Overclocking Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Quad-Core 2.33GHz

[Jarrnou]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to everything overclocking and to building a gaming pc in general and would really like your help!

i'm trying to get at least 3.0 ghz stable out of my Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200

My specs:

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Twin Frozr III OC

Ram:
Slot 1 : Kingston DDR2 2048 Mbytes 400mhz
Slot 2 : Corsair DDR2 2048 Mbytes 400mhz
Slot 3 : Kingston DDR2 2048 Mbytes 400mhz
Slot 4 : Corsair DDR2 2048 Mbytes 400mhz

Motherboard: P5Q SE2

Cpu clock ratio: 7

The psu is a ALMAN ZM850-HP 850W, cpu cooler is Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2.

The temps have been around 50-60 celcius after i've
been fooling around in the bios and adjusting only the Cpu host frequency to around 417 with everything else on auto, i have no idea what else to change there.

Core 0 Temp under load is 67celcius

Cpu-z Vcore is 1.160v

my voltage is set to 1.2375v on bios
and im now running on @ 2.90ghz , if i go any higher the resolution goes all weird.

it's been QUITE stable with these settings but sometimes it blue screens.

Would really appreciate all the help!

 

[AJTheGamer]

I won't be much help but I'd be interested in the results of this as its nearly the same CPU as my roommate who is also looking to OC.

Best of luck

 

[redduc900]

At a FSB of 414 MHz (414 x 7 = 2.90GHz) and a 1:1 FSB : DRAM ratio, the effective DRAM frequency is DDR2-818. Make sure the FSB Strap to North Bridge is set to either 333 or 400 w/ the DRAM frequency set to DDR2-800. As you increase the FSB, so does the effective DRAM frequency at a 1:1 ratio. Make sure to manually adjust the 4 primary DRAM timings and voltage to match those of the modules. As you increase the FSB / DRAM frequency you may need to increase the Vcore, DRAM voltage, loosen one or more of the timings, increase the FSB Termination voltage (VTT), and / or the NB voltage. You might also want to check out this thread...

Overclocking the Q8200
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586754

 

[Jarrnou]

Thank you i will try those out today and come back with the results!

At a FSB of 414 MHz (414 x 7 = 2.90GHz) and a 1:1 FSB : DRAM ratio, the effective DRAM frequency is DDR2-818. Make sure the FSB Strap to North Bridge is set to either 333 or 400 w/ the DRAM frequency set to DDR2-800. As you increase the FSB, so does the effective DRAM frequency at a 1:1 ratio. Make sure to manually adjust the 4 primary DRAM timings and voltage to match those of the modules. As you increase the FSB / DRAM frequency you may need to increase the Vcore, DRAM voltage, loosen one or more of the timings, increase the FSB Termination voltage (VTT), and / or the NB voltage. You might also want to check out this thread...

Overclocking the Q8200
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586754

Edit: I'm going to need some help overclocking the ram, and if you can, explained in the most easy to understand way possible i will post the timings and some settings i have on bios later today!

 

[redduc900]

It's just a matter of setting DRAM Timing Control to Manual, and adjusting CAS# Latency, DRAM RAS# Precharge, RAS# Activate to Precharge, and RAS# to RAS# Delay to match the timings that your modules are rated for at DDR2-800 (for example 5-5-5-18). Leave the rest of the timings on Auto, and adjust the DRAM voltage to whatever the modules are rated for. Here's another thread for you to check out...

HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - A Guide v1.1
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515316

 

[Theocnoob]

HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - A Guide v1.1
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515316

Read this guide! It was how I first learned to overclock with my Core 2 Duo. You cant go changing settings without understanding what youre doing. Read the guide and make sure you understand it before you proceed. You can also find guides on Youtube.

Make sure you update to the newest BIOS before you OC. Go to ASUS website, drivers, select your motherboard, find the latest BIOS and put it on a USB drive as instructed. Then go into bios and find the FLASH utility and update the bios.

You should also be using the newest motherboard drivers from ASUS website. They are in the same section as the bios. (Chipset, NIC, etc)

You should have Prime95, memtest86, CPU-Z, coretemp and hwmonitor handy for monitoring things in Windows.