Help a numpty take an E6600 to 3.0Ghz

Ed · 3 Jun 2008 at 11:56

I've overclocked but way back in the days of PentiumII's so it's been a while.

Right, I've gone into the BIOS and set RAM at 1:1 and upped the FSB from the standard 266MHz to 300Mhz. It boots fine, temps are low (mid 40's) and it runs games fine. This gives me around 2.7Ghz, up from the standard 2.4Ghz.

Now, when I up the FSB to 333Mhz which should give the magic 3.0GHz that so many of you have already surpassed, it doesn't post. When I force the restart the BIOS resets itself to default and I get a message saying "you're last overclocking attempt failed and settings have been reset".

So, what's my next step? Is this a VCore issue and I need to up it from the standard? It's currently set to auto.

My spec is:

E6600
MSi 975X Platinum Power Up Edition
4*1GB OCZ PC2-6400C4 RAM @ auto/stock volts
ThermalTake Big Typhoon cooler

Thanks for any advice. I've read the sticky but not confident on upping volts and the like, if that's the problem.

pastymuncher · 3 Jun 2008 at 12:28

Hi Ed, glad to see you taking the sensible option. Your cooler should be fine as the Big Typhoon is still a damn good cooler. Your cpu has a very good vid so should be a good clocker with lowish volts.

I think your problem is one of two things. The vcore as you have guessed. Try increasing it a step at a time until it boots. Or the memory exceeding it's rated speed. As you increase the fsb you also increase the memory speed. When you increase the fsb look for an option to set your ram at the speed closest to it's rating. There is a couple of ways this can be listed. It can be the memory multiplier or strap and also the DRAM frequency.

Here are my own settings for 3.6Ghz.

Cpu Multiplier 9x
FSB 400
Vcore 1.425v (yours may need a little less).
FSB to NB strap (memory multiplier) Auto. This then lets me choose the DRAM frequency from a drop down list and i can run the memory at 1066mhz. No doubt it will be called something different on your board.

For this speed i have'nt had to touch any other settings in the bios. I can also run at 8x450 but i need to increase motherboard voltages a little for that.

Have a go and let us know how you get on.

Ed · 3 Jun 2008 at 13:32

I've hit 3.0GHz.

I upped the VCore to 1.3V from auto (1.21V), upped the VDIMM to 1.9V from auto (1.8V), slackened the RAM timings to 5-5-5-15 and set the FSB to 333Mhz.

The fact I'm in Windows, using SmartFTP and Photoshop CS to post the screenshot below and Firefox to type this must mean it's working OK. The real test is to run Flight Simulator X for an hour as that spanks even the hardest of CPU's.

Now, I've no doubt it's not optimised as best it could be but it's got to be a big improvement over stock. I've seen the links to apps in the sticky that gauge stability. Is there a useful, quick (30mins) test that I can run to see how this current config stands or is Prime95 still the one to run?

G_Wizz · 3 Jun 2008 at 13:35

Orthos, runs 2 instances of Prime (one on each core) most recomend running for 8 hours but 30 mins means you are pretty close to being fully stable, keep your eye on temps whilst running.

Ed · 3 Jun 2008 at 13:42

Thanks. Have downloaded it and will run it now with CoreTemp to see how it goes.

Ben M · 3 Jun 2008 at 13:59

if you only want to do a short test, run superpi (32M)

Random Guy · 3 Jun 2008 at 14:03

I would recommend Orthos as well.

Ed · 3 Jun 2008 at 14:24

Ben M said:
if you only want to do a short test, run superpi (32M)

Too late.

I run Orthos for 30 minutes.

No problems.

With this current clock, idle temps seem to stay around high 40's - 50, up from the original low 40's. When at 100% load during the orthos test temps hit around 70, never going over 72 but sometimes dipping to 67. Is this a good temp when under extreme load or is it too high?

Ben M · 3 Jun 2008 at 14:37

72 as a max temp is okay. Anything up to 75 most people say is fine. Be aware that it may get hotter if the temperature gets hotter though...

G_Wizz · 3 Jun 2008 at 14:40

A bit high but nothing to worry about, could try lowering voltage one notch but really it should be a bit lower if you are using 1.3v, maybe your heatsink may need reseating.

Ed · 3 Jun 2008 at 14:44

I'll bear that in mind. I can always drop the FSB again if the temps get too much if/when we ever get a summer season in this corner of the UK.

After playing around, running FSX which has vastly improved performance now and generally checking things out I'm happy that it's stable. I'll run Small FFT for 30 minutes to be sure as the original test was Blend.

Thanks for all the help guys.

pastymuncher · 3 Jun 2008 at 15:22

I did'nt think your temps would go that high using a Big Typhoon. Personally i would be uncomfortable with 70 degrees. What case do you have? It maybe time to upgrade your cooling. Those temps are going to hold you back from going any further. It's a pity because if you think it's been a vast improvement to 3Ghz you should see how well they go at 3.6Ghz.

Told you you did'nt need a E8400.

Ed · 3 Jun 2008 at 16:04

pastymuncher said:
I did'nt think your temps would go that high using a Big Typhoon. Personally i would be uncomfortable with 70 degrees. What case do you have?

It's a Coolermaster Wavemaster (full of crap and dust too).

pastymuncher said:
It maybe time to upgrade your cooling.

This is really the limit of what I'm after and upgrading beyond this sounds like too much hard work.

pastymuncher said:
Told you you did'nt need a E8400.

This is fast and has made a noticable difference in the apps that I use.

bilston · 3 Jun 2008 at 16:19

70 would be a bit too much for me too, my m8s e2180 at 3Ghz is a lot less under load I think, with a tuniq

JimAroo · 4 Jun 2008 at 19:43

I wouldn't like 70°C either, i aim for 65°C Max.

With my Thermalright IFX my E6750 @ 3.6 hit 51°C 7 hours Orthos test.

Kop_Jedi · 20 Jul 2008 at 14:22

Guys if i can resurrect this thread. I am seeing idles of 52C with a Scythe Ninja B and AS5. This seems a high idle temp. Should i take the cpu and remove the paste and then reapply?

pastymuncher · 20 Jul 2008 at 15:05

Did you clean the dust out of your case? The wavemaster has 80mm intake and 120mm exhaust does'nt it? Give the fans a good clean and that should improve airflow a bit. I would clean the heatsink and cpu and re-apply the AS5. Remember, you only need a very thin coat of the stuff on just the cpu.

Kop_Jedi · 20 Jul 2008 at 18:45

I am upto 3.2 GhZ with okay temps, about 66 under load but i am getting an error when running 2 versions of Prime 95 mod. Cant be the memory which isnt stretched