Need help with E6600 OC

M

macrospect

[H]ard|Gawd
2FA
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
1,711
I am sort of new to overclocking however I read all of the how-to's so I am now somewhat familiar with how to go about overclocking.

I have my E6600 on a Asus P5B Deluxe board. Earlier today I pushed it too high and it was hitting 60C so I pushed the values back down. Here is what I currently have set in the BIOS:

CPU Frequency- 275

DRam Freq- DDR2-750MHZ

PCI-E- 100

PCI- 33.33

Spread Spectrum- Disabled

Memory Voltage- 1.90V

VCORE Voltage- 1.3375V



Advanced Menu:

Mofify Ratio Support- 9

C1E Support- Disabled

Max CPUID Limit- Disabled

Vanderpool Technology- Disabled

CPU TM- Enabled

Execute Disable Bit- Enabled

PECI- Disabled




Now, CPU-Z is saying that I am now running at 3375.2mhz (375X9). I am getting a reported idle voltage of 1.296V and a load voltage of 1.272V.

With those settings I ran Orthos for an hour (yes I know I should do 12-24) and it ran without any problems, so far. As far as temps go I am now running at 35C idle and ~53C load.

I need some opinions. Is my vcore too low? I am reading some of you set your vcore to 1.5V, which quite frankly I don’t know how the hell you cool that thing. I use a DangerDen TDX block and mine and with the above settings I am nearly hitting that 60C critical point.

Should I change any of my values or does everything look good to go for a 24 hour test?

Any input is appreciated!

UPDATE: Measured my VCore with a DMM and read 1.321. Looks like the software really sucks for reading voltages!
 
60C for a stress test really isn't that bad. It's really what you're comfortable with. While on the high-ish side, 60C is still within the safe operating range for Core 2 duos. Are you using the stock cooler? If so, switching to an aftermarket cooler may be a good idea if you plan to aggressively overclock.

As far as voltages go, what you may be seeing is a condition known as vDroop. This is where the mobo starts to supply less and less power to the proc as loads get higher. Unless you do a voltmod to your board, you will almost never see the same vDimm reading as what it's set to in your Bios. I'm sure someone with more experience can give you a better definition than mine, by the way. :)

Anyways, you're looking good so far. Keep pushing!
 
Thanks for the reply. I thought 60C is where thermal throttling kicked in on the C2Ds.

As for my cooler I am using a Danger Den TDX waterblock. At first I thought it wasn't making proper contact with the heatspreader so I took it off and applied a new, thin layer of AS5. I fired up Othhos again and my temps were almost the same (maybe about 3C lower than before). I guess the E6600 just puts off a lot of heat. Cooling is plentiful in my case. I have more than enough airflow in there.

I have been reading about the vDroop. While it is not as bad on my board as some other boards, it seems that you need to find a sweet spot (voltage wise) in order to have a stable core both at idle and at load. Looks like I am doing pretty well at 3350 MHz and everything appears to be stable. I bet if I mess with the voltages some more I can get it past 4 though. I am still going to do some more reading about the temps though. Many say that for 24/7 operation your temps should not exceed 55C.

Thanks.
 
60c seems about right for that much of an OC... Especially on water.

You might have poor IHS contact on the processor. But as was stated above, the temperatures you're experiencing arn't that far from normal. With my TDX I get about 59'c at 3.5vghz.

62.5c is the "maximum optimal temperature" with 65-70 being a warning zone and 70+ being a danger zone.
 
A little off topic, but I too recently bought an E6600 and pushed it to the 3Ghz mark simply by pushing the CPU's FSB up to 333. I didn't change any voltage settings (except for the RAM), or anything else. Just the FSB. Is this the bad way to OC? I had the RAM voltage set to 2.10V (GSkill HZ DDR2 800... <3) and the timings set to 4-4-4-10... after running F@H for an hour or so temps were nearing 55Cish... I am using an XP120 in a P180 case with a slow spinning Nexus 120mm fan. I am a little confused as to how the original poster of this thread reported similar temps, yet OC'd only slightly further and was on water cooling. I have run on water cooling in the past, and would have figured he'd have better temps. What gives?
 
acaurora said:
...I have run on water cooling in the past, and would have figured he'd have better temps. What gives?
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly! Checked it twice for good contact, was good both times, have very high flow with my system, coolant is staying cool... Not too sure if that just their normal operating OC temp.
 
Well, you have only one fan and a single radiator... I guess maybe that could be why... I'm sure if you had a 3x120mm fan and radiator it probably could do better... makes me wanna go back to WC... /sigh.... /curses his EXOS Al that died on him long long ago..
 
I have dual rads, each makes 3 passes. I doubt cooling the fluid is the problem.

I am still playing around here. So far I am at 3420mhz (380X9) @ 1.320V. My temps are hitting 56C at full load.

One thing that I am having trouble grasping is the VCore concept. Is more better? Is less better? Is there just a sweet spot that you need to hit? I am just guessing with the voltages at this point. So far I got 1 BSOD. I am pretty sure it was caused by a undervoltage.
 
Are you running the latest BIOS (804) ? I just set everything to auto... except for the RAM Voltage.... that's what matters to me... and like I said I ran @ 333 CPU FSB for 3 GHZ for a while with F@H... but I didnt really do anything else... I'm just not used to being so close to 60C... I have been told you shouldn't worry really about temps cuz your CPU will throttle WAY before you start damaging your CPU... but just to be safe I am waiting until my Antec 900 comes in (200mm top fan for the win!) before I start OCing again. For now I"m running @ stock... (yes, sad isnt it).

Are you using high speed fans, or low speed fans?
 
All high. I am a "loud and cool" type of guy. :)

EDIT: Been playing all night with the overclocking and cant seem to fins something I am happy with. Currently I am at 400X8 which is giving me 3200. I wanted to keep the 400 for the bus speed (to match my RAM). At those speeds the CPU is producing 60-62C at full load. A little high. I have the voltage set to 4.360V in the BIOS but am getting a Vdroop of 1.3964 (with a DMM). Seems to be stable so far, but like I said those temps seem a tad high. Sure wish I could get 55C max!

For those of you who are following this thread and have a E6600 running at 3200, can you please post your temps and set voltages? It would be helpful in letting me know if I am too hot or low on voltage. I have been reading ~1.400V is pushing it.

Thank you.
 
Lower my voltage?? Wouldnt that underclock it and/or posssibly make my system become unstable?
 
2005825422571612092_rs.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

VCore: auto
Mem: 2.1v, all auto timings, unlinked

Have u seen this?Conroe Overclock Database
 
Thanks Texxxxx. Not sure if I would keep my VCore at auto. Too much of a Vdroop on my board IMO. I am settling for 8X400. Just need to find the proper minium voltage. I am peaking at about 58C, which I would like to see. I am just trying to keep it below 60C (mainly for those hot days and for the sake of the power MOSFETS).

Nice OC btw on stocks!
 
Wrote a longer response but it poofed, so now I'm summerizing.

Try a lower vCore and see if you're still stable. Lower volts = lower heat generation. Until my e6300 reached 2.9Ghz, I was undervolting. Even at 3.1, I'm at stock voltage.

I'd reccomend not setting vCore to "auto" in your Bios. many boards (don't know about yours) like to up the voltage as you up the FSB. Set it yourself and you wont need to worry.'

Good luck!
 
I measured my VCore on auto. Its really high compared to what I was setting manually. I am looking at 1.548V when it is at auto (measured this with a multimeter). This is at 401X8 (401 because I wanted to hit the next strap). If I set the voltages manually to 1.4V I am still Orthos stable. With a VDroop that 1.4V turns into 1.360V load. That is quite a difference!

Now, I have a question regarding the ram. When I post (and have a OC) my PC2-6400 is being reported as PC2-4300?! However when I start up CPU-Z it appears to be running at the correct speed (401mhz 1:1). It is still being reported as PC2-4300 in CPU-Z though.

I was also wondering where the heck that 800mhz rating on PC2-6400 comes from? How come it only runs at 400mhz and not 800mhz when I look at in cpu-z? Is there another factor that essentially turns the 400 into a 800mhz equivalent?

Thanks.
 
Its DDR = Double Data Rate. Aka, double pumped, aka, 400Mhz x 2 = 800. 500 x 2 = 1000, and so on.
 
Thank you very much for clearing that up for me acaurora. You think I would know this by now (considering I am studying to be a network admin). There are still a few grey areas for me though.

PS. I posted this in another thread but I am now running at 3302mhz (413X8). I forgot the voltage I had it set at but Orthos has been going for 12 hours now. Hopefully I can make it all the way through the test. I set my limit to 3300 because I dont like a lot of heat output. 3300 in my case, puts off 56C and 30C idle, very nice numbers!

Thanks for the help!
 
No problem, I'm an amateur OCer myself. @ 3Ghz mine runs at about 53-55C like I said earlier I think.... (at load). I did not try limiting the VCOre by setting it to 1.3V though. I probably will just wiat until I get my Antec Nine Hundred before I try again, which will be in about two weeks.
 
DaRkF0g said:
Thank you very much for clearing that up for me acaurora. You think I would know this by now (considering I am studying to be a network admin). There are still a few grey areas for me though.
Click to expand...
In my experience, most network admins don't know jack about hardware (although they run circles around me when talking about software).

You're ahead of the game. :)
 
Haha, thanks for your kind words Cintirich! :)

Well I ran Orthos for 24 hours (actually I splurged and settled for 21). At any matter my cores showed absolutely no signs of stability. Its official running speed now is 3302MHz (413X8).

I am not going to push my clock any higher, as I am satisfied with this somewhat mild overclock. As I mentioned earlier I was originalyl looking for just a mild overclock so that the heat buildup in my room is not terribly high. Oh, and speaking of temps I am looking at 35C idle and 55C (max) for my load.

Now that all is said and done my settings look like this:
413X8
DDR2-826MHz@2.00V <-- Haven't stress tested that with memtest86 yet
1.3625V on my VCore although my board is giving the core 1.357V Idle and 1.336V Load
MCH is set to auto. As far as I can tell the NB is running aroung 110F. I have a temp monitor on the base of the heatsink so it looks like my temps for the NB are somewhere around there.

Thanks to all the above posters who enhanced my overclocking experience. I certainly learned a lot through all of this!
 
c'mon push that ram a bit more set the ratio to 2.5 or 4:5 which should make your ram run at 1032.5 which it should be able to handle just fine if not lower the ratio back to 1:1 and your all good :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top