# e8500 e0: getting over 4ghz without killing it



## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

As the title says, I have issues with my particular system...

e8500 e0 @ 4.00Ghz (500x8) 1.34V 
Asus P5q Pro p45 chipset 1613m bios
Patriot Extreme Performance 2x2 GB DDR2-6400 (overclocked with cpu) 5-5-5-15 1:1
*see system specs for power supply and other information)

dRAM voltages are set at 2.1V
NB at 1.26V
SB at 1.1V
FSB termination voltage at 1.26V as well
333 FSB strap

I am at my wit's end trying to get past 4.0xx, but no matter what I try further overclocking fails.  I almost passed an occt 2 hr stress test running at 4250mhz (1.4 core voltage), but 1hr 30mins in I am greeted with a black screen and restart.  No matter how much I increased vcore, up to 1.45V, my overclocking failed.  Though 4Ghz is not a miserly speed, I have seen other e8500 e0 overclocks on the internet faster with less voltage!  I am about to replace my memory with a 2x2GB OCZ reaper set (1066), so I wonder...

1.  Is RAM holding me back?
2.  Since the memory has not arrived yet, is it still possible to obtain a stable (2hr occt) 4.2 ghz overclock below 1.4V?  If so, any advice on how to do it?

Sorry for being wordy, it's the passion for overclocking


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks for replying


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## thebeephaha (Mar 1, 2009)

I think your NB and SB need more.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

SB I can understand, but I don't have active cooling for my NB, so that's capped at 1.3V


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## DonInKansas (Mar 1, 2009)

NB capped at 1.3?  I run my p5k at 1.55 with no issues on stock cooling.  I don't even think 1.3 is an option.

Asus boards like the voltage.

Have you tested the RAM?  Maybe they are bunk.  (Of course the new Reapers will fix that issue. )


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

DonInKansas said:


> NB capped at 1.3?  I run my p5k at 1.55 with no issues on stock cooling.  I don't even think 1.3 is an option.
> 
> Asus boards like the voltage.
> 
> Have you tested the RAM?  Maybe they are bunk.  (Of course the new Reapers will fix that issue. )



Well I tried imputing 1.5V on my NB, but the numbers turned purple
So instead I set NB and vcore to 1.4V (450x9.5).  Got to desktop alright, but restarted after 2 seconds of OCCT testing  No idea how you're using 1.55 on the NB Don


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## Kursah (Mar 1, 2009)

The number going purple in bios just is a means for warning, just keep an eye on your NB temps using the provided MB monitorring software or a program like Everest, I've ran my P5Q Deluxe NB up to 1.55v before, and temps didn't go over 41C.

Another thing I run my FSB and NB at similar values, for me some reason this seems to be some kind of voodoo OC stability helper in my mind, but when OC-ing my e8600 to 4.5Ghz and e8500 to 3.8-4.0Ghz it seemed to help.

Though, even for 500FSB I didn't need more than 1.26v on either the NB or FSB voltages. As far as getting further, it could be a limitation of the chip. What kind of temps are you getting at these attempted overclock runs in the goal of greater than 4GHz? I don't blame you for trying, the e8500 I have is a C0, it needs 1.23v for 3.8Ghz and 1.29v for 4.0Ghz, but from there the voltage requirements shoot up quite a bit, I needed around 1.45v for 4.4ghz iirc. Not worth it, the chip's sensors read cool.

What bios version are you running? Is it a modded bios? There might be something there, doubt it, but doesn't hurt to ask!

I'm going to have to say there's some sort of limitation, whether it's board or chip, it's there, could you list all of your OC settings? Also try an FSB strap set to AUTO, I've had better luck leaving it at Auto than manually setting it.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

Kursah said:


> The number going purple in bios just is a means for warning, just keep an eye on your NB temps using the provided MB monitorring software or a program like Everest, I've ran my P5Q Deluxe NB up to 1.55v before, and temps didn't go over 41C.
> 
> Another thing I run my FSB and NB at similar values, for me some reason this seems to be some kind of voodoo OC stability helper in my mind, but when OC-ing my e8600 to 4.5Ghz and e8500 to 3.8-4.0Ghz it seemed to help.
> 
> ...



It's possible to monitor NB temps with everest?! If that's true, where to find such utility?

My bios is a modded one: 1613m (made by Ket)

For temps, 36/39 idle cores, and 60/62 on 100% load (Freezer 7 pro is awesome)

I'll try changing the FSB strap to Auto later, but by oc settings do you mean everything that CAN be manipulated, or what I changed from auto?  Anyways, with everything else on auto, my most stable OC (4.00 ghz):

CPU Multi:8
FSB: 500
FSB Strap: 333
PCIE Freq: 100 (no point in changing...)
DRAM Timings: 5-5-5-15
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1002 (likes going a little over)
CPU Voltage: 1.34V
FSB Termination: 1.26V
NB Voltage: 1.26V
SB Voltage:1.10V
DRAM Voltage: 2.1 V (playing it safe)
CPU PLL Voltage (still clueless on what it does): 1.50V

...that's all I can remember


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 1, 2009)

Try 8.5 multi and a lower fsb with a higher NB voltage. Keep your ram 1:1.


EDIT:

If it helps any these are results on a DFI Dark with an e8500 C0
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=989697&postcount=2405

Ram was crappy clocking 1Ghz 5-5-5-18 2.2v


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## DonInKansas (Mar 1, 2009)

Change your FSB strap to Auto;  see if that helps.


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## Kursah (Mar 1, 2009)

Google Everest, its' gotta be a newer version, the beta subscribtion isn't exactly cheap, but Everest is a very kickass utility! Though you could just use the provided Asus PC Probe utility too.

I no longer use Ket's modded bioses as I found absolutely no difference in overclocking stability or higher overclocks, I'm on version 1702 directly from Asus...I dunno what version number that would be for the Pro's though, and really stability and OC-ability didn't seem to change from version 1306 from my perspective.

I still say try FSB Strab at AUTO, though it might not change anything.

So you have the CPU Load-Line Calibration enabled? If not, you shold, that will help provide more solid voltage values to the CPU. I would say try your SB voltage at 1.20v. Change CPU PLL voltage to 1.54-1.56v...seemed to help my e8600 with 4.5Ghz stability.

You would only need 444FSB to attain around 4.2GHz at the full 9.5X multi, that might help with the memory OC a little, and would allow you to more focus on your CPU OC at this time. Set the memory divider to a 1:1 and get DDR888 speeds for now, definately some more breathing room for now.

Also make sure that the Spread Spectrum options stay disabled, on my board they are default disabled, so that shouldn't be an issue with yours either iirc. Keep us posted! It looks like you're setting things right, but question is 1.34v for 4Ghz? What does it read in windows idle/load? I use Everest, PC Probe or CPU-z for that value while running orthos in small FFT's.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

JrRacinFan said:


> Try 8.5 multi and a lower fsb with a higher NB voltage. Keep your ram 1:1.
> 
> 
> EDIT:
> ...



Wow...1.5V for 4.5Ghz 
8.5x470 is stable, then again most ocs about 4ghz on this are stable...
Changed NB to 1.56V and fsb strap to auto, gonna try that with a higher oc



Kursah said:


> Google Everest, its' gotta be a newer version, the beta subscribtion isn't exactly cheap, but Everest is a very kickass utility! Though you could just use the provided Asus PC Probe utility too.
> 
> I no longer use Ket's modded bioses as I found absolutely no difference in overclocking stability or higher overclocks, I'm on version 1702 directly from Asus...I dunno what version number that would be for the Pro's though, and really stability and OC-ability didn't seem to change from version 1306 from my perspective.
> 
> ...



Ah, Load Line Calibration is disabled; had some stability issues when it was on.  I'll try that again..
As for bios, there aren't many changes from the ones on ASUS's website.
1.56v on CPU PLL...interesting
As for memory dividers, P5Q Pro has nothing that allows me to change that, so as far as I know it's ALWAYS 1:!   I'll try 444x9.5 without changing vcore... 
Spread spectrum is disabled, 1.34 in the BIOS, which translates to max. of 1.33V on cpu-z (idle 1.32V)

Thanks everyone  (doesn't mean the end yet...)


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## Kursah (Mar 1, 2009)

The memory dividers aren't shown in the x:x format, but rather the speed of your memory at a certain ratio. I.e. at 400FSB you would be 1:1 at 800 speed, 4:5 at DDR1000 and so on.

LLC should help with more stable voltages, I've not heard of instability from it, but it should help you lower your CPU voltage values closer to what the chip actually needs with lower vdroop.

Keep us posted on your results!


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## r9 (Mar 1, 2009)

Increase NB SB voltage. Try other CPU multi. Lower memory speed just to rule it out. 
Don`t compare your cpu with other not all are the same. And 1.5 hours is stable enough for me.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

Well, as I tried to go 9.5x444, my computer went haywire ; I'm running it at stock speeds...for now...  I assume my NB had something to do with my malfunction

Must stay vigilant!


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

So far so good, 444x9.5 at 1.36V in the BIOS (1.344V on cpu-z)

Unfortunately, I fear this stability will not last after 1 second on OCCT...well, time to find out.

EDIT: Comp froze on me while trying to reply; also 1.5 on NB makes restarting impossible (on...off)  Error was detected on core 0 after 2 seconds of OCCT...overclocking is a serious business


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 1, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> Wow...1.5V for 4.5Ghz



Remember though that was a C0 and only ran it for a few moments. I wouldn't dare try to stable it out for 24/7.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

I wonder...is it possible to avoid increasing NB voltages by replacing RAM?  If not, then I'll invest in a 40mm fan.


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## pabloc74 (Mar 1, 2009)

trying touch only cpu volt and mem volt, try to set the mem the loweest as you can, and then try max oc.
i don't know much about oc, but with only touch vcore i make this..


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 1, 2009)

Woah, is that fully stable pabloc?  Also, you do mean touch cpu voltages and memory voltages right, and set the lowest volts for memory?  Or am I misinterpreting something..


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## pabloc74 (Mar 1, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> Woah, is that fully stable pabloc?  Also, you do mean touch cpu voltages and memory voltages right, and set the lowest volts for memory?  Or am I misinterpreting something..



in that case the vcore was 1.35 and memory was reaper 1150 2.1v (stock) (1100mhz on screen with 2.1v) stable 24/7, and see taht was an C0 step, your cpu could be better


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 2, 2009)

pabloc74 said:


> in that case the vcore was 1.35 and memory was reaper 1150 2.1v (stock) (1100mhz on screen with 2.1v) stable 24/7, and see taht was an C0 step, your cpu could be better



Amazing!  Looks like upgrading to those reapers will be worth it.  

For the time being (before my memory arrives from newegg), I'll be tinkering with the bios to get some results.  

Note: I switched the position on my Freezer 7 Pro to point towards the NB.  It looks strange, but it should draw heat away from the NB heatsink.


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## Scrizz (Mar 2, 2009)

definately try setting you mem lower


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 2, 2009)

By mem, do you mean timings?

Edit: NB HAET 1.5V! hopefully new memory will create a work-around.


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## pabloc74 (Mar 2, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> By mem, do you mean timings?
> 
> Edit: NB HAET 1.5V! hopefully new memory will create a work-around.



no, frequency


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

Alright, reapers came in today (3 day shipping for better or worse)...now doing some minor testing.

e8500 e0 450x9.5 1.400V (1.376Vdroop)
OCZ Reaper 2x2gb 1066 5-5-5-15 2.1V
NB: 1.4V (gonna lower it to see if vcore makes stability or not)
SB: 1.1V
FSB Termination: 1.26V
CPU PLL: 1.50V
FSB Strap set to auto, so 1:1 ratio

Going in for more testing... wish me luck


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

Not even 1.4V will satisfy 4275mhz, or maybe something else is amiss...

I tried increasing NB and SB voltages to the most tolerable without extremely heating the chipsets.  Both were futile, but I doubled my stabilty...to 8 seconds after increasing PLL voltages to 1.56V..  

Currently I am trying to reach 24/7 stability on air, but nothing seems to be working  Once again, I require the minds of tpu to assist me...please

Computers are hard to please mistresses~


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

OK, I have an ASUS P5Q PRO and there is NO cap on the NB voltage, I runn mine at 1.36v on NB , 1.68v on CPU PLL , 1.64v on FSB termination volts, 1.425v on the Vcore and 2.18v on my Ram ( they are OC'd like a mofo) I runn all of that on my board with an E5200 that i can take from 2.5ghz to 4.2ghz without a hitch, also my board was an Open Box deal from newegg.


Oh and I would leave the SB volts at Auto. you dont need to raise the volts on the SB on these newer boards like you used to in the past.

Raise your PLL somewhere around 1.6-1.7v
Raise your FSB termination volts to somewhere around 1.58-1.67v

If you are NOT OCing your RAM, then leave the NB volts under 1.32v and set your DRAM volts to the recommended setting.

My system is OC'd like a bish! (CPU,RAM,VGA) and It passed an eight hour blend test on Prime95

Download Prime95, install it... and after you get your BIOS setting to where you think its right then run a BLEND test when you go to sleep.. if it passes then you have everything right. Prime95 is the only REAL way to test for stability.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

_jM said:


> OK, I have an ASUS P5Q PRO and there is NO cap on the NB voltage, I runn mine at 1.36v on NB , 1.68v on CPU PLL , 1.64v on FSB termination volts, 1.425v on the Vcore and 2.18v on my Ram ( they are OC'd like a mofo) I runn all of that on my board with an E5200 that i can take from 2.5ghz to 4.2ghz without a hitch, also my board was an Open Box deal from newegg.
> 
> 
> Oh and I would leave the SB volts at Auto. you dont need to raise the volts on the SB on these newer boards like you used to in the past.
> ...



Wow, I'm going to try that; also P5Q Pro owners unite! 

I never said NB volts were capped, just that 1.5V makes my computer unable to restart properly.


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

also change your Load Line Calibration to Enabled and CPU spread spectrum to disabled.Under Advanced CPU I changed C1E Support to Disabled.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

I already disabled those, thanks for reminding tho 

Higher voltages were unsuccessful for 450x9.5; dunno how most e0 owners can get high speeds in such loooowww voltages.


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

This Is my 24/7 settings for my E5200/P5Q Pro Rig....

Multi: 10.5
FSB : 333mhz
Vcore: 1.425v
PLL: 1.68v
FSB TERM: 1.64v
DRAM: 2.18v
NorthBridge: 1.36v

Clock Speeds E5200 @ 3.6ghz FSB @ 1333mhz
Dram:CPU ratio @ 3:6
Memory timings are 4-5-4-13 2T Freq@ 1111mhz
I also changed my Load Line Calibration to Enabled and CPU spread spectrum to disabled.Under Advanced CPU I changed C1E Support to Disabled.

Using an ASUS P5Q-PRO P45, 2gb of G.Skill DDR2 1066, CORSAIR HX620 PSU, and a Tuniq Tower 120 on my E5200, also i have a GTX 260 for my GFX card and a old ass Creative SB Audigy2 soundcard.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

How did you change your DRAM:CPU ratio?  I've never seen an option for changing ratios.  Is it the fsb?  

Hey, an old audio card is better than integrated


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

you cant chage it.. it is based off your FSB and Ram Speed


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## Wile E (Mar 4, 2009)

_jM said:


> OK, I have an ASUS P5Q PRO and there is NO cap on the NB voltage, I runn mine at 1.36v on NB , 1.68v on CPU PLL , 1.64v on FSB termination volts, 1.425v on the Vcore and 2.18v on my Ram ( they are OC'd like a mofo) I runn all of that on my board with an E5200 that i can take from 2.5ghz to 4.2ghz without a hitch, also my board was an Open Box deal from newegg.
> 
> 
> Oh and I would leave the SB volts at Auto. you dont need to raise the volts on the SB on these newer boards like you used to in the past.
> ...


OCCT is a far better stability test than Prime95. Prime95 outright pales in comparison. I've had 24Hr Prime95 stable OCs fail after just an hour of OCCT.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

4275mhz at 1.42V has failed me, yet 500x8 at 1.34V is perfectly fine.  Is it time to fiddle with skews and GTL, or should I let them be at auto?


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## NinkobEi (Mar 4, 2009)

stop raising your voltage please lol. I'm willing to bet your RAM settings are messed up. also you need to disable a few power-saver features in your bios I forget exactly what they are called and I'm too lazy to reboot into the bios. your chip should hit 4ghz on 1.32 volts max... set your ram timings to 5-5-5-15(or 18) to see if that helps..and make sure you arent trying to run it at 1300 mhz because it will fail.

JM has the options you need to change written in his post. the ECC crap and whatever


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

Ninkobwi said:


> stop raising your voltage please lol. I'm willing to bet your RAM settings are messed up. also you need to disable a few power-saver features in your bios I forget exactly what they are called and I'm too lazy to reboot into the bios. your chip should hit 4ghz on 1.32 volts max... set your ram timings to 5-5-5-15(or 18) to see if that helps..and make sure you arent trying to run it at 1300 mhz because it will fail.
> 
> JM has the options you need to change written in his post. the ECC crap and whatever



Haha, I am doing my best not to raise voltage, but this e0 won't post 4.2 without 1.4  I've not had the best of luck with memory....

5-5-5-15 (default ocz timings) -> 5-5-5-18 made no difference.  Would laxing timings more do any good?  In fact, would it be an alternate route from increasing vcore? 

Thanks for issuing the voltage addiction Ninkobwi, it is driving me CRAZY!  What exactly does running it at 1300mhz mean?


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## Wile E (Mar 4, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> Haha, I am doing my best not to raise voltage, but this e0 won't post 4.2 without 1.4  I've not had the best of luck with memory....
> 
> 5-5-5-15 (default ocz timings) -> 5-5-5-18 made no difference.  Would laxing timings more do any good?  In fact, would it be an alternate route from increasing vcore?
> 
> Thanks for issuing the voltage addiction Ninkobwi, it is driving me CRAZY!  What exactly does running it at 1300mhz mean?



When you overclock your fsb, you overclcok your ram. Set your ram to the lowest speed in the BIOS with 5-5-5-15 timings, and it's rated voltage.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

Well, I'm running on the lowest voltages for everything (lol), 266x6=...LAPTOP SPEEDS

I'll raise the multiplier, but Wile E, what is the point of lowering ram that much?

Next for stability, 533 with 5-5-5-15 timings at 2.1V (rated)

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=520019


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## Wile E (Mar 4, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> Well, I'm running on the lowest voltages for everything (lol), 266x6=...LAPTOP SPEEDS
> 
> I'll raise the multiplier, but Wile E, what is the point of lowering ram that much?
> 
> ...



Because, like I said, when you raise the fsb, you raise the ram speed. At the lowest setting in BIOS your ram will run 1:1 with the FSB, so at 500fsb, your ram will be running at 500MHz (1000Mhz DDR). This will give you more headroom to raise your fsb. That way, you can crank your FSB all the way up to 533Mhz, without ever going past the ram's rated speed.

Doing this just generally makes it easier to clock your cpu, as you don't have to worry about your ram being the unstable component. Once you settle on a stable cpu speed, you can go ahead and try getting more out of your ram. It's just best to clock one thing at a time.


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## silkstone (Mar 4, 2009)

I'm running mine @ 4.28ghz 1.45v (drops to 1.4 at load) i can hit 4.5 with like 1.55v but it's a bit high for my current cooler and isn't stable. Try placing a fan over your northbridge heatsink and see if that helps any.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

Wile E said:


> Because, like I said, when you raise the fsb, you raise the ram speed. At the lowest setting in BIOS your ram will run 1:1 with the FSB, so at 500fsb, your ram will be running at 500MHz (1000Mhz DDR). This will give you more headroom to raise your fsb. That way, you can crank your FSB all the way up to 533Mhz, without ever going past the ram's rated speed.
> 
> Doing this just generally makes it easier to clock your cpu, as you don't have to worry about your ram being the unstable component. Once you settle on a stable cpu speed, you can go ahead and try getting more out of your ram. It's just best to clock one thing at a time.



After some experimenting and unplugging, it seems I am hitting an fsb wall at 533...drats
Are you saying I should get the highest rating speeds BEFORE touching the cpu?  Because that sounds like a good idea 



silkstone said:


> I'm running mine @ 4.28ghz 1.45v (drops to 1.4 at load) i can hit 4.5 with like 1.55v but it's a bit high for my current cooler and isn't stable. Try placing a fan over your northbridge heatsink and see if that helps any.



WOW, 1.55V is a killing voltage, and I am thinking of placing a fan on my NB at the moment, if only the Freezer 7 Pro didn't hog up the headroom!


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## Wile E (Mar 4, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> After some experimenting and unplugging, it seems I am hitting an fsb wall at 533...drats
> Are you saying I should get the highest rating speeds BEFORE touching the cpu?  Because that sounds like a good idea
> 
> 
> ...


No, I'm saying the opposite, you should get the highest cpu, before touching the ram.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

Ack!  Sorry for misinterpreting, well then, I'll see what I can get out of 1.36V then.

Thanks for everyone's help so far  (not over till I say so)

EDIT: Noobish question time!

Increase cpu?  Isn't that basically what I am trying to do?


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## Wile E (Mar 4, 2009)

Mr.Amateur said:


> Ack!  Sorry for misinterpreting, well then, I'll see what I can get out of 1.36V then.
> 
> Thanks for everyone's help so far  (not over till I say so)
> 
> ...



Yes, but if you lower the ram, you don't have to worry about the ram becoming unstable. If your OC is unstable, it does not automatically mean it's the cpu. So, lower the ram all the way, and OC the cpu. After you find a stable cpu setting you are happy with, you can try setting the ram to a higher speed in the BIOS.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

So far so good for 430x9.5 1.36V (posting through laptop while occt is running).

I wonder, should I enable MEM OC Charger?  It's an option on P5Q boards that supposedly helps fsb overclocking.

EDIT: the bios says memory overclocking (not a bad thing either), not fsb...oops


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

Dude I saw your CPU-Z validation .. and it says that your ram is in single channel mode.

Thats your problem.. put your ram in the *YELLOW* slots for dual channel and better performance. It even tells you to in your user manual 

Im willing to bet that has been your problem from the start. You need to put each stick in the yellow slots and not yellow and black.


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

*LIKE THIS*


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

_jM said:


> Dude I saw your CPU-Z validation .. and it says that your ram is in single channel mode.
> 
> Thats your problem.. put your ram in the *YELLOW* slots for dual channel and better performance. It even tells you to in your user manual
> 
> Im willing to bet that has been your problem from the start. You need to put each stick in the yellow slots and not yellow and black.



actually... that was a one time thing....

I changed it from dual channel when I verified

Sorry for the misunderstanding, just didn't know if that made the difference...but it's back to dual channel and same old story

I use both blacks instead of yellows (interferes with heat sink)


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## _jM (Mar 4, 2009)

umm you need to put them into the YELLOW slots. the p5q pro user manual says:



> When using two sticks of DDR2 RAM, use the *yellow* DIMM slots for optimal DDR2 Dual Channel Operation, and for better overclocking results.



quote from my user manual.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

*Sorry about the copypasta xtremesystems!*

AI Overclock tuner: Manual
CPU Ratio Setting: 09.5
FSB Strap to North Bridge: AUTO
FSB Frequency: 430
PCI-E Frequency: 100
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-861
DRAM Timing Control: Manual

1st Information :

CAS# Latency: 5 DRAM CLOCKS
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5 DRAM CLOCKS
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5 DRAM CLOCKS
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 15 DRAM CLOCKS
RAS# to RAS# Delay : AUTO
Row Refresh Cycle Time: AUTO
Write Recovery Time: AUTO
Read to Precharge Time: AUTO

2nd Information :

READ to WRITE Delay (S/D): AUTO
Write to Read Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to READ Delay (D): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (S): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (D): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (D): AUTO

3rd Information :

WRITE to PRE Delay: AUTO
READ to PRE Delay: AUTO
PRE to PRE Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to REF Delay: AUTO
DRAM Static Read Control: AUTO
DRAM Read Training: AUTO
MEM. OC Charger: Enabled
AI Clock Twister: AUTO
AI Transaction Booster: AUTO

CPU Voltage: 1.36250 
CPU GTL Reference: AUTO
CPU PLL Voltage: 1.50
FSB Termination Voltage: 1.70
DRAM Voltage: 2.10 
NB Voltage: 1.26
SB Voltage: 1.20
PCIE SATA Voltage: 

Load Line Calibration: Enabled 
CPU Spread Spectrum: Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled
CPU Clock Skew : Auto
NB Clock Skew : Auto
CPU Margin Enhancement: Optimized

Having 2 systems really makes this faster to type

This is my current stable system, though I prefer using 500x8.  Any ideas on what to edit?


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 4, 2009)

_jM said:


> umm you need to put them into the YELLOW slots. the p5q pro user manual says:
> 
> 
> 
> quote from my user manual.



 OOPS, never bothered to read the memory section


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

As I was fiddling with the bios (as always) I tried my hand at cpu clock skews, increasing it as an attempt at stability.  Well at 100ps, 450x9.5, 1.36250V, I managed to get windows to post....until it blue screened seconds later.  There are bunches of options (see above), but which one will help stability?


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## phanbuey (Mar 5, 2009)

NB voltage needs a bump

FSB Termination is pretty high for that chip... 1.2 - 1.3 should be enough for that chip.


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## Wile E (Mar 5, 2009)

Did you lower your ram speed yet?


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

Tried that up to 1.4V (utmost limit on NB without active cooler), but nothing.

I have brought ram speeds down to 443, still failed :/

Would anyone kindly share their opinions on changing CPU GTL?  Min->Max on asus boards: 0.61, 0.63, 0.65


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## phanbuey (Mar 5, 2009)

disabled load line calibration yet?
try different GTL calibrations...

just FYI intel rates maximum FSB term at around 1.3-1.4 on 45nm anything more can damage the chip.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

LLC is still enabled...I'll try disabling then phanbuey.

Still can't post to desktop, seems LLC isn't the case


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

phanbuey said:


> disabled load line calibration yet?
> try different GTL calibrations...
> 
> just FYI intel rates maximum FSB term at around 1.3-1.4 on 45nm anything more can damage the chip.



Don't worry about FSB termination Volts, it's at 1.26.  

I'll try out 0.61 for gtl, in a moment; there is a warning saying too much gtl voltage can damage hardware, but then again so can overclocking

at 0.61 GTL and 1.36V, I got to post screen, but it froze..

Increased GTL to 0.63 and then 0.65.  Not even post screen

How exactly does GTL work?


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

Huh....with 0.61 GTL and 1.38V in bios, I can post onto desktop and load cpu-z (says 1.36V idle)

With GTL auto and the same vcore, I crashed from desktop in a matter of seconds.

Gonna stress, fail, and increase GTL...

1 second after infinite occt testing...not blue but black crash.  Changing GTL doesn't make a difference.  Strange...


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## Ketxxx (Mar 5, 2009)

Dont go over 1.3v without active cooling on the NB, it WILL get very toasty. P45 chipsets do NOT need huge amounts of NB voltage for high FSB. I would notch your SB voltage to 1.2v, RAM to 2.2v. Icreasing your FSB termination to 1.3v may help too. download memtest to see where your memory gets errors. Sounds like your memory aint very good at clocking to me.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

Ketxxx said:


> Dont go over 1.3v without active cooling on the NB, it WILL get very toasty. P45 chipsets do NOT need huge amounts of NB voltage for high FSB. I would notch your SB voltage to 1.2v, RAM to 2.2v. Icreasing your FSB termination to 1.3v may help too. download memtest to see where your memory gets errors. Sounds like your memory aint very good at clocking to me.



... you made the bios i use!

Aside from the shock, would a downlclock/overclock in memory be required for proper testing?


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## Ketxxx (Mar 5, 2009)

Yes, yes I did  

If your aiming to find max CPU clock, reduce memory speeds as much as you can.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

Currently running memtest86+ with 500 FSB, going to run 266 FSB afterwards.

EDIT: 66% passed and no errors so far...should I just skip 500 FSB testing and move straight to 266?  *stupid question it may be but asking questions is the best way to get answers


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

500 FSB pass....is once enough?  <--5-5-5-15 timings

266 FSB testing time <--5-5-5-13 timings (set by auto)


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

266 and 500 both passed without err(or). What next?


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

*Back to Basics*

Accidentally left memtest on for an hour....no errors.

Now with "confirmed" stable memory, I am following along with the fortunate websites that took time to review/overclock the P5Q PRO.  So out of randomness, I set timings and every setting back to auto, excluding vcore (1.4V), LLC (enabled) and both spectrums (disabled).  I'll see how far I can get without having to change these current settings, starting with 440x9.5 .  

There is always another method to get the same overclock

EDIT:  forgot Auto voltages=overvoltages; back to square one atm; going to jot down the batch number seeing how it's such a hit on xtremesystems
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=173999&page=216 

Overclocking is too addicting!


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 5, 2009)

Achievement!  438x9.5 1.4/1.39V (working on this).  With LLC on this, it never goes beyond 1.392V
1.5 CPU PLL voltage
1.26 FSB termination
1.26 (thank you Ket) NB voltage
2.1 DRAM voltage
*333 FSB STRAP*<-- made the difference in OCCT from 15 min->1hr 30min stress test

Thanks for all your help citizens of TPU, next I'll work on 4.2


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## Ketxxx (Mar 5, 2009)

For now keep your memory as low as possible to rule it out as a limiting factor. Your FSB will get tricky to get stable beyond 500MHz, it'll require playing around with various skews, which from my experience, made a difference to stability, but didn't make things 100% stable. Forget about the 400MHz strap as well, it may let you OC further, but its SLOW.


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## Skywalker12345 (Mar 12, 2009)

hey everyone i just ordered my e8500 from newegg! cant wait to post some results


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## NinkobEi (Mar 12, 2009)

try dropping vcore voltage down to  as low as you can...1.32 would be ideal


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 12, 2009)

lucasweir said:


> hey everyone i just ordered my e8500 from newegg! cant wait to post some results



Post them here or in your specs please, I have a feeling you will overclock it waaaaaaaaay better than mine 



Ninkobwi said:


> try dropping vcore voltage down to  as low as you can...1.32 would be ideal



:shadedshu I agree with you Ninko, but doing so makes everything go down the crapper (pardon the language)

Is it possible for a c0 to be labeled an e0?  Either it was the early bios at fault or the processor's, but first time I booted my pc it was a c0 in cpu-z...


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## NinkobEi (Mar 12, 2009)

you might consider dropping the overclock then, Mr. A. My E8400 used to do 4.0ghz np  @ 1.3 ghz, but after a while I started having random lock ups and reboots. lowered the clock down 200 mhz and that seemed to fix the problem. the point is, these chips _can_ degrade..and you wouldnt want that.


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 12, 2009)

Ninkobwi said:


> you might consider dropping the overclock then, Mr. A. My E8400 used to do 4.0ghz np  @ 1.3 ghz, but after a while I started having random lock ups and reboots. lowered the clock down 200 mhz and that seemed to fix the problem. the point is, these chips _can_ degrade..and you wouldnt want that.



Actually, I'm not so shocked about the degradation (if anything I was trying to drive it to the max up till it's grave)

But I agree, a 1 ghz overclock from stock sounds nice, but compared to 4.0 ghz, not much is lost...

Even though this oc is stable, it always boots in the strangest of delays...I may have to invest in an e0 e8400 if/when prices drop


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## silkstone (Mar 12, 2009)

Get the E3110 it's the same chip only cheaper


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## Mr.Amateur (Mar 12, 2009)

Good idea silkstone , but i'm skeptical about the xeon/e3110's voltage rating: 
1.212V.  Usually a core 2 duo would have a maximum voltage rating of 1.36250.  Is it the fact that intel never imagined a xeon being overclocked?


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## Skywalker12345 (Mar 12, 2009)

yea i will post some vantage runs from before and after and some superpi.

hopefully i get a "e0"


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## grunt_408 (Mar 17, 2009)

I have one of these E8500's on the way hmmm I also have a Xigmatek Dark night heatsink.... Lets see hoe it goes with my P45 Chipset I am hoping its going to be easy to get 4.0 GHz Thats all I want out of it


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## silkstone (Mar 18, 2009)

nah, xeons are fine for overclocking - i'm running mine at 1.5v at the moment


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## grunt_408 (Mar 18, 2009)

I hope my xigmatek dark night fits into my new armor+mx I havnt got them yet but will not be a happy camper if it dosnt fit due to the large fan on the side of the case  Edit I had to file off the fan shroud a little but it fits after that


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