Q9300 Temp

Many apologies for the confusion. I realize that this temperature refers to the maximum case temperature.

However, just to be safe, what is the maximum temperature for the processor cores?

If you dont have an after market heatsink I would not recommend you to OC a quadcore, but If you already have one and got those temps @70C. with that low OC then reseat the heatsink because those temps are too high.

Just to give you an idea for your OC, I have a Q8200 (not a good OC'er), set the fsb @430mhz and that gives me 3.0Ghz, no vcore Changes, just a minor RAM OC, from 800mhz to 860mhz Vram @1.91, set at 1:1 ratio with cpu.

temps are 45C. idle, 60-65C. underload using an aftermarket heatsink (Tuniq tower 120)

Thanks for your response.

I will try re-setting the heatsink fan. It is the one that came with the processor, so it is probably not as good as it should be.

With that stock heatsink fan you won't be able to OC too much, I, again, recommend you a $50 or so aftermarket heatsink fan, I would say it is a must have for any overclocker.

after that, if you have a 800mhz ram already, just set the FSB to 400mhz and set it at 1:1 ratio with the ram. That way you can hit 3.0Ghz easily, no voltage tweaking or anything else required (I think in your cpu will look like 7.5x400mhz=3.0ghz)

Yeah you are likely right. Re-setting the fan made no difference.

I will probably invest in something like this: http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/030/scktn2000_det...

As for overclocking, I dont really see myself going much over 3Ghz, so as far as I can tell I wont be changing anything to do with voltages, as apparently this processor can go up to 450Mhz FSB without changing the power.

Oh, I am using a Gigabyte mother board so it might not be that simple, but I am sure I will work it out once I setup the cooling properly.

Thanks for your help!

*Cough* core contact freezer*cough cough*

LOL you're right, you need a good quality thermal paste too.

I think I take many things for granted....

as for the OP, THAT OC you want is fairly easy to get, since, as I said before, you DO NOT need to change voltages or anything else, just change the FSB from 333.33mhz (stock) to 400mhz, then check that the ram is running at 800mhz @ 1:1 ratio. that's it. save and exit and your set.

in your case you need to check 3 things before getting that OC:

-your ram is 800mhz or higher, or pc6400 or higher (both numbers mean the same thing)
-your motherboard allows you to change the FSB and set the ratio.
-your temps are not going crazy high after the OC.

Ahh, overshocked and his "Sunbeam CCF" suggestions  

LOL

its my favorite!

Thanks all.

The thermal compound I was (and until I can get to a computer shop still am) using was very cheap so I will go for a more expensive one. I had used too much of it before so I cleaned it off (except without any alcohol based remover, since I dont have any) and re-applied. Unfortunately it is running hotter now... so in this case, more was better...

As for the ram, I have 4x1gb Corsair DDR2-6400 which is clocked at 800Mhz (oh yeah thats what the 6400 means lol). My motherboard can change the FSB without any problem. (its the GA-EP45C-DS3R).

What type of removal fluid should I be using to remove the thermal compound properly when I am going to reapply?

90% alchohol will be fine (=

the higher the alchol content the better because the faster it will evaporate.

Brilliant. Hopefully I can find artic silver 5 somewhere here  

LOL

The Katana won't lower your temperatures much from the stock (don't get me wrong, it's much better than the stock HSF). I would suggest:

Scythe Ninja 2
Scythe Infinity 2
Xigmatek S1283
Xigmatek S963
...just to name a few that aren't really expensive like TRUE. Also, AS5, Tuniq TX-2 or Innovation Cooling Diamond 7 Carat are the TIMs I trust (have used all with success, currently have found TX-2 to be the best).

get a TRUE

Hmmm, I have no idea what a TRUE is... Cooling was never a problem for me before...

Okay so a TRUE would look so damn cool (no pun honest). Is it possible to attach a fan to it? Doesnt look like it can be attached to it.

TRUE = ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extrem

One of the best. But theres lots of good cooler. any 120mm CPU heatsink can be silent if you need it too. I had a TT ( ThermalTake ) mini typhoon that had a 92mm fan and i was able to run my E6850 to 3.6ghz ( 1.45vcore ) while having temps in the mid 50. I jumped to WC ater this ......

My case wont ever be silent. It has several fans in it. Its just the stock heatsink seems to be so very inadequate.

I will have to take out the motherboard to properly install these, wont I  

Not that I have a problem with that. Just assumed they would fit in when the board is in the case.

I know I am posting alot but I want to make sure that I get this right asap  

I have pretty much decided on this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Initially this will need to run with just one fan. (already gone way over budget on computer parts this month   (Have 2xATI 4870 on the way).

Thanks for the help and advice!

Good luck with it, the Scythe Mugen 2 is a great cooler.

+1 great and BIG  

have fun !

+1 on Mugen 2.

Great. But does anyone know a site that ships to Ireland? I only found it on site which do not ship outside US.

I have finally found a site where I can get the heatsink and thermal compound for combined 55 euro. (Postage on top of that).

Just to check, my 580W power supply should be able to handle a Q9300 and 2 Saphire 2GB ATI 4870 cards right? even with slight overclocking?

I wouldn't run 2 4870's on a 580W PSU, they can use +320W just by themselves underload, plus the cpu can take a bit less than 100W, add the other componets (HDD's, ram, fans,etc) ~50W and you have 470W total.

Now IF the PSU has 80% efficiency, it has 580Wx0.8 = 464W.

Given that some people are optimistic and estimate the power drawn by the cards in ~270W underload, you still could not play any gpu intensive games without shutdowns or BSOD's, IMO.

They recommend a quality 750W PSU for 4870's CF'd, in this case it's better to have more power than you need.

Thanks. Looks like the PSU will have to wait till the next month. I have an X-Power GTX Light (Blue). Can you recommend one that's as shiny which runs at 750W?

Not correct, the rating is based on the DC watts a power supply can provide.

However, I do have to agree that a reputable PSU with at least 40A on the 12V rail (the X-Power has 30A, see this) is necessary. Something like the

Corsair HX520 (40A), HX620 (50A), TX650, TX750
Enermax Pro/Modu 525W, 625W, Galaxy series, or Infiniti series
PC Power and Cooling (anything 610W+)

Two good resources:
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10...

Basically, anything that's available where you are and has 40A+ on the 12V rail and is in Tier 1 or 2 on the second link.

Actually, I forgot the 4870 had 2 6-pin connectors each, so you'll want at least 4 6-pin or 6+2-pin connectors. If any of these are available in your area, they would fit the bill:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=P...

Ireland really isn't up to high end computing for people building their PCs so getting good parts is difficult sometimes. I often see exactly what I want on American sites, but no way of getting them shipped here. Also, people here generally just go for pre-built packages like Dell or something like that.

I can get a good price on the X Power 700.
(That is http://www.compucase-hec.co.uk/psu_xpower_600-700.htm).

It has two PCI-E connectors, and I know that the Sapphire card comes with Modex
> PCI-E adapters, so I am thinking that I can put one direct PCI-E with one Modex converter to each card (meaning it would have the same kind of power). There are 8 Modex connectors.

Although I do note that X Power 700 it does not have 30A or 40A listed so that might be a problem.

>>> Seems I have wandered off topic a bit. Maybe this should go into a different thread.

It will likely work, as similar HEC units have 50A+ on the 12V combined. The X Power does not list a combined power, nor have I been able to find a picture from which the rail rating could be calculated. It does make me a little nervous that you'll have to use 2 PCIe to molex connectors, if that's the best you have been able to find it'll probably work well.

I am assuming that since there are 8 molex connectors (okay yes I see my typo above), they will probably be on different rails like in previous PSUs I've used. That should be stable enough if I use separate rails I think, and I dont use any molex devices either.

So at this point, I have gotten some better thermal compound which was better than the one I was using originally. I will use it until the Arctic Silver 5 arrives. I reapplied to the CPU (after cleaning of course), and when idle, my processor gives the temp of about 25-30 degrees C with individual cores at about 45-50 and when at 100% stress, I am getting a CPU reading of about 50 and individual cores at about 70.

Just to see how it was getting on at a higher clockspeed, I over clocked to 3Ghz (ensuring RAM stays at 800Mhz), and the only difference I can see in temp at idle was the CPU temp was about 35 degress C, and at stress, the reading was 55-60 ish with individual cores leveling at about 78 degrees.

This is still a little too high for my tastes but I think its okay until better cooling arrives. Actually with these results I will be tempted to OC up to about 3.2Ghz once I get the better heatsink. And who knows, maybe later I will play around with the voltages if that stays low.

Thanks all for your help!

After reading into voltage settings more, it seems that I has my BIOS automatically setting the values for power settings.

3Ghz with AUTO set in BIOS:
CPU PLL 1.65V
CPU Termination 1.2V
CPU Reference 0.76V
CPU VCore 1.325V


Now I have 3Ghz with the below settings and its running a little cooler:
CPU PLL 1.5V
CPU Termination 1.2V
CPU Reference 0.76V
CPU VCore 1.225V

Manual EVERYTHING that you can .... i have no volts on AUTO

Right. My mother board has the figures to use for auto.

What would you recommend for:
DRAM Voltage
DRAM Termination
Channel A / Channel B Reference

MCH Core
MCH/DRAM Reference
MCH Reference (yes its a different value)
ICH I/O

Sorry, I forgot to put the figures in. Also I know the the Gigabyte board seem to have different terms that probably mean the same thing. For example, I dont know which of the voltage settings refer to the northbridge, etc.

DRAM Voltage 1.8V
DRAM Termination 0.9V
Channel A / Channel B Reference 0.9V (Both)

MCH Core 1.1V
MCH/DRAM Reference 0.85V
MCH Reference (yes its a different value) 0.76V
ICH I/O 1.5V

just try/fail/stable !

If your RAM is 1.8-1.9 try the find the lower you can go and stay stable.

For MCH 1.1 is ok if your stable.

When youll acheive the speed you want. LOWER volts one by one untill its unstable and take it back to the last know stable V. By doind this with all volts, youll know that your generating the less heat from every parts. Its long ... but this way your OC is going to be a real effective one.

have fun !

Right, so the Mugen 2 arrived and its great so far.

Its keeping the CPU at 22C when Idle and not more than 30C when stressed.

However, my system case is much hotter than before. I just installed the 2 4870 cards and have them in crossfire.

Does anyone know why the controls for the fan speed (actually all the controls) under the ATI Overdrive page of Catalyst are greyed out?

Sorry, its been awhile since I've use Catalyst. I have unlocked the setting.

Anyway. Thank you everyone so much for your help! You have no idea how much I appreciate how helpful this forum and all of you who replied were to me.  

Hi . lemem recommend a cooler that will beat almost any other air cooler..........
the thermalright IFX-14, it will run even 4c cooler compared to a TRUE. Also i believe they are on sale right now, make sure your case has enough room, they are huge!!!!!



check websites they have the reviews, the best air cooler for any processor, if you have the space. see the little TRUE on the other side.

Already have the Mugen II. They are huge and working well. Still, that one looks cool.