So if I want to test the NB just drop the cpu multiplier while upping the fsb. Lower the DRAM Freq. to isolate the NB and push the fsb until failure?
Once established with or without a small bump in the NB-v... but what about the cpu-nb-v?
What does that test? Do I just leave that at normal until isolation is complete?
You've got the gist of it. The first thing you should probably stress are the cores (lower HT multi, NB multi, and RAM multi, then raise HTT while tweaking vcore as desired), then the NB (lower HT multi, CPU multi, and RAM multi, then raise HTT while tweaking CPU-NB and, to a lesser extent, NB voltages as desired), then . . . you get the idea.
Once you have figured out how far you can push each part of your system, you try to find the best combination of speeds and voltages based on what you have learned. Since you do not have a black edition processor, this can create situations where you may not be able to reach your maximum NB speed or RAM speed while running at the highest core speed you were able to achieve during the isolation portion of your testing. You may also find that attempting to run all three at or near their fastest stable speeds may be impossible. You'll have to make compromises somewhere, more likely than not.
One thing to remember is that CPU-NB voltage will affect the on-die NB's ability to operate with stability at higher clockspeeds (furthermore, keep in mind that when we talk about overclocking the NB, we're talking about the NB integrated into the die of the CPU, not a part of the motherboard). NB voltage will contribute somewhat, but it is less important. Also, it would help to know what temps you are getting at load. The temps HWmonitor shows in your pasted screenshot look good, but they also look like idle temps.
