Old OC project -- What can we get?

Im trying to wring the last bit of stable performance out of this thing ... an INTEL MOBO! So my BIOS is locked pretty tight but I hope adjusting some values will help.

Heres the system I'm working with:

I have a Gateway GT5408 with a D945G MoBo and upgraded to an E6700 Conroe. Also, 4 gigs of mem Kingston PC2-4300 and a GeForce 9500 GT 512MB DDR2. Almost everything else is stock.

I understand that software is really the only/main way to OC this thing but I have access to some Memory control in the BIOS: Mem Freq, tCL, tCRD, tRP, tRASmin.
Current settings are 533MHz, 4, 4, 4, 12 respectively.

How can I use this my advantage? I've been searching but haven't come across a clear answer (at least that I understand).

This system is being replaced in the next year once I have time to get framiliar with current tech and have the cash. I plan on running this thing to its stable(somewhat) limit until then.

I would like to take all advice and see what I can get this thing to do and post it up!

THANKS OCS.COM !!!!

SPHINX

PS soft OCing is evil but Im gonna anyway LOL any suggestion on what to use?

The only memory timing that will make any noticeable difference is tCL (CAS). Lower numbers are faster.

But when you use software to speed up the CPU, faster clock ticks, that leaves less time for the memory to complete each step it has to do to successfully manage the data stored on the memory ICs. Latencies are for all intents and purposes the number of clock ticks the memory waits before it starts the next step in what it has to do. So, a faster CPU speed will require longer (numerically higher) latency settings.

The object of the game is to get the CAS as low as possible, and still have the memory stable. If you can change it tRef would be helpful. It's how often the memory automatically rewrites the data to the memory registers. To slow and the data is lost ( memory is just capacitors, and capacitors loose their charge over time, nanoseconds), to fast and to many clock ticks are wasted rewriting data.

The problem with software overclocking is it's lack if granularity, you can only make BIG changes.

I've spent some time overclocking Intel and AMD boards with locked BIOSs, and while it can be done, there are quite a few more failed overclocks to get through than with an overclockable BIOS.

Good Luck....