Intel P965: Mid-Range Performance Sector Roundup
by Gary Key on October 20, 2006 9:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3: Overclocking
FSB Overclocking Results
We were able to reach a final setting of 7x455FSB resulting in a clock speed of 3185MHz. This board is fully capable of 500FSB rates with the correct memory installed. We still have an issue with the D9 Micron based 1GB modules not wanting to go above the 460FSB range in a stable manner. This issue will be fixed in an upcoming BIOS release and we will retest at that time. We did not have any issues reaching 510FSB with a set of D9 based 512MB modules in testing.
Our CPU voltages were set higher than normal but this is due to the VDroop on the board being around .02~.04V during testing. Also, the voltage was increased slightly to compensate for being on the edge with our memory at the 7x450FSB or higher settings. At 7x440FSB we had the CPU set at 1.4250V without issue. Although we are limited at this time in FSB rates we feel like this board offers one of the better overclocking experiences for the money.
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests
We take a look now at seeing how well our GEIL PC2-6400 memory operates in this board in both two and four DIMM testing. The screenshot above shows the actual memory settings used in our benchmark tests of the board. We do not modify the memory timings beyond the four major settings in our charts. The balance of the settings is implemented automatically via the BIOS. Gigabyte is fairly aggressive with their internal memory and MCH timings as our testing will reveal today.
We were able to set our timings to 3-3-3-9 by increasing the memory voltage to 2.20V with our GEIL memory. We were able to hold these timings up to DDR2-830 on this board and held timings of 3-4-3-9 up to DDR2-860. The board ran at 4-4-3-10 up to DDR2-880 before switching to the final overlclock settings of 5-5-5-15. We noticed that any memory timings above DDR2-880 required the use of auto settings to ensure a stable system. This goes back to our issue with the 1GB D9 Micron modules that will be resolved shortly.
Our settings of 3-4-4-9 at 2.20V were not quite as good as the Asus 1.02G settings of 3-4-3-10 but the Gigabyte board runs tighter overall memory latencies. We were able to keep this setting up to DDR2-840 before switching over to 4-4-3-10 settings that held stable until we reached DDR2-860. We then kept a setting of 4-4-4-12 at 2.30V up to our final overclock setting of 7x438, 3066MHz DDR2-876, with four dimms installed. This board will overclock higher with four DIMMs once the D9 Micron issue is solved.
FSB Overclocking Results
| Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Overclocking Testbed |
|
| Processor: | Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Dual Core, 1.86GHz, 2MB Unified Cache 1066FSB, 7x Multiplier |
| CPU Voltage: | 1.4750V (default 1.3250V) |
| Cooling: | Scythe Infinity Air Cooling |
| Power Supply: | OCZ GameXStream 700W |
| Memory: | Geil PC2-6400 800MHz Plus (2x1GB- GX22GB6400PDC), (Micron Memory Chips) |
| Video Cards: | 1 x MSI X1950XTX |
| Hard Drive: | Seagate 320GB 7200RPM SATA2 16MB Buffer |
| Case: | Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 |
| Maximum CPU OC: (Standard Ratio) |
455x7 (5-5-5-15, 1:1, 2.2V), CPU 1.4750V, C2 Stepping 3185MHz (+71%) |
| . | |
 |
| Click to enlarge |
We were able to reach a final setting of 7x455FSB resulting in a clock speed of 3185MHz. This board is fully capable of 500FSB rates with the correct memory installed. We still have an issue with the D9 Micron based 1GB modules not wanting to go above the 460FSB range in a stable manner. This issue will be fixed in an upcoming BIOS release and we will retest at that time. We did not have any issues reaching 510FSB with a set of D9 based 512MB modules in testing.
Our CPU voltages were set higher than normal but this is due to the VDroop on the board being around .02~.04V during testing. Also, the voltage was increased slightly to compensate for being on the edge with our memory at the 7x450FSB or higher settings. At 7x440FSB we had the CPU set at 1.4250V without issue. Although we are limited at this time in FSB rates we feel like this board offers one of the better overclocking experiences for the money.
Memory Stress Testing
Memory Tests
 |
| Click to enlarge |
We take a look now at seeing how well our GEIL PC2-6400 memory operates in this board in both two and four DIMM testing. The screenshot above shows the actual memory settings used in our benchmark tests of the board. We do not modify the memory timings beyond the four major settings in our charts. The balance of the settings is implemented automatically via the BIOS. Gigabyte is fairly aggressive with their internal memory and MCH timings as our testing will reveal today.
| Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Stable DDR2-800 Timings - 2 DIMMs (2/4 slots populated - 1 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
| Clock Speed: | 800MHz |
| CAS Latency: | 3 |
| RAS to CAS Delay: | 3 |
| RAS Precharge: | 3 |
| RAS Cycle Time: | 9 |
| Voltage: | 2.20V |
We were able to set our timings to 3-3-3-9 by increasing the memory voltage to 2.20V with our GEIL memory. We were able to hold these timings up to DDR2-830 on this board and held timings of 3-4-3-9 up to DDR2-860. The board ran at 4-4-3-10 up to DDR2-880 before switching to the final overlclock settings of 5-5-5-15. We noticed that any memory timings above DDR2-880 required the use of auto settings to ensure a stable system. This goes back to our issue with the 1GB D9 Micron modules that will be resolved shortly.
| Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Stable DDR2-800 Timings - 4 DIMMs (4/4 slots populated - 2 Dual-Channel Bank) |
|
| Clock Speed: | 800MHz |
| CAS Latency: | 3 |
| RAS to CAS Delay: | 4 |
| RAS Precharge: | 4 |
| RAS Cycle Time: | 9 |
| Voltage: | 2.20V |
Our settings of 3-4-4-9 at 2.20V were not quite as good as the Asus 1.02G settings of 3-4-3-10 but the Gigabyte board runs tighter overall memory latencies. We were able to keep this setting up to DDR2-840 before switching over to 4-4-3-10 settings that held stable until we reached DDR2-860. We then kept a setting of 4-4-4-12 at 2.30V up to our final overclock setting of 7x438, 3066MHz DDR2-876, with four dimms installed. This board will overclock higher with four DIMMs once the D9 Micron issue is solved.
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smn198 - Monday, October 23, 2006 - link
Would you be able to re-run using 4 drives for all of the tests please?
jonp - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
-- “…budget sector and includes boards from ECS, Foxconn, Intel, and Gigabyte.” – will the MSI P965 Neo-F be in this set?-- the Abit AB9 Pro feature set does not show the eSata port on the SI 3132 (two SATA). it does show a serial port on the i/o panel but not one in the picture.
-- The Biostar feature set shows 4 USB on the i/o panel when there are six in the picture.
JarredWalton - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
Fixed - thanks.powchi - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Can I use a 20-pin power supply on these boards since all are using 24-pin connectors? Or will I be needing 20pin to 24pin adaptor?The PSU is an Enermax NoiseTaker EG475P-VE SFMA 470W ATX 12V v1.3.
Aikouka - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
Some motherboard manufacturers will no longer support your motherboard if they find out you've been running it with a 20-pin ATX plug or a 20->24-pin adapter. Just be safe and get a newer PSU :). I know DFI will no longer support the motherboard if it specifically asks for a 24-pin.JarredWalton - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Technically, yes you can use 20-pin PSUs. Will they work, and will the system be stable? That varies. I haven't had any issues on the systems where I've done it, but if you do high overclocking it will likely become a serious issue.powchi - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Jarred,So there's no need to use a 20pin to 24pin adaptor? What are the differences when using and not using an adaptor? Thanks.
lopri - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
No. As a matter of fact, the adapter should be avoided. Just plug the 20-pin connector to 24-pin receptacle with 4-pin left empty. Like Jarred said, it should work in theory and it does in practice. However, the quality of PSU and how intense is one's OC can affect the (long-term) stability.JarredWalton - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
I suppose the adapter *could* help, as it ensures power is available on all the 24-pins, but you're still taking the power from the same source so depending on how that works out it can actually make things worse. I would typically say that if you have a 400W or better PSU you should be fine with little to moderate OC'ing even with 20-pins. (I have an OCZ ModStream 450W that certainly works fine in a 939 board with a decent 2.0 to 2.6 GHz overclock.)lopri - Sunday, October 22, 2006 - link
Yes! Not to brag about myself or anything, but I went through countless Socket 939 Opterons on DFI NF4 SLI-D with original Antec TruePower EPS12V (20-pins, not the TP2 with 24-pins) including an Opteron 165 @3.0GHz (9x333). TCCD up to 325MHz/2.5-4-3-8! The setup was absolutely stable.