Before the use of this guide, Please read our
DisclaimerThis is the basics of how to Overclock on the Rampage II Extreme X58 Motherboard.
This guide will show you the basics of overclocking, and what each setting means, or relevant settings anyway.
i940Rampage II Extreme3x1gb corsair 1333 cl9 XMS3Asus 260 GTXAntec Quattro 1kwAsus Rampage II ExtremeMain - this contains the basic settings, e.g. time, date and what drives are connected to the computer
Ai Tweaker - this is where all the overclocking options are placed.
Advanced - This contains system information, and the option to disable devices, e.g. onboard sound.
Power - this contains info such as suspend mode, this is also where you will find the hardware monitor
you can monitor the voltages and temperatures of your system.
What we will be focusing on is the Ai Tweaker part of the bios; this is all the settings for
overclocking are located.
Once you enter the Ai Tweaker tab it will show up like this:
Configure System Performance Settings
Ai Overclock Tuner - this option is for setting whether to manually adjust the qpi and ratio settings
for overclocking the CPU, We want this set to [Manual] so we can put in the frequencies we are wanting
to achieve
CPU Ratio Setting - this is used to select the Ratio or Multiplier of the CPU, this varies depending
on what CPU you have, here is some basic multipliers for some of the latest CPU's
Model - Min - Max - TurboI920 - 12 - 20 - 21
I940 - 12 - 22 - 23
I965 - 12 - 63 -
CPU Configuration - this is where you can find all the CPU settings, such as EIST and C1 these can help with reducing power consumption of your system. You will not have to worry about these unless you are doing benchmarking or pushing your system to the edge. This is also where you will find the option to enabled and disable HT and disabling cores.
QPI Frequency - this is the frequency of the Quick Path Interconnect, this is used to determine the speed of the CPU. For example, if you set this to 180 and you had the Ratio CMOS Setting set to 20, this would cause the CPU speed to be 3600MHz or 3.6GHz
DRAM Frequency – The frequency your RAM is operating at.
PCIE Frequency – 105
UCLK Frequency – The UCLK frequency is the frequency the L3 Cache, QPI and NB operate at, increasing this overall increases system speed and bandwidth
QPI Frequency – the stock QPI link data rate for the i920 and i940 is 4.8GT/s, while the i965 operates at 6.4GT/s.
This option allows you to increase the QPI link data rate to above the stock frequency, alleviating bottleneck when this setting is above 6.4GT/s
DRAM Timing Control - this is used to determine what timings the memory will have, this depends on what
your memory is capable of. This will be listed on your memory packaging. If you cannot find them, you
can leave this on Auto - If you do know the timings, relative to what you set in the DRAM Frequency
you can set the timings of your ram.
If you are new to overclocking, you will not have to worry about these for now. These will be explained
in more detail later in this guide.
EPU II Phase Control - Full Phase
Load-Line Calibration - Enabling this can help with vDroop.
VDroop is the voltage drop of the CPU, e.g. you could set 1.4v in bios and then in windows you will find the voltage will be set to 1.37v, meaning that you have a vDroop of 0.03v. This can increase also when you are putting a load onto the CPU. If the voltage drops to low, it can cause system instability, as it will not supply enough voltage to the CPU, making it unstable. It is recommended to have this set to [Enabled]
CPU Differential Amplitude – Auto
Extreme OV – this option allows you to go above the normal limit of the voltages, this is not needed unless you are using Dry Ice or Liquid Nitrogen.
CPU Voltage – it is recommended to stay below 1.5v for 24/7 use, this is on air and water.
The amount of Voltage required for the CPU depends on the overclockability of your chip, this can range from 1.2v for 4 GHz or 1.4v for 4 GHz, each and every CPU is different.
CPU PLL Voltage – the stock value for this is 1.8v, increasing this can help with the overclockability of your CPU, helping with overall stability and CPU frequency
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage – This is the voltage of your QPI or Quick path interconnect.
This helps with overclocking the QPI frequency, it is also recommended to keep this within 0.5v of the DRAM Bus Voltage, having the difference above 0.5 can be hazardous to your CPU
IOH Voltage – Voltage of the North Bridge or NB, this helps with overclocking the QPI frequency
IOH PCIE Voltage – Auto
ICH Voltage – This is the voltage of the south bridge, which controls the HDD’s
You can leave this set to AUTO
ICH PCIE Voltage – Auto
DRAM Bus Voltage - This depends on what voltage your memory comes stock with; this can range from 1.5-2.4v depending on the speed and timings of your RAM. It is recommended to stay below 2.0v(1.65v by Intel’s specifications for i7) with active cooling, having a fan blowing over top of the ram). But it is also recommended if you want to keep your warranty of your ram, to keep to the stock voltage.
Read POST Code from LCD Poster/iROG Control PlusDebug Mode – String
Keyboard TweakIT Control – Disabled
CPU Clock Skew – Auto
CPU Spread Spectrum – Auto
IOH Clock Skew – Auto
Settings for 3.6 GHz or 3600 MHz – possible on nearly every chip.
Ai Overclock Tuner - Manual
CPU Ratio Setting – 20
DRAM Frequency – either 1440 or 1800, whichever is closest to the original operating frequency of your RAM
Intel Speedstep Tech - Disabled
Intel Turbo Mode Tech - Disabled
QPI Frequency – 180
PCIE Frequency - 100
UCLK Frequency - Auto
QPI Link Data Rate - Auto
DRAM Timing Control – Set this to be the Timings of your specific RAM, i.e. 9-9-9-26. This setting is done in order, first setting 9, second 9, third 9, fourth 26.
EPU II Phase Control - Full Phase
CPU Voltage – 1.2v – 1.3v, start at 1.3v and stress test, then decrease and retest stability.
CPU PLL Voltage - Auto
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage - Auto
IOH Voltage - Auto
IOH PCIE Voltage - Auto
ICH Voltage - Auto
ICH PCIE Voltage - Auto
DRAM Bus Voltage - Auto
Load-Line Calibration – Enabled
CPU Differential Amplitude – Auto
CPU Clock Skew – Auto
CPU Spread Spectrum – Auto
IOH Clock Skew – Auto
Settings for 3.8 GHz or 3800 MHz – please note, this may not be possible on every chip.Ai Overclock Tuner - Manual
CPU Ratio Setting – 20
DRAM Frequency – either 1520 or 1140
Intel Speedstep Tech - Disabled
Intel Turbo Mode Tech - Disabled
QPI Frequency – 190
PCIE Frequency - 100
UCLK Frequency – Auto
QPI Link Data Rate - Auto
DRAM Timing Control – Set this to be the Timings of your specific RAM, i.e. 9-9-9-26. This setting is done in order, first setting 9, second 9, third 9, fourth 26.
EPU II Phase Control - Full Phase
CPU Voltage – 1.2v – 1.4v, start at 1.4v and stress test, then decrease and retest stability.
CPU PLL Voltage - Auto
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage - Auto
IOH Voltage - Auto
IOH PCIE Voltage - Auto
ICH Voltage - Auto
ICH PCIE Voltage - Auto
DRAM Bus Voltage - Auto
Load-Line Calibration – Enabled
CPU Differential Amplitude – Auto
CPU Clock Skew – Auto
CPU Spread Spectrum – Auto
IOH Clock Skew - Auto
