Overclocking different types of memory

Chapbass

Diamond Member
May 31, 2004
3,147
96
91
Hey all, first off, let me say im a HUGE overclocking noob...however, since i have an e6300 and a gigabyte DS3 board, i figure id be an idiot NOT to OC.

first off, the current rig:


e6300
DS3
8800GTS
1gb G.Skill DDR2 667 (5300)



so, im thinking about getting some more memory (was looking at the 2gb of super talent memory on the HD forum)...however, i was wondering how overclocking works with two types of memory...


do i sell my g.skill on the FS/FT forums for like 50 bucks or somethin and use that towards other stuff, or can i end up doing 3gb and overclock it still (something tells me thats a no)?

on a similar topic...yeah, im VERY new at overclocking, as in..havent done it before.

right now im just using the stock intel cooler, but i plan on getting the tuniq tower 120 very soon to finish off my OCing setup. so im hoping to get decent results (over 3ghz on my 6300).


anyone have a good overclocking guide that at least shows the math behind it and what i should be changing and (more importantly, what i shouldnt be changing)?


EDIT: okay, i did a little searching and found the definitive core 2 OCing guide (i figured there was something like that around here...why no sticky?), however im still not sure what to do about my memory. any opinions?
 

Rio Rebel

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,194
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Most of your answers are simply math:

667 means your memory is rated to do 667mhz, and the memory is twice the cpu frequency. So that means your memory is only guaranteed to run successfully with your chip clocked at 333 (x 7), or 2.33 ghz.

If you want to approach 3ghz, you will need to be able to run about 430 (x7), which means your memory will have to run at 860 or better. My memory (Corsair) is only rated at 800mhz, but it can handle up to 900mhz without problems. If you want your memory to be guarateed to handle it, you'll need it rated even faster.

In the real world, nobody can tell you exactly how high your memory will go. But once you start talking about running memory at significantly higher speeds than it is rated, you are far less likely to be successful.
 

Rio Rebel

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,194
0
0
That guide is a good start. It helped me a good bit, since I hadn't overclocked for several generations of chips and there are a few new things to look at nowadays.

Two tips:

1. You'll probably want to lock your PCI-e at 100mhz if you want to approach 3ghz. I had to that on the Gigabyte S3 to pass 2.5ghz

2. The Tuniq consistently wins the comparisons of air coolers, but that doesn't mean it is necessarily best for you. If you want to cool the chip as much possible (on air), and you want to push it as high as it can go, you probably want the Tuniq (and, of course, it fits in your case. It's pretty tall.) Several other coolers cost half the price and get you most of the way there. I am running a CoolerMaster HyperTx that cost $35 less than the Tuniq, and I can go well over 3ghz. You have to decide if the extra money is worth it to you...particularly since you'll be buying performance memory.

Good luck!