Noobish cpu oc qestions

N

Nora

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
137
Ok, just to clear the air, I have absolutly NO clue how to over clock a cpu! I've been trying to learn how things work BEFORE I start to mess with the bios. What I have to play with is in my sig. I'm on a limited budget, and was finaly able to get a new mobo with overclocking in the bios and a good vid card. So please don't recomend that I replace my PD with a Q9900 super XTZ and oc that instead. that being said:

My goal: to oc my Pentium D 830 3 gig (15 x 200) 800 fsb to 3.4-3.6 gig

I've been looking at the specs for the cpu using Everest Home Edition, and cpuz

It saids that the voltage range is between 1.25 - 1.4v and that my multiplyer is at lowest x14 and highest x15.

My multiplyer will bounce back and forth between the two (14 @ 2808MHz and 15 @ 3009MHz

Question 1) how do I take it out of power saving mode and lock the multiplyer at x15?

Question 2) is getting 3.4 gig out of my cpu as simple as just raising the clock to 226.7 MHz? (15 x 226.7 = 3400 MHz)

Question 3) Where is a good place to look for good info on overclocking how to, step by step? I've tryed googling but haven't found anything that looked to be much to learn from.

*** cooling shouldn't be a problem, with what I'm using now it will idle @ 42c and wide open at 57c. ***
 
1) Disable EIST and C1E mode IIRC
2) You may need to up the voltage. Hit up Intel's website, find your CPU there and find out what's the max voltage that CPU can handle
3) Check the "How to overclock a Core 2 Quad...." thread that's been stickied. It might help a bit.

Also, what HSF are you using? Those Pentium Ds run pretty damn hot.
 
1) Done
2) 1.25 - 1.4v
3) TY I'll check it out.

I've got a monstously huge Thermaltake Blue Orb 2. I know that there are better out there with all the advancements in heat pipes, but I've got a thing for anything with blue fins. That was also the deciding factor for going with Palit for my vid card, the big blue HSF and mem HS. I've also got a Vantac HDD cooler on my Baracuda. Not that I need it, but once again, blue fins and fans!
 
Yes you will OC by raising the clock however just banging in your final target value is unlikely to work.

As you raise the clock (hereafter referred to as the FSB - Front Side Buss - frequency) both the CPU and the memory has its operating speed/frequency increased. Typically its a game to see what craps out first and take steps to mitigate it so the FSB can be raised some more. Therefore to know what is limiting the increase in FSB, a rational and systematic approach is recommended. So is taking notes on each change made and the observed results if you really want to be effective and not waste time later. To do this right is going to take a lot of time, it does not have to be done all at once, in fact making some changes and then using the machine for a few days before trying for the next "increase" is an excellent way to do it. If you are looking for some set this and set that and bam you are done, you can stop reading now. It is not here.

1) Learn the lay of the land.
It sounds like you are into the first major task. Danny is correct. I recommend you read -reread and read again the bios section of the motherboard manual until you have an understanding of what each item does and if it affects OCing. Google what you do not understand, Google "bios guide" , post here, etc. until you know what is going on in the bios settings. Most of them are not anything you need to know in depth but you must know if they affect OCing. You have already figured out the power savings stuff will drive you nuts as things are constantly changing during different levels of CPU load. Good start. Once you identify what those settings are (basically the ones Danny mentioned but there might be a few more) thats all you need to know about them. You do need to become familiar with memory timings and where in your bios you set them (if you can set them) and what the manufactures timing specs and speed rating of your memory is. As mentioned before as you raise the FSB frequency it will be a race to see if the memory or the CPU craps out first. OK lets assume you learn enough about the bios to know what everything is.

2) Gather you weapons.
You will need stress testing software, use Intel's TAT, Thermal Analysis Tool, and a stability test, Orthos is fine for that, and some way to monitor the CPU temps accurately. Coretemp will not work on Pentium D's so you will most likely be needing to use the motherboard manuf utility to monitor CPU temp. TAT may work I just dont know. However just because the program spits out numbers do not assume they are correct. The D's did have a thermal diode build in so that helps. Download the .iso file for Memtest86+ and burn it to a CD with Nero. This will be used to test the memory when the system craps out to determine if it is due to the memory or the CPU. That will do for basics. Download and run it all now and take notes as to results and temps at idle and with a load. Let memtest run a full pass just to verify the memory is OK at stock. CPU-Z is also helpful as it will tell you your actual speeds and memory timings at a glance while in windows. Here is an example of my machine during testing that shows what I was looking at and what was running , the Easytune thing is the manuf utility for monitoring temps, you will not have Coretemp, but orthos and CPU-z should be there. As you can see, with those programs up and running you know what is happening.
http://mysite.verizon.net/ressdxka/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/3402_oc_stable.jpg
Download the Intel utility TAT (Thermal Analysis Tool). It has some complicated and technical settings, but if you understand what the bios settings are, and learn the options in TAT is will be invaluable as explained below.

Memtest is different, it has its own operating system and you boot with it to run a test. I also like to boot to it first after making changes that increase the OC and let it at least do the first couple of tests. While it does mainly stress test the memory the rest of the system has to be functional for it to work. The reason for this is that if you set something too aggressive and try to do a normal startup and load windows, if the machine freezes you can trash your windows installation. Major pain in the ass. If you are running XP Google " XP repair install" to find the procedure to repair an XP windows install without having to wipe the disk. This is critical. Also if you have data on the computer that is important burn it to CD NOW. It is highly likely, if you really intend to find the limits of your system, you will trash the contents of the hard drive at least once. If you are a gamer a copy of 3Dmark is also a good stability test when verifying some set of settings is going to work. You do not need the latest.

3) Know your opponent.
As Danny mentioned if you go to Intel.com Processors your CPU technical docs you can find the data sheet for your CPU. Download a copy and skim it, 90% of it is not needed but find the absolute max voltages and read the sections on thermals.
http://www.intel.com/design/PentiumD/datashts/307506.htm

I am not kidding, that is your bible. for instance you are incorrect about the voltage. Per table 2-2 on page 19 the maximum Vcc (Vcore) is 1.55 volts. However for a lot of very technical reasons that despite the hour and the coffee I do not wish to explain, a self imposed limit of 1.4 or 1.45 volts for CPU voltage is very wise and I recommend you do not exceed 1.45V not even to "see what if ? " . (It may be you were talking about the voltage settings available on the motherboard and if so it is nice to know you are limited to safe values, my motherboard bios will let me set CPU voltages that will instantly destroy the CPU - fun fun :D )

Your CPU will shutdown automatically if it gets too hot. Do not test that feature. Before it shuts down (speaking temp wise) it will "throttle" itself back in an attempt to reduce temps. (see the data sheet section 5). This can be disabled in the bios and I advise against it. This is an excellent indicator that you need to stop or find some way of mitigating the heat situation.

TAT has the ability to tell if when the CPU is throttling. This is your cue that you are at the limit of the CPUs thermal envelope. From the TAT help file.
1.) When Processor Polling is enabled (as a Workload test option), a separate monitoring thread will signal an event at the first sign that thermal control mechanisms have been invoked, halting the current test immediately. When Processor Polling is disabled, tests of the thermal control mechanisms are performed only after the current power level workload cycle is complete.

Know everything you can about your memory, its rated speed, max voltage it can stand (and still be under warranty) the default timings (use cpu-z) and the manufactures performance timings if it is enthusiast memory. The manufacturers web site should have some data.

That should hold you for a bit, do all that, learn it, record your current data to establish a baseline. Post back.
 
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