Trying to OC my E6600 C2D after all this time

[swilli89]

I originally assembled this build with some lofty aims. It was meant to be upgraded later but college began and I'm sure you all know how that goes..It was built in November of 2006 and includes:

Asus P5W-DH Delux 975X
E6600 @ 2.4Ghz
2 GB Corsair DDR2 800 PC26400
Radeon X1950XT 256 (was meant to be replaced by a 8800 GTX but that never really happened)
Antec 500W PSU

From what I had researched at the time my CPU and MB were especially good at OC'ing.

Since I never upgraded to a nice GPU I never really messed with my CPU clocks. Well now I am planning on a 5770 Hawk Crossfire setup (1 now and 1 later once I can save more money) and I think E6600 @ stock speeds will be a limiting component.

So far this is what I have done. I set the CPU frequency from 266-333 which has given me a 3.0 Ghz OC. I am pretty satisfied with this but I wonder if I can go higher. Here is what I am confused about:

According to what JumperFree Config is telling me my DRAM Freq is at "DDR2 - 667 Mhz". The RAM I own is rated at 800Mhz. Also, my bootup info screen is claiming PC - 5300 but isn't that lower than my rated PC 6200?

Also, the only way I can get it to boot with the OC settings is by leaving vCore to auto. Any level I set it at, no matter how high, results in default BIOS values being reverted back to. Is it ok to have my MB manage the vCore?

Lastly, I know this is CPU section but would my 6600 @ ~3 Ghz be ok for a 5770 and 5770 CF?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

what the hell is jumperfree config? Use CPU-Z program. Its free and should tell you your ram and cpu speeds. What voltage have you used for the cpu manually?
And you should be able to run your ram at higher speeds manually by using the memory divider settings in bios.

 

[zagood]

Your ram/FSB ratio is set to 1:1. That means your ram will set to the same speed as your FSB ("CPU frequency"). Your FSB is 333mhz.

333mhz = DDR2-667 = PC-5300.

Your ram is rated for higher, but is currently running at the speed you've set it at.

Please read through the overclocking sticky.

In regards to the CPU bottlenecking your video card(s) that would depend on what resolution, games, and AA/Shader settings you're using.

p.s. on a failed overclock, your bios will revert to default. What voltages are you trying to set, and to what?

 

[swilli89]

Your ram/FSB ratio is set to 1:1. That means your ram will set to the same speed as your FSB ("CPU frequency"). Your FSB is 333mhz.

333mhz = DDR2-667 = PC-5300.

Your ram is rated for higher, but is currently running at the speed you've set it at.

Please read through the overclocking sticky.

In regards to the CPU bottlenecking your video card(s) that would depend on what resolution, games, and AA/Shader settings you're using.

p.s. on a failed overclock, your bios will revert to default. What voltages are you trying to set, and to what?

The 2 voltages I tried were 1.275 and 1.25. I think its' range is 1.2-1.315

Alright well I understand about the 1:1 ratio. So my RAM would be capable of a theoretical 3.6 Ghz? (9 x 400 Mhz Dram/FSB).

I have a well ventilated case but with the stock HSF. My cpu with the 3.0 OC is getting to around 60C. I wonder if I should just stay where I'm at with stock cooling.

For games I have a Dell FPW2005 which is 1680 x 1050 and I would like to play BC2, starcraft 2, and the Total War games mainly. I don't really do anything besides strategy and FPS. And ofcourse AA level would be nice to have super high but I'm not really shooting for a specific level.

 

[RussianSensation]

Oh boy are you in luck. Corsair made some KILLER DDR2 ram. I was able to overclock my DDR2-533 to DDR2-1000 speeds when I had my E6400:
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/BestJinjo/CorsairOverclock1000mhz.jpg
I believe I needed DDR2 voltage of 2.1 or 2.2V at this point. It ran using those speeds no problem actually. So you don't have to worry about your Corsair Ram limiting you.

Luckily for you, E6600 has a high multiplier of 9x so you can run a maximum for 3.6ghz = 9x 400 FSB (=> DDR2-800).

To maximize your CPU overclock, you will need higher CPU voltage of 1.312-1.35V. For that, just invest $30 into Cooler Master 212 Plus.

To improve your gaming experience, get at least another 2 Gigs of ram stick. With a 3.0ghz-3.4ghz C2D, 5770 is a great videocard at 1680x1050. Good luck!

 

[MyLeftNut]

Oh boy are you in luck. Corsair made some KILLER DDR2 ram. I was able to overclock my DDR2-533 to DDR2-1000 speeds when I had my E6400:
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/BestJinjo/CorsairOverclock1000mhz.jpg
I believe I needed DDR2 voltage of 2.1 or 2.2V at this point. It ran using those speeds no problem actually. So you don't have to worry about your Corsair Ram limiting you.

Luckily for you, E6600 has a high multiplier of 9x so you can run a maximum for 3.6ghz = 9x 400 FSB (=> DDR2-800).

To maximize your CPU overclock, you will need higher CPU voltage of 1.312-1.35V. For that, just invest $30 into Cooler Master 212 Plus.

To improve your gaming experience, get at least another 2 Gigs of ram stick. With a 3.0ghz-3.4ghz C2D, 5770 is a great videocard at 1680x1050. Good luck!

He'll probably need around 1.5v vcore for 3.6ghz on that unless he has a really good chip. Northbridge volts may need a slight bump as well. I don't remember these 975 boards doing too well with fsb and low voltages on northbridge.

 

[Zap]

Luckily for you, E6600 has a high multiplier of 9x so you can run a maximum for 3.6ghz = 9x 400 FSB (=> DDR2-800).

I don't think 3.6GHz OCs on E6600 were that common w/o using really high voltages. I recall a lot of people ending up disappointed because all the web reviews (including Anandtech) got 3.6GHz overclocks on their Intel-provided engineering samples. People bought them like crazy when they first came out, and most ended up with 3.0-3.4GHz overclocks.

swilli89, use CPU-Z to see what voltage your CPU is getting with the AUTO setting at 3.0GHz. If it isn't too high, then just leave it. If you still want to try manual settings, start at 1.4v just to see if it will boot up. If it will, then start testing for stability and fine-tuning voltages/clocks.

What kind of CPU cooler do you have on it?

 

[swilli89]

I checked CPU-Z and it is hovering around 1.3v. This is at 9 x 333 = 3000 Ghz.

My CPU when fairly loaded playing BF2 get up to around 65C so I think I am reaching the limit of its cooling, which is the stock Intel HSF.

It wouldn't boot at any settings at 366 FSB so I am thinking that my board is the limiting part. I think the 975X was only rated for 1066 fsb and its already running at 1333 fsb at 3.0.

I think I'm satisfied for right now and hopefully in a few months I can pop a q9550 in there with 2gb more ram and a second 5770 and be good for another few years.

 

[Dadofamunky]

You mentioned you have stock cooling. That's a big limiter right there. An inexpensive Arctic Freezer 7 would be a big upgrade. And Russian is right about the memory.