C2D E6600 + P5W DH Overclock.. How!? Want to learn!! Advice??

[crewxp]

Prize: Whoever helps me get the right settings and has COD5, and wants it, I have a m1a1 weapon download code. Just a little something to show my thanks. If you're helping me just because, thanks even more. I'm really lost... :/

Okay, I'm having some overclocking problems... I've read how some people did theirs and tried it... With the (333:666,1.4v) settings below, I reached 3.0 Ghz, it didn't seem any faster..

But when I used the 'AI Profile' feature on my motherboard and set it to 20%, it overclocked my computer to 2.88Ghz, and my system seemed a 'Little' faster!!

I also tried setting my FSB to 400, and Dram to 800, and it didn't post. I increased the Vcore to 1.5v and it posts with 3.6Ghz!! But at the 'Vista boot bar', my system restarted..

Can someone help me out? I'ld like to run the system stable around 3.2-3.6Ghz... or what ever the max I can get, while still being stable. Its an old processor, so I'm getting ready to upgrade around Xmas. I'm water cooled btw.

So can anyone here help me get the max out of my computer, while still being stable? I've read all the guides and attempted the ways other people have, but I'm having mixed results.

Setup:
Processor: Core2Duo E6600 2.4Ghz
Memory: 8GB G.Skill F2-8000CL5-2GBPQ Memory
Motherboard: Asus P5W-DH Deluxe
OS: Vista 64-bit
Cooling: Custom Water Cooled


Settings 1:

FSB: 333 | Dram: 666 | Ratio: 1-1

Bios Screenshot:

Cpu-Z + Temps Screenshot (Click to see full-screen):


Settings (AI Profile at 20%) 2:
Nothing, just selected 20% Profile in BIOS.

Cpu-Z + Temps Screenshot (Click to see full-screen):


Settings 3 (400:800,1.5v):
Says 3.6Ghz in bios, posts, but restarts at vista load. Couldnt get to post without increasing vcore to above 1.5

 

[kyeana]

depending you might not be able to hit 3.6 etc with that chip. Personally i have an e6750 that wont go above 3.52 due to heat constants. Its all situational.

As for your setup, you could try:
setting your vcore to 1.4 or 1.45 (if you can handle that heat)
Increase ram voltage by 1
disable speedstep etc
make sure ram ratio is 1:1
pcie frequency is locked at 100
leave north and southbridge on auto
Set fsb to 350 and see if it posts

From there i would imagine that it would boot, and you will probably still have some headroom left. Keep increasing the fsb and testing using prime95 small ffts until you can't go any higher.

Also if it doesn't boot using those settings run memtest86+ to make sure that the memory is stable. You have (im assuming) 4 sticks of ram so you might have to increase your ram voltage some to get them nice and stable.

Hope this helps and post back if any of this doesn't work for more troubleshooting and specifics

 

[CompuTronix]

crewxp,

I have owned the P5W DH Deluxe Wi/Fi with an E6600 OC'd @ 3.7, and have built several others. The E6600 will typically OC from 3.4 to 3.7. I am very familiar with the 975X Chipset and the P5W DH Deluxe Wi/Fi. There are two different versions, each of which may become FSB limited as low as 380 Mhz, and are seldom able to reach or exceed 425 FSB without modifications. The P5W DH and 975X Chipset are not as FSB overclock capable as the newer P5B with the 965 Chipset, or the P5K with the P35 Chipset.

The first key to reaching 400 FSB on this board is MCH Chipset Voltage, which needs to be manually set at a minumum of 1.65, with FSB Termination Voltage at 1.3. Since the Northbridge will run hot at 1.65 volts and may be unstable at 400 FSB, the second key is to remove Asus's rediculous decorative (but very shiny) heatsinc cover, as it severely impedes the cooloing abillity of the Northbridge heatsinc. The heatsinc cover is only lightly glued on, and can be easily removed by using a small knife blade to carefully lift one corner of the heatsinc cover, then use needle nose pliers to gently roll it back. Same for the Southbridge.

The third key is to install this locally available 40mm fan - http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1445196&CatId=498 - directly onto the heatsinc to improve cooling and stability, which will further raise your stable FSB ceiling. Use just the fan and screws from the kit, and the fan will amazingly attach perfectly to your Northbridge heatsinc! The 3 wire fan will also allow you to monitor it's RPM in SpeedFan.

A fourth optional key is to remove remove the motherboard, then remove the heatsinc/heatpipe/VRM assembly. Thoroughly clean Asus's stock thermal compound from all surfaces, carefully apply Arctic Cooling MX-2 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 - then reinstall the assembly and motherboard. This will improve heat transfer and again will increase your highest stable FSB frequency.

Now for the bad news; the 975X Chipset also becomes FSB limited when using 4 memory modules rather than 2, since more MCH Chipset Voltage is required to drive 4 modules, which you have, so the very memory hungry Vista 64 is not the best choice for your board. I suggest that you try overclocking by using the above recommendations while running 2 modules.

Once you've found your highest stable overclock, then plug in the other 2 modules. If you have the newer of the two verions of this board, it will allow you to increase the MCH Chipset Voltage to 1.85, which may allow you to achieve a stable FSB @ 400 Mhz on 4 modules, providing your particular E6600 is also capable of reaching 3.6 Ghz. If you have the older version of the board, then 1.65 Volts is the limit, in which case you're most likely limited to 3.4 Ghz @ 378 x 9 when using 4 modules.

Remember that Vcore Load in CPU-Z while running Prime95 Small FFT's for stability testing will be less than Vcore BIOS due to factors such as Vdroop, so Vcore BIOS may need to be as high as 1.525 in order to achieve 1.475 in CPU-Z. 1.5 Vcore at load is maximum for the E6600. Also, as kyeana has suggested, overclocking is best approached in small steps, so if you attempt large increases in FSB, your efforts will result in frustration.

Be patient, document your steps, and proceed slowly and methodically. Use a 6x CPU multiplier and low memory frequency to first isolate and test for maximum stable FSB frequency by gradually increasing in 10 Mhz steps. Repeat the process a second time with the CPU multiplier at 9x, then repeat the process a third time for memory. Overclocking is very time consuming, so be prepared to invest many hours. Also, consider that DDR2 800 C5 memory typically doesn't have much overclock ceiling, but should be adequate for your purposes. C4 timings are always a better choice.

Hope this gives you some insights into the P5W DH Deluxe Wi/Fi,

Comp

EDIT: Don't forget to flash to the latest BIOS, and just in case you've considered dropping a Quad into your board, the 975X Chipset is not capable of running Quads stable above about 3.1 Ghz, regardless of settings, due to inherant limitations of the Northbridge.