overclocking my 3.06

[happy medium]

I have abit IC7 board and a aftermarket cooler on the CPU just so you know.
The normal voltage is 1.55 and I bumped it to 1.60. my Idle temps are at 48c load in the low 60's. How high is it generally safe to up voltage.

 

[gramboh]

I have a 2.6C @ 3.25 at 1.6v for the last 3.5 years 24/7 duty, no problems, using a SLK-900U heatsink and 92mm fan, peak temp is 46c I think? Can't remember I stopped monitoring a long time ago, seems to be at 39c now after an hour of gaming and now web browsing.

Honestly though you can get P4's for so cheap on the for sale/trade forum and eBay who cares if you wreck it, you can upgrade to a 3.0/3.2E for 50 bucks.

 

[harpoon84]

Anything below 1.7V is fine for everyday use on Northwoods.

 

[myocardia]

I wouldn't go any higher voltage-wise, until you get better cooling. Mid to high 60's under load is pretty much max for Northwood's, safety-wise. Temps don't rise linearly, when raising voltages, they rise exponentially. Since you've got a good case, what kind of "aftermarket" heatsink are you using? Besides, 3.5 Ghz is pretty much max for a 3.06B. Not everyone's made it that high.

 

[harpoon84]

Originally posted by: myocardia
I wouldn't go any higher voltage-wise, until you get better cooling. Mid to high 60's under load is pretty much max for Northwood's, safety-wise. Temps don't rise linearly, when raising voltages, they rise exponentially. Since you've got a good case, what kind of "aftermarket" heatsink are you using? Besides, 3.5 Ghz is pretty much max for a 3.06B. Not everyone's made it that high.

Abit boards tend to read the temperature too high, from my experience, while Asus boards tend to read the temps too low.

I wouldn't worry too much about the temps as long as it's stable, after all P4s automatically throttle if the temperature gets too high.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: harpoon84
Abit boards tend to read the temperature too high, from my experience, while Asus boards tend to read the temps too low.

I wouldn't worry too much about the temps as long as it's stable, after all P4s automatically throttle if the temperature gets too high.

:roll: Uhh, me and my memory. I completely forgot that they were throttling back then. Hey, wasn't the 3.06B the first chip that throttled, or did all of the B's throttle?

 

[happy medium]

Yea this one throttles. I just played GRAW an hour or so and my temp on my CPU was around 62c. MY cooler is a Thermaltake TR2-M12 (all copper). voltage at 1.60v seems to be stable.

 

[myocardia]

That's the reason you've got temps that high. Get yourself a better heatsink, like a Scythe Ninja, or even a Scythe Katana, or Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, and you'll have temps low enough to make that 3.45 Ghz overclock last years longer.

 

[Ruhnie]

I have the 3.06 running at 3.55 with a Zalman cooler, and at 1.6v stable. I get up to 55-60 temps under load while gaming. Been running for 2 years now, I'd say you're fine in that range.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Ruhnie
I have the 3.06 running at 3.55 with a Zalman cooler, and at 1.6v stable. I get up to 55-60 temps under load while gaming. Been running for 2 years now, I'd say you're fine in that range.

The problem there, though, is that gaming doesn't get your cpu up to max temps. Try running two instances of Stress Prime 2004 with a priority of 9 on each, and you definitely won't be under 60C. Of course, if gaming is all you do with the rig, besides browsing the web and the like, then you should both be fine.

edit: I must admit that I'm a bit anal about temps on my processors and chipsets, though.

 

[Ruhnie]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: Ruhnie
I have the 3.06 running at 3.55 with a Zalman cooler, and at 1.6v stable. I get up to 55-60 temps under load while gaming. Been running for 2 years now, I'd say you're fine in that range.

The problem there, though, is that gaming doesn't get your cpu up to max temps. Try running two instances of Stress Prime 2004 with a priority of 9 on each, and you definitely won't be under 60C. Of course, if gaming is all you do with the rig, besides browsing the web and the like, then you should both be fine.

edit: I must admit that I'm a bit anal about temps on my processors and chipsets, though.

Oh I don't doubt that there are apps that will stress the CPU more than gaming. But yeah that's what I mostly use it for. I was just saying that if those are his highest temps, regardless of app, he'd be fine.