about to lose it - e6600 is floppin hard

[ThePiston]

I cannot get this $309 chip past 3200Mhz to save my life. I'm about ready to sell it and the board unless someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong. I should be able to cruise to 3500Mhz and usually 3600. I can get is to 3150 by 7X350 so the ram can go faster, but when it doesn't boot on anything over 8X400 does that mean the chip needs more volts or is it maxed?

I can only boot at 3150 Mhz with these specs and with the E6600 this is embarassing:

I CANNOT boot with this:
CPU 8X
CPU host freq = 410
PCI E freq = auto
CIA 2 = disabled
system mem multiplier = 2

DDR 2 volts = +0.3
PCI-E volts = normal
FSB overvoltage = +0.2
(G)MCH overvoltage = +0.1
CPU voltage = 1.500 (normal is 1.325)

I CAN boot with 7X440 with same specs as above so can my E6600 really be topping out at 3200Mhz?

 

[cmdrdredd]

set PCI-E to 100 and lock your PCi to 33.33 make sure you have spread spectrum off and turn off speed step and C1E etc. Try looser timings on your memory. Give 5-5-5-15 a shot.

It's most likely your memory unable to post at DDR2-820 with whatever timings you are trying to give it. And whatever voltages you're trying too.

 

[ThePiston]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
set PCI-E to 100 and lock your PCi to 33.33 make sure you have spread spectrum off and turn off speed step and C1E etc. Try looser timings on your memory. Give 5-5-5-15 a shot.

It's most likely your memory unable to post at DDR2-820 with whatever timings you are trying to give it. And whatever voltages you're trying too.

ram is already at 5-5-5-15
PCI-e is already at 100
not sure hwo to lock PCI to 33.3
how do i turn off step speed?

 

[harpoon84]

How high can you push it on the default 9x multiplier?

And 3.15GHz is a respectable overclock for the STOCK HSF! You really shouldn't expect to be getting 3.6GHz (an exceptional overclock even for high end air) on the stock HSF.

 

[stevty2889]

Me and my roomate both have E6600's, mine is unstable past 3.26ghz 1.45v, and his only reaches 3.2ghz as well, but on a lower voltage..your chip just may not be capable of it.

 

[Roguestar]

1.5v is pretty high to be at already. I'd back down the voltage just a little and try the other suggestions in this thread, or go and get an aftermarket cooler if I were you.

 

[BoboKatt]

I'm using an e6600 on an eVGA 680i mobo. After much testing and playing around I now keep it at 3350Mhz at 1.45V. To reach 3600Mhz I had to go well over 1.58 or so and in fact with the mobo "undervolting" and no way for me to actually measure what the true voltage is, it might be even higher than that.

At the end of the day with good air cooling (tunic Tower) and keeping my idle/semi work temps at around 35c... I am happy. Anyhow the short of it is all about voltage and how much you are willing to push.

The concept or promise that with any e6600 or any CPU for that matter to ?easily? reach X speed with x.xx voltage is simply wrong. Personally I cannot believe the disparity between all the setups I see around.

 

[Roguestar]

Well it's never a guarantee that a chip is going to work past its rated speed. You just seem to be "unlucky" with yours, but considering that yours is already running faster than an X6800 and then some, I'd not be too down about it if I were you .

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: ThePiston

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
set PCI-E to 100 and lock your PCi to 33.33 make sure you have spread spectrum off and turn off speed step and C1E etc. Try looser timings on your memory. Give 5-5-5-15 a shot.

It's most likely your memory unable to post at DDR2-820 with whatever timings you are trying to give it. And whatever voltages you're trying too.

ram is already at 5-5-5-15
PCI-e is already at 100
not sure hwo to lock PCI to 33.3
how do i turn off step speed?

You need better cooling to get anything more out of it.

The issue probably is that your memory is not up to the task... That OCZ is not Micron D-9 based... It is Elpida, or Hynix. neither are too great at running over stock speeds.



Reduce the multiplier .... and test where the memory is rolling over.

It is luck of the draw...

 

[Shimmishim]

i agree... use the 9x mult to limit the possibility of it being the chip.

by testing 8 x 410 or 7 x440 you are pushing the limits of the memory and possibly the chip.

isolate and consolidate is what should be done.

and at 1.5 volts, you are starting to generate a lot of heat for the stock cooler

 

[ThePiston]

I can eaily run stable at 7X440 or sometimes 450 so the ram is fine. Must be the chip. Sucks... I was going to get a Reserator 2 if I could get this thing screaming, but I guess 3150 on stock air is fine. I can't believe I spent this much money on a computer that didn't go to where I was hoping. I usually buy cheap components and OC very well - this time I splurged on better stuff and got screwed. Even my 7900GT isn't performing very well.

 

[Shimmishim]

lol. that's the overclockin' game we all play!

i'm sure you could sell that e6600 and get a e6400 easily

 

[Duvie]

The DS3 is finicky.....It could only get my E6600 to 3.26ghz yet my S3 board went to 3.4ghz...go figure the DS3 is supposed to be a S3 with solid capacitors...

Here are my thoughts...

1)Use the beta F8i bios if you haven't tried it....some that went to F9 from F8i, which was the truly first bios to fix the micron 9 issue, had worse OCing...

2)At this point you have better bump the vfsb +.1v, and vmch +.1v

3)Maybe even touch the vdimm another +.1v over stock settings...

4)in the second menu of the bios...advanced something...make sure the bottom 6 of 7 things are disabled...the bottom bottom item should be PEG for your pci-e vid card

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: ThePiston
I can eaily run stable at 7X440 or sometimes 450 so the ram is fine. Must be the chip. Sucks... I was going to get a Reserator 2 if I could get this thing screaming, but I guess 3150 on stock air is fine. I can't believe I spent this much money on a computer that didn't go to where I was hoping. I usually buy cheap components and OC very well - this time I splurged on better stuff and got screwed. Even my 7900GT isn't performing very well.

To get a good OC it really requires alot more attention to details now...

Your IHS could have an issue.. some of the early ones had IHS' that had high corners... then the HSF does not transfer heat well.

Preping your MOBO by pulling Heatsinks, and removing stock transfer material.
Then replace with silicone or AS5.

The list goes on and on.. but each one buys you more speed..

Get a better Heatsink and fan and then go thru when you pull the MOBO and tweak the stuff that needs it... Look at the details like what I was talking about It will help.. belive me.


Duvie has the most experience using that MOBO and his advice is good.

 

[ThePiston]

I think I am going to get a Reserator 2 with NB cooler anyway (for future builds) so I'm probably just going to stick it out with these parts and upgrade as I come across good deals.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: ThePiston
I think I am going to get a Reserator 2 with NB cooler anyway (for future builds) so I'm probably just going to stick it out with these parts and upgrade as I come across good deals.

I doubt that water cooling would preform any better then air... There are some TEC coolers that have come out that people have had good results with, they use more power... but they work well.

Water cooling you are always tied to ambient temp. and unless you have adequate quantitys of water in the system you saturate the system.. the higher your average ambient the more thermal mass (water) that the system requires.

 

[krose]

Remember you are also overclocking the northbridge. Reducing the CPU multiplier overclocks it even more. Your stock multiplier is 9. At 450 FSB, by dropping it to 7 you are overclocking the NB by 450x9/7 = 578 which it may not be able to do. Check this thread for more info. You should try to see how high you can go with a 9 multiplier. Just try 9x400 right from the get-go.

 

[ThePiston]

I'd get water more for the silence - plus adding $125 worth of even louder fans sounds dumb when i can spend $350 for complete silence and reliable temps for future builds

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: ThePiston
I'd get water more for the silence - plus adding $125 worth of even louder fans sounds dumb when i can spend $350 for complete silence and reliable temps for future builds

That's assuming your block has adapters that would fit...assuming they change the socket sometime down the line that is.

 

[nippyjun]

Originally posted by: Mr Fox

Originally posted by: ThePiston

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
set PCI-E to 100 and lock your PCi to 33.33 make sure you have spread spectrum off and turn off speed step and C1E etc. Try looser timings on your memory. Give 5-5-5-15 a shot.

It's most likely your memory unable to post at DDR2-820 with whatever timings you are trying to give it. And whatever voltages you're trying too.

ram is already at 5-5-5-15
PCI-e is already at 100
not sure hwo to lock PCI to 33.3
how do i turn off step speed?

Why would the memory be the problem. Can't he just unsynchronize the memory and run it at 800 regardless of the cpu speed? or can that not be done with this particular mobo?





You need better cooling to get anything more out of it.

The issue probably is that your memory is not up to the task... That OCZ is not Micron D-9 based... It is Elpida, or Hynix. neither are too great at running over stock speeds.



Reduce the multiplier .... and test where the memory is rolling over.

It is luck of the draw...