Overclocking?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bergauk
  • 62 comments
  • 4,318 views
bergauk

bergauk

Messages
2,587
I haven't seen anything about overclocking on here. And I was thinking of doing a slight overclock on my cpu. Anything I should be aware of?
 
Temperatures, temperatures, and temperatures.

No, seriously -- temperatures. Moving forth...you should be aware that clocking any Sandy Bridge isn't like clocking any 775 chip, since everything is linked...you overclock one, you overclock all. Then there's the trivial task of staying within safe range of (I believe) 1.65v for RAM so you don't fry the onboard controller.

Download Prime95, Core Temp, and CPU-Z: these are essentials when overclocking.

There's a mess of other things too but I really don't feel up to writing a guide. Check your PM's.
 
Heat, Voltages, Stability, Longevity.

I have overclocked 370 socket, 478mpga socket and 775LGA socket CPUs.

When you overclock you increase the heat but if you do not increase voltages with the right amount you will get stability issues.

Also overclocking will reduce system longevity

But why do you want to overclock?

Overclocking should not be done if you do not understand the issues with it.
 
Grayfox
Heat, Voltages, Stability, Longevity.

I have overclocked 370 socket, 478mpga socket and 775LGA socket CPUs.

When you overclock you increase the heat but if you do not increase voltages with the right amount you will get stability issues.

Also overclocking will reduce system longevity

But why do you want to overclock?

Overclocking should not be done if you do not understand the issues with it.
Click to expand...

Well first off, I'm not an idiot.

I want to overclock to learn about systems more. I spend little time in BIOS's at work and I figure I should attempt to learn a bit about them.


What better way to learn about working in the BIOS than trying to do something in it?
 
S'Fine way of looking at it.

There's a lot to cover, a lot, A LOT in that case then. First thing is familiarize yourself with GTL (Gunning Transceiver Logic) Reference voltages quick fast.
 
You've got a few things to deal with:
* Temperature - Overclocking heats it up
* Stability - bad setups do NOT lead to this
*Core clock - pretty self explanatory
* Multiplier - multiplies the core clock by the number and gives you your final clock
* Front Speed Bus - That is the speed of the CPU data to the northbridge on your mobo
* RAM - That wlll overclock your ram, but when you overclock your CPU, it affects the ram in terms of speed
* Voltage - Make sure you've got decent electricity flow! Usually, for voltage, a 0.5 bump up makes a huge clock difference.
 
Oh, don't forget the cooling system in the case as well.

Don't understand why no-one has mentioned this yet. For example, if you have a stock heatsink for the processor, it will keep it fairly warm and toasty when you start overclocking it, but you will be quite limited at how much you can overclock it. If you get a good quality aftermarket cooler, you are able to push the processor harder.

Case cooling is also a must as well as excessive heat from the processor and voltages all over the motherboard will make the motherboard unstable. Cooling it down will help it somewhat.

Most people stick with air cooling as its relatively simple, easier and you can easily change parts. Others go with water cooling, as its performance is simply unrivalled (in comparison to air) but it is a bit trickier to set up.

If you have a good airflow system in the case, then system stability should not be too much of an issue.

Some BIOS systems may need to be updated to have the required overclocking options, but I am not too hot on this yet.
 
Skyline you forgot one more thing

RAM Timings. These need to be loosened a little when overclocking.
 
If you're just doing it to learn that's fine. But if you want performance then I suggest you research your CPU, some really don't like it and others work really well. For example Intel is now releasing downloads you buy which unlock the rest of your processor since it's cheaper to underclock a CPU and sell it as entry level than design a whole new low power CPU.
 
Yes, RAM timings are also crucial. Also, some stock coolers are not bad. For example ,the AMD Black Editions have actually decent heatsinks with 3 copper cooling tubes on each side.
 
NissanSkylineN1
* Front Speed Bus
Click to expand...

I'll have to correct you on that term. It's "Front-Side Bus" not "Front Speed Bus". It's also termed as the "System Bus" but I've never heard of "Front Spped Bus" before in my IT classes in high school. It also works with the Southbridge which controls other devices such as an integrated graphics card. The FSB and L2 cache(L2 chache is what loads information from the RAM) is the connection from the Bus interface to the NorthBridge and to your SouthBridge which would matter for your integrated graphics cards and dedicated graphics cards. The CPU(plus the cores if it's not a single core) and L1 Cache connects to the FSB chip from the Back-Side.

These cache's would matter and would mean your CPU might be limited by it's cache to the point it is at it's limit for transferring data when you overclock it. Every CPU is designed differently and clock differently.
 
Grayfox
Skyline you forgot one more thing

RAM Timings. These need to be loosened a little when overclocking.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily and more commonly, no, not at all. If it's placed on a divider (QPI or FSB to DRAM) then you've effectively removed the DIMM's from the equation.
 
Well it seems Terronium-12 [No Offense :sly:] lead you all down the wrong path. I'd like to inform you of the basics of my system.

Motherboard is an OEM special BTX Board. Model is: OEM975XBGG1. Basically.. It's the OEM only BTX version of this: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/highlights/dsktpboards/d975xbx2

My processor is an Intel Core2Extreme QX6700 @2.66GHz

RAM is 2GB of PC2-6400 @ 6-6-6-18-21


Power Supply seems to be a pretty beefy OEM PSU. However, the computer was manufactured to run with Crossfire.. So I'm to assume it is fairly robust.

Other than that. I can't think of anything else you guys might want to know.
 
My system is

Asus PQ5 Pro Turbo
Intel Q9300 2.5Ghz overlocked to 3.00Ghz.
Team Extream 1066Mhz DDR2 didn't use a 1:1 Ratio on ram has i have issues overlocking these moduels.(a 4:3 ratio)

RAM timings are 6-6-6-18.

I also have overclocked my video card from 675/1700Mhz on the core/shader and set it to 800/2000Mhz or a 18% overclock.
 
Last edited:
And you guys call yourselves overclockers :)


62ghz-valid.jpg
 
Grayfox
Do you run LN²? and do you have the validation file?
Click to expand...

Lol.... don't believe me? :sly: You can check the validation at the CPUZ validation database (just google it), enter the cpuz from the pic (478919), and it will show my entry. I'm sure I still have the original .dmz file somewhere, but it's been a couple of years and could take a while to find it. I only run LN2, but I build single and cascade phase change units.

I ran that 8600 hard on LN2 for a couple months then stuck it in my daily use pc where it's still running as I type this. I didn't get rid of it because it was such a good chip and should do much better than 6.2ghz. My vcore mod wasn't working on the board when I did that run so I was limited to 1.84v, with 1.95-2v I'm sure it will break 6.5ghz. I still have all my LN2 equipment and may try it again some weekend.

smoke.jpg


_120c.jpg
 
I commend you for flexing those transistors, buddy. 👍

Also, DK FTW. Too bad DFI went under...as far as consumer/enthusiasts boards are concerned.
 
Grayfox
If you use LN² you are going overboard and are out of the realm of normal people.
Click to expand...

Considering the source, I'll take that as a compliment. :)

Terronium-12
I commend you for flexing those transistors, buddy. 👍

Also, DK FTW. Too bad DFI went under...as far as consumer/enthusiasts boards are concerned.
Click to expand...

Thanks Terronium. I was always taught not to half-ass things, if you want to run with the big dogs, you have to get off the porch. :D

DFI made some good boards. I normally stuck to Asus, but there was something going on with the DFI DK P45-T2RS Plus boards that made them .02sec faster than any other board in the SuperPI 1M benchmark.
 
As I am a complete n00b with OC, I'm not even trying to understand what you guys are talking about. :lol:

But, I have in my Bios (Asus p5k something something) a OC tab, where I can set pre-set OC tunes up to 30%, do you guys have any experience with this?

If I bump it up, let say 30%, will it become unstable, or is this all taken care of in the pre-set?

Heat won't be a problem, I have a bigger after market cooler.
 
Dennisch
As I am a complete n00b with OC, I'm not even trying to understand what you guys are talking about. :lol:

But, I have in my Bios (Asus p5k something something) a OC tab, where I can set pre-set OC tunes up to 30%, do you guys have any experience with this?

If I bump it up, let say 30%, will it become unstable, or is this all taken care of in the pre-set?

Heat won't be a problem, I have a bigger after market cooler.
Click to expand...

It's one way to go...no denying that, however, OC profiles tend to apply more voltage than necessary and there's no real guarantee it's going to be stable as you don't what week or stepping of the CPU the profile was made for. Leaving you having to manually fiddle with it anyway.

Give it a shot though. I've even messed around with auto OC profiles before and they do make things a hell of a lot easier for those who don't want to spend hours upon hours reading up on it.
 
So, I'll just have to set it up to 30%, start up a game or something, and see if it keeps on running?

What will happen to a unstable system? Blue screen or something?
 
Blue screen, things freezes, unexpected glitches.... refuses to boot up the OS or just endless beeps. You never really knows what's going to happen until it happens.

If you do it too far, it'll just hang.
 
Dennisch
So, I'll just have to set it up to 30%, start up a game or something, and see if it keeps on running?

What will happen to a unstable system? Blue screen or something?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend running a game -- run Prime95 for 6-12+ hours instead. As for what can happen: stop screens, random restarts, system halts/hang-ups, erroneous false positives (yes, that's redundant), refusal to boot (likely to warrant a CMOS clearing), and should you push too hard you can end up jumbling the text in the BIOS and start-up screens.
 
Tbose auto overclocking things are a pain in the backside, they can cause issues.

Best to it manually.
 

Similar threads

HuskyGT
Overclocking help
Replies
3
Views
725
Grayfox
Grayfox
HuskyGT
Upgrading Ram with active overclock
Replies
4
Views
2K
HuskyGT
HuskyGT
zim988
HIDUSBF + ANY SIM RACING WHEEL
Replies
0
Views
462
zim988
zim988
hazellnut134
resetting overclock
Replies
2
Views
421
hazellnut134
hazellnut134
HarrisHawk
PC Upgrade.
Replies
18
Views
2K
G.T.Ace
G.T.Ace

Latest Posts

Back