Thread: HOWTO: Over clock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - Guide v1.6.1

Prior to you maintain, I write this conduct through the newbie in mind, so please don't reply criticize it for being too naive it's this way by design. Also know that the steps for over clocking apply to all chips: quads, duals, single-cores, or triple-core processors. You can use the basics taught in this guide with any modern machine.

I write the guide initially using a Q6600/Asus P5B-Deluxe, but freshly sold that appliance and updated to and. I didn’t want to change the first half of the guide, so it’s still based on the panel. The newly written part about finding a smallest amount stable CPU and MB vcore section is written based on my actual experience finding stable settings for this newer machine. Once more, the steps for over clocking are pretty independent of this subtle change. Lastly, I take no responsibility for what you do with the information in this guide. Over clock your hardware at your own risk.

Over clocking Basics

Prior to you start, read your motherboard physical. Identify how to reset your BIOS in the event that you are too destructive in your CPU settings and it doesn't complete a POST .Some motherboards reset automatically if you switch off the power supply for 30 seconds or so. Others require you to move a jumper to reset them.

Over clocking is extra completive than just adjust two setting in the BIOS, as you increase the FSB, you'll also want to increase the core power which is the actual juice going to the processor. As well, you may have to amplify the other voltages on the board like ICH chipset. Present, there are also parameters calculating your memory that may need alteration as well. Don't worry about them for now. The board can manage these automatically which is what you should do initially. When you lastly make a decision on an over clock number, you'll desire to go back and reduce your voltages to reduce your heat manufacture. We'll get into this later. For now, you want to verify you can successfully POST, and verify that your system can run stable at the settings you've chosen.

Previous to you believe about over clocking your system, you'll need to be sure you're using superiority parts that can handle the increased stresses.

1. Motherboard

I determined not to maintain a list of motherboards that are known to be high-quality over lockers; keeping the list updated would be too moment consuming. I only mention this because if you’re using some generic MB you got free with the purchase of your CPU; you’re probably not going to be able to over clock it.

2. Cooling

Cooling is extremely significant, since you're asking the scheme to construct more heat than it's designed to manufacture. A quad core chip will produce twice the heat of a dual core chip, so if you're using the Intel Stock HSF, you'll probably want to upgrade to something better. Again, I don’t want to maintain a list. I can tell you that I am using a Thermal right Ultra-120 Extreme and am very happy with it.

At this juncture is a more recent list of HS’s that have really been reviewed and ranked based on performance.

As a final point, there is a piece at the end of the direct free, “Temperature Management” which I would hardly suggest you at least have a look at since it contains some good info. For example, for under $5 you can probably shave off ~10-15 % of your NB (North Bridge) load temps simply by adding a small fan to the heat sink even if it was never designed to have one

3. Memory

you will require recall that can keep up with your over clocked system. Again, I’m not going to keep a list. You’ll see RAM listed with timings and speeds that I’ll decode for you using the first part are self-explanatory.

• The amount following it is the facts move time. Simply divide it by 2 to get the maximum FSB speed for which the module is rated.

• The PC2 is designation denoting theoretical bandwidth in MB/s. Very few memory manufacture use this in its place of the DDR2 memory title. You can analyze it for any FSB you want by purely attractive the FSB and multiplying by 16.

After facts that are the major timings (clock cycles). Generally, the lower these numbers are, the faster the memory. For more on memory timings,

• The figure after figure, it is the data convey rate. Simply divide it by 4 to get the maximum FSB speed for which the module is rated. Example: 1600/4 = 400 MHz. Therefore, DDR3-1600 can work on systems with a FSB of up to 400 MHz (anything more and you’re lucky).

• The PC3- is description denoted hypothetical bandwidth in megabytes. Some memory manufactures employ this in its place of the DDR3 title. You can calculate it for any FSB you want by simply taking the FSB and multiplying by 32.

4. Power Supply

There are in fact two major factors to consider when select a control provide:
1) Quality of the PSU
2) Power output

I don’t have the knowledge to write up this assortment of the lead, so I’ll point you to this nice list written by perkam to use as a guide. In lately, TH.com wrote another article you can check out on the topic.

Presently there is a huge article on power utilization over at TH.com that I suggest you read at your vacation. I distilled out some highlights to underscore how much power systems really use:

So you can observe that depending on the hardware spectacles, your system power requirements can approach 500 W. here is also figures of good online authority supply calculators you can use. Find them with Google as always. Here is one such example.

5. Required Software

At this time there is hardly any utilities you'll need to continue, all are freeware.

General System Information

Processor is a great application to present your nearby settings counting, FSB, RAM, vcore settings, etc. This one is a must-have.

CPU pressure Testing

Prime 95 v25.6 is a great app for tension testing. It is very efficient at generating CPU loads equally across all your cores. There are few other apps that will stress a system as a hard as p95. Alternatively, if you’re using a 64-bit o/s you can download the 64-bit version of prime95 v25.6.

I like to use version 25.x over the existing “creation” version 24.x because it [version 25.x] automatically stresses all your cores without having to load up two dissimilar instances of the appearance like you had to do with orthos.


System Monitoring

Nearby, there are a number of option for processor core temp and scheme temp monitor. For a discussion of what is different between the apps I am about to list, see this thread

The subsequently, there are three applications will give you core temps extra other temps, voltages, fan RPMs, etc.:

Do not faith the temperatures that your motherboard's free temp efficacy reads. "PC Probe 2" that comes with Asus boards really sucks because it's not measuring your core temps. They are what you really care about.

There are extra temp monitoring programs out there. These are what I counsel. I'll only mention one other by name with the advice that you do NOT to use it: Thermal analysis tool it’s made by Intel and I don't care what anyone else out there thinks: it was NOT designed to read the coretemps.

It was in black and white for Pentium M chips. Yes, it will show temps, and okay, sometimes they equal up with the principles home work station display, but I have found that TAT often reports temps higher than the real values. How do I know this? Read this thread and pay attention to uncle web’s instructions to use crystalcpuid to directly read your DTS and calculate your core temp yourself if you don't believe me.

BIOS Settings

Lets looks for some settings in your BIOS. Not all boards are the same. The subsequent picks are in use from Deluxe; other manufacture wills probable have their own names for these settings. You're on your own to figure them out (shouldn't be that tough). It goes without saying that your board will have these organized differently as well.

Lemme ask for forgiveness upfront for the meager quality metaphors below. I have no idea how to effectively photograph a computer monitor. I just used a cheap p&s camera with the lights off. You can still read them.

Modify Ratio Support Not able to, but you can if you want to choose a different multiplier. For the Q6600, 9 xs is the uppermost as I said. If you allow this, you can select an inferior one if you want, some people think a lower multiplier and a higher FSB is better.

Vander pool – Disable unless you’re operation VMW are or near PC; this selection enables supplementary extension within the processor that yields added acceleration when running multiple O/S’s on the same machine through

PECI – This stands for stage background manage border - disable or enable. This affects how your DTS (Digital Thermal Sensors) report the core temps of your CPU. I have mine enabled and have read several posts now that suggest having it enabled does indeed give more accurate core temps. I can’t say if you want it on or off in your system.

Ultimately this Asus P5B-Deluxe FAQ, this location of toggles stuck between two temp modes.

If you’re with a genuine core temperature monitoring submission such as core temp (mentioned and linked above), this setting has no effect that I can see.

Speed Step - Automatically lower the multiplier from it’s to 6 xs at what time the mechanism is idle. The effect is fewer control utilization and heat production. It goes back up to 9x when you start to get a CPU load. Disable initially, enable later on and see if the system remains stable. This is a power savings option.

Why you accomplish worry about command savings? Increased power consumption translates into increased heat production. As well, power costs money and unless generated from a nuclear power plant, creates carbon dioxide gas. It’s true that energy savings will only matter when the machine is idle, but odds are your machine will spend most of its time at idle unless your run an app like Let’s assume for the sake of discussion that enabling these saves A few pennies per day will add up over time.

Power investments editorial report a hoard of 12 full watts by enabling speed step on their test system.

Next thing you'll desire to do is dial in the manufacture’s spectacles for your specific memory. Also get care not to go over the propose specs for your memory initially. We desire to minimize the number of variables to deal with on a first time over clocking. In other words, if your machine isn't stable, you want to be sure it's due to the CPU settings, NOT the memory timings.

In succession of 1:1 form is term, “synchronous mode.” If you use a senior rate, you’re running is so-called “asynchronous mode” which offers minor speed advantages at the price of more heat and power consumption on a C2D/C2D Quad-based system for most users. Depending on your chipset, running in an asynchronous mode may require more vcores to some of your motherboard components such as the NB, IHC, and/or FSB Termination

PCI articulate occurrence – put this to 100 MHz. If you don’t, I think the PCIe means of transportation velocity will increase proportionally with your FSB which is a little you do not want to do to your expensive video board.

PCI Clock bringing together - occupy 33.33 MHz here. Once more, if you leave the setting on auto, the PCI clock will creep up proportionally with your FSB which can damage cards you may have there aren't designed to run at higher frequencies.

Memory Voltage - examine the speculation for your memory. My DIMMS can use up to 2.2v. You can injure your memory if you over volt it.

Computer VCore – This is lonely BIOS setting will have the largest effect on your processor’s operating temperatures! Again, read on to the section entitled, “Stress Testing and Minimizing Your Vcores.”

It requests to be sufficient to run steady, but not too a great deal or else you’re just wasting power and creating a ton of heat. This is particularly true with multicore processors!

Here personal belongings you’re wondering what Intel recommends for your processor, find your chip on Intel's Processor Finder.

In my occurrence a location of “auto” ALWAYS overestimate, but for your first boot, just leave it on auto. The next section of this guide covers stress testing whose goal is to verify stability and to minimize your vcore. For example, once you verify that you can run stable for several hours of stress testing, you'll want to come back and minimize this voltage until you become unstable again. Then simply add a little back.

Why do you be concerned? Temperature (power) increase with the cube of power. It increases in a linear fashion with frequency. What does that mean? It means that as your FSB goes up, so does your heat, but as your vcore goes up, your heat goes up exponentially.

I quoted the over declaration from an Intel article. It has been removed from intel.com and used to reside at the following link: Missing Intel Document. I managed to find a copy of the PDF file in one of my backup sets. Knuspar from guru3d kindly agreed to host it here.

The title of the document is, "Intel® Core™2 Extreme Quad-Core Processor, Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines." It’s dated Jan 2007 and has an official Intel Documents.

Appreciation! Additional guide for this baffling procedure (to n00bs) is welcome. Today is was my first go at OCing.

I couldn't form away why I didn't see a usual PCI choice for 33 MHz. I'll have to recheck my BIOS and make sure it isn't using the term you did. I set the PCI Express to 100 MHz, 'cause I thought that is all I had.

Act I presently keep upping the FSB by 5? I heard 1:1 fractions are about right with the RAM I have, but I'm not sure. Currently doing a stress test with Prime95 temps at around 52C.

What happen if I bugger positive? Do I get a chance to reset the bios or do I have taken it to the shop?

You can increase the FSB by steps but know that you'll likely have to raise the vcore as well. My guide isn't a ballistic over lock (i.e. how fast can I go)... it's more of an "I'm going to pick a value and try it" type-guide.

You are able to rearrange it in all likelyhood. There's a paragraph in my guide about reading your MB manual to know this before you start I'm pretty use the GA-965P-S3 either resets automatically like my P5B-Del does, or has a clear CMOS jumper you can use to reset it.

Every chip is different. When you buy a C2D, keep in mind that perhaps you won't be cleverly to reach 2.8 GHz even on a 6600. Some chips are really bad overclockers. And new batches are getting worse and worse.

It has nothing to do among power reduction but with overheat CPU safety putting it in a throttle management mode to protect a noob before burning his CPU on long use. It won't affect over clock temperature, but monitoring the TM mode with TAT you'll know the CPU reached the real hard limit.

PECI Nothing to do with power saving, it is a method of analysis the DTS signal. On ASUS MB, your reading will be and be lower than expected, so disable. Or enable and see if temp readings are more accurate (temps below ambient are wrong) even at idle.
If you enable them, you'll surely experience random hang-ups. Even with speedstep alone, keeping the vcore unchanged you can be unsuccessful accidentally. You can enable them once done, but most likely you will knowledge difficulty and have to disable them.

erroneous, just get an E4 series or even new E6xxx series, use speed fan (Offset 85 for DTS reading), and you'll get core temps (at idle 6x200 FSB and a low vcore) below ambient temperature. There is too much debate on this, but assuming for a noob that Tj is 85 for C2D is wrong, they'll be comfortable with reading temperatures, but in reality they will need to correct the offset by +15° for Tj of 100°

Other than that, your guide is a good work and effort. But gratify right these error, or else it can be a guide on how to burn your CPU/graphic card and limit your over clock.

TAT and core temp 0.95 notice the correct temperatures as far as I identify. Each one should recalibrate them based on idle low voltage/low fsb readings.

Computer is not recommended actually for reading energy. Attempt growing vcore and you'll see that some part above 1.47 vcore it won't read it right