Need advice on E7200 Safe overclock with Asrock Mobo

[StevieB]

Hi everyone ,

I have read some of the threads here regarding these processors and how good they are to overclock, i read the guide on how to overclock Core Duo's but even for a noob like me it starts getting complicated lol.


To simplify things a bit I plan to just use the ASROCK OC util , can anyone recommend the best way to o/c without frying RAM or increasing the CPU temps to much bearing in mind stock intel fan (see detailed info below ).

Has anyone got successful oc with the ASROCK motherboards that is stable and by simply using this utility and with stock fan ?.

The Memory im using is not the best but all i can afford at present. I am a bit reluctant to mess with voltages too much without being fully clear on what is happening , I know a few basics from the guide and that temps can be affected by increasing voltages.


The Intel E7200 Spec for Thermal variance is 0.85V – 1.3625V. is this relating the vcore values ?

Thermal design power is 74.1°C , is this the max temp that one of the cores can reach ?


Any help is appreciated ...



Mobo Spec is :

I have a ASROCK Penryn 1600SLI

Northbridge NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI SPP rev. A2
Southbridge NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI MCP rev. A3
Graphic Interface PCI-Express

Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 4096 MBytes
Channels Dual


Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) (FF00000000000000)
Size 2048 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
Part number RM2GB484CA-64FC
Serial number FFFFFFFF
Manufacturing date Week 42/Year 08
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #2 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz
JEDEC #3 6.0-6-6-18-24 @ 400 MHz

DIMM # 2
SMBus address 0x51
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) (FF00000000000000)
Size 2048 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
Part number RM2GB484CA-64FC
Serial number FFFFFFFF
Manufacturing date Week 42/Year 08
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #2 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz
JEDEC #3 6.0-6-6-18-24 @ 400 MHz


CPU I have is detailed below :

Number of cores 2 (max 2)
Number of threads 2 (max 2)
Name Intel Core 2 Duo E7200
Codename Wolfdale
Specification Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7200 @ 2.53GHz
Package (platform ID) Socket 775 LGA (0x0)
CPUID 6.7.6
Extended CPUID 6.17
Core Stepping M0
Technology 45 nm
Core Speed 2533.5 MHz
Multiplier x FSB 9.5 x 266.7 MHz
Rated Bus speed 1066.7 MHz
Stock frequency 2533 MHz
Instructions sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, EM64T
L1 Data cache 2 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache 2 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache 3072 KBytes, 12-way set associative, 64-byte line size
FID/VID Control yes
FID range 6.0x - 9.5x
Max VID 1.213 V

 

[StevieB]

So seeing no replys which is my own fault for just appearing with a whole lot of questions and probably like others wanting to jump in too soon for which we all seem to do

I set about reading the o/c guide for dual cores again and re-reading it again here is what I managed to get without messing with voltages and using the ASROCK utility.

http://1stdd.com/images/screens/bench3.jpg



I ran prime95 and no errors, i could have gone further but as this appears stable i will wait until i get better cooling for the CPU and Northbridge. I left the machine on whilst doing normal things and even played some ArmA2 and thats intensive on system resources.

Currently running 24hr testing but have concerns over the core temp but overall cpu temp seemed fine

I can see why overclocking is additive now


Now need to budget for a decent CPU cooler at right price and consider putting cooling on the RAM and Northbridge, then use the bios to do the overclock.

 

[jsc]

Sometimes when you are waiting for a reply, you just need to be patient.

To simplify things a bit I plan to just use the ASROCK OC util , can anyone recommend the best way to o/c without frying RAM or increasing the CPU temps to much bearing in mind stock intel fan

learn to use the BIOS.

Has anyone got successful oc with the ASROCK motherboards that is stable and by simply using this utility and with stock fan ?.

Look for a guide for your particular motherboard. The stock fan for the 45 nm Core2's is adequate for stock speeds - or as fast as you can go without increasing your core voltage.

The Memory im using is not the best but all i can afford at present. I am a bit reluctant to mess with voltages too much without being fully clear on what is happening , I know a few basics from the guide and that temps can be affected by increasing voltages.

Make sure that you are not overclocking your memory by accident. You want to keep for memory frequency equal to your FSB, or your memory clock equal to twice the FSB for a CPU:RAM ratio of 1:1 as shown in the memory tab of CPUZ. You show a ratio of 4:5, meaning your RAM is running a little faster than your FSB. The only thing that is accomplishing is probably limiting your CPU overclock.

The Intel E7200 Spec for Thermal variance is 0.85V – 1.3625V. is this relating the vcore values ?

Somewhere in that voltage range is your chips VID. That's sort of the "stock" voltage of your particular CPU. It's what the CPU will program your power regulator on the motherboard to provide. Lower is better. While not great, your 1.213 volt VID is pretty good. 1.3625 volts is also Intel's recommended maximum voltage.[/quotemsg]

Thermal design power is 74.1°C , is this the max temp that one of the cores can reach ?

Sort of. That's the recommended max temp to avoid damage. I set my motherboard thermal alarm for 70 C. That will give you BIOS type beeps when your temps are higher.

For a serious overclock, you will need better than stock cooling. This is pretty popular (and a great deal):
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Suggestions for applying thermal compound:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5
----------
Overclocking since 1978 - Z80 (TRS-80) from 1.77 MHz to 2.01 MHz

 

[StevieB]

Many thanks for the reply and advice

I have now been running 48hrs at this o/c , I read a few guides on bios terms and meanings and have learnt alot since posting up. The manual for this Asrock is not the best but the board does allow some overclocking settings and I have now done the overclock in bios and run prime95 with no problems

I am aiming to get 1:1 fsb CPU/RAM ratio, I will take your suggestion on the cooling side and get a better CPU Cooler and some artic silver in the next few days then will see if I can get to 3.6Ghz stable after that.

 

[StevieB]

Thanks again for the advice jsc , I managed the 1:1 ratio and the results are good


http://1stdd.com/images/tsimages/bench4.jpg

Correction to above ..aiming at 3.8ghz at stock multiplier 9.5 when i get the new cooler.

 

[jsc]

Now with your FSB:RAM ratio at 1:1, you have room to push your FSB to 400 MHz while still staying within the capabilities of your RAM. You may then be able to squeeze a little more out of your RAM by increasing the RAM voltage .1 or .2 volts (up to a max of 2.2 volts.