# Overclocking The E8400



## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

Alright, last night, as soon as I got the CPU working, I overclocked it to 3.60GHz, and didn't change anything except the FSB. I now want to try and hit 4.0GHz or higher. 

What should I test, to make sure I can stably hit 4GHz or higher? 
Run Orthos for an hour, and see what my temps are? 



Thanks.


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## Kornowski (Sep 23, 2008)

g4m3rof1337 said:


> Run Orthos for an hour, and see what my temps are?



Pretty much


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

Thats all I have done...for most part..FSB up and play with volts//

e8400 almost oc's itself....I am at 4.12ghz...I know its wierd..but yeh runs like a dream.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

When do I know when it's time to up the voltage? 

Should I just raise the FSB to whatever 4.0GHz would be, and maybe up the voltage 2 notches? 


Also, how do I determine what to set the FSB to? Like 1600 is 3.60. 


I'm looking into the Tuniq T-120 CPU cooler, http://www.xoxide.com/tuniq-t-120led-hsf.html


Thanks.


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

Just do babysteps..keep tweaking the fsb..

once your machine crashes out, or keeps rebooting..you wanna go back in an take it down a notch.

monitor ur temps...

big thing..dont just slam every setting..go slow and babysteps man..


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

To hit 4GHz, do I need to up the voltage at all? 

Or should I just go slowly from 3.60 to 4.0 and see what happens? 

And by slowly, like from 1600 to 1800? How do I find the FSB I need? 


Thanks.


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

dang..I cant find the link to that really good guide to o'c..

I just saw it on here like yesterday...

umm look around someone posted a link..

Play with your fsb...


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

As for cooling, any of these seem logical? 

http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-bigwater-735-cl-w0075.html

http://www.xoxide.com/evercool-silver-night.html



Thanks.


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

Well, I am anti water cool so you wont get me recommending that...and as we are sponsored by OCZ..I must recommend their cpu coolers..

My Vendetta2 is tremendous and with it's 120mm blowing right into my 200mm on the Antec900...its very very efficient at removing the heat.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

Yeah, I've never liked water cooling, but I'm looking for an air cooler that can compete with it, and I'm not having much luck.


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

Hey man, the setup in my sig on air..runs beatiful.. 4 120mm and 1 200mm..

beauty!


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

Is there a CPU cooler that can compare to a water cooling setup?


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

I have no idea...perhaps...but I wouldnt waste your time tryin to figure it out.

Get a good OCZ or thermaltake..etc and utilize a 120mm fan or 2 and you'd be amazed at what you can achieve.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

Well I currently have the OCZ Vendetta, but not sure it'll be enough.


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## scooter (Sep 23, 2008)

g4m3rof1337 said:


> Well I currently have the OCZ Vendetta, but not sure it'll be enough.



Well...I dunno..I have no issues with mine...but

check out zaward.com they make an air cpu cooler they claim will rival water-cooling..

Check it out..I dont know much about it though,.

http://www.zaward.com/products_detail.php?Pid=2313

They look pretty crazy


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## Kornowski (Sep 23, 2008)

Well, I rekon my Tuniq is pretty close. 35c on load, I doubt you're going to get much better than that.

Anyway, a complete _cheap_ WC'ing kit like that wouldn't perform much better than the cooler you already have to be honest.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

Alright, I ran the Blend - stress CPU and RAM at Priority 1, for an hour and 6 minutes. 

Before the test, at idle: 
Core 0 - 40C
Core 1 - 38C

1 Hour and 6 Minutes of Orthos:
Core 0 - 43C
Core 1 - 42C



And I was trying to respond in this thread earlier, but I was on my phone, at a Mexican restaurant, and the food came fast, so.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 23, 2008)

Here's what I did:

Raise the FSB by 5, boot and run 5 minutes of stress test. Keep doing this until your computer doesn't boot. Then you increase the CPU voltage one notch and keep going, raising by 5 every time. If you get to the point where increasing the CPU voltage by one notch doesn't give you a boot, try bumping it again, and try again. If it still doesn't boot, check your RAM divider, you might have to set your RAM frequency to a bit slower than stock to stabilize your CPU frequency. Then when you're happy with your CPU overclock, try to clock the RAM frequency back to stock and even overclock it if you want/can.

Hope that helpe!


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

Alright, makes some sense, I'll understand it more when I'm looking at the BIOS. 

Also, my Ram is at like 480MHz, it was around 410 before I overclocked, but I didn't change anything on the Ram, so it must have done it automatically. 


And how are my temps?



Thanks.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 23, 2008)

So do my temps look good? Think I can hit 4.0GHz+ with my current cooler?


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

Bump. 

Before the test, at idle: 
Core 0 - 40C
Core 1 - 38C

1 Hour and 6 Minutes of Orthos:
Core 0 - 43C
Core 1 - 42C


Do my temps look good? Think I can hit 4.0GHz or higher with my current cooler?

And how high should I raise each FSB? like from 1600 to 1650, and increase by 50, until I can't boot, then up the voltage by one, until I can, and then repeat till 4GHz?


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## m0nk3ys1ms (Sep 24, 2008)

I'd take it up like 10 at a time.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

I'm going to clock the FSB to 1777 which is 4GHz ,if it doesn't boot or I get a BSOD while stressing it, I'm going to up the voltage by one.



What do you think?


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## m0nk3ys1ms (Sep 24, 2008)

Well if you don't have to up the voltage to get it to 4Ghz, you have one rare chip.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

Alright, so I changed my Ram settings, and tried hitting 1777 with several different voltages, from 1.3875, 1.39, 1.40000, 1.4065, 1.4185, and 1.42 I think. 

All restarted before or on the desktop, and one froze on the desktop. 



What do you guys think? Not enough voltage for 1777 *4.0GHz*, or I'm hitting a wall?



With 1777 and 1.39375V, I think those were the settings, I was able to boot up, and post on AIM, I sent my friend a message saying I hit 4.0GHz, and then it restarted, lol.


I'm currently running stable on 3.75GHz, I ran Orthos for about 10Mins fine.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

I got to 4.05GHz, and then it either froze or restarted, and I was at a lower voltage, like 1.35, what's the lowest I should try?





Thanks.


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## Kornowski (Sep 24, 2008)

Well, if it isn't stable, you want the vCore to go higher, not lower.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

How high though.. 

I mean I changed my Ram settings, should I try higher again? 


What should the limit be, under 1.40000V?


Thanks.


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## Shane (Sep 24, 2008)

just up the v a little and do your orthos tests again,if it fails again raise it a little more.

thats what i done on my C2D to get it stable,i also had to raise my memory voltage a little aswell though and its perfectly stable now.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 24, 2008)

You're going a bit too fast mate. Go in baby steps, checking for stability on each. The less you increase the CPU voltage the better.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

Well I currently have it stable at 3.75GHz on 1.39V, it's currently at 1666 FSB, which is 3.75GHz, what are some baby steps to 1800, 4.05GHz?



Thanks.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 24, 2008)

Set your goal to 4.0GHz for example. Doesn't matter if the FSB is not even-number, I'd rather have the frequency be even (4GHz) LOL nevermind, either way it's fine! 

Raise 5 at a time, you could do 10 as monkey said but you know, the smaller the steps, the easier to check for stability. It's a long process, well, may be a long process but it will be worth it. And remember, if you need 3 or more voltage bumps to boot, then you probably hit your FSB wall. OR you could raise your FSB voltage or NB voltage but I don't know too much about that.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

Alright, well I tested and wrote down what voltages I had it at, and what happened when I tried to boot. I started at 1.34375V and went to 1.41875, FSB was at 1800, and all of them pretty much had the same problem, just at different times, I can post each one, if wanted.. Also, should I post my Ram link and my Ram settings in my Bios, to maybe help me figure this out? 




Thanks.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 24, 2008)

A friend recommended that I change my divider, what would I change it to?


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## m0nk3ys1ms (Sep 25, 2008)

I think your best choice would be to Google your CPU and Motherboard and find some OC Forums to see what settings are using with your same setup. I don't think many if anyone here has an E8400 and a 750i FTW.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 25, 2008)

Well, I found a Youtube video, with a guy overclocking an E8400 with a 750i mobo, and I followed his volts and stuff, I changed my Core FSB and Memory voltage from Auto to what the guy changed it to, and I changed my FSB to 1800, which is 4.05GHz, saved and booted up, and everything seems to be running stable, this is the farthest I've gotten with a 4.0GHz+ overclock. I've been running Orthos for 25 minutes now, and my temps have been spiking, but staying under 55C, they're around 50C now, but I'm looking into the the Electric Ultra HSF. 



I plan on letting Orthos run for an hour or two.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 25, 2008)

Fully "stable" goes all the way from 8-24 hours of ORTHOS


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 25, 2008)

Do I have to run it that long, or will I be fine with it running for an hour or two? 


And this is the CPU cooler I was talking about, http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-chilltech-cpu-cooler.html


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## ThatGuy16 (Sep 25, 2008)

I would highly recommend staying at or under 1.36v for day-to-day use. Also, keep an eye on the temps using real temp. To be honest, that voltage is a little high for 3.75Ghz. I know i have a "low voltage" chip, but im at 4.0Ghz fully stable at 1.23v.

Just keep an eye out for the temps, because in time most new chips "burn in" for about a month then require another small voltage bump to finish it off. For example, mine when from 1.216v up to 1.232v. After the "burn in" time.

Your problem could be your NB and/or ram settings. Manually set ALL the ram timings including the advanced timings, and you can try raising the NB (G MCH) voltage as well. What ram do you have? make sure the ram divider is appropriate for the memory speed. That can cause a world of issues.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 25, 2008)

I believe this is my Ram, http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0259027

And I believe this is my PSU, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036&Tpk=raidmax


I ran Orthos perfectly fine for an hour and 26 minutes, then I went to play Crysis Wars, and it restarted while playing, so I tried it again, same problem, it restarted. So I upped the voltage to 1.37500V, and was able to play for longer than the first two tries, then it froze. So I upped the voltage a little to 1.39375V, and I got a red rectangle in the upper left, so..


I watched a video where a guy was overclocking his E8400 on a 750i board, so that's what told me to change my CPU FSB and Memory volts from auto. 

I have the CPU FSB at 1.20V and Memory at 2.000V, and my FSB is 1800, what voltage should I try?



Thanks.


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## ThatGuy16 (Sep 25, 2008)

it sounds to me like your overvolting the CPU and your ram is the problem. Have you set all your timings manually? And your memory is running at what speed/timings?


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## houseofbugs (Sep 25, 2008)

Have you tried running your memory and CPU unlinked? I don't know if I told you to try that or not.

I know that my E8400 does 4.4GHZ @ 1.385V. You are probably giving it too much voltage. Also update to the latest BIOS and set all the voltages except for CPU to 'Auto'.

BIOS Update:
SZ1I BIOS is available now, the major highlights are listed below:

    * Improves support for CPU's with unlocked multipliers.

CPU Fast Read is a new option that is introduced with the SZ1H/SZ1E BIOS. A setting of 'Enabled' gives the fastest memory/CPU performance. A setting of 'Disabled' is highest compatibility mode for those that experience the video corruption bug.

BIOS updating can be accomplished VIA the below methods:


FLOPPY Installation - Recommended installation method

    * Download the following executable: ftp://ftp.evga.com/bios/E175_SZ1I.exe
    * Insert blank floppy disk into drive and run executable
    * Restart machine, and set floppy as the primary boot device
    * Press "Y" to program BIOS
    * After flash, power off PC completely, on reboot load defaults in BIOS


CD/DVD Installation - Recommended installation method

    * Download the following .iso file: ftp://ftp.evga.com/bios/E175_SZ1I.iso
    * Use a CD Burning software to burn the .iso image onto a blank CD (Nero, Alochol 120%, MagicISO etc.)
    * Restart machine, and set the CD Drive as the primary boot device.
    * The BIOS flash process will begin, Press “Y” to program BIOS.
    * After flash remove the CD, power off PC Completely.
    * Turn on the PC and load defaults in BIOS.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 25, 2008)

g4m3rof1337 said:


> I believe this is my Ram, http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0259027
> 
> I ran Orthos perfectly fine for an hour and 26 minutes, then I went to play Crysis Wars, and it restarted while playing, so I tried it again, same problem, it restarted. So I upped the voltage to 1.37500V, and was able to play for longer than the first two tries, then it froze. So I upped the voltage a little to 1.39375V, and I got a red rectangle in the upper left, so..
> 
> Thanks.



You need to be sure what RAM you have because the CAS latency varies a lot from model to model. Download CPU-Z, that'll tell you the specs of your RAM. According to that link though, your RAM has 5-6-6-15. Those timings are a bit too high and might hold down your CPU overclock.

Also, running an hour of stress is not enough. Which is probably why you had those restarts. What I'd do is set the speed back to 3.6GHz (for which you didn't need CPU voltage increase right?) and then start again going up slowly.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 25, 2008)

Could you recommend me some better Ram?

I'm not sure what I should set my CPU Core, CPU FSB, and Memory to. 

I've always been changing the CPU Core and leaving everything else on Auto, but when I changed the CPU FSB and Memory, I finally got to 4.05, and was able to run Orthos, while before, I was only able to barely get to the Desktop, before it would restart or freeze.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 25, 2008)

Can you show a screen of the "SPD" window? 

If those are the stock timings of your memory, it may give you a bottleneck. Just get some Crucial Ballistix, Corsair XMS2, Patriot Performance or OCZ Reaper and make sure the timings are at least 5-5-5-112/15, if you find 4-4-4-12 that'd be best.


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## g4m3rof1337 (Sep 25, 2008)

SPD screen?

And I'll find some Ram and post a link.


Thanks.


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## Ramodkk (Sep 25, 2008)

Yeah, the "SPD" section in CPU-Z, is the next from Memory


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