E6600 Final OC results, think I can push it further?

Hey guys,

Just got done putting together my e6600 and this seems to be the best OC I can get out of her. It seems that the processor refuses to go passed 3.2gHz even with 1.5V applied to the core. Screens below and input appreciated...

Specs in sig...

3.2GHz on a B2 Stepping with 1.5v not normal. You shouldn't need such high voltage for 3.2GHz. Your temps look fine though. Have you tried messing with the motherboards settings? My E4300 topped out @ 3.2GHz with 1.5v and that was a crappy L2 stepping... I think you should be able to get more out of her..

I agree with not needing 1.5v.

Did you run CPU tests with small increments in voltage, or did you just skip straight to 1.5v?

Reason I ask is because I was running the same CPU, same multiplier @ 1.35 volts.

In saying that, your temps look fine. But I would certainly try lowering volts. Start @ 1.35 and work your way up by 0.02 and see how you go.

Have you contemplated running a 9x multiplier @ 360 giving you 3.2ghz?

It could be your board having trouble pushing past 400fsb.

Just my 0.02cents.

GigaHertzAddict said:

3.2GHz on a B2 Stepping with 1.5v not normal. You shouldn't need such high voltage for 3.2GHz.

Click to expand...

I need 1.55v to get 3.4 with the same chip and i've also seen a lot of other people with the same stepping complaining of the same thing. It seems 3.GHz to 3.4GHz is about max for these chips and then you get the occasional sweet chip that will do 3.8GHz with minimal volts. At 3.2GHz your still looking at a pretty good overclock and a very fast chip to begin with.

The main thing holding you back is the motherboard. I see people all the time struggling with the Nforce chipsets. I don't understand why they are so popular. The 680i is very fussy and requires a lot of tweaking. You can probably squeeze more out of it, but you'll need to do some research and be prepared to play with various settings and chipset voltages to find the right combination.

Thanks for the reply guys,

In regards to the voltage, I tried every possible voltage between 1.4 and 1.5 to get this thing stable. The strange thing was that it would fail almost instantly at ANY voltage besides 1.5 and at 1.5, all of a sudden work without fail. According to CPU-Z and BIOS health screen, the chip is currently getting around 1.48V after dip.

@batboy - thanks for the suggestion, there's a hell of a lot of features on the motherboard that I've never seen before, I'll try and mess around with them

I do have a specific question, did any of you adjust the FSB voltage as you were going up or did you guys let the board automatically manage that setting? My FSB voltage is currently set at 1.4 and the motherboard chipset is actively cooled so I could probably push it further. I was just wondering if this, indeed, made a difference.

i have the same motherboard and its not holding me back... my max is 3850 @ 1.6 vcore .... on air cooling! i dont really know a whole lot but hit me up on aim sometime and maybe we can work thru it?

squashfx said:

i have the same motherboard and its not holding me back... my max is 3850 @ 1.6 vcore .... on air cooling! i dont really know a whole lot but hit me up on aim sometime and maybe we can work thru it?

Click to expand...

I'm not having any issues either. I'm running 3.45 (431.25 x 8) @ 1.45V 9 (on air).

@ Ishakir:

Manage the voltage yourself. And what BIOS are you using? I was having issues with mine until I upgraded the BIOS to P27. And you should be able to hit 3.2 GHz at stock volts.

Knight3539 said:

I'm not having any issues either. I'm running 3.45 (431.25 x 8) @ 1.45V 9 (on air).

@ Ishakir:

Manage the voltage yourself. And what BIOS are you using? I was having issues with mine until I upgraded the BIOS to P27. And you should be able to hit 3.2 GHz at stock volts.

Click to expand...

Oh sweet I'll try that out, did you get the BIOS off of the EVGA site?

EDIT: It turns out I am running P27 but P28 was just released on the 7th of May, maybe I'll give that a shot... And also, what are you running your FSB voltage at?