Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Revision 1.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH INTEL® PRODUCTS. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Contents 1. Introduction 5 ® 1.1. Intel Desktop Control Center ............................................................. 5 2. Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core i5™ Processors and Intel® P55 Express Chipset General Concepts 6 2.1. Architecture...................................................................................... 6 3. Intel Desktop Board DP55KG/DP55SB BIOS Setup 8 3.1.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Intel Desktop Control Center............................................................... 5 Intel Desktop Board DP55KG/DP55SB Block Diagram ............................. 7 System Setup with Features Disabled (Optional) .................................... 9 System Power with CPU C States Disabled (Optional) ...........................
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 1. Introduction Performance tuning on Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB can be a simple and straightforward process, providing useful gains in overall system performance. This guide describes ways to increase system performance by tuning the various subsystems of the desktop board.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 2. Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core i5™ Processors and Intel® P55 Express Chipset General Concepts 2.1. Architecture The Intel Desktop Board DP55KG/DP55SB platform consists of an Intel Core i7-800 or Intel Core i5-700 processor series and the Intel® P55 Express Chipset component—the Intel® P55 Platform Controller Hub (PCH).
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide PCIe x8 DIMM 0 Channel B DDR3 Dual Channel DMI BUS 100 MHz Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i5 Processor DIMM 1 Channel B 133 MHz DIMM 0 Channel A Clock Generator DIMM 1 Channel A PCI Express Bus PCIe x16 / x8 100 MHz USB 2.0 PCH SATA Figure 2. Intel Desktop Board DP55KG/DP55SB Block Diagram All desktop board components are driven from a single 133 MHz host clock (BCLK).
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide There are three frequency multipliers on these desktop boards. All frequencies are tied to the host clock (BCLK) which is used to develop the overall system speed. The multipliers are as follows: 1. Processor: The processor frequency is developed when the system host clock frequency (default 133 MHz) is multiplied by the Processor Multiplier.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 3.3. Preparing Setup Options (Optional) It is recommended to disable non-essential interfaces (such as, onboard audio, USB, LAN, external SATA, etc.) when tuning to get a clean and basic system as a starting point for performance tuning. Once the performance variables have been optimized, the other onboard features can then be re-enabled as needed.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 4 shows the System Power submenu with the CPU C states disabled for example. Note: 1-, 2-, and 3-Core Turbo modes require CPU C-states. Disabling C-states will limit Core Turbo to only the 4-Core ratio. For example, an Intel Core i7-870 processor with a 4-Core Turbo ratio results in a maximum frequency of only 3.2 GHz. Figure 4.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 4. Optimizing Processor Performance Performance tuning options are located in a menu section labeled “Performance.” Read and agree to the disclaimer (Figure 5). Please note that any performance increase achieved is dependent on the Processor, memory and motherboard used. All of these parts of the system have inherent variability and one or more will limit the overall systems ultimate top performance.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 4.1. Processor Performance Tuning Options The main Performance Tuning page is shown in Figure 6 with an Intel Core i7-870 processor installed. Figure 6.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide CPU tuning options are listed under “Processor Overrides” as shown in Figure 7. Refer to Table 1 for descriptions of the Processor Overrides. Figure 7.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Table 1. Processor Overrides Setup Option Description CPU Voltage Override Options Static CPU Voltage Override Overrides the voltage requested by the processor and applies a static voltage. This option disables the dynamic voltage control of the processor.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 4.2. Processor Tuning Process: The Host Clock Method The frequency of the CPU can be set by increasing the host clock and leaving the multipliers unchanged. From the Performance page set the “Host Clock Frequency Override” setting to “Manual”. Next, increase the Host Clock Frequency (MHz) to a desired level. Figure 8.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 4.3. Confirming System Stability Once the selections are made, it is time to confirm the selected frequency and gauge system stability: 1. Save changes using the F10 key and boot into the operating system. 2. Next force the operating system to request that the processor operate in P0. P0 is the highest performance state. To do so, in Windows* XP, select the “Always On” profile.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 4.4. How to Measure Processor Core Frequency Use a processor frequency display tool to verify the final speed. The Intel Desktop Control Center will have details on processor frequency and system speeds as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. Confirming System Levels with Intel Desktop Control Center Third party tools are also available like CPUID CPU-Z* or CPUID TMonitor* to monitor processor speed.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 5. Memory Optimization 5.1. Optimizing Memory Performance A wide variety of memory timing parameters can be adjusted in the BIOS setup. Although each memory parameter can be modified individually, the easiest method of optimizing memory performance is to use memory that supports XMP profiles.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 5.2. Memory Performance Options The Memory Configuration page (Figure 10) contains all the memory timing options that can be adjusted and Table 2 describes the Performance Memory Profiles. Figure 10.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Table 2. Performance Memory Profiles Setup Option Description Memory Performance Options Note: All multiplier values listed below are applied to the single 133 MHz (default) host clock. Performance Memory Profiles Automatic setting uses default values provided by the memory module. Manual mode allows the user to change each of the settings.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Setup Option Description Memory Performance Options Note: All multiplier values listed below are applied to the single 133 MHz (default) host clock. tRC Row Cycle Time: The minimum time interval between successive ACTIVE commands to the same bank. tFAW Four Active Window – Period of time before the fifth successive ACTIVE command to a new memory Bank can be issued.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 5.4. Using XMP Profiles XMP memory profiles can be invoked by selecting them from the Memory Configuration page (Figure 11). Figure 11.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 12. Checking the Uncore Voltage Override Once the profile has been applied, save the settings and boot into the operating system to verify system stability using the same methods described in Section 4.3. 5.5. XMP Manual Mode XMP profiles can provide a starting point for stretching memory performance even further. To begin, choose the XMP profile first, presetting all profile values.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide 6. Examples of Over-Clocked Settings 6.1. Using the Host Clock for Performance Boost The example shown in Figure 13 uses host clock (BCLK) adjustments to reach higher system performance. Note: That the higher processor frequency will only be reached as long as there is sufficient thermal margin to support the higher speeds and the installed processor can handle this frequency. Figure 13.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 14 is a display of the Performance Tab showing Default (with Turbo enabled), Proposed, and Active adjustments. Figure 14.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 15 is a display of the Performance Tab with Bus Overrides showing other board voltages at default. PCH Core Voltage might need to be adjusted when raising Uncore Voltage under the configuration page to achieve stable operation. Figure 15.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 16 shows the Memory Configuration with Uncore and Memory Voltages adjusted. Figure 16.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 17 shows the Memory Performance increased with the BCLK using the maximum Memory Multiplier. Figure 17.
Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG and Intel® Desktop Board DP55SB Extreme Series Performance Tuning Guide Figure 18 shows what happens when you push the system too far either in Memory Performance or Processor Performance. Figure 18.
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