Stuck Trying to Overclock i7 960 and Asus P6T Deluxe v2

I have been spinning my wheels for a couple of days trying to get a stable overclock of my i7 960 in my Asus P6T Deluxe v2. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've tried using the guides, but most don't match this motherboard or CPU. My efforts haven't allowed me to even increase from 3.2 to 4.0, let alone the 4.7 I had hoped for. I would even be willing to pay someone who would walk me through the process later today (Moday). Thanks!

you are trying to go from 3.2 to 4.0 ghz. What about the intermediate frequencies. Most chips cant even hit 4.0ghz with full stability what ever you do...
Try increasing 50 mhz each time and finding the best voltage for each. Jumping from 3.2 to 4.0 is not the correct way to overclock. Every chip is different and needs to be handled differently

I am using Arctic Silver with a Cooler Master V8. I'm worried I put too much on. At default I'm getting 41 degrees with the sides of my case off. But I don't think the instability has been due to heat. After I get stable settings, then I'll test for long term stability.

I was trying intermediate settings, but my goal was at least 4.0. After all, it seems people are getting that with a 920. If so, then shouldn't it be much easier for a 960?

Hey Overshocked, Thanks for replying. I would just note that I may need more than a little advice given the lack of success I had following your tutorial on my own, in part because the P6T has rather different options (or so it seems) and largely because I'm a newbie. I don't mind paying someone to walk me through a process like this when it is going to take more than a couple of minutes of their time. Imagine how much a "Geek Squad" would charge me -- if they even would do an overclock -- and how unhelpful it would likely be. You've had great success with OC'ing the 920. I was just hoping that the 960 would give me a head start. Best, Dabesq

I found the bclock, but as you well know, overclocking involves a bit more than one number. First, with my motherboard, there are literally millions, if not billions, of potential combinations. Second, it could be extremely time consuming to determine the maximum OC for my gear--time I don't have. My goal is to get a good OC, consistent with the 80/20 rule--if you know what I mean. So, I don't think you have to be such an idiot as to not be able to find the bclock to be willing to compensate someone with lots of experience to speed up what can be a very time consuming process. I'm an expert in my own field and can quickly narrow down a nearly infinite number of option to a manageable number worth pursuing, and I can point out a problem/potential conflict that a newbie wouldn't recognize. I'd like to see if I can find similar assistance with this OC. That could be either live assistance or a good tutorial geared towards my motherboard and chip.

^ Is that enough info?

basically just steps 1,4,5, and 6 in my guide.

That should get you to a fairly high speed. But to add that extra 100mhz or so you will need to understand a bit more, like those settings in steps 2 and 3 of my guide. But they really dont help that much.

Thanks. What I really wish I could find is a cross between the Asus guide and overshocked's guide. But my system seems basically stable now at 4.0, up from 3.2, so I'll probably leave it there. The voltage is on the low end, but Real Temp 3.00 has one core peaking (briefly) at 80*C, so obviously don't want any higher temps.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Just a bit more info about my system.

i7 960 (3.2 GHz 8M LGA 1366)
ASUS P6T SE
Xtreme Gear HP-1216 heatpipe CPU fan
Kingston Hyperx DDR3 (3 GB)
Sigma Shark 635 Watts P/S
500 GB SATA, and 60 GB IDE (Pagefile cache)
Windows 7 Pro.


With BCLK at 160 and CPU V at 1.325, running at 4.00 GHz, the system passed the Prime85 tests. The highest temp was 71 C, but rock stable.