when to stop overclocking?

i decided to start to o/c my computer and found some surprising results;

Stock speeds;667MHz mem(4,4,4,12),3.4GHz P4 with 800MHz FSB,max temp 62C
O/C 1; 667MHz mem(4,3,3,12), 850MHz FSB, max temp 66C
O/C 2; 667MHz mem(4,3,3,12), 873MHz, max temp 67C
O/C 3; 747MHz mem(4,3,3,12), 897MHz 3.81GHz, max temp 68C
+Gfx card went from 450/1050(12%factory O/C) to 486/1080 max temp 54C

now i was surprised by this as the computer showed no adverse affect from this very big O/C apart from an extra 6C on the CPU. i have only stopped cause i can't believe how high it's managed to go and want to ensure all is fine. every time i O/C i ran 3DMark05 benchmarking test 2 times to put the computer under as much stress as possible to ensure it was stable, which it was every time.
so first of all should i keep going until i see any problems? and is this normal?
also i know the temps are quite high at 68C but they where quite high in the first place, and it does not seem to be creating any instability at all. would you be comfortable with those temps under max load?

That's exactly the same as me, I just couldn't believe how far I was getting with no problems :D In my case I decided that I was happy with the 13% O/C that I ended up with, which looks to be about the same as where you are, and I didn't go any further. But if you want to go further, it's entirely up to you, you are obviously keeping a close eye on things, so you won't hurt anything. But I would only increase the FSB in very small steps from this point on. Then just back down a bit when things start to show signs of instability.

My temps are a good deal lower than yours, but then I'm running a slower CPU. I wouldn't want to see them any more what you are maxing out at. I think you may need to think about a better HSF unit actually.

I personally would not want to see those kinds of temps. Nice OC though. I would try to control the temps before going any further.

well I’m very pleased. with my old system i could hardly O/C 50MHz without something going wrong. but this time i made sure i bought some quality parts and you can see it tells. i was thinking the same about the CPU temp and i was going to get a new HSF unit anyway. do you have any recommendations? i think these have good reviews; http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...alman_121.html
P.S. have any of you used an Asus utility called 'AI booster'? i have been using it and it allows you to change the FSB and loads of other things from windows without restarting, great program.

Zalman will be a good unit. I also like the Thermaltake HS & fans. Its a big plus building your own system, you know whats in it and how its put together. Using good quality parts is a bonus as you are finding out. I have had some good over clocks with both my 64bit AMD cpu's 3500 Winchester and my 3700 San Diego. I am using a Thermaltake Venus 12 E Heatsink and fan with AS5. Stock temps are between 29c and 35c depending on the room temp. If i ramp it up to 2.7 GHz (2.2 stock)(that seems to be about the best I can do with my ram) 250 MHz fsb is the best it will do. I have some to learn about overclocking.

I'd say you should stop when it starts to smoke/melt.:D Joke.

If you get any quirky bootups, or sudden decrease in speed, or if the temps go beyond what they are now, around 70 would be peak.

I'd recommend a Zalman 9500 (Top on that OC UK page) get 'em while they're cheap, it was £50 when it came out, down to £37 now inc. VAT. :)


Liam

ok just ordered a Zalman 9500 :) , next stop 4GHz ;) .
and do any of you know what voltage my memory should be running at? according to this page;http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/sto...2864AA804&cat=
it should be running at 2.2V but it's currently running at 1.8V

The lower the voltage, means a lot less power is needed to read and write for the memory, the link shows the max voltage that they can run at, as higher voltages will reduce timings.

So:

1.8v -------------2.2v
Min ------------ Max

If you up it to 1.95, your timings would reduce, and that's probably what i'd do, stick it in the middle of the scale for now.(either 1.95/2.0)

Liam

oh ok, now it makes sense, cheers for that. i currently have the timings at 4,2,3,10,3 at 2.0V. firstly if it can run at 2.2V why should i not be running at that? and secondly i know nothing much about timings, so is it ok to have the timings i have now even if they are a bit 'unbalanced'?

The RAM doesn't come at 2.2v, because that is the max, as it is like overclocking, say Intel made a CPU and they said it can be clocked from 3.2(Stock) to 3.8(Max) but it would come 3.2, as OC'ing is upto the user, and as higher voltage takes more power, they are sent at the stock voltage, with a little side note saying if you want to run them OC'd, they will go to 2.2v comfortably.

Check out these links for more info on CL/tRAS/tRP etc: http://forums.tweakguides.com/showthread.php?t=775

And also this review: http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/01/...wns/index.html

Liam

cheers for that. just a pitty my CL won't get down to 3, but it dosn't seem to matter that much anyway.

No probs.:)

Have fun messing with the fiddlers and tweakers.....how's that 7800GT-E holding up? have you used coolbits before?


Liam

it's all going amazingly well :) . if you look at the attached file you can see what i am using to O/C and what settings i currently have it on. 'AI booster' is a great Utility and is so much easier than constantly going into the bios and re-starting the computer. for my 7800GT i have used RivaTuner, which then unlocks a 'Clock settings' option in the Nvidia control panel. the 'detected' maximum for the card is 511/1180 but i have not got round to testing that yet, seems mighty high for me considering the default clock for a standard 7800GT is 400/1000. also managed to get my timings down to 4,2,3,8,2. that’s the lowest i can have for them all apart form the '8' and i haven’t taken that down any further yet. I also think 4.0GHz is enough for now until I get my new HSF.
also 3Dmark05 score has gone from 6990 stock to 7898

Cool! I use a similar app called coolbits, it opens up the clock frequency in the CP too, so you can manually adjust, then test, then use.....i also see those game shortcuts = Jealous Liam. :D


Liam

ran BF2 today, which has to be the most power hungry game i have ever seen! and it was running at 70+ FPS constantly on single player with max settings and 4xAA, often at 100! makes you wonder why people buy 2 7800GTX's for SLI, a bit of overkill i feel.