Overclocking a Q9550 and want opinions to OC further.

[Golgatha]

Pertinent system specs:

ASUS P5W HD Deluxe, 975X chipset
8GB A-DATA DDR2 800
Q9550@3.0Ghz currently, Link to Intel's Online specs.
Zalman 9500 CPU HSF unit
PC Power & Cooling 610w Silencer (49A single 12V rail)


I would like to take my Q9550 to 3.4Ghz or 8.5x400Mhz FSB. I can get 353Mhz on the RAM with 1.90V easily for the 3.0Ghz overclock; every other voltage is stock. Heat produced by the CPU is about 50°C and 38°C for the NB with all four cores fully loaded with 4xFolding@Home instances running. I set the memory to DDR2 600 to make sure the memory wasn't flaking out at DDR2 800 speeds with only 1.9V, so this isn't the problem. Tried 400Mhz FSB with 2x2GB also and overclock failed, so I'm not convinced that the MCH is flaking out due to too much memory being installed (although voltage suggestions would be appreciated here too).

I'm thinking of increasing the VID voltage of the CPU to 1.3V and taking the memory to 2.0V just for good measure to try and achieve 3.4Ghz. Any suggestions on a starting point for NB, SB, etc. voltages as a starting point? Speedstep and CPU fan throttling are disabled. Also, any other suggestions to achieve this overclock are appreciated.

I've read through the OC guide on this forum, but I would love some people's actual settings for their Quad 9450 or 9550 setups that are 3.4Ghz or better. Thanks in advance for any comments left.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I never worked with a 975x board, but on my p965 board all I had to do to hit 400 FSB was lower the mem ratio, I left NB,SB and ddr volts all at stock.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
I never worked with a 975x board, but on my p965 board all I had to do to hit 400 FSB was lower the mem ratio, I left NB,SB and ddr volts all at stock.

I did try that. Went to 3:4 for DDR2 600 and a FSB of 400 and this didn't help. I'd like to keep it 1:1 just so I'm actually utilizing the full potential of my RAM anyway.

 

[videogames101]

Hmmm, My Q9550 went to 3.4ghz at 1.28 Vcore with Mem Voltage at 1.9 (DDR1000)

And I still haven't minimized those voltages. I get about the same temps as you.


(Prime Stable)


Full load Vdroop goes to like 1.18


What mobo are you using? i have most of my voltages (except cpu and memory) set to auto until I have time to minimize them.

 

[stevty2889]

I have the same motherboard you do. I'm running a Q6700 on mine. I never managed to get the board stable at 400mhz FSB, even lowering the mem, and the CPU multiplier to speeds I new were stable for those. I haven't done a bios update in a while, and there are several newer bios versions, but I haven't been able to keep the board stable much past 350mhz.

 

[Foxery]

A 975 board, eh - is there a BIOS update for it which is designed for 45nm processors? Either way, being able to run it at stock is surprising and a good start.

What is your RAM's rated voltage? Enthusiast DDR2 is often designed for 2.1v.
Do you need all 8GB for this machine? This will put more strain on the motherboard.

I'm thinking of increasing the VID voltage of the CPU to 1.3V and taking the memory to 2.0V just for good measure to try and achieve 3.4Ghz. Any suggestions on a starting point for NB, SB, etc. voltages as a starting point?

Yes, and yes. SB shouldn't need adjusting at all; NB can be pushed up several notches, but I don't know exactly what settings your board will have. Does your board have any settings related to "GTL REF" in the voltage/overclocking screens? (I think that might have been a new feature in the P35 chipset.)

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Foxery
A 975 board, eh - is there a BIOS update for it which is designed for 45nm processors? Either way, being able to run it at stock is surprising and a good start.

What is your RAM's rated voltage? Enthusiast DDR2 is often designed for 2.1v.
Do you need all 8GB for this machine? This will put more strain on the motherboard.

I'm thinking of increasing the VID voltage of the CPU to 1.3V and taking the memory to 2.0V just for good measure to try and achieve 3.4Ghz. Any suggestions on a starting point for NB, SB, etc. voltages as a starting point?

Yes, and yes. SB shouldn't need adjusting at all; NB can be pushed up several notches, but I don't know exactly what settings your board will have. Does your board have any settings related to "GTL REF" in the voltage/overclocking screens? (I think that might have been a new feature in the P35 chipset.)

The 45nm CPUs are officially supported with BIOS version 2704. I've tried lots of different voltage adjustments and have just come to the conclusion that my board was never meant to do 400Mhz FSB. I'm just going to run it at 3.0Ghz and be happy (apparently I'm never happy with minor increases...needs more fast!!!). It's not like my machine is slow or anything, and I mainly did the upgrade for better thermals in my machine anyway.

 

[Golgatha]

Just wanted to update. The OC to 3.4Ghz failure on my 975x board was definitely a motherboard issue. Purchased a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L motherboard and all is good now.

Running 3.4Ghz at stock volts with a minor bump in memory voltage to 1.9V for good measure. Overclock is Prime95 and Orthos running at the same time for 24hours stable. I've got 8GB (4x2GB) of memory in there too, which is A-DATA DDR2 800. Now I've just got to rebuild the dual-boot monster before I can really play with it.