Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

[Space Butler]

Hi all. I've recently gotten myself a Q6600 (G0) and an EP45-UD3P, and set about overclocking it. I managed to get over some early bumps myself by searching through these forums, and now I'm hoping people can help me take it further. So far I've got it up to 3GHz, and I'd like to see how much higher I can go. This will probably look long, but just because I'll try to provide up front all the info I've seen people asked for in these sorts of threads.

The first thing I'm wondering about is temperatures.

1. What exactly is the temperature that shows up as "CPU" in EasyTune? It's often a full 10C below my core temperatures, or more under high thermal load from Prime95.
2. What's the temperature marked "System" in EasyTune? It barely ever seems to change, no matter how hot the processor gets, and is much hotter than the "CPU" temp at idle (usually 44-45, as opposed to 27-30 for "CPU").
3. How consistent should my core temperatures be? I usually have at least 5C difference between the hottest and the coolest, and more than that when Prime95 drives it as hot as it can. Might I have screwed up my thermal paste application?
4. Where should I start worrying about heat on a G0 Q6600? When a core hits 70C?

So far, at 3GHz (333x9), I've run Prime95's all-around stress test for 8 hours with no errors, and no cores getting over 60C. The maximum-CPU-heat stress test will drive the cores up to about 69C at the highest from what I've seen - I once tried to run that overnight, and judging from the log it left my computer rebooted after about two hours, but I have no idea if that was because of an error, or just Windows Update or something.

As far as actual gaming goes, so far nothing I own has managed to drive core temps up past 57C or so. At idle, the cores generally sit around 35-40C, and the temperature EasyTune labels "CPU" is usually more around 27-30C.

As I said, I'd like to see how fast I can get this thing running, so any tips or suggestions are very welcome. Since I have DDR2-1066 RAM, am I right that I'd get best performance with an FSB of 533MHz? Is that a viable goal without liquid cooling?

Hardware:
Chip: Intel Q6600 G0
HSF: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
Thermal Paste: Generic, says it's 25% silver (I assume I should replace this when I can?)
Mobo: GA-EP45-UD3P
RAM: 2x2GB of OCZ Reaper Hpc DDR2-1066 in dual channel (slots 1+3)
GPU: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS SSC 640MB
PSU: Corsair TX650W
Case: Antec Sonata II (only has one fan, but it's outward-blowing, with its intake about 2in from the exhaust of the CPU HSF)



BIOS Settings
(adapting the template lsdmeasap put up in other threads -- any number in round brackets is the BIOS' "normal" value for that field, not my current setting.)

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9x
CPU Frequency ...........................: 3GHz (333x9)

Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 333Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: 100


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: 800mV
PCI Express Clock Drive.................: 900mV
CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: 0ps
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0ps


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: 333MHz
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 3.20B
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1066
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................: 5
tRCD .........................................: 5
tRP'...........................................: 5
tRAS..........................................: 15

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...................................(4)........ Auto
tWTR..................................(4)........ Auto
tWR....................................(8)........ Auto
tRFC...................................(72)....... Auto
tRTP...................................(4)........ Auto
Command Rate (CMD) ............(0)........: Auto

Channels A & B (both are the same)
Static tRead Value....................(8)..: Auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment..............(0)..: Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment..............(0)..: Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .............(0)..: Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment.............(0)..: Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............(8)..: Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)..............(8)..: Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)..............(7)..: Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank).............(9)..: Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
DDR Write Training.........................: Auto

All the DIMM Driving options are Auto as well.

Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type.………... Manual
Load-Line Calibration..................: Enabled
CPU
CPU Vcore….………......(1.325V)........: 1.35V
CPU Termination…..... (1.2V)...........: Auto
CPU PLL…………………....(1.5V)...........: Auto
CPU Reference…………....(0.76V).......: Auto

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....(1.100V)...........: Auto
MCH Reference….…….(0.760V)...........; Auto
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......(0.900V)...........: Auto
ICH I/O……………….....(1.500V)............: Auto
ICH Core…………...……(1.100V)............: Auto

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....(1.800V)............: Auto
DRAM Termination .…(0.900V)............: Auto
Channel A Reference (0.900V)............: Auto
Channel B Reference (0.900V)............: Auto

Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Enabled]

• One odd thing I've noticed -- both EasyTune and CPU-Z say my memory's max bandwidth is PC2-6400. Anyone know what's up with that?
• I haven't yet tested to see how low I can get the CPU's Vcore at current settings, so the 1.35V is probably overkill.
• My RAM is labeled as 2.2V, and the mobo's 'Auto' setting seems to be doing it right, as EasyTune sees a DRAM voltage of 2.112V.

I think that's everything. Just let me know if you need any more info. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help. :)

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Thanks for taking the time to write a well-structured, long post! makes it a lot easier for me :)

1. Don't trust the Easytune CPu temps, they're complete BS
2. System is usually the temp of the monitoring chip itself, which Gigabyt usually places very close to the video card where it is warm & cozy, therefore the high temp. Don't worry though, it doesn't matter at all how hot that chip gets.
3. The differences are common. It's because the temp probes in the chips aren't really high precision calibrated instruments and therefore they may be off. larger differences are probably due too one probe reading the temperature hotter than it is while the other thinks it's colder than it acutally is resulting in relatively large discrepancy
4. Yes, 70C is where you should think about doing something, but some people go even higher (while many panic way lower for whatever reason). Keep in mind that Intel's overheating protection kicks in only at over 90C to prevent damage to the CPU. The only reasyon why you would not want your CPU to reach 70C is because it's more likely to become unstable, but not because it's likely to die

I'm not sure whether Windows Update can cause a non-user prompted reboot, but if Prime ran for 8 hours it's extremely unlikely that the a crash caused the reboot.

533 FSB would likely be the world record for a non-sub-zero Q6600 OC ;) These chips usually max out at 450 FSB, maybe the new UD3 mainboards may be able to get higher though. to figure out the maximum FSB, lower the multi to 6 and increase your FSB while using a 2.0D memory multiplier.

Easytune and CPU-Z probably shod the SPD, which is the standardized speed for non-OC DDR2 RAM. If there's SPD written on the tab you're looking at then don't worry.

1.35V isn't a lot for a 65nm CPU, generally people give these about 0.1V more than 45nm CPUs since their stock voltage is also about 0.1V higher on average.

If you want to try a quick & dirty 3600 MHz setting set the FSB to 400, system memory multiplier to 2.66D and Vcore to 1.4-1.425V and see how that works out.

[Space Butler]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Thanks for the answers! :)

Windows Update can reboot on its own, depending on settings. I think mine was set to auto-reboot for critical security updates, so it's possible that's what it was.

As for the memory speed issue, neither says SPD anywhere, they just say "Max bandwidth" or similar.

I tried those settings for a Q&D 3.6GHz, and no luck: it tried to boot, but after a few seconds (no BIOS beeps) it rebooted itself using failsafe defaults.

Then I had an issue where it wouldn't even boot using my 3GHz settings -- gave a continuous series of beeps, then rebooted itself, which is a problem I had earlier on when I wasn't setting my memory multiplier right. Thing is, I had loaded those settings from a BIOS save slot (or whatever they're called).. And after a reboot at stock speed, I went into the BIOS, loaded my old settings from the exact same slot again, and now it's working happily at 3GHz again. Don't know what that was all about.

Any idea what could've been going wrong at 3.6GHz?

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Post a screenshot of the memory abndwidth windows please.

Also fill out this template with hte non-working 3.6GHz settings please:

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto or Fast
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: x
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.0
CPU Frequency ...........................: x.xx


Clock Chip Control 
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled] 
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 500Mhz or 417Mhz *See Ram Multi Note*
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:Set to 100

C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: <<< 800
PCI Express Clock Drive.................: <<< 900
CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: <<< 
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: <<< 


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 2.00B/2.00D or 2.40 (*2.00 for 500 FSB - 2.40 for 417 FSB)

Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1000Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................ 5
tRCD ......................................... 5
tRP'........................................... 5
tRAS.......................................... 15


Advanced Timing Control
tRRD........................................... 3
tWTR.......................................... 3-4
tWR............................................ 5-6
tRFC........................................... 50-54
tRTP........................................... 3
Command Rate (CMD) ....................:2

Driving Strength Profiles
Driving Strength ............................ 1066

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:7/8-9 (Depending on other voltages and strap being used)

 tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:Auto <<< Leave for all below as well
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
 tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
 tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto 
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto 
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps

Channel B
Static tRead Value.........................:7/8-9 (Depending on other voltages and strap being used)

 tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:Auto <<< Leave for all below as well
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
 tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
 tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto 
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto 
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps

Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type.���... Manual
CPU
CPU Vcore�.���.........................: x.xx
CPU Termination�..... 1.200V*.......: << If overclocking Please set to stock, Auto overvolts this way to much.  Optimal range for overclock would be 1.2-1.5 depending on Vcore, try to keep at least .1 under vcore.  Auto is fine if not overclocking

CPU PLL�������....1.500V*.......: << If overclocking Please set to stock, Auto overvolts this way to much.  Optimal range for overclock would be 1.5-1.65.  Auto is fine if not overclocking

CPU Referen.����....0.755V*.......: <<< .64% Of Vtt (Termination above) Auto Will set this correctly 

CPU Reference2���,,0.800V*.......:<<< .67% Of Vtt (Termination above) Auto Will set this correctly 

MCH/ICH
MCH Core�����.....1.100V...........: << 1.2-1.26 (amount needed will depend on Strap used and tRD used)

MCH Reference�.��.0.800V...........; <<< May need adjusted, depends on your board and CPU being used, and all other voltages.  See my signature for how to adjust.

MCH/DRAM Ref.�......0.900V...........: <<< Leave
ICH I/O������.....1.550V............: <<< 1.5-1.55
ICH Core����...��1.100V............: <<< 1.14-1.2

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ��....1.800V............: 2.0V (2.05V May be needed)
DRAM Termination .�0.900V............: <<< Leave
Channel A Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave
Channel B Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave

Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled] Enabled if you use Vmware/Virtual PC

Integrated Peripherals
Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............[Disabled] *Note* Must be enabled to flash from USB

[Space Butler]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Turns out you were right about it being SPD, I just misread the tab in cpu-z.

The 3.6 settings were just what I have posted above, but with the three changes you suggested; I tried it with the (G)MCH freq latch changed to match the FSB, and also with it set to Auto, with the same result each time. For the sake of having the settings all in one place:

BIOS Settings

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9x
CPU Frequency ...........................: 3.6GHz (400x9)

Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 400Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........: 100


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................: 800mV
PCI Express Clock Drive.................: 900mV
CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: 0ps
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0ps


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: 400MHz
System Memory Multiplier ..............: 2.66D
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1066
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................: 5
tRCD .........................................: 5
tRP'...........................................: 5
tRAS..........................................: 15

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...................................(4)........ Auto
tWTR..................................(4)........ Auto
tWR....................................(8)........ Auto
tRFC...................................(72)....... Auto
tRTP...................................(4)........ Auto
Command Rate (CMD) ............(0)........: Auto

Channels A & B (both are the same)
Static tRead Value....................(8)..: Auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment..............(0)..: Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment..............(0)..: Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .............(0)..: Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment.............(0)..: Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)...............(8)..: Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)..............(8)..: Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)..............(7)..: Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank).............(9)..: Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
DDR Write Training.........................: Auto

All the DIMM Driving options are Auto as well.

Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type.………... Manual
Load-Line Calibration..................: Enabled
CPU
CPU Vcore….………......(1.325V)........: 1.425V
CPU Termination…..... (1.2V)...........: Auto
CPU PLL…………………....(1.5V)...........: Auto
CPU Reference…………....(0.76V).......: Auto

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....(1.100V)...........: Auto
MCH Reference….…….(0.760V)...........; Auto
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......(0.900V)...........: Auto
ICH I/O……………….....(1.500V)............: Auto
ICH Core…………...……(1.100V)............: Auto

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....(1.800V)............: Auto
DRAM Termination .…(0.900V)............: Auto
Channel A Reference (0.900V)............: Auto
Channel B Reference (0.900V)............: Auto

Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology................: [Enabled]
Legacy USB Storage Detect ............: [Disabled]

I left out the settings that don't seem to exist in my BIOS, like "C2/C2E State Support".

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Sorry, I forgot you had the template up there already.
Try system memory multiplier at 2.0D jsut to see if we need to tune the RAM timings at 1066. If that doesn't help increase Vcore to 1.45V and set CPU termination to 1.4V. While you're at it also set CPU PLL to 1.6V.

[Space Butler]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Alright, no luck after changing only the multiplier. Then, with the mem mult at 2.0D, Vcore at 1.45, CPU Termination at 1.4V and PLL at 1.6V, it did POST, but didn't make it all the way through booting up Windows (screen went black at some point, not sure exactly when because I wasn't looking at the time).

I put the multiplier down to 8x, and now I'm running at 3.2GHz with no problems so far (though, at the same time, I haven't stressed it in the slightest yet). What do you suggest next? (In the meantime, I'm gonna go run some Prime95 to see if the system will stay up at the current settings.)

Update: I just found out that for some reason it's only running 2 cores right now (the 400x8 setting). Why would that be?

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Try CPU termination at 1.45V

Only 2 Cores:
That's a Windows problem I think, I remember reading about but I ahve no clue how to fixt that sorry.

[Space Butler]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

So close! CPU termination 1.46V (1.45 isn't an option) got it successfully into Windows -- where unfortunately I confirmed it was again being detected as only dual-core. It ran just fine for a few minutes, until without warning it locked up so hard even the mouse pointer wouldn't move.

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

OK, try PLL at 1.46V and MCH Core at 1.24V.

[Space Butler]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Hey again, sorry for disappearing for a couple days, but other obligations called.

I tried it with mem mult 2.0D, Vcore 1.45, CPU Termination 1.4, PLL 1.45 (closest it had to 1.46), and MCH Core 1.24 -- no luck; it started booting, but didn't make it all the way through (I think I saw a momentary flash of a bluescreen before it rebooted itself, but I'm not sure).

I then used the same settings, but with PLL put up to 1.61 (closest it has to 1.6), and that's now got me into windows at 3.6GHz. Still just getting detected as two cores, though. I'll try to research that a bit more while I run Prime95 to see how stable this 3.6GHz is.

Update: Prime95 didn't even make it 30 seconds before one thread got an error. And, unfortunately, I'm not finding anything useful on the only-two-cores-being-detected issue.

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Can you try Prime 95 in "small ffts" mode please? Try it several times, if this also fails quickly the issue probably has something to do with the CPU, if it takes longer to fail then it's more likely to be the RAM.

[Quintas]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Hello all. I don't even have this board but i was just browsing and saw you notes about the whole 2 core problem and thought i'd regester and see if i could help at all.

Start, Run, msconfig, boot, Advanced options. Then click Number of processors, and select 4. Now reboot and see if that has fixed it. If not the Start, Run, msconfig, Boot, Advanced options, then select Detect Hal. Now reboot and all should be fine (we hope hehe)

Let us know how things go mate. :)

[Nickel020]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

Thanks! I read about that some time ago but could not remember how it was done again, never had that problem with my Q6600 :)

[Quintas]

Re: Help with OCing Q6600 on EP45-UD3P

My q6600 on an Asus P5Q-Pro is @ 3.4. What is the usuall OC on a gig board?