[Dangle64]

Hi, I just OC'ed my E6420 for the first time, from 2.13 to 2.6, the max FSB for my MOBO was 333 x 8. But I just changed the FSB and that was it. Was there more I am supposed to do? I wrote the info down that I saw in BIOS.

Dynamic overclocking [Disabled]
Adjusted CPU Clock 2.13 GHz (266x8.0)
Adjusted DDR Memory Frequency 800 MHz
Auto Disable PCI clk [Enabled]
Spread Spectrum [Disabled]
Memory Voltage [2.20V]
PCI Express Voltage [1.5V]
Adjust CPU FSB Frequency [266 MHz]

Was I supposed to change more than the FSB? After I OC'ed, seemed stable, got one blue screen in Fallout 3. But I have gotten a Bluescreen or two in the past, so not sure if this is related.

Also, I ran CPU-Z and noticed that under the CPU section the multiplier keeps switching from 6 to 8 every few seconds, which causes my core speed to go from 1.9 o 2.6. Is this supposed to happen?

CPU Temp is normally 35C, but ran Prime95 and was at around 50C, also got this happened when running Prime95 and browsing the web:


I have a MSI P965 Neo Motherboard, 2gb Patriot Ram, and an EVGA 7900gs.

Any thoughts, on how to improve this OC?

Any Suggestions are appreciated.

Dangle

[zbo]

As for the multiplier changing, it is normal. It's called speedstep a a is a powesaving feature.

As for prime failing that means your of isn't stable. You might need to up the voltage to your chip, but I'll leave that to someone else that's knows more then I.

Welcome to oc'ing.

[JLK03F150]

Post CPUz screenshots of your CPU, Memory, and SPD tabs.

When first testing a CPU overclock I usually run small fft's in Prime95, not large fft or blend. That helps rule out memory errors in your overclock. Once you know the CPU is stable, then you test the RAM.

[Dangle64]

I lowered the FSB some and disabled C1E in BIOS. Ran small FFTs and had no errors for around 15 minutes, then closed it.

[RJARRRPCGP]

I would use a RAM divider with a lower RAM clock. I suggest that you set the RAM speed to DDR2 750 or lower.
I wouldn't expect DDR 2 980 to be stable.

[Kazappin]

You're running your ram at almost a 200MHz overclock, that's a bit too ambitious. Try a FSB of 400 and a lower multiplier, then run your ram:fsb at 1:1 to eliminate ram issues causing instability in your OC.

[Dangle64]

For those above comments, how do I go about getting my RAM to the numbers you just specified? And what do I set the numbers at?

[JLK03F150]

Yup, lower the CPU:RAM ratio from 2:3 to 4:5. That will get your RAM down to 416MHz/DDR832. You might need to manually set the RAM timings and voltage in BIOS too. Looks like it should be 4-4-4-12 w/ 2.2v @ 400MHz. CAS 3 at 490MHz is most likely your stability problem.

Edit:
In the Advanced Chipset Section of the BIOS, disable DRAM Timings by SPD. That should let you set the first four primary timings.
In the Cell Menu: Adjust DRAM Frequency - Change it from Auto to 667. Just below you can also adjust the DRAM Voltage.

[Dangle64]

I set the RAM to 553 and the Ratio was 1:1.
I now have it at 667 and the ratio is 4:5

At first it was 800, and 2:3.

Will I notice a slow down when I set the RAM from 800 to 667?
Here is an updated picture of the RAM section in CPU-Z, this better?

[JLK03F150]

That looks much better & most likely it is going to be more stable. You should be able to set the FSB back up to 333MHz now.

[Dangle64]

I can get a 1:1 ratio by setting the RAM to 553, but that would slow things down. Would the 1:1 ratio be worth going from 667 to 553 and 4:5 ratio?

Dangle

[JLK03F150]

No, you'll see better performance with the 4:5 667 ratio. You would only go 1:1 533 if you had FSB option of 334 to 400+. You said the highest you can go is 333, correct?

BTW, have you checked to see if a BIOS update will allow you a higher FSB?

[Dangle64]

No I have not looked for a BIOS update, but I am fine with 333 being the max, I'm fine with 2.66GHz and If there wasn't a limit, I don't think I would have the self disipline not to fry my CPU.

So this is the final settings, anything else in BIOS I should change? I disabled C1E to keep the multiplier at 8, do I need to enable it? I heard it saves power or something buy setting multiplier to 6 when idle.

Also, I have getting a 9800gt upgrade from my current 7900gs, and 4gb (800) RAM, do I need to set the 4gb ram speed to 667 also?

Dangle

[JLK03F150]

Instability does a great job of creating self discipline. Most people will slow it down until it quits crashing. lol

You should be able to re-enable C1E/EIST (SpeedStep), it does help keep temps down & saves electricity when the CPU is idle.

The 9800GT should be a nice improvement over the 7900GS.

You won't need to set the new RAM to 667, it will do that automatically. It is possible that you will need to play with the timings and NB voltage to get 4 pieces working at 416MHz though.

[Dangle64]

Everything is doing fine, but now when I try to restart my PC, it does the normal thing, Windows Is shutting down, then screen goes black, but I can hear my PC still being on. I can shut down normally, but restarting just goes black and I have to manually turn it off.

[RJARRRPCGP]

The trick is, to underclock the RAM then raise the FSB, because with each FSB frequency increase, the RAM frequency will increase.

That's how to do it with motherboards that can't unlink the RAM from the FSB.

This is true, and even more true with Asus P5QL Pros.

(That's why I couldn't get back to the Windows desktop on the first and second tries.)