Nov 26, 2005
15,197
403
126
I'm new to the Intel overclocking scene so bear with me.

I just picked up some DDR3 1333Mhz (pc 10666) with 6.6.6.18 timings. I am looking to take my Q9300 up to 3.0Ghz with a MB that supports FSB strap 333 or 1333. In order to take the 2.5Ghz Q9300 to 3Ghz, do i set the fsb frequency to 400? If so, how does this effect the memory.

Now I'm thinking I need to have DDR3 1600Mhz (pc 12800) memory to achieve 3Ghz without opening up the timings or messing around with dividers or god knows what else i don't know about.


The items I picked up:
MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ntel-_-ASUS-_-13131181
CPU
Q9300
Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227292


Am I limited by the motherboard or memory or???
 

DarkRogue

Golden Member
Dec 25, 2007
1,243
3
76
I don't know how DDR3 works, but if the FSB is still the same, you don't need 1600MHz DDR3 to hit 400FSB.

400FSB will be quad pumped by the CPU to 1600MHz, so you need a motherboard that can handle that speed. RAM on the other hand is only doubled (double data rate) so at 400FSB, DDR2-800 is what you will want to run at a 1:1 ratio with your CPU. If this is not how DDR3 works, I await enlightenment on this subject lol.
 

DarkRogue

Golden Member
Dec 25, 2007
1,243
3
76
Even if it's not advertised, most mainstream boards nowadays can hit at least 400MHz easily. My EP35-DS3P has advertised support for the OC'd speed of 1600MHz. Other mobo's that have been tossed around here don't necessarily advertise it, but people have run it past 430-450MHz.
 
Nov 26, 2005
15,197
403
126
So hopefully this Asus P5K3 Deluxe will be able to hit 400 fsb with the low multi of 7.5 of the Q9300, if not, my next choice is a 300$+ mb, which is way more than i hoped to spend.
 
Nov 26, 2005
15,197
403
126
What is the optimal ratio to run?

So, if my fsb is 400 and I'm running DDR3 1333Mhz (666Mhz X 2) then my ratio would be somewhere around 2:3? or do i account for the full 1333Mhz?