E4300 overclocking with EVGA 680i motherboard

Some results from my overclocking attempt with
CPU: E4300 default CPU
Core voltage: 1.3250 v
Motherboard: EVGA 680i
Memory: 2 X 1 GByte Patriot PDC22G8500ELK R (PC8500)
Intel boxed retail heatsink/fan
Room ambient temperature: 26 C

Memory Bus: 1200 MHz
CPU clock : Memory clock ratio 1:2
Memory voltage 2.30 v
Memory timing: 3 - 3 - 3 - 8 2T
_____

CPU Speed: 2.7 GHz
FSB Speed: 1200 MHz
CPU Core voltage: 1.25000 set, 1.21 v reported in BIOS 'System Monitor'
page
** Stable with Orthos small FFTs
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CPU Speed: 3.15 GHz
FSB Speed: 1400 MHz
CPU Core voltage: 1.4000 v set, 1.36 v reported in BIOS 'System Monitor'
page
** Stable with Orthos 'Blend'
_____

CPU Speed: 3.33 GHz
FSB Speed: 1480 MHz
CPU Core voltage: 1.51250 v set, 1.48 v reported in BIOS 'System Monitor'
page
** Halts with Orthos 'Blend' when CPU temperature passes ~ 65 C
_____

CPU Speed: 3.375 GHz
FSB Speed: 1500 MHz
CPU Core voltage: 1.54375 v set, 1.50 v reported in BIOS 'System Monitor'
page
**** Halts with Orthos 'Blend' when CPU temperature passes ~ 65 C
_____
_____

When higher CPU speeds are selected, keeping the CPU Core voltage set at
1.54375 v the system hangs either during 'Loading personal preferences' or
during Windows boot up, or the BIOS POST fails.

For the particular E4300 I have, 2.7 GHz at 1.2500 v Core voltage set, 1.21
v reported seems to be the sweet spot. Better than stock cooling would be
necessary for 3.15 GHz and above, possibly water cooling. Since an E6600
with air cooling would cost less than an E4300 with water cooling, that
might be better bang for the buck. At any rate, I will install water
cooling just to see what benefit that offers.

An E4300 with a lower default CPU Core voltage than mine (1.3250 v) could be
a better overclocker with stock cooling.

Below are two sets of memory benchmarks from SiSoft Sandra Lite
2007.5.11.35.
____________________________________

SiSoft Sandra Lite version 2007.5.11.35
FSB: 1200 MHz
CPU: 2.7 GHz
Memory Bus: 600 MHz
CPU Clock : Memory Clock rato 1:1
Memory Timings: 3-3-3-8 1T

Memory Latency Benchmark
Random
Access: 80 ns
Speed Factor 71.0
64 MByte Range: 79.6 ns (214.9 clocks)

Linear
Access: 11 ns
Speed Factor: 9.5
64 MByte Range: 10,7 ns, 29.0 clocks)

Memory Bandwidth Benchmark
Integer Buffered iSSE2: 6009 MB/sec
Float Buffered iSSE2: 5996 MB/sec
Bandwidth Efficiency: 63%
Maximum Bus Bandwidth: 9600 MB/sec

Cache and Memory Benchmark
Combined Index: 17033 MB/sec
Speed Factor: 52.2

_____________________________________

SiSoft Sandra Lite version 2007.5.11.35
FSB: 1200 MHz
CPU: 2.7 GHz
Memory Bus: 1200 MHz
CPU Clock : Memory Clock ratio 1:2
Memory Timings: 3-3-3-8 2T

Memory Latency Benchmark (lower is better)
Random
Access: 65 ns
Speed Factor 57.3
64 MByte Range: 64.8 ns, (174.9 clocks)

Linear
Access: 10 ns
Speed Factor: 8.5
64 MByte Range: 9.5 ns, 25.7 clocks)
__

Memory Bandwidth Benchmark (higher is better)
Integer Buffered iSSE2: 6503 MB/sec
Float Buffered iSSE2: 6498 MB/sec
Bandwidth Efficiency: 68%
Maximum Bus Bandwidth: 9600 MB/sec
__

Cache and Memory Benchmark
Combined Index: 20574 MB/sec (higher is better)
Speed Factor: 33.1 (lower is better)
_____
_____

The Memory timings of 3 - 3 -3 - 8 are too agressive at 1200 MHz Memory Bus
(1:2 CPU Clock : Memory Clock ratio), but I did manage to run the
benchmarks. The results do show an advantage for running memory at higher
speeds.

nTune continues to be fairly useless, Nvidia Monitor reports only a fraction
of the information reported by the BIOS 'System Monitor' page. I have had
some success using CPUCool, Wolfram Podien who produces CPUCool has made
some recent (last two days) that allow correct reporting of
CPU Frequency

CPU Temperature

System (board) Temperature

Chipset (MCP) Temperature

CPU Fan: 1795 RPM (same value as reported by Nvidia Monitor)

CPU Core Voltage

+ 3.3 V

+ 5 V is reported incorrectly

+ 12 V is reported incorrectly

The BIOS 'System Monitor' page reports four fans that CPUCool (modified)
does not:

AUX Fan

nForce Fan

Chassis Fan

Chassis Fan 2.

The BIOS 'System Monitor' page reports four voltages that CPUCool (modified)
does not:

CPU FSB voltage

Memory voltage

+ 3.3 Dual

Vbat.



The difficulty in reporting is that the nVidia 680i reference motherboards
use the Winbond W83627DHG IO/system monitor chip and Winbond does not have
the data sheet on its website. You can request a W83627DHG data sheet, but
so far, after a week, I have received no reply.



Phil Weldon