I want to try oc'ing my system a bit, something I have never attempted before. I'll give my system specs and maybe you guys/gals can give me a few tips.

Asus p5n32 se sli deluxe mobo ( has original bios from initial release)
C2D e4300 1.8 ghz CPU (stock heatsink)
2 gb ddr2 OCZ gold 6400 (800 mhz) ram
(2) evga 7600 gs GPU ( in sli mode)
seagate 160 gb hd

all in an Antec 900 case with plenty of airflow.

The only bios updates availeable from Asus are beta updates, which I have been told by some are not good to use. I have tried oc'ing the GPUs using Ntune, but no matter what settings I try, they always fail the GPU test. Am I doing something wrong?

Typically, you won't need to use an updated bios to OC, unless the board was just released and it had some issues that needed attention with the initial release.

Beta Bios's can often solve problems with a just released CPU. a certain brand memory, or extend the range of overclocking a bit more than a previous release.

Your motherboard and CPU have been around for a while, so none of the above should apply.

It's most likely that you don't have any experience OC'ing and don't quite know where to start...NTUNE is not always the best software for OC'ing either, if you check your motherboard CD, it should have a utility called AI booster that works somewhat reasonably, or you can find it at ASUS's website.

Software OC's in general are not the way to go though, but do have some saving graces.
NTUNE has a "Auto OC" apotion that can be usefull, but it does not always work that good.

Clock Gen is one of my favorites for getting a few more MHZ beyond what I can get from the Bios for a benchmark run. not all motherboards are supported, but yours should be, it just won't have the ability to adjust voltages...that should be done in the bios prior to using it.

As far as how to proceed with a Bios OC, be prepared to read up and spend some time experimenting.

If you make a mistake and it won't boot up after powering down and trying to restart it a few times, you probably will need to locate the CMOS jumper and move it to the other set of pins to clear it (For about 30 seconds, then return it to the original postion)

You can also do the same thing by removing the battery for 30 seconds.

Most Asus boards will respond to a failed OC setting by just simply powering it down and retarting..it will load the defaults then...unless you went too far out of range with a setting, then you need to do the clear CMOS trick above.

Let me find a few links and we can take it from there.

Also..what kind of power supply do you have? That can be a major problem if it it does not have enough capacity (Amps on the 12v rail) a weak or generic power supply can ruin your day when you try to OC and retain stability!

Reviews:

Asus P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe (nVidia nForce4 SLI x16 Intel Edition)

AnandTech: Asus P5N32-SLI: Dual x16 - What Dreams Are Made On . . .

[H] Enthusiast - ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe==

V I P E R L A I R .com - ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe, Page 1/4

ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe | NordicHardware

this is the PSU I have.
Newegg.com - XION PowerReal XON-600F14T-201 ATX12V 600W Power Supply 100 ~ 120Vac/200 ~ 240Vac - Retail.

I have the major issues I am going through in a different thread, maybe they can be combined? I cannot seem to adjust FSB settings at all. On my bourd the choices I have are: manual, linked or auto. When I select manual and try to adjust FSB settings, it just resets itself to the previous value, which is way of spec. The FSB is stuck at 2745mzh! Why, I really don't know. Could it just be that I got a bad board? Is there a better or (easier) board out there?