n00b question about ocing

[kenweil]

I have a p4 2.4c processor with a gigabit 875p motherboard. The ram i am using is advant pc 3500. I sucessfully oc'd my processor by lowering the memory frequency to 1.66 instead of auto. The overclock speed was 2.96ghz. The question i have is that the way to go about it lower the frequency so i can bump up my fsb. One other question is my vcore voltage. Its default setting is 1.525 i hear that it depends what the default voltage is some are default at 1.55 does that mean i can raise the voltage to there without harming my processor or mobo or is it still a chance?

[shiyan]

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

Your RAM should be able to run at up to 218Mhz with no problems, as that is its stock speed. It should be able to run it higher than that actually, as there's always some overclocking room left.

The 5:4 CPU:RAM divider should be sufficient.

as for voltages, if you have not changed any voltages till now, that is a very nice overclock!

yes, you can safely change voltages, as long as you know what you are doing. Stay at or below 1.65v for the CPU, and at or below 2.8v for the RAM.

This is just to help you get going, something I wrote in another thread:

my short list for P4 overclocking:

"make sure your cooling is installed properly
go into bios. (press Del upon bootup)
lock your AGP and PCI at 33 and 66 Mhz.
set CPU:RAM divider to 3:2
increase fsb to a very conservative estimate.
boot windows and stress test. (P95, CPU Burn, 3DMark, Sandra...)
upon passing the stress test, increase you FSB further, until sytem becomes unstable during stress testing.
at this point decide whether to increase CPU voltages to go on, or back down a bit on the FSB.
Now try running your RAM with the two higher dividers, 5:4 and 1:1, maybe even 4:5 and 2:3.
try slowing down the timings if your RAM does not like the speed.

don't go over 1.65v on the CPU for everyday use, and also don't go wild on the RAM voltages (though I'm not sure what is safe... but 2.7v is definitely still safe)

also watch your temperatures. if your temps go above 60C, it's definitely time to stop and get better cooling.

stress test with many programs afterwards to make sure you are stable.

this could probably do with a lot of improvements... so any seasoned Intel user feel free to improve this list."

[kenweil]

okay what is this ram divider never seen it all i see is ram frequency my options are 2.0 1.66 1.33 or auto

[shiyan]

sorry about that, I'll go and look up the specific info on your board...

edit:

looks like your motherboard calls it a little differently. I guess 166 would be the right setting.

just below that setting, you should be able to see how fast it will actually run. with your 2.4 running at 2.96Ghz, your RAM was probably running at around 197Mhz.

that means you can leave it at that setting, increase voltage to the CPU and keep going if you wanted to.

also, check to see if temperatures are alright. If they are getting high, either don't increase your speed further, or get better cooling.

have you checked stability with something like Prime 95?

[kenweil]

No i havent tried prime 95 where do i get that. Also what is 1.33 frequency? My temp was about 43 degree's celcius max while fully overclocked and running in DAoC an online game that taxes alot of stuff. Okay here it is Cpu host frequency 245mhz memory frequency (mhz) 407mhz and the memory frequency set to 1.66 but what if i move it to 1.33 will that help or hinder me i am looking for best bang for the buck. Also my temp was 43 degree's Celcius under full load. I am using jet 4 heatsink with case fan pointing at the turbine pulling in outside air and shooting straight into the turbine down to the processor

[shiyan]

133 would probably be the 3:2 CPU:RAM divider.

temps look good. I think you could try for more.

[kenweil]

should i try the 1.33 or stay with 1.66? i think i can get more at 1.33 level but need opinions and if i want to bump up vcore voltage will 1.55 be good?

[shiyan]

I think your RAM is good enough for you to stay with 166, 5:4.

1.55v is good it should let you get a bit more out of your CPU. As long as you stay under 1.65v your CPU's relatively safe.

[kenweil]

ahh sweet i will try that because 1.66 i lock up at 3.0ghz and 3.12 if i bump up my voltage i think it will stabalize. thanks alot for your help i will let you know how it came out