I've recently gotten a new motherboard for my aging CPU, an Intel Core 2 Duo E4400, which has a default FSB of 200, a default multiplier of 10 and a default voltage of from what I remember 1.315 volts.
Now, the reason I got this motherboard (Gigabyte P31-ES3L) is because it was cheap, and because it was supposedly a good overclocking board for older 200MHz FSB CPUs - I wasn't quite ready to spend a lot on a new PC just yet.
I've managed to get the CPU up to 3GHz without a lot of effort; I changed the FSB to 300MHz, locked the PCI-E speed to 100MHz, and set the memory multiplier at 2.4x (effectively setting the memory to 720MHz). This setup runs 100% stable, and never exceeds 55 degrees Celsius under full load (Orthos stress testing, 2 hours).
Now... I wonder if, given the good temperatures I'm getting, it's possible to overclock a bit more.
I tried this for a bit, putting the FSB at 320MHz without changing the memory multiplier (making it run at a hefty 768MHz, which I heard the memory I had was often capable of doing - it could supposedly do 800MHz).
This seemed to work - Windows came up, and I logged in just fine. However, just as every startup program seemed to have loaded, my screens just went black. I rebooted, same thing happened. Thinking I'd pushed my memory too far, I upped the voltage (1.8v) to 1.9v. This time it went black in XP's welcome screen.
In all this overclocking I haven't had to change the CPU's stock voltage yet - will changing this get my system to boot at these speeds? Or what will? Or am I just asking too much?
Oh, by the way... What's better, a higher-clocked CPU with lower-clocked memory, or a lower-clocked CPU with higher-clocked memory? And how does one change the memory timings on a Gigabyte board?
Thanks in advance! :)Overclocking past 3GHz on a E4400 (2GHz) and some Micron 667MHz memory?Best is high cpu clock/high FSB (for high bandwidth) and 100% STABLE memory.
If you really want to hit the ceiling for that processor consider:
1. Using ddr2-800 or the memory divider for your ddr2-667. Stay close to default memory clock to ensure stability unless you are using hi-perf. overclocking RAM that use up to 2.3V Vdimm.
2. Bump up Vcore if instability sets in. If you overclock RAM too soon, it is hard to determine if instability is due to RAM or processor. Seasoned overclockers ensure RAM stability first while raising FSB.
3. Use OCCT or Orthos for quick stability tests.
http://downloads.guru3d.com/OCCT-(OverCl
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/385
Sometimes, even a few runs of 3D Mark benchmark would give some quick indication of stability.
To enable full tweaking options, press Ctrl + F1 while in BIOS.
Here's my FSB adventure on a Gigabyte motherboard that is older than what you have.
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id
It's been rock stable.
