e8400 at 3.8 Ghz (475 w/8x multi, or 423 w/9x multi)

[supastar1568]

hey folks,

quick question. I'm in the process of getting my e8400 to 3.8 ghz. I have DDR2-1066 ram which is why I'm asking. I figure the higher FSB would allow me to run my memory a bit faster ( less than 1066 though), with 1:1 ratio. Using 423 fsb with 9x will run my memory slower than the 475 setting.

Are there any other effects that I want to consider with the lower 8x multiplier?

 

[AMDXP]

Every has always told me higher FSB is better.

 

[ADRENALIN_2099]

if your board, RAM, and CPU are up to it, Faster FSB is better.

 

[MaStaFLaSH]

Every has always told me higher FSB is better.

But only marginally... If you can do the higher FSB then do it, no bad effects, no real good effects either tho. You won't see a performance difference

 

[MrWizard6600]

But only marginally... If you can do the higher FSB then do it, no bad effects, no real good effects either tho. You won't see a performance difference

You will on a quad.

Once you've got your CPU up to its highest speed you start working on your ram. If your E8400 tops out at 3.9GHz, go with that and see how high you can get your memory, weather it be 475 @ 1:1 or 423 @ 5:2 or something. Hitting 1200MHz on ram isn't too uncommon.

 

[Technophobe]

So does this mean if you can get a cheap E8200 CPU that can do say 3.8GHz with a high FSB, it would be just as good as a more expensive E8400 CPU @ 3.8GHz with a lower FSB?

Then why on earth did I (and others) pay the extra...

 

[Zero82z]

So does this mean if you can get a cheap E8200 CPU that can do say 3.8GHz with a high FSB, it would be just as good as a more expensive E8400 CPU @ 3.8GHz with a lower FSB?

Then why on earth did I (and others) pay the extra...

Because with a more expensive chip, you have a better chance of hitting a high overclock. Plus, not all motherboards can reach the FSBs required for high overclocks. Basically, you paid extra in order to have a safer bet for getting to a high speed.

 

[Technophobe]

Wouldn't the E8400 and E8200 be using very similar Wolfdale core structure except that the 8200 has a lower max multi? Or do Intel lower design specs on the 8200 so they physically can't do the same FSB speed?

 

[Zero82z]

E8200s are binned lower, so they're certified for lower speeds than the E8400. Now, considering how overclockable Wolfdales are in general, that doesn't necessarily mean that an E8200 won't be able to reach the same speeds as an E8400, but it does mean that it's more likely for an E8400 to hit a higher speed. Plus, the lower multiplier of the E8200 means that it needs a higher FSB to reach high frequencies, and not all motherboards are capable of running at the necessary FSB speeds.

 

[MrWizard6600]

yeah its the chipsets on the motherboards that will have difficulties with higher than 450MHz FSB's. My X38 Maximus Formula can hit 460 and thats after some pretty serious tinkering (wish I'd gone with a Lanparty DK). 400 X 10 and 500 X 8 will yield identical performance except almost every C2D motherboard will support 400MHz FSB, few will do 500MHz FSB (my 680i was a trooper, RIP).

And lets say 5 wolfdales come off the production line. 2 of em have minor defects in that they wont be able to get past 3.5GHz. Intel needs to turn two of these wolfdales into E8400s, and the othre three into E8200s. Ok so the first flawless Wolfdale hits the stress tester and is able to run at 3.0GHz (stock E8400 speed) on stock voltages well withen the thermal envelope, its shipped off as an E8400. The next one up is one of the flawed Wolfdales. It hits the stress tester and, while it manages to run at 3.0Ghz with stock voltages, its producing a little too much heat when its loaded, as such its binned down to an E8200. It is able to run at E8200 speeds perfectly. Next up is another flawless Wolfdale, and again its perfect at 3.0GHz, its packaged as an E8400 and shipped. They now have their two required E8400s so the rest are quickly tested at E8200 speeds and found to run fine at those speeds and are packaged and shipped.

Ok so now we have two flawed wolfdale cores which wont hit 3.5GHz packaged as E8200s, one flawless wolfdale core which will hit over 4.0Ghz without breaking a sweat packaged as an E8200, and two more flawless wolfdales packaged as E8400s that will hit 4.0GHz just as easily as the flawless E8200. By buying an E8200 theres a 1/3 chance you'll get a perfect wolfdale that will clock just as high as the X8900. by buying an E8400 you have a 100% chance of getting a proc that will clock just as high.

theres an example of binning.

By buying the E8400 you allow yourself to cheap out on the motherboard a little bit and you get a greater chance at getting something that will clock really high.