P4C 3.0 OC potential + vCore question

[psykose]

I just recieved my first Intel. A 3.0 NW in D1 stepping (SL6WK) with 12 capacitors on the back. I've tried to see how high I can push it, and it seems that I have to raise the vCore beyond 1.7x volt to be stable at 3.6 GHz (240 MHz fsb). My setup is:

P4C 3.0 NW SL6WK
Asus P4P800-E Deluxe
2 x 512 MB crucial ballistix DDR500

The PSU is a delta electronics, produced for chieftec. The specs are:
12V - 15A
5V - 25A
3.3V - 25A

I'm watercooling it with an EK Water Blocks head, which performs similar to DD TDX. My pump is an Eheim 1048 and my radiator is a swiftech mcr (3 x 120) with a single 120 mm fan at 7v.
The temps are rarely above 40 °C at full load and I'm dual prime95 stable for hours at 3.5 GHZ (fsb 233) at 1.5875 vCore at around 40 °C. I've disabled spread spectrum in Bios and I'm running 1:1 FSB/RAM with vDimm on auto and fixed AGP/PCI speed.

The vCore fluctuates and can vary 0,1-0,12 volt at full load and this of course gets worse if I raise the vCore.

I would love to get 3.6-3.8 GHz stable, but I'm afraid to raise the vCore above 1.7 volt as I've heard of the SDNS. Could it be my PSU that is limiting my overclock, or have I simply hit the wall with this northwood ? I am wondering if I should vdroop-mod the board, but I'd like to get some feedback on this first.

BTW If I run the fan at 12 volt, the temps never go above 40 degrees, so I don't think it's a heat issue, but as I've written, I'm totally new to intel.

Thanks in advance, and excuse my bad english, I'm from Denmark. Please tell me if I've left out any important information.

 

[One Bull]

Welcome to the forum!


You could (if you haven't done this already) burn it in.
The vdroop-mod could be a good option too, but I don't have any experience with it

 

[One Bull]

Ohh wait! How long do you have it?
Because of what I read it's a new cpu. I don't think it's a good idea to oc it immediatly to the limit. I would definately burn it in first

 

[fhanderson]

Your powersupply might not be up to the task. 15A is low for 12V. I have 2 3.0Cs and both will do 3.6 at 1.6V.

 

[hUMANbEATbOX]

keep that vcore BELOW 1.7v if you want you chip to live. i would say even 1.675v. read up on S.N.D.S. or Sudden Northwood Death Syndrome.

most 3.0c's should do between 3.5-3.8.

*edit*

sorry was a bit rushed with that first response. after rereading your initial post, i would have to say it is probably your psu. 15a on the 12v is pretty low. if you could, try another psu, or try unplugging all non-essential components. if you can do 3.5 at 1.587, i would think 3.6ghz should be within reach.

it seems you are aware of SNDS, so i apologize for the lecture.

what does your 12v rail do under load and at idle? if you see a wild fluctuation, this would be the problem.

oh and WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!!!! please don't apologize for your english, it is impeccable, better than many of the native english speakers here.

 

[psykose]

The 12v rail does 12,86-12,90 idle and 12,80-12,86 at load. It seems very stable (MBM5 readings, dunno if they're usable). Alot more stable than the Vcore anyway.

My computer doesn't consume alot of power. My gfx is a geforce2 and I tried the overclock with a single hdd installed.

The CPU is from 03 so it's burned in. I bought it from a friend who never overclocked it or anything, he just used it for gaming.

I've been told to get a good Seasonic, Hiper, Enermax or Antec PSU to see if that helps. What do you guys think ?

 

[hUMANbEATbOX]

you could try it, but seeing as your 12v seems to be fine, i doubt it would help much.

you may just have to settle on 3.5ghz. not all cpus oc the same, some are duds, some are great.

 

[microfire]

Its likely you will never see 3.6GHz stable, even with a droop mod. You maybe able to get a few benchmarks at a higher level, thats about it.
My advice would be to do the droop mod, add some voltage ~1.65v, and settle for your 3.5GHz / 233FSB (not a bad setting at all). Then it should be sure fire soild for everything you can throw at it, otherwise your be using an unstable system that always going to be on the edge if you get to greedy.
Bottom line, solidified the speed you currently have. Work on tweaking the ram using MemSet.

 

[psykose]

The voltage fluctuations haven't changed. I just bought an Antec PSU (http://bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=242) and things are the same. Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle with 3.5 GHz. It's rock stable and it's still pretty fast after all.

Thanks for the help ppl