Question Overclocking 771 Xeon using BSEL mod
Question Overclocking 771 Xeon using BSEL mod
Someone recently provided me with an older Dell T5400 workstation. It features a Xeon E5450 processor running at 3.0 Ghz. As expected from such an outdated chip, the performance isn’t very impressive. I planned to attempt an overclock using the BSEL mod, but it’s challenging to locate details about overclocking a socket 771 Xeon. While there’s ample guidance on transferring it to a 775 motherboard, I was specifically seeking instructions on which pins to cover to achieve a 1600Mhz FSB on a socket 771 motherboard. Anyone have any experience with this kind of OC?
I wouldn't attempt anything with that prebuilt machine. Actually, I'd consider using it as a file server or NAS, or even better, pass it on to someone who could benefit from a machine rather than trying to overclock it on something not built for it. Also, keep in mind the age of the PSU and the heat generated when you overclock—those can cause problems you can easily prevent.
I wanted to share a brief update. I successfully overclocked SetFSB, reaching up to 3.6 GHz on my 3.0 GHz Xeon. However, stability wasn’t perfect—3.55GHz was better but still not fully reliable.
I’m dealing with an odd RAM issue. To overclock, the slots are labeled for 667MHz, yet running DIMMs at that speed causes the overclock to fail at much lower speeds. Since it’s a Dell machine, I can’t just adjust the BIOS settings directly. Instead, I’m using 2x533MHz DIMMs to reduce the base speed of the memory bus. The 533MHz units run extremely hot—around 90°C unless I crank up the fans significantly.
I tried changing the FSB ratio via SetFSB to use standard 667MHz DIMMs, but I’m unsure if that’s feasible. Anyone know how to adjust the memory ratio in SetFSB so it works with regular 667MHz DIMMs?