My First Real go at Overclocking...

gr1mey

gr1mey

gr1mey

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Well this is my first real attempt at a CPU overclock, Ive overclocked GFX card before with sucess, but since my move to water, and picking up a brand new Opty 144 CAB1E for a good price of £70, I thought it was time to get into this CPU clocking lark.

Anyway, I had problems at first with my motherboard, but after searching through various forums and sites I managed to get the damn thing to boot with a FSB over 215.

I loosened the timings on my memory to 3-3-3-8 and put it on a 2/1 divider, I also put +0.1v DRR. Dropped the HTT multi to x3, left the CPU multi to x9.

Im now up at 285x9, 2569mhz, still at stock volts (1.400v in BIOS) - incidentally when I first boot CPU-Z in windows, I get a reading of 1.392v, and then when I start to bench the voltage fluctuates anywhere from 1.392v - 1.424v; is this normal or a sign my PSU is struggling? I know I shouldnt read too much into windows based hardware monitoring but it just seems a bit strange...

Ive been running Prime for 2-3 hour stints at each increase, and as of yet the system hasnt batted an eyelid at this 700mhz increase!

load temps with Prime on my WC setup are around 35'c (with GFX at stock for the time being).

ocuk_144oc.JPG


So what do you guys think? where should I go from here? Just keep upping the FSB, and if beomces unstable plop another 0.5v on the vcore? maybe I should drop my HTT multi to x2 as Ive heard if HTTxFSB is over 800 I could run into problems?

2.5ghz was a realistec target for my first attempt, but as of yet not having to up the voltage at all this CPU look like it could go a long way yet, maybe even as high as 2.9ghz!

Any Comments/advice much appreciated! :)
 
yeah I think it does.

what sort of voltages are safe with this CPU, anything under 1.6v on water?
 
Im just getting a bit worried atm, my FSB is at 295 currently, and my HTT is at x3, but if I lower it to x2 the system wont boot...

what should I do now?
 
ok I seem to have hit a problem.

after 295*9 at x3 was fine, I upped to 300x9x3, but CPU-Z reports the same CPU spped, and a FSB of 291.

Does this mean Ive hit the limit? Ive increased to 1.45v but no joy, is there any way I can queeze some more MHZ out of this CPU?
 
nope still wont go past 290 FSB even with clockgen.

Some peeps on forums have to this board past 300 FSB easy with almost same setup.

Im gonna try some different RAM n see what that does.
 
I just ran a 3DMark0r with my CPU a 2615 and my x1800xt at 700/800 and I scored 10139 05marks.

With my old venice at 2.1ghz and GFX at same OC I was gettig around 8600 - so thats a dramatic improvement.

just wish I could push this CPu further as Ive no doubt it could go to at least 2.9!

any suggestions please?
 
pah I knew that already!!!! :p

any suggestions on how to bump my FSB up a bit more on this board?

/me sells old vencie on ebay to put money toward DFI-Ultra-D :D
 
Well, with a bit of searching and a few prayers said to the big man, I decided to gamble and try and flash my GA-K8NF-9 to a GA-K8NF-9ULTRA.

At first the PC wouldnt reboot, but after I reset the CMOS, up it came with a shiny new ULTRA BIOS :D

so I went up to my last settings of 290 FSB and all was fine. I then pumped to 295, first off windows crashed after the splash screen, but by upping to 1.45v I managed to get into windows, checked CPU-Z and low and behold Im up past 290FSB now!!

Testing Prime now, will give it an hour or so.

cpuz.JPG


Hopefully now I can push well past 300 FSB and get the 2.8-9GHZ I rekon this chip is capable of! :D
 
I tried clockgen before and it wouldnt work.

This is working well atm so Im gonna push on - I want at least 2.8 now!!! :p

thanks for the kind words too! :)
 
OK.

This is where Im at now

overclock.JPG


flown past FX-57 speeds, load temp of 43'c is fairly good, I could probably get to 3.1 but I dunno if I wanna go any higher.

Hows that for a first overclock? :cool:

ed- my HTT is at *3, should I lower to*2 or doesnt it matter seeing as it looks fairly stable?
 
doesnt seem to like it if I drop the HTT down to 2, Im getting BSOD's and everything.

to get it to boot into windows Im having to up the volts a little too much, like 1.55, and thats gonna raise temps a bit much for my liking, so I think 3003mhz is about my limit.

I will tinker, but doesnt look like my motherboard is going to allow any further. Althought 3.1 would be nice!

3ghz off a £70 CPU isnt to be sniffed at to say the least! 67% overclock from stock ;)
 
yeah but if I drop the HTT to 2x even if I up the volts and get into windows CPU-Z reports everything wrong and my mhz as 1700 :eek:
 
it was all going so well at 3ghz! But now it isnt!!!:(

it was Prime stable for an hour or so, I went downstairs, came back up to check and it was still fine.

I then decided to fire off a quick email to someone while I was there, and I.E crashed, then I got a BSOD.

Restarted the PC, and even with BIOS set at 333*9 CPU-Z reports only 1700mhz!

Im now back at 290*9 (2615) which I know to be stable from earlier tests (this was stable for 7 hours over night). But for some reason Im now having the same problem of not being able to push the FSb beyond 290! set it to 291 in BIOS and CPU-Z only reports 290!

wtf it was all fine earlier now for some reason Ive got the same bug!!

this motherboard is well strange, gonna have to get rid of it :(
 
this chip flies, Im sure of that!

I went to 3ghz without much effort - its down to my motherboard, I know this because Ive been reading many threads about strange happenings with it.

Anyway if i could clock to 3ghz on this fussy mobo, just think what I can get with a good one!

what do you think; DFI-Ultra-D?
 
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