It's all happy trails and puppy dog tails from here...OCed i7

[jamesyboy]

I finally grew some gonads and decided to OC my i7. After reading various guides and watching various videos, i found the right one for me. http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/22106-core-i7-overclocking-guide-beginners.html

My Specs:
ASUS P6T (Non-Deluxe Version)
I7-930 D0 stepping
OCZ Obsidian (1600mhz) 6GB Kit
Cooler Master Scout
OCZ StealthXStream 700 Watt PSU
Diamond Radeon 5850 Vid Card
Cooler Master V8 Cooler

I popped the BClock up to 150 for a grand total of 3.3Ghz. Voltages are at:
CPU Voltage: 1.1v
Dram Bus Voltage: 1.56v
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage: 1.2v

Any1 see any problems with these? I'm actually thinking about pushing it much farther. The guide sugggests using higher voltages than im using. Is undervolting better with overclocking?

Also, something interesting i thought id bring to your attention. My temps HAVE DROPPED DRAMATICALLY.
My temps before with prime95 blend were around 75-77c, and now they're at 63-64 during blend testing!

Is it correct to assume that my motherboard was using higher voltages on the {auto} settings?

Should i push it farther? Or should i find the lowest stabile voltages for this clock. Turbo Mode is enabled.

What are some safe voltage ranges for the i7 930?



Again, the questions are:

Is undervolting good? (If i'm stable that is.)

Is it correct to assume that my motherboard was using higher voltages on the {auto} settings?

Should i push it farther? Or should i find the lowest stabile voltages for this clock. Turbo Mode is enabled.

What are some safe voltage ranges for the i7 930/Some red flags to look out for?

My TDP seems to hover around 145.6...is this even relevant?



Sorry for the n00b questions. I'm excited. And, btw, im aware 3.3ghz is modest. I'm just blown away by my temps. Maybe my V8 works better under stress.

 

[Lmeow]

Your CPU voltages seem fine, max (recommended) CPU voltage is ~1.365V, while QPI is 1.35V, and vDIMM (RAM) is 1.65V. Yes, your motherboard was definitely using higher temps - at stock it is 1.25V, which is what I'm at right now.

I reckon you should push it further a bit, but make sure that your temps are below 75°C during Prime 95 testing. Undervolting is good if you're not overclocking/doing a slight overclock. As for your TDP, it's how much energy your CPU cooler is dealing with right now/dissipating, IIRC, I could be wrong, but it matters little.

 

[jamesyboy]

At default my mb runs the voltages retartedly high....if i can oc to 3.3ghz with 1.1 vcore, ASUS need some calibration software. Its running default at:

Vcore: 1.225
Dram 1.8
QPI/Dram 1.37500


My ram is stupidly high as well....again, these are all default for the i7 930 with an asus p6t.

Should i go in and manually set my dram voltage? That 1.8v makes me nervous.

 

[Lmeow]

If DRAM = vDIMM, then it should be 1.65V. QPI should be a bit lower at 1.365V. You should change it to 1.65V or lower.