First time overclocking

lampybc2

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I was originally going to buy another computer to play bc3 until I was told my processor will handle it with ease but has to be over-clocked to do so, just wondering if I can get some help with understanding/doing this? I have;

Board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. EP43-DS3L
Processor: 2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Quad Q6600
RAM: Kingston KVR800D2N6K2 4GB
 
Solution
Memory. As you increase the FSB freq, you increasing the memory clock in the same proportion.

At stock freqs, with your memory settings on Auto, your RAM is running at 800 MHz.
At 3.3 GHz, you RAM is running at (3.3/2.4)*800 or 1100 MHz.

This should be your first stop.
Core2 Overclocking Guide
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259899-29-core-overclocking-guide

Shadow's Gigabyte motherboard OC guide:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-245679_11_0.html
It's for an EP35-DS3L but all the Gigabyte Core2 BIOS's are similar.

Go through the guides. Then take your core voltage off Auto and set your memory voltage to factory recommended values. Change the System Memory Multiplier from AUTO to 2.00, 2.00B, or 2.00D - whichever you...

sportsfanboy

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The chip should handle it when overclocked no problem with a good video card depending on resolution. Like Heny said read some guides and familiarize yourself a little with the ins and outs of the process. Feel free to ask questions after you have some idea of how it works.
 

lampybc2

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Thanks for your help i have had a little play around but my computer get WAY to hot when stress testing the CPU whilst overclocking so i am going to do a few upgrades before taking this any further
 

deletedcod

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what gpu do you have? no use overclocking the cpu if the gpu you'll be running is below par...,
if you have for eg a 5870 upwards or a gtx 470 upwards only then oc you cpu would see a slight improvement in games as you'll be removing some of the bottleneck,
most games out today would be more dependent on gpu (depending on rez) than the cpu
very few games that balance out the use of cpu and gpu,

lower rez games with mid to highend cards = more cpu use
high rez games with mid to highend cards = 98%gpu use

so the higher the rez the less cpu usage you'll have
 

lampybc2

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am pulling out 1 card from my other machine for the time being ASUS Radeon 6970 DirectCU II 2GB until I get another mobo, cpu and ram for this build

I have just ordered; CoolerMaster CM Storm Scout
Antec High Current Gamer 900W Power Supply HCG-900
Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler

Should have it all together sometime next week then I will see how it handles bc2 and medal of honor if it does ok then fine but the 2.4ghz is just over the minimum requirements for both games so I think I will try over-clock it to 3.0ghz to get everything running smoothly.
I also got extra fans for the case to try and keep it even cooler so over-clocking should be a breeze (if needed)
 

jamesyboy

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In general these are great parts. However, i'm 8unaware of your current mobo. Your current mobo and Cooler require description if we are to help.
 

lampybc2

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Please see first post

Board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. EP43-DS3L
Processor: 2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 standard intel cpu cooler
RAM: Kingston KVR800D2N6K2 4GB
 

lampybc2

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ok so now i have my cooling issue sorted i have started to overclock my processor i can comfortably get it to 3.0GHZ without changing and voltages.

I have been reading around and trying to work out when i change my:
cpu host frequency over 333 where it will boot up with no problems and prime 95 will run all day long with no voltage change, then at 340 it will start to boot then freeze at the windows loading screen so i turned up the voltage to the next available voltage so from 1.32500v to 1.33125v which gave me the same problem the computer will boot but freeze whilst loading so i increased the voltage one more increment from 1.33125v to 1.33750v my computer then refused to boot at all until i reset the cmos.

I am wondering now where i go from here it seems obvious there is something i am missing here which is why it is not booting i am wondering if someone can forward me to a link that might spread some light on the situation for me thanks in advance for your help
 
Memory. As you increase the FSB freq, you increasing the memory clock in the same proportion.

At stock freqs, with your memory settings on Auto, your RAM is running at 800 MHz.
At 3.3 GHz, you RAM is running at (3.3/2.4)*800 or 1100 MHz.

This should be your first stop.
Core2 Overclocking Guide
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259899-29-core-overclocking-guide

Shadow's Gigabyte motherboard OC guide:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-245679_11_0.html
It's for an EP35-DS3L but all the Gigabyte Core2 BIOS's are similar.

Go through the guides. Then take your core voltage off Auto and set your memory voltage to factory recommended values. Change the System Memory Multiplier from AUTO to 2.00, 2.00B, or 2.00D - whichever you need to set the Memory Frequency to twice the FSB. Then when you increase the FSB, the memory clock will rise in in proportion with it. At an FSB of 266 MHz, your memory clock should be at 533 MHz.

Download CPU-Z to check your FSB:RAM ratio. It should be a 1:1 ratio.

Warning - confusion factor between what the BIOS calls things and what CPUZ calls things. What the BIOS calls "memory frequency" is actually the memory clock. What CPUZ calls "memory frequency" is half the memory clock - DDR2 RAM, remember? It transfers two chunks of data each bus cycle. What you want in CPUZ is a 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio.

Overclocking memory doesn't accomplish much besides limiting your CPU overclock where the real speed comes from.
 
Solution

lampybc2

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thanks a lot the info given here has really helped (thanks everyone)

i have just got my Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Revision G0 to a
core speed of 3303.0
Multiplier x9
Bus Speed 367.0 MHz
With a Bios voltage of 1.41875
Running at a ratio of 1:1

My max temperatures during a 4 hour prime 95 torture test with 0 errors

Core #0 65
Core #1 65
Core #2 51
Core #3 49

With Idle temperatures averaging 41 degrees

Running a Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. EP43-DS3L
CoolerMaster CM Storm Scout


I did clock it to 3.5ghz and had it stable but the temperatures were starting to get over 65 degrees so i wound it back where i thought it may be more stable, even though the chance of me using the cpu at 100% is 0 i still think its better to be safe than sorry