How to Overclock ( noob edition )

Don't use the Nvidia system tools to overclock your cpu. Change both your memory and FSB in BIOS to 1166 that should be a good starting point for ya then test for stability increase in increments of 10. I was scared to use BIOS at first but it really is the way to go

 

So keep the memory and fsb matched at all times?

 

I would. It seems to be the most stable way to OC

 

Ok have a little problem I installed the NVIDIA tool and when I would right click on the desktop I no longer had the option for NVIDIA control panel. So I reinstalled the vid card drivers through Moo's link and got it back. But upon startup my resolution setting is tweaked, the windows icon is huge but eventually adjusts back to 1900x1200. Is something wrong? Should I reinstall the drivers and on Alienwares site I do not see the GTX 280. I know the r a rebranded something or other but yeah I'm new to this whole deal so thanks for the help and patience guys Also when I go to overclock my GPUs what r people typically getting on the 280s for core, shader, memory? Thanks

 

By reinstalling the drivers they needed to reajust after boot. so youre fine now

 

Well when I just booted after several boots the resolution was 1600x1200

 

Does anybody know why Nvidia system tools 6.05 ntune completely freezes the system when it loads a profile on startup (or when loading the profile manually)?
Setting the GPU clocks manually each time after reboot is a chore.
I wish to use it for GPU overclocking only (since there is no other tool that works with the 280Ms...I really wish there was). Has anybody had the same problem and/or knows the solution to it?

 

Did you try MSI's Afterburner? I messed a bit with it on the M1730 but never really OC'd enough to keep it installed. M17x users have been testing it as well - see the benchmark thread for more info.

 

yes i had this problem as well. these issues made it freeze when restarting and saving the settings at windows start-up

switching from dedicated and integrated in the bios.

saving changes and setting your cpu to different clock speeds. for ex. my bus speed is 200 and 800 stock. if i set the overclock to 1000 fsb which is 250bus speed,, then i set nst to 256 and restart and change the bios back to 800, it will freeze on start up.

and there's alot more but the teacher is wondering why i'm typing so much right now.

solutions

make different profiles and load it up.

don't save your settings and do it all the time when you restart.

flash your vbios.

 

flashing the vbios would be the best way to go

 

it would be the best way to go about things but i'm not even that patient....

unless i'm really close to breaking a re....

 

I only flashed the VBIOS

I have yet to do ANY OC with NST, will only consider it for the PCIe frequency, and that is it! (maybe mem timings as well)

 

I tried it, as well as EVGA precision (they are both based on RivaTuner more or less), RivaTuner, GPUTool, etc. and all of them only seem to show the downclocked speed of the 280Ms and sliding the sliders up and applying a new setting doesn't appear to do anything. The only thing that actually overclocks the cards is nTune, but since loading a profile is so buggy, it's rather impractical. Plus, nTune can cause all kinds of trouble with the system. I don't really like that.

 

Got my bad boy running at 1333:1333 (3Ghz). Ran OCCT for 30 min with cooooool temps and no problems, then ran that OCCT "linpack" test for 30 min as well with again, cooooooooool temps and no problems! Very happy right now!

 

use NST to push it furthur

i still hold the recored of 3.3 but its VERY unstable

 

I am good at 3Ghz, I am only pushing it as far as needed for every day use and to feel a little "dangerous"

 

yeah I'm happy w/max BIOS and that's it. One less program to mess with

 

you cant fry it lol even if you tried.

the cooling is good enough ...so your would run out of voltage before it frys

 

How far can the T9600 go? I got 1333 FSB going for a while (3.5ghz) but I blue screened, although I bluescreened at stock too and it might be due to a dodgy windows installation that i've since overwritten..

Anyone running 3.5ghz consistently on the T9600?

 

Sorry.. I tried digging through this thread but can someone give me the quick lowdown.

My M17x stock came with 1066mhz FSB and 1333mhz RAM in the Bios (Euro ALienwares only come with 1333mhz.)

Right now i'm overclocked at 1280mhz FSB and 1333mhz RAM. Can i just leave the ram at 1333 all the time? What is the correlation between Ram speed and the CPU Clock?

 

i run mine at 3.4ghz stable. I guess i could try to see how long i can keep it at 3.5 after i get home inclass atm.

 

Mind sharing what mem/fsb settings that is?

 

I'm at 1333 for both FSB and mem (note the mem was 1066 originally). Works fine zero blue-screens.

 

hmm so ur at like what 3.5 or 3.6 ghz lord zath?

 

not sure lol

 

Hi! I tried to OC my CPU today but even if I raise 10MHz only (1066 to 1076) the system still wont boot. The capslock keeps flashing and I have to power on/off 3 times to get it boot back. Did I miss something?
Thanks!

 

raise it by more than 10 MHz.....that OC is useless and the system cannot adjust between it and the original 1066

try something like 1200 (most CPU's should be able to handle that no sweat)

 

question... I oc'd my T9600 to 3.25ghz (i think it was like 1260 fsb) and ran the occt program for an hour, cpu temps stayed under 66C. I only oc'd for benchmark, but I was wondering if it was safe to leave my computer oc'd forever? So I can benefit from the increase in performance in games and whatnot?

thanks.

 

yes you can leave it OC'd

If it can pass an hour of OCCT it is pretty much rock solid. You may get like 1 bsod a month but that would be unlikely

 

thanks scook

 

By doing this your slowing your memory down by about 60%. Check out what your CL is reading in cpu-z.

 

I tried 1150MHz and my system still couldnt boot. I know 10MHz is useless but I just tried it. If it cannot handle 10 how can it handle several hundreds?

 

has to do with the way that the motherboard generates the clock signal and makes the divisors for the cpu and memory

 

Actually, I don't think it's near 60%. The RAS cycle time is 20 clocks at 533 MHz and 25 clocks at 640 MHz. That is 37.5 ns at 533 MHz and 39.0 ns at 640 MHz.

 

Thank Scook. I raised FSB to 1333. The Multiplier is 7 so I got 2.5GHz. I ran the stress test and played GTA IV for an hour and my machine is very stable. CPU temp is 68 Celcius max I did saw 4-5 FPS increased in GTA IV too.

But I notice that in CPUz my CPU will run @ 2.5 only when I do heavy tasks like wPrime or gaming. When my system is idle the CPU automatically lowers Multiplier and get down to 2.0. Is it normal? The CPU will auto adjust clock right?

Thanks!

 

Yes it's intel speed step

 

... confused. So I'm supposed to leave memory at 1066? CL is at 11 clocks... whatever that means...

 

Is there a tool to change the voltage of the cpu in m17x? Please point me to the right direction. Thanks

 

Yes, leave it at 1066 if it's stable. CL is CAS Latency. Simply put, it's a memory timing parameter that allows the memory to run at different clock speeds.

 

why is the mem slower when he overclock it at more speed ?

 

Speed of the memory bus vs the amount of delay it takes for the memory controller to read the memory chips on the module (CL). Raising the speed raises the CL. Sometimes it actually helps with OC'ing. Test, test, test!

 

I went ahead and set RAM back to 1066. FSB RAM ratio is now 5:8 (was 1:2). CL is back down to 7.

 

Quick question, I installed NST and used it to OC my P8600 to 2.85Mhz, then when i tried to go back into NST it said the shortcut had moved, Whats that about? I restored to remove it, figure i'll OC in the BIOS but want to have NST to OC on top of BIOS when i try benchmarking. Is this normal? Somehow I doubt it...

 

I OC 100% through Bios. It's time consuming though trying to find the stble point. I'm not familiar using apps to OC, eventhough I've heard that it is much easier.

 

Yea, it does seem easier, but as The_Moo pointed out, you can OC in BIOS and then use NST to push it a little further.

Whats a good program to stress test the OC? That was I have an idea of what my max temps will look like. Also when I did the OC how can I verify that it's done, or working? And after hitting apply in NST, it seems like my fans are constantly on and don't slow down. Thanks for any advice as this is my first time playing around with OCing. I want to use NST to find something to set in the BIOS thats stable. I don't want to have to constantly pull the cmos batt. Thanks

 

You don't have to pull the CMOS battery to reset the OC settings. Three failed reboots, holding down the left shift key during bootup, or removing all power sources and holding down the power button seem to do it from what I'm reading on this forum.

 

if you want to stress your cpu run OCCT linkpack

 

Thanks guys, appreciate it!

 

Intel buRn teat

 

Hey it wont let me install the ati thingy. It says a driver couldnt install cus windows doesnt let it or something. Then the actual program says maybe uninstall restart and then reinstall I did that same thing.