[obscura2k]

Hi guys,

I have a few P4 2.8ghz HT (lga775) CPUs and only use 1 of them so decided to OC it on my Asus P5P800. I tried 2 stages and got the following results:

Original: 2.8ghz
Overclock: 10%
Overclocked: 3.06ghz
Idle Temp: 38º
Gaming Temp: 48-52º

----------------------

Original: 2.8ghz
Overclock: 20%
Overclocked: 3.36ghz
Idle Temp: 42º
Gaming Temp: 52-62º

Now, what i'd like to know is, are the 20% results too high? I know 42º is ok but it shoots to 50-60 during gaming, and was wondering if it would be dangerous if i left it on the 20% all the time ...

I have a large Thermaltake Cooling Tower which costs quite a bit and is bloody good for me, but i'd like your opinions please

What do you think?

Many Thanks
James

 

[Mangimar]

I wouldn't run it 24/7 with those temps but that is just me. If you keep it under 65C you should be fine.

 

[obscura2k]

with no OC'n my PC runs @ 33º Idle ...

you really wouldnt recommend the 20% running @ 42º idle with 50-60º load?

 

[B1u3D3ath]

i think that 20% will be ok my cpu idle temps are higher than that but my load temps r about the same and im using stock cooling

 

[Taeric]

Welcome to the fourms.

Idle temps don't have a lot of bearing in determining how far you can go. Load temps are the issue. As was stated above, 65°C is the maximum recommended load temp for Prescott. I try to keep mine well below that, but if you're just gaming for fairly limited time periods (a few hours here and there), I wouldn't be overly concerned.

One thing you may be able to do to lower temps is to manually overclock everything. Using the percent overclock options provided, the BIOS sets, among other things, the CPU voltage (vcore). If you handle all of the settings yourself, you may find that you can run stable at a lower vcore, which will helps with temps. Run CPU-Z, Everest, or a similar program to see what your current settings are, and then apply those in the BIOS. Tweak things around a bit, test stability, and go from there. Not only do you have the potential to get better results, you'll also learn a lot about how all of the settings tie together.

 

[obscura2k]

Thanks for that, i've just give it a good clean and vac and got rid of a bit of dust, seems to have dropped the temp by 4-5º so its around 36º idle

I've attached 2 images below, one of 2.8ghz and one when running at 3.36ghz ... images contain Everest Ultimate Edition and CPU-Z snaps!

2.8ghz:

3.36ghz:

Sorry if i sound dumb, just a bit new to this thats all ... Ideally i'd like to keep it running @ 20% as i noticed a bit of boost and extra FPS when gaming, although i should really overclock my x800xt for that

If you spot anything wrong in the images, or can give me some more good advice or pointers relating to the above, that'd be great, i'll try have a play around with manual settings in BIOS

Thanks
James

 

[Taeric]

One issue is that you're running your RAM at a 3:2 divider, which means that the frequency of your CPU is 50 percent faster than the frequency of your RAM. That will negatively impact your overall system performance. I still suggest going away from the stock overclocking options in the BIOS and handling everything manually. Although it's not certain that your RAM can run at 240 MHz, it's worth a shot to try to get it there. You have two good sets of data already. Just save screen shots of the various tabs of CPU-Z for each standard overclock (at least the memory and SPD tabs in addition to the CPU tab you already have). Try applying those same settings manually in the BIOS. Once you have that stable, try upping the RAM frequency by reducing the divider, loosening RAM timings, and upping the vdimm. Your system will be much better off for it.

I know I'm tossing around a lot of terms, but you're very close to having a killer OC. The chipset on your motherboard is very OC friendly. For more information on doing things manually, read the overclocking and RAM guides linked in my signature. I think they'll give you a lot of confidence to do things manually.

Also, to improve gaming performance, you can OC your video card. Run a program called ATI Tool. It will find the maximum stable memory and core frequencies for your particular card. I have the AIW version of your card, and OCed on stock cooling to 530/590 core/memory (from stock 500/500). That definitely makes a difference in gaming.

 

[obscura2k]

I downloaded that ATI Tool about an hour ago, loaded it and click that find max core ... it then proceeded to go from 499 and up and up ... it got to about 545mhz and about 71º before i got worried and cancelled it as i didnt want to damage it as its on stock cooler and im awaiting my new artic silencer 4

1) is it safe to let it find the max itself?
2) once it finds the max core/memory ... shall i put it on that or just below to be on safe side?

As for oc'n the CPU, yeh i've printed out lots of screenies of CPUZ/Everest ready for manual settings in BIOS, but my BIOS has some options that i dont see in either CPU-Z or Everest so i'll have another look and let you know how i get on

Cheers
James

 

[jrabb1920]

GPU run at a higher temp than cpu's, just run the ATI tool it will find your safest max on its own, if it gets to hot the program will auto down clock in tell it finds your safest max.

 

[obscura2k]

true, it just got me worried was hitting like 71º @ 545 and seemed to be still going up and the fan was making a fair bit of noise ... Should get my Artic Silencer 4 tomorrow so will do it then hehe

So, should i set the core/mem to what ATI Tool finds as the max, or just set it a bit below?

Fanks m8!

Regards
James

 

[Taeric]

I always set mine just a bit below (3-5 MHz). Be sure to run the 3D window for a while after setting the core and memory frequencies to ensure the two working together at higher speeds don't produce artifacts.

The BIOS on your board should be darn near identical to the BIOS on mine as they are both Asus boards with the same chipset. If you have any specific BIOS questions, let me know. The main things to look for are CPU and RAM frequencies, CPU and RAM voltages, RAM timings, and AGP/PCI frequencies.