garhart13

Hello everyone.

Ive been searching everywhere on the website and can't seem to find the proper instructions to overclock my q9550 to 3.4ghz

specs:
ep45-ud3p
q9550
Masscool 8WA741

im trying to get my 2x2gb ram running at 1066 (which they are supposed to)

from what I understood, the FSB on the cpu must be faster to attain such speeds...

Im basically trying to get the ram to 1066, but I believe i have to oc the cpu first?

what settings should I have to oc the cpu to 3.4?

thanks!

ericeod

There is no straight answer on what you will need to do to get 3.4GHz since voltage requirements very from chip to chip. But 3.4GHz is not a hard OC to get, so it should be streaight forward.

Second note, your ram will run at different speeds based on the Multiplier. In your bios, the lowest Multiplier is 2.00B (the B is the strap). So if you are running 333 FSB with 2.00B, you would be running the ram at DDR2 666 (well actually 667).

So your CPU runs an 8.5 multi:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/det...px?sSpec=SLB8V
That means you need a 400 FSB. So set the CPU Host Clock Control to "Enable" and set it to 400. That also means you need to run the ram on the 2.66B Multiplier (called SPD in bios).

To get the CPU stable, you will probably need somewere between stock and +0.025v vcore increase. To find out your stock CPU voltage, run Coretemp to display the VID (which is the default vcore). Just make sure SpeedStep is disabled. Speedstep runs the CPU at an x6 multi and drops the voltage to save power. it might be called EIST, C1E or SpeedStep in bios.

You will also want to bump the NorthBridge (called MCH Core in Bios) voltage a little. The default for the p45 chipset is 1.10v, but 1.20v is a nice voltage to run. it is not too high, and works for a 400 FSB - 445 FSB OC for most.

here is your bios for reference:



Here are some programs you will want to use:

Prime95: To stress test the OC. Run it for 8hrs on blend

CPU-Z: To verify OC dpeeds for CPU and Memory. Remember DDR2 means the ram is rated for double the actual MHz speed. So under the memory tab, it should say 533MHz for DDR2 1066.

Realtemp: Like CoreTemp, this program monitors your CPU core temps

__________________
eVGA 680i Overclocking guide .......... ASUS P5E/Maximus Thread.......... 4.4GHz CPU-Z

garhart13

bsod on windows 7.. cant boot up.. any ideas?

garhart13

ok.. there is no 2.66b in the settings.. i tried 2.66c and it wouldnt boot..(bsod)
i changed it to 2.4b and it boots just fine.. but speed is 960mhz in bios.. what you think?

cpu-z shows it as 533mhz still

also.. after applying the cpu settings.. still shows as 2.83 in cpuz..
when i boot back to bios.. it gives me a red warning saying settings didnt work due to overclock.. settings may not reflect what is actually happening...

ericeod

Are you giving the ram the rated votage? the board defaults to 1.8v, but some ram is rated for 2.1v. look on the modules themselves, there will be a sticker with the rated timings, speed and voltage. Also, if you want to dial in the FSB and ram fists, to see if you can get it were it noeeds to be, drop the CPU multi to x6 (to downclock it) and take it out of the equation. Then just try to reach the FSB speed and ram speed that you are aiming for. Then once you know the baords and ram is stable, you can bring the CPU back up to its full multi, lower the FSB back down to a safe know working speed, and focus on the CPU itself.

As for the straps, you will have to find the right combination that works for you. I havent worked on the board in a long time, so I cant tell you the exact memory multis that are avialable.

Here are the memory multis and strap:


As for the ram speed, is that in the "Memory" tab and not the SPD tab?

__________________
eVGA 680i Overclocking guide .......... ASUS P5E/Maximus Thread.......... 4.4GHz CPU-Z

garhart13

could my psu have something to do with it.. 575w?

ericeod

You should be OK. I put a Antec 550W PSU in my brother-in-law's PC, and he has an ASUS P45 motherboard, a Q6600 (65nm CPU which uses more power) and an 8800GTS 512 running at 3.4GHz completely stable.

__________________
eVGA 680i Overclocking guide .......... ASUS P5E/Maximus Thread.......... 4.4GHz CPU-Z

garhart13

i keep getting that error message when i go to bios.. something is wrong in the settings..
i set cpu host to 400
spd to 2.4b
cpu vcore to 1.3 (stock is 1.275)
mch core to 1.2
dram to 2.1 (i think it can go up to 2.2)

and i disabled c1e

Dallus

I got mine to 3.4 by upping the FSB to 400, the mem divider is 5:8, and the core voltage is 1.20. It was an instant overclock from the Blackops, but try to set it up like that maybe? My RAM is also DDR3 1333, but it's running at like 1281 now. I need to get some DDR3 1600 quick! LOL But maybe try those as a start??

PS Going from a Q8200 to a Q9550 is like night and day!! Now I just gotta get watercooling!!

ericeod

Did you try dropping the CPU multi from x8.5 to x6 and see if it boots? if it does boot, it means your CPU needs more vcore to run 3.4GHz. Also keep in mind that setting the bios to 1.30v will probably result in the actual voltage being something like 1.275v when the PC loads.

if you want to double check, set the vcore to 1.30v in bios, then run the CPU at stock (333 FSB). Then run CPU-Z and see what vcore it is actually running.

Dialing in a stable overclock can take hours at best, and usually takes a couple of days, especially if it is your first time.

keep in mind the BlackOps is an X48 board with DDR3, so the memory divider (in his bios it is called memory SPD multi) is not going to be even close. The voltage requirements are also different for the chipset. The X48 is a bigger die and requires more voltage. However, they are both rated to run 400 FSB at stock, so the NB voltage isnt really an issue.

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eVGA 680i Overclocking guide .......... ASUS P5E/Maximus Thread.......... 4.4GHz CPU-Z