My Experience: Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Asus P5W DH Motherboard (a step backwards with Arctic Silver 5!!!)

[Skott]

Great thread! Enjoying your exploration of the mobo and processor.

Edit: Anyone know if the Corsair 2Gb kit 6400C4 RAM works with this mobo? The Corsair site doesnt list this mobo but it does list the P5W2 which I'm wondering if this is what they meant as the WH Deluxe? Corsair needs to update their memory configurator some.

 

[RichUK]

Sheesh, how much trouble did you have to go through to get that mobo running. Anyway congrats on your OC, 3.78 is very good, don?t know if I could stomach the price of an x6800 myself though.

 

[InterMurph]

I'm beginning to think that this isn't the most stable setup.

I tried the SuperPI 32M test, and SuperPI crashed. Windows kept running, though.

Then I installed Folding@Home, went to the pool, and came back to discover that it had rebooted in the mean time.

I just disabled Folding@Home, and downloaded CoreTemp 0.9.0.91. When idle, it says that core 1 is at 53C, and core 2 is at 50C.

When I run SuperPI, it maxes out at 68C, and averages around 65C. This seems pretty hot to my amateur sensibilities.

So how can I cool it down? Beyond getting a new heat sink/fan, etc. etc. I notice that others tend to increase the FSB speed as high as they can, and settle for a low multiplier. I have a relatively low FSB speed (315 MHz) and a higher multiplier (12x). Will changing that make a difference? Or is the heat related to the overall CPU speed?

And what about my voltages? I set my core to 1.45V and my memory to 2.30V. I guess now that I have CoreTemp to help, I can start lowering those to see what happens.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: InterMurph
I'm beginning to think that this isn't the most stable setup.

Ah, the ups and downs of overclocking.

I tried the SuperPI 32M test, and SuperPI crashed. Windows kept running, though.

You mean it crashed as in returning a NOT_ROUND error result, or it had to be shut down by Windows?

Then I installed Folding@Home, went to the pool, and came back to discover that it had rebooted in the mean time.

F@H is a good test, if it reboots, you've definitely got trouble.

I just disabled Folding@Home, and downloaded CoreTemp 0.9.0.91. When idle, it says that core 1 is at 53C, and core 2 is at 50C.

OUCH! You really shouldn't idle much above mid-30's. 50C+ is ridiculous for idle temps.

When I run SuperPI, it maxes out at 68C, and averages around 65C. This seems pretty hot to my amateur sensibilities.

Yes, that is too hot. Intel's spec calls for a maximum die temperature of 60.1C. Exceeding that pretty much guarantees some trouble. And it certainly isn't good for the lifespan of the chip.

So how can I cool it down? Beyond getting a new heat sink/fan, etc. etc. I notice that others tend to increase the FSB speed as high as they can, and settle for a low multiplier. I have a relatively low FSB speed (315 MHz) and a higher multiplier (12x). Will changing that make a difference? Or is the heat related to the overall CPU speed?

Heat is a by-product of all those factors. Speed and Voltage. And by speed I'm talking actual clock speed, regardless of how you get there. The faster the clock, the more heat is produced. And as you add voltage, this begins to increase exponentially.

And what about my voltages? I set my core to 1.45V and my memory to 2.30V. I guess now that I have CoreTemp to help, I can start lowering those to see what happens.

I wouldn't recommend over 1.45v (+10%) although if you had a high-end water or phase setup 1.5 to 1.55 might be acceptable. Definitely not on air.

It sounds like you need a better cooling solution.

 

[InterMurph]

You mean it crashed as in returning a NOT_ROUND error result, or it had to be shut down by Windows?

I got the NOT_ROUND error.

I am reverting to the defaults (2.93GHz, 266MHz, standard voltages) to track the CPU temperature with CoreTemp.

 

[RichUK]

Anything over 60 degrees and the processor will throttle, this is an internal function which is supposed to throttle back performance to keep the temperature down, but as a by product heavily impacts performance. I think it idles every other clock cycle in order to reduce the immediate load, thus lowering the temperature.

There is no way that lowering the multi and upping the FSB will solve this issue, as the temperature is a result of the voltage and base frequency.

So you could lower the Vcore and become unstable, you could lower the FSB and or multi, which will just lower the overall frequency. Or just buy a better heatsink and retain the better OC.

 

[InterMurph]

OUCH! You really shouldn't idle much above mid-30's. 50C+ is ridiculous for idle temps.

OK, I'm at the system defaults now (266 MHz bus x 11 multiplier for 2.93 GHz, and standard voltages), and CoreTemp says I'm idle at 42 degrees C on both cores.

When I run SuperPI, it peaks at 53 degrees C, with an average of 51.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: InterMurph
OK, I'm at the system defaults now (266 MHz bus x 11 multiplier for 2.93 GHz, and standard voltages), and CoreTemp says I'm idle at 42 degrees C on both cores.

When I run SuperPI, it peaks at 53 degrees C, with an average of 51.

Do you have EIST and C1E disabled?

 

[InterMurph]

Originally posted by: RichUK
So you could lower the Vcore and become unstable, you could lower the FSB and or multi, which will just lower the overall frequency. Or just buy a better heatsink and retain the better OC.

I'm going to crawl my way back up to the higher speeds, now that I have CoreTemp to point out my foolishness.

The BIOS has settings for MCH chipset voltage and ICH chipset voltage; I have always left them at "Auto". Do you think that they will make a difference? Or is it just the core voltage and CPU speed?

Also, what heatsink/fan would you recommend? I will admit that I bought the Arctic 7 Freezer without doing much research.

Thanks.

 

[InterMurph]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Do you have EIST and C1E disabled?

I don't know; I assume they are at the defaults. I will reboot and check.

It sounds like you think they should be disabled; is that true?

Edit: It looks like "Enhanced C1 Control" is what you refer to as C1E, and it is disabled.

I can't find anything (yet) that refers to EIST.

 

[InterMurph]

I set "Enhanced C1 Control" to "Auto", and now my idle temperature is 37 degrees C on both cores. So that cut it down by 5 degrees C, but it sounds like that will only affect the idle temperatures.

 

[InterMurph]

EIST = Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology. I enabled it, and the idle temperature is still 37C.

This sounds like it lets Windows slow things down when it thinks it's idle, or when it's running on battery power. I think I'd prefer to disable this, and let the system run as it will, once I get it stable.

I'm now going to tinker with the FSB speed and voltages, watching the temperatures as I go...

 

[RichUK]

Originally posted by: InterMurph

Originally posted by: RichUK
So you could lower the Vcore and become unstable, you could lower the FSB and or multi, which will just lower the overall frequency. Or just buy a better heatsink and retain the better OC.

I'm going to crawl my way back up to the higher speeds, now that I have CoreTemp to point out my foolishness.

The BIOS has settings for MCH chipset voltage and ICH chipset voltage; I have always left them at "Auto". Do you think that they will make a difference? Or is it just the core voltage and CPU speed?

Also, what heatsink/fan would you recommend? I will admit that I bought the Arctic 7 Freezer without doing much research.

Thanks.

Ahh, sorry I thought that you were using the stock heatsink. I am not too sure about the performance of the heatsink that you are using, but it should easily be adequate for the job. So assuming that the heatsink is installed properly it should be fine along with the temps.

I?ve read that on this specific board the temp sensors are highly inaccurate, but still I am not sure with what degree of accuracy the temp sensor is at, aka over reporting by 10 degrees or so.

The MCH (Memory Controller Hub), or Northbridge voltage, is only used when increasing the FSB around the 400Mhz range so leaving that at stock should be fine. As you have an unlocked chip so FSB walls shouldn?t be an issue. Also the ICH is just the Southbridge, which all peripherals communicate through I wouldn?t worry about that.

Yes basically the temperature is a result of the frequency of the processor along with the voltage used. The combinations of those two factors generate the processors temperature. When overclocking generally people tend to opt for the better cooling solutions, but you already have an aftermarket heatsink which should suffice in this case.

 

[Pabster]

It is best to disable both EIST and C1E if you're overclocking. And yes C1E is only going to keep the idle temperatures lower.

 

[augiem]

This may be a dumb question, but did you use a good thermal agent like Arctic Silver 5? Didn't put too much on, did you?

How are the temps with the case open?

Augie

 

[InterMurph]

Originally posted by: augiem
This may be a dumb question, but did you use a good thermal agent like Arctic Silver 5? Didn't put too much on, did you?

No, I didn't use anything besides the gunk that was on the heat sink. And I am confident that I installed it properly.

How are the temps with the case open?

Don't know yet; I'm currently trying to make it boot at 3.52 GHz...

 

[Kango2020]

I haven't used the Arctic 7 Freezer but if it comes with pre-applied "gunk", you should consider removing that "cheap" stuff and using a good compound, like Arctic Silver 5. It will make a big difference. I can promise this. I use nothing else, anymore.

Kango

 

[InterMurph]

OK, so I started from scratch, with C1E and EIST disabled. At 266 x 11 = 2.93 Ghz with all voltages set to "Auto", I got an idle temperature of 42C and a loaded (SuperPI) temperature of 53C.

I bumped the FSB to 300 MHz, kept the multipler at 11x for 3.30 GHz, and set the memory to DDR2-1000, I got an idle temperature of 42C and a loaded temperature of 53C.

I bumped the FSB to 310 MHz, kept the multipler at 11x for 3.41 GHz, and set the memory to DDR2-1033, I got an idle temperature of 42C and a loaded temperature of 53C.

I bumped the FSB to 320 MHz, kept the multplier at 11x for 3.52 GHz, and set the memory to DDR2-1067. It wouldn't boot. I tried manually setting the VCore voltage from 1.300V to 1.450V, and although I could get Windows to boot at the higher voltages, I couldn't get it to boot reliably.

Then I lowerd the SB to 315 MHz, and went back to Auto voltages, and Windows boots, then locks up cold.

So it seems like I'm at a cliff.

 

[TheInternet1980]

Disable virtualization.

 

[InterMurph]

Originally posted by: TheInternet1980
Disable virtualization.

I just tried that at my cliff (320 MHz x 11 = 3.52 GHz), and it didn't work, with either Auto or 1.475 for the VCore voltage.

And I will be running VMWare on this system for development, so I would really like to get it working with virtualization.

It looks like your setup is pretty close to mine, except 1) I have the X6800 processor to your E6700, and 2) you have different cooling. Yet I am topping out at about the same speed (3.4 GHz) that you are. Could your heatsink/fan be that much better?

And did you put any custom "gunk" on it, like Kango2020 referred to (Arctic Silver 5)?

 

[Skott]

Its also possible you found that particular chip's high end. I'd keep trying though cause it could be any number of things. Good luck.

 

[InterMurph]

I guess the other big difference is the power supply; you have a 650W supply, and mine is only 380W.

But I think the fact that I could run mine at 3.78 GHz (for a while at least) indicates that my power supply is adequate.

 

[InterMurph]

I have to quit working on this for now. Maybe I'll get some more time tomorrow afternoon...

Thanks for everybody's help.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Kango2020
I haven't used the Arctic 7 Freezer but if it comes with pre-applied "gunk", you should consider removing that "cheap" stuff and using a good compound, like Arctic Silver 5. It will make a big difference. I can promise this. I use nothing else, anymore.

Kango

That "cheap gunk" as you so eloquently put it, is about twice as good as Arctic Silver 3, 5, and Ceramique combined.

Originally posted by: Intermurph
I guess the other big difference is the power supply; you have a 650W supply, and mine is only 380W.

Murph, you're trying to use the power supply that came with your case? Spend at least $100 on a power supply (though I'd spend more and get a 520 watt OCZ), and then come tell us how much higher your X6800 went.

 

[InterMurph]

Originally posted by: myocardia
Murph, you're trying to use the power supply that came with your case? Spend at least $100 on a power supply (though I'd spend more and get a 520 watt OCZ), and then come tell us how much higher your X6800 went.

OK, I ordered the OCZ 600-watt model, because it was $100 after rebates at NewEgg:

OCZ OCZ600ADJSLI Power Supply

I don't think it will get here tomorrow, so maybe Thursday...