Nick, and other knowledgeable folks, I need some assistance in getting the most out of a new system build. While I am not a total noob to overclocking its clear there are others like yourself that know more than I do. I am hoping you'll be able to assist me through the process.First off I have the machine up and running and am finishing off downloading all of the updates and patches to my software. I am in a remote location and suffer from very slow internet bandwidth.Here is what I am working with:Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 Motherboard Bios Version F4 (F5 is rumored to brick your system)Intel Quad Core 9650 3 GHz processor4 gigs (2x2gigs) of OCZ Reaper DDR3 1800 ram Windows Vista 64bit HP300 GB Velociraptor HDFoxconn OC'd 8800GTX Graphics 178.13 DriversX-Fi Sound CardBuilt in an X Clio Wind tunnel Case with a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler and Artic Silver.While not a blistering set up, these are solid components and I am hoping to be able to achieve a good stable 4 GHz OC.A couple of quick questions first it

hmmmmmmRobertI cant walk you through a complete overclock. Thats something you are going to need to learnI just do not have the time however I can make some suggestions.I suggest the OCZ Vendetta2 for the CPU cooler and not the Xigmatek Be aware... OCZ products are Micron memory chips and they are known for instability with x38 and x48 chipsets at 2x2GB and above in high clocks. Sometimes you get lucky with the board and the manufacture did a good job with components and BIOS however the micron line of chips are known for 'ring' and noise issues on those chipset and can force a user to trim in GTL+ voltage, VTT and SKEW, something an inexpereinced user will find quite difficult and can be dangerous messing with VTTCorsair products are using SAMSUNG chips which are a bit more stable with high DRR3 FSB clocking. I am not saying the OCZ product is bad however the noise issues with Micron chips are quite realYou may want to inquire in the OCZ forums about your intended board and memory purchase.. see if they may have worked with Gig on those and if you can expect any tweaking issues.You can review overclocking with OCZ products in this section of Tonys clubhouse at OCZ. Tony works with Asus and Gigabyte on beta BIOS problems in order to assist them with tweaking their BIOS code so he is probably the best source of clocking and setting up on the net...http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/fo...splay.php?f=122You should be able to locate most of the tech info about clocking your products in subjects posted in that link above.. and if all else fails, Tony can assist you in the OCZ forum.In a clock you are looking for 450-463Mhz FSB, 333 CPU STRAP, DDR3 1800 tRD 6 (or 7 max) at CAS 8

Nick,Thanks for the link and all of the posts you have made in the past. I have been able to learn from them and here's an update on my OC...I have the machine stable at 3.8Ghz could not reach a stable 450FSB (Well it's probably possible but I dont think I'm capable of tweaking it any more) I turned off all of the power saving portions in the boards bios as well as C1E and EIST as well as Vanderpool VT (as per your directions as well as a very good Bios artical in Maximum PC)I think my real weakness was understanding the advanced timing features for the memory portion of this Gigabyte board but, I found another good article from Overclocker.net which explained in detail. It even had some example settings for a 400 and 450fsb OC for my board using a QX9650.I got my memory at 8-8-8-25 1T tried setting the tCL at 7 but could not pass prime95.All voltages and temps are below your max recomendations. I let Prime95 run overnight with no errors in the morning.One thing for certain...I now understand 1st hand what you quad guys were talking about when it comes to loading the sceenery more smoothly. I'm now a firm believer that FSX is not just about FPS. There's no doubt that this machine beats up on my old Dual Core E6700 I had clocked at 3.2Ghz, however; I didn't slam the sliders to the right, just a few ticks here and there. Yes, I picked up a few FPS but it was nothing to crow/rave about. Yet the sim just looks a feels so much more fluid. Heavy cloud layers being generated by ASX use to pop in and out of view somtimes just disapearing and re-apearing at will, now they're butter smooth into and out of focus. I run alot of additional programs like your own GEX,UTX and I am enjoying my FSX experience very much. I am glad I upgraded now as this machine should get me through the inital fielding of Nelly. Thank You Again,Robert

I would think that board would do 450. I would have to download the manual and review the BIOS, then walk though changes to see where the problem sits and as I mentioned I really do not have a lot of time right now. I just wrapped up helping 2 others get setup and I am falling behind in my own work.As mentioned, those OCZ sticks can be a bit tricky and its all about higher FSB... the higher you go the more you need to understand how to deal with it on micron memory sticks. With Samsung chips the ring issues with the chipsets do not seem to be a problem making the Corsair products a bit more plug-n-go in higher DDR3 clocking.As for FSX... I see no reason why you can not be running these settings, minus AL and GA traffic at 30%, cars at 8% with UTX, 10-12% without and possibly autogen reduced to 3/4 slider http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_post...D=149607#149607and use Nhancer with these settingshttp://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_post...D=156769#156769I still use the 174.74 beta drivers and have not found one yet that works better however YMMV

No problem, thanks for the help. I may try loosening up the memory and then try stabilizing the CPU/FSB at 450 then re-tighten the memory settings. I had it up and running at 4Ghz using the auto feature settings for voltage and memory but it was juicing the CPU with 1.55v so I shut re-booted and clamped it at 1.4v but it would blue screen on me at that point.I am sure there is a combination that is both safe and stable but it might be beyond my ability at this point.Incedently do you run DX10? I tried using it early on (bought into the hype) but have not tried again in almost a year I wonder if it has matured any?Thanks Again for the link to nHancer I have heard about it but never used it I plan on setting up my own benchmark run using Fraps to find out wich set of video drivers works best on my system.Robert