vcore problem, A8N-SLI Deluxe

[painterh]

Hi: I have an Asus a8n-sli Deluxe mb, with a 3800+ and Corsair xms 3200 (2x512 dual channel). I have my vcore set at 1.42 in bios, my ram set @2-3-3-6 1t, and am running @211x12 (2.52ghz). I have had very little success getting much above this overclock and remaining stable. I just installed Speedfan and downloaded config setting for this board from their database. When I checked vcore, it showed a graph reading of between 1.38 and 1.45 and seemed very erratic. I have an Antec Smartpower 500w psu. Is this vcore fluctuation keeping my overclock from going higher, and is this likely a psu problem or a mb problem? I am planning to change to an Opteron 165 and clock it up to around 2.5-2.6. Is this voltage issue going to give me problems with this setup? Any feedback would be appreciated.
P.S. I don't have any way to test psu or mb voltage, other than software.

[silent bob]

First off I would say lower the multipier and raise teh fsb . If you lower the multi you can lower your v-core . less heat means more overclock . FSB =no or little heat , multi=high heat
You may want to upgrade your heatsink to a XP90c if you want to do any serious overclocking . I still believe copper is the fastest heat dissapater we have available atm. plan on spending $30-50 depending on what you get . you spend big $$ on decent component dont go cheap when it comes to the heart and soul of your new rig.

[painterh]

Thanks for replying. I do have a Thermaltake Big Typhoon, and my temps (even under prime 95) never get above 42 full load. I am wondering if the vcore variation is within expected tolerances. If I did try to lower my multiplier and up the fsb, (I have tried it with 11 and fsb of 230) but I think my memory timings might be too tight. I have only loosened them up to 3-3-3-8 (Corsair pc3200 2-3-3-6 default) and it doesn't seem stable in Prime 95. (it fails after about 10 minutes) I am running my vdimm @2.85, and vcore @1.4375 . I realize it takes a lot of trial and error, and I don't seem to have enough time to make lots of small adjustments and try priming over and over again. Any Idea what a good place to start with this memory and multplier might for a good overclock?

[silent bob]

sweet , you got some decent cooling .
Is that the Neo psu? I thought I read somewhere that Asus and the Neo dont play well together .
ok to start I would go back to 1.4v on cpu and 2.6 on memory , it just sounds like your giving it too much for those speeds .I just took my own advise adn dropped my v-core and am still at 2859mhz 10x285 @1.5@ 37c full load

[painterh]

I'm not sure what you mean by "NEO".

Additional Comment:

It's an Antec Smartpower 500W psu.

[saberz]

he means the Antec Neo series of PSU's. and yes its true that the Neo series and the Asus board do not really get along, Asus forums have a lot issues regarding them.

[painterh]

I checked on the label of the psu and there was nothing mentioning "neo" on it. It just says"Antec Smartpower 500W". What indication would there be if it were a neo series?

[saberz]

Well it would say Neo on the packaging and on the unit itself.


Like NeoHE, Neopower, etc