How to Over Clock / Basic Over Clocking Guide for Core 2 Duo

What will you need ??

1. Hardware setup
2. Softwares for the process

Hardware Setup

This guide will cover mainlly Intel Processors… Basically Intel Core based ones, such as,

Processors

E2140
E2160
E4300
E4400
E4500
E6300
E6320
E6400
E6420
E6550
E6600
E6700
E6750
E6850
Q6600
Q6700
X7900
X7800
X6800
QX6700
QX6800
QX6850

Motherboards

For any Overclocking one thing is must, ur Hardware supporting Overclocking, mean u have a C2D but one Intel 946 / 965 based board, will mean no OC… as those boards doesnt allow OC…

Good Well Ventilated Cabbinet is needed as will generate a lot of heat for sure..so, large cabbi with few FANs so, for OCing high u will need to have cabinet modifications….
Better RAM, those Value rams of 667 or 800 is good for Ligh or mid range OC but will need better RAMs for sure…

Last of all, the most important, The motherboard…. one ASUS P5B-MX motherboard with 946 chipset will not going to oc the procy better, where as P5B DLx with P965 or P5N-E SLi with Nvidia 650 chipset or XFX 650i or higher ones like P35 Chipset based ones like ASUS P5K series and nForce 680i ones like P5N32-E SLi or XFX 680i, will overclock far more efficiantly than those 946 based or VIA based ones….

Before we start, lets learn What exactly is Over Clocking ??

What Softwares One would need ???

Really dont have much idea about Linux softwares, so i would expect all running Windows will suggest few which u will need in Windows…

Lots of Software to monitor the Heat lavel !! As every one says Its easy to Overclock but easier than that to Burn the Procy

Install and Run it in every startup and then minimize it, will show one info at corner of the screen… Like my bellow Screeny,


Core Temp Run it while Stability test under load for Temps monitoring

Pi Testing to test the stability of the OC…

orthos This is for a long time load test of the OC system !!!

ASUS PC Prob… Find in in ur ASUS Mobo CD
in one dumb sentence, what we do is, we increase the FSB / BUS speed by little mean, which in place (FSB / 4 = BUS) increases the CPU Speed BUS x multiple = CPU Speed… and when u OC high u need to increase the processor vcore (my case Default 1.24) to some stable vcore by one step at a time !!! also at some point u may see ur RAM fails to keep up so, u need to increase their voltage too, chip value rams will not allow more than 2.1v at any point…In my case, default E6600 FSB is 1066 MHz where as BUS speed is (1066/4) 266.5 MHz, so with multile 9 my E6600 runs at 266.5 x 9 = 2398.5 MHz So by trial and error Method I found one Stable at this, as my mobo allow FSB increase so, FSB 1575 / Vcore 1.5v / RAM voltage 2.178v….

So, the main idea is increasing the FSB / BUS without givng more vcore till the point where u need to put some vcore… as more vcore will mean more Heat !!!

Lets Start

So to start with in ASUS Boards Disable AI Tuning and CIA2 for Giga Byte ones…

BIOS Settings

Seting the PCI Expres (PCIe) @ 100MHz / PCI to 33 MHz
Disable the Q-Fan control to allow the Processor fan to runn at full speed all the time
Disable any thing which says CPUID MAX to 2
Disable C1E if running windows XP (well thats what all ASUS mobo manual says)

RAM Settings

Well make sure processor and RAM frequency is unlinked so, i would suggest keep the RAM frequency to default value…Till the point u cant boot or dont get stable OS, u dont need to play with the RAM voltage of Timings, but b ready on higher Overclock u will need to push the RAM voltage up [Razz] i got suggestion that Voltage is fine Till 2.1v !!! nothing up for our value rams…
Processor Settings

Some motherboards will allow increase of BUS speed (BUS x multiple) some will alow increase of FSB (FSB/4=BUS Speed)…

in any case, increase step by step, dont push a lot at a time rather step by step… till u find one stable max point…

Stability Testing

Well sure, u should be able to boot in to OS… and personal Suggestion make sure its a clean installation without any Startup object or AVS, as that delayes the time of start nessecary Temp monitoring sofwtares….

If u are unable to boot, means some vcore or RAM voltage !!!

Run CPU-Z to view ur speeds…

for me 1st thing is running PC Wizerd and minimize it to Start bar as that would give a lot of info at once… !!!

Running ASUS Probe

Running Core Temp

they will give info of idle temp…. Make sure, u stay in side the temp limit (explained later on)

Now Copy the SUPER PI Process EXE on 2 places, run those together (Dont start calculation, just run those EXE)… now from Tank Manager, Go to Process, right click on each of the Superpi.exe and put one on each core…


Now Start calculaiton for 2m pi for both at once… !!!! keep eye on ur Temp limits (Explained Later)… If system passes the test fine, proceed to later on, if ur system restarts, means u will need to push some Vcore and come bacnk again to here, even then its restarts, then some RAM voltage may be (Dont cross that 2.1v) !!!

Now when u pass the test next level of Load test

Load Test

Run one Instance of orthos and Start testing ur Procy !!! run it for atleast 1 hour keep an eye on the Temps (Core Temp / PC Wizerd) all the time… if u are crossing the denger lavel Stop the test and rebott back to lower the vcore and BUS/FSB too !!!

if u pass the test means u have a stable overclock system !!!

Temparature settings

At Any point load temp should not cross 60c, see on idle condition temp may low at 42 ot 45 but onload will push the temp close to 60c…

your Dengar Level is 60c, allways stay bellow it….

Please note

No 2 Processo are the same, I mean I have one E6600 which need vcore of 1.5v to run at 3.6 GHz where as its possible that Mr. A’s E6600 can reach 3.8 GHz with just 1.48 or Mr. B’s E6600 cant go byond 3.4 ghx at 1.5v….

So no specific info on exact settings, u have to try and try to find best Overclock for ur self…

Remember Never let the Temps touch 60c, keep the RAMs at their Default Frequency, lavue ram cant take byond 2.1v voltage…

In the end I would say there are tons of better guides out there in OIverclokcing, Google will give better results, so those who already tried it, please post so tricks a tips for higher overlocks…

And last of all, Dont forget to post ur Results, with some Temp and load testing apps running at Backgroud… and with ur OC setings info and steps

For me, on stock it was 2.89 GHz, where as with ThermalRight ultra 120 extreme, FSB 1575 / vcore 1.5 / ram voltage 2.178 (667 MHz)