Q9400/P5N-D Overclocking

[BoneyardBrew]

Hello,

I am in need of help overclocking my system, I am a total noob and can't figure out why this isn't working as it should.

First off, here are my specs.

ASUS P5N-D Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz
ATi Radeon HD 5850 1GB
Corsair XMS2 4GB DDR-800

I also want to mention that I know my setup isn't the best for overclocking, but I have seen people with this board and also with this processor reaching around 3.6GHz, and I can't seem to get even close to it.

I have an aftermarket cooler on this thing, so there should be no problems regarding the temperature.

Now, here is the problem I am having. I can't seem to get the thing to accept a clock higher than 2.94GHz, which was achieved with the boards auto-overclocking function set to 10%. If I set it to 15% or higher, the motherboard/BIOS recognizes it just fine and it does boot into Windows, but CPU-Z and any other method of monitoring the clock speeds and voltages just show the defaults. If it is 2.9GHz and below it registers it just fine.

I have also tried overclocking manually, playing with the vcore, HT, and NB voltages higher with no luck. Basically I run into the same situation. I can get it to the clock speed I want in the BIOS and it boots, but it doesn't work in Windows. So, I have the FSB, HT and NB voltages, and RAM linking options to play with. There are also a few more settings to tweak, which I'm sure you can find by doing a search for the P5N-D's specs.

I tried setting the clock speed to 1500, which apparently is multiplied by 2 (I thought I was supposed to use a value that was multiplied by 8, which is what the multiplier is set to, but I can't seem to find an area that uses that value), vcore to about 1.36, HT and NB voltages to 1.44, and the RAM linked and synced 1:1 with no luck as well. When I unlinked the RAM that seemed to cause the system to not boot. I tried to lower these values too and also saw no changes. My processor is rated to only go up to a vcore of 1.36, so that is why I haven't gone any higher than that. Could I technically go higher than that if I want? If I set it higher, the only side effect will be a decrease in the life of the processor, right? I probably shouldn't have an issue if I raise it only slightly just so I can achieve a proper overclock.

I tried looking at this guide and using those settings, with the exception of the vcore being set higher than 1.36, which is where I got the 1.44 values for the HT and NB voltages. I have also looked at the guide on this site with no luck.

Asus P5N-D 750i Guide

Hopefully someone has some clue as to what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks!

 

[jsc]

I bet you are trying to overclock your RAM, and when you drive the RAM beyond its capabilities, the overclock fails.

Learn to use the BIOS.

This should be your first stop.
HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - Guide v1.6.1
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

Next stop should be a guide for your particular motherboard. Google is your friend.

OK. I see you found one. nVidia chipsets can be a PITA to overclock sometimes.

Go through the guides. Then take your core voltage off Auto and set your memory voltage to factory recommended values. Change the System Memory Multiplier (or whatever your BIOS calls it) from AUTO to 2.00, 2.00B, or 2.00D - whichever you need to set the Memory Frequency to twice the FSB. Then when you increase the FSB, the memory clock will rise in in proportion with it. At an FSB frequency of 333 MHz, your memory clock should be at 667 MHz and your FSB clock will be 1333 MHz..

You should be able to reach 3.2 GHz without exceeding the capabilities of your RAM.

Download CPU-Z to check your FSB:RAM ratio. It should be a 1:1 ratio.

For a serious overclock, you will need better than stock cooling. Here are three under $50 heatsinks that are pretty popular:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
Sunbeam
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
Xigmatec Dark Knight
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

They all require a somewhat different approach to applying thermal compound.
Suggestions for applying thermal compound:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5

To go higher than 3.2 GHz, you need to do some work with your RAM. Relax the timings from 4-4-4-12 to 5's-15 and increase the RAM voltage to 2.2 volts.

Intel's recommended max voltage for the CPU is 1.3625 volts. Absolute max is 1.45 volts.

And they are pretty large, so they might not fit inside your case.