OC software

[mokuj1m]

i'm a newbie at OC'ing a PC, could u guys suggest the best OC software which is either simple to use n reliable. Since i'm afraid to OC from the bios, really dont have the experience at all
here's my spec:

E7300@2.66ghz

2x2gb@667mhz

9800GT 512mb

500 watt psu

btw i'm gonna use the stock cooler, so what do u guys suggest for highest clock that I should use safely
actually i would like if it can reach at least 3ghz, how bout that?

thanks n regards

 

[mi1ez]

You'd be much better off learning to do it properly. If you decide to, then ask lots of questions and read the stickies in the processor section of the forums.

 

[mi1ez]

might want to check htis one. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/overclocking-software,review-31411.html

 

[pr2thej]

Definitely stick to the BIOS overclocking. Theres loads of guides and references all over the web, including our very own Overclocking forum here!
Its always advisable to read through the relevant stickies as mi1ez says and come back with specific questions rather than a generic "how do i OC xxxx".#

You are afraid of the BIOS because you dont understand it, simple as that. You can do no damage by looking at the options available to you, and googling what it will change. As long as you dont select to Save and Exit then you will do no damage.

With stock cooler, you can shoot for a max of about 3.3GHz i believe so aim for that.

 

[mokuj1m]

thanks btw

 

[rangers]

depends on the motherboard you've got

 

[mokuj1m]

sorry to bother again
i try SetFSB now, but not really sure how to use it
so basically i just need to slide the fsb right? n then click the set FSB?
much thanks

 

[pr2thej]

Nono dont jump straight in like that.

For a starter you need the correct software to Diagnose / Monitor / Test your PC.

Diagnosis: CPU-Z, Sisandra
Monitor: Speedfan, Coretemps
Test: Memtest, Prime95, Futuremarks

As examples.

You also need to understand the component you are overclocking. Whats its stock settings? Whats its Max? Whats its safe operating range? Whats its current temps at idle and under load? What can you achieve with stock cooling? What revision/stepping chip do you have?

You can of course skip all this and just tinker away, but considering your comment that you dont really understand what a FSB is i would suggest you leave it well alone!

 

[mokuj1m]

actually i have cpuz n hwmonitor, n i know what u mean pr2thej. im not gonna slide it to max lol, since im using stock cooler n im still afraid to do this.

usually my proc temps ~50 idle n ~65 under load, im gonna try slide the FSB from 267 to 300.
quite safe right? what do u think? i want any suggestion pls!

many thanks

 

[pr2thej]

Temps of 75 should be your upper limit, give a run of a good hour of Prime 95 with each change see what happens.

Good luck!

 

[mokuj1m]

ok i'll try it
many thanks

 

[mokuj1m]

i've been running the prime95, n after almost 7 hours theres nothing happen. no trouble/error at all, so it's quite stable right since hw monitor showed that the proc temps never above 66 degree C.

I wanna ask 1 more thing, i've set the FSB in SetFSB at 300.3mhz since i use 10x multiplier it clocked @ 3003mhz.
when I checked with CPU-Z it show 3003mhz, but if i check with dxdiag or system information it show the default speed of 2.66ghz. is this supposed to be like this or not?

 

[pr2thej]

RAM is prolly limiting your Overclocking headroom. Im not 100% on that though

 

[mokuj1m]

and 1 more problem though, everytime i turn off my PC n turn it on again the FSB is back to default speed, i wonder is there saving option for this??

 

[pr2thej]

wow. you really shouldnt be overclocking

when you exit BIOS choose to "save and exit"
Otherwise your mobo battery is dying.

 

[tripper688]

what motherboard are you using? some of them have very friendly BIOSes and overclock features..and you can always restore the BIOS to defaults, nothing more than sliding a jumper from one pin to another as documented in the motherboard manual. and on the readings, it usually says something like core2duo e7300 @ 2.66ghz as the name of the chip, the actual speed would be the 3003mhz you see in cpu-z.

 

[mokuj1m]

well im not OC'ing from BIOS, but with SetFSB lol

im using Asus P5K btw, i've read the mobo's manual but since it only has a min description, i dont really understand at all (coz i'm a newbie though)

 

[pr2thej]

Owww SetFSB as in a windows application?
couldnt tell you, wouldnt even bother with it. It will just emulate what you can do in BIOS, in a limited and unreliable way.

 

[tripper688]

lol my point was that BIOS is nothing to be scared of and it's more reliable and if anything, safer than twiddling with settings while in windows. the asus manuals aren't great but their BIOSes are usually pretty easy to get a hang of for basic overclocking

 

[mokuj1m]

ok i'll try to OC from BIOS now, but anyone mind to explain which setting i should change in order to increase the FSB. coz i've tried change the FSB northbridge to 333mhz, but nothin happen(i know maybe this wasn't the right way to do, since i've no idea at all)

I'm using P5K with E7300, i wanna OC at least it can reach 3+ghz.

thanks for ur time, if u dont mind to explain a lil bit more "descriptive" for a noob like me lol

 

[tripper688]

well with an asus mobo, turn off the main auto overclocking options by going to advanced -> jumper free -> Ai Overclocking (set this on manual). at that point, you're gonna see a lot of options come up including those for controlling FSB frequency, fsb ratio, dram frequency and timings, etc etc. if you're just going for simple overclock, set the multiplier to the default (i think it's 10) and start increasing the fsb frequency...should easily be able to do 333x10 on stock voltages (and it will give you the 3330mhz you crave). set your pcie frequency to 100mhz and the RAM to 333x667 and you should be set. and don't be afraid to look around in there, if you don't save and exit, the changes you make during your exploration won't stick.

 

[mokuj1m]

whoa thats a great explanation btw lol thanks
so i'll try that, n btw i'm gonna use stock cooler. is it safe for 3330mhz?

 

[tripper688]

it should be, do a little bit of stress testing like an hour of occt or a dozen runs of intel burn test (linpack) and keep an eye on the temperatures to be sure. my e8500 ran on stock cooling at well over 3330mhz without a problem
just keep in mind that increasing frequency does increase heat output but usually not enough to be a problem for modest overclocks, it's when you start increasing voltage that you really have to worry about cooking your parts

 

[mokuj1m]

i've set the FSB to 333mhz, i'm lil bit afraid so im using multiplier 9.0 --> 3005 mhz
n when i monitored through CPU-Z core voltage increase from 1,19 to 1,28.
is this gonna be alright? whats the max volt for my E7300? at idle the temps reach ~52 C (~45@stock speed)
whats the max safe temp of E7300?

1 more thing since i set FSB to 333mhz, why's that the FSBRAM still at 4:5? n DRAM freq changed to 417.5mhz

 

[pr2thej]

ohh is Vcore set to auto? you need to change that and specify the stock voltage or you will blow your chip.
Edit: Stock Vcore is listed as 1.15v