First time OC - e6400 at 3.12 GHz

[AbhiNambiar]

Hey guys,
This is my first attempt at overclocking a computer and I've read the sticky thread pretty closely. I just want to make sure I'm headed in the right direction. I also wanted some advice on how liberal I can be with the settings and still have some safety overhead with regard to how hot the CPU is running during intensive periods. So far the current overclock appears stable. I've run a 6 hour Prime95 "torture test" and I have posted the diagnostic picture at idle and under load.

Is this hotter than I should run the CPU. Should I be more aggressive at OC. Any recommendations about whether I should relax the memory timings or increase the speed (currently running at 1066 MHz and 5-5-5-12)

Rig:
INTEL Core 2 Duo E6400
ZALMAN, CNPS9500 LED Copper CPU Cooler
eVGA, nForce 680i SLI 775
CORSAIR, 2GB (2 x 1GB) XMS2 PC2-8500 DDR2 1066MHz
eVGA, e-GeForce 8800 GTX 621MHz
HD0 WESTERN DIGITAL, 500GB Caviar
HD1 WESTERN DIGITAL, 500GB Caviar
HD2 WESTERN DIGITAL, 320GB
LITE-ON, LH-20A1H 20x DVD±RW
LIAN LI, Classical Plus PC-60BplusII
THERMALTAKE, Thoughpower 700W Power Supply

Current settings:
CPU OC: 3.12 GHz (390 MHz x8)
FSB: 1560 MHz
vCore: 1.425 V
vNB: 1.4 V
vMem: 2.1 V
At idle: 39C (CoreTemp/SpeedFan) - 42 (TAT)

Under load: 57-59C


I'd appreciate any input that you guys might have. I'm waiting till I have a stable CPU OC before I mess with the RAM or the GPU

Thanks again,
Abhilash Nambiar

 

[BillParrish]

That looks fine, dont even start to worry until you hit 65-70C under full load and even that has a 15C "cushion" till the cpu thinks it is hot, and even then at 85C you still have another "cushion" until the cpu will shut itself down. You cannot burn one up, it will just thermal trip, cool off and be ready to go again. However since these things are not $9.95 it is silly to push it too hard.

 

[AbhiNambiar]

Just one more question. I was a little puzzled by the CPU-Z data on my RAM. They are Corsair XMS2 1066 sticks (1 GB x2). Here's what CPU-Z says:

[/URL][/IMG]


Should I adjust the RAM in the bios? Instead of a 11:16 ratio?

Thanks again,
Abhi

 

[trypt]

I have an E6400 (7x 400) and a zalman cnps9500 like you but my idle temps are 47-48

edit: i just went to stock speed (8x 266) and my temps are 41 idle. So I guess I'd say you're doing pretty good!