E8400 + Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 starting OC

[no1knows]

Thanks capper. Does it sound like i've got a pretty dud chip? If others are able to get 400 on stock voltages, and I cant even get there on 1.35?
I did have a play with the other voltages, it didn't seem to make much difference, any advice on the FSB voltage? any use +0.1v-ing it?
Could this be a power issue at all, or is it unlikely if it runs stable at 390?

[screwballl]

An option:
I would double check to make sure the memory multiplier is set to 2.0 instead of Auto, it sounds like it is trying to use something higher and may have been reset on the last failed OC... the Auto is likely set to 2.4 (333 x 2.4 = ~800MHz).
390 x 2.4 Memory Multiplier = 936MHz which is likely close to max (or over) for the memory you have (my 1066 can go just shy of 1200).
390 x 2.0 = 780 which is 20MHz under your default memory speed. If this is the case then I suspect Capper has it right with Voltages or there may be another setting in there somewhere causing it to top out where it is...

Also what version BIOS do you have? have you updated it at all? [edit] nevermind I see you added it to your specs, the latest version is the F3e for your board[/edit]

I wonder if the EP35C being a combo DDR2/3 board has a lower OC limit than the dedicated DDR2 based boards??

edit#2: I suspect that you may not be able to get much higher because the system memory multiplier will not go below 2.0... In order to get 4GHz, you will need 444 (bus) x 9 (multiplier) = 3996Mhz... which puts your memory at 888MHz which it may or may not do. You can't lower the multiplier because to get 4GHz, you will need to go to 500 x 8 which puts your memory at 1000MHz.
Now I hear that the EP35C using the F3e BIOS has a 9.5x CPU multiplier option... which means 421 x 9.5 and memory at 842MHz, very possible.

[no1knows]

Thanks screwball, i'll double check, i've forgotten the memory multiplier a couple of times when it has reset. I have bios version F3E (newest on the gigabyte site)... where did you get F3N?
I'll keep tinkering in the meantime... this 390 seems stable (now almost an hour) at 1.35... si i'll push it a bit more.

[drew and not u]

What do you have your Northbridge voltage set at?

[screwballl]

F3n is for the EP35-DS3P (not the "C" version that you have)... and I edited my post above...

I suspect that you may not be able to get much higher because the system memory multiplier will not go below 2.0... In order to get 4GHz, you will need 444 (bus) x 9 (multiplier) = 3996Mhz... which puts your memory at 888MHz which it may or may not do. You can't lower the multiplier because to get 4GHz, you will need to go to 500 x 8 which puts your memory at 1000MHz.
Now I hear that the EP35C using the F3e BIOS has a 9.5x CPU multiplier option... which means 421 x 9.5 and memory at 842MHz, very possible.

[no1knows]

MCH is default at the moment... my memory multiplier was on auto, must have forgotten to set it back at 2 the last time it reset - now running at 400mhz, Otheros is burning away.
screwball, from what i've read the 9.5 doesn't actually affect the CPU speed, it just reverts back to 9... (see here).

[edit] were i to get a new 4GB set of ram, what would you guys recommend? [/edit]

[screwballl]

if you want 4GHz, then get DDR2-1066 or DDR3-1200 (or better)

ok I checked a few other places online and see that the E8400 will not go over 9 with these EP35C boards

[no1knows]

Ok i'll look into it, perhaps wait until ddr3 comes down a bit in price and be happy at 3.8Ghz or so for now :)
thanks for all the help guys, i'll carry on tinkering.

[drew and not u]

Asus>all

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by screwballl

if you want 4GHz, then get DDR2-1066 or DDR3-1200 (or better)

ok I checked a few other places online and see that the E8400 will not go over 9 with these EP35C boards

The E8400 max ratio is 9, so no luck going over that and trying 9.5, it will only revert back to 9.
With DDR800, you're better off trying something like 9x 445 and loosening the memory timings to bring it to 900MHz. It's nothing impossible with a decent kit of memory.