(09-04-2009 12:32 AM)DKTronics Wrote:  

(09-03-2009 09:17 PM)SylphX Wrote:  My DRAM Frequency only has 3 options.. Auto, 667MHz and 800MHz. So far I can't go above 245MHz without getting errors, I've set "1.8V Dual Over Voltage" to 2.25V which is the highest setting, and my multiplier is 12.5

667mhz would be 333, as it's DDR2. Careful about your FSB as that also affects your RAM speeds. If you're stuck at 245, then set your RAM to 667mhz, this will run the system async non 1:1 ratio, but it may help you get better clocks.
If you still can't get past 245, then it may be your board thats holding you back, although 245 is still only a 980 bus and your board should be capable of at least 1066, or even 1333. Do you have Northbridge overclocking ?

Well there are two options for North bridge and South bridge, is that bad?
And I was able to get 247, and maybe 250, I don't remember... but it seemed unstable. While on my desktop I ran Prime95 for about an hour which resulted in 0 errors. Then right when I closed it, I got a blue screen with an error that I couldn't read before the computer shutdown and restarted. I tried to ignore it the first two times but it kept coming back, I lowered it back to 245MHz and the problems disappeared.

yeah karakorum has high efficiency but for that it needs max rpm and that noise is very high, isnt it? more expensive coolers are efficient and quiet

If you don't know how to overclock, then don't. It's that simple.

Air's quickie Guide! Because he gets annoyed by people who say things like "if you don't know already then there's no point in helping you learn."

Rule #1: Prime95 is a crap tester of stability. Yes, everyone still uses it, only because nothing else out there has any "simple" error reporting mechanism. But by no means is even a 12 hr test on Prime95 mean you're reasonably stable on a multicore system

Rule #2: If you have a 64-bit operating system, use IntelBurnTest instead.

Rule #3: If you have a 32-bit operating system use CoreDamage plus IntelBurnTest (both running at the same time), because CoreDamage works a lot better for stressing out 32 bit mode (but doesn't do any error tests of its own).

Rule #4: The most important factor in good overclocking is having a high quality motherboard known for giving good OC results. It sounds like you don't have one, and all the OC'ing knowledge and tips in the world can't overcome that limitation.

I'll warn you now -- in my own experience a machine that could run Prime95 stable for hours would fail the IntelBurnTest / CoreDamage combo in a few seconds. Also, I've been known to use the PCSX2 Suite Solution in Visual Studio as a stress test. For some reason the Intel Optimizing Compiler loves to crash on unstable CPUs, even when most other apps or games would never have any problems. But since your motherboard sounds like it has pretty crappy OC'ing options, I don't expect you'd be able to squeeze anything more than what you already have out of it.

If 245 is your limit, then it looks like your board.
My Asus P5QL Pro, can reach 400mhz fsb (1600 quad), but sadly the E5200 will not go above 341 fsb without throwing a wobbly, but at least it gives me a future option.

You may want to look for something similar, P5QL-SE, or Pro model, look for P45 chipset, thats if you want to spend a bit more.

Hmm i used orthos for stability, never heard about this burnttest and coredamage before, gonna try it.

Shame that P35 boards arent available in shops anymore, not expensive and not bad for OC, personaly i have Asrock p45xe and its quite good for OC

Refreshing thread need little advice, i am familliar with OC but not expert.
Even on box i noticed that my piece of e5200 isnt very good for oc. I have bought karakorum and i am not quite sure about it but i think that OC abillities are even worse. I have used arctic silver 5 but since it has free space beetween heatpipes i am not sure if i applied it quite correctly. Could be the case, bad thermal conduction on core lowering OC abbilities?

I've looked around the forum and I've found a nice case of E5200 overclock. It was overclocked to 3.5 GHz. That is +1 GHz. Then again, pure luck comes in. You could be so unlucky that you wouldn't be able to OC +0.1 GHz.

Nope you are wrong, e5200 overcloks easily to 3,5ghz and even higher, i have it at 3,5 but i want more. Many popele reach 3,8ghz on it

Yeah when it comes to Core2Duos, being "unlucky" means you'll only get ~700mhz extra on stable overclock. As far as I know, Intel themselves tests/rates all their C2D's for being run at 25-33% over their "default" clock (depending on the cpu clock multiplier of the model). They publish "reliable" voltage specs to mainboard/bios manufacturers for running the chips at those speeds, and it's not even in void of the warranty.

... and of course, being lucky (and having a good mainboard and cooler) means getting a stable 1.0-1.2ghz over your default clock (again, actual mileage varies based on the cpu clock multipliers).

C2Q overclocking ranges tend to be a few % points less than the C2Duos, although the new Q7xxx series due out soon should have a 1.0+ghz OC potential out of the box.