E6400 Overclocking Advices !

Hi,

I just spent the last 5 hours trying to figure out the best settings to overclock my cpu.

MY SYSTEM SPECS :
Motherboard : ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
CPU : Intel Core 2 Duo 6400 ( 2.13Ghz )
Ram : Kingston KVR667D2N5k2 2x1g DDR2 PC667/PC5300
Graphic Card : NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT (note : this was purchased 1.5 year ago, so not looking to upgrade this )
Hard Drives :
1 x WesterDigital WD2500JS ATA 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
1 x WesterDigital WD2500KS ATA 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
Power Supply : Antec Smart Power 2.0 SP500 ATX P4 500W 20/24Pin
Case : Antec NSK6500 Mid Tour
OS : Vista 32bit

RESULTS SO FAR :
After slowly upgrading the fsb little by little, i've been able to reach 2.9Ghz so far, fsb set at 363mhz ( x 8 multi).

I didnt have to play with the vcore voltage ( i couldnt do it even if I wanted to, because the setting is "locked" at auto in bios, i cant switch it to manual... )

I leave my ram setting to "auto" in bios and this gives me a 4:3 ratio ( using cpu-z to see that ). So this means my ram is underclocked right ?

STABILITY / TEMPERATURES
Right now I am using the stock cooling that came with the cpu, I use core temp to check my temps and while running about 30 minute of benchmarks ( 3dmark06 + pcmark05 + sisoft ) the max temp reaches 64celcius

After 6 minutes of Ortho's Stress CPU with Gromacs Core , my temp reaches 69Celcius. I let it run for 3 more minute and the temp stayed at 69Celcius.

I then stopped the gromac test, let the cpu cool down a little ( idle/internet browsing temps are in the 44-50 range ) and then started the regular ortho small FFTS stress cpu... Within not even 1 minute I get an error !!! Same things happen when I run the torture test from Prime95 , the small FFTs test fails, but the Blend test works.

I had tried these tests with my cpu at 2.8Ghz and 2.66Ghz and they were running fine. Temps were about the same.

NOW WHAT ?
So that is where I am at right now, not quite sure what to do next concerning the Ortho error . My goal would be to get to 3.0Ghz. I know i should be getting an aftermarket cooler, I will soon, along with 2x2gb ddr800 sticks.

I dont think the issue for now is the temperature since the test fails very quickly without temps getting high... maybe there is not enough voltage, but i dont know how to change it with my p5w dh deluxe bios...

Also, concerning the ram ratio, right now as stated before i think my ram is underclocked, is this an issue, what do I need to do about that ?

thanks for your help !

The temperature will not give you that error, though it is high for that processor. my guess is that since you couldn't change your voltage, that your processor is just starved for power. since it worked fine at the lower speeds it looks like you just hit the wall for that processor at that voltage. but, it is just a guess, it is overclocking after all.

?

Your 4:3 ratio means you are underclocking your RAM. I am not familiar with Asus motherboards, but change your RAM setting to "Manual". You should see several multipliers or "strappings" available. Choose the "2.00B" (or whatever it is called) one.

Now your memory speed will be twice the FSB which is what you need to run 1:1. There's no real gain to running your RAM faster.

70c in reality should be fine since the TJunction max is 85c.

However I would recommend staying under 65c.

From what I understand, yes your running your 667 at 726 and it probably wont last long that way. You need to change your cpu/fsb ratio so that the ram stays under 700mhz for stability.

I had the E6300 and was able to hit 3.45 at stock voltage and stayed under 62c in a very warm 84f room during summer using a AC freezer 7 pro. I didnt run my ram at 1:1, dont be so concerned with that. You can hit a great overclock if you just keep your ram under 700 by using a different ratio.

I am thinking about getting either of those memory modules :
- Kingston HyperX PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
- G.SKILL F2-6400CL4D-4GBPK PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit Back Ordered
- Mushkin XP PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit Back Ordered

I selected those because they all run at 2.0V or lower ( g skill is the best at 1.8-1.9 )

Now I want to overclock my cpu to the maximum possible while spending minimum possible... i decided to do so instead of upgrading my cpu so I need a HSF, I initially selected this one :

- Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro REV.2 CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA1366 LGA1156 LGA775 AM2 AM3 W/ 92MM Fan
Because it is apparently pretty quiet ( which is important ) and cheap ( also important ), but still pretty effective too.

However, I am not sure that this fan uses the best design for my case... The fan is mounted on the side of the heatsink, not on the top like the stock cooler from intel, and my case has somekind of wind tunnel right over the cpu, to draw fresh air directly from outside the case in.

Here is a picture :



different views here

I guess the airduct is not a big issue ? i could remove it and instead put a small fan that would send fresh air from outside directly on to the cpu ? Not sure if this would help or if i should keep the air duct...

In anycase, my question would be, what HSF should I get ? Is the artic cooling freezer 7 good enough ? are there better alternative that are just as quiet and cheap ( or slightly more expensive )...

Thanks !