Please help me OC my 920 :(

[foxrunner09]

I had a previous post in regards to my i7 temps being too hot while running the V8 heat sink. However I think my temps are now within an acceptable range (heat sink is most likely seated properly now).

My buddy who was going to help me OC my 920 apparently went off of a bit tech article that stated fool proof OC settings. The only thing is the article helps you OC your 920 to 3.95Ghz and this is higher then I want to go. I would like to OC to about 3.6Ghz at least to start with and see how my temps behave at that point (more for longevity then anything else). I have never messed with OCing before so this is all new to me. Would anyone be able to recommend some BIOS settings or anything like that to help me get a good OC on my CPU?

This is the article my friend directed me towards:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2008/11/06/overclocking-intel-core-i7-920/3

He mentioned using the same settings and just changing my multiplier and something with my memory? Would this be ideal? Sorry this is something I have never worked with before so i'm a little overwhelmed.....

 

[foolycooly]

first of all, no OC is 'foolproof'. It is largely dependent on your CPU/mobo and temperatures. What works for one person may not work for another. That being said, you can probably reach 3.6 on stock voltages. Try these settings (may be different depending on what motherboard you have...please tell us):

Change your base clock to 180
Make sure your multiplier is set at 20
Manually input your cpu core voltage to 1.200
Manually input your QPI/DRAM voltage to 1.200
Manually input your DRAM Bus voltage to 1.60
Change your memory multiplier to x8 (for now)

Make sure your memory timings are correct, and if they are not, manually input them.

Boot to windows and test using Prime95 and realtemp. This should be stable on most all 920s, but it's possible you may need a bit more voltage.

 

[foxrunner09]

I am pretty flighty about OCing seeing as it's a whole new world in PC's that I have never explored. I am using a P6T motherboard. I am using Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145222

Thank you for the recommendations.... What should I do with Turbo Mode and Hyperthreading? After disclosing my system specs would any of those recommended settings change? My memory timing is 9-9-9-24 according to the manufacturers specs.

I took down the changes foolycooly suggested. Would those be the only required changes I would need to make in order to get my clock speed up to 3.6? Sorry keep in mind im a noob



My system specs:
Antec 900 case
ASUS P6T motherboard
Intel i7 920 (OC'd)
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 (3 X 2GB)
NVIDIA EVGA GTX260 Superclocked edition
Western Digital Velociraptor hard drive
Samsung DVD burner
Cooler Master V8 cooler

 

[foolycooly]

turn turbo mode and intel speedstep OFF. Speedstep downclocks your cpu when it's not in use...this is something you can research more, but leave it off in my opinion.. Turbo mode gives you an extra multiplier (21x) and might lead to instability. You can leave hyperthreading on w/ these settings...should be stable.

Just scroll over to the memory tab in the bios and make sure the timings are right 9-9-9-24 (should be the first four numbers on the list). At the 8x multiplier your ram will be running at 1440. This is obviously underclocked since your RAM is rated to run 1600. But if you bump the multiplier to 10x, it would put you at 1800 which is a pretty significant overclock. There is no guarantee it will be stable and it's best to rule out a memory problem when testing an overclock stability. You might be able to tighten the timings to something like 7-7-7-20 since you're underclocked but that, again, can be messed with later.

Have you tried these settings?

 

[foxrunner09]

I am at work now so I haven't tried the settings yet. I am supposed to have a raid with a bunch of friends tonight on the game I play providing the raid doesn't go too late tonight I may give the settings a try and find out where I land. (Would hate to make the changes in the BIOS and have the system seem stable then half hour or hour into the raid crash at some crucial point and screw my group over).

Thank you very, very much for the suggestions I will report back on here when I have some info regarding how the settings worked out for me. Wish I could give you some kudos points or something

As far as the memory running at 1440 and not 1600 I am ok with that at this point

This rig is awesome compared to my old system

 

[Guest]

i found that my i7 didnt like to OC on a multi of 20 (step tech off and turbo off).

i tryed running at 19x @ 200 mhz and (for a 3.8ghz oc) and this ran WAY more stable than far lesser OC's using a 20x multi.

worked for me, if your having issues try it out.

 

[foxrunner09]

Thanks I will keep that in mind! (Did you have to up the stock voltages?) Have had a busy schedule as of lately and haven't had the time to really sit down and commit to making the changes and being able to do a Prime95 test for an appropriate amount of time afterward to test stability. I will post back with my results though! Thank you much guys! Have a good Easter weekend!

 

[foxrunner09]

I tried your settings and it ran stable for an hour before a reboot. I couldn't find a memory multiplier in the BIOS (dunno if this is because you had a deluxe P6T but mine is the plain vanilla) however I did have a selection that I was able to manually set it to 1443. I am at 3.6 Ghz.
I just wanted to confirm (yes sorry I am a noob) but when you said I may need to up my voltage you were referring to the CPU core voltage right? I bumped it up a couple times (hit the + sign 2 times) so instead of 1.20000 I think I am at like 1.21875 or something like that. I started running Prime again and it ran stable for about 40 minutes but I ran out of time last night so I will continue tinkering with it over the weekend. Thanks!

 

[foolycooly]

Yeah, you're correct on the memory thing...it's just showing you the calculation based on a 8x, 10x etc. multi.

Yes, I meant the cpu core voltage. You are doing just fine in testing the way you are...bump up in little increments until you are stable for at least a couple of hours in prime.

 

[foxrunner09]

Should I be looking for a 12 hour burn test? Or is a couple hours stable enough? I mean I think I understand that Prime is running my system at levels that my normal useage will never reach but at the same time I just want to make sure its reliably stable also.
I guess im asking if a couple hours stable is good enough or should I go the distance and make sure its stable over 12 hours? After bumping the voltage up to 1.21875 or whatever it was my peak temp was 71C am I still looking good temp wise as well?

 

[foolycooly]

Yes, your temps are great.

IMO, run Prime for 2-3 hours and if it passes then enjoy your PC

 

[foxrunner09]

Thank you sir for your help

 

[foxrunner09]

I had my PC running Prime stable for 4 hours so I called it good enough. At 3.6Ghz my max temp was 72C and I idle around 33-43C across all of the cores. My gaming temps max at 58C. I only had to up my core voltage to like 1.21875 so not a whole lot past the stock settings. Just wanted to say thanks for your help! I thought my game ran smooth at stock settings its seriously like glass now