First time OC, need some help

C

Calum

n00b
Joined
May 5, 2008
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Hi, this is my first post, please be nice :)

First off, my system is as follows:
Case: Coolermaster Elite 330
Fans: 120mm at front (stock), 120mm Akasa Amber at back
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 600W
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 @ 3.6GHz 450x8, 1.4V BIOS/1.36V actual
CPU cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro with Arctic Cooling MX-2 compound
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R, BIOS vF2
Graphics card: EVGA 8800GT
RAM: 2x2Gb OCZ ReaperX HPC @ 900MHz, 2.2V
Sound: X-Fi Xtreme Music
OS: Windows XP SP2

This build has worked out pretty well for me, after returning my original board and a broken cooler. However, I'm still left with 2 issues.
One, the high voltage. Many people have reported better overclocks than mine with less voltage. To get my system stable at this speed I had to bump the NB and SB voltages up by +0.2V and the core voltage to 1.4 in the BIOS which drops to around 1.36 in Windows. This is too close to the recommended max. for me, is this normal? Did I get a bad chip? Or did everyone that got better overclocks get great chips? My CPU temp is around 31C idle and 56 max. at load for a few hours using orthos, the NB temp has been up to 47C. That is safe right?

Also, my graphics card shows every sign of OCing like crazy, but it doesn't. With the fan speed on 50% (same noise as the other fans in my case) it idles at around 48, with the fan speed auto increasing using Rivatuner to 100% it loaded at 64 using ATITool for a few hours. I tried to overclock using Rivatuner, taking it slow. I can get to 625 core before the system crashes completely with artifacts all over the screen. The load temperature went up by 1C at 625 core. Any idea why this is happening?

Although I have a fair amount of computer knowledge this is my first major overclock so I'm sorry if this thread is really stupid.

Thanks in advance.

Calum.

Edit: added sound card, FSB and multi just in case.
 
Thats a safe northbridge temp...Have you tried upping the voltage on the northbridge and lowering your processor voltage?
 
The northbridge voltage only goes up to +0.3, is it safe to have it on the max?
 
Calum said:
The northbridge voltage only goes up to +0.3, is it safe to have it on the max?
Click to expand...

I would say that would be a little too high for stock cooling. You might try one of these beta BIOS to see if there is any other options to help out the voltage on the NB.
 
every processor is differentas far as OCing goes. If your unstable at lower voltages, try to keep the memory at stock timings and frequencys, might help. and kep the CR at 2T
 
I thought that +0.3 might be high . . . the NB can die from too much voltage right? It's not just the heat that causes damage, is it?
I'll flash a beta BIOS now and see if that helps.
The memory has always been running below stock, it's rated at 1000MHz (SPD says 800) at 5-5-5-18, 2.1-2.2V. Fastest it's been is 950 at 5-5-5-18 2.2V.
I've decided to start my OC from scratch again tonight with a new BIOS and see how it goes.
I'll post back again with the results and if I need any more help.
Thanks for the help so far, it's appreciated.
 
The 8800GT will show great OC's using tools like ATI tray tool but crash immedately in real games. Two things are going on. One the popular gpu OCing tools with their artifact detection do not mimic actual gameplay/stress and the manuf discovered there is gold in them there chips and screen them very well to squeeze out all the money they can on factory OCed cards. There are exceptions of course but they are now very rare when they used to be the rule. For example my 8800GT SC will do over 730MHz core in ATI tray tools with memory at 900MHz+ but crash instanly in my game at anything over 675MHz memory (factory OCed to 650).

water might get you another couple of 100MHz but its a heafty investment for a minimal gain. I recommend it for the noise reduction and if done properly the stability and reliability and just general coolness of a new twist on a hobby. Price/work/performance wise it is not worth it but either is a car that will do 120MPH on roads with a speed limit of 65MPH. But its hella fun if you like that kind of thing.

The NB will just shut down (computer crash) if it gets too hot. You can kill it with too much voltage. If memory serves 1.25 V is the standard MCH voltage and Intel has the absolute max at 1.85 on the data sheet but check me on that you can find it at Intel.com products chipsets your chipset technical docs

I recommend reworking the heatpipe and getting addtional cooling on the NB.
 
I thought it might be possible that EVGA chose the best overclocking chips for the SC and SSC cards. Ah well, I guess it wouldn't have made much difference in real life anyway, thanks for the info Bill.
The maximum MCH voltage seems to be 1.375 with stock at 1.25.
I don't think I'm going with water cooling, can't afford it. Also, the temperatures seem fine so I don't think I'll go for extra NB cooling either, unless it's really necessary.
My system no longer seems to be stable with the latest beta BIOS - I ran Orthos in Blend mode with voltages of 1.225 (stock) up to 1.35 (in the BIOS, actually around 1.29) and it just wasn't stable.
I'm going to try a previous BIOS and see how it goes.
 
Update: F3e is not stable, F3b is marginally more stable.
Orthos has no issues when running in Small FFTs mode rather than Blend, what does this mean?
I did check my RAM with Memtest when I got it and it ran a few passes just fine, so I don't think the RAM is faulty.
If Orthos runs OK in Small FFTs do you think the computer will be stable enough for other tasks like gaming? Or does it have to pass Blend testing to be deemed stable?
 
Calum said:
Update: F3e is not stable, F3b is marginally more stable.
Orthos has no issues when running in Small FFTs mode rather than Blend, what does this mean?
I did check my RAM with Memtest when I got it and it ran a few passes just fine, so I don't think the RAM is faulty.
If Orthos runs OK in Small FFTs do you think the computer will be stable enough for other tasks like gaming? Or does it have to pass Blend testing to be deemed stable?
Click to expand...

It should be fine. No game will stress your PC as much as Orthos will.
 
I've decided to give up on the whole overclocking idea as it won't remain stable above stock speed no matter what I do.
I'm fairly sure it's the RAM, but as it's stable at stock speed there's not a whole lot I can do - I can't exactly go to the manufacturer and say "Your RAM doesn't operate properly above the speed it's designed for, I want a refund".
I'm adding an extra 2Gb of RAM on the cheap anyway, and the performance isn't exactly bad anyhow, so no problems.
Thanks for the help guys.
 
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