Well after pouring over different threads and articles about the P5Q and overclocking, I decided to jump in myself. The bios is much different than my old Gigabyte board. Could you guys take a look at these settings and tell me what/if I should change?

Hardware is P5Q Deluxe w/ E8400, DDR2 800 5-5-5-18 @ 1.9v
Xigmatek S1283 Cooler

The 8400 is Stepping 6 Revision C0

CPU Ratio = 9
FSB Frequency = 400
FSB Strap to North Bridge = 400
DRAM Frequency = 800

CPU Voltage = 1.20
CPU PLL Voltage = 1.50
FSB Term Voltage = Auto
DRAM Voltage = 1.9
North Bridg Voltage = 1.10

Load Line Calibration = Enabled
CPU Spread Spectrum = Disabled
PCI-E Spread Spectrum = Disabled

CPU Clock Skew = 400
North Bridge Clock Skew = 100

Load temps in HWMonitor are around 50c-52c
Load temps in SpeedFan are 46c-47c
Load temps in Real Temp are 42c-43c

Looks good to me, did you test any of it? That NB voltage is a bit low for 400 fsb! But if it works, it works!

How about running Real Temp there and listing the VID of your processor?

Yer temps look good, plenty of room to go if you've tested with Primes 95s small ffts already, etc.

--Lupi

The VID in Real Temp says 1.2000

I tested this in Prime95 for over an hour but I used Large FFT's

Is testing with small FFT's better?

Oh yes. Lots better. And harder to remain stable.

So always use small ffts for testing the CPU. (Real max temp and power usage.)

And the Blend test for RAM.

Large ffts I only use as a transit point while testing.

--Lupi

In that case my temps in HWMonitor are hitting 58c - 60c @ load with ambient around 76c.

I don't know if these temps are good but I was hoping for better results from the Xigmatek

Nope, did you align the xiggy properly, and only apply the paste to the heat pipes themselves?

Bad temps, hehe!

--Lupi

I have the pipes going across the processor. It is oriented in such a way that the fan is blowing towards the back of the case.

I applied 2 lines of paste per a guide I saw online. I think perhaps I put too much on though.

Hmm, that didnt help!

What I meant was the chip the cores under the IHS in such a manner that only one direction is right.

On the Duals, its downward.

So holding the processor in your hand, looking down at the IHS, you see two notches, they need to be in the upper and lower left!

Then, when in the board, you need to make sure, using the notches, that the middle heat pipe is going top to bottom! Right down the middle.

Not left to right!

And applying the goo is simple, a small thin but continuous line down each pipe.

--Lupi

So the middle pipe on my heatsink should be going right down the middle, basically from top to bottom if the notch on the processor is the bottom?

Or across as if it were covering the text?

Top to bottom!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/ [...] decomp.jpg

I definitely installed it wrong then! So my heat sink fan will be blowing out the top after I switch it up. I'll use less thermal grease as well.

Just draw a thin line down each pipe, but it will have to be enough to make the contact with all the pipe, so not super thin, but no blobs anywhere.

Just a nice thin but solid line down each one.

You'll get 100% of 1 pipe, and 20% from the other two.

The wrong direction and you get 20% from 2, and 25% from the third. Doesn't add up, hehe!

--Lupi

Meh, I switched the orientation and put less thermal paste on. I'm getting the same temps in HWMonitor under load.

But, I think it's a matter of airflow. I opened up the front door on my case and removed the fan filter, and the temps dropped from 58c - 60c to 54c - 55c. It's also pretty warm in this room right now since my AC thinks it's too cold out for it to kick on.

My temps in Speedfan under load is 55c and RealTemp says 49c.

I think I'll go by the one with the higher temps which is HWMonitor.