Which DFI to take an opteron to 3+ ghz?

[will_ssi]

DFI boards under consideration: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-D, DFI CFX3200, DFI Ultra-D

 

Hey all- My first question: Can I run 2 ati cards in crossfire on an nF4 SLI board? Have the bios updates for the CFX3200 helped the auto settings for some of the more advanced options in the bios be more tuned? After reading the anandtech review of the CFX3200, it sounds like there are just too many options (if you don't have weeks to devote to testing). While I feel confident setting up a range of memory values, voltages and dividers it seems as if this board goes far far beyond that.

 

I currently I have an opteron 165 that is limited by the motherboard it's in. I'm using an A8V deluxe, and that via chipset doesn't want to be stable over 278 fsb which limits this CPU to 2.5ghz. From the stepping info off the chip, it's one of the optys that most consistently hits 3ghz+, and I would love to push that chip to that point. I have heard that DFI boards are the best for overclocking (939 at least) for a while now, and wanted to ask this community which board they would recommend for the hardware setup I've envisioned.

 

I would like to have the computer running at a 333 FSB with my 9x multi so I can hit 3ghz, and I want to use 2x1gb dual-channel sticks of memory anywhere between ddr430 - ddr550. I don't want to spend more than about $200 on the memory. What 2gb kits are known to work well with those DFI boards? What are some of the cons to these boards? Aside from too many options on the CFX3200 and memory compatability on all the boards, I don't know issues that people commonly have with DFI.

 

Would this memory work well with any of the DFIs? Apparently the DFI boards are sensitive to different PSUs also, is an ANTEC 550watt enough for 2 x1950s 1 opteron @ 3ghz and 4 physical drives? (2 sata HDs, 2 optical)

 

Argh, I have so many questions haha. Any help would be great, thanks.

[Praz]

SLI means nVidia. So no crossfire on an nF4 chipset board. Because of the 9x multiplier and the fact that most 165s don't like dividers less then 150 you want DDR500 memory. Otherwise you don't have much chance of reaching 3.0GHz. If it was me I'd be looking for a different psu also. See the "Recommended Power Supply" link in my sig.

[CPDMF]

The bios options for the CFX3200 are extensive and the defaults are are close to unstable at stock speeds. I doubt DFI will fix that for you, it's not a board for those not willing to spend some time with it..

 

Some of the CFX3200's have a seious bug with the ULI sata controller. The latest bios didn't fix it and caused another problem when you try to enable both onboard controllers..

 

The board is a beast in the overclocking department but falls short on hard drive controllers..

[allthatwhichis]

Depending on what stepping you have 3G may not be possible... That PSU looks likeit might be a little low for your set up. Mainly those 2 cards and the 4 drives.

 

with that sig on the first post... You can READ!!!

[Iceblade]

yeah I don't think the board will take you to 3ghz,

the CPU stepping will allow for that!

 

The DFI board will help a CPU with a great stepping reach it's peak

[will_ssi]

I appreciate all the input guys. I think I'm going to go with the nf4 ultra-D model because the more I think about it, I don't believe I'm ever going to put down the cash for two ATI cards in a 939 system while conroe is out and kentsfield and amd's new tech is coming. So, are there issues with the ultra-D I should know about? Bios version (modded or not) recommendations?

 

PSU: Point taken, I think I'll get the corsair 620.

 

CPU: Yes, I know that it isn't the board that "makes" the oc happen, it's the cpu. But I did research my stepping, and apparently it is one of the most consistent to hit 3ghz and I know my current FSB is maxing out the asus board I have right now- so I need a quality dfi board to get anywhere further with it. The opteron seems pretty hoss, I haven't had to raise the voltage at all from 1.4v to hit 2.5ghz so it seems like (and I'm hoping) it's got that FX60-quality silicon powering it.

 

The patriot memory I linked is apparently just a variation of their ddr500 ram running @ CL3 instead of CL2 @ ddr400. I've got recommendations from various people for ram, so it looks like I'll just be shopping around for a bit.

 

Thanks for the help!

[soloz2]

what stepping do you have?

[will_ssi]

The cpu has CCBBE 0610DPMW stepping.

 

I got lucky and found a Mushkin xp4000 2gb kit (w/ black heatspreaders) that looks like it should compliment the DFI well.

[soloz2]

that's the same stepping that I have, and it's a good one!