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» Overclocking Q9550 - Help

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craige

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Nov 9, 2008
I would like to overclock for years now and have read countless articles on internet but I simply not getting it. Now as my processor is old I am really feeling the pinch in gaming and would really have to overclock.

My target is 3.2Ghz. Now I don't know much but only can overclock FSB and hence just for trail I had increased my FSB to 376 which got me cool 3.2Ghz.

Now it was just for trial, please tellme exact settings tht I have to do to achieve perfect results like voltages, multipliers etc etc...

My Rig:
Q9550 with Asus P5Q Deluxe Mobo
2x2GB Gskill 800Mhz Ram with heatsinks + 2GB Gskill normal Ram without heatsinks
Win7 SP1 x64
RealTemp – Temperature monitoring Software + CPU-Z

PS: Cant I just increase FSB and be done with it ?
 
The problem is that there isn't a 'perfect' setting. Each CPU is different so what may work on one may not work on the other.

That out of the way, the goal for overclocking is to reach your target clockspeed, which you have, with the least amount of voltage to be stable. Sounds like it is time to lower your voltage to the minimum stable...
 
start with FSB 376 & vcore 1.325.

You can't change the multiplier on that chip so don't worry about it.
 
Well.... what abt RAM settings?

Also sumbody had told me to set, Pcie Sata Voltage @ 1.50.
I wonder if its necessary as he was of the opinion on Auto the mobo might push more voltages to HDD...
 
Leave PCIe sata voltage alone...

What about ram settings? The problem is you have DDR2 800 which at a 1:1 ratio to the FSB (lowest you can go) that means anything over 400 FSB you will be overclocking them. Set them at 1:1 now.

Please post CPUz screenshots up of the first tab, memory, and SPD tab please using the instructions below.

Also, check out the guide we have here for overclocking your CPUs. It does go over this stuff and their relationships. :)

OCFinsertimages.png
 
LOL, those are photos of it at stock speeds... was looking for the overclocked...

Anyway, if you are stable at 376FSB with the ram at whatever it would be at with that FSB, then, as mentioned earlier, the object is to lower your voltage to the lowest value that is stable. It will vary with each chip. So essentially, it is up to you to figure out the optimal value by lowering voltage, and stress testing, lowering voltage and stress testing... rinse, and repeat.

Good luck!
 
Although I could find no information on what EXACTLY that PCIe SATA voltage does, almost everything I read has it at either 1.5 or AUTO, so I'm assuming 1.5 is default but don't hold me to that.

As far as ram settings go, it looks like you'll start overclocking them after a 400 FSB.

-Set Ram timings/voltage to what you see in the JEDEC2 for 400Mhz
-Set the FSB to 400Mhz and the multiplier to 8x. This will give you 3.2 Ghz AND a matching FSB ;)
-Set VCore (CPU voltage) to, say, 1.3 as a safe starting point. WATCH THE TEMPS THOUGH. Set CPU FSB (FSB Termination Voltage) to 1.25.
-Make sure the ram divider is set 1:1. If it's on Auto, that should be OK, but I'd personally change it.
-Run Prime 95 Small FFT's for a while and WATCH THE TEMPS! Don't let the cores or CPU temps go over ~76C. If it's stable for at least 30 minutes, try turning the VCore DOWN one notch and prime again. You want the lowest voltage possible while still being stable. After this, run Blend in Prime for at least 6 hours to be sure everythings good.

This is the town you wanted to be in, it's up to you to find the store =)
 
I had my q9550 up to 4.2Ghz. It was hell getting the FSB up above 500Mhz, absolute hell. Tuning Vtt and the MCH and CPU ref voltages took for-f'ing-ever. Then one day I pushed it up to 4275Mhz and the system completely died. I never figured out if it was the motherboard or/the CPU that gave up the ghost. The PSU, RAM and video card survived the debacle.

Cathesdus said:
start with FSB 376 & vcore 1.325.

You can't change the multiplier on that chip so don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Um, you certainly CAN change the multiplier on a q9550, it's the only way I got mine to 500Mhz FSB.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It was the QX series that had an unlocked multiplier... On this chip, you can change it DOWN, but not UP. Usually lowering it does not help with reaching an overclocking goal. ;)

(Please edit and add to your posts instead of double posting. :)).
 
Guyz,

Inspite of having read multiple guides, am having difficulty in understanding what Ram settings should I input in BIOS.
So as you all know am overclocking @ 3.2Ghz what will the ideal Ram settings (Details in 1st post)

PS: I am using E0 Stepping processor
 
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, as well as the information in post #7, your best bet is to set it to the lowest multiplier it will go to which should be 1:1 to your FSB. So that way, your FSB matches your memory speed. That would give you up to 400FSB which would then have your memory run at its rated speed of 400Mhz (DDR2 800).

Set your timings to the 5-5-5-15 you see in CPUz.
 
EarthDog said:
your best bet is to set it to the lowest multiplier it will go to which should be 1:1 to your FSB. So that way, your FSB matches your memory speed. That would give you up to 400FSB which would then have your memory run at its rated speed of 400Mhz (DDR2 800).
Click to expand...

Well 400FSB is overclocking to 3.4Ghz and tht in turn leads to higher voltage to CPU.... I wana play very safe and would not like to go beyond 3.2Ghz and in that case what should be the settings ?

Attaching Pic of all the Ram Options I am getting in BIOS,
http://tinypic.com/r/fa7h38/5
 

Attachments

  • Ram Options.jpg
    Ram Options.jpg
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Last edited:
Please host the pictures internally. I am unable to see 3rd party hosts as my office blocks it. See post #5 for instructions.

You have a couple of options. You can either lower your CPU multiplier and raise the FSB to 400 (so 400x8=3200). Or you can leave run your memory multiplier one up from 1:1 ratio, and see if you are stable with overclocking the ram. With what we have seen so far, my suggestion for you personally is to lower the CPU multiplier and raise the FSB to 400. Its just easier.
 
EarthDog said:
It was the QX series that had an unlocked multiplier... On this chip, you can change it DOWN, but not UP. Usually lowering it does not help with reaching an overclocking goal. ;)

(Please edit and add to your posts instead of double posting. :)).
Click to expand...

I had to lower the multiplier on my q9550 to get to 500Mhz FSB. Are you saying that changing a mutliplier down doesn't qualify as changing it?
 
LOL, who knew you were talking DOWN?! You have to admit 99% of the talk about multipliers, especially today with so many "K" type processors out, that the talk is about RAISING them... so who knew you meant lowering it (Kind of like the GiB/GB thing... you like to post the GiB which very few people use, even though it is also right, ;))? But just wanted to clarify in that most people want to RAISE their multiplier so they do not have to have as high FSB. An unlocked multiplier (as I said specifically) goes both ways, while a locked one can only go down.

And the reason you had to change it because you could not get the clock stable I am guessing but wanted that magical 500 FSB number. I have run the 8.5 multi on the Q9550 before and over 500FSB. So it is not a requirement to use a lower multiplier to reach 500FSB. It all comes down to the tweaking of voltages really.
 
Last edited:
ED, my q9550 system that fried was built on a Gigabyte UD3LR-ep45t. This motherboard had bare VRM's. Do you think when I pushed my overclock on my q9550 past 4.2Ghz that it could've been my VRM's that fried? My CPU wasn't overheating and the CPU vcore was at 1.45V (1.41V indicated in CPUID).
 
magellan said:
Um, you certainly CAN change the multiplier on a q9550, it's the only way I got mine to 500Mhz FSB.
Click to expand...

I know but he said his target was 3.2. I know the multiplier can be lowered, I just used a poor choice of words. I was just trying to get the point across that he need not change it to reach his goal, which he stated in his first post to be 3.2Ghz. Had he suggested a high FSB goal that resulted in a CPU overclock instead of just a small proc speed OC, I probably would have remembered to mention lowering the multiplier.
 
also magellan as far as your VRM's could be. I noticed raising Vcore is the only voltage that has an effect. at the 1.3Vcore im at now to run at 3Ghz, they get up to 96C (204F!) under prime. They used to hit 100C with my old Zalman cooler, but this new Cooler Master is push pull and blows tons of air over them on it's way out and helps a lot. I think a lot of those VRM's are rated up to ~125C, but I'm sure keeping them near that for a long enough period of time can cause failure.
 
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