Is this a reasonable Test for a mid grade PSU

[badarthur]

As you can tell im running a mid grade set up with a high grade cpu. everything is just mid grade the P5k MB the Vid card the ram the drives and the psu and that's the deal. Im running a Antec Trupower 2.0 550wat dual 12volt rail psu that I bought last year for over a hundred and I thought it was a very good psu, well last year it was.

 

What I want to know is if I unhook every thing but the MB,HS fan,Video card. and the boot drive,will I get better wattage or voltage to the CPU? I mean the duall rail 12 volt rail's are rated at 19wat's and Im wondering if I lessen the overall load is there a chance that Ill get better performance to the psu?

 

Come to think of it I started this deal because after installing a 8800GTS video card I started having insability problem's on my DFI MB I even clocked down the psu to get that stability back. I know im going to have to buy something to fix this deal but I'm wondering if my video card is causing more of the problem than the new psu? what do you think guy's is this test worth a shot? [Judge]BadArthur

[CPDMF]

Disconnecting everything is a good start at trying to identify if and where a problem exists. Do you have a voltmeter to test voltage from the PSU while loaded?

 

What kind of stability problems are you having. Prime/Ortho's failures, 3D apps crashing to the desktop. The more details the better.

 

What settings are you using? Do you know the stepping of your CPU etc etc..

[badarthur]

OK im failing prime 95 ver 24 or 5 the one that test's the quad cpu's I only got up to 3.3 at 9X376fsb at1.5375 cpu volts. To get to 3.4 i had to set it over 1.6 volts to get to the point where p95 would run a few set's before it errored out. Im just not comfortable setting the cpu voltage over 1.6 thats just to high. the 550 psu is probubly the colpret im also useing the cpu-z and the pc-probe and they are saying that instead of like the 1.5375 that I set it to in the bio's I see 1.472in boath program's why is that? And no I dont have a volte meter and Ill get my setting's in hear in a copple hour's or so if I can.

Sorry I lnow everybody need's info for this stuff. BA

[wevsspot]

BA,

 

Based on my research and reading, you aren't going to get a Q6600 running really stable at anything above 3.0-3.2ghz, no matter what your power supply situation is. The new X38 chipset may offer a better overclocking experience on the quad cores once it's finally released, but for now the overclocking ability of the 975X and P35 chipsets used in conjunction with quad core processors is just so so.

[Coors]

I've seen posts of people taking them upwards of 3.8ghz. Quite a few people on this forum as well. As far as I know the P35 chipset is pretty good at clocking quads.

[badarthur]

yeah that is what has got me thinking what's the deal hear. I see these other guy's doing 3.6 and 3.8 on other posts in the Ocing gallery and Im looking to be in that number. Modestly like a 3.5 mabey But I will admit to anybody listening that if I spend the buck's for a newer psu and I dont get a better clock Im going to be really disappointed, So Big Deal. I may not have the right equipment but that can change. It may take a new MB or something else Im up for that. If this cpu pisses me off I may buy a whole new cpu. it wouldn't be my first one just because it's my first intell. I had a bad day today-now Im going to spend some money. BA

 

EDIT_I just bought the psu Hit and Run suggested and 2more gig of ram that CPDMF suggested So far I have gotten some really good suggestion's from people on this forum and I have listened to them. even if 3.3 is the wall that im on with this cpu it is a monster and with 4 gig of ram I think that will put it where I want to be. My games are amazing and Im pretty happy with the way thing's are going I have just had a bad day and am getting over it. BA

[Coors]

What kind of cooling are you using? Cause most of the 3.6-3.8ghz OC's are more than likely on water cooling.

[CPDMF]

where did you get the CPU from and what was the stepping?

[badarthur]

really cheap air just to start with I may be doing the Monsoon or other Tec Air combos as soon as I get all the other stuff worked out. Im not really having a temp problem. My power supply is not producing stable nonfluctuating power mabey because I ran it on a lighter weight system for over a year before and it's like burnt in. I honestly think that It cant handle that 8800GTS i started having trouble right after I put it in. BA

 

EDIT for CPDMF I got it from Micro center the stepping is B and the revishion is GO the last 5 lette's on the product code is SLACR it is truly a good one. as far as I know

[wevsspot]

I've seen posts of people taking them upwards of 3.8ghz. Quite a few people on this forum as well. As far as I know the P35 chipset is pretty good at clocking quads.

 

Yes, there are some folks lurking around that are hitting the 3.6 - 3.8ghz range, but about 99.9% of them are using high grade water cooling or w/c+tec to get to those clocks. I see a lot of Swiftech units and custom w/c builds using the Fuzion cpu water block.

 

BA didn't give any indication that he was using anything other than stock cooling in his sig. so I made the assumption that he was on air. So I'll stand by my original observation. His Q6600 will probably be stable at 3.0-3.3ghz with his current cooling solution. The Quad cores put out a ton of heat and need excellent air cooling or adequate water cooling to achieve the 3.6ghz range for stability and 24/7 operation.

 

I'm not debating the robustness of the P35 chipset, it's a great chipset. And I'm not debating the ability of his current m/b to push the Q6600 to it's limit.

 

But in my mind cooling is going to be the biggest constraint right here. Probably followed by needing a more powerful psu.

[badarthur]

Wevssvop Im not disputing your opinion I could care less. Now if your suggesting to me that I upgrde my cooling ok and thank you. Because that is what I get from theses other guy's is suggestion's try this and if that dont get it we will go on and try something else.

 

The opinion's im getting from these other guy's are because they spent the buck's and bought the Kensfield just like I did. It's personal experience not what i have ascertained from the post's of other's. One of the very first thing's that CPDMF told me was that I might have to bump up the cooling on my project to get into the really high OC's from his personal experience. Like when he did it, catch what im saying. I know your just trying to be helpfull but please What we are doing hear is seeing how far you can push a expensive cpu Quad on a cheaper medium grade system. By the time Im done with it it may not be a cheaper medium grade system anymore. But we will have had fun doing it. And not had a single disagreement about it. BA

[badarthur]

I copyed this out of a the overclocking data base and changed the values to fit my configuration. Im sure we will find out where im messing up somware.

 

Ai Overclocking............................ - [Manual]

CPU Ratio Control.......................... - [Manual]

Ratio CMOS Setting......................... - [9]

FSB Strap to North Bridge.................. - [Auto]

FSB Frequency.............................. - [367]

PCIE Frequency............................. - [100]

DRAM Frequency............................. - [DDR2-667MHZ]

DRAM Timing Control........................ - [Manual]

DRAM Command Rate.......................... - [2T]

cas# Latency............................... - [4]

RAS# To cas# Delay......................... - [4]

RAS# Precharge............................. - [4]

RAS# Active Time........................... - [12]

RAS# to RAS# Delay......................... - [Auto]

Row Refresh Cycle Time..................... - [Auto]

Write Recovery Time........................ - [Auto]

Write to Read Delay........................ - [Auto]

Read to Precharge time..................... - [Auto]

DRAM Static Read Control................... - [Auto]

Transaction Booster........................ - [Auto]

Clock Over Charging Mode................... - [Auto]

CPU Spread Specrum......................... - [Disabled]

PCIE Spread Spectrum....................... - [Disabled]

CPU Voltage................................ - [1.5327]

CPU Voltage Reference...................... - [0.63X]

CPU Voltage Damper......................... - [Enabled]

CPU PLL Voltage............................ - [1.50]

DRAM Voltage............................... - [2.2]

FSB Termination Voltage.................... - [Auto]

 

CPU Configuration:

CPU Ratio Control.......................... - [Manual]

Ratio CMOS Setting......................... - [9]

C1E Support................................ - [Disabled]

Max CPUID Value Limit...................... - [inabled]

Vanderpool Technology...................... - [Disabled]

CPU TM Function............................ - [Disabled]

Execute Disable Bit........................ - [Enabled]

 

 

 

 

This is as close as I could get to my updated P5K board was a P5K Deluxe that I had to modify the setting's to what mine are currently showing. Im sure you guy's can find some thing's that I have messed up on. And Thank you. BA