help, Q6600 can't go above 2.51ghz with Asus P5N-E SLI

[inhotep]

As my system is almost three years old I figured it's time to OC. I can't OC pass 2.51ghz that's stable by CPU FBS and unlinked. I've tried tried many tweaks like with unlink, different ratio, voltage, disabled things i don't need and all speed spectrum, and etc without success. dono if I'm missing any details or what. I would like to see my CPU at 2.8 or higher. If you have any tips, experience with P5N-E, or anything so that I can really OC my system that would be appreciated.

Here is what's in my Thermaltake Soprano with front and rear 120mm fan:
P5N-E SLI (BIOS 1404) and Q6600 with Cooler Master HTX3-G1 Hyper TX3
2x2GB Corsair XMS2 and 2X1GB generic667mhz RAM
BFG GeForce 260 GTX OC MAXCORE 55 896MB
X-Fi XtremeGamer
2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB Strip RAID
1x Maxtor something scratch disk
1x LG BD burner
Ultra LSP750 750-Watt
Nvidia 3D vision kit with Viewsonic VX2265wm 120hz monitor and a Samsung 2232BWplus. Yes, the 3D vision is awesome : )

 

[alyarb]

yeah, that's P5N.. the N stands for nvidia. if you aren't running SLI, then you have no need for an nvidia chipset and you have better chances of overclocking with a $50 G41 board.

 

[brandonwh64]

P35 board would help ya! i seen a Abit IP35 for sale in FS forums.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2039179&highlight=abit

 

[inhotep]

I'm not having any luck getting my system above 2.6. I would be satisfied with 2.8. I don't see any reason why my mobo/cpu can't reach that speed. Can anyone with similar or same mobo provide like a step by step instructions on how to OC?

Thanks

 

[RussianSensation]

First try running it linked. Up to 333mhz FSB, you can have your ram at 1:1 and be OK.

Relax your ram timings to their lowest.
Bump your RAM voltage +0.2V
Bump your chipset voltage + 0.1V
Bump your FSB voltage termination (if you have it) +0.1V
Increase CPU voltage by +0.1V
Disable all power saving technologies (speedstep, EIST, etc.)
Disable virtualization technology
Disable cpu spread spectrum
Set Multiplier to 9x and FSB to 333. Alternatively, try a multiplier of 8.5 (or 8x).
Check 12V rail voltage in Hardware Monitor
Check temperatures in Core Temp.

 

[lavaheadache]

i have had 2 p5ne boards and both sucked at overclocking quads. Get a new board

 

[inhotep]

After numerous failed attempts to OC my current to go above 2.54, which I'd be happy with 2.8, I have to agree that my P5N-E suck at OC quads. Either that or my CPU barely passed specifications as it was at the bottom of the bell curve. I may give it one more try by taking out the 2x1GB 667mhz ram.
I appreciate all the people who provided OC information for my mobo and if you have anymore that would be great.

 

[alyarb]

667 is some slow memory. usually people buy 1066 just so that it is flexible RAM that can be strapped lower to whatever is necessary. if unlinking the memory doesn't do anything for you, just get some cheap 775 board. you should've gotten a board that was made for overclocking if you ever intended on overclocking. a decent intel board will get you to at least 3.30 ghz, and you can still recoup the cost by putting that nforce board on ebay or something. and get some decent memory.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231144


this is the motherboard i would get if i were you and i were serious about getting every last drop out of that q6600. otherwise i would sell that too for ~150 and get a Q9400, which typically hit around 3.7 or 3.8 ghz, but occasionally you find a gem that will do 4.0 ghz at 1.30 volts. either way 3.5 ghz penryn is one hell of a move up from 2.5 ghz kentsfield and it's worth your money and effort.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128380

 

[eggrolls]

Huge thread here on that board. There's a overclocking guide linked in one of the first few posts. Also, some BIOS versions are supposedly better for OCing too. Still, not many people are able to OC quads on that board.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-motherboards/146744-asus-p5n-e-sli-650i-thread.html

 

[qazwsxokmijn]

Above anything, I have my eyes on the 2x1GB generic 667 RAM.