Q6600 Weird Issue

[gtsing]

OK, so I was about to overclock my Q6600 when I realized the BIOS showed it rated at 1.8Ghz (9x 200Mhz.) when really it should be 2.4Ghz. I know about SpeedStep and it has been disabled and even on full load when I play Counter Strike Source and World of Warcraft at the same time it doesn't bump up to 2.4Ghz...sometimes the multiplier even jumps to 6! What the hell is wrong with it?

 

[Acanthus]

The default FSB is 266 not 200.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

9x200 =\= 2.4GHz.. Did you try manually setting the fsb to 266?

 

[gtsing]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
The default FSB is 266 not 200.

Yeah...I know that.

That's kind of the problem. Why the f- is it showing as 200Mhz in the BIOS AND CPU-Z.

@jmmtn4aj - I'm going to try that right now.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: gtsing

Originally posted by: Acanthus
The default FSB is 266 not 200.

Yeah...I know that.

That's kind of the problem. Why the f- is it showing as 200Mhz in the BIOS AND CPU-Z.

@jmmtn4aj - I'm going to try that right now.

What motherboard?

Gigabyte motherboards have power saving features that will reduce the fsb and voltage, sometimes haphazardly.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: gtsing

Originally posted by: Acanthus
The default FSB is 266 not 200.

Yeah...I know that.

That's kind of the problem. Why the f- is it showing as 200Mhz in the BIOS AND CPU-Z.

@jmmtn4aj - I'm going to try that right now.

What motherboard?

Gigabyte motherboards have power saving features that will reduce the fsb and voltage, sometimes haphazardly.

Actually most motherboards come with the settings turned way down as a safety feature. You're supposed to manually set the FSB to the rated speed.

I had a friend who kept his Duron 1200 underclocked to 800 (FSB 66 instead of 100) and his Athlon 3200 clocked to 2500 (166 instead of 200) because he didn't know you were supposed to change the settings.

 

[wittangamo]

If a Q6600 with a multiplier of 9 "even jumps to 6" that, my friend, is speedstep in action. And if CPU-Z and the bios both report the fsb is 200, well maybe, just maybe, that's what is is. 9x200=1.8 ghz.

Let us know exactly what's in your system and maybe someone can help with specific bios settings.

 

[VirtualLarry]

In case of overheating, Intel TM2 will scale back the multi and voltages, not sure if I've ever seen it change the FSB though.

 

[gtsing]

Alright, thanks a lot for the replies. The solution was really quite simple. In the BIOS I just turned everything off that said something along the lines of "changing FSB speed" or "power-saving" and turned the FSB up to 266. It runs fine now @ 2.4Ghz. I want to overclock it to at least 3Ghz but I don't really know where to start or what program to run to ensure stability after ever FSB increment.

 

[firewolfsm]

Keep speedstep on.

 

[wittangamo]

There are lots of good Quad overclocking guides around. Here's one:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1198647

You'll have a lot less pain if you do your homework before starting and take baby steps. Shooting for too high an overclock, giving a chip too much voltage or heat, not understanding memory and bios settings, etc, are recipes for heartache.

Create a sig with complete system specs so people here will know what you're working with. Maybe someone with the same gear can give you precise settings.

A reasonable goal to start is 3.0 ghz. Start by setting your memory divider to 1:1, make sure the memory voltage is set to the manufacturer's spec, usually 2.0-2.2 for most high-performance DDR2 800. Then set the fsb to 333. Watch your temps and shoot for 65C or so under load. Test for stability with Prime95 for a few hours. If everything works, change your memory divider to 1:20 (5/6) to bring your ram up to full speed and test again.

After that, you're on your own.

Be sure you know how to clear the CMOS in case your PC won't boot after changing the settings. This stuff isn't rocket science, but you need a little patience and a little basic knowledge to avoid getting in over your head.

P.S., Once you find the best stable overclock for your system, I recommend enabling C1E and EIST. Speedstep is your friend and will make that hot-rod cpu last longer.

 

[gtsing]

Originally posted by: wittangamo

There are lots of good Quad overclocking guides around. Here's one:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1198647

You'll have a lot less pain if you do your homework before starting and take baby steps. Shooting for too high an overclock, giving a chip too much voltage or heat, not understanding memory and bios settings, etc, are recipes for heartache.

Create a sig with complete system specs so people here will know what you're working with. Maybe someone with the same gear can give you precise settings.

A reasonable goal to start is 3.0 ghz. Start by setting your memory divider to 1:1, make sure the memory voltage is set to the manufacturer's spec, usually 2.0-2.2 for most high-performance DDR2 800. Then set the fsb to 333. Watch your temps and shoot for 65C or so under load. Test for stability with Prime95 for a few hours. If everything works, change your memory divider to 1:20 (5/6) to bring your ram up to full speed and test again.

After that, you're on your own.

Be sure you know how to clear the CMOS in case your PC won't boot after changing the settings. This stuff isn't rocket science, but you need a little patience and a little basic knowledge to avoid getting in over your head.

P.S., Once you find the best stable overclock for your system, I recommend enabling C1E and EIST. Speedstep is your friend and will make that hot-rod cpu last longer.

Thank you very much for the reply. The only real question that remains is do I increase the FSB in small increments such as 5-10Mhz a time then test Prime95? Or, should I just clock it at 333Mhz (my goal is 3.0Ghz) and then run Prime95?

 

[wittangamo]

With the parts you have, there shouldn't be a problem at 3 ghz.

Read the guide and review your settings so the ram is running at the correct voltage and at or below its rated speed. You shouldn't have to change any of the other defaults except for setting the fsb to 333.

If you do have a problem with Prime generating errors after a while, you can bump your cpu voltage a notch and try again.

Let us know how it turns out. I have a hunch it will work just fine.