HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - A Guide v1.7

[z1ggy]

Eh I doubt it...I have been running the small and large fft tests for 12-20 hours (from when I go to bed til when I get back from work) and I have not been having any problems. I increased my Vcore a little bit and increased the NB voltage slightly as well and I passed both large and small fft tests at 3.0 Ghz. I didn't expect to get a huge OC out of this board anyways.. I think I will be happy in the 3.2 to 3.4 Ghz range. If I really wanted to push it, I would have spent the extra 30 bucks for the DFI board. I think next build I make, I will probably go with DFI...Heard good things about them. Of course..in a few years...who knows what kind of technology we will be using...

 

[graysky]

You skimped out for a measly $30? Damn, dude. What's that like 1/2 a tank of gas?

 

[z1ggy]

haha I know right...Well when I was asking for recommendations for a board...I actually had the DFI board as the one I was using..But people told me to go with the gigabyte board and take the 30 bucks I saved and upgrade the 8800gts I had to a 8800gt. So...that is why I switched boards.

I have my OC to 3.2 Ghz now..Posts and everything..running fine..I'll stress test it tonight and into tom. afternoon.

 

[graysky]

Wow dude. That is one of the worst pieces of advice I've heard in a while. Oh well! You can always sell it on ebay or whatever and get the DFI if you want.

 

[z1ggy]

Yeah your right...I am making pretty good money this summer working for this engineering corp. so maybe if I want I could do that..but I am only running on air here...I don't know how far I should go with air..but right now at 3.2 im running 31C idle and in the lower 50's 100% load. Maybe I could push it to 3.6 or so?

 

[graysky]

@z - maybe... but remember that the vast majority of your CPU's heat is a function of the vcore. Even a few hundred mV (100 mV = 0.100 of a V) will skyrocket your temps which isn't really a function of the board. I only suggested the DFI because it empowers you to fine tune voltages for stability which your current boards doesn't seem to do.

 

[z1ggy]

To graysky- I know what mV and volts are!! I am studying to be an electrical engineer! lol.. anyways..My board goes by about 50-70 mV each time I increased the voltage..so for now I am just leaving it at 1.32 until I become unstable. I have a pretty good HSF as well...and the 6 case fans keep the airflow good. I think I will just keep pushing until I hit the high 50C range under 100% load. Still low 50's at 3.2Ghz.

 

[graysky]

k... remember that stability is is a function of Vcc, but also other vcores on the board so you may have to push them higher as well.

 

[z1ggy]

Yes..I will keep that in mind..thanks for the help on everything...your pretty knowledgeable. If I have anymore questions I know who to ask.

 

[graysky]

Many others in here are far more knowledgeable than I. Let us know how it goes.

 

[z1ggy]

I dont think I am fully stable right now at 3.2 Ghz..ran blend test ..computer restarted somewhere paster the 7 to 8 hour mark..What should the next thing I do be? I think I will try increasing Vcore a few mV.

 

[graysky]

Well, you can call it good @ 7 or 8 hours. 24 is somewhat arbitrary; there are no hard/fast rules about it. You have the right idea though by increase a vcore (which one, it's tough to tell). Could be VTT or NB or CPU... you gotta try em one-at-a-time and it can be a tedious process as you approach stability since crashes or rounding errors can take upwards of 18 hours to show themselves.

 

[z1ggy]

Yes...I increased only my NB voltage .. left everything else the same.... ill leave orthos on again overnight and during work so that will be 17 hours..usually if I come home from work and see that it hasn't crashed than it's good. If I still get a crash then I will up the Vcore a little.. but its at 1.32 and I know you said that seemed a bit high..

 

[Dummications]

Hi guys as you can see I am new to the forum and I am new to the computer game in terms of building my own.

I just finished building my first rig after lots of research.

This is my new rig:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Go Stepping
Asus PK5 Deluxe Mobo
Crucial Ballistix DDR2-8500 2GB
Western Digital 500GB Sata II IDE
Visiontek ATI 3870 overclocked 512mb GDDR4 video card
Corsair HX520W Modular Powersupply

Now I know it isnt that hard to build a computer but the part I am worried about is how to overclock the son of a gun.

Currently after checking out the bios this is the info I got:

CPU temp is at 36C
MOBO temp is at 39C
CPU Fan Speed is at 1997RPM
Vcore is at 1.256V
DRAM frequency is at 1067mhz
DRAM timing is set to auto
CPU ration control is set to auto
AI overclocking is set to auto
fsb is set to 266

the only thing i changed in my bios was the dram frequency because my default it is set at 800

Now I think I have to change the vcore and the fsb to overclock this sucker right?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Even if you could point me to something.

 

[graysky]

@dummications - generally people don't mind helping newbies out... did you read the guide because the answer to your question is in the first few paragraphs

 

[Aqualung]

I posted this on the IP35-E motherboard thread, but I think here is more appropriate

Originally posted by: Aqualung
Another thing, my processor is a E4500 (M0 Stepping), and I can't get it past 11x 266 (2926mhz, just raising the vCore by one step, ran Prime95 for over 12h), anyone could help me with that? I've tried raising VTT, lowering the memory frequency, still no sucess. But I never tried disabling C1E/EIST, does it have anything to do with it? My PC doesn't even POST once I try to raise my FSB, and then I have to reset the setup. What about the temperature "limitators", can this be it?

Tried 8x400, 10x300, 9x333 and others, with quite a few vCore changes.

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

PS: Sorry for my english.

EDIT: I have the most recent BIOS, and my ram modules are 667@800, I keep then at the right clock when trying to overclock, but it doesn't POST.

EDIT2: I'm using the box cooler, at 11x266 my temps don't go any higher than 55ºC (131ºF)

EDIT3: I have a 450w PSU, I think it's enough.

 

[graysky]

What are your other vcore set to..? CPU Vcc and NB, for example? What are the specs for your memory's voltage and timings and what are you setting them to?

 

[error8]

Ok, I've got an E7200 at 3,9 ghz with 1,4 V in bios ( 1,36-1,38 V cpuz full load).
VTT is at 1,2V, NB voltage at 1,3 V ( although I think these can be left on stock, I'll test this later)

Temps are 69-70 in CoreTemp and it seems to be Orthos stable. I know that Intel states 1,36 V as maximum voltage for this cpu, but running it as I am right now is dangerous?? I could keep it at 3,8 ghz with lower voltage, but 3,9 ghz sounds so sweet. What do you think? Would you keep it this way or not?

 

[graysky]

It's up to you... will you decrease the processor's life? Maybe.. by how much? 3 years? 5 years? Tough to say since there are no good studies on the topic. Put it to you this way, if you care about keeping it for 3+ years, maybe back off of the o/c a bit to drop the voltage. If you don't, just keep running it as-is. Is there really a difference between 3.8 GHz and 3.9 GHz? I don't think you'll notice. Hell, I run my X3360 @ 3.4 GHz when encoding video and I drop it down to 2.8 GHz when just web browsing. I can't tell the difference between those two for routine usage... what are you using the machine for that requires that many cycles per sec?

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: graysky
It's up to you... will you decrease the processor's life? Maybe.. by how much? 3 years? 5 years? Tough to say since there are no good studies on the topic. Put it to you this way, if you care about keeping it for 3+ years, maybe back off of the o/c a bit to drop the voltage. If you don't, just keep running it as-is. Is there really a difference between 3.8 GHz and 3.9 GHz? I don't think you'll notice. Hell, I run my X3360 @ 3.4 GHz when encoding video and I drop it down to 2.8 GHz when just web browsing. I can't tell the difference between those two for routine usage... what are you using the machine for that requires that many cycles per sec?

I use it for gaming and Autocad 2d mostly. I'm not planning to keep the cpu 3 years, that is way to much for a cpu in my opinion. I plan on upgrading to a quad some time this year, maybe.

And yes, probably there is no real difference between 3,8 and 3,9 ghz, but you know how it is, you just want to see those higher numbers when you're oc'ing :laugh: My dream was to hit 4 ghz, the psychological step, but that would surely require 1,42-1,45 V and my old Ultra 90 doesn't seem to stand all that extra heat.

If someone could assure me that at 1,4 V the cpu will live one year, I'd keep it as-is, but it seems, like you've said, that there's no one who has the ability to see into the future. Oh, well I should back it down a bit then.

 

[graysky]

Edited on 08-Jun-2008: Guide is now version 1.7 ? added a 2nd example minimizing the vcores on my system.

 

[TC91]

Quick question, the processor finder thing on the intel website says the vid range for me e6600 is 0.85v - 1.5v, does that mean i can push say ~1.48v or so safely into my cpu? The box does say max vcore is 1.35v, but now I'm not sure.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: TC91
Quick question, the processor finder thing on the intel website says the vid range for me e6600 is 0.85v - 1.5v, does that mean i can push say ~1.48v or so safely into my cpu? The box does say max vcore is 1.35v, but now I'm not sure.

Yeah, that should be the maximum "safe" voltage for your cpu, according to intel.

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: TC91
Quick question, the processor finder thing on the intel website says the vid range for me e6600 is 0.85v - 1.5v, does that mean i can push say ~1.48v or so safely into my cpu? The box does say max vcore is 1.35v, but now I'm not sure.

Only as safe with the proper cooling. Keep a close eye on your temps as raising the voltage raises the temps.

 

[graysky]

Yeah, they upped it on the website a while ago, but it's a little bit unsettling that the box and website don't agree.