A little help with a 6420 based OC(first real oc) please.

[MatrixAgent]

Ok so I'm having a few problems with my system and keeping it stable.

The relevant specs are Asus striker extreme(latest Bios), C2d E6420, 4GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 4-4-4-12 DDR2 800 at 2.1v.

Cooling is a Thermalright ultra120 with a scyth 1600RPM fan attached. I've also added the extra North bridge fan which Asus supply with the mobo.

From what I've read(Yes I've google'd and used the forums search function - so please don't grill me!) the 6420 lends its self to oc quite nicely as does the striker board but.... At 3.2ghz it just freezes whilst running Orthos(blended), The temp(measured using core temp) seems to never rise beyond 54c under load 27-29c idle which is well inside the safety margin. Currently I've got the Vcore at 1.35v and FSB 400(alowing 1:1 ratio which
I've read is a wise thing), the DDR2 is set at 2.1v(as per warranty)

Any ideas? last run lasted about 1 hour 15 and then froze(total system freeze - hold power for 5 seconds etc to power off) - that was with a 1.368v vcore.
so I've dropped the vcore to see if that helps. I've not touched the north/south bridge voltages as I've not found any conclusive info on what is a reasonable for this board/these speeds.

Any advice on what to try next would be appreciated.

Regards,

R.

 

[myocardia]

You need more vcore. People have been reporting that the E6420 are requiring 1.40-1.425v for 3.2-3.3 Ghz.

 

[MatrixAgent]

Thanks for that, Just trying at 1.4125v

Will see how it goes.

Cheers.

 

[Zardnok]

I had to take my 6420 up to 1.5V in order to get anything over 3.2 on a DS3 board. I was not comfortable there, so I backed it off considerably.

 

[MatrixAgent]

Well it ran for 4.5 hours yesterday using the stress cpu fft test without fail and never passing 57c.

started it this morning running a blend test, And it failed after 43 minutes. Last recorded CPU temp was 54c.

By Fail I mean the machine simply froze totally

Any ideas ?

Cheers,

R.

 

[MatrixAgent]

I've Now backed it off to 3Ghz(8x375) This seems a little more stable.
although obviously the memory ration is now not 1:1.

Will update later after a few hours Orthos thrashing.

Cheers,

R.

 

[The-Noid]

Blend Failures are usually memory or NB related.

 

[Arkaign]

3Ghz is a fine spot for regular usage. I usually like to find the ceiling, then back off 10% or so for long-term usage. The performance difference between 3.0 and 3.2 is miniscule anyway.

 

[Josh123]

Ya, I have my 6420 running at 3.0ghz right now with the stock HSF @ 1.35v I think.

 

[MatrixAgent]

Originally posted by: Yoxxy
Blend Failures are usually memory or NB related.

I had wondered if thats the case. Perhaps I'll play with the NB voltage a little today.

I think 3ghz is a happy place for now even for this intermediate gaming/Dev/Vmware rig. It should keep me going until the Penryn lot arrives in which case it'll be new system time.

Now time to poke the NB.


Cheers,

R.

 

[MatrixAgent]

Hmmm,

Changing my RAM settings from 4-4-4-12(They support this EPP) to auto detect(5-5-5-15) seems to have solved the problem - now running at 3.2ghz. Blend test seems stable.


R.