First time OC intel q9450

[datcu]

hello, here's the thing: I want my sistem (intel q9450, 4gb ram DDR2@800Mhz Corsair CL4, MOBO Gigabyte ex38-ds5, video ati3870) to run @3ghz from 2.66... did my job finding some info about my proc and OC tips, my question is, considering that it has already been under heavy rendering jobs for the past 3 years, how risky is it to OC and is it possible to push it beyond 3ghz (keep in mind I have render jobs 3-5 hours at least 3times a week)? I have a Zerotherm Nirvana cooler. I had it run @3ghz a few times just to test it but the OC was done from EasyTune from Gigabyte and no errors occured during that period (max. 1 day)
I understand that a PROPER OC has to be done from bios, only concern i have is that 3ghz 24/7 and sometimes at full load might be to much for it now...
P.S.: no errors of any kind so far from cpu/ram/video...all looking and performing well

 

[jonpaul37]

You will actually have no issues even if you OC it to 3.4 and ran it 24/7, just as long as you keep the temps down then you're all set.

I bought a 4 year old Q6600 and it's been overclocked from 2.4 to 3.6 for almost 3 years now and i've not had one issue yet.

 

[datcu]

You will actually have no issues even if you OC it to 3.4 and ran it 24/7, just as long as you keep the temps down then you're all set.

I bought a 4 year old Q6600 and it's been overclocked from 2.4 to 3.6 for almost 3 years now and i've not had one issue yet.

10x for the info,quick question: if i want another 4gb kit, it must run at the same speed and CL? (800ghz, CL4), I don't mind loosing a bit of latency (even tough is much more important than speed) in order to achieve something like 3.4ghz.... the thing is that i can't seem to find this Corsair kit in stores any more...

 

[jsc]

Stay within the voltage-thermal bounds of the chip (1.45 volts and 70 C) and, short of a random "sh!t happens" failure, you will not significantly affect the life of the chip.

For overclock guides, 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

Shadow's Gigabyte motherboard OC guide:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-245679_11_0.html
It's for an EP35-DS3L but all the Gigabyte Core2 BIOS's are similar.

Go through the guides. Then go into the BIOS and change the System Memory Multiplier from AUTO to 2.00, 2.00B, or 2.00D - whichever you need to set the Memory Frequency to twice the FSB. This assumes DDR2 memory. If DDR3, mem clock should be 4 times FSB.

Download CPU-Z to check your FSB:RAM ratio.

 

[Gekko Shadow]

[strike]twice the FSB? So what about a FSB of 1783mhz? O-o. (don't mean to threadjack here xD)[/strike]

oie nvm - coffee helped xD

 

[jonpaul37]

10x for the info,quick question: if i want another 4gb kit, it must run at the same speed and CL? (800ghz, CL4), I don't mind loosing a bit of latency (even tough is much more important than speed) in order to achieve something like 3.4ghz.... the thing is that i can't seem to find this Corsair kit in stores any more...

You don't necessarily need the same speed and CL but it is a bonus. Lets say your current RAM is DDR2-800 CL 4, then try to get another 4 GB kit that is DDR2-800 CL 4 and also try to make sure that it has the same recommended voltage range as your current RAM, so if your current RAM can run @ 1.8 - 2.0, try to find RAM that has the same range AS WELL as the DDR2-800 CL 5.

The first sacrifice you can make is the CL, so if you can only find RAM with DDR2-800, 1.8 - 2.0 but CL 5, then you'll be fine, just bump your current RAM from CL 4 to CL 5

Just a warning, motherboards have been known to get a little more picky when overclocking with more than 2 sticks of RAM, not all the time, but it has been known to happen quite commonly. If that is the case, might want to volt the RAM a tad higher (do not go higher than 2.1) and bring the CL to 6 if you have to.