Tom's Hardware Forums » Overclocking » General Discussions » GUIDE: 3+GHz Core 2 Duo Budget System for $631 (Overclock)
 

GUIDE: 3+GHz Core 2 Duo Budget System for $631 (Overclock)




Word :   Username :  
 
 Page : 1 2 3 4 5
Author
 Thread : GUIDE: 3+GHz Core 2 Duo Budget System for $631 (Overclock)
 
Profile: stranger
More Information

Last message on previous page:
This Is taken from newegg:

Quote :

This product does not support Win9X/ME
Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.



But you`re using DDR2 675MHz RAM at 4-4-4-12 timings. 8O 8O :?: Haven`t you any problem with ?

Related Product

Register or log in to remove.

Profile: Ancient Poster
More Information

Quote :

This Is taken from newegg:
This product does not support Win9X/ME
Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.



But you`re using DDR2 675MHz RAM at 4-4-4-12 timings. 8O 8O :?: Haven`t you any problem with ?
The only thing important. And most RAM (even DDR2<1000) is.

Profile: stranger
More Information

well when only voltage is important, why do they notified about timings & frequency? 8O :?: :?: :?:

Profile: Ancient Poster
More Information

I have never, up to date, heard of a DDR2 module that came with SPD 4-4-4-12 timings. They always relax timings as the voltage for the modules to boot even in the crappier boards.
EPP supposedly boots at the advertised specs but you need a compatible motherboard for it. Its scam since you can do this yourself.

Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

Well, I'd like to be the first person to post here that followed Wiz's Guide and report my results.

For the record, I am an overclocking novice, and Wiz was kind enough to take time out of his midterm studying to help me over MSN, to explain things to me step-by-step, and get my new system running smoothly.

My setup:
-E6300 Allendale Retail
-Gigabyte 965P-S3
-Zalman 9500 CPU Cooler
-OCZ Platinum (2 x 1024), rated 4-5-4-15, DDR 800 (6400) RAM
-Thermaltake Northbridge cooler
-Ultra X-Connect 600W PSU w/ 38A on 12V rail (I know this isn't the greatest, but I reused it from my old system)
-EVGA 7900 GTO
-Western Digital 250 gig SATA HDD
-LG DVD Writer (from old system)
-Aspire X-Cruiser case (I like the retro look) w/ 2x120mm fans and 2x80mm fans
-Zalman fan controller
-G15 keyboard, MX518 mouse, 5.1 speakers, Sennheiser 165 headphones

....that about covers it I think. Anyways.........

I followed Wiz's guide and advice and now have my 6300 OC'd to 3.0 ghz no problem. I can definitely go higher but I'm a bit conservative and don't really see the need. This CPU is fast at stock, but at this speed it's insane. Even my wife commented how much faster this setup is than my old rig (AMD X2 3800).

Screenshots are below. I've been running dual instances of Prime 95 for approximately 18 hours without error, and temps are about 55 C @ 100% and 44 C @ idle. My SuperPi (1 million) times have dropped by 10 seconds from stock without breaking a sweat (29 secs to sub-20 sec now).

One interesting note (again, I'm no expert): with all the discussion about different systems requiring different voltages, etc......I have the exact same CPU and mobo as Wiz, but different memory........and my settings are virtually identical to his. Personally, I can't fathom how companies would create components that respond so widely to tweaking. There must be some quality control to ensure consistency, otherwise they'd lose money. I mean, of the (how many?) tens of thousands (hundred thousand??) chips and DIMMS being sold, they all can't vary that much, or else there would be huge quality issues. Heck, all my Levi's are the same, and they're not as sensitive as computer components. In any case, it's just an interesting observation that given the similarities and differences, my settings went exactly as he predicted. I don't know about the theory, but the results are good enough for me.

On to the screenshot.........

http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/5904/overclock1hn1.jpg

(I have dual monitors so I had to crop this, sorry).

As you can see, I'm running 3.0 @ 430x7. And memory tests are great, sorry I didn't get screenshots of SANDRA. Super Pi times are what you'd expect @ 3.0. And temps are fine. But what's most worth nothing is this is all done at less than stock vCore. That helps the temps, and only a 10 C difference from idle to load is excellent in my opinion. 18 hours of dual Prime 95's and it's still going strong. Like I said, I'm a novice, but I'd call that a success :)

So, a big thanks to Wiz for his Guide (and also helping me one-on-one, I appreciate it). I'd recommend this setup to anyone looking for performance on a budget. And as you can see from my setup, I do have a better graphics card, hard drive, etc......so I get great gaming performance as well, much better than the 7300 recommended on a very tight budget ;)

Thanks to Wiz and everyone else here, and I'm glad I could share my results.


Cheers.

Profile: Ancient Poster
More Information

Amazing, congratulations :D . Youve reached a nice stable OC even that your components werent the optimun.

Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

True enough.....am on a modest budget :( Saving up until the wife lets me upgrade..... :lol:

Profile: Ancient Poster
More Information

Quote :

True enough.....am on a modest budget :( Saving up until the wife lets me upgrade..... :lol:


Haha, I was talking about $/performance. But youve proven to get past that so ill leave you alone.

Profile: enthusiast
More Information

Hey SkyGuy, congratulations on your success. I've not been able to get online for the past 2 days as I've been very busy with my lab stuffs, mid-term is around the corner. But if you've got problems, just let me know, I'd do everything I could to help. :)

Again, great to hear that I my help has been useful, and great to hear that your system is running rock solid stable. :)

Profile: stranger
More Information

I only registered just to reply to this thread. First off, I'd like to give props to Wiz's for this excellent guide! I've never overclocked a computer before and this was extremely, Extremely easy to do. I only differ from Wiz's build with Ocz ram rated at 5-5-5-15, Case+PSU (bought from the cheapest place I could find) and one less fan (fans are from vantec, couldnt' find anything cheaper). I built this comp for a friend and I wanted to keep this comp for myself b/c it was so damn good. Both my friend and myself live in the basements so the CPU's were running 37 C (full load untested coz he had to run..) at both places.

I gotta admit I was a bit clueless as to how to set the CPU to 3.0 ghz since I didn't know what he meant by setting FSB to 430 Mhz...first try the system was running at 1.50 ghz! (FSB was set to 215 Mhz)..second try, i set it up correctly at 430 Mhz and it ran well. I can't help but imagine how much faster this system could be with a water cooling setup

Thanks Wiz!

Profile: newbie
More Information

Good to hear about another successful OC with the E6300 and GA-P965-S3. Could you give a few more details about your Ram such as the OCZ model, speed, how many MB's, and how many sticks?

I take it you used a generic case and the same power supply as WiZ83?

I must say that I am surprised that you did so well with the RAM given the timings that you specified. Which is why I would like to know about your RAM.

I am a complete newbie in this arena. I am going to put together a new system (C2D) soon. I have become interested in OC'ing it as well. So I am reading as much as I can (and have time for).

It has also been interesting to read comments on other threads about OC'ing the E6600 and E6700. It seems that getting in the high 3's (GHz) takes a lot of work with some high end parts and cooling. And here WiZ83 sits at 3.4 GHz with a low end E6300 system. It seems the best bang for buck is with the E6300 (maybe the E6400?)

It's probably more complicated than that. It could be that a 3.6 GHz E6600 system will last a lot longer than WiZ83's 3.4 GHz system because it isn't pushed as hard. Also, maybe WiZ83 got a great CPU. Still if I could squeeze out 3.2 GHz, that would be fine. Another option would be to pay an extra $60 and get the E6400 which might be an easier way to get there (8 x 400 MHz).

I wouldn't mind hearing from some of the more experienced OC'rs on the craziness that I just posted in the above 2 paragraphs.

Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

You could get a 6400 and reach 3.0-3.4 easier.....true. Interestly enough, I have different RAM, PSU, case, and cooler than Wiz and I got the same results, with virtually the same setups (volts, timings, FSB, etc).

The other thing is that I'm not sure the real-world difference is that noticeable or worth OC'ing to 3.4 on a 6300. I could go higher than 3.0 that I'm at now, but I prefer to play it safe....and 3.0 is still a huge improvement over 1.8 stock. So even going up to a E6600/6700 doesn't seem like it's worth the money.....might as well spend it on a vid card instead. Hitting 3.0 on a 6300 is easy, but with a better multiplier the 6400 might be worth the extra bit of $$. Here in Canada it's more like $100 more, so I decided to pass and go with the 6300.

Profile: stranger
More Information

the sticks of OCZ i used are OCZ 1.0GB DDR2 667 PC2-5400 (512x2) Value Pro Series

the case is shinobi sh0 someting something..we bought the case from pacific mall (a mall in toronto known to have the cheapest parts around) and it already included a PSU in it. I was trying to match Wiz's 3 fans on the side but could only put in two...it's still pretty cool! This case had built in thermo readings on it so I was able to read the temps without going into bios or buying seperate hardware.

case+PSU doesn't really matter so long as PSU >= 430 watts according to Wiz's build

I gotta remind you, i'm a complete noob...first time overclocking CPU...and it worked flawlessly thanks to Wiz's guide

Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

HHAHAHHAA, I know the Pacific Mall.....all Hondas in the parking lot, eh? ;)

I got good 800 RAM and hit 3.0 no problem......I can go much higher (and I may yet try), but by working with Wiz's guide, it proves you can hit 3.0 on a 6300 without really expensive components. Better if you can get some good RAM and cooling, etc.....but not absolutely necessary since the volts are not high at all and temps are good.

Profile: newbie
More Information

Thanks Denj and Skyguy.

Skyguy, did you order online (which one?) or pick your parts up at a store. I also am from Canada, and one thing is for sure - we are getting majorly screwed when it comes to prices (even after exchange is taken into consideration).

It seems like if you get decent RAM and have some additional fans, then overclocking the E6300 is fairly easy (famous last words). I still find it interesting that Denj bought CL5 RAM and was still able to get 3GHz. lots of flexibility I guess.

However, I wonder if it is because the P965-S3 (or DS3) is inherently a good OC'ing board. I was considering a P5B-E, but it might be safer to stick to the S3 or DS3.

Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

I live outside Toronto, so I ordered from B.C to avoid PST....just paid the GST