# E2160 Overclocking



## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Hey guys I'm trying to overclock my E2160 to 3.00Ghz, but seem to get issues going above 2.85Ghz. I'm using a Zalman CNPS7000C-AlCu LED CPU Cooler a Asus Vento TA-D31 Case with a System fan in front and at the back acting as an intake in front and exhaust at back. Motherboard is a Asus P5QL Pro using the P45 Chipset. If I go higher than 2.85ghz the system gets too hot or it justs stops responding I have changed the volts to the CPU accordingly but again if I set it too high to run at 3,00ghz (ie. 1.45volts) it gets too hot and my test in OCCT fails. Tells me there is a error on Core #0. Is it the chipset that is not very good at overclocking or is there something else wrong? Thanks.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Please post your full system specs including your PSU and what are your current CPU Bios setting e.g. CPU Multiplier, FSB, and current Voltages. Also what is your RAM speed, what timings are they set at, and what are the RAM voltages?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Also post your temps load and idle


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Your CPU is 800MHz FSB so that will hold you back but 2.85 is pretty impressive for a 1.8 800 FSB CPU.
Brand & Model of RAM?
Asus P5QL Pro uses a P43 chipset.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Thanks for the responses guys here are my specs:
PSU: Gigabyte ODIN 585w
CPU Bios settings: FSB=316 x 9 = 2,85Ghz
PCI-E Frequency: 100
FSB Strap to Northbridge: AUTO
Dram Frequency: DDR2-792Mhz (Transcend Jetflash Ram 800Mhz have overclocked it to 1ghz before)
Dram Timing Control: AUTO

CPU Voltage: 1,41250v
FSB Termination Voltage: AUTO
Memory Voltage: AUTO
North Bridge Voltage: AUTO
South Bridge Voltage: AUTO

Other Bios Settings:
Load-Line Calibration: AUTO
CPU GTL Reference: AUTO
CPU Spread Spectrum: AUTO
PCIE Spread Spectrum: AUTO
CPU Clock Skew: AUTO
NB Clock Skew: AUTO
CPU Margin Enhancement: OPTIMISED

Temps: Idle @ 40c Load @ 70c max Using OCCT for 25 Minutes

I just though maybe I could get higher that 3,00ghz with the Zalman CPU Cooler, cause people say they get 3,00ghz with stock Intel HSF which I don't believe anymore. Hope you guys can help further, I was too scared to mess with ram voltages and timings thats why they'll all set to AUTO.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

With a load of 70c i would actually recommend lowering your overclock.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Does it reach 70C while gaming or running Prime95 or something to that effect? The reason I say that is because you can run at 70C but it will kill the lifespan of your CPU and could cause more heat related issues rather quickly. This is why most people say you do not want to exceed 60C. I would back off the OC a little and lower the voltage to bring the temps down a little, and OC your RAM a little to compensate for the downclock.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

I was actually hoping to bring the temps down. I used occt for the load temp. I have already ran the ram at 1066. So maybe i'll do that.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

What is your ambient temp? You may want to try reapplying the thermal paste.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

I reapplied thermal paste yesterday because when I first installed the CPU Cooler I put thermal paste on both heatsink and cpu which I see is a definite no-no. But even after reapplying it didn't change much in the way of the temps. Now I'm thinking of cleaning all thermal paste off and leaving it off and gradually test how it performs. I remember I had a Celeron 2,4ghz that I took off the hsf to dust it off and just reinstalled it as is not knowing how bad the thermal grease residue could be. All was well till I played NFS Underground 2 OMG the game jerked like crazy and the cpu went as high as 80c luckily no serious damage so I removed it and cleaned it and then it was fine. Also thinking of lowering my multiplier and increasing the FSB to also achieve ±2,85ghz would it be quicker on a higher FSB or not so much? Thanks guys your comments and advice are much appreciated.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Clean it off and apply it properly (less most of the time is better).
The more multi the better so you don;t have to work your ram too hard. But lets work on the temps and then we can get to the overclock.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> Clean it off and apply it properly


Ok I think I'll try it again tomorrow and let u guys know.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Use rubbing alcohol to clean the CPU and heatsink and remove all residue.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

How to correctly apply thermal paste: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/274


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

llacrossedude7 said:


> Use rubbing alcohol to clean the CPU and heatsink and remove all residue.


Will methylated spirits also work?

PS: Forgot to mention the ambient temperatures here are between 25c and up to 37c max. Very hot dump I live in. I also have an A/C but don't use it all the time.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Technically you are not even supposed to use rubbing alcohol as it leaves very minor residue (i probably would still use it if i had none of the good stuff) high purity (higher than 90%) isopropyl alcohol is what you are supposed to use. I can't find if methylated spirits evaporate completely but if they do i don't see why you couldn't use it the whole point is to clean your cpu not leave a film of chemicals on it (even a finger print can affect temps).

Not to worry about the ambient it easily gets to 35c in my room sometimes and my load temp for 30 min @ 100% usage is 50c @ 4ghz, a good paste application will make a world of a difference.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Ok thanks I'll try spirits or alcohol when I get back from work and see what happens.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Sounds good, let us know how it goes.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Okay so I removed the CPU cooler cleaned it and the CPU with alcohol then used the thermal grease that came with the cooler and reinstalled it. Still seems to give me the same temps. I also lowered the CPU volts 4 notches to 1,39v. I have attached pics of my test with OCCT and a pic of the processor when I removed the cooler. Notice how the thermal grease is only covering about 2/3's of the CPU.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Okay so i just Googled my Cpu Cooler and it appears it is not so good for overclocking. Bummer!!!!!!

Here is the link if anyone is interested: http://atlantisgamers.com/249/computer-hardware/zalman-cnps7000c-alcu-led/


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Thats unfortunate, regardless when you apply paste you want to lay it in a small line oriented like this.








Note the yellow triangle and its placement


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. Everybody seems to do it differently. Some say a pea size in the middle others say the size of a rice grain. But maybe a straight line would work better as you showed. Don't know if I'll open it again just to test. Maybe when I have the cash I'll rather invest in the Zalman CNPS9000 series I hear they are quite good. Any experience with it or what cooler would you recommend. Please note I stay in South Africa not sure if we get everything you guys get.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Your line or dot which ever method u prefer should be a little bigger than a grain of rice.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Thats a direction from the thermal paste company for your cpu because the line covers the cores underneath the metal part. I have a zalman 9500 and i love it.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> I have a zalman 9500


What were your temps like before and after it.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Tried the pc without thermal grease just to see what happens. Now I understand the need for it. Under OCCT's load the temps quickly went up to 80c in less than 30secs. So cancelled the test and immediately reapplied thermal grease again. The one I used this time you spread on with a little brush much easier, made by Zalman. Temps back to normal. Also installed a switch to switch my 2 case fans off when the pc is not under severe load. Makes a big difference to the noise. Thanks again guys, and hopefully someday I will get a Zalman 9500 or better still a Quad Core CPU.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The method of application doesn't matter as long as the paste is spread uniformly on the CPU.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Johnny1982 said:


> What were your temps like before and after it.


I can't tell you what my temps were before it (i bought it for my Pentium d which even when over clocked did not get over 60c and these run really hot) so i never used the stock intel heat sink.

However my temps are (mind you this is with an ambient of 75f min easily 85f) 34c idle and it barley hits 50c @100% load for about an hour running at 4050mhz. 

I also have a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185027 for my parents computer that now has the Pentium d in it. It runs very cool and quite but is HUGE.


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