Hi all,

My rig spec is as follows:

Mob: Gigabyte X48-DS5
CPU: Intel® Core™2 Quad Q9300 - 2.5 GHz, L2 cache 6 Mb
RAM: 8GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-9600 (1200MHz) Flex EX XLC Series (6-6-6) (4 x 2Gb)
GPUs: 2 x nVidia GeForce 9800GT(512MbDDR3)

The RAM can only run at the slightly lower speed of 1066 on my motherboard, this much I know (limited by the motherboard)
The problem I need help with is the BIOS settings.
As you'll see from the shots, the only way I can get it to report 1066 on the right hand side of the two Memory Frequency numbers is to put the memory multiplier at 3.20B.
But my question is, what's the 800 next to it signify? (the red boxed figures on the first pic below).

I have two OSs running on this system - Windows 7 and Snow Leopard (Chameleon Boot). And both CPUZ and the Mac System Profiler respectively report only 800 MHz.
Are they wrong? I think CPUz only reports up to 800, and after all,the other is a Hackintosh.....
Is my memory actually running at 1066 for both OSs?

Many thanks.

Here are three pics of my BIOS settings.

Thanks all!
Diz.

I don't use gigabyte boards (due to stupid BIOS stuff like this) but I believe you need to adjust the DRAM memory multiplier section to make it right (although 3.2x 333Mhz fsb = 1066 RAM, not that this explains anything)

Yeah it's kind of annoying - and that is indeed what I did to get the figures in the grab above.
I think it's running at 1066 but the other figure in the same line (800) confuses the hell out of me.
Could it be detected/guessed MHz of the RAM? Can't be, it's 1200 MHz DDR2 PC2-9600.
I wonder what it signifies.

cheers
Diz

Looks like the same BIOS as my X38-DS5.

How about dropping the multiplier and upping the FSB, then use a higher strap?

Dropping the multiplier I understand.
Upping the FSB (Front Side Bus) is the CPU Host Frequency?
And the strap would be......?

Many thanks.
(Guessed who's never overclocked then......?)

Ta
Diz

The bios on these Gigabytes boards is unnecessarily overcomplicated, pisses me off no end. But the boards perform well.

The strappings are listed alongside your memory dividers on the right side of the last two images you posted.

So, to maintain 2.5GHz, but improve memory performance, you could set your CPU multi to 7, up the FSB to 358MHz and set your memory divider to 3.2B (B indicates 333 default bus or 1333 strap), which will effectively run your RAM at 1146MHz.

Just make sure you're pushing enough vdimm through your ram and set the timings manually.

[edit] the 800 you mention is what the memory will run at if you leave it at SPD, rather than setting it manually.

Great, that makes more sense, thanks mate.

So if I leave it as is, the memory is running at 1066, right?
For now I will leave it as is, since I'm in the proces of updating my OSX install Snow Leopard from 10.6.1 to 10.6.2 and it's complicated.
If I overclock and cause instability in the system through my fiddling it'll be harder to diagnose the OS.

It seems weird that both CPUz and the Mac System Profiler were both reporting the MHz as 800, even though BIOS was set to 1066.

Any ideas?
I will fiddle with it one day to up it to nearer 1200 but throwaway phrases like are a little harder to me to confom with since I wouldn't know what qualifies as enough vdimm. (Clearly it's voltage for the DIMMS but I mean what to set it to. Or the timings......)

Cheers my friend,
Diz.

There should be a sticker on the RAM with the timings & voltage it needs

Ahhhhh.....ping. (or whatever sound a lightbulb appearing over my head makes)

Nice one, thanks for your help.

Cheaz,
Diz