ABIT aw9d-MAX overclock tips

Hi all

Im not really knowledgeable with the hardware side of things. I have the ABIT aw9d-max motherboard I bought a while back and now time has pushed on and I need to squeeze out more from it. The processor is the main bottle neck.

I havent overclocked b4. Its a socket 775 LGA. Intel core 2 duo conroe E4500 2.2 GHz processor.

From what I gather both the mboard and chip are great for overclocking. I got a new fan a while back that keeps the chip sub 30 degrees Celcius.

I have the abit UGuru software installed and its working. I dont yet have much time to invest inresearch as im too busy but im willing to try a few twaeks but need a guideline. So far I have used uguru to slide the EXT-CLK from 204mhz to 251mhz. does that mean I now have a 2.5 GHZ processor??

Anyway Im interested in OC but cant afford to trash my work, research play, study computer system which i rely very heavily upon. Biut I need more grunt for virtuak machines and shogun 2 total war(that game needs cpu more so than video I think)

Any tips on what steps to take and what software to use to verify everything? Is the UGuru utility all that i need for overclocking & what do you think is the max I can squeeze out of this 2.2ghz system?

Thanks for reading need any logs etc. let me know

All the best

Confuseis

You should be overclocking in the BIOS. You also need to be going in smaller steps so that you know where instability occurs so you can try to counter it. Finally, you need to be testing for stability. If you don't have the time to do this step, then I'm sorry to say it, but you should just leave the system alone. Otherwise, you will likely have a very unstable system that is going to do more harm than good.

The EXT-CLK is the "external clock" or the FSB (front side bus). This is the base speed of the processor. For example, your stock FSB is 200 and your processor multipler is 11x. You multiply these together (200 * 11) to get 2200 MHz, or 2.2 GHz. If you set your FSB to 251, your processor would be running at 2761 MHz and would very likely not even POST at that speed. As I mentioned, overclocking is not a quick process. It is trial and error, with stability testing between setting changes to see how it reacts. There are no guides that can tell you to put it at a specific setting and have it work without errors. Every piece of hardware is different.

I helped another member here with their e4500. I tested my e4300 (same processor, just a lower multi) and pushed it to 3.3GHz with a little bit of instability. This was just a quick test, though. I would say anything below 3.0 GHz to be easily obtainable.

Hi thideras

Dont get me wrong im willing to appraoch this in smaller steps once I have an idea on what approach just not take up a separate computer hardware learning course is what i meant.

Its good to know that 3 ghz is obtainable. Id sasy there is a good chance as this abit mobo seems to be taylor made for overclocking.

Interstingly Ive boosted the FSB/EXT-clk from 2.21 to 2.51 thus fa & seems ok and yeah I only see ram and ext-clk settings in the uguru menu. Looks like I need to mess with the bios which has a specific OC uguru section suppose I just need to knw which settings to begin tweaking next.

Thanks

Can you post a screenshot of CPU-z? I may not know exactly what "FST/EXT-clk" is. I'd need to see a before and after.

It has been a long time since I've owned this board.

Hi I have attached 2 images showing the cpuz results b4 & after. Where we can see the bus speed has jumped.

I changed this bus speed only because I could and the uguru made it easy, Im not sure if this has any impact on system performance. Im guessing my 1st OC should be the CPU and here I need to get to the Uguru section of tyhe BIOS. Once there howver what should be 1st thing to tweak for the core cpu to be boosted.

Thanks

Ok, that clears it up, it is the FSB speed control. I would highly suggest testing for stability before keeping it at the speed for anything important. I would suggest using a program called LinX and I would link you to the download page, but their website has been down for months, so I've uploaded it to my own website here:

http://thideras.com/downloads/LinX.zip

I'd run it with "All" memory (click the button) for at least 20 passes. I usually set it to 500 and let it go for 24+ hours before using it for anything serious. The longer you run it, the more chance you will find instability. There is no way to ensure that it is perfectly stable, but by testing it for a large amount of time, you make it a mathematically insignificant chance.

Okay Ill do that. Does increasing the FSB speed make any difference for overall system performance? I know that it's the bus between processor & Ram but is it worth increasing this? Why risk instability if there is no benifit is what im wondering.

OC the processor is what I really want to do what are the typical bios settings for doing this or is the bios the only way etc.?

Thanks

Increasing the FSB will increase your RAM and processor speed, yes. Since the FSB is used as a base clock for a lot of important components in the computer, testing for stability is a crucial step.

In the BIOS, it should just be labeled "FSB" or "Front side bus". It has been many years since I've owned this board, so I don't remember exactly.

Hi Confuseis,

I used to own Abit boards before the company went under and you got a great one. However, I tell my clients that after 5 years of use, a desktop computer is ready to retire. As yours is around 6yrs, I don't recommend going down the overclocking path... It's like whipping a senior citizen to work harder--it might work for a little bit but it will definitely shorten it's life. Overclocking doesn't just put stress on the processor, it stresses the entire system. However, this is an overclocking community so most would say "go for it!". I would simply caution that this would not be the most reliable option especially after your description of how important this machine is for more than just games.

If you insist on making this computer work faster I have a few tips for you.

1. Back up all your data and locate all your programs for reinstall. External Hard Drives are cheap and smart for local backups. Plus, you'll have a way to backup your data in preparation for your inevitable new computer.

2. Reformat your hard drive and perform a fresh install of Windows (after 6 years it's time for a clean install). Then only load the programs you use and the data you need. There are also many tips for Optimizing your Registry and system performance that will allow your computer to run more efficiently.

3. If you want to spend some money, upgrade to a solid state hard drive (SSD) before reinstalling Windows and you won't be disappointed. You could also upgrade to a quad core processor which can be found online, and also upgrade your RAM although the SSD will be the best bang for your buck and could be usefull on your next build so it's the wisest purchase.

Here's some pictures and screenshots from my old AWD9 & an E2160. I managed to get it from 1.8GHz to 3.3Ghz. Hope you find some of the settings helpful.
stock


2.4ghz


3.0ghz


3.2ghz


3.3ghz

Thanks all I really appreiciate your help. Yeah i cant afford a new systems for another good while so ill have a crack at a 20% OC If my VM's need that grunt. btw got great results from software using IObit advanced systems cares, Turbo boost that mainly cuts down all the unnecessary background services. Reformatted about as year and a half ago but hell I must consider reducing unnecessary programs alright.


Oh and JLk03f150 How did that system you OverClocked fare in the long run, did she burn out or anything, did you get a few years out of her after the fact.

Thanks again all.

That board ran flawlessly for several years. That E2160 was a friend's CPU he loaned me so we could play with the overclock. I usually ran an E6600 (9x266) in it, overclocked to 3.6GHz (9x400). At times I forgot that CPU's actual clock speed because the 3.6GHz performed so well 24/7. Good times... lol

I upgraded because I wanted 16x/16x PCIe lanes for Crossfire, instead of the Abit's 8x/8x. I still have the board & cpu packed away.

Good to know. Its a shame to have a board designed specifically for OC with an OC friendly processor and not sqeeze out at least 20 per cent. So Im gonna give it a shot. Ill refer to your images for the settings. I too am a squirrel when it comes to docmenting better to have to much than to little

Much Obliged