The Definitive, Unbiased Core 2 Duo Overclocking Guide.

[magreen]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Either way would work well, but I think directly blowing onto it instead of just past the fins of the heatsink would do better.

Ok, thanks. Yoxxy, you agree on this?

 

[mjd]

I'm thinking of building something resembling the Performance Gamer. Plus or minus depending on deals. Plus, I'm willing to spend a little extra on a Lian Li.

Are there any considerations I should make if I want to make this a respectably quiet system? Or is it pretty quiet as shown?

Thanks,
-M

 

[The-Noid]

If you are going to spend a little extra, I would go with the Stacker. You can add up to 9x 120 mm fans and it will be quite quiet. I would get Arctic Cooling fans as they seem to be the most quiet for the amount of CFM they push.

Get 4 of those for the side as intake, 1 for the front, 1 for the back, and 1 for the top. I would also recommend changing the Big Typhoon fan for a Arctic Cooling as it is a bit quieter.

 

[rxblitzrx]

Yoxxy:

First of all, thanks for putting this guide together. It's been a big help for me in putting together a new system. Couple of questions for you about my new rig. Here are the components with the questions attached:

1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail
**** Goal is to hit above 3.2 GHz ****

1 GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
**** What kind of performance increase can I expect if I get the 16MB cache version? It's only 10 dollars more but cool and quiet is more important to me. ****

1 BIOSTAR V6202EL63 GeForce 6200 LE 256MB TurboCache(64M VRAM on board)
**** Can you recommend something better for Vista Aero? However, I do NOT game. ****

1 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit 6400C4 - Retail
**** Is this D9 memory? If not, is it good enough to go over 400FSB?****

1 Thermaltake CL-P0114 CPU Cooler with Heatsink - Retail
**** I see in previous posts of this thread that you recommended Arctic Cooling for a quieter system. Should I switch this?

1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
1 Ultra Wizard Mid-Tower Case with 500W power supply.
**** This power supply is probably crap but it was free after rebate. Can I keep my Antec True430W? It is the original True430W with NO pci-e connector. Is it even enough power to run my system? ****

1 HP LP2065 20.1" S-IPS

Would you change anything here for a system running Vista?


Thanks

 

[Roguestar]

Never skimp on the power supply. Your Antec should do fine.

That graphics card would have a hard time running Calc.exe, I am not too confident about its Aero powers but it should be able to run it, Vista basically wants just a dedicated graphics card for that. Your RAM does not use Micron D9. Read the thread "Core 2 Duo memory guide" in this forum for some good memory suggestions.

 

[rxblitzrx]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Never skimp on the power supply. Your Antec should do fine.

That graphics card would have a hard time running Calc.exe, I am not too confident about its Aero powers but it should be able to run it, Vista basically wants just a dedicated graphics card for that. Your RAM does not use Micron D9. Read the thread "Core 2 Duo memory guide" in this forum for some good memory suggestions.

Hey your setup looks similar to the one I'm building. What power supply are you using?? Oh, and the Antec True430W has the proper connectors for a new rig?? It's really old.

 

[Roguestar]

If your power supply is this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103928
and has these connectors:
1 x Main connector (20+4 pin)
1 x 12V (P4)
6 x peripheral
4 x SATA
2 x Floppy
1 x PCI-E

Then that's all you need.


I'm using a Hiper Type-R 580W because that's the only brand name I recognised at the local PC store when I needed a new PSU. The one I bought online with all the rest of my parts (NorthQ 500W) was a limp-wristed failure and wouldn't power my graphics card.

Edit: Out of interest, why are you overclocking if you don't game? Not to put you off but I was just wondering. Because you can? Because you rip DVDs or something like that?

 

[rxblitzrx]

Actually my power supply is this one:
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=20430
It's version 1 of the newer TruePowerII and has these connectors:
1 x Aux Power
1 x ATX 12V
6 x peripheral
2 x SATA
2 x Floppy
0 x PCI-E (is this for the video card?)


Why do I overclock? Well, I used to be a tech geek. I finished my undergrad studies with a degree in MIS, but now I'm studying to be a pharmacist. I still do it because:

1. Vista runs really slow on my P4 Northwood.
2. I have to buy a new computer sooner or later so might as well make the most of my money.
3. It's a hobby with great rewards.

 

[Roguestar]

Sounds good but you might need a molex (4-pin "peripheral") to PCI-E converter cable to power the graphics card. I don't know if that one requires extra power, check out the specifications on newegg. If you do need it they're only a couple of dollars.

 

[rxblitzrx]

Video card has been upgraded to 7600GT that doesn't require PCIe power. Hoping 430W will be enough.

 

[rxblitzrx]

Here's another vote for the Gigabyte GA-965P-S3!!

Cheap board... Unbelievable performance. Couple of reminders though:

1) North Bridge needs better cooling... Thermalright HR-05 SLI cost about $17.00. Well worth the investment for OC over 3.2GHz.
2) Vcore actual is about .1V under. Therefore if your ram is rated for 2.1V set the BIOS for 2.2V (on this motherboard default is 1.8V and increases in .1V)

 

[Kyle]

This seems as good a place as any to ask what you guys think I can expect out of the system that I just ordered (so dont make me feel too bad about my choises- I dont want to return stuff =)

Core 2 Duo E6600 Batch L632B415
2GB of this stuff ($265 deal =)
Bad Axe 2 mobo - goin for stability, and if I understood it correctly I shouldnt need the really high FSB speeds because of the E6600
Tuniq tower - ya, overkill, but I'm a sucker for huge CPU HSF's =)
eVGA 8800 GTS
Case - Antec P180
Raptor 74gb
700w power supply

So I'm mainly going for a relativly quiet, stable system but I do want to push as much out of the CPU as I can w/ the equipment I have...What do you guys estimate I should be able to get? I was thinking about getting the antec nine hundred case but decided against it, as the overclocking is more of a hobby than the main purpose of the system...that and the huge fans/blue lights kinda turned me off. I've actually worked w/ a P180 before and enjoyed the final product, even if the cable managment was a pain in the ass

 

[rxblitzrx]

Originally posted by: Kyle
This seems as good a place as any to ask what you guys think I can expect out of the system that I just ordered (so dont make me feel too bad about my choises- I dont want to return stuff =)

Core 2 Duo E6600 Batch L632B415
2GB of this stuff ($265 deal =)
Bad Axe 2 mobo - goin for stability, and if I understood it correctly I shouldnt need the really high FSB speeds because of the E6600
Tuniq tower - ya, overkill, but I'm a sucker for huge CPU HSF's =)
eVGA 8800 GTS
Case - Antec P180
Raptor 74gb
700w power supply

So I'm mainly going for a relativly quiet, stable system but I do want to push as much out of the CPU as I can w/ the equipment I have...What do you guys estimate I should be able to get? I was thinking about getting the antec nine hundred case but decided against it, as the overclocking is more of a hobby than the main purpose of the system...that and the huge fans/blue lights kinda turned me off. I've actually worked w/ a P180 before and enjoyed the final product, even if the cable managment was a pain in the ass

If you're going for quiet I'd suggest a new VGA cooler and power supply if they're too noisy.

My video card fan was the loudest thing I"ve ever heard in my life and the power supply was a close second. After switching to a Seasonic PSU and Zalman VF-700, the loudest thing in my box is the hard drive access. It's great!

 

[Roguestar]

"700W power supply" without a brand name seems kinda dubious. Always spend the money and get a reliable brand name. Local Brand X at 700W may not be nearly as good a product than Major Brand at 600W.

Edit: Good choice of RAM, but lights?

 

[Kyle]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
"700W power supply" without a brand name seems kinda dubious. Always spend the money and get a reliable brand name. Local Brand X at 700W may not be nearly as good a product than Major Brand at 600W.

Edit: Good choice of RAM, but lights?

sounds dubious cause I'm lazy =)
This is the 700w power supply.
And trust me, the lights on the RAM had nothing to do w/ the purchase

 

[The-Noid]

Ram Good, PSU Good, Video Card Good, Motherboard Good, CPU Good, HSF Really Good

Seems you will have quite the system. I would think 400x9 with ram @ 1:1 and timings of 3-3-3-8 is not out of the question. Dividers are still somewhat lacking on the 975x, but it is possible you can get 4:5 or 2:3 to work.

 

[pradeep1]

Thank you Yoxxy for this excellent breakdown.

 

[mrbelvedr]

Yoxxy thanks so much for this guide, you don't know how much it is appreciated! I work two full time jobs doing programming, and I have always wanted to overclock but never could find time to learn how to do it the right way. Your guide has saved me countless hours of reading countless posts. I got EXACTLY the components from newegg you recommended for the "mainstream cruncher" and it works flawleslly. I have built about 20 computers over the years and this was my first oc experience and I am so excited, these components are so great. I installed Visual Studio 2005 in about 4 minutes, on my old box it took about 30 minutes no exagggeration. Absolutely stunning performance.

I installed XP Pro as the OS, can you guys recommend any good OS tweaks? I have already set the UI settings to "adjust for best performance", disabled System Restore, DiskKeeper defrag, etc.

Finally, for some fellow newbies like me, here are the exact BIOS settings that seem to work for the "mainstream cruncher". To get some of these settings you must hit ctrl+F1 in the bios screen, this will unlock the hidden settings.

Cpu clock Ratio 8x
CPU host Freq. 400
PCI Express Freq. Auto
CIA2 Disabled
System memory Multiplier 2.0
CAS Latency 5
DRAM Ras# to CAS delay 5
DRAM RAS# to precharge 5
Precharge delay 15
Act-Act Delay Auto
Rank write to read delay Auto
Refresh to Act delay 0
Read to Precharge delay 0
Memory performance enhance Normal
CPU voltage 1.344
Dram voltage 2.1

More info here: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1946073&enterthread=y

Finally, I want to upgrade the RAM to 2 gb. Can you please provide a hyperlink to the pieces I should get on newegg. I don't mind getting two new 1 gb sticks, and I can put the 2 x 512 sticks in my old computer. Thx.

 

[fuentefan]

bump!

 

[sebby07]

hey all,

im deciding what to purchase here as i am on a budget, i currently have an A64 3400 754 with ddr400 so im planing on basically replacing the cpu,ram,mobo with somethnig new, possibly the specs below.. and i would be keeping my other components. How high can i possibly reach with the following specs if overclocking?

E6300
Gigabyte 965P-DS3
2G Kit OCZ DDR2 800 PC6400 Gold XTC

 

[Binky]

Bump for a slightly old but still very useful post.

 

[Rio Rebel]

This is an awesome thread. I used it as a reference and bought an S3 with the Corsair ram as suggested, and am happily chugging along at 3+ghz.

Thanks for all the time in putting this together, and all the useful responses.

 

[fuentefan]

bumping this thread as this post motivated me to buy Firestix and the DS3....now chugging along at 3.0 with my E6300 and could probably go further but I don't want to up the voltage!

 

[DrMrLordX]

It's a good thread, though the RAM availability and pricing is a bit dated now

 

[Linux23]

Are people still getting good overclocking results based on the components in this guide? I'm looking to order some parts for a build over the weekend, but want to be sure that I can at least get good overclocking results.