Help Overclocking my Q9550...

[sparkison]

Hey all, new to the forum and am trying to get some advice

I have recently upgraded to the q9550 since the price drop and am having a hell of a time trying to overclock it!

I have my c2d oc'd no problem but, this quad is giving me hell.

I have had an especially hard time finding someone with the DFI P35 and the Q9550 to give me some advice so maybe if someone here has successfully overclocked the q9xxx on this board and has some setting to try that would be great!!

My problem is that I cannot get more than two cores stable at the same time, trying to get all four has proven to be very difficult. I have gotten to 3400mhz at 3hrs prime stable but, no more than that; after about hour three cores 2 and 3 crash.

I have adequate colling on the NB and the pwm area, and a watercooling setup dedicated to the CPU so cooling isn't an issue, I have even cranked the volts up to 1.4 and have not seen over 58c under full load in prime if that is any help.

Any and all advice is much appreciated

EDIT: Here's my settings for reference

Here are the settings that I can get 3hrs prime stable, after that cores 2 and 3 fail:

CPU Feature Page
Thermal Management Control................Disabled
PPM(EIST) Mode............................Disabled
Limit CPUID MaxVal........................Disabled
CIE Function..............................Disabled
Execute Disable Bit.......................Disabled
Virtualization Technology.................Disabled
Core Multi-Processing.....................Enabled

Main BIOS Page
Exist Setup Shutdown......................Mode 2
Shutdown after AC loss....................Enabled
AC Shutdown free..........................Enabled
Clock VCO Divider.........................Auto
CPU N/2 Ratio.............................Enabled
CPU Clock Ratio........................... 8.5x
CPU Clock.................................400 MHz
Boot Up Clock.............................Auto
DRAM Speed................................333/667 (806MHZ)
PCIE Clock................................100MHz

CPU Spread Spectrum.......................Disabled
PCIE Spread Spectrum......................Disabled

Voltage Setting Page
CPU VID Control...........................1.24375V
CPU VID Special Add.......................Auto
DRAM Voltage Control......................2.170V
SB 1.05 Voltage...........................1.070V
SB Core/CPU PLL Voltage...................1.55V
NB Core Voltage...........................1.57V
CPU VTT Voltage...........................1.33V
VCore Droop Control.......................Enabled
Clockgen Voltage Control..................3.45V
GTL+ Buffer Strength......................Strong
Host Slew Rate............................Weak
CPU GTL 0/2 REF Volt......................80
CPU GTL 1/3 REF Volt......................90
North Bridge GTL REF Volt ................80

DRAM Timing Page
Enhance Data Transmitting.................Auto
Enhance Addressing........................Auto
T2 Dispatch...............................Auto
Clock Setting Fine Delay..................Listed Below

CAS Latency Time (tCL)....................5
RAS# to CAS# Delay (tRCD).................5
RAS# Precharge (tRP)......................5
Precharge Delay (tRAS)....................15
All Precharge to Act......................Auto
REF to ACT Delay (tRFC)...................Auto
Performance Level.........................Auto
Read Delay Phase Adjust...................Listed Below
Write to PRE Delay (tWR)..................Auto
Rank Write to Read (tWTR).................Auto
ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD)...................Auto
Read to Write Delay (tRDWR)...............Auto
Ranks Write to Write (tWRWR)..............Auto
Ranks Write to Read (tWRRD)...............Auto
Read CAS# Precharge (tRTP)................Auto
ALL PRE to Refresh........................Auto

Read Delay Phase Adjust Page
Channel 1 Phase 0 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 1 Phase 1 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 1 Phase 2 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 1 Phase 3 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 1 Phase 4 Pull-In.................Auto

Channel 2 Phase 0 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 2 Phase 1 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 2 Phase 2 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 2 Phase 3 Pull-In.................Auto
Channel 2 Phase 4 Pull-In.................Auto

Clock Setting Fine Delay Page
DLL and RCOMP Settings .................By Menu
Ch1 DRAM Default Skew.....................Model 0
Ch2 DRAM Default Skew.....................Model 0
RCOMP Setting.............................Model 0

Fine Delay Step Degree....................70ps


Ch1 Clock Crossing Setting................Auto

Ch2 Clock Crossing Setting................Auto

Ch1Ch2 CommonClock Setting................Auto

Ch1 RDCAS GNT-Chip Delay..................Auto
Ch1 WRCAS GNT-Chip Delay..................Auto
Ch1 Command to CS Delay...................Auto

Ch2 RDCAS GNT-Chip Delay..................Auto
Ch2 WRCAS GNT-Chip Delay..................Auto

Ch2 Command to CS Delay...................Auto

 

[waldis]

hello!

do you still need some kind of info?

i've got almost the same system, but not possible to oc more than 419 * 8.5,
but my voltages are lower

if you got better results from your config by these days please let me know.

 

[Homeless]

I think your vcore is too low and your nb is too high

 

[IINexusII]

cpu voltage at 1.35 ish and northbridge at 1.4

 

[waldis]

my VCore at this moment in BIOS: 1.16+++v
NB -- 1.33v
VTT -- 1.2v

here is some of my current settings:

Clock VCO Divider.........................Auto
CPU N/2 Ratio.............................Enabled
CPU Clock Ratio........................... 8.5x
CPU Clock.................................419 MHz
Boot Up Clock.............................Auto
CIE Function..............................Enabled
DRAM Speed................................333/667
CPU VID Control...........................1.16++++V
CPU VID Special Add.......................Auto
NB Core Voltage...........................1.33V
CPU VTT Voltage...........................1.20V
VCore Droop Control.......................Disabled

prime95 -- 1.5 hours stable, I know it is too short, but have no results for 24H run

BIOS -- 09/19/2008

and can't OC over 419 MHz, even with higher voltages, so running for about 1 year in 24/7 mode with these settings

 

[sneekypeet]

seems your GTL's are out of spec for a DFI.

Have a look here to see if correctly setting them to the VTT setting helps any.
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/hardware/3203-dfi-bios-guide-intel-chipset-based-motherboards-2.html

try:
90 NB GTL ref.
110 0/3 ref.
120 1/2 ref.

 

[waldis]

>> seems your GTL's are out of spec for a DFI.
if you are talking about my situation, I could only say your version of values are not suitable,
OCCT reboots the computer in the first minute of working

GTL parameters should be choosed according to other voltages,
in my case all GTL values are much lower, about 60,
and only with them I can get the stable system without need to overvoltage everything

 

[sneekypeet]

>> seems your GTL's are out of spec for a DFI.
if you are talking about my situation, I could only say your version of values are not suitable,
OCCT reboots the computer in the first minute of working

GTL parameters should be choosed according to other voltages,
in my case all GTL values are much lower, about 60,
and only with them I can get the stable system without need to overvoltage everything

Was directed at the OP sorry for the confusion.

 

[waldis]

I'm testing stability now with CPU VID 1.15v, VTT 1.17v, NB 1.3v, CPU Clock 419 (multi 8.5, 3.56 ghz)

(mobo: dfi lp lt p35-t2r, cpu: q9550 E0)

 

[scope54]

your lucky i cant get mine to post past 400, not stable past 390

 

[waldis]

>> i cant get mine to post past 400, not stable past 390
on the same mobo?

please post here all of your bios settings completely, like in the first post, maybe I'll can help,
for the first times i also had big problems with this mobo, all i can say it doesn't like e0 quads too much

 

[EnglishLion]

It must a motherboard issue if you're all having similar problems on the same board. I have a Q9550 on an X38 board and can reach 435*8.5 without any problems at all.

So I would check for an motherboard BIOS updates and look at motherboard related settings. skews and timings and the like.

 

[overclocking101]

I would buy a new board personally, DFI boards are not for new ocers or the faint at heart that said, what is your PLL set to? Also your VTT looks a bit high, but I am not running a 45nm quad I'm running a Q6600

 

[erocker]

I would buy a new board personally, DFI boards are not for new ocers or the faint at heart that said, what is your PLL set to? Also your VTT looks a bit high, but I am not running a 45nm quad I'm running a Q6600

Not true. They use different terminology in their bios but it's really no different than your Asus board. I've owned both, once you understand what each setting does it's the same.