Overclocking
OverclockingOther X58 motherboards let you choose the DRAM frequency with greater freedom than the Intel DSX58S0, so the modules were overclocked by reducing the processor multiplier from 20x to 18x, to limit CPU-related problems, and then raising the CPU's reference clock (133MHz) until memory-related instability set in. The modules were left with their basic 7-7-7-20 timings, but voltage was increased to 1.66V.
The same test was rerun with the modules' timing set to 9-9-9-27 2T.
| Maximum stable frequency at 7-7-7-20 2T | |
|---|---|
| Crucial 6GB DDR3-1,066MHz CL7 | Qimonda DDR3-1,066MHz CL7 3GB |
| 1466 | 1315 |
The Crucial set is hugely impressive when overclocking, running way past 1,333MHz with stringent timings. Our testing showed that the modules overclocked by almost 40 per cent without too much tinkering in the BIOS and whilst this may not be reflective of all sets, the signs are good.
| Maximum stable frequency at 9-9-9-27 2T | |
|---|---|
| Crucial 6GB DDR3-1,066MHz CL7 | Qimonda DDR3-1,066MHz CL7 3GB |
| 1487 | 1386 |
They also went a touch higher with looser settings.
The CPU-Z information is incorrect; the modules were set to 7-7-7-20 in the BIOS and yielded a Sandra float score of over 25GB/s.
