Help needed for OC noob

[o0naw0o]

Help needed with Striker Extreme & QX6700 overclock

Hi all,

I have read your very helpful "Beginners Guide To Overclocking" which I have to say is the most helpful and easy to follow guide I have found on the internet

I have recently built my PC and I am now trying to understand the world of overclocking. I am a bit confused over a few matters (well everything really) and also confused with the results I have received on benchmarking.

I have listed my BIOS config and system setup below but can easily provide screen shots if needed.

Ok, what I understand so far......... (correct me if I am wrong)

The higher your FSB the better as you will have greater bandwidth.

To increase the FSB without automatically affecting your MEM you need to
unlink your FSB (QDR) and MEM (DDR) in the BIOS.

With extreme quads, the multiplier has been unlocked which enables you to reduce the multiplier and increase the size of the FSB to achieve the same overall clock speed but with greater FSB bandwidth.

Question 1:

I can easily overclock by increasing the FSB but I have been unsuccessful in decreasing the multi to 8x and trying FSB at 412-415, 425 and 450. Why would this be?

Question 2:

Before overclocking I ran some benchmark tests using SP2004, PCMark05 and 3DMark05. When I launch SP2004 it tells me that I have more than 1 processor and suggests I run multiple sessions. If I run 4 sessions with each session hitting one of the 4 cores the Small FFT test completes OK but Core Temp reports by max CPU temp at over 65 degrees which I understand to be the safe maximum temperature for my CPU!? If this IS correct when how can I even think of OC'ing!?

All other temperature monitoring software (ASUS Probe, ASUS AI, FanSpeed & NVidia Temp) all show my CPU hitting around 50 degrees under stress so I am confused why Core Temp is reporting different temperatures and everything else seems consistent. Even when I 1st boot up Core Temp shows my CPU at 50 degrees when other tools show it around 29 degrees.

If I only run 2 sessions of SP2004 it hits 50% CPU so running 4 sessions seems to be correct.

BTW - I can OC to 3.2GHz before SP2004 fails with 4 sessions running.

Question 3:

When I overclock my RAM to 1066MHz why does my overall performance drop? PCMark05 and 3DMark05 show a drop in points (although to be honest these both don’t seem to be very consistent) where Everest shows a vast improvement in Read/Write and Latency. Even Crysis FPS drops a bit.

Question 4:

If my system drops out because of CPU temprature is there any point increasing the voltages!?

Pleading for your help!!!!!!

System Setup
Qx6700 Kentsfield
BigTyp VC120
ASUS Striker Extreme
4GB (2x2GB) OCZ PC2-6400 SLI-Ready
500GB SATA
Antec 900
Windows XP x86


ASUS Striker Extreme Bios 1401
SLI-Ready Memory: Expert
AI Tuning: Manual
Nvidia GPU Ex: Enabled
LinkBoost: Disabled
CPU Multi 10
FSB - Memory Clock Mode: Unlinked
x FSB - Memory Raio: N/A
FSB (QDR), Mhz: 1066
Actual FSB (QDR), Mhz: 1540
MEM (DDR), Mhz: 800
Actual MEM (DDR), Mhz: 800
Vcore Voltage: Auto
Memory Voltage: 2.1v
1.2v HT Voltage: Auto
NB Core Voltage: Auto
SB Core Voltage: Auto
CPU VTT Voltage: Auto
DDRII Controller Ref Voltage: auto
DDRII Channel A Ref Voltage: auto
DDRII Channel B Ref Voltage: auto

tCL (CAS Latency): 5
tRCD: 4
tRP: 4
tRAS:15
Command Per Clock (CMD): 2

Advance Memory Settings
tRRD: AUTO
tRC: AUTO
tWR: AUTO
tWTR: AUTO
tREF: AUTO
tRD: AUTO
tRFC: AUTO
Async Latency: AUTO

CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
MCP PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
SATA Spread Spectrum: Disabled
LDT Spread Spectrum: Disabled

CPU Internal Thermal Control: Disabled
Limit CPUID MaxVal: Disabled
Enhanced C1 (C1E): Disabled
Execute Disable Bit: Disabled
Virtualization Technology: Disabled
Enhanced Intel Speedstep Tech: Disabled
LDT Frequency: 4x

PCIEX16_1 Frequency (Mhz): 100
PCIEX16_2 Frequency (Mhz): 100
PCIEX16_3 Frequency (Mhz): 100
SPP<->MCP Ref Clock, Mhz: Auto

 

[melbourne720]

Welcome to the forums

Read the FAQ and hope you like it here. To your questions...

1. Plenty of reasons, how is it failing? Why do you need those FSB anyway, you have a 10x multi, you might as well have got a Q6600 if you were going to run the multi low.

2. Coretemp is correct. Try taking the side off your case, do the temps drop?

3. Don't overclock your RAM. At least not until you have pushed the rest of your system. CPU overclocking gets the most gains. RAM overclocking is problematic in my experience.

4. It is unlikely that your CPU temp is maxing out. Increasing voltages increases temps, so it is unlikely to help in this situation.

 

[o0naw0o]

Thanks for your speedy reply!!

So do you agree I should be running 4 x SP2004 to test stability?

Do you agree my stock CPU temp is higher than should be expected?

Do you think my BIOS settings look OK?

Question 1

So why has the multi been unlocked on the extreme quads and what is the main benefit for me the overcocker!? The obvious aim is to squeeze MHz out of my CPU but how can I improve my OC'd CPU speed by playing with the muliplier?!?

If I try any of the 8x overclocks as mentioned above it will not boot into Windows. It tells me that something is not set correctly in BIOS.

Question 2

I will try removing the side of the case and report back. However, I ran my system idle for several hours the other day. When I came back to it all temp monitor software showed my CPU under 20 degrees but coretemp was still reporting 50 degrees. I removed the side of the PC and it was like a fridge in there!!! I have the 4 Antec fans on medium and the BigTyp on 50% too.

What do you think is the possible reason why my CPU is running so hot then... even at stock?! Especially when I have a BigTyp attached to it! I have even tried to re-seat the BigTyp and re-applied the thermal grease etc.

Question 3

I will leave my RAM at stock then and only try OC'ing when everything else is 110% stable.

Question 4

The temp was maxing out when I tried a 3.4GHz OC as I watched it increase to 90+ degrees before the system hung!

Am I right in saying that increasing the voltage shoudl allow you to acheive a higher stable OC but will actually increase temprature!?