Overclocking help for newbie please

[9nines]

I need help please. I have never overclocked before and I planed to overclock my front bus and CPU, on my new PC build, but I can not even get memory to factory rated timings.

I have an E8400 on an Asus P5Q Deluxe motherboard (P45 chipset) with Mushkin 4GB (2X2) DDR2 800 memory rated at 5-4-4-12 at 1.8 volts. http://www.mushkin.com/doc/pro...mory_detail.asp?id=643

On auto setting in my BIOS, the memory defaults to 5-5-5-18. The Asus manual states it will do this as the BIOS goes by the spd by default and the manual states to just manually set the timing to get factory rated numbers. I went into my BIOS and set the memory timing to manual and then changed the 5-5-5-18 to 5-4-4-12. I changed nothing else (I am pretty sure the default on voltage is 1.8 volts and the changed-to speeds are rated for 1.8, so voltage should be okay leaving on auto, right?) When I exited and saved the BIOS settings, my computer booted then I got a warning, ?overclok failed?, and my PC goes back into BIOS, where I put memory timing on auto, saved and exited and it booted normally.

Any suggestions on getting my memory to factory rated speeds?

 

[The-Noid]

change the memory frequency to DDR2-800, it is possible that the Auto frequency is setting it higher and the ram can not use the timings given.

All in all the change from 5-5-5-18 and 5-4-4-12 is going to result in absolute dick (I think that is the technical term) for real world performance. Cas latency is the only metric that matters to a large degree in memory settings.

 

[9nines]

So no difference in my timming of 5-5-5-18 and 5-4-4-12?

If I try to overclock the E8400 up to 3.6, which would be a 400MHz bus, I can just leave the memory on auto settings since it is DDR2 800, right?

 

[Hugh H]

Hmmm I was having similar issues with my memory, and it turned out 1.8v was too low for my memory to run 5-4-4 timings. I bumped the DRAM to 2.1v and 5-4-4-12 timings, and all was well. Maybe you should try that, or if not leave it at 5-5-5-18 and just oc the cpu to 3.6.... you shouldn´t have any issues.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just leave it at 5-5-5-whatever. Those timings make very little difference.

 

[9nines]

Thanks.