Cannot overclock a core quad
Cannot overclock a core quad
I frequently increase my Q9550 overclocking and consistently return to 2.83 help. I have a top-notch cooling setup with a Hyper 212 EVO and a custom fan around the case. I'm aiming for an overclock of 3.7. My current specs are: CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550, motherboard GA G41 MT ESPEL Rev 1.3, RAM DDR3 1333 MHz, GPU GTX 710, power supply 220 watts. Later plans include upgrading the PSU to 450 watts and adding a GTX 1050 Ti. I can adjust the overclock range between 200 to 1200 x 8.5.
According to BFG-9000, the output should be directed to 340 FSB, resulting in a frequency of 2.89Ghz.
Your motherboard might not support the level of overclocking you're trying.
Your power supply is running low on capacity.
The Q9550 model features a multiplier of 8.5, with a default setting of 8.5 x 333FSB equaling 2.83Ghz.
To achieve higher speeds, you'll need to increase the FSB. A 435 FSB is required for 3.7Ghz. It's unlikely a G41 board can reach that.
Your motivation might be misplaced—this system's weakest component is the GT 710.
For gaming performance, CPU overclocking won't make much difference.
The G41 chipset usually reaches around 340MHz FSB for most users since there isn’t a more flexible strap to push it higher. This gives you a potential speed of 8.5 x 340FSB, which isn’t particularly impressive. A stronger multiplier chip with a 800 or 1066 bus would be better suited for overclocking.
I also noticed the 3-phase VRM on the GA-G41M-ES2L isn’t ideal for high-performance gaming rigs—when I installed a Q6700 at 3.4GHz with 145w, it quickly damaged a MOSFET during IntelBurnTest. After replacing the MOSFET, the system ran smoothly at 3.33GHz with 135w for an entire day and has lasted over eight years.
You could push the system to around 3.7GHz using a Pentium E5200-E5800 or E6500-E6800, which offer multipliers between 11 to 16x, though these are dual-core only and would draw about 85w.
If you’re mainly playing older games that don’t rely heavily on shaders (which this setup is designed for), the GT710 performs just as well as a GT720 or Kepler GT730, and even better than the Fermi GT730. However, the 1050Ti might be too restrictive, potentially limiting FPS gains despite possible 4x supersampling performance.
BFG-9000 :
The G41 chipset usually reaches around 340MHz FSB, which isn’t enough for higher speeds without a tighter strap. This limits you to about 8.5 x 340FSB = 2.89GHz, which isn’t impressive. A stronger multiplier chip with a 800 or 1066 bus would be better for overclocking.
I also noticed the 3-phase VRM on the GA-G41M-ES2L isn’t ideal for power-hungry systems. I installed a Q6700 at 3.4GHz and 145w, which caused a MOSFET failure during IntelBurnTest. After replacing it, the system ran smoothly at 3.33GHz with 135w for a full day, lasting 8 years.
You could push up to 3.7GHz using a Pentium E5200-E5800 or E6500-E6800, which have higher multipliers (11 to 16x), though they’re dual-core and only about 85w.
If you’re just playing older games with minimal shaders, the GT710 performs comparably to the GT720 or Kepler GT730, and even faster than the Fermi GT730. However, 1050Ti would be severely limited, possibly not improving FPS at all, though it could run 4x supersampling without loss.
I own a dual-core E8500 @3.26GHz on a G41MT-S2P with 6GB DDR3 dual-channel RAM, and I’m aiming for 4.5GHz using a Gigabyte G41MT and 7-7-7-21 timings. Someone claimed they achieved the same CPU and reached 4.5GHz on their system.
Is it feasible to hit that frequency? 😀
No, this seems unrealistic. On G41 components require boosting MCH and Term voltages, then adjusting PCIe speeds to reach 350FSB which would only provide about 3.33GHz. The power consumption of around 180w for two 45nm cores is unlikely with such a weak VRM. Why struggle against the FSB limits? A P45 or G45 board can easily run dual-core at 500FSB daily, and it would include a southbridge with AHCI support.
Gigabyte2020 :
BFG-9000 :
The G41 chipset usually reaches around 340MHz FSB, which isn’t enough for higher speeds without a tighter strap. This limits you to about 8.5 x 340FSB = 2.89GHz, which isn’t impressive. A stronger multiplier chip with an 800 or 1066 bus would be better for overclocking.
I also noticed the 3-phase VRM on the GA-G41M-ES2L isn’t ideal for power-hungry systems. I installed a Q6700 at 3.4GHz and 145w, which caused a MOSFET failure during IntelBurnTest. After fixing it, the 3.33GHz 135w setup could run IntelBurnTest all day without issues, even after eight years.
You could push up to 3.7GHz with a Pentium E5200-E5800 or E6500-E6800, which have higher multipliers (11 to 16x), though they’re only dual-core and would draw around 85w.
If you’re just playing older games that don’t use many shaders (which this system is great for), the GT710 performs comparably to a GT720 or Kepler GT730, and even better than the Fermi GT730. However, 1050Ti might be too slow, possibly limiting FPS gains, but it could still run 4x supersampling without loss.
I own a dual-core E8500 @3.26GHz on a Gigabyte G41MT-S2P with 6GB DDR3 dual-channel RAM. The max I’ve seen is 3.26GHz with 7-7-7-21 timings, and someone claimed they achieved the same CPU speed with a G41MT-ES2L.
So, can you reach that frequency? 😊
Start a new thread please.
BFG-9000 :
That sounds totally unrealistic. On G41 you'd need to boost MCH and Term voltages, adjust PCIe speeds, and deal with only 350FSB which would cap performance at around 3.33GHz. Running ~180w across two 45nm cores is simply not feasible with such a weak VRM. Why struggle against the FSB ceiling? A regular P45 or G45 board can easily handle dual-core at 500FSB daily, and would also support a southbridge with AHCI.
I wasn't aware G41 was that restrictive, but all my Core2 overclocking efforts were on P965 before switching to P45. Those P45 and G45 boards are now extremely rare.
I plan to upgrade my PSU and GPU power supplies to 400W and a 1050 Ti GPU. I don’t want to modify my motherboard, so I aim to get a high-end one with at least 32 GB RAM and an Intel i5 processor that can handle upgrades. In the BIOS, I can adjust the voltage settings.
Only because you can adjust the settings doesn't guarantee success. As mentioned earlier, the motherboard isn't ideal for overclocking.