Overclocking Corsair Dominator & Intel Q8300 on ASUS P5Q Deluxe

[zapachna666]

Hi, I'm a first time overclocker here so I'm a complete novice at this. My PC setup is as follows:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 @ 2.5GHz
Mobo: ASUS P5Q Deluxe
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR2 1066mHz CM2x2048-8500C5D
HDD: 1TB Generic
PSU: 450W Generic (Soon to become OCZ GameXstream 850W SLi)
GPU: nVIDIA 9800GT 1GB
Case: Antec 1200
OS: Windows 7 x64


I'm trying to overclock the RAM so it will put out 1066mHz instead of the 533mHz (EPP i believe) it is currently running at.

I've recently tried overclocking my CPU with guidance from this and a few other websites and I managed to get 3.0GHz out of it. However I think the PSU is running near to capacity (hence why I'm getting a much beefier PSU in the 850W GameXstream) and was a bit taxed as the PC started to have sum weird problems relating to some sort of stuttering during media playback (but may be due to teething problems with Windows 7 - I'm not sure).

For the moment everything is running at stock speeds with my mobo's Ai Tweaker running everything in full auto mode so as not to destroy anything due to human error (read: my own stupidness lol).

So basically I'd like to know if my motherboard can handle being overclocked in terms of CPU and RAM? And ostensibly what timings, voltages and any other bits need to be fiddled with in order to get the best speeds out of my components?

Any and all help on this is massively appreciated and whomever replies to this with helpful stuff is a legend!

If I've missed out anything important let me know and I'll try my best to discover the info required.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[jsc]

Your major problem is that the Q8000 are generally not very good overclockers.
But ...

This should be your first stop.
HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - Guide v1.6.1
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

Next stop should be a guide for your particular motherboard. Google is your friend.

You will need better cooling. Here are two under $50 heatsinks that are pretty popular:
Sunbeam
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
Xigmatec Dark Knight
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

They both require a somewhat different approach to applying thermal compound.
Suggestions for applying thermal compound:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5

And they are pretty large, so they might not fit inside your case.

And here's a good budget cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

 

[zapachna666]

thanks for that info mate, much appreciated...

As for cooling I already have a heatpipe cooling system in place but from what you've said and info I have gleaned from the interweb about the Q8000 series I may just leave it at stock then.

As for my RAM I notice you didn't seem to touch on it in your post; is this because overclocking RAM is more trouble than it's worth? Or because I will be requiring a mobo specific overclock guide?

Thanks very much,
Andrew

 

[XMSYellowbeard]

Is it running 533MHz or is it running DDR533? 533MHz is DDR1066. How are you measuring this?

 

[zapachna666]

Is it running 533MHz or is it running DDR533? 533MHz is DDR1066. How are you measuring this?

cpu-id says its running at a frequency of 533MHz.

Model: CM2x2048-8500C5D if it helps

 

[zapachna666]

Is it running 533MHz or is it running DDR533? 533MHz is DDR1066. How are you measuring this?

cpu-id says its running at a frequency of 533MHz.

Model: CM2x2048-8500C5D if it helps