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» MEDIA (14) 5000+ BE m2r32-mvp Op1200 OCZ Reapers HD2600 XT The system all put together CPU Graphs Memory graphs Video Card Graph Stock cpu stock mobo OC cpu stock memory OC Memory

Overclocked AMD System Review

What are the limits for overclocking an AMD 5000+ Black Edition on an Asus M2R32-MVP motherboard with OCZ Reaper PC-9200 memory powered by a 1200 Watt SilverStone power supply? AMD overclock contest entrant Deux takes us through each of the components and pushes them to their limits to answer this question. He describes each of the components, their pros and cons, his overclocking techniques and results of the overclock in this contest entry.

Components

Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition
This processor belongs to AMD’s high end line of Black Edition processors, all of which have unlocked multipliers for easier overclocking. The 5000+ Black Edition is based on the new 65nm process, which enables lower TDP’s and better efficiency. The 5000+ has a stock frequency of 2.6 GHz and a stock multiplier of 13. Since this processor is based on AMD’s K8 Architecture, it supports the x86-64 instruction set. This processor is known for its excellent overclcocking because of its unlocked multiplier that goes all the way up to twenty and it 65nm manufacturing process, which reduces heat output. (Image 1)

Asus M2R32-MVP Motherboard
This motherboard is based on AMD’s 580X Crossfire chipset and the SB600 Southbridge. The 580X chipset allows for the operation of two identical graphics cards in Crossfire mode for one of the fastest graphics solutions on the market today. The board supports DDR2 memory up to 800 MHz (Images 14). The board also has eSata and Firewire 400 ports. The board supports all current Socket AM2(940) processors and it has been announced that with a BIOS update, it will support the upcoming Phenom quad core processors when available. (Image 2, 12)

SilverStone OP1200 1200 Watt Power Supply
This power supply is one of the highest wattage units on the market today. It has a single 90A 12V rail, which provides good, clean, stable power to al the major components of your computer. Unlike other manufacturers who rate their power supplies at temperatures that are unrealistic for normal operation in order to be able to claim higher wattage, the OP1200 is rated for continuous operation at 50 degrees Celsius which is warmer than most computer cases will ever get. The power supply also has an efficiency of >80% at between 20% and 100% load. Finally the OP1200 has an abundance of connectors including four 6-pin PCI-E connectors and two 8-pin PCI-E connectors for next-generation video cards. Also, it has one ATX 12V connector and two EPS 12V connectors allowing it to power even the most high-end quad-socket motherboards. (Image 3)

OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 / 1150 MHz / Reaper HPC Edition / Dual Channel
This is some of the fastest DDR2 on the market today. It is rated at 1150 MHz at 2.3 volts. It is faster than some of the DDR3 on the market today and it also has better timings. Its rated timings are 5-5-5-18 while most DDR3 is either 7-7-7-18 or 8-8-8-20.
One unique feature of this memory is the heatsink. It includes heatspreaders on the ICs themselves that conduct the heat to a heatpipe that runs along the top of the DIMM and dissipates the heat with a fin array attached to the top of the heatpipe. This memory includes a lifetime warranty from OCZ, which is a must with the levels of voltage, these modules require for operation. This memory is an enthusiasts dream because it is guaranteed to use either Micron D9GMH or Micron D9GKX ICs, which are known for their legendary overclocking potential. (Image 4)

Diamond HD2600 XT SB Edition
An 800 MHz core clock combined with 256 Mb of 2.2 GHz of GDDR4 memory on a 128 bit memory bus work together to make one of the fastest midrange cards to date. This cooler is built on TSMC’s 65nm process which enables the card to use a single-slot cooler and to not require any PCI-E connectors. This card also has the ability to assist in the decoding of high-definition video. It has two dual-link DVI ports and is HDCP compliant for use with next-gen disk formats. It also includes a DVI to HDMI adaptor for easy use with today’s HD TVs. (Image 5)

PowerColor HD2600 Pro 512 Mb
A full half gigabyte of GDDR2 and excellent HD video decoding abilities make this card an excellent candidate for HTPC duty. This card has enough horsepower to run any monitor on the market today. It has a TDP below 75 watts and a relatively queit small fan. (Image 6)


Test System (Image 7)
Athlon 64 x2 5000+ Black Edition
Asus M2R32-MVP motherboard
Zalman CNPS9700 CPU heatsink
2 gig OCZ Reaper PC9200 DDR2 1150
Diamond HD2600 XT SB Edition
PowerColor HD2600 Pro 512
Western Digital 320 Gb Hard Drive
SilverStone OP1200 PSU

Windows XP SP2 Clean Install
Catalyst 7.9
Fraps
CPU-Z

Benchmarks
Crysis Single Player Demo GPU bench
Everest Home Memory Benchmarks
Cinebench 9.5
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 1M

(Images 8, 9, 10)

Overclocking

I started off with the 5000+ BE CPU, which was a breeze to overclock unlike the 3000+ CPU I used in my OC guide. The unlocked multiplier played a big role in being able to reach the maximum frequency. The stock setting for the 5000+ is 2.6 GHz, reached with a bus speed of 200 and a multiplier of 13 (Image 13). In the end the highest stable frequency achievable was 3250 MHz reached with a bus speed of 250 and the stock multiplier of 13 (Image 13). Unfortunately, at that speed the fastest that the memory would run was about 925 MHz which is still below the rated speed of the OCZ memory. To get the most out of the memory at this speed I reduced the latency to 4-4-4-12 (Image 15) from 5-5-5-18.

Overclocking the graphics cards turned out to be a bit more of a challenge. I decided to start off with the 2600 Pro and tried to overclock using overdrive in CCC. Unfortunately no matter what I set the core and memory speeds to the real speed would not change. I tried ATI tool and ATI Tray Tools. Still neither would show me a correct core or memory frequency. I eventually landed on RivaTuner 2.06, which worked perfectly. To test each overclock I set the clocks and let ATI Tool's artifact scanner run for at least one hour. I eventually landed on 663/922. Next I moved on to the HD2600 XT GDDR4, I had the same troubles that I did with the Pro but this time, RivaTuner eventually worked. The memory on the 2600 XT overclocked like a MONSTER 2.6 GHz without any mods. The final clocks were 874/2600. Now let’s see how the system performs overclocked and at stock.


Conclusions

Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition
This is an excellent chip for anyone looking for a relatively cheap upgrade to an existing AM2 system, a chip to hold them over until Phenom is more widely available, or a Processor for a media center PC. This chip is probably the best budget overclocking chip AMD has at the moment. These chips are frequently hitting speeds faster than that of a stock 6400+ Black Edition that costs about $100 more. In general though, the 6400+ will hit higher clockspeeds than the 5000+ BE. While a good choice for existing AM2 systems I find it hard to recommend the 5000+ over Intel’s e21XX and e4X00 series, which are more efficient at the same clockspeed and also overclock extremely well for all but the most die hard AMD fans.

Asus M2R32-MVP Motherboard
The board worked well and took the 5000+ BE over 300 FSB, so it appears to be a decent overclocking board and should never be the limit of any chip’s overclock. I would recommend this board to anyone who wants to do Crossfire with an AMD CPU which is an attractive option with the HD3870 being relatively cheap and two of them beat one 8800 GTX most of the time. My only complaints with this board are that it doesn’t have memory dividers for any speeds above 800 which prevented me from running my memory at its rated speed. Secondly, it has some layout issues. For example, the placement of the four-pin CPU power, it’s in the middle of the board near the PCI-E slot when it would have been far more convenient to put it in the top left corner of the board. Other small issues are that long video cards may bump up against the northbridge heatsink if not properly attached. Also, if you are using some aftermarket CPU heatsinks the RAM must be installed before the heatsink. In my case since the memory had extra tall heatspreaders, I was forced to use the two slots farther from the CPU socket. The motherboard has enough ports and connectors to satisfy all but the most hardcore users. One of my favorite things about this board was the BIOS. It was easy to use and all the overclocking options except for memory speed and timings were in one spot.

SilverStone OP1200 1200 Watt Power Supply
I was incredibly happy with this power supply. It handled everything I threw at it without breaking a sweat. The voltages were all very stable, even under load, and not once did I hear the fan spin up anywhere near full-speed. It was always almost silent and by far the quietest fan in the system. One other observation about this excellent unit is that it had very long cables. This is a mixed blessing because it means that you shouldn’t have any trouble routing the cables creatively to try and hide them but it also means that there is more wire to hide. There are only a few things I would change about this unit. I would have chosen to make the cables modular so that the unneeded ones can be removed so they don’t block airflow or look ugly. In a way SilverStone has already addressed this. They make two lines: the Olympia series, (to which this PSU belongs), which has fixed cables, and the Decathalon series, which have the same high quality internals as the OP line but are modular. My only other minor gripe with this unit is its price. Currently it retails for about $300 which is on the cheap side for 1200 watt units but unless you really need that much power, it isn’t worth the money. I wish I had access to equipment to properly push this power supply closer to its rating so I could find out if its excellent voltage regulation continued under full load. This is the perfect power supply for a high-end server or an extreme gaming rig or workstation and provides a good value compared to its competition.

OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 / 1150 MHz / Reaper HPC Edition / Dual Channel
High speed, highly overclockable, and heatspreaders: what more can an enthusiast ask. The heatspreaders look nice and are effective. Even when run at 2.3 volts they never felt warm to the touch. I really can’t come up with anything bad to say about these sticks except for their price, which currently is about $195. When you can buy two gig of DDR2 800 for about $60, it’s had for me to justify spending more than three times as much money for an extra 350 MHz. The only other thing that is worth mentioning is that these modules are rated at 2.3 volts, which realistically means that these will need to be RMA’d about every 1-1.5 years if run at rated speed. This is only minor because these modules are backed by a lifetime warranty from OCZ who is known to have one the faster memory RMA processes. I would recommend this RAM to anyone who needs excellent memory performance or anyone for whom money doesn’t matter .

Diamond HD2600 XT SB Edition
The HD2600 XT turns in good performance up to 1280x1024 where its 128-bit memory bus really starts to handicap it. As a bonus, it also is quieter than my X1950 Pro and also doesn’t consume as much power. The only thing that bothers me is that the card tends to run somewhat hot despite its 65nm process, reaching load temps in the high 70s at which point the fan speeds up and gets a little annoying. The use of GDDR4 on this HD2600 XT really helps to set it apart from its competing 2600s at higher resolutions. Low power consumption and the ability to help decode HD video make this card perfect for an HTPC that can also do some light gaming.

PowerColor HD2600 Pro 512 Mb
A cheap card that doesn’t use much power and can play the occasional game is exactly what the 2600 Pro is. With these cards costing as little as $60 today there really isn’t much to complain about. This card will play most last generation games acceptable and makes and excellent card for a business computer running Vista.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use any of these components on my own personal computer.

Thanks to Greg for letting me borrow his 24”monitor to do the 1680x1050 testing.
Thanks to ASUS, AMD, OCZ, SilverStone, PowerColor, Diamond, and FiringSquad for providing the hardware and running this cool contest.