User manual INTEL DESKTOP BOARD DX58SO2

[. . . ] Intel® Desktop Board DX58SO2/DX58OG Performance Tuning Guide Revision 1. 0 May 2011 Order Number: G35408-001 Intel DX58SO2/DX58OG Desktop Board Performance Tuning Guide WARNING Altering clock frequency and/or voltage may (i) reduce system stability and useful life of the system and processor; (ii) cause the processor and other system components to fail; (iii) cause reductions in system performance; (iv) cause additional heat or other damage; and (v) affect system data integrity. Intel has not tested and does not warranty the operation of the processor beyond its specifications. WARNING Altering PC memory frequency and/or voltage may (i) reduce system stability and useful life of the system, memory and processor; (ii) cause the processor and other system components to fail; (iii) cause reductions in system performance; (iv) cause additional heat or other damage; and (v) affect system data integrity. Intel assumes no responsibility that the memory included, if used with altered clock frequencies and/or voltages, will be fit for any particular purpose. Check with the memory manufacturer for warranty and additional details. INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH INTEL® PRODUCTS. [. . . ] The memory frequency can be reduced by selecting a lower memory multiplier value. If you have compatible XMP based memory, an XMP profile can be selected from the Memory settings BIOS subpage under the performance settings. Note that XMP profile memory frequencies will also be increased when the host clock frequency is increased. See http://www. intel. com/consumer/game/extreme-memory. htm for more information on XMP memory. The system will automatically attempt reboot with the new performance settings enabled. If the system fails to boot, see Section 3. 4 on recovering from an unstable system. 3. 5. 3 Detailed Performance Tuning Process Steps There are various sequences of steps possible for doing board performance tuning. The approach presented in this guide is a general starting point, but may not be optimal for all cases. Intel Desktop Board DX58SO2 and Intel Desktop Board DX58OG allow performance tuning using the host clock, turbo ratios, or a combination of both. The applicable tuning method depends on what type of processor is being used. If a non-Extreme Edition processor is being used, then performance tuning will be done by increasing the frequency of the host clock. If an Extreme Edition processor is being used, then performance tuning using turbo ratios, host clock settings, or a combination of turbo ratios and host clock settings are options. A full processor and memory tuning sequence consists of the steps suggested below. Depending on your objectives, it may not be necessary to complete all of the steps in this sequence. More discussion about these steps is included in Sections 3. 5. 3. 1 through 3. 5. 3. 13. Detailed descriptions of the various BIOS controls are included in Appendix A, Table A-1. This check ensures that the work done up to that point will provide stable system performance. If instability is encountered, the source of the problem can be more easily determined if regular stability checks have been completed. The settings made for one parameter may affect which settings will work for another parameter. For example, increasing the host clock frequency may require that previous tuning adjustments for system memory be revised to maintain memory stability. The sequence of steps below was designed to minimize the number of iterations required for performance tuning. Increase core ratio limits and/or host clock frequency. 18 Intel DX58SO2/DX58OG Desktop Board Performance Tuning Guide 6. Archive performance settings. 3. 5. 3. 1 Configure BIOS for Performance Tuning Power up the system and press the F2 key at the BIOS screen prompt to go into BIOS setup mode. [. . . ] Sets the core multiplier to be used when three processor cores are in use. Sets the core multiplier to be used when two processor cores are in use. Sets the core multiplier to be used when one processor core is in use. Some processors have the QPI data rate locked at 4. 8 GT/s and the QPI data rate cannot be changed. [. . . ]