Overclocking voltage question!

dazftw

Ok, so im should be recieving the Thermalright ultra-120 Extreme cooler on wednesday! Im hoping it will drop my temps a good bit if the bottom doesn't have a curve which ive read it does! If all goes according to plan ill start overclocking a bit more!

My question is, So far ive gotten to 3.4Ghz on the Zalmann 9500 and the temps have been around 30 - 32 idle and just over 40(not on 100% load)load. Since then ive brought it down because temps started to vary on me!
Ive had my voltage set to auto the whole time for this and I dont think its safe because if I go and up the FSB to much the voltage is just going to kill the CPU!? Is that right?

Should I set the voltage to a certain value and just see how far I can take up the FSB?

Is this dangerous? Can I do damage by not having the votage up enough for the cpu to get me into windows? Or will it just not boot and tell me theres not enough voltage which has happened me before!

Ill post up current voltages and stuff tomorrow when I get on my pc at home(in work now)


Thanks

Anti

Okay, the way i do it is this!

I up the fsb on stock volts untill the pc is unstable. Then i raise the volts to get the maximum fsb at 1:1. When this becomes unstable i go back a small bit to the maximum highest stable fsb.

Now i start working on the cpu, Up the volts by 1 incriment at a time. And move it with the fsb. Usually i would use a divider at this point 9/10 or 5/6 And see how high i can get it. Run a few benchmarks to see which is best. I.E

300x9 = 270 (high fsb)
280x10 = 270 (high mhz)

And see which is faster.

Dont forget you have to play for hours with the memory timings too, Seeing how loose you have to go to get stable, then start working your way to tighter timings. This can days between days, and weeks. As you really shoulh run orthos or everest and memtest for 12 hours each time to see if there are any errors.

dazftw

Does it make a difference if im overclock the cpu and not the memory?

I have them unlinked as my memory is already running at 1066Mhz?

DirkVoodoo

Your temps on that zalman are better than I get on stock with my extreme...majorly disappointed with it so far.

awhir

when overclocking try to keep the muti at the native muilty to the chip. i have read that c2d are mena be a small bit unstable when not running on there netive multi.

dazftw

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Your temps on that zalman are better than I get on stock with my extreme...majorly disappointed with it so far.

With the cooler? The thermalright one?

DirkVoodoo

Yup.

dazftw

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Yup.

Does yours have the curve that everyone is talking about?

nibble

DeafVision wrote:

Does yours have the curve that everyone is talking about?

The curve is called a bow, it's to counteract the concave intel LGA775 IHS'es, it's used on most waterblocks these days. It's a good thing so don't go lapping it or something like that.

DirkVoodoo

I'm not sure I am a fan of this purpose machined curve. I mean, if intel's concave IHS is due to poor machining in the first place, then there is going to be variations between all IHS produced and so at best thermaltake can only design for a statistically averaged curvature. So this doesn't really ensure proper mating. I notice that the Ultra has poor contact anyway, when I remove it, the AS5 tends to gather in small clumps, forming little cone-shaped swirls like the top of an ice-cream.

Personally, I think if you lap both then you are better off than the stock method.

dazftw

DirkVoodoo wrote:

I'm not sure I am a fan of this purpose machined curve. I mean, if intel's concave IHS is due to poor machining in the first place, then there is going to be variations between all IHS produced and so at best thermaltake can only design for a statistically averaged curvature. So this doesn't really ensure proper mating. I notice that the Ultra has poor contact anyway, when I remove it, the AS5 tends to gather in small clumps, forming little cone-shaped swirls like the top of an ice-cream.

Personally, I think if you lap both then you are better off than the stock method.

Or it could be some get good and some get bad.. lol!

Hopefully ill find out today if it comes today its taking its time for delivery!

nibble

DirkVoodoo wrote:

I'm not sure I am a fan of this purpose machined curve. I mean, if intel's concave IHS is due to poor machining in the first place, then there is going to be variations between all IHS produced and so at best thermaltake can only design for a statistically averaged curvature. So this doesn't really ensure proper mating. I notice that the Ultra has poor contact anyway, when I remove it, the AS5 tends to gather in small clumps, forming little cone-shaped swirls like the top of an ice-cream.

Personally, I think if you lap both then you are better off than the stock method.

Thermalright/Swiftech/Dtek etc bow their heatsinks/blocks for a reason, it really does help even if your IHS is lapped. Contact is made better at the centre of the IHS, over the die where the vast majority of heat travels through.

Anti

I installed a ultra 120 on a friends Q6700 last night. Didnt go above 28c idle. So either you guys have some dodgy heatsinks, or dont know how to put on thermal paste. Or your temp monitors are way off the mark. Use a thermal probe, its the only way to get a accurate reading.

dazftw

Yea mines idling 22 23 degrees on 3.2GHz mid 30's on load.. am very impressed by it.