Overclocking (Main Thread)

Kyle Sanchez4 said:So... what case are you running, and how many fans do you have? And what size?

I already told you, I'm using a Corsair case.
As for the fans? Hmph. From where I'm sitting, I see two.🙂

restlessfox96 said:motherboard - Fatal error
Memory - 2 x 2GB Geil
I'm not really sure about the cooler or the airflow situation, though I think the guy over at Best Buy mentioned that this case I've got has pretty decent airflow (but how does one actually verify that?)...
I have a B3, and my stepping is 7

Well, you're looking at two distinct headaches here: you've got that 650i SLi board which just isn't built to handle Quad cores properly, and then there's that hot B3 revision you're running...

So, what's the game plan? You could try bumping up the FSB from 266MHz to something a bit higher... maybe aim for 300MHz, so FSB*9 multiplier equals 2700MHz. Just make sure to set the CPU voltage to 1.25V...

If it actually boots, and you run Orthos for a few hours and everything stays stable... well, then you might just be in luck...🙂

Just keep an eye on those temps; under load, they really shouldn't be climbing past 70 degrees Celsius...

Buddy,take a look at this and let me know what you think about it.

It's a decent case. Airflow really comes down to how you arrange the components inside and manage the cables... plus setting up your intake and exhaust fans correctly enough.

Hey guys, can anyone recommend a budget-friendly motherboard that won't give me a headache when trying to overclock a 3 GHz Core 2 duo, E2160?

I'm looking for the absolute cheapest option out there. 🙂

This

wiredmarlin5 said:This

It only has 2 DDR2 slots? 🙄

Speaking of motherboards...
Check this out

$113,ATX, and it even has a CF slot!!! 😲

Edward Peterson70 said:Are you telling me there are only two DDR2 slots? 🙄

Since we are actually discussing motherboards for once...
look at this one here

$113,ATX format, and it even features CF support!!! 😲

You're kidding me, what kind of board offers CF alongside two x16 slots?

Oof, my bad, I totally clicked the wrong link there...this 😁

Edward Peterson70 said:since we're actually talking about motherboards...
just look at this one here

$113,it's ATX, and it even has CF support!!! 😲

True enough, but with a 945 chipset... there's just no way you're hitting 3GHz with that setup. 😉

wiredmarlin5 said:Oof, my mistake on the link...this 😁

True, but even with a 945... I wouldn't expect to pull 3GHz out of that. 😉

Yeah, exactly 🙄 🙂

I mean, it’s not built for extreme overclocking, but honestly, a year ago you couldn't even grab a decent burger for $400, let alone a motherboard with CF. ☕

Honestly, who would even think about trying to run CrossFire on this? You’d have to be absolutely out of your mind to attempt that kind of setup... http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pro...uID=44&LanID=9

I mean, if CrossFire was already acting up on the P35, there is just no way it’s going to perform any better on a 945 chipset 😁 😁

I'd much rather grab a slice of pepperoni pizza than deal with that headache... 😉

The main thing is that it has 😁

It’s essentially the same as an 8400 and supports DirectX 10 🤣

wiredmarlin5 said:Oof, my bad, I sent the wrong link...this 😁

Damn, no AGP. Well, looks like even the slightly pricier ones don't have it either. Guess I'll have to pick up a new graphics card too. 😢

Ethan Garcia8 said:Dammit, there's no AGP slot. And looking at the other options, none of the slightly more expensive ones have AGP either. It looks like I'll have to pick up a new graphics card too. 😢

AGP slots are really only found on older motherboards.
Newer models don't use them.
If you're working with an older board, you're likely dealing with DDR memory, whereas newer systems use DDR2.
How much were you planning to spend on a graphics card?
Do you play games?
Also, what kind of power supply are you running?

Edward Peterson70 said:Older motherboards use AGP slots.
Newer ones don't.
I think your old board uses DDR memory, while newer models use DDR2.
What kind of budget are you looking at for a card?
Do you play any games?
And what kind of power supply are you running?

Yeah, I see what you mean—I'm a bit out of the loop on hardware lately. My power supply is an EVGA SuperNOVA, 350 Watts; I don't really game anymore since I'm a programmer, so I don't need anything flashy or high-end. The cheaper, the better.

Right now I have this one, which I'm selling immediately 🙂, and I'm looking for something from this list

A motherboard with integrated graphics would work too.

Ethan Garcia8 said:Yes, I realize I am a bit out of the loop regarding current hardware trends. My power supply is an EVGA SuperNOVA, 350 Watts; I don't play games much anymore since I work as a programmer, so I have no need for a fancy-schmancy graphics card. The cheaper, the better.

Right now I have this one, which I am selling immediately 🙂, and I am looking to pick up something from this list

I would also consider a motherboard with integrated graphics.

How old is the power supply?
It might actually be a good idea to grab a new Fortron 350 W or maybe 400 W.

You can sell your old graphics card on eBay.

For a GPU, you should go with the Radeon X1650 DDR3.
You can get quite a lot for a low price; you could even run some games on lower settings.🙂

There are also newer motherboards available with decent integrated graphics.
ASUS A780GMA.
However, that is only compatible with AMD.

Edward Peterson70 said:How old is the power supply?

Well, one of them is about three years old.

For the graphics card, grab a Radeon X1650 ddr3
. You can get a lot for a small amount of money, and you'll even be able to play some games on lower settings. 🙂

I don't really have much time for gaming, so I doubt I'll need that. 🙂

Actually, honestly, I don't care if it's AMD or Intel; I've mostly used AMD in the past, but it doesn't matter. Basically, I want to buy a CPU and motherboard for $300 that I can easily overclock to 3 GHz, and I just want it to run rock-solid without spending extra cash.

Ethan Garcia8 said:Well, one of them has already been running for three years.

I don't really have much time for gaming lately, so I doubt that's an issue. 🙂

Actually, it doesn't matter much to me whether I go with AMD or Intel. I've mostly used AMD up until now, but it's not a dealbreaker. Basically, I want to buy a processor and a motherboard for $300 that I can easily overclock to 3 GHz, provided it stays rock-solid stable without any extra expenses.

Motherboard: Gigabyte P31-DS3L

Processor: E2180

Feel free to grab that graphics card. Just keep in mind the motherboard doesn't have integrated graphics.
And you'll need a new power supply 😉 too.

So I’m reading this, and if I'm following correctly, RAM doesn't actually run at its rated frequency, but at half that speed?

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/26

So 800 MHz memory actually runs at 400 MHz?

But can it actually hit 800?

Also, if we bump up the FSB on the processor, everything else speeds up too, right? Memory, PCI, drives?

I've been reading up on overclocking, and people suggest locking the PCI bus at 100, tightening the memory timings in the BIOS, or switching from "Auto" back to defaults... ugh, I'm lost.😁
But if that's how it works, should I just leave everything alone for a mild CPU overclock? Don't touch the voltages, or should I be lowering the memory voltage?

I was messing around with this Abit utility I have, Guru Utility. It basically offers a two-click CPU overclock option. While bumping my speed from 2.4 to 2.6—which is pretty pointless, by the way, the option is just called "Turbo"😬 it automatically jacked my Vcore from 1.25V to 1.35V and dropped the DDR2V from 2.00 to 1.95 (assuming that's for the memory)....

Honestly, that feels like amateur-hour overclocking. Seems much better to handle it through the BIOS if you're actually going to do it.☕

The pros I read about say you don't even need to touch voltages for a light overclock, but maybe that's because they're dealing with 4 cores?

Just wanted to talk about something specific for once.😁

Since I'm a total newbie when it comes to OC, everything interests me... and I always end up confusing myself in the process.😬

Gary Anderson38 said:So, if we overclock the processor by raising the FSB, everything speeds up at once, right? Like the memory, PCI slots, and hard drives?

What do you think the PCI lock is for? It's there to prevent that.

The CPU and RAM are linked via the FSB. If you bump up the FSB, you increase the speed of both the processor and the memory (unless they are locked separately).

Gary Anderson38 said:Reading up on overclocking, it seems recommended to lock the PCI bus at 100, tighten the memory timings in the BIOS, or instead of leaving them on auto, set them back to their defaults... ugh, I'm losing my train of thought.😁
But if that's the case, shouldn't you leave everything alone for a non-extreme CPU overclock? Not even the voltages? Or should I actually decrease the memory voltage?

First, you switch everything to manual and lock the PCI.
Don't touch the timings just yet.

It depends—if the processor becomes unstable at that frequency, you give it more voltage.

The same goes for memory; you raise the voltage if it gets unstable at that frequency.

Gary Anderson38 said:I was looking through this Abit Guru Utility I have, and among various options, it basically offers CPU overclocking with just two mouse clicks... while I was bumping the CPU speed from 2.4 to 2.6 (totally insignificant, the option is called "Turbo"😬), it automatically bumped the Vcore from 1.2500 to 1.3500 and lowered the DDR2V from 2.00 to 1.95... I assume that one is for the memory.

That's useful for squeezing out every last drop of performance during an extreme overclock. In my opinion, you don't really need it. Just use the BIOS.🙏