Overclocking (Main Thread)

What kind of temperatures can I expect from an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 during heavy workloads, like gaming? Right now, I have it clocked at 3.4GHz and while I'm playing, the temp sits around 49 degrees. I'm not really sure what my ceiling is since I haven't touched the Voltage yet—I've only bumped up the FSB. Also, something weird is happening: whenever I try to push the E8400 to 3.6GHz, the system won't boot properly. It tries to start, then immediately shuts down, repeating this cycle several times until it finally gives up and resets the BIOS to default settings. I have no idea how to fix this! Could it be an issue with my RAM? I know there are various settings available, but do I actually need to increase the Voltage to get any more overclocking out of this? Or is there something else in the BIOS I should tweak instead of just messing with that multiplier?

Just a tiny voltage bump... if that doesn't do it, then I guess I'll try again..

Temperatures hitting 60 is fine

I was wondering if anyone might be able to explain exactly what happens and how the mechanics work regarding the AI Overclocking feature found in the BIOS on ASUS motherboards.
Specifically, I am curious about which exact parameters and values are being adjusted when one selects the AI OC setting.
(The BIOS seems to offer increments such as 5%, 10%, 15%... up to 30%)

And yes, I am fully aware that manual overclocking is generally considered the superior method for achieving the most stable and optimal results, and I realize that most enthusiasts wouldn't necessarily recommend relying on AI OC, but I suppose I am just trying to understand the actual purpose of including these specific features on the boards in the first place.

Thank you all in advance!!

For those wannabe overclockers relying on auto BIOS functions or software tweaks...

I suppose I am wondering whether this means the clock speed, Voltage, FSB, and all those other parameters scale up automatically and proportionally based on the specific percentage selected for the AI overclocking, or if perhaps the system is following some entirely different mathematical formula altogether?

Furthermore, I was curious as to how one might go about verifying exactly which specific values are being adjusted when the auto overclocking feature is actually in use?

forget about it... there's a detailed overclocking guide right here.. basic elementary school math.

I have been reading through this guide for quite some time now, and I suppose I won't actually attempt anything until I have thoroughly studied it and feel I've truly mastered the material...

I've spent a bit of time browsing the web over the last few days, trying to find an answer to this specific question, but I haven't really found anything new; most of what I came across were just the same answers you've already provided.
"just forget about that, set the AI OC to MANUAL and follow the instructions..."

Regardless, thank you anyway.

There are plenty of overclocking guides available online, including tons of videos on YouTube, so if you want to do a decent job, you should be fine.

Just curious what my colleague thinks here.
He’s running an Intel Core 2 Duo E5300 with that thin stock cooler, but he’s got the CPU pushed to 3.3 GHz. Theoretically, that thicker heatsink from a Pentium D would offer better cooling, but would it actually make a difference in practice?
thnx

He claims the temperatures are identical.
Which is exactly what I told him myself.

Look, I’m dropping this question here because I don't feel like cluttering up the boards with yet another thread that isn't strictly about overclocking, even if it borders on it.

So, here's the deal... I just picked up a new rig featuring a Gigabyte EP45-DS3, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, and some DDR2 Kingston 800MHz. But now I've run into a bit of a head-scratcher. Both CPU-Z and Everest are telling me that my multiplier is set to x6, yet when I dive into the BIOS, it clearly shows it's sitting at x9. Now I'm stuck wondering why these programs are insisting my processor is running at 2000MHz (with that x6 multiplier) when it's supposed to be hitting 3000MHz straight out of the box (using the x9 multiplier). And let me tell you, that missing chunk of MHz is a pretty big deal.

Maybe the multiplier drops when there isn't a heavy load to help cut down on power consumption and heat. I might be talking nonsense here, maybe not. It’s definitely standard practice for laptops, but I'm not entirely sure if they do the same thing with desktops.

James Morris4 said:It’s possible the multiplier drops when there isn't a heavy load to cut down on power draw and heat. Maybe I'm just talking nonsense here, who knows? You see this all the time with laptops, but whether desktop manufacturers actually implement it as a standard practice... I couldn't tell you for sure.

That’s exactly it. Precisely.

So, that was... honestly, that’s what I thought at first, but things felt just off. I had PES 2009 running, then I minimized the window and was just idling away, staring at the temperatures and all that junk in Everest, when I noticed my multiplier was stuck at x6 again. It felt totally wrong. But then, get this—I fired up GTA IV and suddenly the multiplier jumped right up to x9.
thanks for the help👍

Hey. I'm looking to push this Intel Celeron 2.53 GHz up to 2.9 GHz—just wondering about the best way to handle the overclock. Currently sitting at a 133 MHz frequency with a 19 multiplier. Using an ASRock 775 VM800 motherboard.

ASUS P5Q Pro, using some cheap DDR2 Kingston 800MHz RAM.

Getting a Blue Screen at 360 FSB—set the ratio to run at 867 MHz.

As soon as I fire up Prime, it’s a BSOD.

It won't let me underclock; if I try anything below 800 MHz, it just says overclock failed.

How much voltage can I actually push to this memory, assuming it can even handle higher speeds or more juice?

At 330 FSB, it's stable, running at 412.5 MHz per CPU-Z, with the default 1.8V.

Timings are on manual, but I haven't changed anything from the defaults.

I wanted to bump my Q6600 from 3 GHz to 3.2 GHz, but I keep hitting that BSOD. I'm thinking it's the RAM, or am I off base?

If I bump the voltage, how high should I go?

One more question.

Which of these two programs is lying?🤔

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8914/temp1.jpg

HW Monitor is showing temperatures 10 degrees higher than Everest. I had Prime95 running in the background for about 40 minutes, so these are definitely under load.

Which one is accurate, and why is there such a huge gap?

Gary Anderson38 said:I'm running an ASUS P5Q Pro paired with some budget-friendly DDR2 Kingston 800MHz memory modules...

Whenever I set my FSB to 360 and adjust the ratio so the memory runs at 867 MHz, I hit a massive blue screen...

The moment I fire up Prime95, I get that dreaded BSOD...

It won't even let me underclock, because if I drop it below 800 MHz, it just throws an "overclock failed" error right back at me...

Does anyone know how much Voltage I can actually push to this memory, assuming it can even handle higher speeds or more juice...

At 330 FSB, everything stays rock solid, showing 412.5 MHz on CPU-Z, and I'm sitting at the default 1.8V...

My timings are set to manual, but honestly, I haven't touched a single thing from the factory defaults...

I was really hoping to bump my Q6600 from 3 GHz up to 3.2 GHz, but then comes that BSOD again... I have a hunch it's the memory causing the headache, but am I totally off base here?...

If I do decide to crank up the voltage, what should I be aiming for?...

Are you rocking two 2GB sticks of Kingston, or is it just a single 1GB stick of Kencyx? And isn't that Q6600 a B3 stepping?...

Those B3 chips aren't exactly the best for overclocking, since they tend to be a bit hungrier for Voltage...

As for the memory, you could theoretically push it up to 2.2V, though 2.0V is usually the sweet spot for those 2GB Kencyx modules. I don't know the exact limit for the processor, but staying around 1.35V should be perfectly fine if you're still using the stock cooler...

Try setting it up like this: CPU multiplier at 9X, FSB at 366MHz, CPU Voltage at 1.35V, and DIMM Voltage at 2.0V. Set the FSB/DIMM ratio to 1:1, which would give you 2x FSB = 732MHz, with latencies at 5-5-5-18—and definitely don't mess with the secondary timings yet. That configuration should hopefully get you working at 3.3GHz... If it's still acting up, you might need to nudge the CPU Voltage up a bit, but if it's stable, you could always try backing the Voltage down to see where the limit is...

Regarding temperatures—well, I'd say trust the Hardware readings more; you can always download Core Temp to get a better idea of what's happening inside...😉

Alright, I've got a 1GB case here.

The CPU is a stepping version.

I tried setting the FSB to 400 so the memory would run at 801 MHz. Set the CPU Voltage to 1.4V and didn't touch the memory settings at all.
Multiplier is 9x.

It won't boot into Windows.

Then I dropped the FSB back to 360, bumped the DRAM Voltage up to 2.0V, and set it to run at 856 MHz (not sure of the exact number, just the lowest option available at that FSB) and managed to get into Windows. But the second I launch Prime95, I get a BSOD.

Right now, FSB is at 330 and Voltage is at 1.25V, though it runs stable at 1.2V too.

Memory is sitting at 412.5 MHz.

Everything is stable.

Current settings are working fine.

Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
Overclock tuner : manual CPU Ratio Setting : 9.0
FSB Frequency : 330
PCIE Frequency: 100
FSB Strap to North Bridge : Auto
DRAM Frequency: 830 (roughly, somewhere between 820 and 840)😁
DRAM Timing Control: manual, all 5 5 5 15

DRAM Static Read Control: Auto
Dram Read Training : Auto
MEM OC Charger : Auto
Ai Clock Twister : Auto
Ai Transaction Booster : Auto

CPU Voltage : 1.25v
CPU GTL Reference: Auto
CPU PLL Voltage : 1.6 (set this to 1.6 because I read online it’s good for quads)
FSB Termination Voltage: Auto
DRAM Voltage : Auto
NB Voltage : Auto
PCIE Sata Voltage: Auto

Load Line Calibration : Enabled
CPU Sread Spectrum : Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum : Disabled
CPU Clock Skew: Auto
MB Clock Skew: Auto

So, what do I need to do to get this thing running at 400 FSB and 3.6 GHz?
Theoretically, the memory should be running at its default clock with that FSB, right? Since it gives me the option to set it to 801 MHz, it shouldn't be an issue. Am I wrong?

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1117/klok.jpg

It’s running stable right now, though I bumped the voltage from 1.2V up to 1.25V. I'm thinking about dropping it back to 1.2, but would that be cutting it too close for a Q6600?

I can grab CPU-Z screenshots if needed... here's what I've got:

412.5 MHz
4:5
5
5
5
15
2t

I'm no expert at overclocking, so I figured I'd ask. I really want to push this thing a bit further and hopefully learn a thing or two along the way.😁