Best possible overclock?

[nemezote]

Hey guys, im fairly new to overclocking and Im looking for the help of pros.

 

I was wondering, what would the best possible settings be for this setup?

 

So far Ive read quite some guides regarding CPU and RAM relationship but I still dont dare to mess with it. At least not without some guidelines first.

 

What do you think guys?

 

Thanks a lot.

[DerekT]

What cooling do you have for your CPU?

[nemezote]

Ooops, yep I forgot to include that.

 

I have a Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 + a Thermaltake Thunderblade 120mm fan.

[DerekT]

I would start off with an increase from 2.4Ghz to 3.0Ghz.

Download Memtest Version 2.11 from--->

Here

and extract the ISO image. Burn the ISO image to an CD-ROM disk.

Download CPU-z from-->

Here

Enter your BIOS. Load Setup Defaults. Save Setup Defaults. Test with memtest after setting these values:

Extreme Tweaker

Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
Ratio CMOS Setting : 9
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
FSB Frequency : 333
PCI-E Frequency: 100

DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1066
DRAM Command Rate : 2T
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : Auto
Row Refresh Cycle Time : Auto
Write Recovery Time : Auto
Read to Precharge Time : Auto

Read to Write Delay (S/D) : Auto
Write to Read Delay (S) : Auto
Write to Read Delay (D) : Auto
Read to Read Delay (S) : Auto
Read to Read Delay (D) : Auto
Write to Write Delay (S) : Auto
Write to Write Delay (D) : Auto

Write to PRE Delay: Auto
Read to PRE Delay: Auto
PRE to PRE Delay: Auto
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: Auto
ALL PRE to REF Delay: Auto

DRAM Static Read Control: Auto
Ai Clock Twister : Auto
Transaction Booster : Auto

CPU Voltage : 1.35v
CPU PLL Voltage : Auto
North Bridge Voltage : 1.30v
DRAM Voltage : 2.1v
FSB Termination Voltage : Auto
South Bridge Voltage : Auto
Loadline Calibration : Enabled
CPU GTL Reference : Auto
North Bridge GTL Reference : Auto

DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : Auto
SB 1.5V Voltage : Auto
CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled

Run Memtest for two full passes, then (If Stable) enter Windows and post screenshots of CPU-z's CPU, Memory and SPD tabs.

[nemezote]

Thanks for the elaborate answer. I sadly, I dont have a CD-Rom in hand today, but Ill try as soon as possible tomorrow.

 

I still have some questions though, if you dont mind that is.

 

1) Ive read in several sites that a processor that is overclocked to say, 3 ghz by applying a 333 x 9 setting does not give the same performance of one that got there by means of a 429 x 7. Indeed ive read many time now that the higher the FSB is (independently of the multiplier) the higher the raw performance is.

 

In this regard would you kindly recommend a setting for reaching 3.0 mhz or even 3.2 mhz using a multiplier of 7?

 

2) One final question. The, very descriptive, list of settings you provided is specifically for my motherboard? What I mean to ask is, when I go into the bios the options I find will be exactly like this ones? I know It sounds like nit-picking but Im really afraid Ill have to guess what each option is and screw up something.

 

Thanks a lot!

[DerekT]

I gave you the settings I would use for your particular board. They give both speed and safety. Should you wish to go other ways, then use those sites you went to and ask them for help. If you find issues with their settings, then they can help you.

 

If you are afraid with my settings, then why would you want to try even more unorthodox settings. If you are afraid, then leave it at stock. It's still fast anyway. I'm sorry that I can't hold your hand.

 

Here is a 77 page thread with people who have your board.

 

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=181921

[bratboy]

well to find a multiple of 7 is simple enough. Just divide 3000 &3200 by 7 and you would get your numbers but as for the other setting or how you would change em I haven't the foggiest.

 

Personally, if it was me, I'd first give Dereks suggestions a shot and see how well they work THEN try other stuff if you want. Yes you could maybe start out with a more aggressive timing setup off the bat but why push your CPU too hard too fast?

 

Since your new to the game of OC'ing start with small steps till you know a bit better what your doing.:D:

[nemezote]

I gave you the settings I would use for your particular board. They give both speed and safety. Should you wish to go other ways, then use those sites you went to and ask them for help. If you find issues with their settings, then they can help you.

 

If you are afraid with my settings, then why would you want to try even more unorthodox settings. If you are afraid, then leave it at stock. It's still fast anyway. I'm sorry that I can't hold your hand.

 

Here is a 77 page thread with people who have your board.

 

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=181921

 

Thanks for the info Derek.

 

Just so we are clear, I didnt mean to ask you to "hold my hand" through all of this, neither did I mean to imply that your suggestions werent of use to me. All I wanted to know was if it was possible to reach the same speed with a lower multiplier and what would be the benefits of it.

 

well to find a multiple of 7 is simple enough. Just divide 3000 &3200 by 7 and you would get your numbers but as for the other setting or how you would change em I haven't the foggiest.

 

Personally, if it was me, I'd first give Dereks suggestions a shot and see how well they work THEN try other stuff if you want. Yes you could maybe start out with a more aggressive timing setup off the bat but why push your CPU too hard too fast?

 

Since your new to the game of OC'ing start with small steps till you know a bit better what your doing.:D:

 

Thanks for that. I forgot to mention that currently im running the processor at 3.2 mhz and I got there by using 355 x 9. And now I want to try to get there but by using 457 x 7.

 

Im gonna try and see what happens.

[nemezote]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d89/nemezote/Micro.jpg

 

So far Ive managed to get the 3.2 ghz that I wanted by using 7 as a multiplier.

 

I cant run memtest yet as I have no CD to burn it in. But ive noticed some strange things immediatly, such as processor usage of 25% at idle (!!).

 

Im now gonna try Derek's recommendation but with a FSB of 355 instead of 333 and see what happens.

[DerekT]

Then you are not a newbie overclocker. You had to learn to clock to get it to that speed as you need to increase voltages and test for stability. I'm fine with Newbie overclockers but I have had more than enough of the ones who say they are scared and then want me to continually reassure them that it is not dangerous. Newbie overclockers who need to be reassured are NOT (in my view) enthusiasts.

 

My advice is to move up slowly. Core Voltage is defendant on the batch of your processor and VID. L7xxAxxx has a high VID and needs more voltage but runs cooler ( I know, a bit of an anomaly, more voltage but runs cooler, but this is a different fabrication and plant) and L7xxBxxx needs less voltage and runs hotter (reasoning as above). Look at CoreTemp to find out your batch.

Download CoreTemp

Here

If you have a VID < 1.25v then you very likely have a "B" fabrication and need less core voltage but run warm. If you have a Vid > 1.29 then you very likely have an "A" fabrication and need more core voltage but runs cooler. Keep in mind that 450FSB on a Quad Core is going to take some work and tweaking. I found 400 X 8 to be far easier than 450 X 7 because the FSB is an issue.

 

The Quad core has two dual cores. The dual cores singly talk to each other through the CPU interconnect but when the dual core wishes to talk to the other dual core it must do so through the FSB and there can be stability issues when greater than 400Mhz. You might need to play with the Northbridge skew and the FSB voltage to get stability. Lower the memory to 800Mhz, removing it from the stability equation. Test at a 6 X multiplier to remove the CPU speed out of the equation, leaving you with a 6 X 450 = 2.7Ghz. If you are fully stable with this, then your CPU can handle the FSB. Test with Linpack and Realtemp to be sure that it is stable and the FSB temps are within allowable parameters. Then move to X 7. Increase the necessary voltages. ie. CPU/PLL/FSB Term. Document the voltage changes.

 

Run Linpack to be certain of both CPU and Memory, use the Intel Linpack CPU/Memory test. It is a good 10C higher thermally than Prime95, etc.

 

http://67.90.82.13/forums/showthread.php?t=197835

 

Run Linpack for full memory (1) and use a 5 pass iteration. Run Real Temp and watch the temperatures.

 

Download Realtemp from

Here

 

Let the Linpack program run for the full 5 passes. The output in the screen (Residual <Norm>) will give you five sets of values. They should be identical for a stable CPU and DRAM.

 

Be sure to turn off your screensavers, display settings that turn the monitor off for this test.

 

 

Thanks for that. I forgot to mention that currently im running the processor at 3.2 mhz and I got there by using 355 x 9. And now I want to try to get there but by using 457 x 7.

[nemezote]

Woah, fast answer. Thanks for that.

 

Just to clarify, im not a professional overclocker, I mearly took the settings you recommended, including voltage, and just increased the FSB to 355 from 333 to get to 3.2 instead of 3.0

 

Im completely honest when I say I dont understand quite a bit of your last post. But the part that really got through is the one about "there can be stability issues when greater than 400Mhz".

 

As I said, using your recommended settings im now at this:

 

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d89/nemezote/Micro2.jpg

 

Next im gonna try to get the CPU stable at 400 x 8, keeping the RAM frequency low at first to rule out that.

 

Another thing that I think I sould mention is that when setting the ram frequency I cant really choose ANY one I like, there is a list with 3 possible frequencies to choose from. Which seem to be dependant on the FSB, FBS Strap (if thats what its called) and multiplier of the CPU.

 

Thanks A LOT for your help Derek.

 

PS: Im not sure if this is useful or not. But ive found a site with benchmarks of my RAM at stock and overclocked but I cant make out most of this info. I leave it here just in case

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF/3.html

 

If linking to an external site is forbidden please let me know and ill take down the link ASAP.

 

EDIT: I tried the 400 x 8 combo you suggested Derek. And so far so good !

 

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d89/nemezote/Micro3.jpg

 

The memory is running at 800 mhz and all seems well ( of course I have to do stability testing in a minute).

 

But when setting everything out I saw 1066 as an option on the DRAM Frequency list and I tried it, and the system didnt boot. That puzzled me as I understand this RAM kit is rated at that frequency.

 

Any ideas of why it doesent work at 1066 and it works just fine at 800.

 

Thank you very much.

[DerekT]

Set to 1066 and your strapping to 266.

 

If this fails, then test your memory with stock 266 X 9 and 1066 @ 2.1v 5-5-5-18 2T on the memory and run Memtest. As well, please post a screenshot of Core Temp.

 

Your north bridge has an internal clock speed and latencies just like your CPU and memory. The FSB of your north bridge can be found by dividing your original CPU multiplier by your set CPU multiplier and then multiplying by your FSB.

 

So you are running a Q6600 (266 * 9) at 400Mhz x 8 your NB FSB is:

 

(9 / 8) x 400 = 450Mhz FSB (1800Mhz Total)

 

Just like your memory may be able to run at 4-4-4-12 at 800Mhz but needs to run at 5-5-5-15 at 1100Mhz, your north bridge has a series of latencies which it must adjust in order to maintain stability at its FSB. These latencies seem to play a far more significant role in system performance than memory latencies.

 

Intel has predefined specific latencies at specific NB FSB speeds. They are referred to as straps. There is a strap for when the NB FSB is 1066Mhz and under, 1333Mhz FSB and under, 1600Mhz FSB and under, ect. When you go from the 1066Mhz FSB strap to the 1333Mhz FSB strap, the north bridge's internal latencies loosen to allow for greater stability.

 

ASUS has redefined the NB strap so that the 1333Mhz FSB strap does not come into effect until 401Mhz FSB (1604Mhz). Other perimeters of straps are somewhat unknown.

 

There are 2 ways to beat the NB strap:

 

1. Boot to windows in the 1066Mhz strap and then use Clockgen to increase your CPU's FSB. You can then get to a much higher FSB while maintaining the 1066Mhz strap simply because the BIOS does not adjust the north bridge's latencies in real time.

2. Get an xtreme edition CPU (multiplier unlocked) or an ES (engineering sample/multiplier unlocked) CPU. To the north bridge, you are always at a default multiplier with a Extreme Edition processor. This allows you to set a much lower or higher multiplier without the NB FSB being effected.

[nemezote]

Hummm, you lost me there my friend.

 

If its any help to you, Ive think I managed to set the RAM to 1066.

 

Its kind of dumb but I remembered the board came with a software to overclock from the desktop, so ive tried to set the memory to 1066 from the software and apparently all booted up just fine.

 

Here is a screenshot from CPU-Z

 

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d89/nemezote/Memoria1.jpg

 

I think thats it, I have the CPU running at 3.2 as I wanted, the memory running at its specified settings. Please correct me if im wrong.

 

Is there any other way to squeeze more bang for my buck out of my system?

 

I think from reading the page I linked to that the RAM still has some headroom for performance but im not exactly sure what to do to get it there. Ill try when I have some time but now im gonna try and run some stability testing.

 

PS: That Coretemp screen you requested is on its way.

 

EDIT: And here it is. Hope it helps.

 

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d89/nemezote/CoreTEMP.jpg

 

Thanks.

[DerekT]

No, you need to run CPU-z memory tab, not SPD tab. The SPD (Serial Presence Detect) tab just shows a report of the memories capabilities, not the actual memory speed. If the memory tab shows 533Mhz then it is running at 1066 (533 X 2).

 

You have an A fab Q6600. More voltage but runs cool. Does not get the higher overlocks.

[nemezote]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d89/nemezote/Memoria2.jpg

 

There you go.

 

Apparently its running at 800 mhz. But it should run at 1066.

 

Any ideas of why it cant?

 

Thanks a lot.

[DerekT]

Did you set the values I gave you for the BIOS?

[nemezote]

Yes, all the values on my BIOS are exactly the ones you gave me, except the CPU multiplier, which is 8, the CPU FSB, which is 400 and the DRAM frequency, which is 800 ( as I cant select 1066 ).

[DerekT]

Why can't you set the DRAM frequency to 1066?

 

Yes, all the values on my BIOS are exactly the ones you gave me, except the CPU multiplier, which is 8, the CPU FSB, which is 400 and the DRAM frequency, which is 800 ( as I cant select 1066 ).

[nemezote]

Why can't you set the DRAM frequency to 1066?

 

I can, but If I do, the system wont boot.

[DerekT]

Possibly you have setup your system in error. Set to default. Save default settings. Remove your overclock. Set the FSB to 266, multiplier to 9 and the memory to 1066Mhz.

 

Then post a screenshot of CPU-z.

[nemezote]

Possibly you have setup your system in error. Set to default. Save default settings. Remove your overclock. Set the FSB to 266, multiplier to 9 and the memory to 1066Mhz.

 

Then post a screenshot of CPU-z.

 

I just tried that and I wouldnt boot either. :sigh!:

 

Im currently using the configuration you gave me.

 

EDIT: I even tried leaving everything at default and auto and only changing memory frecuency, voltage and timings to the ones supplied by Corsair and it still wont boot at 1066.

[DerekT]

If you can't boot with single sticks then the issue is very likely the mainboard. For you to receive two sticks of 1066Mhz memory in a kit and have that kit not make 1066 when tested in single modules is very doubtful.

 

I would RMA the motherboard. You can RMA the memory if you wish, but I think you will find that the same issue results.

 

I think you were having issues with trying to make 1066Mhz and posted in the wrong section.

 

This is NOT the trouble-shooting section.

 

 

I just tried that and I wouldnt boot either. :sigh!:

 

Im currently using the configuration you gave me.

 

EDIT: I even tried leaving everything at default and auto and only changing memory frecuency, voltage and timings to the ones supplied by Corsair and it still wont boot at 1066.

[nemezote]

Well, as far as I can remember this thread started when I asked for advice on overclocking my processor and didn't have a single thing to do with RAM. That issue came later down the road and I thought it was a problem with the BIOS or the RAM itself.

 

If I had suspected this issue I would have posted this in the Support section.

 

But please don't jump into conclusions and realize that this issue with the RAM came into my knowledge only a few posts ago. Don't criticize my judgment on the placement of the thread, because I started It in the corresponding section, if the thread later derived in something else then thats that.

 

Thanks a lot for your help. Ill look into this issue some more, and possibly some place else and make my decision, suffice to say that your help was much appreciated.

[DerekT]

1. OK

2. OK

3. OK

 

I apologize. I've been wrong before. :D:

 

 

 

1. If I had suspected this issue I would have posted this in the Support section.
    
   
2. But please don't jump into conclusions and realize that this issue with the RAM came into my knowledge only a few posts ago.
    
   
3. Don't criticize my judgment on the placement of the thread, because I started It in the corresponding section, if the thread later derived in something else then thats that.
   

[nemezote]

I apologize. I've been wrong before. :D:

 

Haven't we all?

 

No problem Derek, apology accepted.

 

Ill see if there is a solution. Else Ill have no choice but to RMA the board. I really don't want to, as that would mean being without a PC for God knows how long, and it would cripple my work. Oh well...