one nagging question that is stopping me from overclocking!!

[ss samy]

Ok i got all the basics of overclocking down, but i'm not sure about just one little thing. I read this guide:

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=103676

and i just want to know, when i increase the FSB, am I supposed to increase it in very small increments like 10Mhz at a time? And each 10 Mhz i test with orthos for 1-2 hours? Say i wanted my E6420 to go from 266 FSB to 400, i just don't jump directly to 400 right? And each time i increase my FSB, do also have to change my RAM's Mhz to make the FSB:RAM 1:1 before testing stability in orthos?

this forum has been helpful in the past, so i thanks you in advance

 

[aigomorla]

edit: sorry i didnt answer your question at all:


okey

1. going from 266 -> 400 without a voltage increase will most definitely fail.

2. You need to adjust vcore voltage, and your ram would most likely handle 400fsb if its DDR2-800 @ 1:1

 

[o1die]

It depends alot on your motherboard bios settings. Some have built in memory ratios, such as 4:3, or the bios may list each speed, such as 133,200,266 etc. Memory is the key to overclocking. Almost all cpus have some overclocking potential, but the memory or cpu options are the limiting factors. When I overclock, I generally select the next setting down for memory so when I overclock the cpu fsb, the memory is running at the correct speed. For example, for pc3200, I use 166 instead of 200. Then, if the board has an agp or pci-e lock, I can overclock by 20-25% without hurting anything. I never increase the voltage unless I have a premium copper heatsink and good case airflow. I limit my voltage increase to about .1 volts.

 

[ss samy]

that's not really what i was asking, i wanted to know when i increase the FSB, am I supposed to increase it in very small increments like 10Mhz at a time? And each 10 Mhz i test with orthos for 1-2 hours? Or do i go by 20 Mhz at a time, 30 at a time, etc

 

[mushroom3]

depends on the chip, with a C2D you could jump straight to 400 as long as your multi is not too high, the reason is because of the FSB hole

 

[Cogman]

I wouldn't check for stability with Orthos at each FSB increase, I would just go until the computer does not boot windows xp then back off a little and check with Orthos, That could save you a good amount of time. If all else fails just reset the bios (you still have to do small increments to be safe).

 

[ss samy]

ok but do i have to make the FSB:RAM 1:1 at every FSB increase? And by how many Mhz do you guys recommend i increase it by?

 

[betasub]

What are you scared of? Just try it for yourself already.

 

[MarcVenice]

ss samy, you can safely jump up to 350, if you keep your ram at auto settings, then your ram will most likely jump up as well, so it runs at 700. Even if you have ddr 667 then it should be able to handle such a minor overclock. Then you could start increasing with 10-15 at a time, try to boot it, if it doesnt, then you have to tweak other stuff, like ram timings, ram speed, ram voltage, your cpu voltage and what not.

If you go up by to much, your pc simply wont post, power on self test, when you hear the beep, its past the post. Then you have to reset the cmos, better make sure you know how

As soon as you have reached a clockspeed your satisfied with, 3.2ghz im assuming here coz you want a 400 fsb, THEN you start running orthos. If it fails, you got some tweaking to do, if it keeps failing you gotta downclock a little and test again.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
edit: sorry i didnt answer your question at all:


okey

1. going from 266 -> 400 without a voltage increase will most definitely fail.

2. You need to adjust vcore voltage, and your ram would most likely handle 400fsb if its DDR2-800 @ 1:1

Not really. I went from 266 straight to 401 (trying to skip the 400 edge of the FSB hole) without any voltage change and I had no problems whatsoever.

OP: Try taking it up in braver steps, if not bigger chunks. The worst that can happen is that you have to reset the CMOS and start again from lower. Narrowing it down when you're nearing your limit should be done in little steps.

 

[Diogenes2]

Just to echo what others are saying, I'd take that 6420 straight to 401 .. ( providing you have RAM that will do 400 )..

If it won't post, you might have to bump vcore a bit ..

Test for stability, and try for higher if you want..

If it is stable at 3.2 and you have to really bump the volts to get 3.3 stable; relax and
enjoy the ride at 3.2 ...

I personally feel it is a waste of time to dork around with less than 100mhz jumps. ( Once you have found the sweet spot .. Should be at least 3g with Core 2 ..)