General OC questions / predictions?

Z

Zarkon

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
437
I'm about to be putting together a system this week, and thought i'd ask a couple of questions, and ask if anyone had any guesses as to how this might OC?

I'm building the following:

Motherboard: MSI P6N SLI-FI
CPU: C2D E6600 (L632A458 // SL9SB)
Ram: 2x1Gb Crucial Ballistix PC2-8000 (Timings 5-5-5-15 @ 2.2v)
Video: EVGA 8800 GTS 320MB Superclocked (576 Mhz Core, 1700 Mhz Effective Memory)

First off, which should I OC first, the ram/CPU, video, or some variation of the three?

Second...anyone have any guesses for what I should be able to get out of this setup?

The Case is a Thermaltake Xaser II A5000A. I've got 2 80mm fans on the front (one in front of the HDD), 2 in the back, and one on the side window blowing towards the motherboard. Right now, I've got the stock Intel cooler on it.
 
You can see my specs in my sig. The only thing I have that's really similar to your build is the video card. I got the standard eVGA 8800gts 320mb up to 632/950 MHz, from 500/800 stock. Used ATITool to get that. Noticeable improvement in Oblivion with AA on.

I've read here and there that 8800gts can get up to 650/1000, but I didn't get that lucky.
 
Well, I'm an OCing nub. I haven't done anything with it since the Celeron 300a days.


I'm downloading the programs now, but am not sure exactly how to go about doing all of this stuff. I'm figuring with memory running at 800Mhz right now (underclocked), and 1000Mhz normally, I'm trying to figure out a memory ratio, and also where to start with the CPU itself.
 
Okay, got OS installed and some drivers and patches.

Now I'm in the bios. I've disabled C1E , Spread Spectrum, EIST and DOT. I can't upgrade the bios at the moment from 2.0. I went to the MSI website, and when I go to the live update...it gives me a popup with X in it ,and nothing else.

So...now I'm stuck. Maybe I'm just unable to wade through 70 pages of text, or maybe need just an idea of what to start with.

Ideas?
 
I will note that half the problem I'm having is that there's just too many options in the BIOS.

The memory page, for example, has like 12 listings, when all I know is that my ram is 5-5-5-12 at the moment.

I guess there just needs to be a more streamlined or simplified way of doing this for us dummies. :)
 
Okay, original settings are (in bios)

2414 (CPU speed)
1067 (FSB speed)
800 (Memory speed)

I've got the setting to change it at 1332 (4*333) for FSB but haven't changed memory. Should I be okay ot try this, or is there something else I absolutely have to do?

also, if I have to change the memory speed, where do I do this?
 
Why are you downclocking it? (Ehh?)

Change multi back to 9 and and set cpu Frequency to 334. Giving you a clock speed of 3.004 Ghz. Set the RAM Ratio (FSB to DRAM) to 2 to 2 (or 1 to 1, same thing).

That is a standard starting Overclock for an E6600.

From here I would set MCH Voltage, FSB Voltage and RAM Voltage to + 0.1 . From here you can increase CPU frequency by 5 notches, Then you get yourself a program like Coretemp to moniter temps and StressCPu2 to test for stability. (Temps under 60C is a ok)

You have StressCPU2 run for an hour or more, if no errors, restarts or blue screens then you can state those settings are stable. (At least for the amount of time you ran stressCPU2).

If its not stable you will have to up Vcore one to two notches until the testing is Stable. Continue along in this pattern for Highest clock speed.
Up CPU frequency 2-5 Mhz, test for stability, up frequency agian is stable, if not stable up Vcore until it is Stable.

Follow this guide for a walk through.
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/Core2Duo-Overclocking-Guide-v1-ftopict197995.html

Oh and FYI, memory is overclocked automaticaly when you increase the CPU Frequency.

You can see in my sig that my OC is 3.202 Ghz, but I was able to get to 3.41 Ghz before I really couldn't go any more, I think I just got a bad OCing one. Anyways, SMP Folding is unstable at higher clocks for me, so I had to downclock to 3.202 GHz, which is what I am on. Load temps are 54C, SMP Gamming temps are 48C, and complete idle temps are 20C.
 
I didn't underclock it that I know. I didn't change the multiplier, it's still at 9. I was setting the FSB in bios via the 4*FSB (4*333). It's running Orthos right now, so it booted to windows at 2.997Ghz.

Where do I set the memory ratio? Also. How do I set the timings? Too many numbers under memory confuses me.
 
Just a note:

I know that you guys want Orthos run for 4 hours for the database, but an hour is fine for general stressing right now, right?

I'm also considering bumping the memory up to 1000 next run (since that's what it's rated at, and then build from there. Since there's no easy way to set the ratio that I know of...
 
I don't think you understand. Yor memory runs at a speed in direct relationship to the CPU Speed.

At a 1 to 1 ratio the RAM Speed will be twice the CPU Frequency.

For example. Say you had set the CPU Frequency to 400 and the Multi is still 9. The Memory speed will be 800. And the Clock speed of the processor will be 3.6 Ghz.

The RAM Timmings should be somewhere in the MIT section of the CMOS, somewhere under the Mutli, CPU Frequency and FSB Settings. You will have to change an option that says manual or automatic settings when relating to memory timmings. Change it to manual as you will may at some point need to adjust them. The RAM Timmings that they are now should stay that. This is because it can run those Rated timmings At 1000Mhz. (If your RAM is indeed DDR2 1000) And right now your RAM is running under its rated speed. Therefore you could even tighten them if you so choose to. But In general people leave them as they are until the RAM is running faster than its rated Speed. And you RAM won't be until you CPU frequency is at least 500. (And at that point the Speed of the proc would be 4.5 ghz)

As for stress testing I usually do an hour or less on StressCPU2 before moving on. Course the Real test is running SMP Folding all Day and Night While I am on the computer gamming or otherwise.
 
So you're saying that they're linked even when they're not linked in the bios? (I.E. set to manual?)
 
Im saying the Speed of the RAM is determined by the CPU Frequency. You cannot change the RAM Speed without changing the CPU Frequency. What you can change are the RAM Timmings without affecting the CPU Speed.

The settings are there, play around, refer to the manual, you will find it. Eventually. They are there...

You just need to find an option that refers or says something about RAM timmings. By Defualt the the timmings are set by the motherboard, once you find the option, change to manual, more options will be shown once it is changed to manual.
 
Zarkon said:
So you're saying that they're linked even when they're not linked in the bios? (I.E. set to manual?)
Click to expand...

No. You were on the right track with your earlier posts with this nVidia 650i chipset based motherboard. He's talking about different motherboards with different BIOSes.

On this board, you just set the exact memory speed you want and the BIOS figures out some divider to use to try to get you to that speed. Go read my reply in the other (P6N specific) thread for more info.
 
Blueagle87 said:
Im saying the Speed of the RAM is determined by the CPU Frequency. You cannot change the RAM Speed without changing the CPU Frequency. What you can change are the RAM Timmings without affecting the CPU Speed.

The settings are there, play around, refer to the manual, you will find it. Eventually. They are there...

You just need to find an option that refers or says something about RAM timmings. By Defualt the the timmings are set by the motherboard, once you find the option, change to manual, more options will be shown once it is changed to manual.
Click to expand...

Blue, sorry to contradict you, because I know you're trying to be helpfull, but you're effectively confusing things :). On the MSI P6N motherboard (which uses an nVidia 650i chipset), you can in fact set the memory speed independantly of the cpu speed.
 
Really, thats interesting. How many other motherboards can do that?

Or is it just a specific model?
 
Pretty much any modern nVidia chipset (600 series - 650 Ultra, 650, 680 LT, 680) boards are like that.. I'm not sure about the earlier ones.
 
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