I little while ago, I was forced to build a new system (I wanted to wait for the newer tech like the i7, but my old system was failing) and I got what fit the budget, allowing some nice head room for later on. Well, I got the C2D E7200 and was happy, until I found it's not really being sold at all and was basically replaced with the E7400. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two is the clock settings. I am wondering if it would be safe to clock my CPU with the stock HSF to the settings of the E7400. Forgot, I can't raise the multiplier any higher, only the frequency.
E7200 will do 2.8GHz at stock voltage/HSF easily. You will need to increase the FSB to 295MHz in order to hit 2.8GHz. If you ram doesn't like the higher frequency, use the 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio.
Ok then, I will go ahead and clock it up. Only thing about the RAM, I have DDR2 667 so the FSB is quicker then the RAM already. I do however want to get some new RAM to match the FSB. I plan to replace what I have and get a new pare to add up to 4GB total.
Ok, my RAM in unable to keep up, and causes errors in Prime95. The first core errors out, and seeing how I multi task when doing video encoding, I can't have that happening. A Memtest run verified it. Returning to stock settings eliminates the errors. That's what I get for getting Value Select RAM.
If you use the 1:1 ratio, your DDR2 667(333MHz) RAM will be running at 295MHz, which is still slightly underclocked. Your DDR2 667 will work just fine if you want to hit 2.8GHz, just make sure u choose the 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio (the actual speed, not the effective speed, for example 295FSB(effective 1180MHz):295RAM(effective 590MHz). IMO no point running high RAM speed to match the effective FSB speed, no real benefit in real world usage.
Well, Prime has been running for 2 hours on both cores without a problem with it being 1:1. I can't help but wonder if I should try to get a OC at 3GHz and leave it at that. I want a CPU at that speed eventually, this would keep me from having to get a new CPU entirely for a while. Is going to that frequency safe for the chip? Heck, then I can just get another pare of 1GB sticks instead of getting 2GB sticks. Update : I can't seem to get get a completely stable overclock at 3.0GHz. Still, the 2.8 is good enough to last me for a while. Now, with that being done, would getting a new, good pare of 1066MHz RAM allow me to get to 3.0GHz with the stock HSF and voltage?
Even at 3GHz (316x9), assuming you are still running 1:1 ratio, your DDR2 667 ram is still very slightly underclocked. So I think your E7200 needs a slight voltage increase to achieve stability. Unless the voltage increase is significant, I don't think you need a HSF upgrade. Your E7200 should do 3GHz just fine with the stock HSF and slightly increased voltage.
Well, upping the voltage was something I figured I wouldn't have to do, and it would simply go to the max of 1.3625 if it was needed. I raised the voltage higher, but it's not hitting 1.3 at all and it passed the original crash point in Prime. Also, because I don't see getting anything with a FSB higher then 1333, it looks as though I should just stick with good DDR2 667 speeds. Anything higher looks to be a waste of money as I have no intention of ever running RAM higher then the stock settings. Is that a good plan?
I have kept a close watch on the temps. With the voltage higher and the clock at a preforming 3GHz, I have been running Prime for over an hour (I will keep it running) with the cores reporting 59C max temp with Prime at normal CPU priority. I have it now set at High priority, and if it can run stable for at least 7 hours, and the temp doesn't go above 65C, I will run some complex video encoding to finalise my testing. Some 1080P H264 video encoding and something for the sound as well should be a nice little test. Also, I have been doing other things during the Prime run. Web browsing, listening to music, watching some video files, ect. So, the CPU is getting a nice little run.
Well after 13 hours total of Prime running, the temp never went higher then 59C according to realtemp. I slept a bit longer then expected, but more testing doesn't hurt. I am going to do some H264 encoding to make sure everything is stable. I want to note this overclock was not planned, but the fact that Intel seemed to have the same chips sent out with different default settings as well as the stock HSF being good enough to cool as well as it does, I glad I went this rout.
IntelBurnTest will definitely cook that even higher. It certainly pwnt all of our OCs (needed slight voltage bump to get it stable) in way less time. (Go here for the latest version though) My E8400 does 3.8GHz on stock volts too!
I had some intreastingresults using IthelBurnTest. In Windows XP 32, I can pass 15 tests so long as I use the half stress or lower. I used a Beta Windwos 7 64bit install disk and went into the command prompt to run the 64-bit version, where using the Max stress had a pass result. I'm not too sure what to make of that...
So full stress it won't pass on XP x86? It could be RAM perhaps (just run a bit of memtest just incase I guess)?
That's what I thought, but Memtest makes a full pass with no issues. But it is something with the RAM causing the issue. I really did get cheap RAM, the Corsair ValueSelect line. Good with default settings, but anything else can cause an error. That's part of the reason I want to get some new RAM, the other reason is to get 4GB. I know I will only have access to 3.5GB with 32-bit OS's, but I will also be able to get some higher quality sticks. It really seems like getting the 667 RAM is better then 1066 RAM for cost vs usability, so my cost went down a little. Unless someone gives me a reason to get 1066 instead of 667, I will get that, but I don;t plan on getting or doing anything with a FSB higher then 333MHz, so the 1:1 will help a bit as well as I don't want to over clock the RAM, if anything I would under-clock it.
If you want 4GB, maybe you should consider DDR2 800, should cost more or less the same as DDR2 667. You will have more headroom in case you suddenly have the urge to overclock your E7200 further but if you can find a DDR21000/1066 thats only a bit more expensive than 667/800, just go for it DDR2 should be very cheap nowadays.
My definition of cheap is $5 USD lol. In all reality, I expect to spend $50 or less. Obviously, I need 2 2GB Sticks, and for now I am assuming keeping this discussion in this thread is better as it pertains to overclock-ability.
