I don't know what it is but I can't even overclock my Intel Core i7 860 2.80 GHz CPU with EVGA P55 FTW motherboard past stock speeds, whatever I do, whatever voltages I set it to it just doesn't boot.
 
If I go too high I get a d0 error code, if it isn't that it's some f6 error, if it isn't that then it's windows starting the splash screen and simply sitting there.
 
I've come to terms with the fact that I might not be able to get a 4.0 GHz overclock and I'm perfectly content with that but I just can't believe I can't even get a 3.0 GHz overclock. Is this even possible? Could my CPU be THAT bad?
 
I don't know if anyone can help me or not but I've looked at numerous guides and followed them all with no luck.
 
This is a random set of values I tried for the hell of it;
 




 
Hopefully this may help diagnose the problem?
 
Anyway my PC specs are as follows;
 
Motherboard: EVGA P55 FTW
CPU: Intel i7 860 2.80 GHz
GPU: EVGA GTX 260
RAM: Corsair 4GB DDR3 XMS 1600 MHz 9-9-9-24, 1.65V
Powersupply: Corsair 750W
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
EDIT: Pictures are a little blurry, CPU VCORE was 1.375 somewhere around that area. VTT was 1.2, if you guys need anything else lemme' know!

When I set the 9 in those slots it still has the 7 in parenthesis so it looks like 9 (7) is that normal?
 
I'm getting an 6F error when I tried booting up, any idea what that is?
 
I'll try booting up with 9 (7) in a second.

I set it all as such, RAM voltage was set to 1.65.
 
CPU core 3.25 (something like that lol)
VTT: 1.4 (I also tried 1.2)
BCLK was 21 x 200
 
I tried the RAM at 1600 MHz and a lower speed and the end result has been the same!
 
6F!!!!!! 
 
This post code is driving me mad, what does it mean?!
 
Are there other values I should be setting manually that are actually on auto? Which do you think should be manually entered off the top of your head?
 
So many options, so many possibilities, so darn confusing. 
 
I appreciate the help by the way, it means a lot!

Ill be sure to try it when I get home, I've seen a lot of guides of the topic. Including the one on that techreaction website. Didn't seem to work, that is when I first got the d0 error which seems to be a memory error. I fixed that and everytime I try and overclock rather high it doesn't boot and has the 6F error code.

I tried booting with a lower overclock but it then simply started the windows splash screen and didn't move.

I didn't try your settings though, when I'm editing the RAM frequency do I need to keep it the target frequency at 1600 MHz? Does it matter what speed I boot with or will it work as long as it is lower than the rated 1600 MHz?

Thanks in advance, sorry for all the questions. <3

I have Corsair XMS3 sticks, 2 x 4GB running in dual channel. I actually have 8GB of RAM total but I removed the sticks because thy are three different types. Two are corsair, one is crucial and one is OCZ (I do a lot of video editing and rendering so RAM is big for me lol).

But yeah I'll definitely try it as soon as I get home if it doesn't work we'll run the memtest as you said.

I did my overclock in accordance to those guides, maybe there are other elements in the BIOS that I need to disable?
 
All C-States I've disabled so it isn't that, I don't remember the exact name but it's a couple slots above the CPU Vcore settings.
 
I'll try and get the exact name when I get home, 20 more minutes!
 
A better question to ask though is which options you guys left default or actually enabled/disabled, I have the latest BIOS so I'm not sure what you guys are running so I may have a couple of extra options maybe?

Hyperthreading you keep on. That allows you to use 8 threads with 4 cores on your i7. Your Vdroop option should be set to "Without Vdroop" for best results. The rest of that stuff taht you're talking about, I leave on Auto; I've only tweaked my Vcore and my VTT voltages.
 
At this point, I'm wondering if it's your RAM that's the problem here. Are you familiar with how to run Memtest?

Run only your two Corsair sticks for the best amount of stability. Things usually don't end well for stability when you're mixing and matching vendors on the same board. And you're using the two Corsair sticks in the two gray slots, correct?
 
The link for Memtest86+ is here: http://www.memtest.org/#downiso Download the pre-compiled ISO, and burn the the ISO to a disc so that you can boot off of it. Plop that disc into your disc drive, restart, then boot of of the disc. Preferably, have Memtest run overnight or while you're at work so that it gets several good passes in. If it shows up with no errors, then we'll continue from there. Otherwise, RMA time for your memory.
 
Before we even do that actually, see if you can't overclock with just one stick of memory in your rig. Put just stick total into the gray slot closest to the CPU socket, and try overclocking. See how that works.

It's best to run it booted off of a CD instead of in Windows. That way, all of your RAM will be tested, and the RAM that would normally be consumed by Windows would be looked over as well.

Weird double post but understood, I've never downloaded an iso file onto a disc. Do I simply burn it on the disc and throw the disc in when I first start the computer?

You'll need something that can burn the ISO as a bootable media to a blank disc. Here's a quick tutorial using MagicISO, which is free software. http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-burnwin.htm

Alright well I didn't run the memtest but I tried overclocking with one stick and managed to get a different error code other than 6F I got a 2C. This post code is in the manual but I don't know what it means exactly but I'm getting better results with just having this one stick of ram in lol. Still having some trouble booting up so I'll continue playing with it but I also noticed this ram is rated for 1.80v and I kept putting in 1.65 maybe that was the problem?

Not sure if this means anything but when I try and overclock with certain settings it looks like it's goin to work, it then stalls and the three beeps repeat. It continues this cycle and won't boot into windows but my monitor recognizes a signal (it turns off if it doesn't).

Well there's your problem! Flynion is absolutely correct. You cannot run those sticks at their rated speeds and voltage, because your RAM can't run at a voltage that low! 1.65V is the maximum RAM voltage that you should be running through a P55 board; DDR3 from the previous generation that runs from 1.8V-2.1V is not compatible with P55 boards. You'll need sticks that can run at 1.65V or under.

It will indeed work, according to EVGA's RAM compatibility list: http://www.evga.com/support/motherboard/ The one EVGA has listed is F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH. The one you have chosen is F3-12800CL7D-8GBRH, denoting it as the 8GB variant of its compatible cousin. It fits all the specs required of P55 RAM, so it will work. Just remember, when you get it, to manually set the voltage to 1.6V (what this kit is rated for), and your timings to 7-8-7-24.
 
Edit for your edit: Either of those three kits will work just fine! My little analysis is for the first one you linked.