Q9400 stability help 3.2Ghz

[axxeon]

Hi guys.

My specs are as follows

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L
Processor: Intel Q9400 processor running at 3.20GHz(2.66GHz stock)
RAM: 2x A-DATA DDR2 800 U-DIMM 2GB (just got new memory, previous was faulty)
Graphics Card: nVidia GTS250
CPU cooler: Coolermaster V8
Psu: casecom 650w power supply with 140mm fan and modular input
Coolermaster CM Storm Scout

My settings are as follows but finding it hard to get stable

CPU vCore: 1.325(bios) 1.3V(CPU-Z idle) and 1.298v(CPU-Z under load) i know its low(have tried up to 1.38V)
CPU PLL: 1.65V (1.55 stock)
CPU Termination/VTT:1.30V (1.20 stock)
CPU reference:0.80500V (stock)
MCH core voltage:1.26V(1.10 stock)
MCH reference: 0.76V (stock)
ICH I/O:1.55V (stock)
ICH core: 1.1V (stock)

ram timings are 6-6-6-18 at the moment (stock)
ram voltage: 2.0v
frequency: 800MHz
FSB to RAM ratio 1:1
system memory multiplier(SPD): 2.00D
FSB: 400
Multiplier: 8x


i hope thats enough info... i tried for weeks and weeks to get it stable.. ive increase vCore up to 1.38V and made abit of diferrence.. upped northbridge to 1.36V and got a bit more . changed ram timings to 7-7-7-21 and it kinda helped a bit..

I just really need help getting this stable at 3.2GHz please... i only get about 8 hrs on prime 95 and temps of about 49c each core
Help me stabilize this and keep temps low and ill give you rep.. plz help

 

[4Ryan6]

First of all, I closed your previous thread at your request.

i tried for weeks and weeks to get it stable.. ive increase vCore up to 1.38V and made abit of diferrence.. upped northbridge to 1.36V and got a bit more . changed ram timings to 7-7-7-21 and it kinda helped a bit..

Overclocking a core 2 duo quad like the Q9400 is not a couple of voltage adjustments and you're done, you have 2 independent dual cores you're going to do a voltage juggling act until you get them fine tuned to run together, its not just Vcore and Northbridge, its also PLL, VTT, GTL, depending on the motherboards allowed and available overclocking settings.

Your journey to a successful overclock is long and tough, but if you get determined enough to learn what you need to know to get there, it's the most satisfying overclock you'll probably ever accomplish.

FSB to RAM ratio 1:1

Answer this question yourself!

The Q9400 FSB is 1333, your memory is 800 and you're trying to run the 800 memory at 1333 with a 1 : 1 ratio will that work?

Try 1 : 2 ratio and see what happens

//////////////

In your previous thread you got some good advice, but what you need to understand is its a lot more complicated than you may think to overclock to 100% stability any of the Qseries of dual core quad Intel CPUs, every successful overclocker of those CPUs invested time into learning and understanding the relation of Vcore to PLL to VTT to GTL to NB voltage, to achieve their overclocks.

No offense but there is so much you need to learn, if we could pop open your head and pour in the information you need that would be great but we cannot do that, it's literally up to you to get determined enough to learn what you need to know to triumph and achieve your goal.

When THGF users here try to help you, Please be courteous to them because they're sharing information they've learned the hard way, and a lot don't want to tell you anything, because they want you to have to learn the same as they did, so when someone actually invests their time to help you, try to remember that.

All my previous experience in overclocking my Q9550 was running DDR3 memory, so I'm not exactly sure what can be achieved using the DDR2 memory, or its capabilities so it would be better for you getting advice from DDR2 memory users.

I hope you achieve your goal! Ryan

 

[axxeon]

hey man thx for your reply..

2 things i should bring up just to correct what you said
and im saying it nicely
ok so 1333fsb would be the Q9400 with the FSB set to 333
but to reach 3.2 GHz i need the FSB speed set to 400(400 x 8 = 3200)
that gives my Q9400 a rated fsb of 1600 and my ram is at 400MHz x 2 = 800MHz
FSB = 400MHz
RAM = 400MHz
Theres your 1:1 ratio
and second thing the Q9400 is a quad

and ryan i realize there is alot for me to learn.... but i know what to increase and ive tried multiple things.... and none prevailed.... which is why im asking what to increase... on this thread

i apologize for any a-hole-ness and yeah

 

[axxeon]

Comon guys

 

[arthurh]

@ Axxeon

I admit I missed that 14cm fan and yes it does seem you have done your home work.

I have a few suggestions of which one you may already have done one. Hope you are running XP as it is easier to OC with.

1. After having several failed OCs your nVida drivers become corrupt. They can and will keep you from having a stable PC. Try reinstalling them.

2. You will hate this one. Pull your CPU completely off your M/BD and look very closely at the contact pads. If any one of them have a brown spot on them then your CPU socket with one or more of those really small spring contacts in it are not making a good connection. If that is the problem you may or may not be able to fix that. Guess it would depend on how well you could work with a magnifying glass and miniature home made tools. This is not a guess I just gave you either.

3. Put all of your OC BIOS settings to auto except for ram settings and run your CPU at stock speed. Record all of the voltages that your M/BD defaults to.

Leave settings on auto and raise FSB to 350(or 1400) = 2.8Ghz for your CPU. If your PC will boot into Windows run Prime 95 for 10 tests with "Small FFTs". Assuming it is successful go back in BIOS and record the voltages your M/BD defaulted for that OC.

I would continue this way til your M/BD no longer is compensating for your OC (and probably not booting into Windows either). It would be at this point that I would raise Vc in small increments til you can run Prime 95 again for 10 tests.

You probably already know this but always change "only 1" setting in BIOS at a time or you will not know what setting helped or made matters worse.

Also it is a helpful diagnostic tool to notice if your PC does not boot into Windows where it stopped loading, ie; boot sequence, log in etc.

Hopefully this will help you to OC that 9400 as they do tend to OC well. A OC to 3.2Ghz should be no problem for that CPU or M/BD.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

 

[axxeon]

Omg finally dude... Some actual help thanks alot.... I'll definitely check those suggestions you made when I get home.. Thx alot I'll keep you posted

 

[axxeon]

Ok so i ran prime last nite from 22.20 to 6:15 this morning when it crashed... I've now increased the CPU termination from 1.30 to 1.36.. With vcore at 1.3v and CPU Pll at 1.65 and reference at default, ram volts at 1.96 from 1.9v default. And mch to 1.2v from 1.1... Just checking if that's stable.. Is there anything else I should try and increase before I try you suggestions

 

[jsc]

... you have 2 independent dual cores

and second thing the Q9400 is a quad

Ryan is right. It's a quad in that there are 4 cores inside the package. But unike the AMD quad cores, it's actually two separate dual cores "glued" together.

 

[4Ryan6]

Ok so i ran prime last nite from 22.20 to 6:15 this morning when it crashed... I've now increased the CPU termination from 1.30 to 1.36.. With vcore at 1.3v and CPU Pll at 1.65 and reference at default, ram volts at 1.96 from 1.9v default. And mch to 1.2v from 1.1... Just checking if that's stable.. Is there anything else I should try and increase before I try you suggestions

Your 1.65v PLL setting looks really high to me in relation to the other CPU related voltages.

When my Q9550 was clocked at 4037ghz running a CPU voltage of 1.43750v my PLL was 1.54v.

VTT was 1.28v, NB was 1.42v.

We're talking 2 completely different hardware setups but IMO your PLL is way too high.

 

[arthurh]

Ok so i ran prime last nite from 22.20 to 6:15 this morning when it crashed... I've now increased the CPU termination from 1.30 to 1.36.. With vcore at 1.3v and CPU Pll at 1.65 and reference at default, ram volts at 1.96 from 1.9v default. And mch to 1.2v from 1.1... Just checking if that's stable.. Is there anything else I should try and increase before I try you suggestions

When you say crashed do you mean one or more cores quit working or the PC was locked up or what?

Did you change all those settings at the same time? You are supposed to change one then test. I would have only changed the Vc and then only raised it from 1.30V to 1.31V.

You have to remember that what you are dealing with is 2 Conroe 2 Dual CPUs on one die.(good call Ryan and jsc) If they are not in perfect sync then you get instability. Prime 95 is helpful in that you know which cores are causing your instability because the other cores will keep working.

If all 4 cores quit at the same time after ~ 8 hrs I think there is something else wrong. This is usually component specific like M/BD, ram, PSU, CPU etc.

Lets just say your NB is doing just fine but after about 8 hrs of continuous work the then ambient temp of it has become too high and it just quits working from the heat. Your CPU stops and leaves you with a locked up PC. This is not uncommon and fixed by placing a small fan near or on it if possible. Of course you may have the NB voltage too high in the first place and that would do the same thing thou I think probably a little quicker than 8 hrs.

Note that your voltages have to be pretty close to let you run that long in the first place. If your PC is locking up as mentioned above then it could be something like what I told you about above.

 

[4Ryan6]

2 things i should bring up just to correct what you said and im saying it nicely

FYI, I'm not the one asking for help, you are.

And I'm not going to provide false information you feel you need to correct, that may very well be the reason you haven't gotten all the help you need so far, my divider suggestion was to see if it gave you any stability, but you discounted that advice and threw it out the window.

ArthurH, is a friend of mine I personally asked to come in here and help you, he has accomplished overclocking his Q9550 past what I achieved, so you're getting advice from those that have accomplished way more than you are attempting to.

Try to fit that in your brain somewhere! OK

 

[axxeon]

Hey thx alot guys for your replies
@arthurh umm it rebooted just when I woke up
@4ryan6 hey yeh dude I realize u shouldn't have corrected you but I though for you to help me best your gonna need the right info... I apologize for any "pissoffness" I've caused

 

[arthurh]

@arthurh umm it rebooted just when I woke up

Bummer. Now you do not know if any cores dropped out on you or not. Actually your PC could have been just recycling from crash to reboot over and over most of the night since you only noticed it when you woke up.

If you follow the OC directions I asked you to do you would have discovered that your PLL is way too high as 4ryan6 pointed out. Even when I had my Q9550 OC'd to 4.25Ghz my PLL was only 1.56V. I currently run it @ 4Ghz (on air) and my PLL is set @ 1.52V. My CPU Vc is set to 1.3250 in BIOS but since I have an ASUS M/BD it raises it to 1.360 using CPUID in the OP/SYS @ idle. Under load it is 1.344V. That drop in voltage is called "vDroop" and varies between M/BDs and CPUs. These voltages are within Intels voltage specification for my CPU.

Yours is at this link.

Basically when you ask for help we expect you to do what we suggest and report the results to us. Then based on our experience we can more accurately help to diagnosis the problem you are having. If you do anything else on your own not asked to do by us you are throwing variables in that sabotage our efforts.

At that point we would not be able to help you as you would be wasting your time and ours.

So, Axxeon, it is up to you now. I gave you three different things to do. At the very least you should have reinstalled the nVida GPU drivers and run your CPU @ stock for your baseline voltages and wrote them down.

 

[4Ryan6]

Hey thx alot guys for your replies
@arthurh umm it rebooted just when I woke up
@4ryan6 hey yeh dude I realize u shouldn't have corrected you but I though for you to help me best your gonna need the right info... I apologize for any "pissoffness" I've caused

Apology accepted, no problem.

ArthurH has given you some good starting points and suggestions, my main concern is still your PLL voltage being set too high, I'm wondering what moved you to jump from 1.55v to 1.65v, that is a big jump for PLL?

Always make incremental increases, not big increases, and always adjust one setting at the time, and observe the outcome, so you discover what the end result is for each change, and make notes on your progress all the way through.

 

[axxeon]

Well the problem is that's the only incremental increase I can do... Goes up by 0.10v.... ATM I'm at school, so I can't do anything here, and I'm going to a LAN party tnight with my school, which is gonna be sick, and it's all night, if I have anything left tomorow, I'll give your suggestions a go, I have been meaning to, it's just I'm Nottingham keen on pulling my CPU off my mb in a space of 1 hr after school, so I'll try my best on the weekend, but to be honest the voltage that has made the most difference is cpu Termination voltage , ATM moment it's at 1.36 I think.... But I would have never made it to this morning without it....

 

[arthurh]

The suggestion to remove your CPU would be only if nothing else seems to work.

 

[4Ryan6]

Well the problem is that's the only incremental increase I can do... Goes up by 0.10v.... ATM I'm at school, so I can't do anything here, and I'm going to a LAN party tnight with my school, which is gonna be sick, and it's all night, if I have anything left tomorow, I'll give your suggestions a go, I have been meaning to, it's just I'm Nottingham keen on pulling my CPU off my mb in a space of 1 hr after school, so I'll try my best on the weekend, but to be honest the voltage that has made the most difference is cpu Termination voltage , ATM moment it's at 1.36 I think.... But I would have never made it to this morning without it....

That explains your frustration and desperation, you're really pressed for time to achieve the overclock you want, and cannot just waste any time without exacting results, because it takes away from your time you have to apply to school, that's totally understandable.

 

[axxeon]

yeh thats actually tru... yeah... look im acutally really really tired so ill give the stuff a try when i can....... so could you just quickly summarise what i should try, casue thatll help alot... thx bro

 

[jsc]

Sigh.

Axxeon, you are waaay past the point where a quick summary is going to help.

If you do not have the time to spend now (we all have other demands on our time - work, school, family, other interests), probably the best thing you can do for now is to turn down your OC until you do have a stable system and resume work later when you do have more time.

 

[4Ryan6]

Sigh.

Axxeon, you are waaay past the point where a quick summary is going to help.

If you do not have the time to spend now (we all have other demands on our time - work, school, family, other interests), probably the best thing you can do for now is to turn down your OC until you do have a stable system and resume work later when you do have more time.

I 2nd this suggestion Axxeon, you need dedicated time to the OC itself, jsc is 100% correct, no offense but God Willing we'll be here when you do have the time! Ryan

 

[axxeon]

thats what i mean... dude i was just saying could you just gimme some dot points on what to do so i dont have to search this whole thread again for you suggesions... yeah? thanks guys... thats all i want

 

[jsc]

I need a :sigh: smiley. Anybody have one?

 

[4Ryan6]

^

 

[axxeon]

Ok I'm back to finish this task..

I got new ram because previous was faulty, and these are A-DATA PC6400 DDR2 800 2x 2GB

Now previously with settings of

1.30vcore
Load line cal: on
1.36v vtt
1.20v mch core
Vdimm:2v

Everything else is on auto
I could run prime95 for 8hrs but after that It crashes
Unfortunately once I got the new ram I can't get past around 3hrs...

Could you guys gimme some tips...
And I have time now

 

[jsc]

What's you FSB freq? Which test is failing? What are your full memory specs? Do the advertised specs match what CPU-Z is telling you?

Anyway, make sure that the RAM voltage is set to recommended factory values. Relax the RAM timing one set of numbers from 4-4-4-12 to 5-5-5-15 or 5's-15 to 6's-18.

Then start the "increase vcore and test" cycle again.