Overclocking my e6600 (on a bad axe 2) questions.

[forumtroll]

Some details: I'm running with stock cooling. My memory is corsair pc5400 (two sets of TWIN2X1024-5400C4).

I've moved the fsb:dram to 1:1 (from 4:5). I've started by pumping the fsb up to 300.

My idle temperature is usually around 32, and my temperature during orthos goes up to 51. This is within the 26 degree delta mentioned by the overclocking guide.

I haven't touched any voltages, and everything seems stable.

My questions:

How much further should I push it? As I mentioned, I'm using stock cooling... but my temperatures seem reasonable. (I have great airflow in my case.) At what temperature should I pull back on the throttle?

Now that I've started tweaking I'm sure I'm on the slippery slope... I'm going to want to push this baby as much as possible. I know the essential next step is getting a better cooler. (I have a Coolermaster HyperTX here on my desk, but I think it is borked. I have the minimum speed for the bios controlled fan-speed set to low... but the fan wasn't spinning at all. It would just move a little every few seconds.) Should I bother getting better memory, though? Will it open up my overclocking potential and my overall system performance enough to justify the expense? I was considering Crucial Ballistix DDR2 1000.

Lastly... There is no bios setting for the PCIe bus in the xbx2 bios. I'm guessing it is locked to 100 by default?

 

[coylter]

3.2ghz is pretty much a given honestly, even with stock cooler.

 

[forumtroll]

I've increased my fsb to 333... (2.997ghz) and my temp went up to around 55 with Orthos running (usually 53-54, but 55 high at certain points). I ran it for an hour with no issues. I know that's not enough for a real stress test, though.

I haven't bothered to increase any of the voltages to the values described in the overclocking guide. Should I bother if things seem stable?

 

[coylter]

Stock cooler is horrible, but even temps of 70C wont kill a cpu as long as its stable...

 

[Scooby2]

I have the same CPU/RAM as you and have had it running stable at fsb 392 with a 4:5 Ratio (5-5-5-15) though I have a Sythe Mine cooler and an Ab9 pro.

For every day use I run at fsb 356 (3.2ghz) as this allows lower voltages and less heat.

 

[forumtroll]

This is fun.

So I'm now at 355 fsb... and there isn't really a difference in the load temp. I'm still running at <= 55C. I'm temped to go higher since this had 0 impact on the temperature.

Also, I still haven't done anything to the bios default values for the voltages (either cpu or memory). All of it is either default or automatic. The SPD set memory voltage is really low too... 1.84.

Is there any reason to up those voltages to the values in the overclock guide v1.1? I'm sure those recommended values were provided for good reason.

Thanks...

 

[Scooby2]

You only need to increase the voltages if you run into stability problems.

Ps. What are you using to get those temps ?

If your not using one of them already I would recommend either Everest or Coretemp as they tend to give far more accurate values.

 

[forumtroll]

I was using the IDU (Intel Desktop Utilities) for the temps. I just downloaded Core Temp. The temperature reported by IDU (Processor Zone Temperature) seems to be ~2C lower than the Core Temp value(s). Right now I'm running orthos in the background and IDU is reporting 55C and Core Temp is reporting 57C.

I'll download Everest, too. Thanks for the tips.

 

[forumtroll]

I think 3.2ghz is the most I can handle with stock cooling. I tried running it at 3.4ghz and it was up to 60C during load. Also, I finally had to up the voltages at 3.4ghz as Orthos failed nearly immediately. But after I increased all of the voltages a little it ran w/o a hitch.

I'll probably pick up a Zalman 9700 and try escalating this a bit further.

 

[jusion]

I have a slightly similar set up (have a e6600 on a p5B deluxe, stock heatsink, 3 fans), but my RAM is 2GB of PC2-5300 (5-5-5-15, 667, 1.8V defaults). I have never over clocked before and want to try, but I'm interested as to what the difference in my ram from his does, and if/how to go about things differently, since the guide doesn't cover my type of memory. Is it bad for overclocking?

 

[forumtroll]

The process will be identical... I found this link (google searching for "pc2-5300 vs pc2-5400"):

http://www.metku.net/index.html?sect=view&n=0&path=reviews/ddr2_1/index_eng

The quote of interest:

PC2- 5300 and 5400 are all the same modules and run with the same speed but different manufacturers like to label their product bit differently. 667 x 8 = 5336 so what is the correct answer in your opinion; 5300 or 5400? Marketing is marketing and because of that you should always make sure you know what you are buying.

For me it was a little intimidating initially, but once I started tweaking the hesitation faded quick. Just start by setting the fsb:dram to 1:1 (ie, set your dram frequency to 533) and pump up the fsb frequency a bit. Once you see it's working fine, pump it up a bit more. It took about 4 increases until I was comfortable going to 356 fsb... but I gather it is reasonable to start at 333 (as the overclock guide suggests.)

 

[forumtroll]

I decided to try the Coolermaster Hyper Tx w/o the bios controlled fan-speed option... The fan doesn't spin at all with that option on, but w/o that option it seems fine.

This provided me with enough cooling to push the overclock further. I'm running at 3.5ghz and my load temps are around 58C (idle of 35C). I can't push it any further w/o failing orthos. I get the following error: "FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4". Pumping up the voltages doesn't seem to help at all.

My guess... I've reached the limits of my PC5400 memory. I think they've done a pretty good job, all things considered.

So... a local retailer has an awesome deal on Corsair pc6400 twinx pro memory this weekend... but I'm not sure it's worth spending $250 to push out a few more ghz. I'm considering it, though.