hi all

i am new to overclocking and of course have hit my first problem.......

i have read many forums trying to overcome the problem but have still not succeded so here goes....

i am trying to overclock my E8500 core2duo and here are my specs...

gigabyte x48-ds5 rev.1 F7 bios
Core2duo E8500 3.16 g
Vandetta 2 cpu cooler
EZCool 1050w psu
2x 1g Buffalo 800 ddr2 (dual channel) 5-5-5-18 pc6400
2x gigabyte ati hd4870 crossfire

now, i started in the bios by setting the fsb to 400mhz and bringing down multiplyer to 8 to get 3.4gig, i set the spd to stay at 800mhz which of course in return gave me a 1:1 ratio, i rebooted and got to desktop only to hang 2 mins later so i did a bit of reading and read somewhere to set the cpu skew at 50ps which i tried and still it hangs at desktop, i have checked temps constantly and core temps never go above 50.c
am i right in saying i need to start playing with voltages ?? this is what worries me and is why i am now asking for help before i end up blowing my cpu sky high

Well, risk is part of the game when it comes to overclocking. If you're not willing to take the risk, you should not be doing it.

What programs do you have for testing?

Don't use auto voltages. Find the recommended voltages at this timings for your memory and adjust RAM voltage (probably around 2.1 volts). Also set your vcore voltage equal to your VID since it's a small overclock. You may need to increase vcore voltage for higher overclock but never go over 1.36v. Set pci-e slot speed at 100 mhz and performance enhancment to standard (if it's not set to standard you will have a warning in the bios).

Maybe i was lucky, but i got my e8500 to boot and play games stable @ 3.8ghz using the Auto voltages on a striker II formula. are the temps your reading from the Bios or what software? are you stress testing when it crashes or is the machine sitting idle?

maybe try unlinked cpu and ram ratios. im running 400mhz 9.5 (1600fsb) and 800mhz ram
(my ram voltage is set to 2.1, because timing is 4.4.4.12, other voltages are stock/auto)

i also got mine to run at 3.8 just by upping fsb with all options at auto but voltages went way to high for my liking, dont get me wrong it ran stable but just didnt like seeing volts that high.

i understand it is not safe to overclock but you if you are going to then you have two choices in my eyes...

1: go ahead and change as many settings as you can and then cost yourself money because you over did it, or...

2: ask for help from people that have been there and done it, you listen to them and learn from their mistakes, and you end up with a successfull overclock within the safest limits.




i have done as you guys have suggested with the bios settings, pci-e slot set at 100, ddr2 voltage set at 2.1, spd settings maual at 5-5-5-15, m.i.b 2 disabled , performance enhance at standard and vcore volt. at 1.36, fsb at 400mhz, multiplyer at 8, cpu skew at 50 - 100 ps and spd at 400mhz (800) this gives me 1600 fsb at 3.4gig.

i have been using cpuz, core temp and have prime installed but have not had the chance to run it as i stated the desktop just freezes and locks up..

i just cant work out what im doing wrong ?

for any one else interested i have managed to solve this problem here : http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/x4 [...] post256291