E6400 Overclocking.

[DecomposingStar]

Firstly, Hello, I'm a new member here.

And to the point...

I recently bought components to build my own computer system. All has gone brilliantly and i now have a fairly cool system...

However i can't help but feel that I could be getting that little bit more out of my system (My specs are at the bottom of the page). So, obviously i decided to overclock my system. I cranked down my RAM from 667 to 533 and started whacking up my FSB with an 8x locked multiplyer. I managed to get as far as 316mhz and I've now got my E6400 from 2.13ghz to ~2.53ghz with a temperature of 29-30c idle. Awesome....

But I keep reading about success stories of above and beyond the 3ghz mark, and with the huge increase in framerates i got from my own, considerably, small overclock I feel pushing it that extra little bit further would tied me from buying a new graphics card at least until ATI have its R600 up and out the door. (I don't want to hear anything about nVidia vs ATI )

Here's the problem. I can't push the FSB over 316mhz (It won't boot up at 326mhz, I have to clear CMOS via the jumper) and I can only think that it is my RAM that is causing the problem. My RAM is currently clocked to just below 667mhz, and cranking up to 326mhz puts my RAM above its 667mhz "limit".

Is this the cause for my overclocking standstill? Or is there something more deep and sinister behind the reasoning.

Spec:
Foxconn 975X7AB Mobo
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 @ 2.13 with an AC7 CPU Cooler
Kingston 1gb value RAM, 1gb "SpecTek" ( ) RAM, 512mb "Nanyo" RAM : all DDR2-5300
ATI X1600 HIS Turbo 256mb
SB X-fi Platinum sound card
80gb Maxtor diamondmax HDD
250gb WD caviar HDD

Now, obviously, my RAM is crap and needs to be replaced.
I've just been payed and I have about a £200 limit per month for anything computer-like. I was considering getting a water cooling setup but they may just have to wait.
My RAM of choice; OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400 Dual Channel ATI Crossfire Series DDR2 --> from OcUK at ~£135
I like it, anything wrong with it? I don't want to spend over £150 on 2gb of RAM, really.

So If you managed to read all the way through this, thank you very much. Please give me some good advice.
If you want some additional info/screenshots of CPU-Z or something, just ask.

[dave87]

Crossfire series is a marketing gimmick, if its the cheapest decent 2gb kit you can still go for it, but there may be other cheaper options

[DecomposingStar]

yeah, I did think that, but it looks awesome, has good latency, is fairly cheap, and has good heatsinks.
But if anyone wants to recommend me some better ram for around the same price, please, do.

And also, would it save my overclocking peril?

[Flewis]

Definitely looks like its the ram limiting ur overclock, any decent 800MHz ram will do you. You would get to 3.2GHz before the ram starts overclocking and even then the ram will go further. OCZ tend to make good ram that overclocks well so no problems there. Most have lifetime warranty and EVP (extended voltage protection) meaning voltages up to 2.2v are covered.

[DecomposingStar]

Nice one, sounds good to me. The ones that i specified have EVP.

So, the reason my RAM wont overclock is because its crap, mixed make RAM then? Is this why, whenever i even TOUCH the RAM settings in my BIOS, i have to clear CMOS? Makes sense.

I'll let you guys know what happens when i get this new RAM, and how far I can push it.

again, if anyone has some recommendations on either where to get that RAM cheaper, or a different RAM type, let me know!

[Clunk]

Any branded pc2-6400 ram will do fine

Crap ram and overclocking dont go.

[DecomposingStar]

Alright, thanks for the confirmation, guys!

I didn't originally buy my crap ram, planning on overclocking. So i guess it's best i buy some better stuff now.


Thanks again.

[owen1978]

Shud easily hit over 3ghz, unfortunately mine is from the malaysian fab where the worst overclockers come from so im stuck at 3.2ghz