First attempt at overclocking

charthan · 11 Apr 2012 at 23:50

Hi guys, I thought I'd have a go at overclocking my i5 750 before I get my hands on one of the new ivy cpus at the end of the month.
I've read around the internet loads and I kind of get the basics of it.
My system is above cpu with:
asus P7p55D mobo
4Gb (2x2Gb) Dominator ram.

So far, I've set the multiplier to 20x, and increased the bus speed to 160Mhz. I set the Ram to 1600Mhz and in the advanced settings entered the setting for the Domitator ram (9-9-9-24).

This booted into windows then hung as I was opening cpu-z, core temp and prime95. I rebooted a few times but it kept hanging.

After playing around with the settings abit its been stable on Prime95 for about 15 mins with max temp 61 degrees.
The settings for this are with bus speed 155, giving me 3.1Ghz, but its just less that 1600Mhz frequency on the Ram.

Any chance you could throw us a few hints how to get past this point? Or pointers on where I'm going wrong.

Cheers
Nathan

charthan · 11 Apr 2012 at 23:51

Oh forgot to say this is still all at initial voltages, wasn't adventurous enough to fiddle with them.... yet

Ghøst · 11 Apr 2012 at 23:53

Set the 'bus speed' to 133Mhz to start with.

charthan · 11 Apr 2012 at 23:54

I've done that and got it to boot with stock speed

Ghøst · 11 Apr 2012 at 23:55

Then increase the CPU multiplier gradually from 20 upwards.

charthan · 11 Apr 2012 at 23:56

up to what?

Woden · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:01

Thats the question

Up it a notch or two, the stress test to make sure its stable and not too hot. Rinse and repeat. You may have to up the voltage a smidge but don't without plenty of research. Someone that has/had your CPU uverclocked might be able to point you at a good guide.

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:04

What does it go upto?

First step is to find the max stable frequency generally with all the other overclock settings including voltages on automatic or default.

charthan · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:09

it only goes up to x21 instead of the initial x20 which its on.

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:14

Ok you could try setting your FSB to 140mhz.

If that works download & install these two system monitoring programs.

CPU-Z http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
HWMonitor http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Now comes the fun bit, reading up on all the settings in your motherboards BIOS & understanding how they work with or effect each other.

charthan · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:16

i've done that, for 140/145/150/155 and its stable, when I do it for 160mhz it hangs either doesn't boot to windows or hangs

charthan · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:20

After abit more fiddling, I've got it to boot with the fsb @ 160Mhz, 20x multiplier and ram @ 1600Mhz.
This is still at stock voltages. I jst turned off 2 of the settings in the AI tweaker tab for the turboboost and an energy saving setting. I also set the Ram timings back to auto.

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:28

Well done but I'd be keeping a close eye on your temperatures with Hardware Monitor before doing anymore stability testing and or fiddling with settings in the BIOS.

charthan · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:31

I've got it running Prime atm and monitering the temps, after 25 mins max temp is 63 degrees

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:35

Did you pick the small FFT test and remember to tick round off cheking in the advanced options menu.

charthan · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:38

i was doing the FFT test, but hadn't ticked the round off checking option. What does this do?

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:42

Just makes Prime check for errors after each round, so you’ll be notified within 60 seconds if there's a problem & display a red light.

charthan · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:45

ok, I've just restarted it with that ticked, its been going for 5 mins, no problems with max cpu temp hitting 64 degrees.

When I've been reading about I read that I should be able to achieve 3.6 Ghz with stock cooler. I've got an aftermarket cooler but can't get passed 3.2. I this because I need to adjust the voltages or am I doing something wrong?

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:58

K give it half an hour at least two full passes to get a decent initial basis of stability. After that you could have a go at changing the CPU multiplier to *21 (giving you 3.36Ghz ) or / and increasing the FSB gradually to begin aiming for your target.

No need to start touching voltages yet.

Bear in mind I have zero knowledge any of your hardware and this is all just the basic overclocking formula.

Ghøst · 12 Apr 2012 at 01:02

It would also be a good idea to check the 'Hardware monitor' section in your BIOS to see if there is any fan speed profiles in there which may be affecting your fan speeds.

Got good airflow through your case?