Do CPUs lose overclocking potential with time?

[ibex333]

I have been trying to keep my e6300 Conroe overclocked but it just doesn't happen. I get it to 3.0GHz from 1.8GHz stable without any issues. It runs like this for a few weeks and then somehow defaults back to stock. There's never a crash or a BSOD. The temps are well below max.

I overclock again, and again it runs fine for some time and stealthily defaults back, and I only notice because something becomes much slower than it used to be.

This time I am trying to OC again and it just wont OC at all! Anything above 1.8GHz simply doesn't boot.

Is that even possible, or it isnt a result of an error on my part?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Mobo issues. Some mobos, if they have trouble booting up the CPU, they will restart (boot loop) with default values.

Is it a Gigabyte board by any chance? A P35-DS3L or something?

 

[DominionSeraph]

I'd wager you degraded your FSB. That your CPU is essentially a 3GHz chip clocked down to 1.86GHz doesn't mean your FSB is a 428MHz chip clocked down to 266MHz.

 

[ibex333]

Mobo issues. Some mobos, if they have trouble booting up the CPU, they will restart (boot loop) with default values.

Is it a Gigabyte board by any chance? A P35-DS3L or something?

That is exactly the one! What... This mobo is not very good?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That is exactly the one! What... This mobo is not very good?

Gigabyte. Um-hmm. . . I had -- still have -- a Gigabyte mATX with the 610i nForce. We had an E2400 or E2600 -- can't remember -- processor. Clocked it to speeds between 2.4Ghz and 3.0. The motherboard would occasionally reset to the stock settings. I set it back to stock or near-stock speed, and eventually replaced it with a Wolfdale of default 3.4 Ghz. I tried running that at 3.6. Can't remember if the board did another "BIOS reset," but I decided to move it back to the stock setting. The BIOS adjustments were also limited: I don't think it was possible to adjust the RAM "vDIMM" voltage.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That is exactly the one! What... This mobo is not very good?

It has problems overclocking, with resetting BIOS and refusing to overclock. As you've experienced.

 

[ibex333]

It has problems overclocking, with resetting BIOS and refusing to overclock. As you've experienced.

Wow.. This sucks. Back when I got it, it was considered one of the best for overclocking...

 

[Charlie98]

My Gigabyte Z68 board will do the same thing once in a while... thankfully not that often.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wow.. This sucks. Back when I got it, it was considered one of the best for overclocking...

Not really. It's the lowest-cost "Lite" model. It had less power phases, etc. The Gigabyte P35 boards were good overclockers, but the DS3L was the worst of the bunch.