Q9450 w/ GigaByte EP45-UDR3 oc'ing

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RedChief

Weaksauce
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Oct 25, 2004
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Its been years since I have overclocked (I remember the simple days of the Celeron 300a) and I'm trying to OC my current system. It seems the fastest I can get out of this is 2.8g (350 fsb). This is even with a vcore of 1.35 and setting the NB voltage to 1.3.

Actualy system speaks are -

Core2Quad Q9450 stepping7
EP45-UDR3 MB (11/17/08 bios)
533 memory 5-5-5-15 (5:8 ratio)

Am I missing something on setting the memory timings?
 
Lower the multi and see what kind of fsb your board will go to is the first step. We also want to take the ram out of the equation. Perhaps something with the ram is holding you back. Is that 533 the speed rating of your ram (DDR2-533) or the speed your ram is running? Sometimes wierd ratios will hold you back and you might find better luck with some faster ram and trying to run 1:1. Set the PCI-e bus to 101 just to make sure it is locking.

I would be shocked if that chip couldn't at least do 3.2 but................. with OC'ing as always, ymmv.
 
The ram is G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500).

Maybe I'm missing something on setting the ram ratio in the bios.
 
I'm not familiar with your Gigabyte board but the ones I've seen you should be able to set to manual timings and there will be a setting for your ram that looks like 2.00D. Thats what you want for now. It will set the ram to run at 1:1 with the 400fsb strap.

5-5-5-15 should be good. Leave it at 2T for now. Make sure that if your ram needs additional voltage (my GSkill needs 2.1) that you set that as well.
 
Ok, changing the manual timings fixed that issue as I'm running 3.2g. The memory in cpu-z is showing up as 533mhz / 3:4/ 5-7-7-20. Do I need to manuall set the timings?
 
hmmmm

I wonder if cpu-z is reading the single data rate............


I'm gonna go check mine brb
 
yes, it is reading the single data rate. you have to double what cpu-z says.

Sounds like your on your way.
 
If you really want to be adventurous and have good cooling for your cpu, use the 2.00D setting and start ramping the fsb up. Some of the Q9450 do really really well.
 
I tried 3.6g and the system reboots when running prime95 even though the temp is only 60c w/ realtemp. Voltage was 1.35 for the vcore, 1.3 for the NB and 1.9 for the memory. Since heat isnt the issue, what is?
 
You have a ton more settings you can play with. I suggest taking a look at the 600 page thread over on overclockers.net for the UD3P. This really helped me get familiar with my board. Not exactly the same board you have but the settings should be similar. I would think you can get more out of it. did you raise CPU VTT? Did you adjust the reference voltage? Also if your board has it.. enable LLC load line calibration to stop vdroop. This made a big difference for me. Also disable C1E and EIST for now as they will throttle the cpu and sometimes cause stability issues. You can always try these later after you get it stable. Good luck!
 
RedChief said:
I tried 3.6g and the system reboots when running prime95 even though the temp is only 60c w/ realtemp. Voltage was 1.35 for the vcore, 1.3 for the NB and 1.9 for the memory. Since heat isnt the issue, what is?
Click to expand...

If you lower the multi, will the fsb go higher?
With my Q9450, my board will not go over 438 fsb no matter how low I set the multi. I mean it will absolutely not do 439. 438.......completely stable.........439........might not boot. Weird. Consequently, I am stuck at 3.5, which my chip can do at almost stock voltage. My board has a ton of settings, some of which are hidden in the bios, that I just don't know enough about that would probably open things up a bit but I just stick to the normal stuff. A little cpu voltage and fsb voltage and voila.......I take what I get. Gotta say, I'm pretty happy with 3.5. I was shooting for a nice even 450 fsb and 3.6 but.......not to be. At least with my limited knowledge anyway. I'm sure I have a nice chip but it got stuck with me so....lol


Oh, and Copyright's suggestion is a great one.
 
RedChief said:
Ok, changing the manual timings fixed that issue as I'm running 3.2g. The memory in cpu-z is showing up as 533mhz / 3:4/ 5-7-7-20. Do I need to manuall set the timings?
Click to expand...

Can some explain the memory timing issue?
 
RedChief said:
Can some explain the memory timing issue?
Click to expand...

Those timings are a little on the loose side. I would keep playing with your OC and come back and tighten those up later. I don't think they are effecting your overclock right now. Also if you keep clocking up higher you might want to change your strap to get that ram to stay closer to spec.
 
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