First Timer: C2Q Q9400 + Gigabyte ep45t-ud3lr

[SmorS]

I'm VERY new to overclocking my CPU, i've made attempts in the past but failed at some point and never have gotten it working. I've read from multiple places that my c2q should be able to get to 3.0-3.2 ghz easily (its 2.66 stock) I'm just trying to squeeze some juice out of it until i get a new one later this year.

current system:

Antec 550w PSU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400
Gigabyte ep45t-ud3lr bios b.F10
16gb Corsair XMS DDR3 1333
MSI 560ti 448

I recently replaced the CMOS battery on my board, but i'm not sure what the problem is other than the fact that every time I try to overclock in the bios i get a beep code on restart.

 

[jsc]

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 1.65 volts. Change the System Memory Multiplier from AUTO to 4.0 for DDR3. Then when you increase the FSB, the memory clock will rise in in proportion with it. At an FSB of 333 MHz, your memory clock should be at 1333 MHz.

Your problem here is that your memory is already working at its rated speed when running at stock speeds. So your memory is going to be your limiting factor. That is fairly unusual with a Core2 system. I recommend relaxing the memory timing one or two CL cycles (from 8-8-8-24 to 9's-27 or even 10's-30). The increased CPU speed will more than compensate for the slower memory timings. You can also try 1.7 volts but this is risky.

Start increasing the FSB freq by about 5 MHz, then testing with Prime95 small fft's test to check out the CPU overclock. When P95 fails, increase CPU core voltage a little and retest.

Stop when:
1. You reach your goal or you cannot go any farther, or
2. CPU core voltage reaches 1.45 volts, or
3. Load temps reach 70 C.

Finish by testing with the large fft's test to test the memory. Your system should be stable running both the large and small fft's tests. How long you test is up to you. I'd say at least two hours. 15 minutes will drive CPU temps to max. I stress test for 24 hours, but most here do not.