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Q6600 P5N-D won't overclock past 2.65GHz?

big5824

big5824

big5824

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23 Jan 2012
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[SOLVED] Q6600 P5N-D won't overclock past 2.65GHz?

/edit
Problem solved, posted my solution at the bottom

Here's some more info:


Memory: 3x 1GB 800MHz 4,4,4,12, 1x 2GB 800MHz 5,5,5,12 (bios timings are set to 5,5,5,12)
Processor: Q6600 G0 revision, 2.4 stock
Motherboard: P5N-D, running latest bios version



My problem is I simply cannot get the FSB to anything greater than 295 (linked with 3:2 multiplier, 786MHz ram clock). I've tried upping the core voltage into the 1.3-1.45v region, but i still get a blue screen with some generic hardware malfunction message before i even make it to desktop. Can anyone explain this? I've seen most people with this processor getting theirs to 3GHz with ease, and 3.6 with a bit of fine tuning.


One other strange thing to note is before the bios flash when i was running the 203 bios version, whenever i tried to turn off the virtualisation enable setting or whatever it's called the pc would instantly turn off as i saved the bios, then wouldnt turn back on until i reset the cmos manually. However i havent tested this with the new bios i just put on, as to reset it involves taking the graphics card out and some serious case shuffling, something id rather not do unless absolutely required.



Thanks in advance guys :)



oh also I should add, i'm aware running my memory as one dual channel two single channels is inefficient, it's just down to crucial sending me a 2gb stick instead of 1gb when I RMA'd it, which I am trying to get sorted soon. I'm hoping this shouldnt affect overclocking my cpu too much?
 
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Honestly the P5N-D was kind of a sack of fail....try a bunch of settings but if you don't get there don't fret about it as it's not your fault, but that of the board.
 
I tried removing 2 of the dimms so I was only running on 2x1gb, but now it needs to be clocked another 40MHz slower still to be stable :/ Should I just abandon this thing like gurusan suggests?
 
nVidia 650i and 750i boards mostly just can't provide enough stable amperage for high clocked 65nm quad cores a few exceptions aside you will need hardware voltmods to get much past 3gig stable and there are dozens and dozens of FSB holes where it won't be stable whatever.

Try running at 9x333 for 3gig - shouldn't need much if any vcore adjustment - after that you will probably hit quite a lot of FSB holes until around 400MHz FSB - some boards have an FSB hole at 400 exactly and you need 401-402 to get on the next divider but as your on the lowest rung of that divider you can lose performance compared to the highest stable point on the previous one.
 
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Would the pencil mod help here do you reckon? and Rroff I've tried 9x333, I just get a generic blue screen hardware malfunction error, the max I can get at the moment is 283 with a 3:2 divider, and increasing vcore doesnt make any difference in the slightest (which i thought is strange?)
 
do the pencil mod, worked wonders on mine

I used the following for 3.6ghz;

Vcore 1.48v
NB 1.48v
HT 1.48v
SB Auto
Multiplier 9x
FSB 1600

at this point i needed a fan pointed at the motherboard heatsinks too (any 120mm quiet fan will do wedged in above the graphics card)
 
Pencil mod got my Q6600 to 3.6gig stable with similiar settings to Andy on this EVGA 750i board - it will make the power stage work harder tho so make sure the VRMs get active cooling from a fan.
 
I'll try the pencil mod next, im just testing a few other bits first. I just tried setting the ram voltage to the 2.2v it is rated for (instead of 1.85), but this stopped me even being able to get into bios, same goes for 2.0. I assumed I should be able to set it to 2.2 with no problems?
Also next thing, I just tried measuring the droop at stock frequencies. I set vcore to 1.3 in bios, which reads at 1.26 idle, and 1.23 under load, how does this drop compare to your systems?

The good news is crucial have agreed to send me 2 new 2gb sticks in place of the 1gb that died, so i should be able to run with completely new ram once they arrive :)
 
I had a Q6700 @ 400x9 for 3.6Ghz on a p5n-d I still have in the loft.

Main issue is cooling the northbridge. Make sure you have the included fan on it or I just used some tie wraps and a 50mm fan I had lying around. Without any cooling you'll be lucky to get to the loading screen with even a modest OC.

Also the timings on the board seriously suck. You may find 2.65Ghz doesn't work but 3 Ghz 333x9 is fine. I was trying for 3.2 or 3.333 Ghz but neither would work. 3.6Ghz was fine though!

You shouldn't need much of a CPU voltage bump for 3Ghz, but the HT and NB will need around 1.4V with cooling!

If you're running 4 dimms then you may need to back off on the memory timings a little. Make sure it's at 2T timings and add 1 to the default CAS. You can fiddle with these once you have the CPU clocked ok.
I had 4 x 2GB kingston 1066 Dimms though clocked them at 800Mhz for stability since with everything at max it would blue screen now and then.

In the end I upgraded to I5 as the combo of this board and a Quad maxed my FPS at around 40 in BF3 which wasn't really smooth enough to enjoy.

Good luck


AD
 
Good news, i've managed to boot at 3GHz :D haven't dared run prime95 yet, but this is a damn sight better than I was managing previously. Here are my new settings:

vcore: 1.3
HT: 1.4
NB: 1.4
dram: 1.95
SB: auto

fsb: 1333
ram in sync mode, 667MHz

I'm not sure which change has suddenly granted it this stability, i shall continue testing until I find out

/edit
I just tried running the small FFT test, which pushed the CPU temperature over 70 degrees, however the core temps stayed between 55 and 65. Assuming the cpu temperature is measured at the processor casing, surely the core temperatures should be higher? Here is a screenshot for better explanation.

cputempsr.png
 
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Congrats on hitting 3Ghz!

CPU might need a little more voltage to be stable under heavy load given the vdroop on the board.

Ram should be ok at 800Mhz... from memory I used one of the dividers rather than setting it manually to 800Mhz as unlinked... I think the setting was linked and then select the ratio that gives about 800Mhz.


AD
 
Final update:

I am mostly posting this just for future reference incase other people run into the same problems as me, but anyway, I hit 3.6GHz! However this required a HT and NB voltage of 1.5, and a vcore approaching 1.5, so i decided to settle for 3.5GHz, which didn't require quite as high voltages to run stable.

3.5GHz settings:
vcore 1.44375
HT 1.48
NB 1.48
dram 1.85
fsb 1556/389
memory in linked mode, 778MHz
anything i didnt mention was left on auto.

I found the reason my system originally wouldnt overclock at all was due to false information on the internet leading me to believe my 1gb ram sticks were 1.8v, where infact they were 2.2, which when mixed with my 2gb 1.8v sticks caused the stability issues. I've since replaced my ram with 2x2gb 1.8v sticks, and am running them at stock voltage. I also didnt need the pencil mod in the end, as it seems to be stable despite the 0.1v drop under load.

As for temperatures, currently my Tcase is sat at 31 degrees idle, rising to 40 running something like battlefield 3, or 60 running prime95 on small FFTs. This is using an arctic freezer 13 heatsink, which dropped my 3GHz temperature from 80ish(!) with the stock fan down to around 45 when running small FFTs.

I think that sums up everything, thanks again guys for helping me get this thing going 50% faster! :D
 
How long was this tested for? Forgive me if i'm a litte dubious but the temps achieved with that sink + board used seem a little on the side of a miracle..unless you've got the coolest running golden Q6600 i've come across.
 
It passed five or six hours prime95, and has been running flawlessly at this speed since, playing a lot of battlefield etc. Here's a screenshot of it running small ffts

/edit
I should also add, both realtemp and nvidia system monitor gave core temps of around 62 degrees for that run, speedfans core temps always seem very off for me.
 
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