Beginner i7 920 overclocking

[jayhawker2]

I recently built my first computer with the following components based off a lot of information i got from this website.

Asus P6T SE
Intel i7 920 D0 stepping
MSI Radeon 5970
Zalman CNPS9900 cooler
Antec Quattro 1000w PSU
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1600C8 6GB
2x 500GB Western Digital Caviar Black Hard drives
Thermaltake Element V case

Before i start off i would like to apologize in advance for posting another noob OC'ing topic. Im sure you OC veterans get this type of question enough when there are how to's out there already (found one exactly like mine but it was cached on google and gone the next day unfortunately). I just am better with figuring out complex areas when i have specific questions answered which is why i am posting here because it is such a quality website.

Anyways, I am completely new to overclocking i7's as i only knew basic OC'ing from my old dual core computer which i did not attempt much with. I am very tempted to overclock my CPU based on the fact that it seems many people are getting high clock speeds with the 920 quite easily (i was only looking to get to 3.4 or so) and also because im pretty sure that i am bottle-necking my video card based on comparing similar benchmarks and whatnot. I was looking for some general BIOS values that people have used in a similar situation to mine just in text or screenshots would be awesome if that is possible.

Other specific questions that would help me greatly in starting would be:

1. What do you guys recommended for temp monitoring software and what are some good temps to have at my target Overclock
2. For the amount that i am going to OC, is overclocking the memory necessary, and if so, how is this accomplished (no experience doing this)
3. If you guys used a quality how to for your own OC'ing that is similar to mine or just in general that explains it really well, what is the link to it.
4. Also should i have Intel Speedstep disabled while i am overclocking (not sure if it affects the clock speed much)

Thanks in advance you guys for your feedback and taking the time to read my thread, I'm sure all the feedback will be very useful and knowledgeable as usual.

 

[Lmeow]

Well, if you need a specific overclocking guide, here's one on OCN, don't know where Tom's one went.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/538439-guide-overclocking-core-i7-920-930-a.html

As for your questions:

1. RealTemp, Core Temp, HWMonitor and SpeedFan are all good.
2. Well, overclocking to 3.4GHz will overclock your RAM a little bit, but you don't need to specifically overclock the RAM itself.
3. Honestly, I just increased BCLK after skimming over a few guides, and made sure voltages were in check, and temps as well.
4. Yes you should, I suggest you have Intel SpeedStep disabled, and C1E disabled too, but turn it on after you've finished overclocking.

 

[jsc]

Here's the one on THG:

Overshocked's i7 Overclocking Guide (LGA1366)
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253365-29-core-overclocking-guide
Overshocked i7 Overclocking - What does what
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/256021-11-core-overclocking-what

 

[jayhawker2]

Thanks for the quick replies you guys, it is most appreciated. @Lmeow, your 3.48Ghz would be around or a little more then what i would want, so did you just increased the BCLK for that amount of an overclock after lowering all the multipliers and everything, and also when the RAM does have to OC do you have to do anything major with it other then using memtest if it is not overclocked that much, and lastly how do i know if the voltages are in a good place?

Sorry for all the questions guys, this is just something i do not want to screw up and end up frying my cpu haha

Also @jsc, those guides were the ones that i mentioned were cached in google, they just come up with a thread does not exist message now.

 

[jayhawker2]

Not too sure. A really informative one was taken off and does not exist anymore which i would have liked to use. Is there one on this site that im missing?

 

[Lmeow]

Thanks for the quick replies you guys, it is most appreciated. @Lmeow, your 3.48Ghz would be around or a little more then what i would want, so did you just increased the BCLK for that amount of an overclock after lowering all the multipliers and everything, and also when the RAM does have to OC do you have to do anything major with it other then using memtest if it is not overclocked that much, and lastly how do i know if the voltages are in a good place?

Sorry for all the questions guys, this is just something i do not want to screw up and end up frying my cpu haha

Also @jsc, those guides were the ones that i mentioned were cached in google, they just come up with a thread does not exist message now.

Well... I just increased BCLK to like 165 or so, because I know my cooler could handle it, I left the voltage at stock.

 

[jayhawker2]

Well... I just increased BCLK to like 165 or so, because I know my cooler could handle it, I left the voltage at stock.

Did you have to do anything with your RAM after this like testing its stability? or was it even overclocked.

 

[fisshy]

You shouldn't have to do anything to the Ram Your MOBO will handle it Nicely

Don't get me wrong i love Zalman Coolers but do you think it will provide adequate cooling? the CM hyper 212 plus is a good value for money cooler (brilliant performance)Also the Zalman CNPS10X Quiet / Extreme Models are very nice...

Good Luck (Go with Lmeow's Guide... Its very good)

 

[jayhawker2]

Oh well that's good then, but is memtest still required for that little amount of overclocking the Ram?

Ya and when i bought that cooler i was not completely concerned with intense performances. Various guides i have found said that 3.2 - 3.4 overclocked could be successful with a stock cooler, so I just bought a good value cooler that had some good reviews that would keep my CPU with a good lifespan.

Thanks too I will probably will use that guide, it does seem very informative.

 

[fisshy]

Nah. i wouldn't bother MEM testing unless you are getting BSOD's

 

[jayhawker2]

Ya makes sense, lets hope it does not come to that haha. I did find a fairly simple over clocking video tutorial though, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwbzQblRQ7I

Do you guys think it covers enough, and would it make sense to follow?

 

[thebski]

I was able to reach 3.8 gHz, or 190 bclk, by setting all voltages to their standard value. I then upped the uncore voltage and achieved 4.0 at 200 bclk. I had never oc'ed before and in 15 minutes I had mine running @ 4.0 with my ram @ 1600.

 

[jayhawker2]

Nice that is quite impressive. My overclocking goal seems quite minimal in comparison to what you were able to achieve haha. I'm glad though because it seems like from the info you guys have given me, and the guides i have looked at, what my OC target is should be reached quite easily with stock voltages and no other major changes.