OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

[imprezastipwr]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Got another question: Are you using a fan on the MCH? If so, which one did you use? I just looked at the OC'ing guide here on tweaktown and it mentions one. I am going to purchase one soon but wanted to get some idea of what people are using. Thanks!

I don't have a Northbridge-dedicated fan since it stays around 41C under full load. I have 5 120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12's running at 7 volts each in the main cage of my P182.

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Question about memtest and this board: Memtest gives me no errors for a specific frequency when testing the ram but sometimes, the board will reboot and I will get the red screen in MIT about overclocking settings not taking. Which should I believe? memtest or the board? Which settings should I go with when enterting these frequencies into the bios?

The reason I am asking is because I am going over the overclockers guide here and it recommends checking settings for memory.

Thanks!

[imprezastipwr]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

The red screen does not mean that the problem is specifically memory related. If you run memtest fine, it's probably something else such as your voltage settings.

Post your BIOS settings using Lsdmeasap's template.

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

The red screen does not mean that the problem is specifically memory related. If you run memtest fine, it's probably something else such as your voltage settings.

Post your BIOS settings using Lsdmeasap's template.

Okay. I will post those tomorrow.

Question: Both you and I have the same CPU, mobo, and memory. I noticed that you have yours memory frequency set for 800 - 796mhz and FSB at 398. When I followed the overclockers guide here, I was able to set my memory at 329 in memtest (329*3=987mhz) for max memory. Why is yours only set for 796mhz? With that in mind, why is your FSB at 398 instead of the 329mhz (or something similar) for FSB in relation to the memory?

I know the guide is not updated for this board, but I am using those recommendations for understanding how all this works. There seems to be alot you can tweak in the bios and eliminating this one factor has helped out a bit.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

C1E and EIST Should be disabled for sure for now, since you are having issues with your overclock.

Ya, Memtest86+ passing only means your ram is stable. How long are you testing using Memtest86+ anyway?

Red Warning in the BIOS could mean one or many of your other voltages (CPU/MCH) related could be incorrect still

You have your ram speed math mixed up with something else maybe I think?

Ram speed is always >>>
FSB X Ram Multi = Ram Freq

Or are you using 3.00 Ram multi? If so, you maybe should not if you are using 333 FSB, use Multi's on the B Strap (Ending in B)

[Farmas�yten]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

If you set 1,5v in bios and get 1,4v under load, then its 1,4v the cpu draws not 1,5v.
I have testing this alot with temps on diffrent boards. So the volt you use under load you have to go after. And a 65nm can handle 1,4-1,5v on good air and up to 1,6v on water and the temps are good of course. Have seen many folks use 1,5 and more on their 65nm for monthes and thay are still good=)

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

C1E and EIST Should be disabled for sure for now, since you are having issues with your overclock.

Ya, Memtest86+ passing only means your ram is stable. How long are you testing using Memtest86+ anyway?

Red Warning in the BIOS could mean one or many of your other voltages (CPU/MCH) related could be incorrect still

You have your ram speed math mixed up with something else maybe I think?

Ram speed is always >>>
FSB X Ram Multi = Ram Freq

Or are you using 3.00 Ram multi? If so, you maybe should not if you are using 333 FSB, use Multi's on the B Strap (Ending in B)

My ram is stable at 329. I am testing with Memtest86+ for 3 passes. I just read somewhere that some were using it for 6 or more hours to see if the memory is bad. I have not done this yet. Should I?

Everything was still on auto which I changed as soon as I realized this. I was following the guide and since it did not mention anything about the other voltages, I simply changed the CPU multiplier from 6 (for testing) to 9. I'll upload the template as soon as I reboot the machine after prime 95 testing. I am stable with no errors for 11hrs and 4 minutes as of this writing. I have not been able to get to this point until last night after following the guide.

It's possible I have something mixed up. I am using a multi of 3.00A strapping for a memory frequency of 987mhz (DDR2800@5-5-5-18 v2.1 [Stockv1.8]). I was trying to follow the guide as far as the multiplier goes for the FSB but the UD3P boards have more options for multipliers. That is why I used 3.00A

I am not using FSB of 333 as my memory would not handle it in memtest above 329 but that was at 3.00A strapping. Would this matter? Would changing the voltages from auto and changing the strapping increase my FSB frequency? With that in mind, would it lower my memory frequency? As I said, I noticed that my memory could go to 987mhz @ 329mhz*3 compared to imprezastipwr who is at 796mhz?

Thanks.

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

If you set 1,5v in bios and get 1,4v under load, then its 1,4v the cpu draws not 1,5v.
I have testing this alot with temps on diffrent boards. So the volt you use under load you have to go after. And a 65nm can handle 1,4-1,5v on good air and up to 1,6v on water and the temps are good of course. Have seen many folks use 1,5 and more on their 65nm for monthes and thay are still good=)

Easytune shows 1.4v and cpu-z shows v1.312. Temps after 11hrs are at 51 50 50 47 under load with Prime95 running. I am going to try and lower the vcore after I get 24hrs of stable running.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Ram at 329 does not tell me much, I would need to know what Multi you are multiplying that by.

I recommend 5-10 FULL passes with Memtest86+ to be sure of stability on ram, the speed of the ram and amount decides how long that would take so a hourly amount is not a feasible suggestion. Just 5-10 passes would be good

Ahh sorry I reply as I read... Silly me!

As I said above you should use B strap, but if you are stable using A then for sure use it! Just keep in mind if you ram fails and you think it should not be then switch to the B Strap

About your FSB 333 and strap questions. There is multi's under 3.0 on the 333/B Strap

Here is what Memory Multi's are available for what straps >>>

Would changing the voltages from auto and changing the strapping increase my FSB frequency?

I am not sure what voltage you mean by that? And the only thing that will change your FSB Freq is if you manually change it yourself (CPU Host Frequency (Mhz)

Once you give me your settings I will advise you back optimal ranges for your Settings as you have them. What CPU speed are you wanting to run anyway?

EasyTune ONLY shows what you set in the BIOS. CPU-z voltages is what you want to look at, at idle and load

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Ram at 329 does not tell me much, I would need to know what Multi you are multiplying that by.

Multi is 3.00A

I recommend 5-10 FULL passes with Memtest86+ to be sure of stability on ram, the speed of the ram and amount decides how long that would take so a hourly amount is not a feasible suggestion. Just 5-10 passes would be good

I ran 3 passes as per the guide. Should I go back and do 5-10?

Ahh sorry I reply as I read... Silly me!

Heh, no problem. My items are in bold after your questions :)

As I said above you should use B strap, but if you are stable using A then for sure use it! Just keep in mind if you ram fails and you think it should not be then switch to the B Strap

Its not failing. I just ran Prime95 for 24 hours at 2.96Ghz with no errors. Which multi of B would I use? Wouldn't B strap be faster though? Its at a higher multi. But yes, A is working for me.

About your FSB 333 and strap questions. There is multi's under 3.0 on the 333/B Strap

If I change the strap to B, I should run memtest again to find the new frequency right? Which would be better for me? Strap A or B?

Here is what Memory Multi's are available for what straps >>>





I am not sure what voltage you mean by that? And the only thing that will change your FSB Freq is if you manually change it yourself (CPU Host Frequency (Mhz)

I have 329 for CPU Host Frequency because that is the number I used when running memtest with strap A to find out how high my memory would go as per the guide.

Once you give me your settings I will advise you back optimal ranges for your Settings as you have them. What CPU speed are you wanting to run anyway?

Okay thanks. I will include that at the bottom of this message. I am currently at 2.96 and I would like to reach 3.0/3.2 or even 3.4 would be nice on air but I am not sure I will be able to get to 3.4 as I do not have the very best case. It only have 2 80mm rear fans and 1 80mm fan on the side of the case. Question: Should the fan on the side blow air in or push it out? It is right above the xigmatek heatsink and fan.

EasyTune ONLY shows what you set in the BIOS. CPU-z voltages is what you want to look at, at idle and load

[imprezastipwr]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Try enabling Load Line calibration. With your current voltage settings you should be able to be stable at 3.2GHz minimum. I wouldn't even bother with "extensive" stability tests with anything lower than 3.2GHz.

Once you've decided on how far you want to OC, you can try lowering the CPU vcore to the minimum required amount by doing 10 minute to 1 hour OCCT tests before proceeding with extensive P95 tests.

I'm currently at 3.2GHz with a vcore of 1.2875 (1.25 actual during load) with LLC enabled. My core temps don't go above 62C now during full load.

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Try enabling Load Line calibration. With your current voltage settings you should be able to be stable at 3.2GHz minimum. I wouldn't even bother with "extensive" stability tests with anything lower than 3.2GHz.

Once you've decided on how far you want to OC, you can try lowering the CPU vcore to the minimum required amount by doing 10 minute to 1 hour OCCT tests before proceeding with extensive P95 tests.

I'm currently at 3.2GHz with a vcore of 1.2875 (1.25 actual during load) with LLC enabled. My core temps don't go above 62C now during full load.

Okay, I will try that. Correct me if I am wrong, but in order to get 3.2, I will need to decrease the mhz of the memory to increase the FSB frequency which gives me a higher CPU Mhz. Is this correct? This is why you had 769mhz memory vs my 987mhz DDR2 800 Corsairs, right? Also, which strapping will I need to use for the new 3.2ghz?

It gets pretty warm here in the summer so I do not want to go too high on the temps. I would like to run this 24/7 without lowering the speed for summer.

What exactly does load line calibration do? Also, last night I bumped the voltage down from 1.40v to 1.2375v and after 5hrs of P95 at 29.6Ghz. I received an error on core 0 only. Could tweaking some of the other values have helped keep the core stable? I am just wondering.

[imprezastipwr]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

For 3.2GHz, I have a 400MHz FSB with a x8.0 ratio. Therefore, my memory is at 800MHz.

Load line calibration will reduce vdroop, making your CPU vcore more manageable and can help with your OC. In other words, LLC will lower the wide gap between the BIOS set CPU vcore and actual vcore (reported by CPU-Z for example). Personally, I have been able to achieve a lower required CPU vcore with LLC enabled. Use CPU-Z or OCCT to determine what your actual CPU volts are during idle and full load.

Record your temps during idle and full load when you're testing. If your case has sufficient airflow and cooling, you should be able to run 3.0-3.2GHz (possibly 3.4) without any temp issues. I was able to get stability at 3.6GHz (max temps around 69C w/ 1.41 actual vcore) and 3.4GHz (max temps around 65C w/ 1.38 actual vcore). However, currently comfortable with 3.2GHz as my temps don't rise above 62C with a significantly lower actual vcore at 1.25.

With LLC enabled my BIOS set CPU vcores translated to the following actual vcores during load:
3.6GHz - 1.45000 set - 1.41 actual
3.4GHz - 1.41825 set - 1.38 actual
3.2GHz - 1.28750 set - 1.25 actual

Keep in mind, your cooling setup is different from mine. I suggest upgrading to 120mm fans if possible and purchasing either of these CPU coolers:

Thermalright HR-01 Plus
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme

I'm very satisfied with the HR-01 Plus as my 5x 120mm case fans (2 intake, 2 exhaust, 1 CPU) are running at 7 volts (50-60%) to achieve near silent operation. The HR-01 Plus may be better suited for you as well since it functions very well with limited airflow (i.e. 3x 80mm case fans). Make sure you purchase a quality accompanying 120mm fan for the CPU heatsink as well. I'm using the Yate-Loon/Nexus D12SL-12.

I'm not sure if you're interested in a quieter computer setup, but silentpcreview.com has an excellent list of recommended fans of varying sizes here.

[reason]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

For 3.2GHz, I have a 400MHz FSB with a x8.0 ratio. Therefore, my memory is at 800MHz.

Load line calibration will reduce vdroop, making your CPU vcore more manageable and can help with your OC. In other words, LLC will lower the wide gap between the BIOS set CPU vcore and actual vcore (reported by CPU-Z for example). Personally, I have been able to achieve a lower required CPU vcore with LLC enabled. Use CPU-Z or OCCT to determine what your actual CPU volts are during idle and full load.

Okay. I did a little research on this also and it makes perfect sense.

Record your temps during idle and full load when you're testing. If your case has sufficient airflow and cooling, you should be able to run 3.0-3.2GHz (possibly 3.4) without any temp issues. I was able to get stability at 3.6GHz (max temps around 69C w/ 1.41 actual vcore) and 3.4GHz (max temps around 65C w/ 1.38 actual vcore). However, currently comfortable with 3.2GHz as my temps don't rise above 62C with a significantly lower actual vcore at 1.25.

I am thinking 3.2/3.0 even 2.9 would be fine for me. At 2.9ghz w/ 1.25 vcore and I am seeing 50 50 48 45 max temps on load with Prime95 stress. I dont want to get into the upper 50's/lower 60's if I dont have to.

With LLC enabled my BIOS set CPU vcores translated to the following actual vcores during load:
3.6GHz - 1.45000 set - 1.41 actual
3.4GHz - 1.41825 set - 1.38 actual
3.2GHz - 1.28750 set - 1.25 actual

Keep in mind, your cooling setup is different from mine. I suggest upgrading to 120mm fans if possible and purchasing either of these CPU coolers:

Thermalright HR-01 Plus
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme

I'm very satisfied with the HR-01 Plus as my 5x 120mm case fans (2 intake, 2 exhaust, 1 CPU) are running at 7 volts (50-60%) to achieve near silent operation. The HR-01 Plus may be better suited for you as well since it functions very well with limited airflow (i.e. 3x 80mm case fans). Make sure you purchase a quality accompanying 120mm fan for the CPU heatsink as well. I'm using the Yate-Loon/Nexus D12SL-12.

I'm not sure if you're interested in a quieter computer setup, but silentpcreview.com has an excellent list of recommended fans of varying sizes here.

Thanks for your recommendations and input. I just built this system and I am not really looking at purchasing another HSF at this moment and my case only has options for 3 80mm fans. I know my case is not the best being that is only has 2 80mm Fans for exhaust and 1 80mm fan on the side (which is not being used cuz I have the case door off. The Xigmatek is a little taller than my case is deep but I have made some modifications to the chassis door to get it on with the fan and the cone on the outside of the case) but it does have the 120mm fan on the xigmatek S-1283. I have heard that I can replace this fan for a better one so I might look into that just to lower the temps a few degrees. Nothing major.

I am not looking for an extreme overclock, realistically, I would be happy with the 2.9ghz but I want to see the difference in performance, responsiveness and most importantly temps with my current system setup.

I have logs, notes and cmos files for future reference so if I need to kick the cpu down to something slower in the summer, I am willing to do that. I am not a hardcore gamer but I do enjoy playing some (RTS's, Beyond Good and Evil, Left 4 Dead, etc), I most surf the web, watch some shows and movies.

[imprezastipwr]

Re: OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

Sorry, I didn't notice the Xigmatek in your sig. I would try for 3.2GHz since CPU load won't typically be as strenuous as they are during P95 tests.