OCing my E8400...

[dude_56013]

Well, I'm going to start some OC trials tomorrow. Any pointers/tips are appreciated, but I've run in to an initial problem:

When I go in to BIOS and change it to manual (so that I can change the FSB), and I change the FSB, whenever I save and exit and reboot, it's back to auto...what the heck? Any help is appreciated. I can get some pics of the BIOS if needed, but I do know that the last time I tried OCing this E8400 it worked...So I have no clue. Oh, and btw, BIOS saves all the other changes I make...just not clock settings. Hmm....also, as a seperate question, what should this CPU run at for voltage? I have that set to auto...I'd like a hard figure.

Thanks All,
Zac

 

[wol-va-rine]

Well, I'm going to start some OC trials tomorrow. Any pointers/tips are appreciated, but I've run in to an initial problem:

When I go in to BIOS and change it to manual (so that I can change the FSB), and I change the FSB, whenever I save and exit and reboot, it's back to auto...what the heck? Any help is appreciated. I can get some pics of the BIOS if needed, but I do know that the last time I tried OCing this E8400 it worked...So I have no clue. Oh, and btw, BIOS saves all the other changes I make...just not clock settings. Hmm....also, as a seperate question, what should this CPU run at for voltage? I have that set to auto...I'd like a hard figure.

Thanks All,
Zac

the most common advice is to keep the voltage at or under 1.4v...

now for your problem, I actually had the same problem with my E6600 and Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G, I had it overclocked and then one day it didn't seem to be running as fast as it usually does and so I checked the bios, sure enough the OC had been reset back to stock, I tried to OC it back but it would just keep resetting...

after googling my ass off to find a solution I came across some posts about my motherboard on various message boards, it seems that I can only OC with the stock bios, if I update my bios the OC won't take, I found a copy of the older bios and flashed it, sure as shit my computer didn't start cycling on and off anymore and I was able to keep my OC...

so basically, did you update the bios recently...? that may be one solution, another may be that your board's FSB is not keeping up, the E8400 has an FSB of 1333, if your board only supports up to 1066 or 1333 it may not like the added mhz on the FSB, if your motherboard's FSB is rated 1600 or higher, then your RAM might be holding back the OC, it just may not want to run at the higher speeds, if you have 800mhz PC26400 that shouldn't be a problem though, if your motherboard is rated up to 1600 and your RAM is 800mhz they should be pretty in sync with each other at the preferred (by most) 1:1 ratio...

good luck...

 

[worshipme]

+1, try flashing to a different BIOS, older or newer, it doesn't matter as long as the version supports the E8400.

 

[dude_56013]

Okay. Will do. I'll edit and let you know how it went.

EDIT/UPDATE: Okay, well long story short, all went well. However, I learned something. Never again trust anyone on another forum that tells you it's okay to use AsusUpdate. Haha. Never. That's the first thing I tried and when it errored I about shat myself thinking I fried my board. So, I used AsusEZFlash (right in BIOS) and everything worked out fine. Right now I'm running my CPU at 3.2GHZ (FSB 1422MHZ) and my RAM UNLINKED at 800MHZ. That's the next question I have...is it best to run CPU/RAM linked or unlinked? Pros/Cons? Also, my temps took about a 6 degree increase--is that okay for only a 200MHZ bump in CPU speed? (My temps--according to Real Temp--went from about Core 1=35/Core2=25 to Core1=41/Core2=31)....

 

[canucks63]

1:1 ratio.

Your core temperatures seem to be off? I always thought the two cores would run at a similar temperature.

 

[kjman87]

1:1 ratio.

Your core temperatures seem to be off? I always thought the two cores would run at a similar temperature.

they really should, just because of sheer proximity to each other.

 

[dude_56013]

they really should, just because of sheer proximity to each other.

Yes...I have no clue why they are not equal...it's really puzzling...and they've been that way since I got the CPU. The trouble is wondering which temp to go with? BTW, I'm reading them with Real Temp (latest version) which I've heard is the best thing to go with. I also checked temps with Everest, and they are exacty 10 degrees higher per core...so which one should I trust?

Also, Everest gives an overall (I guess you could call it) CPU temperature, as does SpeedFan (which I've heard pros and cons about). Let me just give you the skinny.

Okay, here's all the temps (in celsius) from various programs at stock 3Ghz at idle:

Everest:
CPU=33*
Core 1=47*
Core 2=36*

Real Temp:
Core 1=37*
Core 2=25*

SpeedFan:
CPU=33*
Core 1=47*
Core 2=36*

Which should I trust? :-|

Also, I just popped ORTHOS on for a few minutes and my temps for the cores shot up about 10* Also, should I be more concerned about Core temps or CPU temps?...

EDIT: Went in to BIOS to manually set voltage for RAM and CPU and just thought I'd let everyone know that the CPU temp in BIOS was 37*

 

[worshipme]

Yes...I have no clue why they are not equal...it's really puzzling...and they've been that way since I got the CPU. The trouble is wondering which temp to go with? BTW, I'm reading them with Real Temp (latest version) which I've heard is the best thing to go with. I also checked temps with Everest, and they are exacty 10 degrees higher per core...so which one should I trust?

It's perfectly normal. It could be because both cores are not soldered equally to the IHS, or one of the sensors is slightly off.
And trust Realtemp, Everest does not use the correct TjMax of 100c. And you are using the latest version, right? Only the newer versions report the correct temps.

Also, I just popped ORTHOS on for a few minutes and my temps for the cores shot up about 10* Also, should I be more concerned about Core temps or CPU temps?...

Core temps.

Never again trust anyone on another forum that tells you it's okay to use AsusUpdate.

I should have warned you about that, I used it and ended up with a brick.

 

[dude_56013]

Thank you very much worship. Much appreciated.

Also, about the TjMax settings->In real temp, it's configured to 95 (default)...should I change it to 100?

Yes...I should have never used AsusUpdate. Someone somewhere once told me to use it and I must've been lucky because when I used it the first time, all went fine. But this time, I was seriously scared that I had a $150 paperweight...I pretty much jumped up and shouted when my board wasn't dead!

As a side note, I've heard of people taking the E8400 up to 3.6Ghz on air (some with the stock cooler) within the safe voltage range...can anyone confirm or deny so that I have something to shoot for? I'd be perfectly content with 3.6Ghz...but what temperatures should I expect at that, and what temperature is TOO hot (so I know when to back off...)?

Thanks all!

 

[worshipme]

Also, about the TjMax settings->In real temp, it's configured to 95 (default)...should I change it to 100?

Yes, Intel have confirmed that 100c is the correct TjMax.

As a side note, I've heard of people taking the E8400 up to 3.6Ghz on air (some with the stock cooler) within the safe voltage range...can anyone confirm or deny so that I have something to shoot for? I'd be perfectly content with 3.6Ghz...but what temperatures should I expect at that, and what temperature is TOO hot (so I know when to back off...)?

Depends how good your E8400 is, every CPU is different. Just set the voltages manually so the motherboard doesn't automatically increase them. Start with the stock voltage of 1.15V, and ramp up the FSB as high as you can with the 9x multi. If you've got a gem on your hands, you might get to 3.6GHz with 1.15V, if not, increase core voltage accordingly.

And FSB or VVT voltage is very important as it is the primary killer and causes the most damage to the 45nm CPUs. I keep it at the stock value of 1.1V and I'm running my E3110 (=E8400) at 4.1GHz 100% stable. So just set it manually to 1.1V

Keep your RAM at 1:1, as when you hit 400x9 (3.6GHz), you're RAM will be running at 800MHz DDR.

And good luck since you have a 650i