My first overcloock - what next?

[wgoldfarb]

Ok, as the title says, i just finished my first attempt at overclocking. First off, system specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Thermalright Ultima 90 heatsink with Antec Tricool 120 mm fan
Asus P5B Deluxe MoBo
2GB G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK DDR2 800
BFG 7800 GTX OC 256MB
Corsair HX620 PSU
Everything inside an Antec P180b

I now have my E6600 stable at 3.0 Ghz (333 Mhz FSB) after 8 hours of Prime 95 testing. BIOS Vcore setting is 1.2875V. Actual Vcore is 1.248 at idle and 1.232 under 100% TAT load. I have my RAM dividers at 4:5 so I am overclocking my ram slightly. It is now running at DDR 833, 4-4-4-10, 1.9V (it is rated for DDR 800 4-4-4-12).

Temps are 42C at idle and 57C after 10 minutes of a 100% TAT load. My 2 case fans are running at low (5V) and my CPU fan is on medium, around 7V. I know I could lower my temps by increasing fan speed, but I prefer the more silent speeds. Right now these fans are --by far-- the main source of noise in my rig. I am about to order some quieter fans to replace all 3 Tricools, and when I get the new fans it will be a different story, but for now I don't want to increase fan speeds.

So, where do I go from here? The obvious answer is to keep increasing FSB and allow the temperature to increase. However, I am planning to use this OC 24/7, so I don't want my load temps to exceed 60C and my idle temps to exceed mid 40s. Or am I being to restrictive with these temps? I know that a 100% TAT load is unrealistic. What load should I use to see "realistic" load temperatures? 80% TAT? Or something altogether different?

The next RAM divider would put my memory around DDR2 1000, and I'm not sure my RAM can handle this, so a higher overclock of my RAM is probably not feasible. Or perhaps I should adjust the RAM subtimings and make them tighter?

In other words, where do I go from here? Any thoughts for a newbie? I am not looking for any extreme overclocks, just something I can use on a daily basis without making my system too noisy.

 

[jonmcc33]

Sounds normal to me except I don't think your voltage is 1.232 under load at all.

 

[wgoldfarb]

Jonmc, why not? Do you think it should be higher or lower?

I use CPU-Z to measure "real" Vcore. When I start a 100% TAT load Vcore drops from 1.248V to 1.232V as reported by CPU-Z. Is CPU-Z not a good way to monitor Vcore?

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: wgoldfarb
In other words, where do I go from here?

I'd recommend you leave your overclock right where it is, and start saving for a video card that can keep up with it.

 

[johnnyjohnson]

you're lucky - you have a chip that can hit 3Ghz at 1.28V. you should easily be able to hit 3.2 or even 3.4Ghz by upping the voltage then upping the FSB. if you want to be conservative, limit the voltage to 1.35V. your goal in overclocking is to run the chip at the highest possible overclock while still keeping the chip cool. I think 60C is too conservative. as long as its under 70 you should be fine.

 

[wgoldfarb]

Myocardia: I know my video card needs an upgrade, but I only game occasionally -- I use the computer mostly for post processing of photos, so a fast frame rate is not really a priority for me, at least now. Still, a better GPU is at the top of my "upcoming upgrades" list

Johnnyjohnson, thanks for the feedback, it was pretty much what i was looking for. Since this is my first attempt at overclocking I do want to be conservative and find something I can run 24/7. So, I guess I will try for 3.2 and see where that leaves me in terms of voltage and temperature. I will raise my "upper limit" on load temps to somwehre between 65-70 and see how far that takes me.

Thanks! :beer:

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: wgoldfarb

Myocardia: I know my video card needs an upgrade, but I only game occasionally -- I use the computer mostly for post processing of photos, so a fast frame rate is not really a priority for me, at least now. Still, a better GPU is at the top of my "upcoming upgrades" list

Well, if you aren't much of a gamer anymore, a 7800GTX is probably plenty, unless your monitor has a high native resolution. It's definitely more than you'll ever need for PhotoShop.

Originally posted by: johnnyjohnson
I think 60C is too conservative. as long as its under 70 you should be fine.

If you're talking about Orthos temps, I agree. I'd try to keep it not much over 60C with other software, though, since it will obviously be lower with gaming/whatever than it will be with Orthos.

 

[wgoldfarb]

Originally posted by: myocardia
If you're talking about Orthos temps, I agree. I'd try to keep it not much over 60C with other software, though, since it will obviously be lower with gaming/whatever than it will be with Orthos.

I measure my load temps after a 10 minute 100% TAT load, which I believe results in even higher temps than Orthos, correct? So, using 100% TAT as a load, i guess 70C is quite acceptable.

Right now my load temps after 10 min of Prime 95 large FFT torture test is about 52C, so I guess I have plenty of headroom.

Great info, thanks again everyone. Makes me confident enough to try to go for 3.2 GHz