![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Arcygenical
Fully [H]
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2005
- Messages
- 25,066
The Penultimate new User Guide to Overclocking the Conroe
Foreword:
All right, first off this is not a definite overclocking guide. Its not akin to the in-depth overclocking guide written for the AMD Athlon systems. Its a starter guide that, if nothing else, is going to help newer users with a few questions regarding Conroe overclocking.
Now, like all overclocking guides, we need a disclaimer.Overclocking might destroy your board. It might destroy your entire computer if youre not careful (now, were both going to work against this mkay). Lastly, whats written in this post is for reference only. I make no expressed or implied guarantees that the contents of my little how-to wont ruin your system, day, marriage or social life. Alright, enough of that.
Now, first of all, we need to do a couple of checks to see whether or not your system is ready for an overclock. Make sure you have the following programs downloaded:
- Core Temp
- Super Pi
- CPUz
- Orthos (AKA Super Prime 2004 Orthos)
- And optionally: Intel Thermal Analysis Tool (AKA TAT, really useful, hard to find)
Definitions:
- Clock Speed: The effective speed your processor is running at. It is calculated by multiplying the FSB (Front Side Bus) speed with the CPU multiplier. The stock speed of an E6300 processor is 1862mhz (266mhz FSB x 7 multiplier).
- Vcore: The voltage your processor is using.
- RAM timings: A bit technical in explanation Consider them the amount of time it takes your RAM to accomplish certain tasks. Lower numbers means faster RAM, but reduces its overclock potential. These will not be discussed here. Google knows the answer, and so does the Forum. Be aware of the common notation for ram timings: a-b-c-d.
The beginning:
At this point, Im also assuming you know a little bit about your board, its BIOS, and the options within. You really need to get comfortable within the BIOS, as the majority of your changes will be in here. Lets go over the basic prerequisites for overclocking your new system:
- Check your Load temps. Simulate 100% dual load (so 100% on BOTH cores) and run Core Temp to check your temperatures. Intels TAT is a great program as it will do both the reporting of temperatures, and the actual load generator.
- Your load temps must be below about 55c to start overclocking. The maximum temp you should encounter should be lower than 62c. If your stock temperature is 60c, that should be checked out before starting the overclock.
- Your board must also support overclocking. Some boards do not.
- You need a decent pair of RAM sticks. Running with 4 sticks reduces your OC potential, and running cheap RAM hurts your potential even more. You need at least a good set of DDR2-667 if you want to achieve a decent overclock. Remember, your RAM speed is determined by your FSB speed * 2 (more on this later) so if you want more than 400FSB, youre going to need RAM that can operate at DDR2-800 speeds. More often than not, even cheaper RAM can be run at fast FSB speeds with more voltage and looser timings.
Lets Start:
1. You're going to need to set your PCI and PCIe Busses to their "locked" frequency. Each motherboard has a different method for doing this, so make sure you get it right. If in doubt, post on the forum, or send me a PM. Even better, google it
. You HAVE to lock these. If you don't, you run the risk of system instability or even Hard Drive corruption. There is only one case where the PCIe frequency might benefit from being a different value (more on that later). The PCI frequency should always remain locked.
What is locked you ask?
Either set them to "Locked" in the BIOS or set them manually to these frequencies:
PCIe : 100mhz
PCI : 33 (or 33.33) mhz
2. Ok, now that that's out of the way, you need to make sure your board is giving your RAM enough voltage. Lots of boards default at 1.8v for the RAM... and lots of ram needs 2.1v to run correctly. CHECK on the RAM manufacturer page, and set the value as required.
3. Lastly, make sure you set your RAM speed to 1:1. This, once again, is different in each BIOS. Look for an option called "RAM Speed" or anything that lets you choose between certain DDR2 or RAM frequencies. Set them to 533mhz (or 1:1, or 266 mhz, whatever your motherboard uses).
4. You might already know this, but to change your Clockspeed, you need to increase your FSB. Stock FSB setting should be 266mhz, start increasing this. The first logical step is to change this to 275FSB and test for stability (more on this later). Run CPUz first, and make sure your FSB is really at 275, and your clockspeed has changed accordingly. Under the RAM tab in CPUz, make sure that your RAM frequency is quite a bit lower than what your RAM is rated to run at (for example, at 275FSB your ram should be running at 550mhz). Run SuperPi for some instant gratification, Then run it and let it complete the 8M setting. This is a good indicator at "low level" stability, SuperPi won't tell you if you're fully stable, so make sure to consult with Orthos!
5. Keep increasing the FSB setting until you are no longer stable under Orthos. Either back off the overclock a little, and test for major stability with a 8-12hr run of Orthos (without it erroring of course). Orthos is your MAIN method of testing stability. Even if you can complete lots of SuperPi, it really doesn't mean anything. If orthos fails at your desired clockspeed, you can either back down the overclock, or fast forwards 2 sections.
Stability Testing:
There are a couple levels of "stable" and I shall discuss these (stability IS subjective, and this is just MY take on it):
SuperPi 1M stable - it can complete a run of SuperPi 1M without crashing or erroring.
Low level stable - It can complete a run of SuperPI 8M without crashing or erroring
Medium Stability - It can complete 2 simultaneous instances of SuperPi running a 32M test.
High Stability - It can complete 8-12 hours of Orthos overnight.
Maximum Stability - You can run Orthos WHILE running a heavy 3D program for a long time (3Dmark06 etc.)
Fixing Instability:
Here's a couple of tips that might help stabilize your system at that "elusive" clockspeed you're trying to achieve. These are in no exclusive order (except for the first suggestion) so make sure you try out the ones that are most applicable first.
1. Check your temperatures. Are they over about 65'c? Correct this first!
2. Try some more CPU voltage. Give it 0.05v extra (go from 1.35v to 1.4v), and see if you can complete Orthos. If this doesn't fix the instability, make sure to change it back before proceeding.
3. Loosen the RAM timings. If you're now running your DDR2-800 RAM at 900mhz (450FSB) you're gonna have a really hard time convincing your RAM to run at the timings it's rated at. Loosen them to about 5-5-5-15. If this helps things, you know your RAM is the problem. Experiment with running Orthos overnight and getting these timings as LOW as possible. Do NOT compromise FSB speed for a tighter RAM timing, as these timings have a very low impact on overall system performance.
4. Try upping your Vdimm (Memory Voltage). 0.05v over stock might help a bit. Make sure your RAM is in the path of some moving air.
5. You might be stressing your NorthBridge a little too much. Most users dont understand (and the technical complexity behind the explanation doesn't help either) but there are certain levels of FSB speed where your NB is doing ALOT of work, and increasing the FSB past a certain point, will actually HELP your overclock. Take for example, the P965 chipset runs into a wall between 350 and 400 FSB. Sometimes you might be completely unstable at 360mhz, but ROCK solid at 401FSB. This phenomenon is called the "Strap" of the board. Googling your board's "straps" will tell you a bit about these "golden areas" so to speak.
6. Remember how I told you that your PCIe frequency can only be changed under one circumstance? Well, here it is. Sometimes your board needs to have this value set to 101, 105, 110 mhz etc. in order to stabilize a certain FSB setting. Try these out, but don't exceed 110FSB unless you know what you're doing!
Postscript:
So, yeah, hopefully you have a bit of a better idea of the steps needed to make a basic overclock. Remember, your goal is to get the highest FSB you can, while keeping your system stable.
Feel free to send me a message, add me on MSN, post in this thread, or start a thread... There are lots of people (including me) at [H] who would be glad to help you.
If you'd like to change/add/edit anything in this guide, please post or send me a message. I wrote this because there's been a huge surge of new conroe Overclockers recently, asking basically the same questions over and over again. I wrote this *late* at night and might have overlooked something pretty major. G'night!
Foreword:
All right, first off this is not a definite overclocking guide. Its not akin to the in-depth overclocking guide written for the AMD Athlon systems. Its a starter guide that, if nothing else, is going to help newer users with a few questions regarding Conroe overclocking.
Now, like all overclocking guides, we need a disclaimer.Overclocking might destroy your board. It might destroy your entire computer if youre not careful (now, were both going to work against this mkay). Lastly, whats written in this post is for reference only. I make no expressed or implied guarantees that the contents of my little how-to wont ruin your system, day, marriage or social life. Alright, enough of that.
Now, first of all, we need to do a couple of checks to see whether or not your system is ready for an overclock. Make sure you have the following programs downloaded:
- Core Temp
- Super Pi
- CPUz
- Orthos (AKA Super Prime 2004 Orthos)
- And optionally: Intel Thermal Analysis Tool (AKA TAT, really useful, hard to find)
Definitions:
- Clock Speed: The effective speed your processor is running at. It is calculated by multiplying the FSB (Front Side Bus) speed with the CPU multiplier. The stock speed of an E6300 processor is 1862mhz (266mhz FSB x 7 multiplier).
- Vcore: The voltage your processor is using.
- RAM timings: A bit technical in explanation Consider them the amount of time it takes your RAM to accomplish certain tasks. Lower numbers means faster RAM, but reduces its overclock potential. These will not be discussed here. Google knows the answer, and so does the Forum. Be aware of the common notation for ram timings: a-b-c-d.
The beginning:
At this point, Im also assuming you know a little bit about your board, its BIOS, and the options within. You really need to get comfortable within the BIOS, as the majority of your changes will be in here. Lets go over the basic prerequisites for overclocking your new system:
- Check your Load temps. Simulate 100% dual load (so 100% on BOTH cores) and run Core Temp to check your temperatures. Intels TAT is a great program as it will do both the reporting of temperatures, and the actual load generator.
- Your load temps must be below about 55c to start overclocking. The maximum temp you should encounter should be lower than 62c. If your stock temperature is 60c, that should be checked out before starting the overclock.
- Your board must also support overclocking. Some boards do not.
- You need a decent pair of RAM sticks. Running with 4 sticks reduces your OC potential, and running cheap RAM hurts your potential even more. You need at least a good set of DDR2-667 if you want to achieve a decent overclock. Remember, your RAM speed is determined by your FSB speed * 2 (more on this later) so if you want more than 400FSB, youre going to need RAM that can operate at DDR2-800 speeds. More often than not, even cheaper RAM can be run at fast FSB speeds with more voltage and looser timings.
Lets Start:
1. You're going to need to set your PCI and PCIe Busses to their "locked" frequency. Each motherboard has a different method for doing this, so make sure you get it right. If in doubt, post on the forum, or send me a PM. Even better, google it
. You HAVE to lock these. If you don't, you run the risk of system instability or even Hard Drive corruption. There is only one case where the PCIe frequency might benefit from being a different value (more on that later). The PCI frequency should always remain locked. What is locked you ask?
Either set them to "Locked" in the BIOS or set them manually to these frequencies:
PCIe : 100mhz
PCI : 33 (or 33.33) mhz
2. Ok, now that that's out of the way, you need to make sure your board is giving your RAM enough voltage. Lots of boards default at 1.8v for the RAM... and lots of ram needs 2.1v to run correctly. CHECK on the RAM manufacturer page, and set the value as required.
3. Lastly, make sure you set your RAM speed to 1:1. This, once again, is different in each BIOS. Look for an option called "RAM Speed" or anything that lets you choose between certain DDR2 or RAM frequencies. Set them to 533mhz (or 1:1, or 266 mhz, whatever your motherboard uses).
4. You might already know this, but to change your Clockspeed, you need to increase your FSB. Stock FSB setting should be 266mhz, start increasing this. The first logical step is to change this to 275FSB and test for stability (more on this later). Run CPUz first, and make sure your FSB is really at 275, and your clockspeed has changed accordingly. Under the RAM tab in CPUz, make sure that your RAM frequency is quite a bit lower than what your RAM is rated to run at (for example, at 275FSB your ram should be running at 550mhz). Run SuperPi for some instant gratification, Then run it and let it complete the 8M setting. This is a good indicator at "low level" stability, SuperPi won't tell you if you're fully stable, so make sure to consult with Orthos!
5. Keep increasing the FSB setting until you are no longer stable under Orthos. Either back off the overclock a little, and test for major stability with a 8-12hr run of Orthos (without it erroring of course). Orthos is your MAIN method of testing stability. Even if you can complete lots of SuperPi, it really doesn't mean anything. If orthos fails at your desired clockspeed, you can either back down the overclock, or fast forwards 2 sections.
Stability Testing:
There are a couple levels of "stable" and I shall discuss these (stability IS subjective, and this is just MY take on it):
SuperPi 1M stable - it can complete a run of SuperPi 1M without crashing or erroring.
Low level stable - It can complete a run of SuperPI 8M without crashing or erroring
Medium Stability - It can complete 2 simultaneous instances of SuperPi running a 32M test.
High Stability - It can complete 8-12 hours of Orthos overnight.
Maximum Stability - You can run Orthos WHILE running a heavy 3D program for a long time (3Dmark06 etc.)
Fixing Instability:
Here's a couple of tips that might help stabilize your system at that "elusive" clockspeed you're trying to achieve. These are in no exclusive order (except for the first suggestion) so make sure you try out the ones that are most applicable first.
1. Check your temperatures. Are they over about 65'c? Correct this first!
2. Try some more CPU voltage. Give it 0.05v extra (go from 1.35v to 1.4v), and see if you can complete Orthos. If this doesn't fix the instability, make sure to change it back before proceeding.
3. Loosen the RAM timings. If you're now running your DDR2-800 RAM at 900mhz (450FSB) you're gonna have a really hard time convincing your RAM to run at the timings it's rated at. Loosen them to about 5-5-5-15. If this helps things, you know your RAM is the problem. Experiment with running Orthos overnight and getting these timings as LOW as possible. Do NOT compromise FSB speed for a tighter RAM timing, as these timings have a very low impact on overall system performance.
4. Try upping your Vdimm (Memory Voltage). 0.05v over stock might help a bit. Make sure your RAM is in the path of some moving air.
5. You might be stressing your NorthBridge a little too much. Most users dont understand (and the technical complexity behind the explanation doesn't help either) but there are certain levels of FSB speed where your NB is doing ALOT of work, and increasing the FSB past a certain point, will actually HELP your overclock. Take for example, the P965 chipset runs into a wall between 350 and 400 FSB. Sometimes you might be completely unstable at 360mhz, but ROCK solid at 401FSB. This phenomenon is called the "Strap" of the board. Googling your board's "straps" will tell you a bit about these "golden areas" so to speak.
6. Remember how I told you that your PCIe frequency can only be changed under one circumstance? Well, here it is. Sometimes your board needs to have this value set to 101, 105, 110 mhz etc. in order to stabilize a certain FSB setting. Try these out, but don't exceed 110FSB unless you know what you're doing!
Postscript:
So, yeah, hopefully you have a bit of a better idea of the steps needed to make a basic overclock. Remember, your goal is to get the highest FSB you can, while keeping your system stable.
Feel free to send me a message, add me on MSN, post in this thread, or start a thread... There are lots of people (including me) at [H] who would be glad to help you.
If you'd like to change/add/edit anything in this guide, please post or send me a message. I wrote this because there's been a huge surge of new conroe Overclockers recently, asking basically the same questions over and over again
. I wrote this *late* at night and might have overlooked something pretty major. G'night!
