Dynamic OverClocking ?

[Dave C]

Hi,
Could someone explain what this "option" is. My MotherBoard (MSI P965 Neo) says It can be disabled, or set to 6 differant levels of "Dynamic OverClocking". From 1-15%. I use CS3, some times I would like faster render times, or longer RAM previews. Can this help me? Would it affect multipule programs (A.E/P.P./P.S./Bridge) running? Thanks
Dave

[Paul LS]

I guess it increases the processor clock speed under high demand situations, dynamically. Sounds like you can control it to six levels... keep increasing the level until your system becomes unstable... I guess you can also set alarm levels for processor temperature etc... but at 15% overclock you should see few issues if any.
When I overclock mine I use a static (fixed) overclock, so I adjust the clock frequency and processor voltage in the bios until the system becomes unstable (ie will not boot correctly) or the processor gets toasty. Then I wind it back a bit. For example I have a 2.4GHz AMD single chip processor that I run overclocked (20%) at 3.0Ghz with the stock heatsink and standard voltage. I haven't played with my quad core yet.

[Ken Jarstad]

I have an ASUS premium motherboard that has automatic overclocking. I wasn't able to push it to maximum with the factory Intel CPU cooler because it would overheat. So I finally got an after-market cooler for $35 or so. Since then my HT CPU runs at the rated 3 GHz until it senses a processing load and then shifts to 3.9 GHz - with absolutely no problems.

[Bob]

Dynamic overclocking is more of a marketing gimmick in my estimation. It supposedly increases the cpu clock speed in response to cpu workload. I saw an article a while back that talked about it (no longer remember where that was but you could probably locate it with google if you are interested) and what it's doing is ramping up the cpu clock in response to the cpu temperature. The idea is probably that the more work the cpu is doing, the hotter it gets. The engineer side of me says "whoa, speeding up the clock will make it run even hotter." I don't know what MSI is doing to control that, but it leaves me a little uneasy. Intel CPUs have a feature to slow down the speed when the temperature gets too high. But, if MSI is depending on that to protect the cpu, it seems a little counter intuitive. Dynamic overclocking does work, but the MSI board doesn't have the bios controls to be an outstanding overclocking board, it's very rudimentary in that regard. If you are interested in overclocking, there are much better boards out there.

[Dave C]

Thanks for the information. I'm going to install my new hard drive this weekend and see how that goes. I guess the next step (when I can afford to!) will be to buy a new motherboard and cpu. Any suggestions before buying?

[Ken Jarstad]

I would suggest looking at the ASUS boards, especially the premium boards. The overclocking is well designed and implemented. CPU speed is determined by application load and the CPU socket has a special mount for heat dissipation. Parameters for supporting bus speed, voltage and other considerations for an overclocked condition are adjusted properly and automatically. The ASUS solution is well engineered, safe and not at all gimicky. Look at the AI NOS feature on this page:

http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=248&model=981&modelmenu=1

Some of the hard-core hardware types sneer at auto-overclocking and a few got into lockup problems but I find it just works - with no problems. The CPU overheated before I bought a better cooler.

Newer boards should also support the EPP RAM specification (Enhanced Performance Profiles). This premium RAM tells the MB what perameters can be safely overclocked and in what combinations with the rest of the hardware system.

[Bob]

I guess the next step (when I can afford to!) will be to buy a new motherboard and cpu. Any suggestions before buying?

At the rate new cpus and motherboards come out, it doesn't pay to get too specific Here are a few very general recommendations. Keep in mind these are only my opinions. Others will definitely have opinions of their own.

First, stick with a brand known for producing quality boards. ASUS and Gigabyte are pretty big players in the business and have a good reputation and some excellant boards. Best bet, when you find a board that looks interesting, do a search for reviews and compare it with other quality boards.

Second, you should get a board with a chipset that supports the capabilities you want. Right now, I'd get a Intel P35 chipset with something from the ICH9 family for the I/O controller. Intel recently introduced an X38 chipset for the "enthusiast" i.e. hardcore gamer/overclocker. It has some improvements in DDR3 memory support, but it's real target is multiple PCI-E x16 support and overclocking. I'd stick with the P35.

Many boards are going to be either DDR2 or DDR3, but some have support for both. DDR2 is fine for now. DDR3 has a lot of potential but it's not mature yet -- it's also very pricy. It is improving fairly rapidly so you might give consideration to a board that has dual support. On the other hand, in a few years, you would probably want to upgrade your motherboard anyway.

Give consideration to what capabilities you want to have on the board. Do you want raid support? How many usb and sata ports do you need. Do you need onboard firewire or is an add on card ok with you. The list can go on and on.

I don't want to recommend a specific board, but you might want to begin by looking at some of the ASUS P5K series boards and possibly the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R or GA-P35C-DS3R. The Gigabyte doesn't have firewire on the board but add-in cards are cheap and you can buy a adapter to connect your case's front firewire connector if needed.

[Dave C]

Thank you for your suggestions guys, I appreciate you taking the time.
Dave

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Wholeheartedly agree with what Bob says. When I was upgrading I originally went for a motherboard/CPU/RAM bundle. The supplied MB was an MSI product. I had to return it because the MB had a fault (not working properly is a pretty major fault in my book). The replacement package was based around an ASUS P5N32ESLI.

To my untrained eye the build quality and feel of the ASUS board just seemed so much much better than the MSI board.