ASUS P5B-E + E6600 - running at 1500mhz in CPU-Z?

[allymonaco]

Hi everyone, debut post here so I hope you'll all be kind

I recently built myself a brand new machine with the following spec:

Coolermaster Centurion Silver Case
ASUS P5B-E Motherboard (0601 BIOS)
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz E6600
2gb (2x1gb) Corsair XMS2-6400C4 TwinX CAS 4-4-4-12 RAM
Leadtek Geforce 6800 GT 256mb PCIe
SB Live! Platinum + Live Drive II
Maxtor 300gb SATA II Hard Drive (C: )
Seagate 400gb SATA II Hard Drive (D: )
Plextor PX-716A DVD-RW Drive (1.10 BIOS - E: )
OCZ 520w PSU
Windows XP Professional SP2

Now after a few compatibility problems with a handful of applications/games which I recently managed to work out myself, the system seems to be running really well and is stable. I started out with 2x512 sticks of DDR2 800 RAM but recently replaced them with 2x1gb sticks looking for a bit of extra responsiveness, especially in games.

The main reason that I'm posting here is because I'd like to properly confirm that my system is functioning as quickly as it should be and basically that I'm getting what I've paid for. I've tested my hard drives with a benchmarking tool and I'm getting roughly 250mb transfer rate apiece so the SATA II ports seem to be doing their jobs correctly.

But recently, I was alarmed to see when I ran CPU-Z that the CPU + cores are detected correctly but the clock speed reads at 1500.00ish mhz? Surely this can't be right? Surely it should be running at 2400mhz if it's an E6600? Is the speed supposed to be variable or something when the computer's not doing anything CPU-intensive?

I am interested in (eventually) overclocking but I'm probably the biggest newbie you've ever seen when it comes to that; I don't have a clue where to start and don't want to wreck my expensive new rig! For the time being I just want to get my 2.4 running and reading as a 2.4 and the memory working at full throttle.

Can anyone advise me on any settings I can optomise in the P5B-E bios without risking any damage to my new components? I'm new to all this Vcore, voltage stuff but if adding an extra 0.01v here and there would beef up my (already pretty good) performance then I'm seriously all ears

With my spec, does anyone think I could potentially get my 2.4 running as a 2.8/3.0 with ordinary stock cooling?

Thanks for any and all help.

Ally

 

[EXEEMLITE]

OC P5BE

The link above will give you a quick guide to ocing, the two main things you need to do are turn off c1e support and speed spectrum, but mainly c1e support.

 

[allymonaco]

Originally posted by: EXEEMLITE
OC P5BE

The link above will give you a quick guide to ocing, the two main things you need to do are turn off c1e support and speed spectrum, but mainly c1e support.

Cheers for the reply!

I'll take a closer look at that OC thread this evening, some of the settings will doubtless come in handy.

Are the c1e support + speed spectrum settings you mention in the CPU section of the BIOS? Should I just turn these off the next time I boot my machine? Are they the reason why my frequency is stuck at 1500.00 mhz in CPU-Z? The BIOS and all other programs (+ XP) recognise it as a Core 2 Duo 2.4 but I thought CPU-Z is more specialised which is why I was worried.

One more thing, should I manually set my memory voltage and speed in the BIOS or should I just leave it on Automatic? Obviously I know my memory should be running at 800mhz but is it getting enough volts I'm wondering?

Sorry about all the questions, nightmare newbie eh?

 

[EXEEMLITE]

jumper free :speed spectrum
cpu config:c1e
the more I think about it I believe that the c1e is the real issue. I am a newb to intel so I am just doing alot of reading. just hit delete on your next boot and go the the specified screens. I wouldnt worry about the voltage until you commit to overclocking. Once you do decide to go that route, there are many different schools of thought on this. Some people decide to go 1 increment at a time while it seems others just go for the gold. Personally, for some reason my chip needed to be "nudged" into position. I went from 266 mhz to 333 to 400. Each time running orthos. You should go here to get an idea of what the big boys do. but the link I sent you earlier is a really nice thread. there are several more including herewhere you can get all you need to know about your board. Have a good day and feel free to ask anymore questions, if I can help I will be glad to

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Yep, your system is throttling down because of the power management settings in bios.
Disable C1E and any other features relating to Intels "speed step"

 

[allymonaco]

Nice one, thanks for the info lads :thumbsup:

I'll back up my BIOS tonight and try disabling the settings you've suggested and hopefully that should return the mhz back up to 2400 in CPU-Z. So, with the Speedstep settings enabled does this actually hinder the (stock) capability of my CPU? If so, what a redundant setting!

I'm going to discover overclocking in my own time but I'd like to see how the new spec does minus any tweaks for the time being.

I still have a new video & sound card to get before the machine is fully completed.

The GF 6800 + SB Live! will do me just find until the next paycheque rolls in however

 

[BoboKatt]

Just a question about disabling these power saving features -- in my other system my AMD X2-4800 on a DFI LANparty 939 board, I OC the CPU using its stock multiplier of 12 and just up the FSB. Anyhow I never disabled what AMD calls their cool and quiet. It never hindered my CPU OC ability so I have always left it enabled in the BIOS.

Now I always assumed that keeping Cool and quiet on the CPU would throttle down or use less power when not needed. This is a good thing as there are times when I simply don?t game or decode or whatnot.

Now with the Intel e6600 or e6300/e6400 if you leave their own version of these power saving features on, does that effectively remove the chance to OC or limit it? Do they work differently? Why do all the write-ups and walk-through all say the same... disable all the power saving features or the CPU throttling? Can we not OC with these things on and take advantage of having your CPU scale down when not in use?

I can understand if these settings however reduce the voltage and thus if the CPU is oc'ed extensively it would result in a crash. Or if these features mess with the multiplier. Again not sure so would love some input on this.

Thanks!

 

[allymonaco]

Righto, I've disabled the features mentioned and it's now running at 2400 mhz.

A new BIOS update for the P5B-E came out today 0706 so I chucked that in as well.

One thing though, the CPU temp seems to be a bit higher than before (round about 50!) but seems stable when I run stuff and I've only seen it go as high as 53. Is this worrying or not? I'm only using the stock Intel cooler right now but I'll probably have a look at the more specialised cooler at some point.

I don't want the CPU overheating and freezing obviously.

 

[EXEEMLITE]

@BoboKatt I really can't give you an definative answer, it seems you pretty much answered it to my ability. All of the guides are pretty much for getting the best OC possible, so to eliminate a instability possibility, remove the fluctuation of voltage from the equation.

@allymomaco Temps seem a little high for stock... there are MANY possibilities here. It would be futile for me to try to give you all of them. To name a few... make sure your pins are pushed all of the way in on the joke for a cooler that intel sends out with these processors. Really bad idea if you ask many people here. Did you use the thermal tape that was on it or did you remove it and apply your own. I assume that you just used theirs. Once again not the best stuff. When you pull the cooler off, make sure that there is an even contact point. Conroes seem to be notorious for concave or convexed IHS. Basically your first step should be to push down firmly on all 4 pins to make sure all 4 snap into place. If they are then, remove it remove the tape and go buy you some arctic silver or creamique and go from there. Hope this helps. Have a good one

 

[allymonaco]

Originally posted by: EXEEMLITE@allymomaco Temps seem a little high for stock... there are MANY possibilities here. It would be futile for me to try to give you all of them. To name a few... make sure your pins are pushed all of the way in on the joke for a cooler that intel sends out with these processors. Really bad idea if you ask many people here. Did you use the thermal tape that was on it or did you remove it and apply your own. I assume that you just used theirs. Once again not the best stuff. When you pull the cooler off, make sure that there is an even contact point. Conroes seem to be notorious for concave or convexed IHS. Basically your first step should be to push down firmly on all 4 pins to make sure all 4 snap into place. If they are then, remove it remove the tape and go buy you some arctic silver or creamique and go from there. Hope this helps. Have a good one

Yeah I'm not happy with that temp either but I just remembered (how could I forget) that I used a Zalman 9500LED on my previous P4 system and that I still had the Socket 775 adapter It had been sitting gathering dust for the past week and it soon became obvious I could use it with my new Core 2 Duo system!

I set aside 45 minutes this evening and installed it. It's working a charm and my CPU is almost 10c cooler. Fantastic stuff :thumbsup:

As you said, the Intel one is absolute rubbish and I think you were right, it wasn't attached to my motherboard correctly but it did *seem* solidly enough seated. No matter, with the Zalman in place the stock cooler's going in the bin.