OC'ing Difficulties on p4

[Novaric]

Ok, i've got the ABIT IS7 with a 2.8c, Zalmann 7000CU cooler, a sapphire radeon 9700 pro and 1 gb of Geil 3200DDR Value ram. I can't seem to overclock at all. I've tried changing CPu voltage as high as 1.6, ram voltage as high as 2.8, and run FSBs at 215, 220, 250, and various speed in between at different CPU/DRAM settings...1/1, 3/2 and 5/4. I cannot figure out why i can't overclock this thing. I'm thinking its the RAM, how can i check on the RAM in windows...i can't find it under system info or in 3dmark!! Anyone have any tips/ideas to OC this or even just prove the RAM is working? It seems to me that windows is only showing the 128mb of GPU ram!

 

[LukFilm]

Same motherboard with 2.4C and I can't get over 220MHz with 1GB Kingston HyperX PC3500 RAM set to 5:4. Bad CPU...

 

[Novaric]

Are you saying you suspect its a bad CPU in your system, my system or in both of our cases? I didn't know there was such a thing as a bad CPU...i thought its usually RAM, motherboard, or conflicts between the 2.

 

[Novaric]

I was thinking...maybe i should return this Geil RAM to newegg, suffer the 15% restock fee, and buy 1 stick of the really nice OCZ or Corsair stuff....what do y'all think?

Would the RAM swap possibly help me overclock? Is 512 mb of tight timing ram and OC processer better than 1 gb of loose ram and a stock CPU?

Any help? PLease?