Processor and Memory Overclocking Question

[Hack&Lube]

I'm looking at getting a new computer and I might be able to get an intel E6750 CPU and I'm wondering about my ram options.

I'm a little confused here, the CPU runs at 2.66GHz with 1333MHz FSB (333MHz x 8) but the motherboard I am looking at only supports DDR2 667/800. Do I double these numbers to see what FSB the system is capable of? If I got a set of ram that was DDR2 800 (Why is this called PC2-6400??? So confusing), could I run 400MHz x 8 = 3.2GHz effectively?

I used to be into all this years ago but I haven't bought a new system for 3-4 years so I am still stuck in the AMD64 and DDR1 era where things seemed simpler.

[Traditional_Ale]

Why do you need to overclock?

[Cliche]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I'm looking at getting a new computer and I might be able to get an intel E6750 CPU and I'm wondering about my ram options.

I'm a little confused here, the CPU runs at 2.66GHz with 1333MHz FSB (333MHz x 8) but the motherboard I am looking at only supports DDR2 667/800. Do I double these numbers to see what FSB the system is capable of? If I got a set of ram that was DDR2 800 (Why is this called PC2-6400??? So confusing), could I run 400MHz x 8 = 3.2GHz effectively?

I used to be into all this years ago but I haven't bought a new system for 3-4 years so I am still stuck in the AMD64 and DDR1 era where things seemed simpler.

Pc2-6400 is an indication of it's total bandwidth as with the tricks they do with clock generation can result in more data being passed per tick than usual.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/24...verclock-guide

Yes you will have to fiddle with the dram/fsb ratio so that it runs a 1:1 clock in order to get 400mhz fsb.

as a rough guide, halving the ddr2-667/800 number will give you the reference clock speed generated by the board.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Why do you need to overclock?

Because I want the best performance for my dollars? Why buy a 3.2GHz processor when I can buy a 2.66GHz one and run it at the higher speed? I haven't owned a computer that I haven't tried to overclock since my 386 (unless you count the Turbo button lol).

The problem is that everytime I buy a computer, I read up and then forget about it all as new hardware comes out 2-3 years later and it's all new and different and I'm lost again.

[cal_guy]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I'm looking at getting a new computer and I might be able to get an intel E6750 CPU and I'm wondering about my ram options.

I'm a little confused here, the CPU runs at 2.66GHz with 1333MHz FSB (333MHz x 8) but the motherboard I am looking at only supports DDR2 667/800. Do I double these numbers to see what FSB the system is capable of? If I got a set of ram that was DDR2 800 (Why is this called PC2-6400??? So confusing), could I run 400MHz x 8 = 3.2GHz effectively?

I used to be into all this years ago but I haven't bought a new system for 3-4 years so I am still stuck in the AMD64 and DDR1 era where things seemed simpler.

Short answer yes as long you set your DRAM ratio as 1:1 or DDR667 in your motherboard bios. Any reason why your getting an E6750 since it's a two year old processor?

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by cal_guy

Short answer yes as long you set your DRAM ratio as 1:1 or DDR667 in your motherboard bios. Any reason why your getting an E6750 since it's a two year old processor?

Friend has one sitting on a shelf collecting dust. I figured I would start with it and upgrade further later.

[Vulcan]

I have a 6750 and I first had DDR2 800 ram. IIRC I could easily over clock to 3.2 GHz using this ram. It's a 2 GB Corsair 6400 C4 kit with timings of 4-4-4-12. If I loosen the timings to 5-5-5-15, I can take it to 3.6 or even 3.8 GHz at a 1 to 1 ratio but things get hot. On my board I just set the ram to 667 and as I raise the clock the ram goes up in sync. You may also have to raise the ram voltage from default 1.8 to 2.1. So yes, get the DDR2 800.

I've since replaced this ram with a 4 GB kit. When I install Windows 7 64 bit, I'll add the old 2 GB kit.