Overclocked Dell Optiplex 960
Overclocked Dell Optiplex 960
Hello everyone,
I managed to increase the clock speed of an Optiplex 960 using setFSB.
Details of the build:
- Core 2 Quad Q6600 (originally 2.4ghz, successfully reached 3.0ghz)
- 2gb DDR2 RAM (planning to add another 2gb later)
- ATI Radeon x300 SE (intending to replace it)
- Windows XP SP3
- PLL: CV184-2APAG
- Base clock with overclock: 335.0 mHz
- Memory frequency: 501.3 mHz
- CPU frequency: 3007.68mHz
No changes were made to the PCIe bus speed.
The FSB was increased sufficiently to achieve the 3.0ghz target, and Prime95 has run smoothly for at least ten minutes without issues.
Any suggestions on tips for this setup? For instance, what should I consider regarding RAM speeds to prevent instability? Could adjusting the PCIe bus speed help performance?
I just tested this overclock purely for fun, assembling it with some components I had. Temperatures stayed around 43°C across all cores. I swapped out the original heatsink for a taller, heavier one from an old XPS 410.
I also experimented with another Core 2 Duo, but only reached about 100mHz before it froze.
Anyone have advice? This is my first successful overclock attempt.
You do realize that that's a paradox you're in, right?
1.2375v isn't bad for that stepping
and that chip. With all that you have to work with, I'd say that you're fine but for prolonged use that system will just die down or blow up(take your pick). At the end of the day it's going to be a fun experiment but one that won't net you any notable gains since the current gen GPU's will all be bottlenecked while you're limited by the power outputted by the bundled proprietary PSU.
System's with much better components broke a sweat overclocking the Q6600 with top tier components so I wouldn't be surprised if your off the shelf prebuilt(and used)...
Because the prebuilt workstation grade system from Dell lacks heatsinks near the CPU socket, the main challenge will be insufficient cooling for the power delivery area. Honestly, is this system worth keeping? If yes, you might try increasing the PCIe bus frequency beyond 100, but this could lead to further issues and potentially damage your board. You may also need to upgrade your voltages. For a 4GB RAM setup, a 64-bit OS architecture would be necessary so the system can properly handle it. It’s worth checking if you’re running the latest BIOS as well.
The voltage remains consistent with the processor's stock level, as I couldn't change it. It reads 1.238V according to CPUZ. I changed only the FSB speed using setFSB. Windows XP was installed temporarily to test possible overclocking limits. After testing, I reached up to 3GHz without freezing and it remained stable. The BIOS is up to date (A18). I'm wondering if this CPU throttles or why it fluctuates from 2GHz all the way up to 3GHz that I overclocked.
I believe you're referring to Intel's Speedstep technology. If the system isn't under load, the processor switches to a lower power mode with a reduced frequency. What other applications have you tried to stress this newly overclocked machine? You can also use Intel Burn Test, though these are more synthetic stress tests and won't replicate real gaming conditions. On the other hand, it's been observed that systems that have passed multiple IBT runs and Prime95 tests often fail after playing just a few chapters of a game.
This raises the question: are you doing this for enjoyment, to push performance limits, or to create a budget gaming setup?
Using Coretemp, check your processor's VID and its stepping behavior.
It's strange that Speedstep isn't enabled in the BIOS. For stress testing, I ran Prime95 using the blended test. This is mostly for fun, as my HP Z600 is my primary machine. I don't mind risking it, though I'm not too concerned about damaging it. It might be useful for gaming later.
You do realize that that's a paradox you're in, right?
1.2375v isn't bad for that stepping
and that chip. With all that you have to work with, I'd say that you're fine but for prolonged use that system will just die down or blow up(take your pick). At the end of the day it's going to be a fun experiment but one that won't net you any notable gains since the current gen GPU's will all be bottlenecked while you're limited by the power outputted by the bundled proprietary PSU.
System's with much better components broke a sweat overclocking the Q6600 with top tier components so I wouldn't be surprised if your off the shelf prebuilt(and used) Dell OptiPlex vaporizes.
FYI, it's very bad practice to overclock using software. if you must overclock then do so via the BIOS. The lack of this feature in your BIOS is evident that the unit
wasn't meant to be overclocked
.
I really don’t want to disturb this thread, but I own an Nvidia SLI 680i board and plan to attempt overclocking. So far, temperatures are a bit high, and with the standard heatsink I’m around 60°C during a minor boost (about 14 mHz, clock speed now 2430mhz).
I intend to build a functional setup for light gaming, but I’ll need a better heatsink—currently I’m holding back on upgrades.