AMD processors operate on two data transport systems, called transmission buses, used to receive and send data. One of the Lightening Data Transport (LDT) data buses is responsible for interaction with motherboard components. The second bus, called HyperTransport (HT), determines the current processor clock speed and provides data exchange with RAM or integrated cache memory. The AMD HyperTransport bus is basically similar to the Intel front-side bus (FSB). The only difference is that the controller and Intel FSB are located outside the processor, while the AMD HT bus is integrated into the processor die. This gives AMD HT technology additional advantages when overclocking.

Instructions

1. Download and install special software for overclocking system components. The AMD Overdrive application, which was specifically designed for overclocking AMD processors, is great for this purpose. However, you can use other third-party programs for this purpose, such as CPU-Z, which is completely free.

2. Reboot your computer and run an overclocking program. Experienced users and experts can enter BIOS settings during boot using one or more keystrokes. Depending on the manufacturer of the motherboard and computer, the “Esc”, “DEL”, “F8” buttons or a key combination can be used for this purpose. In order to determine this, contact the manufacturer's website for help or read the corresponding section in the user manual.

3. Determine the clock speed at which the processor is running and write down the current LDT bus settings (frequency) in a notepad. These are set using the HT bus base frequency and the HT multiplier. Please note that it is very important to keep the LDT bus frequency as close as possible to the original values ​​​​set by the manufacturers. It must be kept within these limits when overclocking the HyperTransport bus. Even small deviations in the LDT frequency from the norm can cause complete instability of the processor.

4. Start incrementally increasing the HT multiplier value by 5 to 10 percent. If its factory value is 12X, then in the next step increase it to 13-14, no more, if it is 15X, then try a multiplier value of 17 or 18.

5. Increase the processor supply voltage by 5 to 10 percent.

6. Reboot your computer. If the reboot process went well, run a special stress test, which is performed by appropriate software available on the Internet. Such testing (to obtain accurate results) must last at least 3 hours. During testing, the processor temperature under heavy load should remain stable and not exceed the threshold of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to further increase the HyperTransport bus frequency, but proceed with extreme caution.

Tips and warnings

Monitoring the temperature of system components is the most important aspect when performing an operation such as overclocking. When overclocking, try to use the most efficient cooling system possible. By the way, increasing the speed of the HT bus also allows you to increase the performance of RAM. Read the AMD OverDrive instructions in PDF format on the manufacturer's website to understand how to achieve this.

Do not try to do everything described above without reading AMD's overclocking instructions, CPU-Z and Prime95 software manuals. A small mistake during the overclocking process can result in damage to expensive hardware.

Pay attention to how the tracks on the board go: from the CPU there is a separate bus to the memory and a separate bus to the north
bridge (AGP tunnel).

After AMD announced in 1999 the transition to 64-bit computing and its work on the x86-64 architecture, it became necessary to develop a new technology for transferring information between different system nodes, since all existing chip connection technologies did not provide the required data exchange speed .

Let's look back

In general, the need to increase the speed of data transfer between system elements appeared quite a long time ago. Back in 1997, AMD began working on the technology LDT (Lightning Data Transfer- lightning-fast data transfer). In 2000, AMD announced that it had entered into a licensing agreement with Transmeta for LDT technology. AMD, in turn, gains access to technologies that reduce processor power consumption. In February 2001, AMD opened the technology for wide licensing, while changing its name to HyperTransport. HT is positioned as a high-speed data transfer bus for personal computers, workstations and servers based on AMD microprocessors, but the company does not exclude the possibility of using this technology in other parts of the computer, for example, to integrate all intra-system buses, such as PCI, AGP, DRAM, PCI-X, other high-speed ports, use of HT in routers and switches. The first companies to become interested in the technology were Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Apple Computer, nVidia, and Sun Microsystems. Having united, they formed a consortium HyperTransport Technology Consortium(http://www.hypertransport.org/). Then, within a short period of time, more than 40 more companies joined the alliance.

In 2003, Gabriel Sartori, president of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium, announced the appearance of a new modification of the HyperTransport Technology I/O Link Specification 1.05 protocol, and in February 2004 the HyperTransport Release 2.0 Specification was completed.

HT - what kind of animal?

I would like to warn you right away that in this article we will not talk about Hyper-Threading technology; throughout the text, HT is an abbreviation for HyperTransport. So, HT is a new technology designed to increase the speed of data transfer on the system bus, since it has traditionally been a limiting factor in the growth of overall system performance. Due to the increase in the speed of the processor, memory, video system and some other components, it is necessary to make the interaction between them more efficient, that is, to increase the data exchange rate. This is not a new problem. At one time, the extension bus underwent major changes, evolving into a general-purpose bus. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect). Then came the AGP specification, designed specifically to speed up the transfer of graphics data. However, PCI and AGP technologies are becoming obsolete and can no longer provide sufficient transfer speeds. Devices are forced to “compete” for the resources they use, and no more than three devices can work on the bus at the same time.

HyperTransport- this is not just a new system bus, it is a new asynchronous bidirectional protocol for data exchange between devices. HT technology can be supported by absolutely any device: processors, logic sets, controllers, etc. The components of the system communicate with each other using the “point-to-point” principle (peer-to-peer), which means that a connection can easily be established between almost any computer nodes, and without any additional bridges (theoretically, of course :)). Information is exchanged in packets at speeds from 0.8 Gbit/s to 89.6 Gbit/s (51.2 Gbit/s in the first version of NT). The bus is bidirectional, that is, it has two connections: one in the forward direction and one in the reverse direction. Data transmission occurs on two edges of the strobe pulse (DDR). The resulting speed depends on the bus width (2-32 bits in each direction) and its frequency (200-1400 MHz, in the first version - 200-800).

For example, in nVidia's nForce3 chip, HT is used to connect the north and south bridges. It uses an 8-bit connection at a clock frequency of 200 MHz. At the same time, the effective bus frequency is 400 MHz, and the throughput is 800 MB/s.

Let's calculate the data transfer rate for the connection specified in the example:

• The bandwidth in one direction is 8 bits, that is, 1 byte;


• Bus frequency - 200 MHz;


• 200 MHz*2 (since DDR) = 400 MHz effective;


• Transfer speed in one direction - 400 MHz * 1 byte = 400 MB/s;


• Transfer speed in two directions (total throughput) - 2*400 MB/s = 800 MB/s

Since HT is designed to replace the existing buses and bridges used in modern motherboards, motherboards built using HT technology do not have the usual chipset consisting of a north bridge designed for high-speed nodes and a south bridge used for low-speed peripherals. HyperTransport allows you to flexibly configure the system for specific goals and objectives (this is a big plus of the technology). Using HT modules, you can daisy chain other high-performance buses and ports onto the HyperTransport bus. For example, for a server it is easy to replace the graphics tunnel with a PCI-X bus tunnel, and for a graphics station it is easy to enable both tunnels at the same time.

Iron

Since HyperTransport technology is designed to standardize and unify the order of data exchange between all computer nodes, its implementation affects all levels of data transfer: physical (pin layout for chipsets), connection level (the order of initialization and configuration of devices), protocol level (protocol commands and flow control rules data), transaction level (description of control signals) and session level (general commands).

Let's consider the first, physical level. Here HyperTransport defines the parameters of the data lines, control lines, and clock lines. In addition, controllers and electrical signals are standardized. All physical devices involved in technology8 are divided into several types: cave, tunnel and bridge. Devices of the “cave” type are the outermost (closing) device in the chain, the “tunnel” is intended for the transit of information between devices, and the “bridge” is the main device that connects to the bus controller (host) and provides a connection with the devices connected to it.

The Northbridge is now located to the left, between the CPU and AGP, since there is no need to place it closer to the memory.

In the smallest possible implementation, the HT bus could be as small as 2-bit. This will require 24 pins (8 - for data, 4 - for clock signals, 4 - for control lines, 2 - signal, 4 - ground, 1 - power, 1 - reset). And in a configuration with a 32-bit bus, you will have to use 197 pins. By the way, PCI 2.1 uses “only” 84 pins, while PCI-X uses as many as 150.

The HT bus length can be up to 61 centimeters (24 inches) with a throughput of up to 800 Mbps. In this case, the signal level is 1.2 V, and the differential resistance is 100 Ohms. The data transfer method on which HyperTransport is physically based is called LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling- low-voltage differential signals).

The clock frequency of the connections can be from 200 to 1400 MHz depending on the requirements.

Data

As already mentioned, HT technology uses packet data transmission. In this case, the packet is always a multiple of 32 bits, and the maximum packet length is 64 bytes (including addresses, commands and data). Because the bus is bidirectional, each connection consists of a transmit (Tx) subconnection and a receive (Rx) subconnection. In this case, both work asynchronously. Each connection can be 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 bits wide in each direction.

Now let's say we have a processor that requires a high-speed connection - we use two 32-bit connections at 800 MHz, thus getting a speed of 6.4 GB / s for reception and transmission (the total bandwidth of such a bus will be 12.8 GB /With). If we do not need such speed, we can use a four-bit bus with a frequency of 200 MHz. Such a bus will provide up to 100 MB/s for reception and the same amount for transmission. That is, the specification assumes the ability to select the frequency and bus when developing the device. In this case, devices with different bus widths can be connected to the same HyperTransport bus and communicate freely with each other. Thus, a device with a 32-bit bus can be connected to an 8-bit device, and the throughput will be due to the smaller bus width.

For those devices that are demanding on bus bandwidth, HT implements virtual channel technology - StreamThru. This technology ensures that high-speed devices have fast access to RAM via a reserved channel.

HT vs PCI Express

As you may have noticed, Intel is not mentioned anywhere next to HyperTransport. The thing is that Intel is promoting its technology for increasing the speed of the peripheral device bus: PCI Express. Both buses have several similar features: a similar request generation mechanism, similar prioritization mechanisms, similar scaling capabilities.

The South Bridge is essentially unchanged.

The main difference between the technologies is their original purpose: PCI Express is a new high-speed peripheral bus, and nothing more. It is designed to work with expansion cards, while HyperTransport is a fundamentally new technology for communication and data exchange between all computer nodes. Of course, these nodes can also be expansion cards.

The packet length and control buffers in HT are 64 bytes, while in PCI Express the packet size can reach 1 KB, the request size can be up to 4 KB, and the buffer size is 16 bytes. Since PCI Express was originally created for high-performance servers, it has a higher cost, but at the same time it achieves higher speeds than HyperTransport.

PCI Express is neither PCI nor AGP compatible and requires new BIOS versions and new drivers, while HT is fully compatible with the current PCI software model.

But in fact, all these comparisons need not be made, since HyperTransport can also be adapted to PCI Express. Simply put, PCI Express devices can be connected via HyperTransport.

HT in action

Let's now look at HyperTransport in action and compare it with Intel technologies. A classic motherboard chipset consists of two chips (north and south bridges): one includes the processor bus, memory controller, AGP and south bridge bus, the second contains various I/O controllers and a PCI bus controller. Intel systems use just such a classic system. Processors (or processor in desktop systems) are connected to memory through a memory controller integrated into the northbridge. In HyperTransport technology, all devices are connected to a single host controller. Moreover, it should be noted that AMD began to integrate the memory controller into its processors, which means that it was removed from the chipset, which somewhat speeded up the work with RAM. Thus, each processor was able to have its own memory. This allows up to 16 GB of memory (four gigabytes for each of the four processors).

In addition, AMD decided to get rid of the limitations imposed by the north and south bridge design. The memory controller, as well as some of the AGP (GART) functions are now implemented in the processor. The HyperTransport controller is also located there. For AGP, I/O controllers, and PCI controller, three separate chips were created: AGP tunnel, PCI-X I/O Bus Tunnel, and I/O Hub. This division allows you to design a system for specific tasks. Only the latest controller is required for operation (you can do without AGP and PCI-X), server systems are unlikely to need an AGP video card, and PCI-X devices are not yet in demand in desktop systems. By the way, nVidia in its nForce3 chipset combined all the controllers into one chip.

Future

In February of this year, a new version of the technology was presented - HyperTransport Release 2.0 Specification. The new specification supports three new speed implementations: frequencies of 1 GHz, 1.2 GHz and 1.4 GHz. In addition, compatibility with the PCI Express interface became an important feature in the HT2.

HyperTransportBus(system bus)– high speed, bidirectional system bus based on the point-to-point principle, designed for connections low-speed system buses, computer components, servers, network centers and telecommunications equipment, providing up to 48x speed increase.

Helps reduce the number of tires in the system and is most often used in PC, to connect to the controller and , allowing them work faster in the same environment and with lower I/O latencies. Very often the tire is used for nuclear connections processors to each other.

During development, main criteria were:

• o Data transfer speed must be higher than competitors.

• o Low I/O latency and low pin count.

• o Compatible with the most common buses included in SNA.

• o Problem-free recognition by operating systems.

Development and licensing technology is carried out by a consortium specially created for this purpose - HyperTransport Technology Consortium .

Used in company products AMD, Transmeta(X 86); VIA, NVidia, SiS , Apple, HP(license for the production of system logic); Broadcom, Raza—Microelectronics(MIPS - processor architecture); HP, SUN, DELL, (for servers); company Cisco for example, it uses this bus in routers.

Main application of tire HyperTransport found it as processor bus. Being flexible scalable and compatible with all common peripheral buses, has become the main one for platforms with production processors AMD. Even competing with AMD company Intel, at one time bought the rights to use HyperTransport, since some transmission technologies in their own tires could conflict with a competitor's patents.

Description of operating principle:

The tire is consistent. The transfer speed depends on two parameters − tire width And frequencies its functioning. The bus, in addition to transmitting the data itself, can be used to transmit interrupts, service, system and configuration messages.

The bus can operate in two modes: Posted And Non-Posted. The first is usually used in desktop consumer systems (for DMA transfers for example) and provides maximum data transfer speed. Posted a write operation simply sends a packet of data to a specific address, the data is written and that's it. Non-Posted involves transferring data to a specific address, and after a successful write, a packet is sent in the opposite direction confirming the successful write. This type of recording is much slower, but eliminates transmission errors. Therefore, it is used primarily in server, scientific, and high-precision machines.

The bus supports energy-saving modes provided in ACPI. Namely - C/D—state.

Bus versions and operating speeds :

• HyperTransport™ technology, part of the AMD64 architecture, is a high-performance point-to-point interface for integrated circuit communications and is designed to deliver the necessary bandwidth for future computing and communications platforms. Providing peak performance of up to 22.4 GB/s, HyperTransport technology offers an ideal solution for most bandwidth-hungry system applications.

  The use of HyperTransport in computing systems improves overall performance by eliminating data transfer bottlenecks, increasing throughput, and reducing access latency. The flexibility and versatility of the HyperTransport bus allows it to be used for solving a wide range of problems, including intersystem communications. A number of motherboards, such as the Supermicro H8QC8 / H8QCE and IWILL DK8-HTX, use the HyperTransport (HTX) interface to combine two four-processor boards into an eight-processor system or to provide additional high-performance I/O channels.

  An evolution of the original HyperTransport specification, HyperTransport 2.0 supports three new high-speed implementations: in addition to the 1.6 billion operations per second (Giga Transfers/second, GT/s) on the 800 MHz bus included in the Release 1.1 Specification, version of HyperTransport 2.0 now also defines speeds of 2.0, 2.4 and 2.8 GT/s at frequencies of 1.0 GHz, 1.2 GHz and 1.4 GHz, respectively, which allows us to talk about achieving the maximum total throughput (by 32 -bit bidirectional bus) up to 22.4 GB/s. The electrical part of the protocols, which describes the new bus clock frequencies, is backward compatible with previous versions of HyperTransport.

  Another key innovation in the second version of the HyperTransport standard was the added compatibility with the PCI-Express interface, in addition to the already existing support for PCI and PCI-X. The basis for improving the bus characteristics stated in the HT 2.0 specifications was the use of frequency correction technology in combination with recommendations for improving the sensitivity of the receiving part of the path.

  By 2007, AMD products plan to introduce a further development of this universal bus - the HyperTransport 3.0 specification with a peak throughput of up to 41.6 GB/s. The new standard introduces support for frequencies of 1.8 GHz, 2.0 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 2.6 GHz, hot plugging functions, dynamic changes in bus frequency and power consumption, dynamic configuration and other innovative solutions. The maximum transmission distance without loss of efficiency on the HT 3.0 bus is 1 meter. Improved support for multiprocessor configurations, added the ability to automatically configure to achieve the best performance.

  The main technical characteristics of HyperTransport™ technology are given in the table

  In the last article in this series, we looked at the basic principles and algorithms for overclocking video cards. These simple manipulations provide a significant increase in speed, but the positive effect of a fast video card can only be assessed in 3D applications. To increase the performance of the system as a whole, you should move on to the next stage of overclocking - testing the central processor.

  Unbreakable Bonds

  In a computer, all components are connected to each other using the motherboard. By editing its parameters, we also change the operating mode of installed devices. This rule fully applies to the central processor.

  The final CPU frequency from Intel is equal to the product of the system bus frequency (Front Side Bus, FSB) and the processor multiplier (CPU Ratio). Note that the traditional FSB frequency (200 MHz, 333 MHz) actually means the reference clock frequency. The effective rate is four times higher. Therefore, in the specifications for motherboards we see values ​​of 800 MHz, 1066 MHz, 1333 MHz. In the case of AMD processors, the resulting frequency is the product of the multiplier and the frequency of the clock generator (HTT).

  The multiplier shows the number of cycles that the processor performs in one clock cycle of the system bus. This is usually an integer, although you may find processors with increments of 0.5. In ancient times, the multiplier was freely variable, which provided overclocking enthusiasts with a wide field for experimentation. Today, you can only reduce its value, i.e. The only way to increase the processor frequency is overclocking via the system bus. The floating multiplier is now found only on processors from the series Intel Core 2 Extreme And AMD Athlon 64 FX.

  Getting ready for achievements

  Before moving directly to overclocking, we traditionally ask ourselves the question: does this make sense? In the case of really old and weak processors, the answer is no. It will not be possible to achieve adequate performance; it is better to think about purchasing something more powerful. A cheap motherboard or low-quality power supply can be unstable and become an insurmountable obstacle to successful overclocking. The last argument against: overclocking shortens the life of the processor. However, even taking into account wear and tear, the CPU will work for at least 5-7 years and during this time it will become obsolete.

  Now let's get ready. First of all, you need to read the instructions for the motherboard. Please pay attention to the section dedicated to setting up the BIOS - our main overclocking tool. Here is a list of parameters that should be found: system bus frequency, memory frequency and its timing settings, voltage of the processor, memory and northbridge of the chipset.

  Unfortunately, there is no single interface for the BIOS. On the contrary, each manufacturer tries to show maximum ingenuity in this matter. Therefore, the BIOS shells of two different motherboards with an identical set of functions can differ like heaven and earth. Not only the names of the parameters and their location differ, but also the method of modification. In one case, to change the value, the “Page Up” and “Page Down” buttons are used, in the other - “plus” and “minus” or “up” and “down”.

  The next stage on the path to future achievements is collecting information about the system and testing it in nominal mode. You need to make sure that it works stably under full load; in addition, it would not hurt to evaluate the performance and peak temperature of the processor.

  The utility will provide detailed information about the CPU CPU-Z. You should write down the processor voltage value, it will come in handy later. We measure the CPU speed with the program Super Pi. This utility calculates pi with an accuracy of 33.5 million decimal places and seriously loads the system. The difference in values ​​before and after overclocking is used to estimate the performance increase. Synthetic tests are also suitable for this purpose. Futuremark PCMark05, Everest Ultimate Edition and others.

  Programs will tell you about the processor temperature CoreTemp, S&M or SpeedFan. The latter, by the way, allows you to control the rotation speed of the fan on the CPU cooler. In addition, monitoring utilities are included with the motherboard. It is best to check the stability of the “processor and memory” combination with a program S&M. If errors are observed even at the nominal frequency, then overclocking is out of the question.

  We recommend that you find out the temperature limit for your processor. This value is indicated either on the packaging (if you have the Box version) or on the manufacturer’s website. Exceeding the maximum temperature is strictly not recommended.

  Finally, we remind you that many factors play a role when overclocking a processor. A clear awareness of all actions performed is required. Lack of caution or attention is unacceptable because... both can lead to irreversible consequences.

  The educational program is over, let's start the acceleration.

  Meticulous digging into the BIOS is just one way to overclock the processor. There are programs that can adjust the frequency of the motherboard clock generator. Such programs are often included with the motherboard. In any case, they can be replaced by universal packages like ClockGen.

  When changing frequencies programmatically, you cannot expect outstanding results. The utilities will be useful only to those users who feel like they are new to overclocking and want to experiment a little. For those who need maximum results, the only option is to configure the BIOS.

  CPU overclocking

  The first step is to enter the BIOS. To do this, immediately after turning on the computer, press the “Del” button and wait for the coveted blue menu to appear. Sometimes, to get into the BIOS, you need to press some other key. In this case, you should read the instructions for the motherboard.

  Next, you should find and fix the frequencies of the PCI Express, PCI, AGP, SATA, etc. buses, since they are usually proportional to the speed of the FSB. This matter must be stopped by setting fixed values ​​for all tires. Otherwise, after increasing the system bus frequency by 15-20 percent, the system will no longer see the devices. In addition, there is a tiny chance that the components from such doping will go to another world. The nominal frequencies are as follows: PCI - 33.3 MHz, AGP - 66.6 MHz, SATA and PCI Express - 100 MHz. We set the memory frequency to the minimum, otherwise it will be a limiting factor during overclocking.

  The next items we take control of are operating voltages. We set the processor to the value shown in CPU-Z. For DDR memory, the nominal voltage is 2.5 V, for DDR2 - 1.8 V. If possible, you should fix the voltage on the northbridge of the chipset (you can find the specific value in the instructions for the board or with the Everest utility). Important note: change the voltage only when you are one hundred percent sure that the value is correct.

  For AMD processors it will be useful to reduce the bus frequency by about 1.5 times HyperTransport, acting as a link between the processor and the chipset. It is usually specified as a multiplier to the system bus (clock generator) frequency. When overclocking, the HyperTransport frequency should not exceed the nominal value. Otherwise, this bus causes unstable operation of the system.

  Now we find the line responsible for the system bus frequency and begin to increase the parameter. Let's call the optimal change step such that the processor frequency increases by approximately 100 MHz. In other words, the FSB frequency should be increased by a value equal to "100/multiplier". Having calculated the step and changed the system bus speed, save the results (usually the F10 key) and go to Windows. The testing phase begins.

  Testing for functionality is simple: just run a half-hour processor test in the S&M program. If no errors are detected, increase the FSB frequency by the same step and restart the test. Don't forget about the CPU temperature - if the peak value under load approaches the maximum permissible, then it is better to stop overclocking. It is advisable to leave a safety margin of 3-4 degrees.

  A separate article includes checking for “throttling” - a special processor protection mechanism. The essence of the technology is that when the CPU overheats, it begins to skip cycles in order to reduce the load. As a result, the frequency remains unchanged, but the efficiency decreases. You understand that overclocking with throttling is a pointless exercise. If the protective mechanism has worked, care must be taken to reduce the temperature (reduce the frequency or change the cooling). We recommend the following programs for tracking throttling: RightMark CPU Clock Utility And ThrottleWatch.

  No matter how smoothly the overclocking process goes, at a certain stage the processor will still start producing errors. If the temperature is far from the limit, we try to increase the processor voltage. Since this results in rapid heating (temperature versus voltage is non-linear), the initial voltage change should be minimal. If the errors have disappeared, we continue overclocking, increasing the voltage if necessary. An increase of more than 5-7 percent is highly undesirable, otherwise processor degradation may occur with prolonged use. Don't forget about temperature control.

  Experiments with the northbridge voltage are also not prohibited. However, we must remember that the chipset is inferior to the processor in terms of cooling quality, and act carefully.

  When the limit is reached, the CPU temperature is close to dangerous, and errors can no longer be avoided, we lower the processor frequency by 120-150 MHz. As a result, we obtain the value at which the system will be stable. We save the operating frequency of the FSB and do not touch it anymore.

  Often overclocking is not related to practical goals. For some people, this process has become a kind of hobby. They are ready to spend a lot of money and a lot of time for one goal - to be the very best among their own kind for a couple of days. Ratings of record holders are compiled based on the results of test applications from the series 3DMark.There are special statistics servers (for each version of the program) to which you can send your achievements.

  It is simply impossible for an ordinary user to get to the top of these ratings. After all, extreme overclocking is not only about the best equipment, but also about non-standard techniques. Cooling components with dry ice and liquid nitrogen is considered the norm among extreme sports enthusiasts, and voltmode (changing the configuration of power circuits) is a vital necessity. The computer is assembled for one “race”, and the components wear out in a matter of hours.

  The performance achieved is amazing, but it is impossible to use this power for practical purposes.

  Memory overclocking

  With memory overclocking, everything is somewhat more complicated, because the matter is not limited to frequency. RAM has such a parameter as timings - delays between sending a memory controller command and its execution. The lower the delay, the better. They are usually designated by the lines CAS Latency (tCL), RAS-to-CAS Delay (tRCD), RAS Precharge (tRP) and Precharge Delay (tRAS).

  First, we leave the timings unchanged and move on to searching for the maximum frequency. If its value is specified by a number, then the increment step is usually 33 MHz (in the case of a real frequency). Many motherboards, such as those with the latest Intel chipsets, use dividers. They show the ratio of FSB and memory frequencies (for example, 5:4). In any case, the initial increase in frequency should be minimal.

  Having increased the values, we save the results and test the system in S&M (memory test). There are no errors, which means we are speeding up the memory again. And so on until the failures manifest themselves. It would be useful to raise the voltage slightly, no more than 0.2 V. After determining the maximum frequency at which the memory operates without errors, we begin manipulating the timings.

  There are two options: either we increase the timings and conquer even higher frequencies, or we decrease them, thereby increasing the memory efficiency at the current frequency. Which option is better depends largely on the characteristics of the system. This can only be determined experimentally, i.e. by comparing the test results carried out for each case. When the ideal memory settings, in your opinion, are selected, overclocking is considered complete.

  During experiments with memory, it periodically happens that the computer simply refuses to start. There is no need to panic, just reset the BIOS configuration and the computer will come to life again. To do this, we either start the system with the “Insert” key held down, or switch a special jumper on the motherboard. The last resort is to remove the battery for a few seconds. The last two steps must be carried out with the computer turned off. After this, all parameters will be reset to nominal, and all values ​​will have to be set manually again.

  After overclocking the processor and memory, the average temperature in the system unit will inevitably increase. This can have a negative impact on the video card if it is running at its limit. It is possible that the frequencies of the graphics core and video memory will have to be reduced slightly.

  Clock nuances

  Improving results If you know for sure that your processor is capable of more, it is worth updating the motherboard BIOS. Sometimes this helps to get an increase of a hundred or two megahertz. The latest BIOS versions are posted on the motherboard manufacturer's website. Firmware instructions and necessary utilities are also stored there. If the CPU overheats, you will have to think about replacing the cooler. It is difficult to advise anything specific, but we will try. A good choice would be Cooler Master GeminII, Scythe Infinity, Zalman CNPS9700 LED or Thermaltake BigTyphoon 120 VX. All of them belong to the class of supercoolers - large, heavy and very efficient. Before purchasing, you should check whether the cooler is compatible with your processor socket and whether it will fit in the case. Fans of non-standard solutions should like a cooler with Peltier elements (for example, Titan Amanda) or a comprehensive water cooling system. By the way, in nature there are models that combine thermoelectric and liquid cooling. One of them - CoolIT Freezone. The effectiveness of such solutions is as high as their price. Purposeful purchase We bring to your attention a number of tips that will be useful to those who are assembling a system for the purpose of subsequent overclocking. You need to decide on the processor family in advance, because... not all of them accelerate equally well. Whatever one may say, the best results today are shown by CPUs from the Intel series Core 2 Duo. With the release of new processors, the situation may change. AMD fans should pay attention to the following facts. Caught CPUs Athlon 64 X2(Brisbane core), despite a more refined technical process, show worse results when overclocked than their 90 nm counterparts (Windsor core). This is due to the inability of new processors to handle high temperatures, slow cache memory and fractional multipliers. So it's better to look for a processor from the old guard Any processor belongs to a specific generation. There is a pattern: the higher the generation of the CPU, the better it can be overclocked. This is explained by the fact that in each new modification minor defects are corrected. Determining the generation without installing a processor is difficult. A clue is the batch number or some external features, if any. It is clear that they need to be known for sure. Practice shows that the greatest increase in frequency (relative to the nominal) is given by the younger models of the family. This is quite logical: their frequencies are far from the maximum, and therefore they have room to strive. Older models do not overclock as readily, but their final frequency, as a rule, is higher. Conclusion: if you want maximum megahertz for free, take one of the younger models of the family; you need speed at any cost - it’s better to take the older one. Much depends on the quality of the motherboard, especially if it is designed for an Intel processor. There is no need to save money; it is better to take a board that was originally intended for overclocking (for example, on a chipset NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI) - it will last longer, and there will be no problems with the maximum FSB frequency. It is important to take care of the system's power supply. We are not talking about a maximum-power power supply for crazy money, but simply about a high-quality model from a well-known manufacturer. For a system with one video card, a 500 W power supply is more than enough. Don't forget about cooling. It is advisable to choose a case that is spacious and well ventilated, and a cooler that is as efficient as possible. The last recommendation concerns memory. We advise you to stick to proven modules from Hynix, Kingston or OCZ. The frequency of the boards must be at least 800 MHz, otherwise the entire overclocking will be limited by slow memory. It makes no sense to take ultra-fast modules. The increase in speed from them is minimal, which cannot be said about the price. Radiators on the slats also wouldn’t hurt – for enhanced heat dissipation.