BIOS options
The DQ6's BIOS offers a good array of tweaking and overclocking options, but it's clearly a work in progress. We've experienced several issues with the BIOS that have yet to be resolved, such as the inability to install or even run Windows Vista when the south bridge is set to AHCI mode. AHCI is necessary for not only hot plugging, but also Native Command Queuing (NCQ), so it's not a trivial loss. We've also been unable to get the board to go past the POST screen with manually set memory timings, even when those timings exactly match the default values used in "auto" mode. These problems have occurred with hardware that works flawlessly on other platforms, and the DQ6 isn't the only board afflicted.
We also have Asus' M3A32-MVP Deluxe in our labs, and although it doesn't have a problem setting manual memory timings, it has similar issues running the south bridge running in AHCI mode. The Asus board has exhibited questionable stability, as well, failing to post after warm reboots and apparently losing its onboard Ethernet controller.
Asus and Gigabyte are usually pretty good about having their BIOSes in order, and the fact that both seem to be struggling with the 790FX is worrisome. Hopefully these issues can be resolved with simple BIOS updates.
| BIOS | Award |
| Bus speeds |
HT:
200-500MHz in
1MHz increments DRAM: 400, 533, 667, 800MHz PCIe: 100-200MHz in 1MHz increments |
| Bus multipliers | CPU: 5x-13x in 0.5x increments (Athlon X2 5200+) |
| Voltages |
CPU: 0.8-1.75V in 0.025V increments DRAM: +0.05-0.5V in 0.05-0.1V increments PCIe: +0.05-0.45V in 0.05V increments Chipset: +0.05-0.4V in 0.05V increments HTT: +0.05-0.4V in 0.05V increments HTR: +0.05-0.45V in 0.05V increments |
| Monitoring | Voltage, fan status, and temperature monitoring |
| Fan speed control | CPU, system |
If they can, the DQ6 looks well-equipped for prospective Phenom overclockers. In addition to giving users CPU multiplier control, HT clock speeds are available up to 500MHz. CPU voltages scale up to 1.75V, as well, and you can push memory voltages up by half a volt.
Ideally, we'd like to see Gigabyte support a greater range of memory speeds, either via additional bus speed options or by exposing users to a larger set of bus multipliers. It would also be nice if the board's automatic fan speed control options let users set target and reference temperatures for the system and processor fan headers. In its current form, the DQ6's BIOS provides no way for users to manipulate how the board's temperature-based fan speed control behaves beyond turning it on or off.
AMD's OverDrive utility
If poking around in the BIOS seems like a horribly outdated way to tweak system performance, AMD has whipped up a handy OverDrive system utility for Windows that packs all sorts of hardware tweaking, overclocking, and monitoring capabilities.
Perhaps most impressive, if only for scale, is the app's vast array of memory timing options. You could get lost in here.
OverDrive should make overclocking a breeze by exposing not only control over bus speeds and CPU multipliers, but also a whole string of voltages. The screenshot above was taken with an Athlon X2 5200+ processor, so you can't see OverDrive's neatest feature—independent core multiplier control for Phenom processors. AMD's latest chips are capable of running cores at different speeds, and OverDrive will allow users to easily tune those speeds to maximize performance without sacrificing stability.
Manual tweaking isn't for everyone, though, so OverDrive also provides an auto-tuning feature that will probe your system's potential and settle on the fastest stable overclock. This "Auto Clock" mechanism seems to zero in optimal configurations a lot quicker than Nvidia's nTune system utility, too.
If you'd rather take over at the wheel, OverDrive provides a full suite of manual stress tests to aid with burn-in and stability testing.
OverDrive isn't the first tweaking and overclocking software we've seen developed by a chipset maker; Nvidia blazed that trail years ago with nTune. However, nTune never seemed to catch on with motherboard makers, who had to implement specific BIOS hooks to expose much of the software's functionality. OverDrive requires cooperation from the BIOS, too, but AMD says it's all handled by an easy-to-implement ASM plugin. What's more, AMD claims that all the tier one mobo makers will offer full OverDrive support, although they admit that some aren't quite up to speed at the moment.
