[Granz00]

To make things easy, I changed my signature to include my new build specs. Other then that, I have a side comment on the build.

The combination of the Case, the MOBO, and the Heatsink do not go together very well. I started off without the retention bracket, which was a mistake. I ended up bending some of the fins, and the top fin became so loose that it wouldn't stay on anymore. When you do get it installed with the bracket, one of the screws on the MOBO is almost impossible to get too, but that was fixed with a skinny screwdriver and some tape to temporarily attack the screw to the screwdriver. Finally, I realized that the 4 pin power plug was located directly under the heatsink in a hard to reach area. I barely managed to get that on there after a ton of anguish, which requires the power cord to literally bend at a 90 degree angle to fit. After all of that, I am happy to say that it does at least reduce the temperature a bit... around 34 degrees idle to 26 degrees idle.

So I tried doing some OC'ing. This has came to no avail yet. I've tried using Gigabyte's software, but this always led to the computer crashing, and having to reset the bios manually. I've never OC'ed in my life, so I don't really know what I'm doing 100%. I've read a couple of things about OC'ing, but they only want to talk about what different parts there are to OC'ing, and neglect to give any helpful suggestions. So here I am begging for your help.

I want some guidance with the whole thing, that way I don't kill my computer just yet. Some beggining questions though would be; Should I use the Bios, or Gigabyte's OC'ing software? What speed should I aim for to get a decent boost without TOO much risk? Finally, what temperature's should I aim for, and how should I record these temperatures?

Of course I am going to need more help then this, but I need to start somewheres. Thanks in advance for your help.

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Hi there,

Overclocking is a dark art!

I've always used the BIOS, so I cannot recommend any other way.

I should think 3.4-3.6GHz should be obtainable with the right settings. Overclocking is where you raise the speed of the parts to run faster than the manufacturer's specification. This does, of course, immediately void the warranty (unless expressly permitted in the warranty).

Before you begin, though, what stability and stress testing have you performed? There's no point pushing your system harder if it's not 100% stable in the first place...

Cheers

Troy

[Troy]

Hi there,

Overclocking is a dark art!

I've always used the BIOS, so I cannot recommend any other way.

I should think 3.4-3.6GHz should be obtainable with the right settings. Overclocking is where you raise the speed of the parts to run faster than the manufacturer's specification. This does, of course, immediately void the warranty (unless expressly permitted in the warranty).

Before you begin, though, what stability and stress testing have you performed? There's no point pushing your system harder if it's not 100% stable in the first place...

Cheers

Troy

[Granz00]

Ok I just ran the Prime95 overnight. I have attached a picture with everything open during the middle of the test. I would like to note that even though I was not awake for most of it, the highest I saw the temperature go was 40 degrees for core 0 at max load, and 47 degrees (mainly 46 degrees) for core 1 at max load. If you want me to run things a specific way instead of the way I did it, then feel free to let me know.

Thanks for the help.

Attached Thumbnails

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[Troy]

Hi there,

The main thing is that you stressed it and didn't get any errors, BSOD's, etc...

Now begin by entering the BIOS, pressing CTRL + F1, and then selecting M.I.T. section.

You should see a page similar to this:

This BIOS is from the X48T-DQ6, so yours may be different - and the numbers will definitely be different!

• Set PCI Express Frequency MHz to [100]
• Set Robust Graphics Booster to [Turbo]
• Set CPU Host Clock Control to [Enabled]
• Set System Memory Multiplier (SPD) to [Manual]

  This will change your RAM MHz around, so be sure to pay attention that the setting you have selected is not overclocking your RAM too much! Set it at 2.00 which is a 1:1 ratio, having it underclocked for now is fine while we work on the CPU first.

• Set System Voltage Control to [Manual]
• Set the (G)MCH OverVoltage Control to [+0.1V]
• Set CPU Voltage Control to something like 1.3475V (Going over 1.3625V is above the Intel specification)
• Set CPU Host Frequency MHz to attain the desired overclock. It's important to do this in small increments and stress test each overclock first before going further with this. It should be on 333 as default - try 340 to begin with (3.06GHz). Slowly work your way up to 378, which should give you around the 3.4GHz range.

As you begin to play around with it, you may find while you're still at a small overclock level (e.g. 3.2GHz) that it starts giving errors, or BSODing, this is where you re-enter the BIOS, and select the next highest CPU Voltage Control level. This is the processor saying "I need more power!"

The idea is to get the desired overclock with the minimum voltage necessary for stability. Once you have achieved stability at 3.4GHz, keep stress-testing it and using as normal for a few days, perhaps a week, to make sure that the system can keep it going. Then enter the BIOS, lower the CPU Voltage one step, and keep testing.

Remember, all of this takes time and patience. Don't make big jumps, don't change anything if you don't know what it is. Do research and ask questions.

And above all, keep an eye on your temperatures. Do not continue testing if your processor reaches the high-60s C mark. Your processor is designed with a top temperature of 72C, so I would try and keep well below this. If at max you hit around low-mid 60s C, then it should be fine, but lower than this is desirable.

It's taken me quite a while to get my system finished, too. I have the E6750 (2.66GHz standard) running at 3.2GHz, and under full load the hottest I've seen it get is 61C. As I've said, keep patient with it - don't just expect to whack in the magical numbers and have it running stable at 3.6GHz in one or two nights...

Cheers

Troy

[Granz00]

If I'm running Prime95 over the night, then it has an error and stops running, do you think that means my settings are too high? The only power option I have is to shut down the monitor after an hour of inactivity. The computer was running fine when I woke up except for Prime95. Also, as for the temperatures, I was reaching a max of 42 degrees Celcius in core 0 and 48 degrees in core 1. The current multiplier I was using is 389 I think (whatever gives you 3.5 GHz). The current voltage was a little under the voltage you told me, since your voltage wasn't listed.

I'm running it again while I'm at work for about 6 hours to see if Prime95 stops working again. I'll give you an update in about 6 hours hopefully.

[stettybet0]

If you get an error with a certain set of settings, that means that combination of settings is not stable. In this situation, you need to either lower the CPU Host Frequency or increase the CPU Voltage Control to attain a stable overclock. Note that increasing the CPU Voltage Control won't always work. You may hit a wall in which your CPU simply won't be stable above a certain speed, no matter how much voltage you give it. Also, another thing I would do is set Robust Graphics Booster to Disabled, since this is simply causing unneeded stress on the motherboard. After you achieve a stable overclock, you can then re-enable it if you wish.

One last thing... You should be running Small FFTs in Prime95, if you're not already.

Edited by stettybet0, 06 August 2008 - 01:10 PM.

[Granz00]

Ok, I went down to 3.4 GHz and ran the Small FFT's overnight. This did not end up with any errors. I think I will keep this speed for the CPU. Now how should I go about raising the other things that have been lowered, and what readings should I pay attention to when doing a stress test. Can I raise the speed of my RAM as high as what the current FSB is at? Also, if I raise the speed without raising the voltage, then will this also raise the heat? Also, I notice that when the CPU is not in use, the multiplier likes to jump between 6 and 9, is there a reason for this?

Thanks for your help so far.

[Troy]

The current voltage was a little under the voltage you told me, since your voltage wasn't listed.

It was just a guess as to what voltage would be listed, but you can see they go in small increments like that. What you have selected is fine.

Ok, I went down to 3.4 GHz and ran the Small FFT's overnight. This did not end up with any errors. I think I will keep this speed for the CPU. Now how should I go about raising the other things that have been lowered, and what readings should I pay attention to when doing a stress test. Can I raise the speed of my RAM as high as what the current FSB is at? Also, if I raise the speed without raising the voltage, then will this also raise the heat? Also, I notice that when the CPU is not in use, the multiplier likes to jump between 6 and 9, is there a reason for this?

Thanks for your help so far.

You have DDR2 1066MHz RAM, so set it at 2.00, which is a 1:1 ratio. When you set it in the BIOS, you should see the number change to what it will be running at. If that number goes over 1066, then you are overclocking your RAM as well - but at the 1:1, your processor will be majorly overclocked before that stage. By my calculations (am I doing this wrong, somebody??!!) Your RAM will be underclocked a fair way, so you may even be able to knock the memory voltage down one step, as it's not running so hard. All this happens because the RAM is synched to the processor.

Also, once the RAM is set and stable, then try lowering the CPU voltage by one step - and then stress test it, and use your computer for a few days before trying the next lower step, if all is still stable. The idea is to get it running with as little voltage as possible - which will keep the processor running as cool as possible.

Cheers

Troy