Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe: NVIDIA Dual x16 for the Athlon 64
by Wesley Fink on November 6, 2005 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Overclocking: Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe
The Asus A8N32-SLI set a new stock speed overclock record with this CPU at 246. This is likely a result of the excellent 8-phase power regulation of the Asus board, which greatly contributes to cool operation – even when pushed hard.
Lowering the multiplier to reach the highest CPU clock also yielded excellent performance – at 310 among the highest that we have tested. This Asus has an outstanding assortment of memory timing and voltage adjustments for overclocking, but they are somewhat unfamiliar. Given more time with this board, it is likely that we could achieve even higher reduced multiplier timings as we become more familiar with the memory adjustments. In general, the HyperTransport performs well when left on Auto, letting the board handle the HTT adjustments.
Other top overclockers like the DFI nForce4 series have extensive adjustments for tRef and Driving Strength. Best overclocking performance is often achieved on the DFI by reducing DDR Driving Strength with Samsung TCCD. The Asus has more limited Driving Strength and tRef adjustments, but it offers an extremely wide range of DDR Skew adjustments, which are missing from many enthusiast boards. The point is that Asus has taken a little different approach to controls, and it will take time to learn what works best with the available memories.
Asus also offers full Auto settings for those who do not wish to delve deeply into the BIOS for overclocking. There are even Auto Overclocking options in the BIOS where the board will set all parameters for best overclocking. These work well, but like other Auto OC options, the Asus can be pushed furthest with intelligent manual overclocking.
We were really unprepared for what a great overclocker the Asus turned out to be. The dual x16 is about graphics, and we really didn’t expect the excellent overclocking that this board delivers. It should be pointed out, however, that best overclocks are achieved with a single video card. While we reached 310x9 with a single 7800GTX, the best OC that we could achieve with a 7800GTX SLI setup was about 275.
| Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Overclocking Testbed | |
| Processor: | Athlon 64 4000+ (2.4GHz, 1MB Cache) |
| CPU Voltage: | 1.45V (default 1.40V) |
| Cooling: | Thermaltake Silent Boost K8 Heatsink/Fan |
| Power Supply: | OCZ Power Stream 520W |
| Memory: | OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2 (Samsung TCCD Memory Chips) |
| Hard Drive: | Seagate 120GB 7200RPM SATA 8MB Cache |
| Maximum OC: (Standard Ratio) |
246x12 (Auto HT, 2.5-3-3-7) 2952MHz (+23%) |
| Maximum FSB: (Lower Ratio) |
310 x 9 (3x HT, 1T) (2790MHz, 2 DIMMs in DC mode) (+55% Bus Overclock) |
The Asus A8N32-SLI set a new stock speed overclock record with this CPU at 246. This is likely a result of the excellent 8-phase power regulation of the Asus board, which greatly contributes to cool operation – even when pushed hard.
Lowering the multiplier to reach the highest CPU clock also yielded excellent performance – at 310 among the highest that we have tested. This Asus has an outstanding assortment of memory timing and voltage adjustments for overclocking, but they are somewhat unfamiliar. Given more time with this board, it is likely that we could achieve even higher reduced multiplier timings as we become more familiar with the memory adjustments. In general, the HyperTransport performs well when left on Auto, letting the board handle the HTT adjustments.
Other top overclockers like the DFI nForce4 series have extensive adjustments for tRef and Driving Strength. Best overclocking performance is often achieved on the DFI by reducing DDR Driving Strength with Samsung TCCD. The Asus has more limited Driving Strength and tRef adjustments, but it offers an extremely wide range of DDR Skew adjustments, which are missing from many enthusiast boards. The point is that Asus has taken a little different approach to controls, and it will take time to learn what works best with the available memories.
Asus also offers full Auto settings for those who do not wish to delve deeply into the BIOS for overclocking. There are even Auto Overclocking options in the BIOS where the board will set all parameters for best overclocking. These work well, but like other Auto OC options, the Asus can be pushed furthest with intelligent manual overclocking.
We were really unprepared for what a great overclocker the Asus turned out to be. The dual x16 is about graphics, and we really didn’t expect the excellent overclocking that this board delivers. It should be pointed out, however, that best overclocks are achieved with a single video card. While we reached 310x9 with a single 7800GTX, the best OC that we could achieve with a 7800GTX SLI setup was about 275.
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DrZoidberg - Friday, November 4, 2005 - link
yes this is a very nice board with the cooler 8 phase design, and heatpipe, no more annoying tiny chipset fan. However, i think this board will be over $200USD =(anandtechrocks - Friday, November 4, 2005 - link
Yea, this looks like a very nice board. Now I'm looking at the new DFI NF4 Expert, those sweet Saphire ATI boards, and this one! So many choices!!One43637 - Tuesday, December 6, 2005 - link
i'm looking to put a new system together and i am also looking at this board.i'm not famaliar with AMD chipsets, but will this board work with the new AMD X2s?
michal1980 - Friday, November 4, 2005 - link
this sucks, haven't evn put my system togther with my epox sli board, and now a board that gives u a 17% boost, CRAP.Brian23 - Friday, November 4, 2005 - link
Anandtech: You say we should upgrade our drivers to the latest for increased performance. However, I am unable to find the 6.82 platform driver anywhere.