first time overclocker, am I doing it right?

[badass chris]

Hi I have built the following system

1 Intel Core 2 Duo, E8400, Wolfdale Core, S775, 3.0GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB Cache, 9x Multiplier
1 Asus P5Q PRO, iP45, S 775, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2 1200MHz, SATA II, SATA RAID
1 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX DDR2 XMS2, PC2-8500 (1066), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-6-6-18
1 Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - P4 up to 4.4GHz - S775 Dual/Quad Core Ready
1 1GB XFX HD 4890, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), Mem 3900MHz, GDDR5, GPU 850MHz, Cores 800, 2x DL DVI-I/HDTV
1 LG GH22LS30 AUAU 22x DVD±R, 12x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA Black OEM
1 650W Silverstone ST65ZF-GM SLi Dual PCI-E EPS12v ATX12v v2.01 PSU
1 Enermax ECA3162-BS Phoenix Neo 5x 5.25”, 1x 3.5” (external), 4x 3.5” inc Blue LED 12cm side fan
Running under windows 7 RC 64bit

I did some research on the equipment and I think there quite good for overclocking.

Anyway question one

I upped my fsb to 422 giving 3.8Ghz cpu voltage set to 1.25v

running orthos max temp rises to 72 degrees idle is about 45/46 and when
you stop orthos it instantly drops to 55 and gradually back to 45/46 after
1-2 mins

are these temps a little high? is there anything else I should change?

question two

I have 1066Mhz ram am I right in thinking that the ram runs at the same
speed as the fsb e.g. if I ran at 400Mhz = 3.6Ghz by ram would be 400x2
Mhz = 800Mhz ? meaning I would have to overclock higher or there is no
point in getting 1066Mhz ram?

question three

What is the best way to overclock my GPU should I use the overclocking
option with the catalyst software or do it another way?

question four

I want to keep the CPU alive for a good 2 years at least what is a good
voltage/temp I should stick too?

last question five

I used the pre applied thermal paste for my freezer 7 pro is that ok?
my temp with no OC is 36 idel and 44 max


many many thanks and sorry for the amount of questions

 

[OzZie]

1) Temps are a little high, but nothing to really worry about, especially when it is warm like it is. This could be down to a number of things (i.e speed of CPU cooler fan, the use of the pre-applied paste vs MX2/AS5, cooling inside the case and cable management)

2) The RAM doesn't have to run at the same speed as the FSB, although many people prefer running a 1:1 ratio where possible. Use another ratio/divider to get as close to 1066mhz as possible. It will tell you in the BIOS the speed at which it will run based on FSB input.

3) I use RivaTuner, which is easy enough to work with. Works without having to have the ATi CCC installed. Also doesnt limit your overclock like CCC Overdrive utility can do.

4) CPU's are designed to work for years on end. Even at 4.0ghz you would still get around 10 years of usage out of it. I've never encountered a CPU that has died from overclocking over a sustained period (only stupid accidents!). Temperature wise, most say keep under 70 degrees to be safe, but you'll be fine if you go over. I'd say 80deg is when you need to reduce the overclock/voltage. CPU's are designed to operate at high temperatures, and if the CPU goes too high, the motherboard should automatically shut down the PC. For voltages, 1.4v is really a max limit, although try and keep under 1.350v if you can. You'll be fine at that (providing temps are good).

5) Not bad at all. Depends whether you are running 1.25v through it like you are at 3.8ghz, or if it is set to auto, or if you are setting it to something. Download coretemp and find out your VID. This tells you the minimum required voltage for your CPU to operate at stock speeds, although like me, you should be able to get away running stock speeds with less than the VID requirement. (i.e my VID is 1.250v, but can run at stock speeds with 1.104v no problem)

 

[w3bbo]

I did some research on the equipment and I think there quite good for overclocking.

Anyway question one

I upped my fsb to 422 giving 3.8Ghz cpu voltage set to 1.25v

running orthos max temp rises to 72 degrees idle is about 45/46 and when
you stop orthos it instantly drops to 55 and gradually back to 45/46 after
1-2 mins

are these temps a little high? is there anything else I should change?

Nope, they look fine. Load temp is perhaps on the limit though.

question two

I have 1066Mhz ram am I right in thinking that the ram runs at the same
speed as the fsb e.g. if I ran at 400Mhz = 3.6Ghz by ram would be 400x2
Mhz = 800Mhz ? meaning I would have to overclock higher or there is no
point in getting 1066Mhz ram?

To get your memory running higher you will need to use a memory divider. You are correct in assuming it is linked to the FSB but a divider allows you to set the memory to a different level. Check your DRAM Frequency in the BIOS.

question three

What is the best way to overclock my GPU should I use the overclocking
option with the catalyst software or do it another way?

The Overdrive utility that comes with the catalyst control centre is fine. However it will not totally max your GPU out. For that you will need Rivatuner which is a little more complex.

question four

I want to keep the CPU alive for a good 2 years at least what is a good
voltage/temp I should stick too?

Should be fine at what it's operating at now. I would however consider investing in a better air cooler as 72c is a little on the warm side to be running the CPU at 24/7. However, it is unliekly the CPU will be running at this temp 24/7 so I wouldn;t worry too much about it.

last question five

I used the pre applied thermal paste for my freezer 7 pro is that ok?
my temp with no OC is 36 idel and 44 max

Should be fine. Thermal paste makes little difference in the greater scheme of things. 1-3c in most cases. Application is the biggest factor. IF you've done that right then I wouldn't lose sleep over the paste used.


many many thanks and sorry for the amount of questions

 

[badass chris]

Thanks so much I feel a lot more confident now.

One final question if you don't mind. The 3.8Ghz I got to i just chose a random voltage which seemed to work. when OC is it best to increase the FSB until the system wont boot to find the lowest voltage it will run at? that sounds scary to me but will that mean I can get a higher OC, I heard many people say they run their e8400 @ 4Ghz with no problems.

another final question

is there any special numbers that are good for OC for example is and FSB of 422 better than choosing 423, are there good values considering the ram I have 400 would give 1:1 with ram at 800, 533 would give 1:1 at 1066 (although probably melt my comp down) is there a good number in between?

final final question (maybe) is there actually much point in increasing the ram speed, how is the processor ment to make use of the faster ram if it doesn't run as fast?

I really appreciate your help as you can tell I hardly know what I'm talking about.

 

[OzZie]

When overclocking mine, i've been doing what you said.

Find the lowest voltage your CPU will run at at stock (3ghz), by starting at say 1.20v and working your way down one increment at a time in the BIOS. Run Intel Burn Test for 15 runs at maximum (20 mins), then prime95 tests for a good 30 mins to an hour. If you dont get any error messages/windows abnormalities etc, then there is a decent chance it is stable. Then once you start getting errors/instability, use the process of elimination to find the sweet spot for running stock speeds. Write down your settings and save it to a profile in the BIOS.

Then to overclock, work the other way around. Use an FSB that gives you say 3.2ghz, make sure the RAM speed is kept below 1066 (to remove any problems with overclocked RAM), and then start with the last voltage you used for 3.0ghz. Chances are you'll need more voltage, but again, work up one increment at a time in the BIOS (use + and - keys). You'll know immediately if your not providing enough CPU voltage, as the system may hang, reboot, or blue screen, or act very strangely in Windows (errors etc). Once you get closer to a stable voltage, you'll see less errors and a more stable system, although don't be surprised if you get errors in Prime95 or Intel Burn Test after 30 mins - 1 hour. This is usually indicative of a system that is nearly stable, but just not quite. Usually one or two notches in CPU voltage will be enough to make it stable. I then write down the settings i used for 3.0ghz, 3.2ghz. 3.4ghz so that i can always come back to each setting if i need to. I would like to save each clock speed to a different BIOS profile, but the P5Q only has two profiles!

The other factor that may strike is the Northbridge voltage. I have used up all four memory slots which puts extra pressure on the northbridge, requiring more voltage. I'm using 1.34v as the basis for my overclocking Q9550, so i am pretty certain that the Northbridge is not the limiting factor in my overclocking, much like i know the RAM isnt as its kept below 1066mhz. It'll no doubt require a lot less to operate at the speed i have it set to at the moment, but it's easy then to find out what CPU voltages are required. Once i've found the sweet spot, i can go in an reduce the northbridge voltage one at a time until it fails, then find the sweet spot again by upping it. You dont want to go over 1.4v on the northbridge without it having its own cooling. I dont really think you'll need to go past 1.3v in fact if you only have two sticks of memory installed. I'd say go ahead and set it to 1.3v whilst you do your testing of CPU voltages, then see how much you can decrease it.

This is the most time consuming method of overclocking by the way. It'll take hours and hours to really find a stable setting, but once you do, you can keep it saved and be assured that you have a fully stable overclock, using voltages that are just right for what you require (i.e. nothing is under/over volted)

 

[badass chris]

When overclocking mine, i've been doing what you said.

Find the lowest voltage your CPU will run at at stock (3ghz), by starting at say 1.20v and working your way down one increment at a time in the BIOS. Run Intel Burn Test for 15 runs at maximum (20 mins), then prime95 tests for a good 30 mins to an hour. If you dont get any error messages/windows abnormalities etc, then there is a decent chance it is stable. Then once you start getting errors/instability, use the process of elimination to find the sweet spot for running stock speeds. Write down your settings and save it to a profile in the BIOS.

Then to overclock, work the other way around. Use an FSB that gives you say 3.2ghz, make sure the RAM speed is kept below 1066 (to remove any problems with overclocked RAM), and then start with the last voltage you used for 3.0ghz. Chances are you'll need more voltage, but again, work up one increment at a time in the BIOS (use + and - keys). You'll know immediately if your not providing enough CPU voltage, as the system may hang, reboot, or blue screen, or act very strangely in Windows (errors etc). Once you get closer to a stable voltage, you'll see less errors and a more stable system, although don't be surprised if you get errors in Prime95 or Intel Burn Test after 30 mins - 1 hour. This is usually indicative of a system that is nearly stable, but just not quite. Usually one or two notches in CPU voltage will be enough to make it stable. I then write down the settings i used for 3.0ghz, 3.2ghz. 3.4ghz so that i can always come back to each setting if i need to. I would like to save each clock speed to a different BIOS profile, but the P5Q only has two profiles!

The other factor that may strike is the Northbridge voltage. I have used up all four memory slots which puts extra pressure on the northbridge, requiring more voltage. I'm using 1.34v as the basis for my overclocking Q9550, so i am pretty certain that the Northbridge is not the limiting factor in my overclocking, much like i know the RAM isnt as its kept below 1066mhz. It'll no doubt require a lot less to operate at the speed i have it set to at the moment, but it's easy then to find out what CPU voltages are required. Once i've found the sweet spot, i can go in an reduce the northbridge voltage one at a time until it fails, then find the sweet spot again by upping it. You dont want to go over 1.4v on the northbridge without it having its own cooling. I dont really think you'll need to go past 1.3v in fact if you only have two sticks of memory installed. I'd say go ahead and set it to 1.3v whilst you do your testing of CPU voltages, then see how much you can decrease it.

This is the most time consuming method of overclocking by the way. It'll take hours and hours to really find a stable setting, but once you do, you can keep it saved and be assured that you have a fully stable overclock, using voltages that are just right for what you require (i.e. nothing is under/over volted)

thanks for your really quick reply. I will do as you suggest thanks so much for the info. I'm generally quite impatient but doing as you suggest makes sense, I think ill overclock my processor 200Mhz a week until I can go no further or reach 4Ghz. I don't have anything that really requires a super fast system yet but I may buy crysis.

 

[OzZie]

Just remember to get a pen and paper and create a table of BIOS settings for the settings you'll be adjusting, and whether or not it passes Intel Burn Test on maximum, and ideally all 3 tests in Prime95 for at least an hour each, if not two or three hours each once you are totally convinced of its stability. No point spending ages doing all of this tweaking to not remember any of it a few months down the line!