Now i've also tried OCCT for 2-3 mins on each cpu test and does not exceed 43-44 degrees.
When you play a game, you usually don't do so merely for 2 minutes, do you ? Similarly, stress testing should be conducted for at least 80 minutes, 120 minutes preferably. What's more I consider OCCT an appetizer, the down-and-dirty test would be Intel Burn Test. There wouldn't be much interest in cranking up FSB and CPU max frequencies if the system fails the above mentioned test, or freezes during a synthetic benchmark (downloading MadOnion / Futuremark programs can prove useful too), would it ?
I would like to get the CPU to run a little bit higher.
Lucky you! I posted about my overclocking experiment with the exact same board and the exact same Transcend DDR2 modules a few weeks ago (I am using a middle-end nVidia PCI-E card, a nice looking 7600 GS from Gigabyte)
First things first, I am in favor of using manual (e.q. predefined) settings for most of the chipset settings. Hope you're comfortable with this.
Is it OK with you to begin the actual overclocking process right after you plug in the DDR2 sticks ?
Right now, the best you could do is :
- Raise the CPU multiplier (Ratio Actual Value) to x9 if you haven't done so already
- Set PCIE Clock at Sync with CPU
- Enable Enhanced Halt State
Again, 45 nm Core 2 Duo's are better overclockers but anyway, due to the insufficiently fit Northbridge, we're not aiming for the moon.
Here are the basics of overclocking, aka the epic battle between Performance, Noise, Heat and Stability :
- Decreasing the multiplier by a point or half a point
- Using fixed values for AGP/PCI Clock (so that other devices won't be exposed to overheating)
- Loosening DRAM timings to a typical 5-5-5-15 (not necessary in this case since we're not dealing with 400+ DRAM freq. / 1333+ rated FSB)
- Increasing the rated FSB through CPU Frequency
- Adjusting a few key voltages for the circuitry to better deal with the increased workload
Asus and other famous manufacturers all came up with various overclocking friendly mechanisms (skewing...) with their middle-end and high-end mobos, but let's keep it simple for the moment.
Now the good news (so to speak) with the Asrock's is that said voltage values cannot be fine tuned, making it easier for people not totally at ease to go with the "mild" overclocking of their CPU (FSB increased by a mere 5-12%). An informal rule is that a higher FSB value is better than overall CPU frequency (eq. if I had an e6600, I would rather use 8.5x286 than 9x272).
What we have at our disposal is simply :
AGP Voltage Low / Normal / High
Interestingly enough, setting AGP Voltage to High amounts to cranking up Northbridge voltage slightly
and
DRAM Voltage Low / Normal / High
I suggest setting DRAM voltage at High with the CAS set @ 3.
Not everybody agrees on using manual settings to this extend, but most people will on deactivating the following :
- Spread Spectrum
- PCIE Downstream Pipeline
- PCIE VC1 Request Queue
(do not bother with the last two if you're using an AGP card, obviously)
according to these screenshots :
My system runs the DDR2 memory with tighter timings
3 .. / ..4. / ..3. / ..9
CAS tRCD tRP tRAS
full timings : 3 - 3 - 4 - 9 - 34 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 4
Command Rate : 2T
CPU ratio : 9 instead of 9.5 (in your case 8.5 or 8)
and CPU freq. cranked up to 297 (use a few intermediate values, this should be done step by step)
which translates in better FSB OC' (+11.8%), inferior CPU OC' (+0.4%)
Just set the timings with
4-4-4-12-34
Command Rate : 2T
Dual Channel : Enabled
and the rest to auto, if you're in a hurry
Still in the BIOS, since most of the settings were default ones as you imply,
chances PCI Latency Timer (from PCIPnP Configuration) is set to 32, switch it to 64 please. It should make data transfers easier on your system (without any significant performance hit), especially since you're using an antiquated PCI soundcard.