help with overclocking

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i need help to overclock my computer say to 3.00ghz i have a
abit ip35 pro exe motherboard
corsair 4gb ddr2 ram
intel core 2 quad pro q6600 2.4oghz
corsair tx 650 psu
gainward geforce 9800 gtx+512m
windows 7 or vista setup
can i overclock my ram all help will be grateful. cheers
 
lock the multi at highest it will go then increase the fsb 10mhz at a time until it is unstable then increase voltages slightly is basically it but you could go on the overclocking thread at the top
 
i need help to overclock my computer say to 3.00ghz i have a
abit ip35 pro exe motherboard
corsair 4gb ddr2 ram
intel core 2 quad pro q6600 2.4oghz
corsair tx 650 psu
gainward geforce 9800 gtx+512m
windows 7 or vista setup
can i overclock my ram all help will be grateful. cheers

This is a post i made a while ago.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13949689&postcount=4

The BIOS settings will vary however. For example your northbridge voltage may be called MCH voltage instead of NB voltage. The easiest thing for you to do is to take a photo of the overclocking section of the bios. That way we can see what you need to chance specifically. :)
 
Ok.

Find the section in your BIOS that is for overclocking. I'm assuming its either standard CMOS settings or Advanced BIOS features. Enter your VID of 1.30v here (will no doubt be set to auto). Then find the section of RAM/Vdimm voltage and set that to 1.9v. If you can find out the timings of your RAM, enter them also. This way, everything you've done thus far is just adjusting the values that need adjusting for overclocking.

Then increase the FSB from 266 to say 271 (just a small increment for the first time). You should be able to then load up CPU-Z and you should see a clock speed of 2439mhz. Actually, it may be lower if you have C1E and Speedstep still enabled (reduces the CPU voltage/clock speed automatically based on workload). However, load up prime95 and run one of the tests and you should see the clock speed is just over the default of 2400mhz.

If you go across to the memory tab, it may also be a tad over the default of 400mhz (800mhz as rated by manufacturer is double-data rate), as the FSB and memory speeds are linked together. Your RAM will be ok until around 420mhz or so i assume, but ideally you want to use a different CPU-RAM ratio so the memory isnt overclocked whilst you are overclocking the CPU. You should find the ratios also in the BIOS settings. There should always be a ratio that keeps it under 400mhz for the duration of the CPU overclock.

The CPU multiplier is what is used to multiply the FSB frequency. On the Q6600, it defaults to 9x266 which gives 2400mhz. When you reach a point of say 3.0ghz, you'll need an FSB of 333. On the Q6600, the multiplier can be dropped to 8x,7x,6x should you prefer to have a higher FSB number over a higher ratio, but most motherboards have FSB limits, so i'd say just stick to 9x for now. Its what most people use.

Remember to keep checking the temperatures of your CPU using coretemp and realtemp, and running the tests of Prime95. If you get any errors, the program shuts down prime to that core immediatly. This is a cue that the overclock isnt stable. You'll want to first check: memory speed isnt over the speed of 400mhz and has the correct amount of voltage as instructed. Then you'll most likely want the most common source of the problem, which is more CPU voltage. I'd suggest notching up a single increment using the '+' key on your keyboard, saving, restarting and trying prime again.

For 3.0ghz (333fsb) i doubt you'll need any more than 1.40v on the CPU. My q6600 at 1.3250v VID needs under 1.40v so you should be ok at around 1.3750v i imagine, maybe less. The other important factor is the northbridge voltage, which i believe is called MCH voltage on your motherboard. At the moment it looks like auto (if thats what youve got it on) has set it to a reasonable 1.25v. Personally, i use 1.30v at 3.0ghz, but this is with four sticks of RAM which adds extra strain to the northbridge. I would advise keeping within <1.375v for the northbridge, as i doubt you'll need to go any higher unless you really are going for a big overclock (ie 3.4ghz+)

The only part that is slightly worrying is your temps in that image. They look to be at 50deg. Is that when the computer is idle or under load? If it is idle then you can forget overclocking!
 
thank for the info OzZie. yes the temps is 50deg i have a arctic cooling freezer 7 pro cpu cooler how can i get my temp down . thanks

That CPU should be perfectly adaquate for overclocking purposes. As mollymoo said, is that idle or under load? Under load, your ok as long as you dont really push over 70deg. I find the 'Intel Burn Test' to be around 5-10 degrees more tortureous than Prime.

Idle temps should be around 30-40 degrees at stock, and higher when overclocked.

What case do you have, and how well is the cable management organised? How many fans and at what RPM etc?
 
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