OC Help: 3.58GHz Q6600 & EP45-UD3P

[imprezastipwr]

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

wchp, it is good to leave voltage settings to Auto for your first boot. However, motherboards tend to over-compensate voltages when you leave some voltages on Auto. Even when testing the "Quick Boost" Easy Tune 6, for example, the majority of my voltages for 3.2, 3.44, and 3.52 were automatically set much higher than what was required.

Reason, your video card could be running hotter due to an increase in overall case temperature when you're stress testing with P95. If you're a gamer, you may want to look into an upgrade as well. There are many options and good video card deals around, just make sure you keep temps, power consumption, and, possibly, noise, in mind. I originally had a 4870 1GB for my system, but I'm switching to a GTX 280. The 4870 vram heat issues are too much for my setup.

I'm at 16.5 hours P95 stable at 3.2GHz with C1E, EIST, and Gigabyte DES enabled (CPU Throttling in DES is enabled as well, although I'm not sure if that has any affect).

[reason]

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

wchp, it is good to leave voltage settings to Auto for your first boot. However, motherboards tend to over-compensate voltages when you leave some voltages on Auto. Even when testing the "Quick Boost" Easy Tune 6, for example, the majority of my voltages for 3.2, 3.44, and 3.52 were automatically set much higher than what was required.

Reason, your video card could be running hotter due to an increase in overall case temperature when you're stress testing with P95. If you're a gamer, you may want to look into an upgrade as well. There are many options and good video card deals around, just make sure you keep temps, power consumption, and, possibly, noise, in mind. I originally had a 4870 1GB for my system, but I'm switching to a GTX 280. The 4870 vram heat issues are too much for my setup.

I'm at 16.5 hours P95 stable at 3.2GHz with C1E, EIST, and Gigabyte DES enabled (CPU Throttling in DES is enabled as well, although I'm not sure if that has any affect).

Could be... but I don't seem to remember it running hotter when I was at 2.9ghz. Hardware Monitor never reported the increase in GPU temperature. I'm not am extreme gamer. I have some older games that I have been wanting to play such as Prince of Persia, Warhammer 40k, Beyond Good and Evil, Homeworld, Rise of nations, etc, etc. So I did not see a need to purchase a bigger, badder, better Video Card. Now with Dawn of War II coming out, I may be forced to upgrade. We shall see. Thanks for the input though.

Right now I am a little over 16hrs with prime95, 3.2ghz C1E and EIST running. I have not installed DES yet. I was going to wait and see if the system was stable without it yet.

Are you planning on staying at 3.2 or moving on up? Also, are you seeing anything weird with windows, sandra and other programs reporting your CPU at 3.6 because of the 400mhz FSB and x8 multiplier?

[imprezastipwr]

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

Are your CPU temps higher at 3.2 than they were at 2.9? Also, consider a change in the ambient temperatures of your room or your computer's location throughout the day.

I plan on staying at 3.2GHz for now as I prefer the sub-60C temps at full load, significantly lower cpu vcore, less power consumption, and I don't see my CPU as a bottleneck during gaming since my native resolution is 1920x1200 and I play on max settings.

Windows System Properties is reporting my CPU as 3.60GHz with a 400 fsb and 8x multiplier. This shouldn't be a cause for concern though.

[wchp]

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

reason, imprezastipwr,
Thanks for the heads up.
I am able to run P95 with the following manual settings:
CPU Vcore: 1.35v
CPU Termination: 1.3v
CPU PLL: 1.35v

Speedfan is giving me temps of 58-61C on Cores 0-3 with a CPU/Temp1 value of 51C with the above settings.
Is this a good place to settle in or do either of you have any other suggestions.
I don't need to go any further than 3.2 and this is not a gaming rig just heavy lifting in Photoshop CS4.

[reason]

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

Are your CPU temps higher at 3.2 than they were at 2.9? Also, consider a change in the ambient temperatures of your room or your computer's location throughout the day.

I plan on staying at 3.2GHz for now as I prefer the sub-60C temps at full load, significantly lower cpu vcore, less power consumption, and I don't see my CPU as a bottleneck during gaming since my native resolution is 1920x1200 and I play on max settings.

Windows System Properties is reporting my CPU as 3.60GHz with a 400 fsb and 8x multiplier. This shouldn't be a cause for concern though.

My temps are a little higher at 3.2 versus 2.9 and to be honest, after enabling EIST and C1E, they seem to be higher than non EIST and C1E at 3.2. I found this strange. Currently I am at 57 54 57 and 51 for cores 0 1 2 3 respectively. I have not moved my cpu but I did put the side paneling on it but it has a 80mm fan blowing air into the bottom of the case from he side. I was thinking of moving the fan from the bottom to the top and placing it right above the xigmatik HSF and blowing air in from there.

[reason]

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

reason, imprezastipwr,
Thanks for the heads up.
I am able to run P95 with the following manual settings:
CPU Vcore: 1.35v
CPU Termination: 1.3v
CPU PLL: 1.35v

Speedfan is giving me temps of 58-61C on Cores 0-3 with a CPU/Temp1 value of 51C with the above settings.
Is this a good place to settle in or do either of you have any other suggestions.
I don't need to go any further than 3.2 and this is not a gaming rig just heavy lifting in Photoshop CS4.

If your are at 3.2, should should be able to relax the vcore to 1.28750v 24/7 stable. This will lower your temps a little bit also (load max could be 57 54 57 51). What HSF and case are you using? How long are you stress testing the system? I usually find errors within 10mins to 6hrs but its better to test it for 24hrs or so.

Also, good job on the lower CPU PLL and Termination. That's something to take note of ;) What do you think imprezastipwr?

[imprezastipwr]

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

reason, imprezastipwr,
Thanks for the heads up.
I am able to run P95 with the following manual settings:
CPU Vcore: 1.35v
CPU Termination: 1.3v
CPU PLL: 1.35v

Speedfan is giving me temps of 58-61C on Cores 0-3 with a CPU/Temp1 value of 51C with the above settings.
Is this a good place to settle in or do either of you have any other suggestions.
I don't need to go any further than 3.2 and this is not a gaming rig just heavy lifting in Photoshop CS4.

Are those temps during idle or full load? You have a problem if those are idle temps. Also, adjusting your CPU vcore will have a direct impact on your CPU temps, so I suggest lowering it until you reach your system's stability limit. 58-61C load is decent, but a CPU vcore of 1.35 set in the bios is high for 3.2GHz (make sure you have LLC enabled). Try a CPU vcore of 1.300, then 1.3250 if 1.300 isn't stable.

Make sure you manually set your system's paging file as that will improve Photoshop CS4 performance. Your paging file should typically be 1.5 times your amount of actual system RAM and be placed on another partition of a separate physical hard drive (if possible). More information regarding paging files can be found by doing simple google searches.



Also, regarding your S3 issues, what BIOS version are you using? Try downloading the latest ones here as the related issues may have been fixed.

My temps are a little higher at 3.2 versus 2.9 and to be honest, after enabling EIST and C1E, they seem to be higher than non EIST and C1E at 3.2. I found this strange. Currently I am at 57 54 57 and 51 for cores 0 1 2 3 respectively. I have not moved my cpu but I did put the side paneling on it but it has a 80mm fan blowing air into the bottom of the case from he side. I was thinking of moving the fan from the bottom to the top and placing it right above the xigmatik HSF and blowing air in from there.

The temperature increase could've been caused by closing the side panel of your case. Would you mind taking a picture of your system case with the side panel removed? The fan on the top of your case should probably be exhaust. If the side panel fan is directly over your CPU heatsink, you may want to leave it as intake, but I would compare it with having it as an exhaust as well (if it's not directly over the CPU HSF). Are you using all of your front intake fan slots? You can also try both methods (intake and exhaust) with or without the cone.

Keep in mind that CPU temps may fluctuate depending on the FFT length in P95. For example, my CPU temps are at their highest during 256K, 224K, 192K FFT's, but are much lower during the larger FFT tests.

You might want to start recording ambient room temperatures as well as the times of the day when you experience relatively high or low temps for your CPU, video card, hard drives, etc.

[wchp]

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

Thanks again for both of your input.
I tried running the VCore set at 1.3v in the bios but that wasn't stable.
I now have it at 1.3125 in the bios and speedfan 4.37 is showing Vcore1 voltage @ 1.28v for what its worth.
Backing the voltage off certainly helped with temps. Now 0-3 are running @ 58,57,55,55 respectively.
Yes these are at max load under P95
I am running an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro in a Gigabyte Case with Dual 120mm fans
Ambient temp is fairly constant at 69F +/- 2F
re: "CPU temps are at their highest during 256K, 224K, 192K FFT's, but are much lower during the larger FFT tests"
I noticed that as well and the temps I am listing above are at max load with the shorter FFT's
Larger ones seem to run the processor ~ 4-5C lower than what I listed.
I am running the paging file on a separate disc as you recommended (although with 8gb of RAM I don't do a lot of paging until I start running filters on the RAW files.)

[reason]

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

You should test P95 with the energy saving features enabled. If there are no problems during the tests and afterwords during normal use, you should be fine.

So far I'm 12 hours stable with P95 with EIST and C1E enabled. CPU vcore is set to 1.29375 (1.26 actual).

I got 25hrs with EIST and C1E enabled vcore 1.28750 and cpu-z shows 1.264v. Its pretty cool because when when cpu is not being used, it bumps down to 2.70ghz and windows actually reports it at this speed.

[reason]

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

Are those temps during idle or full load? You have a problem if those are idle temps. Also, adjusting your CPU vcore will have a direct impact on your CPU temps, so I suggest lowering it until you reach your system's stability limit. 58-61C load is decent, but a CPU vcore of 1.35 set in the bios is high for 3.2GHz (make sure you have LLC enabled). Try a CPU vcore of 1.300, then 1.3250 if 1.300 isn't stable.

Make sure you manually set your system's paging file as that will improve Photoshop CS4 performance. Your paging file should typically be 1.5 times your amount of actual system RAM and be placed on another partition of a separate physical hard drive (if possible). More information regarding paging files can be found by doing simple google searches.



Also, regarding your S3 issues, what BIOS version are you using? Try downloading the latest ones here as the related issues may have been fixed.



The temperature increase could've been caused by closing the side panel of your case. Would you mind taking a picture of your system case with the side panel removed? The fan on the top of your case should probably be exhaust. If the side panel fan is directly over your CPU heatsink, you may want to leave it as intake, but I would compare it with having it as an exhaust as well (if it's not directly over the CPU HSF). Are you using all of your front intake fan slots? You can also try both methods (intake and exhaust) with or without the cone.

Keep in mind that CPU temps may fluctuate depending on the FFT length in P95. For example, my CPU temps are at their highest during 256K, 224K, 192K FFT's, but are much lower during the larger FFT tests.

You might want to start recording ambient room temperatures as well as the times of the day when you experience relatively high or low temps for your CPU, video card, hard drives, etc.

I'll take a pic tomorrow. I have terrible lighting in the living room and only have a camera on my phone. I dont have any front intakes on this case. It was the first thing that I purchased and I did not take into consideration all the many varied elements of the overclock.

[imprezastipwr]

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

I got 25hrs with EIST and C1E enabled vcore 1.28750 and cpu-z shows 1.264v. Its pretty cool because when when cpu is not being used, it bumps down to 2.70ghz and windows actually reports it at this speed.

Congrats. I got 24 hours of stability in P95 with EIST, C1E, and Gigabyte DES at 1.264v as well. My multiplier goes down to 6x for 2.4GHz with minimal CPU usage.

I strongly suggest installing fans for the front intake. If you have 3 5.25" slots to spare and want to install a 120mm fan intake, I suggest getting a Scythe Kama Bay. Here's a picture of an installed Scythe Kama Bay:



(this system is made by EndPCNoise and is featured at Silent PC Review)

Again, I suggest purchasing quality fans and possibly replacing the ones you already have as well.

For 80mm, I suggest the Nexus Real Silent Case Fan SP802512L-03.

For 120mm, I suggest the Nexus Real Silent Case Fan D12SL-12 at 7 volt operation.

[reason]

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

Congrats. I got 24 hours of stability in P95 with EIST, C1E, and Gigabyte DES at 1.264v as well. My multiplier goes down to 6x for 2.4GHz with minimal CPU usage.

I strongly suggest installing fans for the front intake. If you have 3 5.25" slots to spare and want to install a 120mm fan intake, I suggest getting a Scythe Kama Bay. Here's a picture of an installed Scythe Kama Bay:



(this system is made by EndPCNoise and is featured at Silent PC Review)

Again, I suggest purchasing quality fans and possibly replacing the ones you already have as well.

For 80mm, I suggest the Nexus Real Silent Case Fan SP802512L-03.

For 120mm, I suggest the Nexus Real Silent Case Fan D12SL-12 at 7 volt operation.

Thanks for the kudos and the advice. I didnt stress test with DES installed. I didnt think about it. I'll do that next.

I only have 2 5.25" bays left in my case. I know I need a better case and I will probably get one before the summer starts. But right now with school, taxe season and other expenses, it's not at the top of my priority list. I will look into the 80mm Fans though. The ones that I currently have were pretty cheap at 3 for $10. I tried looking on NewEgg for the Nexus Real Silent's but I did not see them. Do they sell them there?

[imprezastipwr]

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

Thanks for the kudos and the advice. I didnt stress test with DES installed. I didnt think about it. I'll do that next.

I only have 2 5.25" bays left in my case. I know I need a better case and I will probably get one before the summer starts. But right now with school, taxe season and other expenses, it's not at the top of my priority list. I will look into the 80mm Fans though. The ones that I currently have were pretty cheap at 3 for $10. I tried looking on NewEgg for the Nexus Real Silent's but I did not see them. Do they sell them there?

The P182 is a great case as it has great airflow and features a separate chamber for the power supply and hard drives. After doing a quick Google shopping search, I found quite a few merchants that sell the SP802512L-03. The cheapest I could find was at svc.com for $9.99 each. If you ever need 120mm's, I suggest Petra's Tech Shop (they sell 4 for $15.96 and buy directly from the manufacturer- this is important since there are quite a few fake ones out there).