Overclocking Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P with Q6600

funkyfive

Newbie to overclocking, can any one help?

Mousey

I think the general Gist of it is to steadily bump up the FSB until the rig starts becoming unstable then put the voltage up a touch.
I've never really bothered overclocking tbh so i'm not too sure

Pyongmu

I have been tweaking with a P35-DS3P/ Q6600 combo for a few weeks. The best setting for my system so far seems to be 444x8 (3552) with 1.4215 CPU voltage and 2.5 memory multi (DDR1110). I have found the majority of the discussions regarding working with E6750's in this forum applies also to Q6600. Just be sure to include all 4 cores when stress testing. I use Orthos for the first 2 cores and 2 instances of Prime95 for the other two

funkyfive

What temperatures are u getting Pyongmu, and which Cooler are u using?

Pyongmu

Mid 60's running Orthos and 2-Prime95, 36 idle. I am using a Tuniq Tower 120 with both the CPU and the cooler lapped.

Mousey

60s on a cooler like that? Damn... Even my zalman keeps my C2D in the 30's when i'm rendering in C4D which is constant 100% load.

funkyfive

Nice, my processor is idle @ 36 and on a full load @ 48 on stock. My main concern is the motherboard which is constant @ 36c according to speedfan and everest

Pyongmu

It probably only means that you have good case ventilation. Nothing to worry about.

Pyongmu

Funkyfive, before you start tweaking your system, download some benchmarking tools so that you can "measure" the improvements. Sisoft Sandra Lite can be had for free at SiSoftware Zone Run at least the processor arithmetic and memory bandwidth benchmarks on your machine at stock setting so that you have a baseline to go by.

Pyongmu

Then try the following 2 mild overclocks,
FSB-333, 9X CPU multi and 2.4X DRAM multi (2997MHz/800DDR)
FSB-400, 7X CPU multi and 2X DRAM multi (2800MHz/800DDR)

Mousey

I wouldn't worry about the mobo temp, as long as it isn't turning into Molten Silicone your'e alright methinks

PangingJr

i’m wondering, can you set the Performance Enhance mode to Turbo or Extreme at the overclock setting? or you use Standard?

Pyongmu

I have the Performance Enhance set to "Turbo." I can't seem to run it on "Extreme" unless I back off on on DRAM timing. Correction: at the current setting of 444x9x2.5, I can set the Performance Enhance to "Extreme" but it does not seem to be any better than "Turbo."

funkyfive

I will give it a go and post the results.

funkyfive

FSB-400, 7X CPU multi and 2X DRAM multi (2800MHz/800DDR)

My God its quick, CPUZ is showing as 2800Mhz and CPU is @ 44c Idle and Motherboard is @ 39c. FSB is 1600Mhz. So next question is how do i make the RAM faster?

Do I also need to set the Performance Enhance mode to Turbo? Vista is showing the processor as 3.6Ghz?

Pyongmu

Try the "Turbo" Performance Mode first, then "Extreme." This should tighten up your DRAM settings and should produce 8-10% memory bandwidth gain.

Pyongmu

Set the performance mode to turbo and if stable, then try extreme. Doing so, if it works, should result 5-15% memory bandwidth increase








If t seems Windows determines the CPU frequency only with FSB setting and the stock CPU multiplier. Ignore what windows says.

funkyfive

Performance mode has been changed to Turbo, DDR2+12v has shown an increase in power from 1.8v to 2.14v. All is stable. Vcore is showing a increase in power @ 1.41v

Pyongmu

Changing your Performance Enhance to Turbo or Extreme will improve your DRAM timing and produce favorable results. Make sure your DRAM voltage is set per the spec which I believe is 2.1V (+.3 in BIOS). To further improve your memory settings, read some of the earlier posts. Discussions by PangingJr, in particular, are well worth a detailed study.
Meanwhile, try a higher CPU multiplier. You should be able to run 7x with no problems at stock voltage and 8x with only a slight bump (around 1.3).

Edit: Sorry for inadvertently "sounding" like a broken record. My posts would not show up right away so I re-posted etc. Anyway, the reason for this edit is to clarify the 8-10% vs 5-15% MB gain comments I made when going from "Standard" Performance Enhance setting to "Turbo" or "Extreme." On my system, 8-10% MB gain is what I get at 444FSB and 2-2.5x DRAM combinations with "Auto" DRAM timings setting. At full range combo of 266-450 FSB and 2-4x DRAM, the MB gains are 5-15%.

funkyfive

Will do i will post the results. Just an update, i am changing my Zalman CPU Cooler to a Scythe Miné Rev. B Cooler.

Pyongmu

Before installing the new cooler, take the CPU out, clean it, and set it on the cooler such that the mating surfaces are joined. Give it a good inspection. Ideally, they should mate up like two panes of glass. If not, you may want to consider lapping the CPU, cooler or both. You will be amazed at the results. Here's a site that describes the process in detail- Guide To Lapping your CPU - FrostyTech.com

Kazeko

Here's the DH.net Heatsink Lapping Guide as well.


http://www.driverheaven.net/guides/lappingheatsink/



And I'd HIGHLY recommend lapping the heatsink. IT's a pretty easy process and in my experience, temperature decreases of 5-10C isn't unheard of or unlikely, depending on how fine you go. I do all my Heatsinks with atleast 1200 grit, usually 1500 grit.

funkyfive

Cheers for the advise, i am going to look into it, i have 48hrs until my new kit arrives. I will update and post the results.

funkyfive

while i wait for my new cpu cooler, can anyone advise me the best way to go with getting the most out of my memory?

kris23

put its latencies as high as possible and try to avoid OCing the memory, unless you bought the OCZ Platinum DDR2 1066MHz sets or similar with D9GMH chips

you should not try to go above DDR2 900 5-5-5-15. it will result in unstable performance.

Pyongmu

Funkyfive,

If you want, you can try this to figure out the maximum capabilities of your modules yourself (since no one running the same memory is volunteering this information).
Get the latest BIOS (F8) if you haven't already.
Make sure the DRAM voltage setting in BIOS is per the module specs. 1.8 is default so set it to +.3 if the spec is 2.1 (+.4 for 2.2, etc.) but don't go higher.
Select BIOS settings which will provide a low FSB/CPU frequencies while the memory is at the spec frequency. With the Performance Enhance set to Turbo, gradually ( or in leaps if you are an adventurous type) increase the FSB to bump up the memory frequency and see how far you can go.
A good initial setting for the test would be something like320x7x2.5 (2.3MHz/800DDR). Run Memset or equivalent after each trial and record the results.
Happy OCing.

Pyongmu

Just curious, Kris, how far have you successfully pushed your QX9770/ X48 chipset? Stock setting of 400x8!! And is it worth the money?