- Joined
- Oct 24, 2003
Well Ive been posting this a lot so I decided to just make a thread 
What is the most important thing you have to do after ocing your new cpu ? make sure your system is fully stable !
How to:
First: test ram using memtest86 or memtest86+ (both do pretty much the same thing); links http://www.memtest86.com/ and http://www.memtest.org/
(run loops for a few hours)
Second: test your cpu using prime95 (best to run small FFTs for a few hours)
you can download it at http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
note: if you have a cpu with HT (800 and 1066fsb cpus) or a dual core or a dual cpu system you need to run two instances of prime95 (small FFTs) to fully test your system
how to run a second instance: click start>run>cmd>cd program files>cd prime95>prime95.exe -a1
or create a second shortcut for prime95 and modify its target to prime95.exe -a1
note2: for dual cores and duals it is recommended to set affinity manually
how to: go to advanced>affinity>set each instance to a different cpu ID
addon: some people also recommend running loops of pcmark04/05 for testing dual core cpus
where to dl: http://www.futuremark.com/download/
Other things to keep in mind: always monitor your cpu temps, check the datasheet for your cpu and try to keep the cpu load temps at least 5-10deg less than the max value (for ex: northwoods have a max of 69-70deg C)
also try to monitor psu voltages, one of the most common stability issues with heavily overclocked systems is caused by psus that cant supply the required power
how to: some software tools (see "useful soft" below) will show psu voltages (3.3v/5v/12v)
IMO you shouldnt let any of them deviate by more than 5% (my personal preference is 2-3%)
Useful soft:
Mbm5 http://mbm.livewiredev.com/ - great monitoring tool, however no longer updated so it doesnt support some of the newer motherboards
Everest http://www.lavalys.com/ - also a very good monitoring/info tool
Speedfan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php - yet another good monitoring tool
Cpuz http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php - probably the most well known tool for checking cpu speed/fsb/ram speed etc
Benches:
3DMark and PCMark http://www.futuremark.com/download/
Aquamark http://download.guru3d.com/aquamark3/
see www.guru3d.com > downloads > benchmarks for many others
if Im forgetting something please let me know
Hope this was helpful
Dan
What is the most important thing you have to do after ocing your new cpu ? make sure your system is fully stable !
How to:
First: test ram using memtest86 or memtest86+ (both do pretty much the same thing); links http://www.memtest86.com/ and http://www.memtest.org/
(run loops for a few hours)
Second: test your cpu using prime95 (best to run small FFTs for a few hours)
you can download it at http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
note: if you have a cpu with HT (800 and 1066fsb cpus) or a dual core or a dual cpu system you need to run two instances of prime95 (small FFTs) to fully test your system
how to run a second instance: click start>run>cmd>cd program files>cd prime95>prime95.exe -a1
or create a second shortcut for prime95 and modify its target to prime95.exe -a1
note2: for dual cores and duals it is recommended to set affinity manually
how to: go to advanced>affinity>set each instance to a different cpu ID
addon: some people also recommend running loops of pcmark04/05 for testing dual core cpus
where to dl: http://www.futuremark.com/download/
Other things to keep in mind: always monitor your cpu temps, check the datasheet for your cpu and try to keep the cpu load temps at least 5-10deg less than the max value (for ex: northwoods have a max of 69-70deg C)
also try to monitor psu voltages, one of the most common stability issues with heavily overclocked systems is caused by psus that cant supply the required power
how to: some software tools (see "useful soft" below) will show psu voltages (3.3v/5v/12v)
IMO you shouldnt let any of them deviate by more than 5% (my personal preference is 2-3%)
Useful soft:
Mbm5 http://mbm.livewiredev.com/ - great monitoring tool, however no longer updated so it doesnt support some of the newer motherboards
Everest http://www.lavalys.com/ - also a very good monitoring/info tool
Speedfan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php - yet another good monitoring tool
Cpuz http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php - probably the most well known tool for checking cpu speed/fsb/ram speed etc
Benches:
3DMark and PCMark http://www.futuremark.com/download/
Aquamark http://download.guru3d.com/aquamark3/
see www.guru3d.com > downloads > benchmarks for many others
if Im forgetting something please let me know
Hope this was helpful
Dan
