Overclocking 101

[weirdlookinguy]

Hey guys, my main rig has the following gear:

Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Core 2 Duo E7500, stock Intel cooler
4GB G.Skill 4-4-4-12 1.8v stable RAM

I have been running her at stock speed for two years now. I know that my motherboard was supposed to be one of the best for overclocking when I bought it, and I know that C2Ds are supposed to overclock real well.

Unfortunately I don't even know where to start when it comes to overclocking. Can someone give me a quick crash course in overclocking?

[acstech]

Re: Overclocking 101

Egads. Where to begin?

Here's a couple of guides, one of which I skim read before I posted:

http://hexus.net/tech/tech-explained...ide-beginners/

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/25...clocking-guide

I'd say, before you begin, make sure it's all cleaned out. Running it for 2 years has probably resulted in some dust in the heatsink and other parts. You want good cooling for overclocking.

Also, I wouldn't try upping the voltage much with the stock cooler. Obviously measure your temperatures and go from there, but keep a particularly close eye on them.

Read through the guides then come back if you've got any questions.

[ratdude747]

Re: Overclocking 101

lets see... first, kiss any hopes of your computer being quit goodbye.

second, be sure you have a backup system rrady for use, as overclocking can be risky buisiness.

finally, considering how you designed your rig, i would reconsider overclocking. your design was to keep it quiet while still having power to burn. an overclocking rig is usually very loud.

[Mad_Professor]

Re: Overclocking 101

Hey guys, my main rig has the following gear:

Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Core 2 Duo E7500, stock Intel cooler
4GB G.Skill 4-4-4-12 1.8v stable RAM

I have been running her at stock speed for two years now. I know that my motherboard was supposed to be one of the best for overclocking when I bought it, and I know that C2Ds are supposed to overclock real well.

Unfortunately I don't even know where to start when it comes to overclocking. Can someone give me a quick crash course in overclocking?

There's no real science around overclocking, just play with the FSB and multiplier settings until the computer becomes unstable or doesn't boot. When that happens bump the voltage if the computer still doesn't boot or run stable then something is holding you back, usually north-bridge, memory, or power-supply.

Watch the temps at idle, if it sits at 55*C or higher you got a problem. If it remains in the 40's you're okay since full load temps will be 10* more.

You can use speedfan to monitor temps.

Once you hit your desired clocks, use Prime95 or Orthos and let it run for 24 hours. YOU MUST RUN IT FOR 24 HOURS TO DECLARE YOUR COMPUTER STABLE!
I've had computers which appeared stable only for them error out after 16 hours.

Some run it for 72 hours, I say that's overkill.
Watch your temps when you're doing a stress test, it can creep up and something cooks.

Don't keep pushing it.
What I mean is, if you already push the voltage up to 20% of the stock voltage and the computer is not stable, I would back off and be happy with what you got, otherwise you'll fry it. Or if the temps are too high I would back off and get better cooling.

If you're still persistent then mess with the northbridge voltage and memory timings along with voltage to see if that breaks the FSB wall.

If it doesn't then it's the processor.

HTH
~Mp

[acstech]

Re: Overclocking 101

You might want to see what the limit is for each component (processor, memory, FSB) separately, take notes, then put together an overclock that is within the limits of each component.

I've been using a program called "Intel Burn Test" to verifiy stability. It loads the processor up more than anything else I've seen. Probably the best way to do it would be to verify stability with multiple programs. Run IBT, since it completes rather quickly, while you're working up your overclock. Then when you find settings that you like, run P95 for 24+ hours, and whatever else you can think of to throw at it.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/IntelBur...load-2047.html

[weirdlookinguy]

Re: Overclocking 101

lets see... first, kiss any hopes of your computer being quit goodbye.

second, be sure you have a backup system rrady for use, as overclocking can be risky buisiness.

finally, considering how you designed your rig, i would reconsider overclocking. your design was to keep it quiet while still having power to burn. an overclocking rig is usually very loud.

I'm not very worried about that, it's not like I am doing anything permanent to the computer. I just want to boost the processor speed a little. If the fan starts whining I will bring that shit back down to stock speed so fast it would make speedy gonzales blush. I don't fuck around with loud computers.

I'll see how Photoshop CS5 runs on it, my brother is going to start using my computer for Photoshop and that's the main reason I am considering overclocking (since PS is so CPU intensive). If it runs fine, then I'll probably leave it as-is. If it lags then I'll give the CPU a shot of nitrous.

[toastygoodness]

Re: Overclocking 101

the best stability program i've had was core damage (which really can damage your cores if your heating is bad). see here: http://damage.vigilantesoftware.com/

first thing i'd do is make sure ventilation is all set -> new thermal paste applied correctly (good thermal paste too), clean out fans/heatsinks, if you have sleeve bearing fans make sure to oil them, etc.

then it's really just a matter of locking your PCI-express clock to 200 or whatever it is, then changing the multipliers or FSB of the CPU. you might want to downclock your RAM all the way just to see the peak speed you can hit, then start messing with it after.

those links posted are good starts.