[Z68MA-G45 (B3)] Gaming Rig - Overclocking and UEFI/BIOS Setup access

hey guys i just had a new game rig.
MSI Z68MA-G45 (B3)
INTEL CORE i5 2500k
Cooler Master silent pro modular 80plus 1000w
Cooler Master V6GT
Cooler Master 690 II advance ( USB 3.0 version )
G. Skill Ripjaws 1600 (4x2) 8gb
EVGA GTX 580 SC
just wondering how can i overclock my CPU w/ this rig coz i cant see any threads regarding this mobo, also i cant open up the BIOS of my system i have a windows 7 64 bit ultimate. hoping for some good advise.

Recommend to do all the bench tests at the original auto/stock/default settings, then you have something to compare later results with. In Reply #10, I have given some basic pointers at which to start. Soon as CPU V. is taken out of auto, you will lose any power saving advantages at low use & idle. Another quick & dirty way to do it is to set the CPU V. at the industry recommended maximum of 1.400v's, & start to increase the CPU Ratio up one step at a time until it fails to boot the OS. Keep in mind, load overshoot will usually spike the VCore past the 1.400v's at times in varying amounts. For gaming, OC'ing RAM is a wasted effort. After extensive testing, it made almost zero change in gaming performance on it's own.
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=147704.0
There is a lot of information in this thread that may be of use. This is basically one of the alternative ways to OC;
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=146272.0

Similar Messages

[REQUEST] Legacy and UEFI BIOS for R9-280X 3G

Hello, can you please post the latest legacy and uefi bios for my MSI "R9-280X 3G BF4"
Serial Number: 602-V277-28SB1311072602
Reason: I'm experiencing flickering issues and both my first and second bios are flashed with custom ones.

Quote from: Svet on 15-February-15, 23:36:08
attached below
Thank you very much, but which one is legacy and which one is uefi?
I got two files - TV277MH.330 and TV277MS.330

Stuck in uefi (bios) setup after wakeup

I recently encountered something strange when using my laptop. I'm using Windows 8.1, and when I finished using it last night I pressed Fn + F12 (Zzz). This is usually how I put the laptop in sleep mode when I'm done using it.
Usually it wakes up without a problem but this time it woke up to the UEFI (BIOS) setup screen. I thought that was strange but I chose discard changes and exit. It exited and went right back to the same setup screen. I didn't press DEL to enter setup or any other key, it just automatically went back. I then chose Load Optimized Defaults and saved the changes. It exited and went back to the same setup screen. It seemed like it was stuck in some kind of an infinite loop.
After looking online, I decided to try disabling fast boot. After saving and exiting, it then brought me to the Windows login screen where I logged in and saw that all of my programs were still in the same state as when I had put the computer to sleep.
I have since re-enabled fast boot and I haven't seen the problem again yet. However, I thought this was very strange as I haven't seen anything like this before. I don't understand why temporarily disabling "fast boot" fixed the issue and why I have never seen this happen before.
Has anyone ever heard of an issue like this? Why would "fast boot" prevent the computer from waking up? Why doesn't it happen again now that I've re-enabled fast boot?

I don't know why but thanks for sharing the information.
May let us know your model and BIOS version?

Does the R9 280X GAMING 3G have a UEFI BIOS?

I'm thinking of buying the R9 280X GAMING 3G graphics card.
This card has a switch to select between 2 BIOS settings. Is one of these BIOS settings a UEFI BIOS as supplied from the factory? I need this to configure Windows 8 secure boot.
Is the card reasonably quiet under load compared to other R9 280X cards?

Quote
his card has a switch to select between 2 BIOS settings. Is one of these BIOS settings a UEFI BIOS as supplied from the factory?
Usually yes although we have seen cases where both were legacy. None the less it is intended to have one GOP and one legacy vbios to choose between. In a case where both vbios are wrongly flashed legacy by fab a GOP vbios can usually be provided here after checking the S/N. If a GOP vbios is currently not available for a latest batch MSI can be directly contacted to supply one.
Quote
Is the card reasonably quiet under load compared to other R9 280X cards?
Yes, the new advanced TWIN FROZR IV which is used on all kinds of AMD and Nvidia cards from MSI is very well known for it's quite running. You will hardly find a more silent 280X.

Dual Boot Windows 7 with preinstalled Windows 8 on GPT-formatted hard disk and UEFI BIOS.

Question for Jordon Wees,
Hi,
You wrote: I can successfully install both operating
systems in UEFI mode, with Windows 7 on the first partition and Windows 8 on
the second partition. <o:p></o:p>
But I couldn´t!<o:p></o:p>
Could you please provide me how to install Windows 7
64 bit on a PC that already has Windows 8 64 bit preinstalled?<o:p></o:p>
I have also a GPT-formatted hard disk with UEFI BIOS
but I get the error message that windows can´t install Windows 7 on the disk
because it is a GPT-formatted hard disk.<o:p></o:p>
I don´t understand this because it is a GPT-formatted
hard disk with Windows 8 on it!<o:p></o:p>
I can´t change the hard disk to MBR format because I
will lose Widows 8 and all other partitions.<o:p></o:p>
In the BIOS for the storage dives Boot´ option I
selected the: only UEFI, I could also select the option ´first UEFI´ but it doesn´t
change the failure of installing Windows 7.<o:p></o:p>
Thanks, Sia

If I am reading your issue correctly. Windows 8 came pre-installed on a computer with a hard disk setup as a GPT with UEFI configured.
If this is the case then the outcome you are experiencing is correct.
Windows 7 does not inherently have the ability to install into a GPT disk from the base installation.
The Windows 7 DVD is designed to install using BIOS mode.
Also note that Windows 7 x86 does not support UEFI mode.
These two articles below may help you.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744321(WS.10).aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/archive/2011/05/31/installing-windows-7-on-uefi-based-computer.aspx
Thanks
Sean
MCTS: Windows 7
MCITP: Windows 7 Enterprise Administration
MCSA: Windows 7

Msi neo4 plat, sb audigy 2, max overclock, and xmod bios 1.b

hi,
sys as in sig.
i could oc my cpu to about 2400 stable @1.45+6.6% and run everything under the sun. recently i read a thread here or @ rage3d saying something along the lines that audigy 2 does interfere with the max oc achieved.
So i set out to test this theory. I raied fsb from 267 to 270 and ran mark05,06 and super pi. no problems
then i ran dungeon siege 2, cod 2. all crashed with looping sound; symptoms of sb's interferece as described in the thread i read.
I got curious upped vmod to 9.9%, raised fsb to 275. again all "torture" tests run okay, but not the games. infact not many games would last a couple of hours stable.
I am using murdok's xmod 1.b. it has this option in the cell menu; set pci clock. usually it is set to auto. i disabled it. Anyone knows what does this exactly do?
Anyways anyone here knows how to get over this sb thing other than to simply get rid of it??
thanks in advance.

disabled it cuz, i thought that overclocking the cpu caused the audigy 2 to playup (the only card i've on the pci bus)
Since my last post, i've figured out that it was the soundcard causing the issues. I took it out and could reach 280*9, with 1.6 (Vmod).
I plugged the card back in set it to standard acceleration in dxdiag, and all runs well. tinkering with the set pci clock made no difference at all! (i kinda had an idea what it did, but not exactly). so i set it back to enabled.
thanks for ur reply.

[H77MA-G43 /S40] Official and Beta Bios Releases 7756IMS.1xx

7756IMS.190 ===> 7756IMS.1A0 Official
190-1A0:
01.Fix Replace SATA port automatically shutdown when in WIN8 64 bit OS the shutdown Issue.
02.Update Reltek lan GOP to 2.017.
03.Fix NV's GOP crad will lag & freeze in setup when win8 Enable
04.Fix press DEL key can't entry BIOS Setup when fast boot enabled after
05.Update BIOS Setup F12 key function
06.Modify watchdog timer function code.
07.Fix 'OC Retry Count' Function error when overclock BCLK.
01.Set Fast boot to Disabled when Windows 8 Feature is Disabled.
02.Fix OC retry count always one more time then require.
03.Remove".Fix 'OC Retry Count' Function error when overclock BCLK."
04.Add to switch T1,T2 orT3 Mode To Thermistor for fintek.
05.Fix SATA Devices Support function error issue.
06.Fix ps2 keyboard can't use in os when msi fast boot enabled.
07.Modify OC Genie Description.
08.Add the usb setup item and usbpolicyprotocol to enable or disable the usb mass storage driver.
01.Add GOP hot-plug solution
02.Fix the issue that hot plug usb device will clear screeen when cpu memory changed OR oc fail message appear
03.Fix 'OC Retry Count' Function issue.
04.Fix WIN7 64 Bit OS S4 resume fail issue when BIOS Setup install password and password check set boot mode.
05.Fix USB mouse cannot be use under UEFI bios setup issue if you plug the mouse after booting up the system
06.Modify BIOS Setup USB Support item
This is the full release bios for this board with additional archive for flashing the ME extension.
>>Use the MSI HQ Forum USB flasher<<
Download the compressed archive to your desktop but do not decompress.
Select option 1 of the forum flash tool and point the tool an the compressed archive then follow the direction. This will flash your bios and ME extension.
Once complete you will need to download and re-install the latest version of the Intel Management Engine Drivers.
<<Intel Downloads / Management Engine>>
Please note that flashing this release occurs entirely at your own risk!

7756IMS.190 ===> 7756IMS.1A0 Official
190-1A0:
01.Fix Replace SATA port automatically shutdown when in WIN8 64 bit OS the shutdown Issue.
02.Update Reltek lan GOP to 2.017.
03.Fix NV's GOP crad will lag & freeze in setup when win8 Enable
04.Fix press DEL key can't entry BIOS Setup when fast boot enabled after
05.Update BIOS Setup F12 key function
06.Modify watchdog timer function code.
07.Fix 'OC Retry Count' Function error when overclock BCLK.
01.Set Fast boot to Disabled when Windows 8 Feature is Disabled.
02.Fix OC retry count always one more time then require.
03.Remove".Fix 'OC Retry Count' Function error when overclock BCLK."
04.Add to switch T1,T2 orT3 Mode To Thermistor for fintek.
05.Fix SATA Devices Support function error issue.
06.Fix ps2 keyboard can't use in os when msi fast boot enabled.
07.Modify OC Genie Description.
08.Add the usb setup item and usbpolicyprotocol to enable or disable the usb mass storage driver.
01.Add GOP hot-plug solution
02.Fix the issue that hot plug usb device will clear screeen when cpu memory changed OR oc fail message appear
03.Fix 'OC Retry Count' Function issue.
04.Fix WIN7 64 Bit OS S4 resume fail issue when BIOS Setup install password and password check set boot mode.
05.Fix USB mouse cannot be use under UEFI bios setup issue if you plug the mouse after booting up the system
06.Modify BIOS Setup USB Support item
This is the full release bios for this board with additional archive for flashing the ME extension.
>>Use the MSI HQ Forum USB flasher<<
Download the compressed archive to your desktop but do not decompress.
Select option 1 of the forum flash tool and point the tool an the compressed archive then follow the direction. This will flash your bios and ME extension.
Once complete you will need to download and re-install the latest version of the Intel Management Engine Drivers.
<<Intel Downloads / Management Engine>>
Please note that flashing this release occurs entirely at your own risk!

Installing Windows 8 using WDS on devices that use UEFI BIOS

Hi all, sorry for the word wall.
I am currently planning a deployment of Windows 8.1 Upgrade 1 on Toshiba Z10T's which I will be deploying using WDS, which is running on Windows Server 2012 R2.
The Toshiba Z10T device in question is quite handy as it can switching between legacy CSM BIOS and UEFI BIOS.
The devices are shipped out of the box with UEFI BIOS on, and obviously we would like to be able to just un-box & image them, however we have constant issues when trying to PXE boot devices with UEFI BIOS, and the only way I can get them to PXE boot
is by switching over to legacy CSM BIOS.
From what I have read from other forums on the internet, UEFI & WDS don't get on that well - so what I was wondering is this-
We currently have SCCM 2012- I was wondering would we have more success booting to a UEFI BIOS if I used SCCM & MDT or will I still encounter the same issues? Is it the PXE client in UEFI that is at fault?
Problems that we encounter when we use UEFI to PXE boot are- Drivers not there to get into to the boot image; if we can get them to image, devices will not join to the domain; devices will image but not install any drivers.
Thanks for reading this word wall.

PXE itself doesn't use/need any drivers at all - it's the post-boot (boot image), and the full OS (install image) which need the drivers.
PXE is totally contained within ROM, and that ROM will download the NBP (for non-UEFI this is typically wdsnbp.com)(for UEFI this is typically bootmgfw.efi).
In a ConfigMgr (or MDT) scenario, the NBP then downloads boot.sdi, boot.wim(WinPE) and then install.wim(Full OS).
Both boot.wim, and install.wim, need to have the correct network card drivers and also the correct storage controller drivers installed.
This is how Windows deployment via PXE works (it's most often the lack of the correct drivers, at the required stage/phase, which causes grief)
[background]
Although we have a small number of Z10Ta and Z10Tb devices in my organisation, we are still using the factory image on them, so I haven't spent the time to incorporate them into our ConfigMgr OSD (PXE) supported-list yet.
We are just starting our journey towards UEFI-boot. We are using MDT UFD bootable media for our lab and it's working fine for UEFI and Win8.1/64bit, on various devices (although not tried the Z10Ta/b). Am nearly finished moving that all into ConfigMgr, to
then begin testing it all with PXE.
Don
(Please take a moment to "Vote as Helpful" and/or "Mark as Answer", where applicable.
This helps the community, keeps the forums tidy, and recognises useful contributions. Thanks!)

Gaming rig wont power up. Z77A-G45 involved.

Hello MSI,
I have a problem with my gaming rig. I recently upgraded to the Z77a mobo, the i5, and the RAM. Now, that upgrade has been working fine for over a month (no CTDs, BSODs or any glitches at all). Performance wise, it had been running BF3 and SWTOR perfectly, both on maximum settings- smooth as butter. Then suddenly 3 days ago it just wont power on.
MOBO: Z77A-G45
CPU: i5 3570K 3.4Ghz (using stock fan, no OC.)
RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600
PSU: Corsair TX650W
GPU: XFX HD6870
OS: Windows 7
SSD: OCZ Agility 2 (running the OS)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM (x2) (for storage)
At first I thought it was the PSU. Corsair's website has the handy suggestion of powering up the PSU with the Green wire (PS ON#) shorted to any Black (GND) on the +24V ATX Connection. I did so with no load on the PSU and the PSU's fans spin up.
Next, I suspected the tower's power button. so I took an multimeter to it, and the button is working- providing the normal momentary switch action.
Next, I reconnected the PSU into the rig, and again shorted the PS ON# pin to the GND. Now, there's is some partial activity, but the computer still wont boot up normally. The partial activity is as follows:
-cpu fan is spinning
-one blue LED on the mobo's bank of four phase LEDs.
-both HDDs are powered (can feel them spinning)
-GPU fan is spinning.
Now, I wont lie, I'm not sure if shorting the PS ON# pin is sufficient signal to boot the computer, since the signal isn't coming from the power pins of JFP1. But it is worth noting.
So based on that train of thought, I also tried shorting the power pins of JFP1. Sadly nothing happens- no activity whatsoever.
The last piece of information I have is that in the just before all this happened, I was in the BIOS and enabled the Resume from S3 by USB and also the PS2 Mouse/Keyboard settings. Even though I've used those settings before, maybe I eff'ed something up somehow. So I'm planning on resetting the CMOS tonight.
After that, I don't know what else to do other than take the rig into the repair shop- it's got me stumped. Maybe the mobo is dead, or the cpu.
Any thoughts on this crazy problem I'm having? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Quote from: StaticSilence on 28-July-12, 00:28:12
Thanks for the suggestion Jerry, I'll give that a try too- but it does seem like a longshot though.
It has happend to me, not with usb but with PS2 mice and keyboard. Gamers sometimes prefer to connect the keyboard to the ps2 port as the mechanical ones will accept a higher number of simultaneous keypresses at this port. Mine till accept more simultaneous keypresses than I have fingers!
Also gaming keyboards will often take a LOT of abuse.

Latest uefi and legacy bios for R9 280X Gaming 3G

By working too late with too little sleep, I'm afraid I've done something pretty stupid while trying to flash two separate R9 280X Gaming 3G cards; I've corrupted both the legacy and hybrid bios on both cards. And (wait for it) I don't have backups of the original ROMs. Fortunately, I have a third card I can run the machine off of while I flash the hosed cards, but I need the ROM files. Could someone please point me towards the proper legacy and hybrid ROM files for these cards? The serial numbers, in case it matters, are 602-V277-34SB1402014989 and 602-V277-44SB1312123180.
I promise I'll be more responsible in the future. Thanks!

Yes, that's the picture I was referring to. If you take it literally, it's showing that position two (the UEFI bios) is towards the side of the card with the power connectors (on the right, if you're looking at the side with the fan). However, while only one of the R9 280X cards I have is labeled on the motherboard, it shows position 2 as being towards the end of the card with the video connectors.
To state that more simply, I suppose, the picture on the page you linked implies that the polarity of the switch shown is in relative to when you're looking at the card from the fan side. I think what's actually going on here is that the picture of the card with the fan is just intended to show where the switch is; the actual close-up of the switch is actually from the side with the motherboard visible (in other words, position 2 is towards the end of the card that is visible at the back of the computer case).

Gaming 5 mixed legacy and uefi boot order problem

Hi,
I've got an issue with my gamin 5 mainboard regarding uefi/legacy boot order.
System setup:
. M.2 SSD (recognized as pci-e device) with a working windows 7 o.s., bootable from uefi bios.
. Normal hard drive on SATA port 1
. cd/dvd/blu-ray burner on SATA port 3 (from here on calling it the 'dvd drive')
I've tried to boot from a backup program's emergency cd to make a drive image of my ssd's O.S. partition, but the uefi cd/dvd boot option doesn't recognize the disc as being bootable. Setting it to legacy cd/dvd worked fine so that's probably because disc isn't uefi compatible. So, for that reason I've enabled the 'legacy + uefi' mode and added the legacy cd/dvd option to the top of the boot order list. Problem is, the system doesn't want to boot from the SSD anymore.
Here are some things I've tried:
When I set the boot order to: 1) uefi cd/dvd, 2) uefi windows boot manager, and NO disc in the dvd drive, the system boots from the SSD.
This is correct.
When I set the boot order to: 1) uefi cd/dvd, 2) uefi windows boot manager, and a non-uefi disc in the dvd drive, the system also boots from the SSD.
I think this is correct too because legacy cd/dvd is required to boot a legacy disc, right?
When I set the boot order to: 1) legacy cd/dvd, 2) uefi windows boot manager, and there is NO disc in the dvd drive, the system won't boot at all. Saying: "reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key".
If I put a non-uefi disc in the dvd drive, the system boots from the dvd. The backup software also recognized all devices, including the SSD.
And if I go to the bios boot menu (F11), I can select the uefi windows boot manager and the system correctly boots into the O.S.
In 'the old days' , having a boot order like that, the system would skip an empty dvd drive and continue on to the next item in the boot priority list. Somehow, this system does not.
What am I doing wrong here?
I do have an old bios though. v1.2. Although looking at the descriptions of the newer bios versions, I don't see any mention regarding this issue.

I don't have an answer for you, I too wonder why the bios doesn't just skip a bootable device if it's empty.
I had to use a UEFI USB key to update bios and figured to leave it as the first boot after updating for further updates and I received the same message so had to move the UEFI USB back down the line.
Not the same as the old days Bios I guess.
When it's looking for the boot device it needs to see it or else.

MSI Z68MA-G45 (B3) Crash Issue

Hello,
I recently bought a brand new MSI Z68MA-G45 (B3) motherboard along with the following items:
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 RAM
Noctua DH-N14 Heatsink
850 Watt Viotek Pro PSU
Quad Core i7 2600k Processor
(if i need more specs added, please let me know.)
I have not yet added a graphics card into this rig but I plan to add a Radeon HD 6970 soon. I can not accurately determine if my problems are with the motherboard or the processor, but I randomly get system crashes. They seem random, no matter how hard I try to pinpoint their origin. I could be on netflix, playing a game, talking on skype, or just sitting idle. I am currently running at 4.0Ghz overclock, (was 4.5, lowered to see if that was the problem) which I setup when looking at a guide on this website. All my core temps are averaged around 30, so I do not think that is the problem either. When it does happen, the screen becomes fuzzy and freezes, and I hear a low buzz from my computer (or speakers?). If anyone could help me troubleshoot this issue, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Michael

Quote
It is disabled and set to 1600 MHz (correct).
XMP is disabled and its set to 1600 ? Did you set it manually to 1600 ? These modules default to 1333 if XMP is disabled.
Only add one RAM module. Then do a CMOS clear and remove the CMOS battery. >>Clear CMOS Guide<< And forget OC'ing for now.
Now restart and cycle through one OS boot.
Shut down and add the second module, and so on. Check if you are able to add all 4 modules sequentially without changing the default memory settings.
Lets try and establish if your system will run at stock with 4 modules for now.

[Z77A-G45 ThunderBolt] Official and Beta BIos [E7752IMS.Axx]

E7752IMS.A300
-- Update CPU Micro Code.
- Update onboard Realtek LAN PXE ROM.
- Improved PCI-E display card compatibility.
- Improved memory compatibility.
This is the full release bios for this board with additional archive for flashing the ME extension.
>>Use the MSI HQ Forum USB flasher<<
Download the compressed archive to your desktop but do not decompress.
Select option 1 of the forum flash tool and point the tool an the compressed archive then follow the direction. This will flash your bios and ME extension.
Once complete you will need to download and re-install the latest version of the Intel Management Engine Drivers.
<<Intel Downloads / Management Engine>>
Please note that flashing this release occurs entirely at your own risk!

E7752IMS.A4 ===> E7752IMS.A52 [BETA BIOS]
   01.Fix WIN7 64 Bit UEFI OS S4 resume fail issue.
   02.Fix select BIOS Setup Discard Changes and Exit item after can't enter os issue.
   03.Add "Long Duration Power Limit","Short Duration Power Limit","Primary Plane Turbo Power Limit",
     "Secondary Plane Turbo Power Limit" range to 4096.
   04.Fix clear cmos after boot option priorities show error issue.
   05.Fixed build-in shell disappear issue when update FixedBootOrder13 module.
   06.Fix it will show error characters in Boot device priority after disable some boot options.
   07.Fixed OA30tool change OEMID & OEMTBLID failed when select boot to UEFI OS.
   08.Disable "Secure Boot"when "Windows 8 feature" set from "Enabled" to "Disabled"
     to patch some NV's graphics card capability issue.
   09.Fix some monitor hang B2 issue.
   10.Change French language error in the option "Load Overclocking Profile x".
11.Limit Snapshot to be triggled just one time while system with multiple USB keyboards plug.
   12.Improve OC memory(2600Mhz+) capability for Intel 7 series project.
   13.Fix can't detect LSI 9270-8i RAID card.
   14.Fix LSI 9270-8i RAID card can be detected in BIOS when Windows 8 feature enabled,
     but the option has display garbled.
   15.Fix GetVariable compatibility issue while enable Win 8 feature upon MahoBay codebase.
16.Patch some memory user mannule set tcl=12 can't boot when dram frequency>2600MHz.
   17.Update ME 8.1.40.1416.
   18.Modify the PCH Sata Aggressive LPM Support item default value.
   19.Update SMBIOS module ver 34.
This is the full release bios for this board with additional archive for flashing the ME extension.
>>Use the MSI HQ Forum USB flasher<<
Download the compressed archive to your desktop but do not decompress.
Select option 1 of the forum flash tool and point the tool an the compressed archive then follow the direction. This will flash your bios and ME extension.
Once complete you will need to download and re-install the latest version of the Intel Management Engine Drivers.
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-G45-Thunderbolt.html#/?div=Driver&os=Win8%2064
Please note that flashing this release occurs entirely at your own risk!

Overclocking and to D.O.T or not to D.O.T?

First off, please forgive my very newbish question here. While I have built a couple of systems, this is my first journey into the world of overclocking.
A bit of background:
The rig I have built in my sig, with no overclocking, has been performing very well and rock solid with gaming and general use for 8 months now. I have just started to venture into the world of video editing and converting my videos into a format that can be streamed. That is when I hit the performace wall, and realized for this kind of CPU hungry use I needed to either upgrade my build after a pitifully short 8 months, or look into overclocking my system to squeeze every ounce of performance I can get from it. Not having wads of cash readily available, I decided to get my feet wet in overclocking.
My first foray into overclocking has been to just stick my toes into the water and let the system overclock for me using the D.O.T options in the BIOS. Doing some experimenting, I have found that I can get some fairly good gains in performance ~+10% in benchmarks by simply bumping the D.O.T level to 'colonel'. The 'general' setting is unstable, giving me the BSOD whenever the overclocking kicks in.
Here is some hopefully relevent info on my setup. This is the CPU-Z display when D.O.T has kicked in.
Temp wise I go from 37C (idle) to 47C (Overclocked Load)
And here are my benchmarks when using D.O.T: (3DMark05)
Main Test Results
3DMark Score 5321 3DMarks
CPU Score 5156 CPUMarks
Okay, now to the meat of my question.
How much CPU headroom do I have on my hardware, above and beyond what I am getting with the D.O.T settings I am using? I have reached the limit as far as using D.O.T('general' setting being unstable), but could I get significantly better gains if I manually overclocked?
Or.. would I be better off staying ignorant of the mysteries of manual overclocking, and just save my money to one day buy an Athalon X2?
Thanks!

first of all, if you are using DOT, you have no control on the OC. the system is overclocked using some defaults settings programed into the cell chip. that means that it doesn't take into consideration the hardware you are using, and its limitations. this might result in instability.
second, the max OC with DOT is 11% if i remember correctly. that is a puny OC attempt, especially if you are running a A64 3000+ like i do. i can get to almost 50% OC for the CPU using different methods than DOT, instead of 11%.

Z68MA-G45 won't boot Windows7

CPU: Intel Core i3-2130 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache
Mobo: MSI|Z68MA-G45 (B3) Z68 LGA1155 R BIOS v17.0
RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) (x2 => 4GB)
Video: Z68 chipset IGP
HDD's: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
DVD: LG USB 2.0 external DVD/CD R-W combo drive
OS: Win 7 Pro SP1 32bit
PSU: 300W
The short summary is:
New system build. Powers up just fine.
Windows install runs to completion, but upon initial boot, gets to windows startup page indicating "Setup is updating Registry Settings".. then poof.. reboot.
Testing:
Verified RAM is good (via memory test from BIOS, windows installer and another computer RAM swap).
SSD drive appears to be fine.
identified in BIOS
windows setup can partition/format and REpartition/REformat without error
same diff with a single Seagate Barracuda drive in system
IDE or AHIC settings make no diff
Reset CMOS
Tried both DVI and VGA video channels.. same diff.
The only thing I haven't done is the BIOS upgrade.
Mobo came with v17.0.. v17.2 is available n' looks like it'll get updates for CPU and Memory.
It just seems like everything is pretty current n' shouldn't need to do.
Smacks of a driver problem to me. Maybe for the on board video controller.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.

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Smacks of a driver problem to me. Maybe for the on board video controller. It's gotta be a driver or problems with the on board graphics. As long as you're OK with DOS, it's a breeze. I'll give MSI support a chance to resolve this.. then I RMA this evil beast.
Test with only a RAM stick in the blue primary dimm slot. I would suspect a 300W PSU as possibly not providing enough system power. If you have a 'spinner' HDD to test with, I would recommend to try with one of those too. In the future, use the forum's USB Flashing Tool. Safest flashing method on the planet.
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I'll give MSI support a chance to resolve this..
Official MSI, or the user to user forum? Here's how to contact MSI Tech Support; http://support.msi.com/

[Z68MA-G45 (B3)] Gaming Rig - Overclocking and UEFI/BIOS Setup access

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