# New to overclocking, need some help!



## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Hiya

I recently (~2 months) bought a new PC, and it's pretty high end. I have a motherboard specifically made for overclocking (ASUS Rampage Formula III) with a powerful CPU and GPU (I'll post my full specs at the end). 

I want to learn how to overclock my system but I have no idea where to start. I'd like to first overclock my CPU before I touch my GPU. I know that my motherboard makes things easier, but I don't exactly know how to work it. If anyone knows something about the ASUS Rampage motherboard line, I'd love to hear what I can do with it.

I'm basically completely new to this, so I need some basic step by step help in layman's terms. I know quite a few things about computers, but I am in no way proficient.

Specs:

ASUS Rampage Formula III motherboard
8 gb DDR3 RAM
Radeon 6990 4g
Corsair Professional HX 1000W
i7 970 @ 3.20 ghz (6 core)

Thanks


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Read the links at the top of the overclocking forum like this one http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...erclocking-read-here-for-starters-232382.html I have done overclocking guides on how to overclock core 2 duos and quads and how to overclock the 15 2500k

Overclocking is pretty similar for every cpu, look at the guides and you will get an idea.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> Read the links at the top of the overclocking forum like this one http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...erclocking-read-here-for-starters-232382.html I have done overclocking guides on how to overclock core 2 duos and quads and how to overclock the 15 2500k
> 
> Overclocking is pretty similar for every cpu, look at the guides and you will get an idea.


Well to be honest I just want to overclock my CPU just a little bit, for now. I don't mind using software to do it, even if it's not as powerful as BIOS overclocking.

What programs should I use? Should I use the programs that came with my motherboard, or something like MSI afterburner? 

Since my CPU clock setting is 3.20 by default, what's a decent (but not high) overclock setting that I should aim for?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

You should never ever use software to overclock the cpu even if it's a little bit. Software has always caused issues especially if done in Windows.

Every cpu is different. I have my core 2 duo at 4GHz but I know people with the exact same setup but cannot get past 3.7GHz.

Overclocking is entirely experimental, this is why it is risky. It is not an exact science.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Some other info the thread asks for:

*Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 *

-I'm using Prolimatech Megahalems CPU cooler

-I'm using a Coolermaster HAF Black Edition case


I'll run the idle/working/stress tests soon


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I am not sure how well your cpu will overclock, but your ram and cooler should be ok to do it.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Idle temps: 

Tj. Max - 101 C
Core 0 - 26C
Core 1 - 31C
Core 2 - 31C
Core 3 - 30C
Core 4 - 30C
Core 5 - 29C


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> I am not sure how well your cpu will overclock, but your ram and cooler should be ok to do it.


Here's a link to the specs of the CPU:
Intel® Core


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

If you go through the guides you should get an idea of what you can do.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Working temps (music, IE and foxfire open, running defrag, VLC and DivX running)

Tj. Max - 101C
Core 0 - 31C
Core 1 - 33C
Core 2 - 33C
Core 3 - 33C
Core 4 - 33C
Core 5 - 32C


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> If you go through the guides you should get an idea of what you can do.


WHat's an Intel core "2D", though? There's only a guide for that and I don't know if that matches my CPU


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

core 2 duo, i have also done a guide on the i5 2500k if you look at the first 3 threads in overclocking forum.

overclocking is generally the same for every cpu and motherboard just with the odd difference but you should be able to work out whats what.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Which thing should I run for the OCCT program? CPU: OCCT, CPU: Linpack, GPU: 3D, PSU? 

I'm assuming CPU:OCCT but I want to make sure before I start it


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Core i7 Overclocking Guide For Beginners

Can I/should I follow this guide for i7 overclocking?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

you have already ran tests you dont need to do anymore.

Now you need to start overclocking.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> you have already ran tests you dont need to do anymore.
> 
> Now you need to start overclocking.


I didn't run the stress test though but ok. Is that guide I posted good enough to follow? Seems reliable


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

ebonized said:


> Core i7 Overclocking Guide For Beginners
> 
> Can I/should I follow this guide for i7 overclocking?


If you want, it technically the same as overclocking guides that we have on here for the i5 and core 2 duos. Like I said overclocking is technically the same for every cpu as the settings in the BIOS are the same or similar.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> If you want, it technically the same as overclocking guides that we have on here for the i5 and core 2 duos. Like I said overclocking is technically the same for every cpu as the settings in the BIOS are the same or similar.


Okay

But now I need to know what you think is a safe overclock speed for my CPU? Like I said I don't want to go too high in fear of damaging my computer. So what do you think? I have no idea what to set it at, even if I follow these guides.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I already said there is no safe or max speed because every cpu even the same make are different.

You will know when the overclock is not stable because either you will get blue screens of death or your temps will be very high. That would mean you need to either back off the overclock or increase vcore voltage.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> I already said there is no safe or max speed because every cpu even the same make are different.
> 
> You will know when the overclock is not stable because either you will get blue screens of death or your temps will be very high. That would mean you need to either back off the overclock or increase vcore voltage.


Yeah I realize that but I'm asking what YOU think is a good starting point? Since it's default 3.30 ghz. Should I try 3.40 first? 3.75? I'm not going to just start tweaking it blindly without knowing where I should begin


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

The guide tells you what to do. You should always start in small increments.

with the core 2 duo you increase the FSB by 10MHz saved and reboot into windows then did again then stress tested once you have done 60MHz

With i7s and i5s it is slightly different but 3.40GHz sounds like a sensible idea and then save and reboot into windows, check the temps then oncrease to 3.5 and do it again.

once you have increase by 60MHz stress test with prime 95 or run the OCCT linpack test for 1 hour whilst monitoring the temps.

Once you have an overclock you are happy with stress test for 6+ hours whilst monitoring the temps.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Bah it's all sooo complicated, and I'm worried I'm going to mess something up.

Do you think it's even worth it to OC my CPU? Will I get any performance increase in demanding games?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

yes 3.4 would be a sensible idea.

after that increase see if it boots into windows and check the temps.

keep increasing by 10MHz and save and reboot each time.

Once you have increase by 60MHz you must stress test for atleast one hour with prime 95 whilst monitoring the temps.

Once you have an overcl your happy with stress test for 6+ hours whilst monitoring the temps,

Follow the guide and you should be fine.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

ebonized said:


> Bah it's all sooo complicated, and I'm worried I'm going to mess something up.
> 
> Do you think it's even worth it to OC my CPU? Will I get any performance increase in demanding games?


if you follow the guide you should be fine, you cannot mess it up if you follow the guide.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> if you follow the guide you should be fine, you cannot mess it up if you follow the guide.


Okay. The one guide says start at 3.40 ghz, and then moves up to 3.80 ghz. Is this too big of a jump, or should I give it a go? Considering its default is 3.30 I think this would be ok?

Part of the problem is all the numbers that are relative to each other. I know there's a way to figure it out but it adds unnecessary complication (that I don't need right now! haha). Like to set it to 3.50 ghz, I have to make sure everything is in balance but these guides don't have the exact values I need


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

follow the guide, do what it says and you should be fine.

Aslong as you stress test and keep and eye the temps, have a decent cpu cooler and decent power supply you should be good to go.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> follow the guide, do what it says and you should be fine.
> 
> Aslong as you stress test and keep and eye the temps, have a decent cpu cooler and decent power supply you should be good to go.


Ok cool. Thanks for the help (and dealing with my complete lack of basic understanding ). I'll post back here when I do the first OC

Also, what temp is 'too high'? Like you say to keep an eye on the temps but how do I know if it's too much?


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Oh also, since finding a stable configuration can take some time, am I allowed to use my computer if it's not 100% stable? Or is anything demanding (ie. playing a game) basically off limits until I can stabilize it completely?


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

I did it! yay! haha

So now it's overclocked to 3.34 (3.37?) mhz


Running the Prime95 test as we speak. It's been about half an hour and there's been no problems but I'm going to let it run for another half.

I do have a few questions that involve a few anomalies that I ran into. I'd really appreciate it if you could explain to me why these values are like this.

In this guide it says that Intel has a feature called "Speedstep" that lowers the multiplier and voltage when it's not in use. The guide points to the core speed of 1920.0 mhz when it's at rest, however mine was 3370 mhz at rest. Does this mean I don't have speedstep? Is it anything to worry about it? 

Secondly, the guide told me to change my RAM clock speed to 1287 (or whatever the value is below 1600). Is this necessary to do, or can I leave it at 1600? Does this slow down my RAM's performance? 

Third, the guide had it's CPU voltage set to 1.10000 V or something, however he didn't mention that you needed to change it in the guide. Mine was set to 'auto', and I decided not to change it considering the default volt is much higher than his 1.10 V. I don't know if this was the right thing to do or not (leave it on auto).

I put the BCLK to 160 as the guide told me to, but in CPU-Z it's telling me that I put it to 160.49 (160.49 x 21 = 3370.39). Is this right? Does it matter?

And lastly (yeah I know there's a lot, haha), the guide told me to set my RAM clock settings in the BIOS to the RAM values printed on the actual RAM sticks (mine says 9-9-9-24, 1.65 V). These values in the BIOS were set to "auto", but I input 9-9-9-24 into them. The voltage that was there was around 1.2 or something, and I put it to 1.64V as the guide told me to do. Is this okay? Is 1.64V the basic value for overclocking or something? This was probably the one thing that I wasn't sure if I was doing it right at all. I also read that the max value should be 1.65V, so I feel like I'm dangerously cutting it close. I could be totally wrong, though. Everything seems to work, so I think it's okay, but I want to make sure.

Temperatures (all cores at 100% for half an hour) are approximately 60-65C. These aren't too high, are they?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

ebonized said:


> In this guide it says that Intel has a feature called "Speedstep" that lowers the multiplier and voltage when it's not in use. The guide points to the core speed of 1920.0 mhz when it's at rest, however mine was 3370 mhz at rest. Does this mean I don't have speedstep? Is it anything to worry about it?


You will have speedstep and c1e in the BIOS this lowers the speed of the cpu to save power when it is not doing much. You should disable these until you are happy with the overclock then re-enable them if you want or you can leave them off but this will make the cpu run at full speed all the time and use more power.



ebonized said:


> Secondly, the guide told me to change my RAM clock speed to 1287 (or whatever the value is below 1600). Is this necessary to do, or can I leave it at 1600? Does this slow down my RAM's performance?


When you change the FSB this also changes the speed of the ram, you should have the ram speed as close to its original speed as possible without going over.



ebonized said:


> Third, the guide had it's CPU voltage set to 1.10000 V or something, however he didn't mention that you needed to change it in the guide. Mine was set to 'auto', and I decided not to change it considering the default volt is much higher than his 1.10 V. I don't know if this was the right thing to do or not (leave it on auto).


You only change the voltage if it is required i.e if the cpu wont boot or you can get into windows or get a blue screen of death. A slight increase will not need a voltage change for the vcore.



ebonized said:


> I put the BCLK to 160 as the guide told me to, but in CPU-Z it's telling me that I put it to 160.49 (160.49 x 21 = 3370.39). Is this right? Does it matter?


If the guide says so then do it.



ebonized said:


> And lastly (yeah I know there's a lot, haha), the guide told me to set my RAM clock settings in the BIOS to the RAM values printed on the actual RAM sticks (mine says 9-9-9-24, 1.65 V). These values in the BIOS were set to "auto", but I input 9-9-9-24 into them. The voltage that was there was around 1.2 or something, and I put it to 1.64V as the guide told me to do. Is this okay? Is 1.64V the basic value for overclocking or something? This was probably the one thing that I wasn't sure if I was doing it right at all. I also read that the max value should be 1.65V, so I feel like I'm dangerously cutting it close. I could be totally wrong, though. Everything seems to work, so I think it's okay, but I want to make sure.


Yes you should enter the ram timings and the voltage for the ram



ebonized said:


> Temperatures (all cores at 100% for half an hour) are approximately 60-65C. These aren't too high, are they?


Those temps are fine, you do not want to go over 75 degrees c although 80 is acceptable but I don't like going that high.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Okay so I have it overclocked to 4.0 ghz at the moment and everything seems stable. Was a lot easier to do than I thought

however... the guide says that I should put my DRAM bus voltage to 1.66v - when I put this value in t hough, it tells me that I shouldn't go above 1.65v as it might permanently damage the CPU.

So currently I have it at 1.646v or something. It seems stable but I don't know if this is optimal. Should I ignore the warning and put it at 1.66v anyway? Let me know


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

The most i managed to squeeze from my I7 960 was 4.2GHZ but i had to custom loop Water Cool it to keep it cool.

1.646 *IS SERIOUSLY HIGH VCORE * I suggest you reset your PC back to stock. running it over 1.45V is too high and will fry your chip very quickly. More Vcore = More heat as well, i wont be surprised if your overheating at that voltage.

Dont go over 1.45V

I7's can be quite easy to OC if you know what you are doing, Dont follow guides by the letter as there set-ups will be different to yours. Its also worth noting that not every CPU is the same, some will be able to take more than others.


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

A1tecice said:


> The most i managed to squeeze from my I7 960 was 4.2GHZ but i had to custom loop Water Cool it to keep it cool.
> 
> 1.646 *IS SERIOUSLY HIGH VCORE * I suggest you reset your PC back to stock. running it over 1.45V is too high and will fry your chip very quickly. More Vcore = More heat as well, i wont be surprised if your overheating at that voltage.
> 
> ...


I'm talking about the vcore of t he DRAM bus voltage, not the CPU vcore (as I specifically said in my last post ). Should fully read my post instead of skimming it over and then making me freak out as if I did something wrong


I was having no issues with 3.80 ghz but I'm getting a BSOD after about 50 minutes in Prime95 with 4.00 ghz ( was a little premature in saying that it was stable).


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

I think I'm just gonna leave it at 3.80 ghz for now, seems to be the most stable. Will try running prime95 overnight

Still would like to know if it's acceptable to have my DRAM bus voltage at 1.66v though


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

my applogies, :rofl:

But if a BIOS warns you voltages, heed its warnings :whistling:


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

A1tecice said:


> my applogies, :rofl:
> 
> But if a BIOS warns you voltages, heed its warnings :whistling:


What I'm reading is that as long as the uncore voltage is within 0.5v of the DRAM bus voltage than it should be fine. I have the uncore voltage set to auto though (I hope that's okay - seems stable) and I believe it's within 0.5v (going to check right now).

Is it necessary to up the DRAM bus voltage? what does that do exactly?


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## ebonized (Feb 16, 2011)

Okay so on auto, the uncore voltage is approximately 1.17-1.19. I lowered the DRAM bus voltage to 1.643 (somewhere around there), which makes it just under the 0.5v threshold (0.473v)

Will this be okay, or should I manually set the uncore voltage so I'm able to up the DRAM bus voltage to 1.66? Or is this even necessary?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

you should set the dram voltage to whatever your ram voltage manufacturers states. It will have it printed on the ram and on its packaging. You should not go over any max voltage even if its only .5v. This will lower the life expectancy of that paarticular component.


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