Quad + DDRII 800 Ram OC

[GameTime00]

Hey guys, ive been stuck in the laptop world for the past few years (i know, sorry) and this is the new computer i got comming next week!
Anyway, i read in another thread that its fine to OC the fsb to 1333 mhz, so im thinking of doing that and pushing the CPU to around 3.0-3.2Ghz. Ive read about the programs to test cpu stability on the forms, but i have no clue when you guys were talking about matching cpu speed to ram speed (Q6600 at 3.0 + DDR667 = 1:1 rato). Base on my 800mhz ram, what is the optimal setting for my cpu? Im into gaming, but dont feel like pushing my system to the max for a few fps to sacrifice stability.

P.S. - Sorry for posing a question if thats uncool under this section, just really excited for new comp


Intel Q6600 2.4GHz FSB 1066
Asus CPU Cooler Silent Square Pro Extremely Cool
2048 MB DDR II 800 Memory (Kingston HyperX)
eVGA 680i LT SLI 122CKNF67T1
Western Digital 250GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA II
nVidia BFG 8800 GTX OCE 768 MB GDDR3
HP 20" w2007
NZXT Hush Case
700 Watt Thermaltake Tough Power Extreme
Vista Home Basic 64 bit

 

[wittangamo]

Nice system.

How about trying 333x9=3.0ghz. You should be able to do that with no vcore increase or maybe a slight bump. Test it with the memory at 1:1 to make sure it's stable.

At that point you want to set the memory voltage and timings manually to match the spec of your sticks. Without looking them up, I'm going to guess 2.2v, 4,4,4,12.

Now change the memory divider to 1:1.20 (or 5/6 if that's how it's listed in your bios.) Now you're at 333x1.20=400, the full speed of your memory. Run some more stabilty tests.

If you're still feelin' froggy, switch back to 1:1 at 5,5,5,15 and push the fsb some more. Rinse and repreat until the cpu and memory start to bug out.

3.0 is fast and very safe. You could also try 356x9=3.2 ghz. With the memory at 1:1 it will be slightly underclocked at DDR 712 and you can run tight timings of 4,4,4,12. At 1:1.20 it will be overclocked at DDR 854, and you might need to loosen the timings to 5,5,5,15.

There's no magic formula that fits all systems. It's simple math and trial and error. Memtest and Prime95 will tell you what's stable, Sisoft Sandra will tell you what gives you the best performance. CoreTemp will let you know if you're overloading the cooler -- mid-to-high 60s in Prime95 should be fine because normal gaming won't push it that hard.

Just think of it overclocking as a game, you try a bunch of different tactics to get you to the next level.

 

[GameTime00]

Hah thanks man, "an overclocking game" eh? awesome

Yeah alternating between increaseing the CPU fsb and memory timings is pretty much what i understood you had to do (after read lots of forums!) but your summary was quite helpful!
The only thing i wish i would have included in my system was liquid cooled, but that i knew nothing about. Oh well, long as i can hit about 3.0-3.2 w/ air thats fine!

 

[GameTime00]

Oh hey and seeing as how i just paid for this system last week, they will probably send me the G0 stepping Q6660 right? I forgot to ask when i ordered, but... ya, its the norm now right?

 

[wittangamo]

Pretty much, but no guarantees. Look for SLACR on the serial number on the box for retail, or atop the cpu itself for an OEM chip.