Which is the most OC stable setting for Q6600?

[rmdl51]

I'm trying to overclock my current system but I'm unable to find the multiplier on the BIOS of my P5Q Pro Turbo.

CPU-Z keeps showing I'm running at 2000mhz because my multiplier is x6 and freq is 333Mhz, but the bios shows 3000Mhz.

I would like to know which setting is stable from people who OCed the Q6600, I think 3.0Ghz is fine, but I would like to know if I can go higher and what is the most common setup, increase freq or multiplier?

I'm not so familiar with the setting so I will appreciate all advice, Thanks!

 

[Tmagic650]

Overclocking ability is determined by many things...
hardware installed like, motherboard, memory, power supply and video card. Can you provide more complete computer specs?

 

[rmdl51]

Already described Motherboard and CPU, everything else is at my signature: 4GB Corsair DDR2-1066, Antec 650w, XFX ATI HD 4870 1GB, Thanks!

 

[Tmagic650]

I can't get my Q6600 much past 2.6GHz. See my specs. You might try upping the CPU and memory voltages a bit. I haven't done this yet

 

[SineSurfer]

Tmagic- If you can't oc your q6600 to 3.0ghz, the ram is usually the problem. u need to adjust multiplier.

RMDL- Turn speedstep and eist off in bios to stop the computer underclocking the chip while its not being used. While you look at cpu z, load prime 95. This will make ur chip run at full speed. Feel free to ask questions. You need to check its temperature too, download core temp for that.

 

[LinkedKube]

Make sure your pc isnt running in power saving mode, although I'd recommend keeping it on, it will change your multiplier when the cpu isnt being heavily used.

 

[Tmagic650]

Thanks SineSurfer,
There are 2 bios settings that need to be disabled that have to do with CPU power control. C1E (Advanced Halt State) and EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology)... The multiplier is maxed at 9 in my ABIT IP35 Pro motherboard. If I raise the vCore voltage just one step my system blue screens. If I raise the CPU frequency past 2.7GHz my system becomes unstable. So I guess 2.7GHz is it for now. I love this ABIT board. It has a bios clear switch near the keyboard connector on the back of the computer. Very handy when messing with overclocking

 

[SineSurfer]

I have an abit ip35 pro I can get q6600 higher then 3.6ghz with proper voltage and memory multiplier options.

 

[SineSurfer]

Power saving option can act erratic if you oc past 3ghz on q6600 and keep it enabled, but below this point it acts fine.

 

[SineSurfer]

Thanks SineSurfer,
There are 2 bios settings that need to be disabled that have to do with CPU power control. C1E (Advanced Halt State) and EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology)... The multiplier is maxed at 9 in my ABIT IP35 Pro motherboard. If I raise the vCore voltage just one step my system blue screens. If I raise the CPU frequency past 2.7GHz my system becomes unstable. So I guess 2.7GHz is it for now. I love this ABIT board. It has a bios clear switch near the keyboard connector on the back of the computer. Very handy when messing with overclocking

Raising vcore 1 step causes blue screen is extremely unusual. Normally a cpu with a tad more voltage is more stable.. What are your temps with core temp?

 

[SineSurfer]

Tmagic, I see your ram is 677, you may need to give it more voltage and lower the multiplier to 1:1 - this is what is limiting your q6600 oc.

 

[Tmagic650]

Yes SineSurfer,
I did what you said changing the multiplier to 1:1 and raised the memory voltage 1 step. I easily reached 3.01GHz. The CPU core temps are 45 to 48C and the system is stable... Thanks again

 

[SineSurfer]

Download prime 95 and stability test your overclock. Remeber to also download core temp, because motherboard temperature readers are off on the ip35 pro.

 

[Tmagic650]

I have done that already. The temps I have posted are from core temp. Prime 95 shows the system as stable

 

[SineSurfer]

Fantastic, q6600 @ 3ghz is a good speed to run at, because it gives fast performance without lowering motherboard longevity and wasting electricity. If you have any other questions regarding the ip35 pro q6600 combo I'll be glad to help.

 

[Tmagic650]

Thanks so much SineSurfer,
The multiplier change, and voltage increase did the trick. I have enabled EIST and left C1E disabled. No blue screens for over 24 hours. Core temps 43-45C. I use a zerotherm nirvana CPU cooler

 

[SineSurfer]

Those temperatures are great, nice cooler. How much voltage are you running on your ram (id check on bios monitor because ip35 pro overvolts ram a little), and what voltage is your ram running at?

 

[Tmagic650]

Memory voltage is 1.825 volts and CPU core is 1.275 volts... CPU Temps still around 43C. The Nirvana cooler is very good

 

[SineSurfer]

That is very good voltage for the cpu and ram, your computer will be efficient and last a long time.

 

[Tmagic650]

Hey SineSurfer,
I'm up to 3.51GHz with vCore 1.350v... core temp 46C. My 64-bit Vista Home Premium, SP2 rating is across the board 5.9 and my 64-bit Windows 7 is 5.8 to 7.3

 

[SineSurfer]

A quad at 3.5ghz is smoking fast. What speed you running your memory at? CPUz is a great tool to check memory and cpu. After tweaking your cpu, you can then tweak your memory speed and timings.

 

[Tmagic650]

Memory is running 870MHz, pretty good increase for 667 memory. They do have metal heatsinks installed. Vista 64 bit is more stable at these settings... I really had to work with the vCore and memory voltages carefully to avoid Blue Screens in Windows 7... The boot up and shutdown times are incredibly fast. The multitasking speeds are much faster too. The ABIT IP35 Pro rocks!