First time overclocker, 975xbx2 e6600

[JohnJ]

i just bought all the parts to my new pc and i was hoping on getting 3.0 ghz at least out of my e6600. What do i need to do? i am hoping on not having to do any hardware mods such as soldering etc

thanks guys!


975xbx2
e6600
enermax lib 620 watt
seagate 7200.10 320g sata 2
8800 gtx
2 g mushkin 1.8v 5 5 5 12 memory

 

[forumtroll]

Nice motherboard. I love mine.

You won't have to do any hardware mods. 3.0 should be an absolute breeze. I can OC my xbx2 and 6600 to 3.2gz w/o adjusting anything but the FSB speed. All CPUs are different, so you experience may be better or worse than mine.

First off, read the C2D OC guide stickied to the top of the CPU forum. It'll give you a feel for how things work. After you've done that, read the rest of this...

So... to get your fsb:ram to 1:1 you'll need to enter the "Memory Configuration" section in the bios. Move the Memory Frequency to 533.

Then go to the "Processor Overrides" section and move the FSB Frequency Override from "Auto" to "Manual". This'll open up the "FSB Frequency" option. You'll probably get at least 3.0ghz stable w/o adjusting your vcore... so try that. Move the "FSB Frequency" to 333. This will overclock you to 2.997ghz.

Now run "Stress Prime" to test stability. A good first test is like 10-15 minutes. A true test is much longer.... like overnight. But don't bother with that until you feel you've reached the edge of your overclock. You can download Orthos ("Stress Prime") from www.techpowerup.com. If you're stable after 10-15 minutes jump back in and up the speed a bit. I'd try 356 FSB (3.2ghz) next. (This is the point at which I need to add vcore.) When you do fail orthos you know you need to play with voltage. You'll know when it happens. Orthos will flash and beep, and generally b*tch at you. Move the "CPU Voltage Override" in the "Processor Overrides" section up one notch and retest.

Note: The first time you move the "CPU Voltage Override" off of "Auto" make note of the "Current Processor Voltage" beforehand. You'll want to set it one notch above that value. The default will be lower than that value.

Be sure to post your results! Good luck.

 

[JohnJ]

wow thanks man, ill try that, hey would it be better to have the 2g of mushkin 1.8v 5 5 5 12 which i have now- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146599


or the mushkin with heat vents, maybe better with overlocking 5 5 5 12

at 1.9v

http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16820146118

or would the mushkin 1.9v 3 3 3 9 be the best

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146098

i know the intel site says the bx2 doesnt like memory thats not 1.8-1.9v. if i am bringing the ram 1 : 1 and to around 533, does this mean i need ddr2 1066 memory?

975xbx2
e6600
enermax lib 620 watt
seagate 7200.10 320g sata 2
8800 gtx
zalman 9500
2 g mushkin 1.8v 5 5 5 12 memory

 

[PCAnalyst]

wow thanks man, ill try that, hey would it be better to have the 2g of mushkin 1.8v 5 5 5 12 which i have now- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146599


or the mushkin with heat vents, maybe better with overlocking 5 5 5 12

at 1.9v

http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16820146118

or would the mushkin 1.9v 3 3 3 9 be the best

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146098

i know the intel site says the bx2 doesnt like memory thats not 1.8-1.9v. if i am bringing the ram 1 : 1 and to around 533, does this mean i need ddr2 1066 memory?

975xbx2
e6600
enermax lib 620 watt
seagate 7200.10 320g sata 2
8800 gtx
zalman 9500
2 g mushkin 1.8v 5 5 5 12 memory

you will want the faster RAM if you are going to overclock with a 1:1.

I would suggest the Crucial Balistix with that mobo DDR2 800 or higher

Corsair XMS2

or Mushkins Enhanced Performance / extreme performance models.

 

[JohnJ]

thanks for the reply man! i really do appreciate it, so u recommend the faster ram as far as latency or higher than ddr2 800( my board doesn't support anything higher than ddr2800) if so what speed exactly? because the intel site says the board doesn't like anything but 1.8-1.9

 

[forumtroll]

When you're doing a 1:1 overclock below 400mhz you're underclocking your ram. The stuff you currently have will get the job done fine. Faster ram (with tighter timings) will probably help your benchmarks in a small way, but you definitely don't need it to overclock to 3.6ghz or below. It's likely your current ram will take you beyond even that, though.

 

[JohnJ]

wow man thank you so much for the info! i was just a bit worried about my memory that i bought because i wasn't sure if my 1.8v 5 5 5 12 ddr2 800 mushkin memory wouldn't be good enough ( it is value ram). I bought the bx2 over the evga 680i for stability and reliability issues. So do u think my system would still be reliable with my existing memory or would u recommend getting other memory to compensate for the mild over clock so it is still reliable. by the way, you rock man!

975xbx2
e6600
enermax lib 620 watt
seagate 7200.10 320g sata 2
8800 gtx
zalman 9500
2 g mushkin 1.8v 5 5 5 12 memory

 

[JohnJ]

i looked at those memory specs for the crucial ballistics etc. they are all above 1.9v if my board only supports 1.8v-1.9v according to intek's site. then i cant use those good memory sticks on my bx2? or maybe im missing something

 

[forumtroll]

if my board only supports 1.8v-1.9v according to intek's site. then i cant use those good memory sticks on my bx2? or maybe im missing something

The bad axe 2 will do memory voltage from 1.8-2.8v.

I bought the bx2 over the evga 680i for stability and reliability issues. So do u think my system would still be reliable with my existing memory or would u recommend getting other memory to compensate for the mild over clock so it is still reliable.

Like I said, your mild overclock won't be stressing your current memory. Stability won't be an issue. An overclock up to 3.6ghz won't be taxing your current memory. There is nothing wrong with your current memory. Buying any of the memory you listed would be a waste of cash. You'd even be worse off with the pc2-4200 you listed.

All of that aside, if you're just looking for a few extra frames-per-second above the already blazing performance you'll be getting, then go for it. The difference won't be significant or really even noticeable, though.