I just got a Q9550 and have had trouble overclocking it above 400 FSB. I had the exact same issue with my previous CPU, the E6400. It went to 3.2 GHz (8x400) but not above that. On the Q9550 I can still run at ~415 FSB but it doesn't seem to be stable. 420 FSB and above won't work at all.
How high should I raise the voltages? At the moment they are:
CPU 1.35V (CPU-Z reports 1.32)
VTT 1.2375V or something like that
MCH 1.30V
ICH 1.55V
Memory 2.0V
GTL Ref 63%
The machine:
Abit IP35 with beta bios for 45nm processor support
Q9550 E0
4x1GB G.Skill DDR2-800 5-5-5-15
8800GT (GTX260 soon after I get my case modded so it'll fit... )
2xHDD
I don't know if my Antec NeoHe 430W power supply has something to do with it. It doesn't have the EPS12V connector so per my motherboard user manual I use the ATX12V 4-pin connector instead. BIOS reports the following voltages: +12V = 11.89, +3.3 = 3.2, +5 = 4.01.
It's definitely NOT heat related. My system (CPU + GPU) is watercooled and the temps are around 35-45 degrees for the CPU (idle-load).
Not sure if it's memory related. 2x1GB G.Skill or 2x1GB A-Data DDR2-800 didn't improve overclocking at all over 4x1GB G.Skill.
How high should I raise the voltages? At the moment they are:
CPU 1.35V (CPU-Z reports 1.32)
VTT 1.2375V or something like that
MCH 1.30V
ICH 1.55V
Memory 2.0V
GTL Ref 63%
The machine:
Abit IP35 with beta bios for 45nm processor support
Q9550 E0
4x1GB G.Skill DDR2-800 5-5-5-15
8800GT (GTX260 soon after I get my case modded so it'll fit... )
2xHDD
I don't know if my Antec NeoHe 430W power supply has something to do with it. It doesn't have the EPS12V connector so per my motherboard user manual I use the ATX12V 4-pin connector instead. BIOS reports the following voltages: +12V = 11.89, +3.3 = 3.2, +5 = 4.01.
It's definitely NOT heat related. My system (CPU + GPU) is watercooled and the temps are around 35-45 degrees for the CPU (idle-load).
Not sure if it's memory related. 2x1GB G.Skill or 2x1GB A-Data DDR2-800 didn't improve overclocking at all over 4x1GB G.Skill.