Something is wrong with my cpu

[kevz01]

My friend had brought it up to my attention that my core speed jumps too much with number difference. I have a Intel Core 2 Duo e6550 @ 2.33
It jumps from 1.9 to 2.3 and my friend said that it's not suppose to jump with that much number difference. I believe there might be something wrong with my ram because they are identical but have different frequencies.

Screenshots:
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2180/1st.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3379/2ndc.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2229/spd.jpg


Specs:
Mobo: Foxconn G31MX Series
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e6550 @ 2.33Ghz
Ram: Corsair 1024x2
VGA: BFG nVidia Geforce 8800 GT

 

[mildiner86]

this looks like summit called speed step, it reduces the multiplier when the CPU isnt doing anything.

download prime 95 make the cpu work at 100% if the clock speed goes to 2.33ghz and satays there during the 100% work out the cpu is fine

when in idle it reduces its prefrormance cause u dont need it.

u can go to the bios and disable speed step if u want

 

[Kraynor]

Speedstep is kicking in. Nothing to worry about, it's perfectly normal, it just reduces the power used while the CPU's idle (or in a very low usage state, like browsing the web). Once you need the extra juice it jumps back up.

Your CPU has a 333 MHz FSB and a 7 standard multiplier. Speedstep drops that multiplier to 6.

333 x 7 = 2.331 GHz, your normal speed
333 x 6 = 1.998 GHz, your reduced power speed

Perfectly normal, nothing's wrong with the CPU.

 

[kevz01]

Thank you. I was pretty worried cause I have barely built this computer and something was already wrong.

I wanna learn how to OC it now. I heard my cpu can OC pretty well without getting any problems. I wanna atleast run it at 2.8 - 3.0

Any suggestions? I really need them.

 

[Kraynor]

You know... you wouldn't have had any problem if you had read the stickies on this forum...

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-247006_10_0.html <== about your CPU "problem"
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-240001_11_0.html <== basics of overclocking

Personally, I wouldn't recommend overclocking at all with the stock cooler, it doesn't pull heat away quickly enough. You're already pretty close to what many people consider the highest acceptable temps at load (some don't like going above 60, 65, or 70, I stay under 65 personally), so I'd say forget about overclocking until you get an aftermarket cooler.

 

[kevz01]

Thanks for your reply!
I should have read that before posting, sorry about that.

I actually bought and just installed a ZALMAN CNPS 8700 NT 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler.

 

[Kraynor]

In that case, all the best in your endeavors for speed

 

[kevz01]

Kraynor, can you be kindly enough to walk me through OC'ing it?
I'm really not familiar with it.

 

[aford10]

You can OC with a stock fan, just don't overdo it. Download speedfan and keep an eye on your cpu temps. With that mobo, your OC options may be limited.

What kind of case do you have? The airflow from the case can play a part in the heat buildup inside.

 

[Kraynor]

The sticky I linked is a hand-holding walkthrough all on its own, I've not got the time or patience to walk you through an overclock remotely.

 

[kevz01]

Anyone else want to help me?

 

[aford10]

OC'g can be a time consuming process if you are just starting out. It can be different with each bios as well.

 

[aford10]

Start by getting into the bios and increasing the cpu fsb and multiplier.

 

[Kraynor]

I was bored so came back. Anyway, chances are the multiplier on that chip can't be raised above 7, so what I'd suggest is picking a reasonable speed to shoot for initially, and go for it. If it's unstable, up the voltage a bit. If it's too hot, pick a lower speed.

Personally, I'd shoot for 2.8 GHz first, it's a nice even number to get to with a 7 multiplier, you use an FSB of 400, and with DDR2-800 RAM, you end up with the golden 1:1 ratio with that too.

 

[kevz01]

I was messing with the settings and got it to stay at 2380Ghz.
I'm gonna keep looking at stuff.
I went on the BIOS chose step 1 which changed the bus speed to 340Mhz and increased it a bit i'm guessing. I also changed the DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) 4-4-4-12
and turned off the c1e/speedstep

 

[13thmonkey]

its already been done for free, by people who put a lot of time and effort into those guides, have you even read them yet, read them and try them, and then ask for help.

 

[Kraynor]

I'm sure you'd make him call you resulting in an even greater cost, it's people like you that give communities like this one blemishes.

 

[kevz01]

its already been done for free, by people who put a lot of time and effort into those guides, have you even read them yet, read them and try them, and then ask for help.

I tried the tutorial that Kraynor has showed me (Thanks again).

But no luck, my mobo sorta crashed and I had to reset it back to default.

 

[Kraynor]

Every chip and board has limits, and every one is slightly different in how much they can take. Some people get very lucky, others get very unlucky. Instead of going for set values that guides say, go up a little bit at a time, 40-50 MHz to start with, and start fine tuning once things become unstable.

It's not uncommon for some people to spend months finding the absolute max that their comps can pump out while being rock solid (that said, most of that month is spent running Prime95 for 24-hour periods), keep tweaking and you'll get there eventually

 

[mamw93]

CPU sensors aren't exact. They seem to malfunction often... but are generally right, (give or take 3-5 degrees.)

 

[kevz01]

Every chip and board has limits, and every one is slightly different in how much they can take. Some people get very lucky, others get very unlucky. Instead of going for set values that guides say, go up a little bit at a time, 40-50 MHz to start with, and start fine tuning once things become unstable.

It's not uncommon for some people to spend months finding the absolute max that their comps can pump out while being rock solid (that said, most of that month is spent running Prime95 for 24-hour periods), keep tweaking and you'll get there eventually

Okay, I'll give it a try. Thanks!