[irmoviper]

I just built a computer with the following specs:
Intel Q9950 2.83
ASUS P5Q Pro motherboard
8 Gigs of OCZ Platinum 1066 Memory
WD 1 TB 7200 Harddrive
EVGA 9800GTX+ O.C. edition
Corsair 650W Powersupply
Artic Freezing Pro 7 Cooling Fan
Two LG DVD Drives 22X

What I want to do is get a stable 3.6 or higher O.C with this setup. I managed to get a stable 3.4 with a FSB of 400 x 8.5. Not sure what else I need to go to get those kind of numbers. Any help would be greatly appreciated since I am new to this OCing thing.

 

[irmoviper]

I just built a computer with the following specs:
Intel Q9950 2.83
ASUS P5Q Pro motherboard
8 Gigs of OCZ Platinum 1066 Memory
WD 1 TB 7200 Harddrive
EVGA 9800GTX+ O.C. edition
Corsair 650W Powersupply
Artic Freezing Pro 7 Cooling Fan
Two LG DVD Drives 22X

What I want to do is get a stable 3.6 or higher O.C with this setup. I managed to get a stable 3.4 with a FSB of 400 x 8.5 and temps not exceeding 51 runing torture test with Prime95. Not sure what else I need to do to get a stable 3.6. Any help would be greatly appreciated since I am new to this OCing thing.

 

[tbates1244]

Few tips I know for the P5Q;

Disable speedstepping, EIST, C1/E Anything with those names. They are power saving features that can hinder your overclock.

Also look at the stickers on your RAM for the factory timings and voltage. Then go into the BIOS and enter in the 4 timing numbers (ex. 5-5-5-15). Next go to the DRAM frequency and change it to the one at the very top of the list, this will put your RAM in a 1:1 ratio with the FSB.

If any of what I'm saying seems new to you, then try give this a quick browse http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/...ing-guide.html

Other than that I'm not familiar with the Q9550 personally and I'm sure there is someone here that can inform you better than me.

 

[campb292]

I would set the RAM to auto... which should make it 1:1 with the fsb, thus 400 (DDR800). Then you can inch up the CPU without dealing with the ram. I also have the 9550 and was newer to OC'n also, but after months of tweaking and feeling the ins and outs, I think I have it down on Core2 quads at least. I used to do ram and cpu at the same time, learned that is harder because of all the variables of VTT, core, NB, and timings etc.

So, anyway, set that RAM as low as it goes or auto, probably auto the timings too. Take the bus to 410, then 420, then 425 with 8.5 multiplier. That 425 fsb will give you the 3.6 you desire. Just to ballpark, I have the P5Q3 and the core around 425 was stable just fine at 1.30v with fsb termination around 1.20-1.22. You can leave the NB at 1.10 or auto since the mem is so low. Once you get the core where you want it, kick up the ram a bit... you can leave the NB on auto but if it junks out, inch it up slowly until it stabilizes. Also, if you want to just jump right up the the RAM's spec timings and speed, just adjust the DRAM settings in the bios until it is as close the the specs as possible and then match the timings manually. You might try a 1.20-1.30 northbridge for that.

OK.... there you go... someone responded... for what its worth ><

For the stability testing I like OCCT and Prime95, memtest86+ for testing memory. You can also use the Intel Burn Test for quick stability testing at those lower overclocks, but be careful... it really heats things up. Monitor with HWMonitor or Realtemp3.0.

 

[irmoviper]

I appreciate the respone. I managed to get a 3.612 out of her this morning but she froze up when doing the prime95 test. These are my current settings and they seem to be stable:

FSB-400
PCIE-100
DRAM FREQ-DDR2-1066
CPU Voltage - 1.33125
DRAM Voltage - 2.00
CPU Spread Spectrum - Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum - Disabled
CIE Support - Disabled
MAX CPUID Value Limit - Disabled
Intel Speedstep Tech - Disabled

All other settings are on Auto.

These are for a stable 3.4 Clock and has been running Prime95 without any errors for almost 7 hours. My CPU temp hits a high of 51 degrees and all else seems to be stable.

If anyone knows how I can bump/adjust these setting to get a stable 3.6 or a bit higher all would be appreciated.

P.S. I can see how people say this overclocking is very addictive.....been at it hard for about a day and am already hooked......

 

[irmoviper]

I appreciate the respone. I managed to get a 3.612 out of her this morning but she froze up when doing the prime95 test. These are my current settings and they seem to be stable:

FSB-400
PCIE-100
DRAM FREQ-DDR2-1066
CPU Voltage - 1.33125
DRAM Voltage - 2.00
CPU Spread Spectrum - Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum - Disabled
CIE Support - Disabled
MAX CPUID Value Limit - Disabled
Intel Speedstep Tech - Disabled

All other settings are on Auto.

These are for a stable 3.4 Clock and has been running Prime95 without any errors for almost 7 hours. My CPU temp hits a high of 51 degrees and all else seems to be stable.

If anyone knows how I can bump/adjust these setting to get a stable 3.6 or a bit higher all would be appreciated.

P.S. I can see how people say this overclocking is very addictive.....been at it hard for about a day and am already hooked......

 

[Albatross1991]

It would be helpful to know which Prime Test is freezing. Anyway, if its test 1 Small FFTs try bumping your CPU voltage a step or two. If test 1 is OK and it is locking on Blend try bumping your FSB voltage one or two notches and maybe your NB volts could use an increase as well. Watch your temps and GOOD LUCK.

 

[Acoma_Andy]

It's a Q9550 I presume? Small mistake in your sig

If you manually set your CPU vcore to 1.25 - 1.30v, 3.6Ghz should be a piece of cake. Don't forget to lower your memory speed first or else the memory might become a problem.

 

[irmoviper]

Yea its a Q9550 My bad - See i'm a newbie....anyways I upped it to 410 and works smoothly. I was running Prime95 with a blend test and it would just freeze up the computer. I set my cpu voltage to 1.30, fsb temination at 1.22, NB at 1.10. I am about to run another test with prime so I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

[irmoviper]

Another question I have is, when running a prime95 torture test, my cpu temp is hitting 54 but staying around 50-51 for the most of the test. My system temp stays at 38-39 during the test. Just seeing if these numbers were ok. I'd hate to fry something...

 

[Albatross1991]

Your temps are OK.

 

[irmoviper]

ok so i set my fsb to 425 to get the 3.6 i desire. When doing the prime95 small ftt test i immediately get an error. It says FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4. I am not sure what that means and what do i need to do to get no errors?

 

[Albatross1991]

I am almost certain you need to up your CPU voltage a couple of steps.

 

[Lyall]

You probably don't need to up your CPU volts, just go up to about 1.3 with your NB, at 1.1 it cant handle the FSB. I've got a similar system so I speak with experience of this board.

 

[irmoviper]

I upped my NB to 1.3, set my DRAM speed to 1066 (speed of my memory) Ran torture test in both the first test and blend without any errors. Thanks for the help

Now what can i do? I accomplished my goal so quickly.....anyone have any ideas???

 

[ghozt302]

Go higher?

 

[Lyall]

Aim for 3.83ghz then its a whole 1ghz overclock from stock!

.

 

[irmoviper]

ok so I am new to this overclocking thing, i attempted to reach 3.8 and tried to up my cpu voltage and NB and it's still not stable with prime95 blend test. anyhelp would be great....if someone could tell me their setup (hopefully similar to mine) and what their setting are I could give it a shot. Thanks

 

[irmoviper]

alright so i got a stable 3.8 out of the settings i was given. I am having trouble keeping the cpu cool. I have an artic freezing 7 pro heatsink and fan and used the artic silver compound. I idle at 50C and max load is 70c. I am not sure if these numbers are good but they seem high to me. Anyone have any ideas to help cool or fix the cooling? Also just so i clarify - the fan is pulling air from the front of the case. I haven't tried any other way but let me know if i am doing something wrong. Thanks

 

[Lyall]

The Arctic 7 Freezer Pro isn't as good as it once once and can't really deal with a overclocked Q9550. Try getting a new heatsink like a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or a Thermalright Ultra 120. The TRUE 120 Black keeps my Q9550 at 27c idle and 47c load.