Noob here needs help OC'ing my new machine.

[doss1]

Hey all :)

I have been reading through the boards trying to find a good OC'ing for dummies thread and havn't found one that covers what I need. I am truely a noob at doing this and don't want to mess anything up. I am not looking to do anything extream just a good average stable OC is all if that is possible :) System specs below.

XFX 790I Ultra MB
Q6600 2.4 CPU
evga 9800 GTX x2
Thermaltake V1 Cpu cooler
Thermaltake Armor series case
ABS 900W power supply
WD 320 gig 7200 drives x2
G,skill mem 4 gigs 2x2gig sticks cas 9-9-9-24 DDR3 1333 10600 1.65v

Bios version is p04 just flashed it

Temps under tempcore seem to run around 36c under idle and around 52c under a load. Sandra says my MB is running at 80c but in the bios is shows in the 30's so not sure what is up there.

Right now I am getting 12,600 on 3dmarks06 is this average for a non OC machine of these specs? What I would like to do if I could is OC to around 3.0 or 3.2 then maybe do a slight OC on the mem and videos cards. Really I am just not sure how to change the settings in the bios. I have taken the multiplier up to 9 which seems as high as it will go but it still only shows it at a 2.4 is there something I am missing on the multiplier? Or do I need to up the voltage to get it to work? I am clueless really but I want to be safe when doing it and plus get a little experience under my belt if I can.

Could someone give me a few pointers as to what to do please? :) I hope I am posting this in the right spot don't want to start out on a bad note with you all :) If anything else is needed let me know.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[ahsalloum]

Hi there. If you're still new at overclocking, you might want to read on some guides. When I first started, I relied on two main tutorials: this (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=515316)and this (http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardware/103676-c2d-overclocking-guide-beginners.html). Just take it slow at the beginning. If you have a laptop, use it to walk you through your first oc and to quickly Google any issues. When you're comfortable, push it to the limit! Of couurse, then, if you'd need help, we're always here and ready. ;)

[doss1]

Very nice links thank you very much for those :) they helped a bunch. I OC'ed my pc to 9x333 it is running at 3.0mhz and seems to be stable Vcore is 1.68 and idle temps are 46c to 49c load temps under prim95 hit around 61c max. I left mem timings the same and didn't do any OC on my video cards yet. Do these numbers sound about right and safe? Nothing seems to be to out of line that I can tell but then again I am still a noob hehe :). I am basicly looking for something that want burn my cpu up in a few months just a modest OC is all. 3dmarks06 went up to 14506 with this OC. Any suggestions or tweaks I could do would be very welcome :)

Thanks again :).

[doss1]

Oh the Vcore was under cpuz reading I think in the bios is was 1.23 is what I set it at so those vary a bit from what I can tell.

[srpeters18]

I hope for your sake that CPUz is wrong. That much voltage will kill that chip quick. I think your BIOS voltage is probably closer to the right number though because with that proccy at that voltage, your temps would've already killed it. 61c isn't too shabby. Although if you're at 1.23v on the vcore, your temps should still be lower than they are. I ran 1.45 on that proccy with that HSF and was getting about the same temps. Maybe a little too much TIM?

[ahsalloum]

Yes, I noticed your voltage is way too high if CPU-Z is even close to being correct. But yes, I agree with srpeters18, your temps at that voltage would've roasted the proccesor by now. You always want to keep the voltage under 1.5 no matter what. The temps are fine I guess, but you can do better if you lap your processor and heatsink or maybe get a better heatsink. I say 3.0 GHz is a decent OC for a Q6600 and if you're satisified, look for the best vcore and run stability tests overnight until you hit that perfect voltage. It'll take you two nights or so, but at the end of it all, you'll have a decent OC without any worries. :)

[srpeters18]

Running 1.5v on water I was still over 60c, you'd kill it on air.

[doss1]

I downloaded cpuz again and reinstalled it, the Vcore is reading 1.17 in cpuz now. The bios is still set at 1.23 though so there is still a little difference nothing like before though :) Not sure what was up with that last reading /boggle. I will run some more stability test on it over the next couple days and make sure. If you all think the temps are still a little high though I will check into another heatsink. I just went with the Thermaltake V1 cause I have heard alot of people having good luck with it.

You all are awesome thanks for all the input so far :)

[srpeters18]

61 is kinda high for that cooler. Of course, that depends on your ambient temp too. Also, how much thermal paste did you put on and what type was it?

1.17 is pretty good, it'll always be lower than the BIOS because of what's called vdroop. Its the voltage loss on the mobo and it'll vary motherboard to motherboard.

[doss1]

Room temps are around 75 that will drop some when I decided to not be so cheap and turn on the AC :) I use arctic silver and I try to put an even as possible coat on the surface of the cpu. Or is that to much?

I dropped the voltage in the bios down a little more last night from 1.23 to 1.2 my over all temps idle and load dropped around 4 to 5c. Max I seen last night while running prime95 was around 57. I ran prime95 for around 8 hours last night without any errors.

Thanks again :)

[srpeters18]

Check out the artic silver website, it has directions for applying AS5. Typically, with your CPU, you don't spread it. Put a thin line about 1/2" long from "east to west" on the chip, your HSF will spread it accordingly. If you're spreading it yourself, there is likely too much.

[doss1]

Usually what I do is put a little spot in the middle no bigger then a pencil eraser then apply the heatsink and let it spread it. I however pull the heatsink up and make sure it has spread it fairly evenly though. I probably do have to much on there though I will pull the heatsink off and reaply it like you suggested and see if that makes a difference. Hopefully I have not damaged the chip by having to much on there if that is the case.

Is the artic silver what you use or is there something else that is better?

[srpeters18]

I use arctic silver. I would say a pencil eraser sized spot may be too much. Think grain of rice. It won't damage your chip, but too much will raise temps somewhat.

[ahsalloum]

I use MX-2, probably 1-2 degrees lower temps than AS5.

[Sadasius]

Doing a hard mount is most often times better then doing a spring mount as I think it is the springs that weaken their hold. That's why it looks like great temps that slid over time and go higher.