Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Man...maybe I'm not patient enough but I've tried the 4 and the 3.83 and under 4 my PC reboots after about 2 minutes of OCCT and locks up after 10 minutes at 3.83.

When you say 3.83, were you trying my settings as listed in my signature? If so, and you are experiencing some lock-ups I think you need to loosen up memory timings a bit. Also make sure DRAM voltage is set to your memory spec. You can always lower voltage later if you want.

[SBMongoos]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

When you say 3.83, were you trying my settings as listed in my signature? If so, and you are experiencing some lock-ups I think you need to loosen up memory timings a bit. Also make sure DRAM voltage is set to your memory spec. You can always lower voltage later if you want.

I believe so. I thought it was "thepieguy" but not sure. I'm using stock RAM settings and voltages (2.2v for this RAM). 3.83 locked up but the 4Ghz settings listed above would reboot only after a minute or so of running OCCT in "normal" mode.

This is my RAM by the way: http://www.ocztechnology.com/product...pc_4gb_edition

I do think my settings are 5-5-5-18 instead of the spec 5-6-6-18.

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

I believe so. I thought it was "thepieguy" but not sure. I'm using stock RAM settings and voltages (2.2v for this RAM). 3.83 locked up but the 4Ghz settings listed above would reboot only after a minute or so of running OCCT in "normal" mode.

This is my RAM by the way: OCZ Technology | Products | Memory | OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 Reaper HPC 4GB Edition

I do think my settings are 5-5-5-18 instead of the spec 5-6-6-18.

OK, try this. Should solve the lockup problem and should get you stable. You can tweak timings after you get stable, but you shouldn't notice much difference:

 
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: [Auto]
[URL="http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/stable-e8400-oc-3-83-a-30823/#"]CPU[/URL] Clock Ratio .......................: [   9]
Fine CPU Clock Ratio...................:  +0.0
CPU Frequency .........................: 3.83GHz

Clock Chip Control 
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control.................: [Enabled] 
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ..............:  426Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) ...........:  100

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

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.................:  Auto
System Memory Multiplier ..............:  2.40B 
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ................:  1022
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.......................: 5
tRCD ..................................: 6
tRP'...................................: 6
tRAS...................................: 18

Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...................................: 5
tWTR...................................: 5
tWR....................................: 8
tRFC...................................: 54
tRTP...................................: 5
Command Rate (CMD) ....................: 2

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

Channel A
Static tRead Value.....................:     8
tRD Phase0 Adjustment..................: [Auto]
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]
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: [Auto]
DDR Write Training.....................: [Auto]

Channel B
Static tRead Value.....................:     8
tRD Phase0 Adjustment..................: [Auto]
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]
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: [Auto]
DDR Write Training.....................: [Auto]

Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type...........................: [Manual]

CPU---------------------Normal-----------Current

Load Line Calibration..................: [Disabled]
CPU Vcore...............1.25000V.......: 1.28750V
CPU Termination.........1.200V.........: 1.200V
CPU PLL.................1.500V.........: 1.500V
CPU Reference...........0.760V.........: [Auto]  

MCH/ICH
MCH Core................1.100V.........: 1.220V
MCH Reference...........0.760V.........: [Auto]
MCH/DRAM Reference......0.900V.........: [Auto]
ICH I/O.................1.500V.........: 1.500V
ICH Core................1.100V.........: 1.100V

DRAM
DRAM Voltage............1.800V.........: 2.200V 
DRAM Termination........0.900V.........: [Auto]
Channel A Reference.....0.900V.........: [Auto]
Channel B Reference.....0.900V.........: [Auto]

That should do nicely!

[SBMongoos]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

H20 heater issues here (very $$)so I didn't get my post in. I also had the SMM set to 2.4B which I think was either 1066 or I believe 1022. Issue?

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

I don't think the 2.40B strap will cause any difficulty at such a low FSB. Your memory is great at 1022. In the link it was rated at 1150, so running it a little slower will be no problem.

[SBMongoos]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

I don't think the 2.40B strap will cause any difficulty at such a low FSB. Your memory is great at 1022. In the link it was rated at 1150, so running it a little slower will be no problem.

That's what I thought. Would like to get the 4Ghz but OCCT test causes it to reboot after just a few minutes. Arghh...

Update:

By the way I'm still tinkering with the 4Ghz. I adjusted the RAM timings to the 5-6-6-18 and tried it with SMM at 2.0b and this time it did not reboot but after a couple minutes I got some sore of error that pointed toward Core #0 and Core #1.

I'm going to bump the SMM back to 2.4b to see what happens. I wonder if at 4Ghz if I need to drop the MCH Core below 1.3 and maybe bump the CPU Vcore up from 1.625.

I thought it was interesting you were using a higher CPU voltage at 3.83 than 4 but they are quite close.


Update:

Okay, moving SMM back to 2.4b threw the same error but it did not reboot. So moving from 5-5-5-18 to 5-6-6-18 appears to have helped. Now any recommendations? Thoughts on my notes above about the MCH/CPU voltages?

Update: I'll just add notes for now. Hope that's cool. If someone responds then I'll post a reply.

I was attempting 4G yet and thought I was okay with the mem settings and using SMM of 2.4b and dropped MCH to 1.28. However my PC just simply rebooted randomly and I got a BSOD that flashed by. I'm trying the 3.83 settings with mem at 5-6-6-18 stock settings and see if I can get stability for now.

[Neocane]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Hey there Outer Marker! I've just traded out a real pos motherboard (evga 680i) for the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P and now share the same specs as you, so when I found this thread I felt compelled to try your "already tested" bios setting for a stable oc. I've built several computers over the years but never truly dove into the oc'g aspect of it until now. After using your bios settings I'm currently at 3.6 stable and at a relatively cool 60 C under full load using the IntelBurn Test Linpack (x5) and also 53 C using the OCCT test (1 hr).

I wasn't previously a member of these forums but a need to know a bit more about this motherboard found me here. I just wanted to say thank you very much for a stable (and cool) oc that works just great! I plan on trying out your settings for a 3.83 oc later and then I'll run test on that as well for heat and stability.

Antec 1200
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Core2Duo Wolfdale E8400 3ghz @ 3.6ghz
Zalman 9500 cpu cooler
GSkill 4 gb ddr2 ram 800mhz (used the 2.00D settings you suggested)
eVGA 8800gtx superclocked 700/1000
XFi Champion Series w/front panel control
WD hdds x4 127gb - 500 gb (x2) - 600 gb
Pioneer DVD rom




ps.... Is the Zalman sufficient for oc'g, or should I consider a the Xigmatek I've been hearing so much about?

pss.... Is it possible or achieve a stable/low heat oc of 4.0ghz using our specs, or is that not adviseable?


again bud, thanks so very much for your initial post of this bios oc!

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Great work Neocane! Glad the settings are working well for you. Your temps are pretty identical to mine. Intel Burn Test really works your core, so the higher temperatures seen under that test are fine. Both OCCT and Intel Burn Test temps look good. If you recently built your rig, temps should come down a couple degrees after your thermal paste sets.

The Zalman cooler should be fine for overclocking - I've never heard any bad things about it. A 4GHz overclock is very reasonable with our hardware, but I don't have any stable settings for you unfortunately. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do a lot of Photoshop work and I do play Flight Simulator on the PC. In my benchmarks, there was no real-world difference between 3.83 GHz and 4.0 GHz. In a benchmark with Everest Ultimate, I saw only minor gains, but quite a lot more heat (lot more Vcore was needed). In conclusion, I prefer the 3.83 config for its great stability and relatively low voltage requirements. Given that, I didn't spend any time making the 4.0 config stable, and I did get a few lock-ups and blue screens. Photoshop in particular was a b'stard with 4.0

I would say that you could use the 3.83 config as a starting point if you want to go higher. If I ever go higher or find a new stable point, check my signature, I'll always post my settings here and link to them in my signature.

[Neocane]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Wow, thanks for the quick reply bud! I'm going to try your 3.83 oc and run some tests on it. I appreciate the time it must have taken to test these settings for yourself and save me all the time and research you yourself must have done. It has saved me a lot of said footwork!

[SBMongoos]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Wow, thanks for the quick reply bud! I'm going to try your 3.83 oc and run some tests on it. I appreciate the time it must have taken to test these settings for yourself and save me all the time and research you yourself must have done. It has saved me a lot of said footwork!

Yes, I ditto that remark! Thanks.

I'm in the same position as Neocane.

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

I'm very happy to know I've helped more than just myself . In particular, this P45 chipset seems to be a bit harder to figure out than others. It seems that it is very consistent though... once good settings are found, they seem to work well across the board. That's an interesting observation, and one I hope continues to hold true for others.

[SBMongoos]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

I'm currently using your 3.83 settings but have not tested with OCCT. Haven't had the best of luck yet and I'm not sure how to read the OCCT error logs.

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Can you post how your settings look related to this? The two values in RED below should be tried independent of each other. First try the 1100 OC driving strength profile. If no joy, try upping the Northbridge voltage as indicated in red below. Make sure all other settings are as shown below. Note that I have modified DRAM voltage so that it fits your spec RAM.

If all that still doesn't work, we'll get you going on the 2.0D strap instead!

 
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: [Auto]
[URL="http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/stable-e8400-oc-3-83-a-30823/"]CPU[/URL] Clock Ratio .......................: [   9]
Fine CPU Clock Ratio...................:  +0.0
CPU Frequency .........................: 3.83GHz
 
Clock Chip Control 
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control.................: [Enabled] 
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ..............:  426Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) ...........:  100
 
C.I.A.2 ...............................: [Disabled]
 
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.................:  Auto
System Memory Multiplier ..............:  2.40B 
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ................:  1022
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]
 
Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time.......................: 5
tRCD ..................................: 6
tRP'...................................: 6
tRAS...................................: 18
 
Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...................................: 5
tWTR...................................: 5
tWR....................................: 8
tRFC...................................: 54
tRTP...................................: 5
Command Rate (CMD) ....................: 2
 
Driving Strength Profiles
Driving Strength ......................: 1066 [COLOR=red]<-- Try 1100 OC setting[/COLOR]
 
Channel A
Static tRead Value.....................:     8
tRD Phase0 Adjustment..................: [Auto]
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]
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: [Auto]
DDR Write Training.....................: [Auto]
 
Channel B
Static tRead Value.....................:     8
tRD Phase0 Adjustment..................: [Auto]
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]
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: [Auto]
DDR Write Training.....................: [Auto]
 
Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type...........................: [Manual]
 
CPU---------------------Normal-----------Current
 
Load Line Calibration..................: [Disabled]
CPU Vcore...............1.25000V.......: 1.28750V
CPU Termination.........1.200V.........: 1.200V
CPU PLL.................1.500V.........: 1.500V
CPU Reference...........0.760V.........: [Auto]  
 
MCH/ICH
MCH Core................1.100V.........: 1.220V [COLOR=red]<-- Try 1.240V[/COLOR]
MCH Reference...........0.760V.........: [Auto]
MCH/DRAM Reference......0.900V.........: [Auto]
ICH I/O.................1.500V.........: 1.500V
ICH Core................1.100V.........: 1.100V
 
DRAM
DRAM Voltage............1.800V.........: 2.200V [COLOR=red]<-- Spec for your RAM[/COLOR]
DRAM Termination........0.900V.........: [Auto]
Channel A Reference.....0.900V.........: [Auto]
Channel B Reference.....0.900V.........: [Auto]

[SBMongoos]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Outer Marker:

Since I'm testing the CPU with OCCT. Should I be using the OCCT or Linpack CPU test? I've been using the OCCT CPU test of the two.

[Outer Marker]

Re: Stable E8400 OC - stock voltages

Linpack is great for a quick test. Set for only 6 runs. If you get different residual norm values, you know you are not stable within 5 minutes. However, I have seen it report stable, but fail Prime testing after 3 hours. I have used OCCT, but found that the best of all is still ORTHOS Prime. ORTHOS is great because it has a GUI and allows you to run different tests. Small FFT will test CPU, and Large FFT will test RAM. Blend test will do a bit of both.

ORTHOS can be had here. It's just an executable, no install, so it's very compact. Download Stress Prime 2004