Post No 5: How to overclock an Intel E8400 CPU to 3.6GHz with a Gigabyte mainboard and DDR2 800MHz RAM

Step1Download and install all the suggested applications. Do a google search to find them. Backup all important data as a precaution and turn off your computer.
Step2You are now ready to do the overclock. Turn on the computer and press the "Del" or "Delete" key on the Gigabyte splash screen to get into the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System).
Step3 M.I.T Shot Using your keyboard, move down to the "MB Intelligent Tweaker M.I.T" feature and open. You will now see the overclocking options.Using the keyboard, change the following settings in this order:"CPU Host Clock Control" - Enabled"CPU Host Frequency (MHz)- 400"PCI Express Frequency (MHz)- 100"Performance Enhance"- Standard"System Memory Multiplier (SPD)- 2.00 (Any kind is OK, B,D, none)Leave DRAM Timing on auto for now."System Voltage Control"- Manual. Set it to 1.22500v for now.The escape to the main BIOS screen, go to exit and save changes. Your computer will reboot, and then go to start up again into your operating system (OS).
Step4 See pic below for voltage details.
Step5If the computer bluescreens (BSODs) when it tried to boot into your OS, it means that the overclock is unstable. Restart the computer, go back into the BIOS, and raise the CPU voltage a few notches, save and exit and try again.When you get into the operating system you will need to check for stability of the overclock. The idea is that higher volts= a more stable system, however higher volts also cause more damage and heat to your CPU, so the aim is to have your OC'd system stable on the lowest voltage possible, in order to keep your computer cooler and alive for longer. Generally a small overclock like this will not mean that your CPU will die after a year, so don't worry too much about it.
Step6In order to test the stability of the OC, open Realtemp which is the best program to use on 45nm CPU's like the E8400. This program will monitor the heat of the two cores while being stress tested. Normally the idle temp will be around 10 degrees higher than the ambient temp, and the load temp another 10 degrees above the idle temp. This is fine, even for the stock cooler that comes with the E8400.My computer has an aftermarket Zalman 9700-LED cooler and idles at around 34 degrees and about 55 with a full stress load.
Step7 Orthos options When Realtemp is running, open Orthos and set the following settings:Set "Test" to "FTTs", and priority 10.NOTE: Before starting the stress-testing turn off all power saving modes and screen savers on your computer as your computer may freeze or crash if it goes to sleep while being tested.Press start to start the stress test. Let Orthos run for at least an hour. Normally with low volts it will give an error almost straight away. All you have to do is keep going back into the BIOS and raising the voltage a couple notches each time, boot back into your OS, and run Orthos and Realtemp again.I had to raise my vcore from the stock 1.22500 all the way up to 1.30000v before it was finally stable. Most people don't need to go this high, but it depends on your mainboard and RAM configuration and quality.Orthos will cause the computer to reach it's max load temp in around 5 minutes of operating, so keep an eye on the temps during this time.
Step8Once you find that Orthos is not giving errors after a short amount of time, leave it running for at least 2 hours, preferably 8-12 hours, in order to do a comprehensive stress test. Doing a comprehensive test means that your CPU is tested with the program and avoids any reliabilty issues down the track, for example it might be fine doing basic stuff, but it may crash when you do more intense CPU work. It's better to do a full test now than experience a crash later.
Step9 CPU-Z specs with full load on CPU And that's about it. Once you find the perfect vcore and Orthos is run for a long time and has no errors, that means you have successfully done an overclock. 600MHz (.6GHz) isn't a huge figure, but you will find that many things will operate a little faster, especially CPU dependant programs like games, so it is well worth your time to do.If you want to check the specs, run CPU-Z and it will show all your system's details including the new speeds.On a final note, many people have OC'd their E8400 to 3.6GHz using the stock cooling, but I would strongly recommend buying a decent aftermarket cooler or "HSF" in order to keep your computer cool and happy! Zalman and Noctua make excellent HSFs!