Should I overclock this 3.2ghz E5200 further?

GizmoTheMogwai

GizmoTheMogwai

GizmoTheMogwai

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I'm pretty new to overclocking, could overclocking it further cause any permanent damage. I heard overclocking CPU increases performance in Source games(which is basically all I play). Just wondering if it's worth the risk/reward?
 
You can push the E5200 further, aslong as u stay under 1.4vcore, and that your cooler can handle the added speeds and temps.

I had my old one running at 3.75ghz 24/7, but ever cpu is different. Only go further when ur comfortable, but stay under 1.4vcore, and u should'nt have any problems.
 
GizmoTheMogwai said:
I'm pretty new to overclocking, could overclocking it further cause any permanent damage. I heard overclocking CPU increases performance in Source games(which is basically all I play). Just wondering if it's worth the risk/reward?
Click to expand...

If you have a good third party cooler and a decent motherboard you should easily hit 3.5GHz without any risk. There are a few poor clocking chips out there but this isn't the norm so it should be relatively straight forward.

Ideally you would work your way up incrementally to 3.5GHz, upping the FSB until it buckles and then upping voltages and re-adjusting the ram divider as required – repeat process etc. But the e5200 is such a generous chip you may get lucky bastardising my old settings.

This is a - link - to thread where i listed my 'then settings' that helped a few guys hit 3.5GHz.

This method lacks finesse, is a bit brutal and ordinarily is not an advisable way to clock your CPU due to lack of understanding. But the e5200 is such a generous chip it usually hits 3.5GHz without too much hassle and if you adapt my settings you may get lucky. Read the entire thread as you’ll notice the biggest differences were mainly the vCore other than that the rest of the settings seem to work across the board.

As mentioned before, this isn’t best practice and if you have the time i would approach it more methodically and incrementally as it wouldn’t take much effort/time – but if you’re after a quick fix the above link may work.

Good luck.
 
Plec, thanks for the settings. Is there a chance this could damage any of the computers hardware? I will just save this profile, and if anything goes wrong revert back to ocuk settings?
 
No there's no real risk just a couple of failed boot attempts with beep errros until it allows you into the BIOS again – when you can either try a different voltage/setting or load the OcUK profile.

Just as a precaution, before you start, could you list your internal specs as your memory may need a bit more slack if it’s not 8500? (Mainly, memory specs, motherboard and CPU cooler.)

Also, i would initially use a slightly higher voltage than in my settings (perhaps 1.35V to start with) as my chip is very forgiving until i get to 3.5xx’ish and yours may require more juice than my listed 1.3V.

It would help if you could let me know what the voltage is set at in the OcUK profile?
 
Plec said:
No there's no real risk just a couple of failed boot attempts with beep errros until it allows you into the BIOS again – when you can either try a different voltage/setting or load the OcUK profile.

Just as a precaution, before you start, could you list your internal specs as your memory may need a bit more slack if it’s not 8500? (Mainly, memory specs, motherboard and CPU cooler.)

Also, i would initially use a slightly higher voltage than in my settings (perhaps 1.35V to start with) as my chip is very forgiving until i get to 3.5xx’ish and yours may require more juice than my listed 1.3V.

It would help if you could let me know what the voltage is set at in the OcUK profile?
Click to expand...

I'm away from home at the mo, so don't have the exact specs. I had the pre-built Titan Valkryie OCUK were doing. Motherboard is a gigabyte. Sorry, don't really know much apart from that :/
 
Nps, i'll keep an eye on this thread and look out for your voltage/spec settings when you're in a position to get the info.

I think they were built with 8500 memory but it's best that you confirm this when you're able to...
 
Plec said:
Nps, i'll keep an eye on this thread and look out for your voltage/spec settings when you're in a position to get the info.

I think they were built with 8500 memory but it's best that you confirm this when you're able to...
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- Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.50GHz overclocked to 3.20GHz+ and beyond!
- Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3 Intel P43 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
- Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel (KHX8500D2K2/4G)
- Akasa AK-967 Nero Direct Contact Heatpipe CPU Cooler
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
- LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)
- Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLI Compliant PSU


Managed to find this from a old thread, these are the specs for my pc, hope this helps :D
 
Excellent - your core spec is almost identical to mine and your CPU cooler is more than capable of getting your CPU to 3.5GHZ (CPU permitting).

Nothing listed in your spec will hold you back in trying to reach 3.5 apart from the CPU. You have an ideal MB and the cooler, as mentioned is very effective. Your memory is very good and 8500 so gives you a bit more flexibility with your memory settings plus you can use the listed settings in my thread link as i use the very same memory.

It still would be handy to have your present vCore setting before you start – but apart from that you’re set to go.
 
GizmoTheMogwai said:
What could go wrong? And if it does will the RMA cover me ? Is there even any point going from 3.2 to 3.5? Would the difference in games be noticeable?
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Well, there is a small risk that you could corrupt a file due to system crashes in trying to get the system stable with an unstable clock - but this is always a risk with a system crashing (this has never happened to me when experimenting with a clock).

There is virtually no risk to hardware as long as temps are monitored - but even this is a low risk as the system would automatically shut down if it registered there was a heat issue.

As to whether there is any point from going to 3.2 to 3.5 is debatable – I suspect it’s marginal. I don't play many games other than RTS but from forum usage i know that some are more CPU intensive than others. Perhaps you should list your most popular games and see if they would benefit from extra CPU MHz?

The OcUK RMA process shouldn’t be affected, *as far as I know*. If a part becomes faulty, even with a new clocks setting, the part will still be under guarantee. But I would check your terms and conditions regarding this as pre-builds may have their own criteria…
 
So are these:

* Multiplier - x12
* FSB - 292 (i rounded it up for convenience)
* PCI-e - 101
* Memory Divider - 3.33C (973MHz)
* vCore - 1.30v (I reckon I could get a lower stable voltage but I’ve yet to experiment. I’ve dropped from 3.8GHz to 3.5GHz since the summer kicked in as the 3.8Ghz became, at first, a bit unstable but then became too noisy to justify.)
* DRAM - 2.2v (This I know I can run lower but it’s set at 2.2v because my memory is so close to 1066MHz – and again I haven’t had time to stress test the 3.5GHz clock properly.)
* Timings set manually - 5 5 5 15 (You should try 5 5 5 18 first – use 15 once the system is stable.)

.. the only settings I need, or are there any others I need to do?

Sorry for all these questions, I am a complete novice at this :D
 
Yes, they were the settings i was running in the summer - but i must stress that my CPU will run that setup at 1.3V yours may very well not. I've set up 2 other similar systems and both have required more juice at 3.5GHz.

As you're going for brutally quick overclock i would up the vCore setting to 1.35V and lower it if it proves stable after a lot of stress testing. (This is the reverse to normal clocking procedure but this is a quick fix with a very generous chip.)

What is your present vCore setting? (Also what are your memory voltages and settings?)
 
GizmoTheMogwai said:
Checked the voltage last night, running at 1.3V-core
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Well you have plenty of room for manoeuvre at 1.3V.

If you want to try for a quick test input my settings and up the vCore to 1.35V (you could try 1.33V first) and see what happens.

If it boots and gets into windows stress test accordingly (use and abuse over a few days) - and once your sure it is stable i would try lowering voltages until you find the stabalist lowest setting.

Pastymuncher’s thread above is a good read - it's worth a look even if you get my old settings up and running as it will give you a better understanding of your system/BIOS and may encourage you to tinker further.

As mentioned before this is a very quick/brutal way of getting you to 3.5GHz with very little finesse - but the chip should be very capable of hitting 3.5GHz without too much trouble. But ordinarily you would do this whole process: volatages/FSB/memdivider/etc incrementally and work your way up.

Good luck let me know how you get on.

EDIT: is your sig from The Shining? (Great book, brilliant film adaptation.)
 
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The sig is indeed from the Overlook Hotel dance at the end of the Shining.

I have all the settings written down on this piece of paper, but I must admit, I am pretty anxious about this, just don't want to be left with a busted pc and no warranty xD!

EDIT: Time to stop being such a pussy, here goes nothing!
 
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Ok, in the BIOS, it doesn't let me change the manual timings, and I can't find the FSB?

If I do edit the settings, will the ocuk profile still be as it was at 3.2, or will it write over it?

EDIT1: I found that the timings were going down vertically, they are already at the required timings.

I guess it's only the DRAM that needs to go up, and the FSB, but I can't seem to find that anywhere?


EDIT2:

Done!

It's showing up as 3.65, I put the vcore at 1.35, just played L4D, the fps difference is really noticeable as well.

2l9hz47.jpg


Does everything look OK?
 
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