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This guide seems pretty helpful and I was thinking of getting this board. Would you say a Q6600 would be a good choice for overclocking with it?

^Yes, many ppl have been able to OC the Q6600 to ~3.4Ghz on this board.

helped this noob out alot thanks have my e8400 oc to 3.6Ghz running great!

I just got a new GA-EP35-DS3L and am attempting to overclock it with an E2160, per the recent article on the $500 build. Admittedly I am a n00b at OC'ing, but I thought this would be fairly straightforward because of the article and massive online postings regarding the ease of OC'ing GA-P35-DS3L and E2160. I am able to tweak the settings to 9x266, 2.0 multiplier (C1E etc. disabled) and it boots. Have not bothered with a stability test yet.

However... every time I try to change the vcore in BIOS (I am on F4 version), it will not "stick" to the next boot: the setting is still set in BIOS but it has no effect on the actual voltage as measured in BIOS/PC-Health, CPU-Z, or HWMonitor. Various postings on other sites have suggested CTRL-F1, resetting CMOS jumper, etc. Some people get it to "stick" for the next boot, but if the system is powered down for a few minutes to a few hours, the setting is "lost" and one has to go back in and reset it. This is the case even if no FSB or multiplier settings are changed from stock, so it is not really an OC-related issue.

Also, it seems like it is specific to the new "-EP35" and not the older "-P35". Supposedly the only difference between the two is the DES feature, which per this guide I did not even bother installing.

I am wondering if anyone has figured out a way to get the vcore setting to stick beyond a power-down?? (Or alternatively, I am wondering if I missed something in the 50+ google searches I did trying to find a solution to this issue...)

Thanks!!

Hmm.... looks like a problem with the EP35-DS3L boards only. Also only the voltages don't stick right?

When do the components start to fry? What makes it do so? I've never OCed before, so I'm kinda worried... I don't wanna ruin my rig.

If you apply more than 1.5v (for 65nm) and 1.45v ( for 45nm) for CPUs then you are probably going to kill your CPU in about a year or so. There are multiple reasons for CPUs (etc) failing after OCing. For example electro migration, heat,etc.

So If I set the voltages for both the RAM and CPU at the max manufacturer's specs, there will be no risks? If so, I'd just have to tweak the FSB until the system is unstable, right? I understand this wouldn't give as much OC as higher voltages would, but it would at least be safe.
By the way, is the 4-4-4-12 timing for RAM the first four timing settings for RAM in the BIOS (Cas Latency and the next three)?

Updated 6/7/2008
Included new BIOS setting image with explanations.

For RAM set it at manufacture settings. For CPU you can go high as stock voltages (aka VID) let you go. Please list full specs so I can provide more accurate info.

E7200, EP35 MB, G Skill 2X 2GB DDR2-800 (2.0v~2.1v / 4-4-4-12)
By stock voltage what exactly are you reffering to? I'm srry... but I can't help it: I'm a newbie.

Thx for your continued interest

By stock voltage I am referring to your VID. Run CoreTemp and look under VID for stock voltage. Generally you should be able to hit around 3.0-3.2Ghz on stock voltage.

1. Is there a known solution to Vcore settings not sticking beyond a power-off for the EP35 board? That's the only one on the market now and hence the most useful thing to know on this thread..

2. Does a Xigmatek tower fit on this motherboard? Anyone used one successfully? what case did you use?

Thanks a lot!

1. No, it seems like a BIOS issue, so Gigabyte has to fix that.

2. Yes, the S1283 will fit (P35-DS3L) in an Antec 900. If going with the XIGMATEK HSFs, a bolt in kit is highly recommended.

Hmm.. so the EP35 isn't a good board to buy at the moment?

What about the EP35-DS3R (instead of the DS3L)?

Does everyone have this BIOS problem with the EP35? Has it worked for some / many? Would any of you continue to recommend this board now that the P35 is not available and only the EP35 is?

You know, tbh, Gigabyte just screwed up with this EP series of boards. I still would recommend this as only some boards (only some DS3L, some DS3R,etc) seems to have a problem, in any case if it doesn't work you can RMA it and grab a P5K.

That sounds good enough for me. But in terms of RAM, should I change the SPD to match the RATED RAM speed to that of my RAM (800)? Would the system still be stable with the modified SPD with 4-4-4-12 timings? Cuz I wanna get the most out of the components. My questions seem to be redundant, but I need straight forward answers. Sry if I'm bugging you too much.

It is fine to under clock the RAM, so if your RAM is DDR2 800, set SPD to equal DDR2 800, under CURRENT RAM SPEED. Generally I recommend running at 5-5-5-15 timing as timing won't have much effect in real life performance. As long as the RAM is below the RATED RAM speed you should be fine.

Indeed.

Most people like to set their fsb to ram ratio to 1:1, aka system memory multiplier of 2, since they claim it offers the best performance. I see no difference, but sometimes adjusting the ram settings makes tasks feel smoother. You'll have to find out yourself.

I guess if the timings don't give much performance boost, i'll just get 5-5-5-15 ones to save some money. I haven't bought the components yet, I'm thoroughly investigating and researching before I buy them, it being my first time.
By the way, I think I've been misunderstanding something. I didn't know the RATED RAM speed was detected and displayed by the MB ( now it makes sense to use the word "RATED" ). lol... I feel stupid- the CURRENT RAM SPEED is the variable that I can change, right? So the rated should show something like 800 if a DDR2-800 is installed.

Anyway, thanks a lot! I've learned a lot of stuff and feel more confident on overclocking now; I'll definately try when I get them.

EDIT: FEW MORE QUESTION!
hehe.. just a few. Should I set RAM voltage to 2.0v or 2.1v as the manufacturer's spec(is it called the VID?) says 2.0v-2.1v? Does this MB support 8800GT GPUs? In other words, PCI Express X16 2.0? I couldn't find the info on Gigabyte's website spec, etc. Also, is the EasyTune software for the MB useful?