Issues with Dell BIOS, NIVIDA nTune, Memory Timings...

Question

I just installed 2Gb of Corsair XMS2 DHX TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (800MHz) memory. This is an upgrade from the regular Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 (667MHz) memory I bought for my XPS710. the reason I bought the new stuff is because I did the Motherboard Exchange to the XPS720 motherboard (based on the nForce 680i chipset), which allowed me to increase from the 667MHz PC-5400 to the 800MHz PC-6400.

Strangely enough, my Windows Experience Index (Vista Home Premium) went DOWN from 5.2 (for the PC-5400) for the RAM score, to 5.0 (with the new PC-6400)...what the heck?! I thought maybe I needed to manually set the CMD rate to T1 in the BIOS. So I went and did that. Then I got a BlueScreen with code 0x0000000A. When I set the CMD rate back to Auto, or to T2, everything is fine. But if I try to set it to T1. I always get the BlueScreen immediately on starting Windows. I thought this was strange as I was able to set the old PC-5400 RAM to T1 and everything went faster, and I got a better Index score for the RAM.

There's nothing else I can really do with the Dell BIOS regarding memory other than setting the CMD rate...Actually there's nothing to be had with the BIOS at all for overclocking, besides CPU multipliers. I think the BIOS is just truly awful, sorry if I offend anyone, but that is my respectful opinion. Where are the functions for overclocking RAM anyways?! Does Dell expect anyone wanting to overclock their system to install NVIDIA nTune in order to do this? That's not right, because nTune is just as bad!

Case in point: whenever I install nTune and open the control panel, the nForce SPP is set to 1.250V rather than the lowest 1.20V setting. The box beside the slide bar is yellow at this higher voltage, so every time I start Windows I have to go into the NVIDIA control panel to set the SPP voltage back down to 1.20V, in order to get the green indicator. Also, when I try to increase the system fans, the slide bar rubberbands for both the CPU fan and the cage fan, jumping around to arbitrary values; sometimes the fans do really strange things because of this. Furthermore, when I run NVMonitor, it shows the bus speed for the MCP PCI-E in the red zone while it is set to 2500MHz, while the SPP PCI-E is in the green at the exact same frequency! I don't even understand the difference between the two, or why one is red at the frequency, while the other is fine! In addition, the only voltage that shows up green in NVMonitor is the one for CPU, while everything else from the Memory down to the nForce listing is yellow.

There seems to be no way to turn down the MCP PCI-E frequency as it is already at the lowest value in the control panel. Noris there any way to turn down the voltages, because their sliders are also already down to the lowest value (excluding the SPP setting which I explained about above). This leads me to believe that nTune and NVMonitor are bugging out severely, which makes me nervous considering that it seems to want to change voltages as it pleases.

Can anybody shed some light on my situation? Is there an alternative to Dell's BIOS, that would allow full overclocking capabilities? Is there a better alternative to nTune for system monitoring? And does anybody know why my new RAM is running less efficiently than the less efficient old RAM?

P.S. talking about the RAM CMD rate made me remember something else: My memory is certified for 4-4-4-12 latecy settings, while it has SPD programmed at 5-5-5-18 (JEDEC standard). However, when I try to set the latencies to 4-4-4-12 using nTune, I get a BlueScreen. I assume it's corrupted data, but why would this be happening if the memory is 4-4-4-12 certified?

Thanks for everyone's help so far, with my previous posts and inquiries, I hope I have been clear enough with my descriptions here, I know this one's a doozy!

Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-18-2008 02:02 AM

gdwrnch3 · Answer

Did you go into the bios, and under performance, enable SLI/EPP memory support?

Davet50 · Answer

Ah another victum of the Corsair bug..

There are numerous posts on how this memory performs in the 720 with the majority not be good..be that as it may

I see nothing in the memory specs about the memory being EPP/SLI certified. In order for you to obtain the 4-4-4-12 timings you would need to bump the mem voltage up to 2.1V which you can only do using Ntune.

If the mem was EPP/SLI certified then if you enabled it, it would automaticaly up the voltage to that SPD setting.

I would not worry about the other voltages you are seeing or the color as this is a known issure with Ntune..

I am not running any oc with my system and i see yellow on the MCP buss too..

Something else to check since you have Ntune is to go into the Advanced Bios tab and disable and settings for spread spectrum you find..

descendant7 · Answer

Thanks Davet50, that really cleared things up for me. The BlueScreens were happening because I wasn't overclocking the memory voltages. Like, DOH! It said that right on the package: 4-4-4-12 @ 2.1V! Can;t get any more obvious than that.

I've done more researching since then and managed to overclock my memory a bit, however, I can't seem to get the CAS latency (tCL) down from 5 to 4. There's no choice whatsoever, but I've got a lot of the other settings down a bit and everything is stable. While it might be my imagination, things do seem to be running a bit smoother and faster during multi-tasking, etc. So meh, oh well.

I did go to the Dynamic BIOS Access tab and founf that every instance of Spread Spectrum was, in fact, enabled. I haven't researched what that is exactly, but I disabled them all and can't tell any differences, so it couldn't have been a bad thing to have disabled them.

Also good to know about the colour indicators for the voltages and frequencies, I had a feeling it was just bogus readings.

I agree about the workable BIOS. What do you think it would take for Dell to GET IT TOGETHER, and give us a proper BIOS that allows the full gamut of overclocking functions? Memory frequency, timings, chipset, oh that would be nice. In fact, if I saw a BIOS like that from Dell, that would almost completely reverse my increasingly negative opinion. Besides the fact that Dell users are limited to what motherboards they can buy (I mean what the heck is up with Dell's motherboards?! They're like mad scientist experiments!), the BIOS is a really big issue with me.

Thanks again.

Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-22-2008 03:27 PM

Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-22-2008 03:28 PM

gdwrnch3 · Answer

Put that Corsair memory on ebay, and get some good OCz memory. I have 8gigs of this in one of my

720's, and it runs awesome!!1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267 80 bucks for 4 gigs after rebate.

Or they have it in 2 one gig strips for 36 bucks after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227231

descendant7 · Answer

Holy jeeeeeez. I'm browsing some of the other OCZ stuff. I think I'm seeing stars! I can't believe how much cheaper the OCZ stuff is when it has far better specs. I'm talking 800MHZ EPP-Ready 4-3-3-15 2.0V PC2-6400 4Gb kits outpricing a Corsair kit with higher latencies and lower memory capacity that can't even do EPP! This is unreal. Thanks for the link. Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-22-2008 04:27 PM Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-22-2008 07:00 PM

descendant7 · Answer

...Wow, those are some spiffy sticks of RAM. Never heard of memory with conduit! Hmmm, I was planning to buy another 2Gb of the Corsair RAM I have, but I think I will go with the 2x2Gb OCZ stuff there. It's actually cheaper than the 2Gb Corsair kit I just got last week. 4Gb vs. 2Gb, that's just not right, ha ha! Might have to switch up to 64-Bit Vista too!

descendant7 · Answer

Can you confirm that four sticks of this RAM (your RAM)  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267 would be able to fit on the motherboard. I don't know whether this is the case with everybody's computer (because I did the Motherboard Exchange and had to do all the reinstalling myself) but most of my connectors and cables run over the area with the memory slots. My Corsair sticks fit in there fine, but I hear the OCZ Reaper HPC Edition sticks are humungous, and I'm worried that the cables and connectors would be running amidst the conduits and heatsinks.

gdwrnch3 · Answer

I sure can. I've got 4 strips of that memory in the 720 I'm typing this message on right now.....:smileywink:

Here's my WEI:

CPU-z:

And my 3DMark06:

I also have 4 1 gig strips in my sons 720

Message Edited by gdwrnch3 on 03-22-2008 06:21 PM

descendant7 · Answer

Heh heh, oh yeah. Looks like there will be 8 gigs of OCZ Reaper HPC 800MHz sticks and a copy of Vista Home Premium 64 Bit Edition (which I'm going to score for $99) on their sweet way to me! Wow, I can't believe the prices on Newegg. NCIX is never gonna see me again!

Dang, that's a sweet setup you got there. I wonder if my RAM score isn't down at 5.4 on the WEI because I'm only running 32 Bit Vista (and I got 5.4 only AFTER I lowered the CL from 5-5-5-18 to 4-4-4-12). What hard drives do you have? My WD5000AAKS drives can only score 5.6, at least until I RAID-0 them together anyway. Ohhh, I see it on your signature now, you already have RAID-0! Nice. Verrry nice processor too, though I hear it runs hot sometimes.

Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-22-2008 06:59 PM

Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-22-2008 07:01 PM

gdwrnch3 · Answer

I got this processor on ebay for 500 bucks!!! I had to buy it....LOL It idles between 32 and 38C at stock clock.

The ram is 104.99 right now, with a 25 dollar mail in rebate. You can't go wrong. And Vista x64 is smoooooth!!!!

I've got two western digital 250's in a raid stripe. I also have a couple of Wd 750 storage drives.

If you clock your processor up a bit, your memory score will increase also

descendant7 · Answer

$500! Never heard of that price with a higher end QX chip...Deal of the century I say. Oh man I'm getting stoked for 64 bit with 8Gb of OCZ Reaper RAM. Eeeee!

gdwrnch3 · Answer

The guy was an overclocker, buys 4 or 5 at a time, keeps the ones that oc the best, and sells the rest for 50% off, so he says. He's probably stealing them, but I could care less where they come from, as long as they work.....

Ahhhhhhmmmx64 and 8gis,,,,can you say SMOOOTTTHHHHH

descendant7 · Answer

Gah, Newegg doesn't sell outside the US. Too bad, those prices are tantalizing. I just got shanked by NCIX again! Oh well, 8Gb Reaper HPC C4-4-4-18 on its way With 64 Bit Vista Home Premium. Weeeooo! Message Edited by descendant7 on 03-25-2008 02:29 AM

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Issues with Dell BIOS, NIVIDA nTune, Memory Timings...

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