2.4b Preparing To O/C

[mtb856]

Sorry, I lost this post in my subscriptions..... I wasn't showing that you'd posted for some reason.

Most of us have agreed that around 1.63V is all that you'll want to run on air cooling...... usually by the time you need that much vcore, you can't overclock much farther anyway, so pumping more volts isn't likely to gain you much more of an overclock until you go way over the air cooling limit. Some people on phase change only see the ability to overclock higher on around 1.75V, but SNDS isn't a problem at sub-zero temperatures as I understand it.

 

[batboy]

Actually, a CPU can degrade over time with excessive voltage regardless of cooling, even with phase change. The better the cooling, the higher vcore you can use... up to a point. With normal air cooling, usually 1.6v (actual measured load vcore) is quite safe... depending on your temps of course.

 

[mtb856]

Actually, a CPU can degrade over time with excessive voltage regardless of cooling, even with phase change.

Interesting, I'll have to keep that in mind..... I was looking at a phase change unit, but I think it would be too much of a pain to be worthwhile.... I like being able to disassemble my computer easily, and from what I've heard it's a pain in the butt to remove and reinstall phase change units.

So is a load vcore of 1.6V around 1.63V idle for the IC7? I'll have to check how much my IC7 droops when under load... my MSI went from 1.55V to 1.5V under load, if I remember right.

Why is it that you only have to worry about load vcore? I've noticed that quite a few people are going above the 1.5V limit for idle vcore on the Prescotts..... is there something different that occurs under load that causes degradation if the vcore is too high?

 

[batboy]

The two IC7 mobos I have consistently undervolt a little at idle and under load. It's usually the Asus mobos that overvolt at idle and droop under load. Maybe the MSI too, I don't know since I've never used the MSI. Load vcore is the more important factor to consider. Obviously, if your mobo overvolts a lot at idle and if your computer sits idle a lot, then that isn't good either. Usually when my computer is running, it's under some load most of the time.

 

[AlcatrazT2]

ahA! Finally, we're talking hehe...Well, for now the VCORE is at stock...since I'm not overclocking. The only time that I'll be overclocking is when I get the watercooling kit...I jsut wanted to know what's the safest VCORE voltage I can go with watercooling. As I understood, 1.6?

MTB856: "1.75V, but SNDS isn't a problem at sub-zero temperatures as I understand it."
I doubt I'll go to subzero temperatures with this watercooling kit. So you're saying, 1.75 would also be a reasonable voltage to take the CPU up to on watercooling. What should my max be at? How much can I go up to to totally be safe on watercooling. Thanks guys.

 

[mtb856]

By sub-zero, I was referring to phase change cooling which takes your cpu down to about -40°C. According to Batboy, there's still the risk of SNDS with extreme cooling though. With water, I'm not so sure what the voltage limits are..... I would assume that they are approximately the same as air cooling, the only difference being your temps will be much more stable (and usually lower) with water cooling over air cooling.

I would stay below 1.63V (in BIOS) to be safe..... under load it should drop to around 1.6V or so. I'd leave it at that and not go any higher unless you understand the risks.

 

[batboy]

With watercooling, you could go up to 1.625v or maybe even 1.65v. I run 1.625v with my watercooled rig. I know of at least one person that had a Northwood die after a few months of running 1.7v watercooled.

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Hey guys...I just talked directly with Aaron (mtb856) and would like to share the wealth with all of you who might find this information interesting...

A few pointers regarding over-clocking.
1) Before over-clocking, first lock the AGP/PCI bus

2) To avoid performance degradation, set VCORE to 1.63 Max if needed so.

3) If needed, set AGP voltage to 1.6 or up to 1.65 volts. Quote from Aaron, “AGP voltage is tied to your Northbridge voltage, so if you're pulling really high FSB, you might need to up the AGP voltage.” – We were talking about AGP voltage in cases concerning 250FSB+ speeds.

As for over-clocking concerns, this is what I’m planning to do:
1 ) Lock AGP/PCI Buss

2) Keeping VCORE at stock settings, start raising the FSB until I get my maximum possible over-clocking speed. Make sure it’s stable by running Prime95 Torture Test. Knowing the maximum over-clocking speed on stock VCORE then I’ll go on to experiment with VCORE.

3) With VCORE, I’ll up the voltage to a maximum of 1.63 to avoid SNDS. I’ll start raising the FSB once again until I reach a stable over-clocking speed. Since 1.6+ volts can be deadly in some cases, it’s better to check the over-clocking speed difference between stock and max voltage…meaning, if in my case, I was only gaining 200 MHZ, I would just go with stock rather than tweaking and possibly getting into trouble. However, if the over-clock is a difference of 600+ MHZ, personally, I would go ahead and do it.

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Thread hasn't died out! Water cooling parts will be arriving shortly. I will post all of my results!

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Hey everyone...
Well, looks like the final decision is based on the Swiftech H20-120-F Water Cooling Kit ( http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/ex-wat-37.html ). Much research was done...spoke with a lot of smart guys that helped me out with this decision...check out the thread ( http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?p=3291252#post3291252 ). I will be posting all of the overclocking results over here...so check back!

 

[mtb856]

Cool Can't wait to see the results once you get it installed.

 

[Ir192]

Good luck with your 2.4B! I had some pretty good results w/mine.

 

[AlcatrazT2]

mtb856: My previous message on this thread...you are one of the smart guys...hehe...Catch you on AIM dude, you seem busy, hit me up when you're not...good luck on the calculus.

Ir192: Thanks...I will need the luck. This is my first project. Any recomendations regarding the IC7-G since I also have the latest 27 BIOS...What settings do I need to get familiar w/ before I start OC-ing...you recommend doing anything besides bumping VCORE and FSB?

 

[AlcatrazT2]

News!

Hey guys...I just ordered the SwifTech H20-120 Rev. 3 kit from SideWinderComputers.com w/ the MCW6000-P waterblock for the socket 478. I also ordered Arctic Silver 5 3.5 Grams...Can't wait to get the thing installed...Should be arriving in two-three days, so hopefully by Wednesday. I'll keep you all updated once I get it up and running... Thanks for all of your help...It was a hard decision but not so hard after all of your advice!

 

[AlcatrazT2]

All of my over-clocking knowledge combined, thou shall share the wealth. Rev. 1
Thanks to mtb856 for all of his help!

RAM:
Before over-clocking, set the voltage to 2.6.
RAM Rations:
-From 133-166FSB, run RAM Ratio at 1:1 to run at 166MHZ Stock Speed
-From 167-207.5FSB, run RAM Ratio at 5:4 to run at 166MHZ Stock Speed
-From 207.5-249FSB, run RAM Ratio at 3:2 to run at 166MHZ Stock Speed
Notes:
5:4 Ratio Example
(FSB x 4)/5 = MHZ Memory Runs At

Game Accelerator Technology:
-Before over-clocking, set GAT settings to “Auto-Auto-Auto-Disabled-Disabled”
-Disable “Spread Spectrum”

AGP Ratio in SoftMenu:
-AGP ratio should be locked
-AGP speed should be 66.66/33.33

Other AGP Notes:
-AGP PCI/Buss should be locked
-AGP voltages should be set to 1.6 volts.

VCORE:
-1.625-1.65 volts. Set to 1.63 to be safe.

Maximum CPU Temperature:
55 C

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Still waiting...kit should arrive anytime soon!

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Hey guys! The kit has arrived! Hopefully I'll find some time to install and get everything up and running by tomorrow...if there are some delays, then for sure by next week!

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Hey Guys! I just installed the system...it's up and running...no idea how the temperatures are doing since I haven't installed the necessary software...looks great...a lot of barriers but I overcame all of them...I'll post the pictures once I get them off the camera...peace.

 

[AlcatrazT2]

Check the system out over here:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=352494