and not the CPU was the problem, I put the laptop in powersaver mode; which reduces the multiplier to 6x and reduces the QX9300's clock to just 2.00GHz. And still got the same results when stress testing.

I'm probably not changing the right things in Thaiphoon Burner.

Here's my current RAM's SPD settings:


Any tips as to what I should change to get more stable?

 

Increase the CAS.

 

Alright, I think I increased it to the max for the frequency, it wouldn't boot at 7. It may be a bit stabler, but still fails stress tests.

Any more suggestions?:

 

Increase the tRAS up to 18.
Increase the tRC to 24.

This may fail to boot. Be careful when you change either of these.

 

I upped the tRAS to 18 and the tRC menu would only allow me to go to 19.

It still fails at stress testing.

 

change the tRFC to 51.
tRRD to 3.

Maybe also increase the tRCD and tRP and tRAS more.

 

1333 @CL6 is not good.

 

Anything higher won't boot if I leave the RAM's frequency at 333MHz.

 

CL6 is just way too low for 1333MHz, you can't make it up by increasing other timings, CL7 is considered low for DDR3 1066 already. I'll try playing around the timings on my Crucial memory once I get the mod done.

 

Ok I'm now in the same boat. This software makes no sense at all. I don't understand why it couldn't be made simplier, where for each frequency, you determine a specific SPD.

 

My own experience:

Ram slot 1: 2GB, Ram slot 2: 2GB, @1333 CL7 unbootable, CL8 unstable.
Ram slot 1: 1GB, Ram slot 2: 2GB, @1333 CL7 unstable, CL8 stable.

 

But this Thaiphoon Burner makes no sense, it messes up the SPD when flashing and you find yourself with unbootable sticks all the time, it really sucks. All I want to do is 8-9-9-23-31 @1066, but this software makes it so complicated, you don't even know what timings your changing for which frequency...

 

Sent me your timings i can try to mod it.

 

I will, I don't know how I managed to but I bricked both of my memory sticks, I have to go to a computer shop tomorrow and spend $50 on a crap 2GB DDR3 stick to reflash the other sticks. Sucks....

 

Don´t have a backup ram? Hot flash is useful......

 

I had 2 sticks, kept hot flashing between the two of them, until I probably flashed a non-working SPD to both. I have to go in emergency tomorrow to Micro Center and hope that I can borrow their repair service a DDR3 stick, otherwise I'll have to buy one. I'm leaving to Europe on January 2nd and I need a working laptop! In the house I only have DDR2 laptops. It sucks that Thaiphoon Burner is so buggy and complicated to use. Why can't it be as simple as setting RAM timings in the BIOS... Here, when you change the latency of something, it changes the whole operating frequency; also, half of the time, the clocks that Thaiphoon reports are never the ones reported by CPU-z.

 

My latest timings seem slightly stabler, but still crashing when stress-testing.

 

Those were my most stable timings too, but still far from being stable, BSOD.

 

Ok here is the stock SPD for my sticks, I'm back with a spare DDR3 module just in case! I can't believe how this software is buggy, it sucks so bad that such a basic feature of being able to manipulate RAM timings in the BIOS is disabled. I think it's time that manufacturers stop restricting their BIOS so much and making them so primitive... The only thing that may damage a component is overvoltage, so why not allow to change any other possible settings?
Let me know Kaltmond if you're able to get anything better. The problem is that if I raise the tRCD or tRP even by 1, the stick won't boot. Currently stuck at 8-8-8, all I want is to add 1 to each latencies...

 

I'm working closely with Voodoo Jungle over at OCN to try to get working high latency SPDs:
http://www.overclock.net/intel-memory/638121-flashing-ram.html

 

Hopefully, there's finally some progress.

I've had no luck as of yet.

 

Same, it's so lame that this project ends up impossible because of the RAM running unstable. Can't get past 8-8-8-20 on the RAM, sucks. I'm starting to get really pissed at manufacturers for leaving users with such primitive BIOS, giving users the ability to control timings is no luxury. The only unlocked BIOS are one those huge 17" notebooks.

 

Yeh, I've been looking into trying to get some help to somehow mix the M860ETU's BIOS with M570TU's.


It's pretty similar to the M860ETU, and has overclocking options:

 

Any luck lol? The thing is that you can only test one BIOS, either it works, or you're ****ed. Well it's always good to know there is another alternative.
Voodoo Jungle posted this SPD:
http://cbid.at.tut.by/files/16JSF25664HZ-1G1F1_ mod3.thp
My RAM can't boot from it, try it on yours and report back, because this should bring 9-9-9-24-30 for 1066MHz!

 

No luck with the BIOS mod as of yet.

I couldn't boot from that posted SPD either.

 

Thanks for trying it out, what sticks did you flash with these, the OCZ?

 

I doubt any non-JEDEC timings higher than CL8 @1066 will not boot.

 

I tried them on some 1333MHz Kingston sticks that I have.

 

Why does it have to be Jedec? When you manually adjust timings in the BIOS, you set your RAM to non-Jedec timings and it still boots.

 

To whoever is in the same boat as we are, try finding a working SPD @800MHz (400MHz SPD) 7-7-7-20-23. Since we can't get up to CAS 9, we have to drop the idea of running the memory at 1066MHz or 1333MHz and instead try having lower clocks as base clocks and increasing timings from there.

 

Tried before to edit the speed @800 and flash the 2GB stick but no boot. However the same settings on a single 1GB stick works no problem.

 

That's weird, I'm able to edit everything except the CAS Latency. I'm wondering, what's your current configuration right now (hardware mod, RAM settings etc) that allows you to run your Q9200 at 3.0GHz relatively stable? Because I would be very happy if I could get more than 20 seconds 3DMark06 stable!

 

I volt modded the QX9300 to 1.2v but it's still very unstable; locks up and BSOD or reboots after a few seconds of IntelBurn Test. With the help of Kaltmond, I'm going to try higher voltages.