Q: X301 FSB and Memory Speeds

Hi

I'm in the process of running Memtest+ on my X301 to test the new RAM that I have just installed (Corsair 2x 4GB DDR3 1066).

Memtest+ is reporting the FSB and memory speed as 800Mhz.

I was under the impression that the Intel GM45 chipset in the X301 supported both a FSB and RAM speed of 1066Mhz.

Any thoughts ?

 

1066 mhz is your max speed.... SU9400 is a 800 mhz FSB processor, as such everything gets downclocked to that speed.

 

That explains it.

The SU9400 is the 800Mhz bottleneck.

Thanks again.

 

From what I understand, in this case, it is not the CPU that's the bottleneck, but rather the BIOS settings. In a custom build desktop, you can select the multiplier for the RAM (of the BCLK), and therefore the RAM can run at a different frequency than the FSB (the FSB is always 4 x BCLK). For example, in my desktop, my FSB is 1200 MHz while my RAM is 800 MHz.

 

base clock frequencies only apply to core-i processors (of which the SU9400/SU9600 are definitely not) and the X301 is in no way overclockable via the BIOS.   the CPU is absolutely the limiting factor in this case.

 

All CPUs since a long time ago have been using a base clock and a multiplier. The base clock in the Core 2 era is used for the effective FSB, CPU frequency, RAM frequency, and some other stuff. With a multiplier of 5.33, instead of 4, it is possible to run the RAM at 1066 MHz. It is by no means impossible to run the RAM at a different frequency than the FSB. In the X301, this may be the case and the CPU may appear to be the bottleneck, but it is really limited by the BIOS. You don't have to overclock the CPU whatsoever; in fact, you can underclock it and it'll still work if the BIOS wasn't limiting the RAM multipliers. I'm an overclocker from the Core 2 era, by the way.

 

previous CPUs to the core-i series had external clocks, not base clocks.   you specifically said that the SU9400 could be overclocked via the "BCLK" and that's not correct due to the differences in architecture.   FSB and BCLK shouldn't be confused.   you won't find BCLK settings in overclockable BIOSes prior to the i-series.   core 2 series and earlier were done (the easy way) via the FSB, multipliers, and voltages.

then you ought to know there are no "BCLK" settings in a C2/C2D BIOS.   sorry... couldn't resist.


in any case, the only point i wanted to make here was that the X301 is not overclockable via the BIOS and that the suggestion was therefore moot.   users tend to get way too wrapped up in system specs and the difference between 800MHz and 1066MHz memory definitely isn't one of great concern, especially on a ULV notebook processor.

 

Agree with the points - SU9xxx is a 800Mhz FSB CPU. A couple of ways you could go faster:

i). get a 200Mhz overclock if can get a dual-IDA modded bios for it: http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...ida-both-cores-core-2-duo-15.html#post6646598

ii) do a 200->266Mhz FSLx PLL pinmod: http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...pll-pinmod-overclocking-methods-examples.html

iii) get a technician to BGA swap the 10W TDP SU9xxx for a 17W TDP SL9xxx. The latter being a 1066Mhz CPU and clocked up to 2.13Ghz (2.40Ghz if run dual-IDA).