Ubuntu Overclockers

[Iam138]

I have been overclocking for many years but only using Ubuntu (or any Linux distro for that matter) for a few months. Having said that if your an overclocker and use Ubuntu then please feel free to post your specs.

Questions,comments and advice are all welcome and appreciated!

I suggest using a standard format such as Sysinfo to show your specs. Being a noob @ the whole Ubuntu thing any application that you may feel be is better suited please let me know.

I intend to add known overclockers utilities such as stress testing apps, benchmarks etc. that run natively or under Wine to this post so suggestions on those are also needed and welcome.

If your just going to post "overclocking is pointless" or "dangerous" or some such nonsense please keep your comments to yourself. Thank you.

I'll go first.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/mighty_whitey_138/Screenshot-Sysinfo.jpg

[Cochise]

Have you any links and any idea of the gains i could expect with the system spec in my sig

[Gigamo]

My main rig runs an E6600 at 3.4GHz (does 3.7, but no need), and a 8800GTS at 600/1500/1000, for a over a year now.. Been using Ubuntu for a good few months.

[Iam138]

Have you any links and any idea of the gains i could expect with the system spec in my sig

The 3200+ Clawhammer is not known for being a great overclocker. For ideas on it's potential see this link. http://www.hwbot.org/ResultBrowseByProcessor.do?cpuModelId=253

For a comprehensive guide to overclocking S754 see here. http://icrontic.com/articles/overclocking_on_754939_platform

[Cochise]

thanks for the links

[Iam138]

No problem, if you have any specific questions if or when you decide to try your hand @ overclocking feel free to ask me here or come over to extremeoverclocking.com (http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/forumdisplay.php?f=221) that's where I usually am if I am not lurking about here.

[bash]

What I haven't found so far for Ubuntu is tools for testing your system stability after you overclocked your CPU, RAM or GPU. In Windows theres dozen of them specially programmed for this task, but I don't know any for Linux. I tried to google for it but apperently overclocking under linux isn't a much discussed topic.

[~LoKe]

Q6600 @ 3.6GHz (http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9868/sysinfozk9.jpg)

[Iam138]

What I haven't found so far for Ubuntu is tools for testing your system stability after you overclocked your CPU, RAM or GPU. In Windows theres dozen of them specially programmed for this task, but I don't know any for Linux. I tried to google for it but apperently overclocking under linux isn't a much discussed topic.

I to have found this to be a exercise in frustration as well. Orthos Stress Prime will run under wine but stress testing in an emulated windows enviroment really doesn't tell you much. That's the main reason I still keep ******* around, for stress testing,benchmarking and CPU-Z validations.

It seems it is not much discussed indeed. It seems to hold the old and not very accurate stigma that overclocking will damage your components with a lot of people. "overclocking is pointless" or "your CPU will blow up if you do it". I see comments like that all the time in the Linux community.



Q6600 @ 3.6GHz (http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9868/sysinfozk9.jpg)

Very nice LoKe!

[saru411]

hi there. i've had an asus p5w dh for some time running an e6600 with 2x1gb muskin 800mhz ddr2 ram. i have set the fsb to 333 to acheive a 3.oghz overclock but i can not get superpi32 to run. i dl it from here(ftp://pi.super-computing.org/Linux) i do not understand how to run it. please explain how to run this app and also any other stress testing apps you might think are useful. i do not have wine installed and i do not wish to install it unless needed. thanks for the help

[antisocialist]

why is overclocking good?
As far as I know overclocking is crashing your computer (the the point where it freezes, not something stupid like blowing up or something) so that it freezes and needs to be hard restarted to turn on.
I am not asking this to be stupid or annoying or to waste anyones time, but because I am ignorant on this topic, because As far as I know restarting is not a good way to spend time, but I may be missing something.
please inform me xD

[futureproof]

I wouldn't recommend using software to overclock cpu and RAM, it's like throwing a spanner in a running engine. I do all my overclocking in bios except the GPU. I manage to get 3Ghz out of a 95W q6600 on the standard cooler, I added a better cooler to get it up to 3.3. I fixed a fan on the ram too to get it running at over 1000Mhz. I can't wait till I can afford a skulltrail and overclock that beast.

[hhhhhx]

OC'ed just a tiny bit, i just built my system, and im not really to keen of OCing it just yet
http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/4/3/5/t_Screenshot1m_baa80ea.png (http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/4/3/5/f_Screenshot1m_baa80ea.png&srv=img33)

[futureproof]

OC'ed just a tiny bit, i just built my system, and im not really to keen of OCing it just yet
http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/4/3/5/t_Screenshot1m_baa80ea.png (http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/4/3/5/f_Screenshot1m_baa80ea.png&srv=img33)

i bet you use those torrent sites for legal things right :0

[NightwishFan]

I have one of those bios that seems to have no settings at all to change so no OC for me. It has like boot order and set bios password. :(

I need to get a new comp..........

[hhhhhx]

i bet you use those torrent sites for legal things right :0
yep, i need 8 links for the only 3 legal torrents out there :lol:

[Yes]

why is overclocking good?
As far as I know overclocking is crashing your computer (the the point where it freezes, not something stupid like blowing up or something) so that it freezes and needs to be hard restarted to turn on.
I am not asking this to be stupid or annoying or to waste anyones time, but because I am ignorant on this topic, because As far as I know restarting is not a good way to spend time, but I may be missing something.
please inform me xD

Overclocking releases the full potential of your hardware. If you do it right, there's really no risk of crashes (part of the overclocking process is checking every step for stability. If something crashes, you bring it down a bit).

I had my E6550 up to 3 GHz (from 2.33) at one point, but I couldn't really tell the difference so I brought it back down. I might try it again, now that I'm Folding.

[saru411]

Ok, since someone derailed the topic again by asking about how they are a novice about overclocking(google is your friend), I will bring it back. Again I ask, What are some good stress tests to run for OCing my hardware. I already know about memtest and Superpi 32m. I was also wondering if the linux version of Superpi was the 32m version or just the single Superpi calculation. Thanks for your relevant replies!

What I've found that might be useful for others - http://www.overclock.net/ocnix/277938-ocn-linux-distribution.html

[Iam138]

why is overclocking good?
As far as I know overclocking is crashing your computer (the the point where it freezes, not something stupid like blowing up or something) so that it freezes and needs to be hard restarted to turn on.
I am not asking this to be stupid or annoying or to waste anyones time, but because I am ignorant on this topic, because As far as I know restarting is not a good way to spend time, but I may be missing something.
please inform me xD

As mentioned earlier it's a good way if done properly to release the full potential of your rig. To expand on that just a bit it's also a good way to spend not a lot of money on say a cheaper low stock clock CPU and turn it into a screamer. Take both the CPU's on my sig. especially the X2 3600+ Brisbane. At it stock speed it's a bit of a dog but when overclocked an additional 1100Mhz she hums along quite nicely. I payed $45 for that chip at a time when a 6000+ ((3.0GHz) was $150. Of course the 90nm 6000+ has a bit more L2 so it still performs a bit better but well you can do the math. Now if you take my 1212 for example it performs as well as a 6000+ and when I bought it for $115 the 6000+ was $200 again do the math.


Ok, since someone derailed the topic again by asking about how they are a novice about overclocking(google is your friend), I will bring it back. Again I ask, What are some good stress tests to run for OCing my hardware. I already know about memtest and Superpi 32m. I was also wondering if the linux version of Superpi was the 32m version or just the single Superpi calculation. Thanks for your relevant replies!

What I've found that might be useful for others - http://www.overclock.net/ocnix/277938-ocn-linux-distribution.html

Thanks for the contribution saru411. That's a great forum for anyone interested in overclocking as is .extremeoverclocking.com (http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/index.php)

As far as stress testing applications go SuperPI really won't cut the cake you need to use something like Prime 95 fortunately there is a Linux version of said application that can be found here.http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm

It was compiled under Fedora but it works fine in Ubuntu/Deb.remember to properly stress a dual or quad core cpu an instance of Prime 95 must be run for each core.

Orthos Stress Prime (http://sp2004.fre3.com/) is widely considered to be the best stress testing tool around however it basically does the same thing as Prime 95 it just has a nice GUI and auto detects the # of cores and stresses each. It will runs very well under Wine but running it that environment may not be as ideal as running a native application. From my experience it will fail your CPU under Wine exactly as if it were unstable in Windows and after all a unstable overclock is unstable regardless of the OS.

OCCT is another good stress test but it seems rather buggy under Wine and I would not recommend it if you plan on using it in Linux.

Hope that answers your question.

[Red Shift]

I have a E2160 Allendale.

3 GHz
1333 MHz FSB
1 MB L2 cache

Cheap and sweet.

[saru411]

you need to use something like Prime 95 fortunately there is a Linux version of said application that can be found here.http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm



First I would like to say thanks for the link. I have downloaded the program and have set it up through their server method. I am unsure if i set it up correctly though. One thing is that i can only get ONE Prime95 running at a time. This stresses only one of my cores meaning im not truly taxing my system to make sure that it is stable. How do i run 2 occurrences of Prime95? Next when i run it in terminal it fails to give any output. Should i be looking under a .log file to find if i have errors? Basically i would like to know where i find the error logging. I also thought you had to put a number in to test if it was Prime. Maybe I'm not understanding what this program is actually doing. According to what i read i believe i am suppose to enter a number and this program is supposed to be calculating if it is a prime number. The problem is that every time i run Prime95 I am not asked to input a value to test. If you could set me straight it would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time
D.Boss

[Iam138]

I have a E2160 Allendale.

3 GHz
1333 MHz FSB
1 MB L2 cache

Cheap and sweet.

Damn st8!


First I would like to say thanks for the link. I have downloaded the program and have set it up through their server method. I am unsure if i set it up correctly though. One thing is that i can only get ONE Prime95 running at a time. This stresses only one of my cores meaning im not truly taxing my system to make sure that it is stable. How do i run 2 occurrences of Prime95? Next when i run it in terminal it fails to give any output. Should i be looking under a .log file to find if i have errors? Basically i would like to know where i find the error logging. I also thought you had to put a number in to test if it was Prime. Maybe I'm not understanding what this program is actually doing. According to what i read i believe i am suppose to enter a number and this program is supposed to be calculating if it is a prime number. The problem is that every time i run Prime95 I am not asked to input a value to test. If you could set me straight it would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time
D.Boss

Yeah that's the problem with the Linux version you have to check a text file for the error log. Try Orthos Stress Prime under Wine I linker earlier. It's much much simpler to use. I have been experimenting with known stable and unstable configs for my Opteron rig both in Windows and in Ubuntu using Orthos (under wine in Ubuntu obviously) and from what I can tell so far it behaves exactly the same i.e. errors at approx. the same time recognizes both cores and proper freq. So yeah give that a shot.

[saru411]

As I thought I will end up having to install WINE. Since wine was a pain to configure properly last time(over a year ago) I will have to wait until after midterms to get all of this the way that I want it.

Again thanks for your help

[hkgonra]

I am suprised nobody has mentioned http://www.overclockers.com/ or their great forums , http://www.ocforums.com/ , been a member there since 2001, great community.

[Iam138]

I am suprised nobody has mentioned http://www.overclockers.com/ or their great forums , http://www.ocforums.com/ , been a member there since 2001, great community.

We have mention OCN on a couple of occasions, read the thread. As far as ocforums goes... meh..it's dead 1/2 the time and full of fanboys and noobs the rest.

[Dr.Ninethousand]

This seems to be a good tool for loading your CPU to 100% for stress testing:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/cpuburn/

I had to run 2 simultaneous instances of it though to achieve 100%.. possibly because my CPU is dual core?.

[NightwishFan]

That makes sense, as Starcraft is supposed to take up 100% cpu and it takes 50% on my dual core.

[Iam138]

This seems to be a good tool for loading your CPU to 100% for stress testing:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/cpuburn/

I had to run 2 simultaneous instances of it though to achieve 100%.. possibly because my CPU is dual core?.

Great find Dr.Ninethousand! Thank you for the contribution! This admitted Linux noob needs all the help he can get finding goodies like that.

[darksuffering]

not the greatest overclock, stock is 2.2ghz. when ripping a movie I usually set the FSB to 245 @ 1.4v. the link to the screen shot of my bios configuration..


http://i27.tinypic.com/2zi2bk2.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/2zp4i02.jpg

[ahaslam]

[ahaslam@voodoo ~]$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 15
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHz
stepping : 6
cpu MHz : 3149.998
cache size : 2048 KB

[ahaslam@voodoo ~]$ nvidia-settings -q gpus

1 GPU on voodoo:0

[0] voodoo:0[gpu:0] (GeForce 7950 GT)

[ahaslam@voodoo ~]$ nvidia-settings -q GPU3DClockFreqs

Attribute 'GPU3DClockFreqs' (voodoo:0.0): 725,850.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4380941&postcount=14
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4407575&postcount=43
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4464130&postcount=75

;)

PS. cpuburn is useless, you need mprime (ftp://mersenne.org/gimps/mprime2414.tar.gz). You'll need to run one instance/core & run each with:

./mprime -t
^that's the torture test & it will quit upon error.

PPS. Want to test your gpu's OC? http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4440727&postcount=76

[Iam138]

Yes we know about Mprime... do you people not read?

[BuffaloX]

I have an Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+
Stock @2200
Clocked @ 2743

A solid 543 Mhz for free... :)

Had to up the vcore a little to 1.35.

[ahaslam]

Yes we know about Mprime... do you people not read?

I was telling you how to use it, as you people seem incompetent.

[BuffaloX]

Comon now, be nice

[yowshi]

heres my stats. my mem nor my graphics card is overclocked and i think i could push my processor a little higher but i think this is ok

[herbster]

It's not the "OC'ing will bust your box" that's reason for a lack of OC'ing tools in linux; it's a lack of necessity for OC'ing in and of itself in linux. It's moreso an area of concern/interest for "gamers" which are primarily Window users. Surely the future will see some OC'ing tools arise as interest in its application in linux peaks.

[Iam138]

I was telling you how to use it, as you people seem incompetent.

lol....This is coming from a Intel boy running Ubuntu........Seems like a contradiction in terms...

[ahaslam]

lol....This is coming from a Intel boy running Ubuntu........Seems like a contradiction in terms...

Comon, have I done you wrong somewhere? I admit my previous reply was a little strong, as I thought my initial post contributed to your thread. We've both made assumptions here & gone ott. I suggest we get back on topic to avoid thread closure, it can't continue like this.

[antisocialist]

I suggest we get back on topic to avoid thread closure,

yea, im sure that all the mods and admins are just waiting to pounce on threads with 1-2 off-topic posts in them.

[Crinos512]

heh, I OC'd Mine too...

Stock: Athlon 64 X2 4000+ @ 2100 MHz
Currently: 2625 MHz, just better than a 5000+ (2600 MHz stock)

And the cool part, I still run @ under 44C (111.2F) under max load thanks to this baby (http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/cooling_products/ocz_vanquisher_cpu_cooler) and my trusty Arctic Silver 5.

:D

[markp1989]

my desktop PC has an intel Celeron D 352 (3.2ghz), what is the over clocking potential (if there is any) of this CPU?
attached my current CPUZ output
Edit: i believe that this is the same CPU as this guy has, im not aiming for anything that high.
http://fanboyreview.blogspot.com/2007/03/brag-hitting-5ghz-reaching-dream.html

[tad1073]

Is it possible to overclock my computer? Specs in sig.

[hhhhhx]

Is it possible to overclock my computer? Specs in sig.
should be possible to OC any computer to a certain extent, but only if the bios allows it. :)

[tad1073]

should be possible to OC any computer to a certain extent, but only if the bios allows it. :)
My bios doesn't have the option for OC'ing.

[hhhhhx]

My bios doesn't have the option for OC'ing.
does it have options for changing the stock voltages and FSB, ram timings, etc..?

[ahaslam]

Some older mobo's that don't have the bios options may be O/C'd by changing jumper settings & certainly by hard mods. I have done both in my time, but wouldn't recommend either to a OC beginner.

[tad1073]

Some older mobo's that don't have the bios options may be O/C'd by changing jumper settings & certainly by hard mods. I have done both in my time, but wouldn't recommend either to a OC beginner.

Do you think you can give me a diagram of where on the mobo the jumpers are?

The only thing remotely close is the diagram on the case panel which shows all the parts of my computer.

Under "System Board Configuration"
is
"Processor Speed switch"
S1-Off-Reserved
S2-Off-Reserved
S3-Off-Reserved
S4-Off-Reserved

[ahaslam]

You'll have to google your mobo/chipset.

[hkgonra]

Is it possible to overclock my computer? Specs in sig.


I highly doubt you will be able to overclock a Compaq without breaking out the soldering iron.

[Iam138]

Comon, have I done you wrong somewhere? I admit my previous reply was a little strong, as I thought my initial post contributed to your thread. We've both made assumptions here & gone ott. I suggest we get back on topic to avoid thread closure, it can't continue like this.

Your quite right. My sincere apologies. I have grown rather disenfranchised lately with some of the dogma here and I unfairly vented it upon you, I hope this thread stays alive as it does have merit IMO. There are a few of us enthusiasts who like the best of both worlds.

[%hMa@?b<C]

i've gotten my Opteron 165 up to 2.6 GHz (stock is 1.8 ) on stock cooling. Right now, I bumped it down to 2.2GHz though.

[Iam138]

i've gotten my Opteron 165 up to 2.6 GHz (stock is 1.8 ) on stock cooling. Right now, I bumped it down to 2.2GHz though.

Some of the 165 Denmarks have great potential, why did you take it back down to 2.2GHz if I may ask? Do you happen to know what stepping it is?

[intense.ego]

what is the general opinion on laptop overclocking? too compact an environment (will get too hot)?

[%hMa@?b<C]

Some of the 165 Denmarks have great potential, why did you take it back down to 2.2GHz if I may ask? Do you happen to know what stepping it is?

one of my case fans was on its last legs and I had to unplug it. I figured that the performance gain was not that different, and I'd rather keep it cooler.

[Iam138]

what is the general opinion on laptop overclocking? too compact an environment (will get too hot)?

I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons. The primary reason is b/c almost all laptops have any FSB,memory adjustments or voltage options disabled in BIOS so your forced to use software which is not really a good idea. It often creates an unstable environment.

Second is that if you do have to make voltage increases then your CPU will run hotter as you already guessed and since many mobile CPU's are already operating close to there max. allowable temp. threshold it could cause problems such as lock-ups, crashes and possibly shorten the life of your processor.

[ahaslam]

A new chipset cooler has enabled me to push further, my E6300 is looking good for 3.5GHz. I'll lap the CPU for that little extra soon :biggrin:

[rudihawk]

I have one of those bios that seems to have no settings at all to change so no OC for me. It has like boot order and set bios password. :(

I need to get a new comp..........

Or you could just flash your BIOS...

[ahaslam]

Lapped my CPU ;)

http://xs125.xs.to/xs125/08132/lap578.jpg

Temps are no better though :(

[Crinos512]

I've never heard of "Super Thermal Grease" before... have you ever tried Arctic Silver 5?

[ahaslam]

It's Zalman ZM-STG1, it's at least as good as AS5. Same performance & doesn't dry out.

[roots]

e8500 here, running @ 4037 fully stable 24/7. vcore=1.33v, cooling is scythe andy samurai which is running noiseless ~400rpm on idle, idle coretemp ~39 C.

the cpu can be pushed higher (>4300) but that involves upping vcore to ~1.45v, which is fine with up to ~50% load, above which the cooling is the limiting factor.

most of the time (=productive environment), however, the system is running at stock speeds.

full specs:

e8500 @ 4037 fsb 475 @ 1.33v
scythe andy samurai master / slipstream
gigabyte x38-ds5 f5, nb @ +0.1v
2x1024 patriot ddr2 800 5-5-5-12 @ 950 @ 2.00v
gf8800gtx @ 633/1451/1030
creative xfi
seagate st3250410as
be-quiet bqt-e5

[aristotlewilde]

I had never really had any success at OC'ing before, but this morning I built a new PC.

Intel E2160 Pentium Dual
2x1gb OCZ Gold

Was at stock 1.8ghz for an hour or so while I made sure my Ubuntu install lived through the PC transplant.

Now it's running at 2.7ghz and running through mprime.

I had honestly tried overclocking my Windows box (AMD x2 4800+) w/ absolutely no success before.

Intel is making it too easy if a guy like me can do this!

[antisocialist]

Intel is making it too easy if a guy like me can do this!
last i checked that was a good thing - wasn't it?

[roots]

i'd rather say that the overclocking potential of todays amd cpus is rather low, unfortunately.

unless you're playing with fine tuning mem timings and such, o/c isn't that big of a deal if you watch your voltages and temperatures.

my last amd cpus (x2 4600+ and x2 6000+) did hardly o/c at all. i forgot about the 4600+, but as for the 6000+ i didn't get any further than ~3200 mhz. it wasn't even a cooling issue, it just wouldn't run stable at higher clockings even with higher vcore.

[slick_nick]

Since ubuntu does cpu frequency scaling by default to match what is needed, shouldn't there be some fairly easy way to overclock, maybe using powernowd or something?

Am I right in guessing most of you guys have lm-sensors installed and are running the sensors-applet to monitor your temps?

[swoll1980]

overclocking is like the Xtream sport of geekdom. Very interesting stuff

[iSplicer]

What is the cpuz equivalent for ubuntu?

[roots]

Since ubuntu does cpu frequency scaling by default to match what is needed, shouldn't there be some fairly easy way to overclock, maybe using powernowd or something?

isn't overclocking using bios settings easy enough? most time overclocking involves upping vcore or other voltages too, so the bios way is the only - or at least safest - to do that anyway.



Am I right in guessing most of you guys have lm-sensors installed and are running the sensors-applet to monitor your temps?

correct.

[roots]

What is the cpuz equivalent for ubuntu?

your best bet here is


cat /proc/cpuinfo

you can try sysinfo, too.
please note that both have certain problems showing the correct cpu speed when running on a non-default multiplier. this means whatever multi you select, it will always multiply the fsb with the cpu's default multi to give you the total clocking.
this issue occured at least for intels c2d 8xxx series, don't know about other cpus.

[ahaslam]

Just put water on my Quad, temps are down 15C from my CNPS9700, aiming for >4GHz. :twisted:

[RDV]

What is the cpuz equivalent for ubuntu?

Additional alternatives to "cat /proc/cpuinfo" are:
PerlMon, GkrellM and Conky
(Google for them)

They will give you CPU Ghz, % used per core and temperatures if you have lmsenors installed. They only draw back is that they do not record the lowest and highest temperatures obtained during a stress/stability test. I am still looking for an app that can do that.

PerMon provides a snapshot of system information while GkrellM and Conky provide continuous real time information. I personally use GkrellM as it provided the information I was looking. Conky is much more configurable if you are willing to learn it's scripting language. Both are very good.

I have just bought a new rig that I will be overclocking. As I wait for delivery I am researching the Linux software I need to support the OC process. I do not want to install Windows just to overclock because it has better software.

At this time in my research the only thing I cannot find in Linux native functionality is the recording of lowest and highest CPU temperatures. I may have to create a python script to capture this information. The "sensors" command line utility (provided with the installation of lmsensors) output can be parsed to get information e.g.:
Sys Temp: +38.0°C
CPU Temp: +56.5°C
AUX Temp: +57.5°C
(This example sensors text reflects an Intel P4)

I do not know if all 4 core temperatures on a Quad will be available through "sensors" until my rig arrives.

So far here are the Linux tools I expect to use during my OC stress/stability and system benchmarking.

Test Suite/Benchmarking:
> Phoronix current release 0.9.0.: http://www.phoronix-test-suite.com/
>> Benchmarks: ./phoronix-test-suite list-tests
>> Test Suites: ./phoronix-test-suite list-suites
>> Includes graphs, reporting and comparisons
>> Includes Linux SuperPi, encoding music and video, CPU, RAM, file compression and even gaming benchmarks

Stress/Stability:
> MPrime (64 bit?) - I think if it is compiled then it is a 64 bit version
>> http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
>> Switch from small FFTs to blend to test RAM stability
>> May not detect all 4 cores
>> Run 4 instances with "./mprime -t"

> MemTest86 - Installed with Ubuntu

> Orthos Stress Prime under WINE (Only use if MPrime does not meet needs)
>> http://sp2004.fre3.com/

Reporting:
> Likely need to write a python script to capture high/low temperatures during a stress test.
> Static reporting: PerlMon
> Dynamic status reporting: GkrellM (Lacks high and low temperature recording over a stress test)
> Sophisticated benchmark reports are already part of the Phoronix test suite

System Benchmarks:
> Phoronix test suite (see above) probably all that is needed especially if ALL tests are installed and run.
> Avidemux 2.4.1 for xvid real (not synthetic) DVD compression benchmarks
---------- Probably only require Phoronix as it covers various benchmarks ---------------------
> nbench (CPU) - needs to be compiled - http://www.tux.org/~mayer/linux/bmark.html
> Cachebench (L1, L2 and memeory) - Use LLCbench at http://icl.cs.utk.edu/projects/llcbench/index.html (compile)
> iozone3 (disk I/O) in repository
> lmbench (all but CPU and Video) in repository
> xengine (X server) in repository
> glxgears (X server) in distribution

I intend to use Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 64 bit for this OC rig. For a Intel Q9450 stock 2.66Ghz my 24/7 OC goals are:
3.0Ghz or 3.2Ghz - Would be disappointed
3.4Ghz - Base minimum
3.6Ghz - Real target with very happy camper
3.8Ghz - Over the moon but not likely

Voltages and temperatures must be within recommended limits with a system life expectancy of 3+ years.

[antisocialist]

some guy broke 5ghz without overheating. of course that was using liquid nitrogen cooling...

[elmer_42]

I used to have my CPU (3000+ BE) up at 3GHz with load temperatures around 65C, but I put it back to stock because it gets hot here during the summer, and I don't want to break it.

[antisocialist]

get liquid nitrogen cooling. that should keep your temps down :D

[elmer_42]

I actually know of a place where I can get plenty of liquid nitrogen for cheap-ish. I also have access to a machine shop where I could make heatsinks to hold the nitrogen over my CPU and GPU. I just don't want to. :)

[yowshi]

cpuinfo perlmon nor gkrellm are alternatives to cpu-z. tell me where the fsb numbers are in any of those or the clock speeds or any of the other half dozen stats relevant to overcloking? perlmon might become an alternative one day but it aint there yet. yeah the other two give you some info but nothing on the level of cpu-z

[mwgnz]

A good list of O/C stuff for Linux (from ocforums mentioned before):

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=486495

[yowshi]

yes lots and lots of benchmarkers and tests nothing there from the descrptios of the programmes that will tell me ALL of the info that cpu-z gives

[Messyhair42]

I just got prime 95 working through Wine, i have mprime too but i like having a gui. i've been using it for a long time on my old machine. i got it mainly to continue as part of GIMPS but i like giving it a torture test to check the hardware initially.

[MaxIBoy]

I use a quad-core Phenom, overclocked from 2.2 GHz to 2.8 Ghz. I'm cooling it with the stock fan and Arctic Silver. It's quiet, and it never goes above fifty-three degrees Celsius!

[Messyhair42]

i have an intel E8400. core 2 duo 3.0 ghz. and before i could even run prime 95 i had to get a copper heatsink w/sooped up fan and now it runs at a nice 48*C

[Dark Aspect]

I have an AMD 3200 2.0 Ghz that I have OCed to 2.4 Ghz. I could probably make it to 2.6 but I am cheap when it comes to cooling. Temps are around 49-51 C maxed out depending on the temperature of the room. Ran mprime for 12 hours to test stability.

[sydbat]

A stupid, but serious, question - why overclock? I mean I could see why from a "look what I can do" perspective, but for regular, normal computing, why overclock? Is there really a performance improvement? I suppose you might be able to tell in Windows, not sure about Linux.

[Dark Aspect]

A stupid, but serious, question - why overclock? I mean I could see why from a "look what I can do" perspective, but for regular, normal computing, why overclock? Is there really a performance improvement? I suppose you might be able to tell in Windows, not sure about Linux.

Overclocking improves performance for any application that is CPU intense. While most computer gamers would do it for higher FPS, gaming isn't the only reason to overclock. Video editing,virtual software and audio editing can all be greatly improved depending on what processor you have. It can also help multitasking if you over clock/modify your memory settings.

[Crinos512]

What programs and tools do you use to gauge the performance and stability of your system in Ubuntu? I used to run 3DMark and such in Windows, but I haven't seen anything of the sort for Ubuntu.

[.arean]

Overclocking improves performance for any application that is CPU intense. While most computer gamers would do it for higher FPS, gaming isn't the only reason to overclock. Video editing,virtual software and audio editing can all be greatly improved depending on what processor you have. It can also help multitasking if you over clock/modify your memory settings.

It also allows you to build a screaming system for cheap.

[Dark Aspect]

What programs and tools do you use to gauge the performance and stability of your system in Ubuntu? I used to run 3DMark and such in Windows, but I haven't seen anything of the sort for Ubuntu.

I test stability with MPrime (http://www.mersenne.org/ftp_root/gimps/mprime258.tar.gz) and performance with super pi (ftp://pi.super-computing.org/windows/super_pi.zip) on wine. If you modify the memory timings than you need to run MemTest86 which can be accessed through the grub loader.

[sydbat]

Overclocking improves performance for any application that is CPU intense. While most computer gamers would do it for higher FPS, gaming isn't the only reason to overclock. Video editing,virtual software and audio editing can all be greatly improved depending on what processor you have. It can also help multitasking if you over clock/modify your memory settings.Thanks.

[Crinos512]

alrighty then...


crinos@Fortress:~$ sh ./super_pi 20
Version 2.0 of the super_pi for Linux OS
Fortran source program was translated into C program with version 19981204 of
f2c, then generated C source program was optimized manually.
pgcc 3.2-3 with compile option of "-fast -tp px -Mbuiltin -Minline=size:1000 -Mnoframe -Mnobounds -Mcache_align -Mdalign -Mnoreentrant" wasused for the
compilation.
------ Started super_pi run : Tue Jan 6 22:06:14 CST 2009
Start of PI calculation up to 1048576 decimal digits
End of initialization. Time= 0.824 Sec.
I= 1 L= 0 Time= 1.792 Sec.
I= 2 L= 0 Time= 1.484 Sec.
I= 3 L= 1 Time= 1.480 Sec.
I= 4 L= 2 Time= 1.472 Sec.
I= 5 L= 5 Time= 1.476 Sec.
I= 6 L= 10 Time= 1.460 Sec.
I= 7 L= 21 Time= 1.476 Sec.
I= 8 L= 43 Time= 1.468 Sec.
I= 9 L= 87 Time= 1.476 Sec.
I=10 L= 174 Time= 1.468 Sec.
I=11 L= 349 Time= 1.472 Sec.
I=12 L= 698 Time= 1.472 Sec.
I=13 L= 1396 Time= 1.484 Sec.
I=14 L= 2794 Time= 1.480 Sec.
I=15 L= 5588 Time= 1.468 Sec.
I=16 L= 11176 Time= 1.468 Sec.
I=17 L= 22353 Time= 1.428 Sec.
I=18 L= 44707 Time= 1.404 Sec.
I=19 L= 89415 Time= 1.300 Sec.
End of main loop
End of calculation. Time= 30.014 Sec.
End of data output. Time= 0.132 Sec.
Total calculation(I/O) time= 30.146( 0.812) Sec.
------ Ended super_pi run : Tue Jan 6 22:06:45 CST 2009


calculating PI to 1048576 places in 30.146 seconds? ...that'll do. :D

[Dark Aspect]

alrighty then...

calculating PI to 1048576 places in 30.146 seconds? ...that'll do. :D

Uh.....ok mostly just mprime than :popcorn:

[RJARRRPCGP]

Stupid bug with the Asus P5QL Pro.

It always reports me being at 3.6 Ghz when I'm at 2.9 Ghz. It assumes a multiplier value or FSB value that isn't being used.

The only utility that reads it right so far is CPU-Z in Windows.

[Dark Aspect]

Stupid bug with the Asus P5QL Pro.

It always reports me being at 3.6 Ghz when I'm at 2.9 Ghz. It assumes a multiplier value or FSB value that isn't being used.

The only utility that reads it right so far is CPU-Z in Windows.

CPU-Z is a good application, know any thing like that for Linux (native)?

[zakany]

I threw Ubuntu on my old gaming iron for my daughter, so it's overclocked by default. One of the first things I do once I burn in a newly built gaming box optimize its performance.

Not really an OS issue, though. I OC entirely in BIOS. I don't trust OS-based tools.

To OC my GPU, I flash a custom BIOS to it (one from a factory OC version of the same board usually works well).

My rigs are air-cooled. When OCing, I disable the side fans. That way, I figure I have enough cooling overhead to make up for dust accumulation.

[tominto]

Hi everyone. I've got a mobile barton 2500 which I can overclock in Windows using a utility called cpumsr, which adjusts the multipliers. Does such a program exist for ubuntu? I have a cheap motherboard which doesnt allow cpu adjustments, and my bios doesnt support anything either. Without adjusting the multipliers I can only run at 995 mhz. I need to be able to adjust the multipliers only. Thanks.

[catlover2]

would it be possible to OC my processor?
i have a:


ubuntu 9.10
2 500GB external HDs
40GB internal hd

toshiba satellite
intel celeron
prossesser
1.40GHZ
479MB/RAM
so much hardware...-just ask!

[roots]

it should be possible, but as with all non-gaming notebooks, I would not recommend it. most likely, cpu cooling is not efficient enough for the this kind of adventure and in the worst case you'll end up with 0 instead of >1.40ghz.


.roots

[catlover2]

ok I'll forget about that then...
thanks!

[MooPi]

it should be possible, but as with all non-gaming notebooks, I would not recommend it. most likely, cpu cooling is not efficient enough for the this kind of adventure and in the worst case you'll end up with 0 instead of >1.40ghz.


.roots
That's some of the best advice I've read on the forum. Overclocking is fun but laptops are another animal and in my opinion should never be oc'd. I OC all of my desktops generally and always make certain of sufficient cooling before I start. When the CPU gets overclocked it generates additional heat, which it normally can sustain. What everyone forgets it raises the ambient temperature of all components which may not be able to adsorb the extra temperature. A budy of mine OC'd and kept getting fragments in his display while gaming. His video card started to overheat and performance lagged. In extreme machines that are more than 25% OC'd I leave the side panels off.

[roots]

one should not forget that in general, successful o/cing is not just 'cranking up that cpu freq', but rather a complex blend of modified frequencies, bus speeds, multipliers, timings and - last but not least - voltages.
in my experience, notebook BIOSes hardly offer enough open variables to achieve noticeable performance gains, and there is a reason for that.


.roots

[willPower]

Hi everyone. I've got a mobile barton 2500 which I can overclock in Windows using a utility called cpumsr, which adjusts the multipliers. Does such a program exist for ubuntu? I have a cheap motherboard which doesnt allow cpu adjustments, and my bios doesnt support anything either. Without adjusting the multipliers I can only run at 995 mhz. I need to be able to adjust the multipliers only. Thanks.

I also need to adjust the multipliers using software while booted into the OS. My mobo is an ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe, which is fully-featured in it's overclocking capabilities, but for some reason it won't apply the OC settings after booting the OS. There is probably a bug in the BIOS but getting that fixed might take years. The processor is an AMD Phenom II 965 x4 Black Edition (meaning the multiplier is unlocked) and is supposed to run at 3.4 GHz, which it does in Windows after the nVidia service loads a performance profile that cranks the multiplier up to 17. The default multiplier is 4 and I have the CPU frequency set to 200 MHz; doing the math, I'm stuck at 800 MHz when I boot into Linux. No BIOS setting will change this, as the multiplier is already set to 17 in the BIOS, and nothing other than the multiplier needs to be changed by software.

Searching the net returns nothing but an overabundance of the seemingly-standard reply, "why would you ever want to OC your computer? OMG YOU MIGHT BREAK SOMETHING!" which is sort of ridiculous when you consider that Linux is a "hacker" OS and is supposed to be more powerful than Windows. Its far easier to completely destroy a Linux OS by entering a wrong command than by simply trying to overclock the hardware. It should be easier to do a software OC in Linux than any other desktop OS out there.

I can provide whatever info would be needed to get this working, since as of now Linux is totally useless to me on my main production workstation.

System specs:
MOBO: ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe (BIOS rev 5002)
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE (3.4 GHz) (NOT OC'd)
GPU: nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ (x2 in SLI)
RAM: 4 GB of the cheap stuff, running @ 667 MHz
HDD: booting from an iSCSI target using a QLogic iSCSI HBA
OS: Xubuntu 10.10

[markp1989]

My main desktop is overclocked, currently its got an i7 875k at 4ghz, only oced it the day i brought it, 24 hour prime stable, im sure with some tweaking i can get more out of it as its got an unlocked multi, gona tweak it to get more out of it during the xmas holiday :)

I will post the details when i get home :)

[walidzohair]

do you know any tools used on ubuntu natty to overclock radeon hd 6990 and what is teh best maker of it ? sapphire , his , amd ?

[zer010]

Wow! I've been just sittin here reading this thread and then all of a sudden....Inotice the date on this geezer...:lol

[nego0]

Can i overclock with this ancient pc?
I've got a hp 085Ch laying around and put natty on it
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/5905/screenwi.png
also did sudo lshw:

*-cpu
description: CPU
product: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.60GHz
vendor: Intel Corp.
physical id: 5
bus info: cpu@0
version: 15.2.9
slot: XU1 PROCESSOR
size: 2600MHz
capacity: 3200MHz
width: 32 bits
clock: 800MHz
capabilities: boot fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm

*-memory:0
description: System Memory
physical id: 27
slot: System board or motherboard
*-bank:0
description: DIMM DDR Synchronous 400 MHz (2.5 ns)
vendor: JEDEC ID:7F 7F 7F 7F CB 00 00 00
physical id: 0
serial: 00000000
slot: DIMM1
size: 512MiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 400MHz (2.5ns)
*-bank:1
description: DIMM DDR Synchronous 400 MHz (2.5 ns)
vendor: JEDEC ID:7F 7F 7F 7F CB 00 00 00
physical id: 1
serial: 00000000
slot: DIMM2
size: 512MiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 400MHz (2.5ns)
*-bank:2
description: DIMM DDR Synchronous 400 MHz (2.5 ns)
product: M3 68L3223ETM-CCC
vendor: JEDEC ID:CE 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
physical id: 2
serial: 264A1041
slot: DIMM3
size: 256MiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 400MHz (2.5ns)
*-bank:3
description: DIMM DDR Synchronous 400 MHz (2.5 ns)
product: M3 68L3223ETM-CCC
vendor: JEDEC ID:CE 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
physical id: 3
serial: 88810641
slot: DIMM4
size: 256MiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 400MHz (2.5ns)


Thnx

[nego0]

Guess nobody uses this thread anymore