Buying new vid card @ Best Buy in 2 hours

[RavenSEAL]

1680x1050

I have Samsung 226bw

You're fine then, now go OC that CPU :biggrin:

 

[RussianSensation]

OC that baby, if it's an E6400(as i think), you should be able to get 3.0GHz problem free.

My trusty E6400 did 3.2ghz at 1.264V:

and 3.4ghz at 1.312V (coincidentally the same voltage for my current system)

So ya, that was on a cheapo ~$95-100 board (P965-DS3). Tje E6400 has 60%+ overclocking headroom under proper cooling. :awe: CM212+ is more than enough.

You're fine then, now go OC that CPU :biggrin:

Unfortunately even with overclocking, it may not be enough. E6400 is just too slow for modern cards.

E6400 vs. Core i5-760 - paired with a GTX460:

1920x1200 - Starcraft 2 - 37 fps avg. vs. 81 fps with i5-760
1680x1050 - BF:BC2 - 27 fps avg. vs. 82 fps with Core i5-760 *!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
1920x1200 - Civilization 5 - 15 fps avg. vs. 35 fps with i5-760
1680x1050 - F1 2010 - 23 fps avg vs. 51 with i5-760
1680x1050 - Metro 2033 High - 29 fps vs. 51 with i5-760

Time for a CPU upgrade. OP is pretty much wasting more than half of GTX460's power.

 

[Judgement]

I'm not trying to turn this 4+ year old PC into something that fully utilizes this new graphics card, but I did buy the better card thinking I could transplant it into a newer system down the line

I took a look at the CPU again in the BIOS to see about a possible overclock and it looks like the highest multiplier available was 8 and I already have it set to that. Maybe I could try to update the bios on this thing but I don't even have a floppy drive around anymore

 

[RavenSEAL]

I'm not trying to turn this 4+ year old PC into something that fully utilizes this new graphics card, but I did buy the better card thinking I could transplant it into a newer system down the line

I took a look at the CPU again in the BIOS to see about a possible overclock and it looks like the highest multiplier available was 8 and I already have it set to that. Maybe I could try to update the bios on this thing but I don't even have a floppy drive around anymore

In C2Ds you don't change the multiplier, you change the FSB clock.

 

[mnewsham]

I'm not trying to turn this 4+ year old PC into something that fully utilizes this new graphics card, but I did buy the better card thinking I could transplant it into a newer system down the line

I took a look at the CPU again in the BIOS to see about a possible overclock and it looks like the highest multiplier available was 8 and I already have it set to that. Maybe I could try to update the bios on this thing but I don't even have a floppy drive around anymore

When OC'ing that type of CPU you want to increase the FSB also. If your FSB is higher then your total clockspeed is higher. this will also OC your RAM

 

[RavenSEAL]

When OC'ing that type of CPU you want to increase the FSB also. If your FSB is higher then your total clockspeed is higher. this will also OC your RAM

Beat ya to it

 

[Judgement]

I know I can bump the FSB, but for the type of huge jumps you mentioned I figured it would have to be both getting raised. I guess I'm used to older hardware

I'm not sure what type of memory I have in this thing or if it can handle higher speeds. I'm a little reluctant to mess around with that until I find the switch to reset the cmos

 

[RavenSEAL]

You shouldn't have a problem if they are matching sticks of RAM, like i said, an e6400 does 3GHz easy.

The people in the CPU forum should be able to help you out further if you want to make a thread up there.

 

[RussianSensation]

I took a look at the CPU again in the BIOS to see about a possible overclock and it looks like the highest multiplier available was 8 and I already have it set to that. Maybe I could try to update the bios on this thing but I don't even have a floppy drive around anymore

You don't need a floppy to update the BIOS. You can use a USB bootable thumb stick. Also some boards even as far back as 2006 could do BIOS flash in Windows (like Asus and Gigabyte). You would just need to download a proper windows based flashing tool.

You can't overclock the E6400 using the multiplier. Those are locked on the way up. This is why 8x is the maximum. 8x 266 FSB = 2128mhz (~ 2.13ghz). What you need to do is:

1. Fix PCI Express frequency to 100 before you even think about raising the FSB.
2. Increase CPU voltage to 1.35V.
3. Increase DDR2 voltage to 2.1-2.2V (depending on your Ram - DDR2 usually ran at 1.8-1.9V IIRC).
4. Set appropriate Ram:CPU ratio (see more info below).
5. Raise FSB to 300, 325, 350, 375, 400 and so on. You may need to increase Chipset voltage (MCH by +0.1V) and FSB termination voltage (usually by +0.1 or +0.2V depending).

The best thing you can do is check what exact motherboard and RAM you have and get back to us. Just download CPU-Z and check under Mainboard and Memory.

For P965 boards, the lowest CPU:Ram ratio was 1:1 (so your DDR2 would run at DDR2-533 when your FSB is 266). This is VERY important. This means if you want to run FSB 400 x 8 = 3200mhz, you would need Ram that runs at DDR2-800 or Ram which can overclock that high. So tell us what Ram you have also.

You may have an Nvidia chipset board like P5N-E SLI with a 650 chipset. The beauty of this one is that you can you overclock the FSB without overclocking the ram.

 

[mnewsham]

You don't need a floppy to update the BIOS. You can use a USB bootable thumb stick. Also some boards even as far back as 2006 could do BIOS flash in Windows (like Asus and Gigabyte). You would just need to download a proper windows based flashing tool.

You can't overclock the E6400 using the multiplier. Those are locked on the way up. This is why 8x is the maximum. 8x 266 FSB = 2128mhz (~ 2.13ghz). What you need to do is:

1. Fix PCI Express frequency to 100 before you even think about raising the FSB.
2. Increase CPU voltage to 1.35V.
3. Increase DDR2 voltage to 2.1-2.2V (depending on your Ram - DDR2 usually ran at 1.8-1.9V IIRC).
4. Set appropriate Ram:CPU ratio (see more info below).
5. Raise FSB to 300, 325, 350, 375, 400 and so on. You may need to increase Chipset voltage (MCH by +0.1V) and FSB termination voltage (usually by +0.1 or +0.2V depending).

The best thing you can do is check what exact motherboard and RAM you have and get back to us. Just download CPU-Z and check under Mainboard and Memory.

For P965 boards, the lowest CPU:Ram ratio was 1:1 (so your DDR2 would run at DDR2-533 when your FSB is 266). This is VERY important. This means if you want to run FSB 400 x 8 = 3200mhz, you would need Ram that runs at DDR2-800 or Ram which can overclock that high. So tell us what Ram you have also.

You may have an Nvidia chipset board like P5N-E SLI with a 650 chipset. The beauty of this one is that you can you overclock the FSB without overclocking the ram.

:thumbsup:

 

[RavenSEAL]

:thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Indeed, he owned us on the explanation depth.

 

[Judgement]

You don't need a floppy to update the BIOS. You can use a USB bootable thumb stick. Also some boards even as far back as 2006 could do BIOS flash in Windows (like Asus and Gigabyte). You would just need to download a proper windows based flashing tool.

You can't overclock the E6400 using the multiplier. Those are locked on the way up. This is why 8x is the maximum. 8x 266 FSB = 2128mhz (~ 2.13ghz). What you need to do is:

1. Fix PCI Express frequency to 100 before you even think about raising the FSB.
2. Increase CPU voltage to 1.35V.
3. Increase DDR2 voltage to 2.1-2.2V (depending on your Ram - DDR2 usually ran at 1.8-1.9V IIRC).
4. Set appropriate Ram:CPU ratio (see more info below).
5. Raise FSB to 300, 325, 350, 375, 400 and so on. You may need to increase Chipset voltage (MCH by +0.1V) and FSB termination voltage (usually by +0.1 or +0.2V depending).

The best thing you can do is check what exact motherboard and RAM you have and get back to us. Just download CPU-Z and check under Mainboard and Memory.

For P965 boards, the lowest CPU:Ram ratio was 1:1 (so your DDR2 would run at DDR2-533 when your FSB is 266). This is VERY important. This means if you want to run FSB 400 x 8 = 3200mhz, you would need Ram that runs at DDR2-800 or Ram which can overclock that high. So tell us what Ram you have also.

You may have an Nvidia chipset board like P5N-E SLI with a 650 chipset. The beauty of this one is that you can you overclock the FSB without overclocking the ram.

Posts from people like you are how and why I found AT to begin with. Knowledgeable, helpful, and to the point. I haven't really participated in the Hardware forums for years and it isn't my forte anymore (obviously) but I'm glad to see this type of assistance isn't a thing of the past.

I'll be posting cpu-z info momentarily.

 

[Judgement]

Forum went under maintenance right after I posted that. I installed the PSU earlier today... ended up spending double what I wanted to but I guess that is usually how this stuff goes

The processor is an E6400 @ 2.13ghz
Motherboard: Gigabyte 965P-DS3

Memory tab in CPU-Z says the FSB : DRAM is currently 2:3
It is Supertalent PC2-6400 (400mhz) - 2 matching 1gb sticks

 

[nonameo]

Hey, have you thought about baking the 7900 to see if it revives long enough to order something online?

 

[Judgement]

Set PCI E frequency to 100. Looking at CPU settings now, since the fsb is 266 and the memory is 400 it looks like it automatically has the ratio set to 2:3. I guess I could try setting that ratio to 1:1 and raising the fsb to 350ish?

I'm not really sure how this works, the system memory multiplier (spd) is set to auto ( I think this is what I would need to change before raising the FSB since that would overclock my memory also?) I can change it from auto to 2, 2.5, 2.66, 3, etc but none of these make sense to me. Wouldn't I want it to be set to 1 to raise the fsb to try and match the speed of the ram?

So if right now the fsb is at 266 and the memory is running at 400mhz (since its running at 2:3 on auto) when I raise the fsb to, lets say 300, it would push the memory up to 450mhz which it isn't going to be able to handle

or am I looking at this the wrong way

 

[Judgement]

I think I answered my own question, was thinking about this too hard when its actually fairly simple

I dropped the system memory multiplier to 2.5 (I guess it was defaulting to 3) and raised fsb to 320

running prime95 now

 

[RussianSensation]

I'm not really sure how this works, the system memory multiplier (spd) is set to auto ( I think this is what I would need to change before raising the FSB since that would overclock my memory also?) I can change it from auto to 2, 2.5, 2.66, 3, etc but none of these make sense to me.

On the Gigabyte boards of that generation, the 2 Ratio equates to 1:1. So that's the lowest one you need to select.

I'll tell you exactly what you need to do.

Part 1: The Basics

1. Flash your board with the latest BIOS version F14 and load Optimized Defaults. To do this, simply download @ BIOS Utility version B11.0112.1 and flash with the *.bat file.
2. Disable 'CIA2'
3. Set PCIe @ 100mhz (you already did that) :thumbsup:
4. Disable any CPU 'spread spectrum' (if applicable)
5. Disable 'Limit CPUID Max to 3'
6. Disable 'C1E'
7. Disable 'EIST'
8. Disable Virtualization Technology
9. Disable No-Execute Memory Protect
10. Do not enable any speed enhancements you see like "Turbo" (set Memory Performance Enhance to Normal. Once you complete Part 6, you may want to revisit this in Turbo setting, etc.)

Part 2: Memory Adjustments

To expand more options on Gigabyte boards, move the "red" bar in the BIOS to MB Intelligent Tweaker "M.I.T." selection. At this point press CTRL+F1. This will unlock manual settings.

1. Set Memory Multiplier to 2.0 (This is FSB:RAM of 1:1 on Gigabyte boards).
2. Set DRAM Timing to Manual or Disable SPD
3. In the BIOS you will see 4 separate timing digits for the Ram. Change them to the ones specified by your RAM (based on CPU-Z readings I asked you to look at. i.e., 5-5-5-15 is a good starting base).
4. If you plan on overclocking FSB > 400, then you need to set your RAM to 2.1-2.2V. Otherwise, if your ram is perfectly happy running DDR2-800 at 1.8-1.9V, and you won't go past 400 FSB, then you won't need to raise DRAM voltage.

Part 3: Voltages

1. Set DRAM/DIMM voltage (vDIMM) to 2.1V-2.2V (depending on point #4 above). On Gigabyte boards IIRC, the base is 1.8V (but it maybe 1.9V). Therefore, to get to 2.1V, you press +0.3, and +0.4V to get to 2.2V. Check the stock readings with HWMonitor to confirm base of 1.8V.
2. Set MCH Voltage (vMCH) to 1.55V (on the Gigabyte board, I believe the base is 1.30V. So +0.2V is sufficient, but you may be OK with +0.1V under 425 FSB)
3. Set FSB Voltage (vFSB) to 1.40V (The base is 1.20). So +0.2V
4. Increase South Bridge (vICH) voltage by +0.1V
5. Set CPU Voltage (vCore) to 1.375V for E6400.

If Parts 2 and 3 are a bit confusing, just follow these pictures.

Part 4: Frequency Control

First attempt:
1. Set CPU Host Clock/Frequency (FSB) to 333mhz
2. Set CPU Clock Ratio to the default 8x value

E6400 ==> 333x8 = 2664mhz

3. Save your settings and reboot.

From here on, it's a personal preference thing. I would generally crank up every 25 FSB or so until 400 FSB. If you are able to boost straight into 400FSB, run some Prime95 and check your CPU temperatures at this point. Make sure your processor is ~ 60*C-65*C or below. If your temperatures are satisfactory, you may try to push beyond 400FSB (425x8 = 3400mhz).

You may find that you need more:
1. DDR2 voltage increase from base 1.9V @ DDR2-800 --> 2.1V or more
2. CPU voltage increase by another 0.025V increments
3. FSB voltage increase from +0.1V we started to +0.2V

Part 5: Monitor the Overclock

1. Use CPU-Z to check CPU Voltage (for example if you set it at 1.375V in the BIOS but it drops to 1.312V at load in CPU-Z, you can see the board's power delivering is producing vDroop. So you may need to up the voltage in the BIOS to compensate

2. Use HWMonitor to monitor CPU temperatures

3. You may want to run Linpack / LinX software for additional stress testing (or OCCT). I would also suggest a couple runs of SuperPi 32M (sometimes a less than stable CPU produces a Rounding error in this bench).

4. The higher the clock speed of the CPU and vCore, the more important it is monitor CPU temperatures.

*If the computer fails to boot, hold down 'Insert' key when booting to restore default settings in BIOS

Part 6: Finalizing

You will have to play around with this. Alternatively, if the system passes at 400FSB Prime 95 for 12 hours, you are not in a bad shape. At this point, you can start going back and lowering some of the voltages we raised until you reach optimal voltages (i.e., perhaps your CPU is fine booting at 3.2ghz at only 1.32V and you won't need 1.375V, and FSB only needs +0.1 not +0.2V, etc.)

1. Lower vCore by one notch at a time until the lowest possible while maintaining the same stableness
2. Do the same for vMCH, vFSB, vICH only after you find the lowest possible stable vCore
3. Record the BIOS settings which work somewhere for future references unless your mobo has the option to save them (say F11)

If ^^^^ still doesn't get you on the right track, feel free to post in our CPU overclocking sub-forum OR refer to this far more in-depth guide/thread:

HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - A Guide v1.1

 

[Castiel]

I know a guy who is obsessed with his 775 machine. Thinks it's gods gift and has a E6800 clocked at 4.4Ghz. I think that's what it is.. Has 2mb of L2, wolfdale core. Might want to check it out if your board can support it. Was 99 dollars on newegg

 

[betasub]

:thumbsup: Indeed, he owned us on the explanation depth.

And he strikes again! Kudos to Russian :thumbsup:

 

[RussianSensation]

And he strikes again! Kudos to Russian :thumbsup:

Thanks guys!