Core 2 Duo Overclocking

[lherrera]

Im new to overclocking and would want to squeeze more power out of my Core 2 E8400 and would want to overclock a bit since my memory speed is too low 667 and would want to know the max overclock for it i have Gigabyte P35-DS3L.

 

[akxpckwb]

Try reading the basic guide on our forum http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/259899-11-core-overclocking-guide
It will give you a pretty good idea on how to do it and what to expect.

Your CPU is a Wolfdale which has a high success rate for overclocking up to 4.0ghz possibly more depending on your cooling, mobo and ram.

 

[calinkula]

Your RAM is really going to be a limiting factor. Right out of the gate you'll be over clocking it just to get a higher fsb.

There is no way to tell what your max OC will be without trying. More specs would help us, but your RAM will be the limiting factor. That I know for sure.

 

[lherrera]

Your RAM is really going to be a limiting factor. Right out of the gate you'll be over clocking it just to get a higher fsb.

There is no way to tell what your max OC will be without trying. More specs would help us, but your RAM will be the limiting factor. That I know for sure.

eVga GTS 250
8GB ram
2x2gb @ 800Mhz
2x2gb @ 667Mhz
4 Dimms

Aftermarket cooler for cpu
heatspreader for ram
Multiple fans and open case

 

[akxpckwb]

You're using 800mhz RAM sticks together with 667 ones?

 

[lherrera]

You're using 800mhz RAM sticks together with 667 ones?

yes but i can downgrade to only 2x2gb 800 Mhz ram and have 4gb ram

 

[calinkula]

If you drop the 667 ram, you should be able to get a decent OC on the CPU. Depending on what you do with the PC that could either be beneficial or not change things much. What do you expect to happen?

 

[lherrera]

If you drop the 667 ram, you should be able to get a decent OC on the CPU. Depending on what you do with the PC that could either be beneficial or not change things much. What do you expect to happen?

i basically do gaming most of the time and how much overclock can i expect ? 3.2 ? 3.4? 3.6? or more? because stock is 3.0

 

[truegenius]

you can get atleast 3.5ghz just by raising base clock and keeping all other things at stock.
and can get upto or over 3.8 with some more practice and experiments.

 

[lherrera]

you can get atleast 3.5ghz just by raising base clock and keeping all other things at stock.
and can get upto or over 3.8 with some more practice and experiments.

i just got it to 3.6ghz by raising the FSB to 400 and system memory multiplier to 2x and everything runs fast and fine
would i have to change voltages if i get to 3.8ghz because i want to be able to get the fastest possible.

 

[truegenius]

yes, you will need to raise voltages of different components.
are you using that 667mhz pair of ram with 800mhz, if yes then either use x1 or x1.66 multiplier for memory and latency settings of 667 (x1.66) or of 800 (x2) respectively (use cpuid to get your ram's settings).

and keep experimenting different combinations, and also use prime95 to test stability and max temps at those clocks.

in case of no booting you will need to clear the cmos (using jumper or switch or taking out the battery)
e8400 overclocking video
http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEIQtwIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlfRNQ0GWJF8&ei=izljT52yJsfnrAfw9e28Bw&usg=AFQjCNG7bdhTk6iXoK8745No2xF8d785Jg&sig2=KXuA3fyFfPU9YM1KWmfXhg

e8400 overclocking guide
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/intel_core_2_duo_e8400_overclocking_guide,1.html

 

[lherrera]

yes, you will need to raise voltages of different components.
are you using that 667mhz pair of ram with 800mhz, if yes then either use x1 or x1.66 multiplier for memory and latency settings of 667 (x1.66) or of 800 (x2) respectively (use cpuid to get your ram's settings).

and keep experimenting different combinations, and also use prime95 to test stability and max temps at those clocks.

in case of no booting you will need to clear the cmos (using jumper or switch or taking out the battery)
e8400 overclocking video
http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEIQtwIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlfRNQ0GWJF8&ei=izljT52yJsfnrAfw9e28Bw&usg=AFQjCNG7bdhTk6iXoK8745No2xF8d785Jg&sig2=KXuA3fyFfPU9YM1KWmfXhg

e8400 overclocking guide
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/intel_core_2_duo_e8400_overclocking_guide,1.html

i read the guide and i was able to get it to 4ghz on 2 dimms of DDR2 800 and had to raise the cpu core voltage a bit and the fsb bt i did get it and boot onto it right now im running prime95 and will test for errors for at least 4 hours

 

[PiraticaL]

I just finished setting up my E7600 for overclocking. Stock it is 3.06 GHz and I got it up to 3.83Ghz. So depending on your mobo you should be able to see similar results. I got it to boot at 4Ghz but would BSOD during stress testing. I probably could have got it to work but didn't want to throw more voltage at it.

Check to see what the max voltage is that your cpu will handle and slowly work up the FSB and voltage as necessary.

I agree that I would drop the 667 ram and just use the 800. Im using 2x2GB 800 as well right now but I might grab a couple of more down the road.

 

[PiraticaL]

And have an aftermarket cooler

 

[lherrera]

And have an aftermarket cooler

i did remove my 667 dimms onto my other machine Athlon ii x2 245 @ 3.2ghz (2.9 stock)
and im on ddr2 800 2 dimms of 2x2gb on this intel core 2 duo e8400 (stock 3.00ghz) my voltages is 1.4 on cpu core
fsb is 445
ram voltage is 2.1v at 5-6-6-14 and still running good at 4ghz
and i have an aftermarket cooler which idle is 45c and around 60-70 on load
i have a gigabyte p35 ds3l with more oc options
and you should raise the voltage a little to get it to 4ghz

 

[PiraticaL]

Well I'm kinda new to overclocking as well and I didn't want to over do it. I'm at 1.32V on the vcore right now and really didn't want to exceed 1.3 by much if at all.

Specs on my CPU are max voltage of 1.35 and while it might be able to go beyond that I don't know if I'm comfortable with it.

I tried doing the 3.83GHz when I had the voltage at 1.296 but the screen "froze" during a prime95 run. I can only adjust the vcore by increments instead inputting a specific value so I don't know how comfortable I am with adding more voltage to stabilize it at 4.0

 

[lherrera]

Best answer selected by lherrera.