I just set my i7 BCLK to 200 and...

[Mpyra]

Now it won't boot!

I left pretty much everything on auto except for dimm voltage which i set to 1.65 and the cpu voltage which i set to 1.300.

The computer turns on, the fans spin, but, there's nothing coming on screen.

The motherboard is an xfx 58i extreme addition, which says on the box and i quote "extreme overclocking" and "XT edition motherboards are extremely overclock friendly".

Now i am somewhat a noob to overclocking i7's, i did it once before but now i can't remember how, have i done something wrong here?

I assumed the auto option would set all the other stuff to what would be needed to attain the 200x20 clock speed i set the bclk for (i left the multiplier as default).

UPDATE:

Hey, okay, i found the bios reset button and am back to default settings now, what the hell did i do wrong and what do i need to do?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

There's an overclocking section of the forum that would probably be a better place to post this question.

 

[saint19]

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Overclocking by Saint19

 

[jeyd02]

indeed this is one of the most complex task to deal with when you building or try to increase your computer's performance.

Firstly, i recommend you to follow some trusted Guide to learn the basics of overclocking and all its components. http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/538439-guide-overclocking-core-i7-920-930-a.html

and to answer you question, IMO it is normal for it to no boot once in a while, why? It is part of the overclocking process... you are merely testing the stability as well. so keep configuring the Volt settings/DRMM Timing/ and the multiplier and QPI.

make sure, that the major factor of overclocking is at the Volt configuration. this section is where you generally will most deal with it. I recommend you not to put all settings in AUTO since it sometimes provides unnecessary volts or even volts that doesn't meet your current clock speed. and for 4ghz+ clock speeds, normally people are using Vcore at 1.30-1.35....i personally have it at 1.27v but im using turbo mode...at 4Ghz

ALSO, its important to have in mind that overclocking will drastically increase your temps. so make sure you have proper heatsink and airflow as well as certain hardware such as Rams and such...

Good luck.

 

[Mpyra]

Okay, so i tried 166 BCLk left absolutely everything on auto and it booted fine, but it downlcoked my ram to 1300 mhz (using 1600 mhz ocz gold cas 8).

I just want my i7 and 4000 and my ram at 1600 or close tthose numbers.

My cpu cooler is megahalem single fan, which admittedly need reseating as idles on stock are high 40's are being on for a while and temps are high 60's under intel burn test at stock, but i am just testing out the overclock function right now, cooling should be fine to achive a stable overclock.

 

[Mpyra]

Yea, i posted it here once i saw the overclocking section, there is actually another thread which i am going to copy my posts from to here and continue with this thread.

 

[Mpyra]

WTF, i can't set my QPI to anything other than 4800 6400, am i missing something?

I have to stress i have no clue what these things qpi, bclk etc.. and i don't really care, i just want to know what ratio they have to be to each other to function correctly and how i can set them to the appropiate values.

 

[Mpyra]

Firstly, i recommend you to follow some trusted Guide to learn the basics of overclocking and all its components. http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/538439-guide-overclocking-core-i7-920-930-a.html

read that guide before i started overclocking, it's not very helpful because it only delves into specifics in the Asus motherboard section and my bios is completely different, i will post screenshots of my bios in a few minutes.

 

[Mpyra]

Okay here is my bios, there are two main sections that i figure may be relevant to overclocking, the first is the appropiately titled "Overclocking" section:

Top Half:

Lower Half:

The next is the "Advanced" section, which opens up to give you a choice of subsections:

Here is the CPU subsection:

Here is the Chipset subsection:

 

[jeyd02]

Okay, so i tried 166 BCLk left absolutely everything on auto and it booted fine, but it downlcoked my ram to 1300 mhz (using 1600 mhz ocz gold cas 8).

I just want my i7 and 4000 and my ram at 1600 or close tthose numbers.

My cpu cooler is megahalem single fan, which admittedly need reseating as idles on stock are high 40's are being on for a while and temps are high 60's under intel burn test at stock, but i am just testing out the overclock function right now, cooling should be fine to achive a stable overclock.

sry, i was referring to this guide: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

and i wanted you to learn what are the concepts of the overclocking and what causes it. in terms of QPI, Multiplier, CLock frequency, RAM frequency, Ram timing, and such...

im don't have TOO much experience about overclock but i wanted to help you since i was in the same situation.

if you really want those clock speed to be stabilized try configuring your Voltages as i said. increase the Vcore to 1.35....select 2:8 Ration for the RAM settings

 

[Mpyra]

Okay, thanks.

Right now it won't let me change the Ratio CMOS Setting (20), so everything has to be multiplied by 20.

At 200x20, cpu voltage at 1.35 and ram multiplier at 6 and ram volts on auto i can get to the windows 7 boot screen before the swirly graphics, then it just pauses.

When i set the cpu voltage to 1.30 it stops just before it gets to the windows 7 boot screen.

With the ram multiplier at 8 and voltage on auto it doesn't even get to the BIOS.

I could try VTT, but there are some other things i'd like to be able to control, such as the Ratio CMOS Setting as well as the QPI, i can't find anywhere to control it's multiplier, i just have an option to set it at 4800 and 6400 in the overclocking section, i have the same option in the advanced chipset option subsection, but above it there is another option:

I read somehwere that getting the QPI as low as possible was important, but i have no way of controlling it's multiplier and i don't know what the low speed high speed thing is.

I can also set QPI to auto.

Okay, i'm going to try CPU voltage at 1.35 and VTT at 1.40 and ram multiplier at 6, but i think i realy need a way to unlcok the Ratio CMOS setting and QPI ratio.

 

[jeyd02]

perhaps your motherboard is locking your settings... OR GET in mind that i7 920 (DO) have locked multiplier to 20.

ok try these settings..

Vcore: 1.35
DIMM Voltage: 1.62
QPI PPL Voltage: 1.30
VTT : 1.20

try these... it should give you a fresh boot up start and clean... SET you timings to default or 7-7-7-20(24)...

good luck. (every Computer is different so you have to deal with those settings and test and test until you reach your satisfactory speed..)

 

[Mpyra]

perhaps your motherboard is locking your settings... OR GET in mind that i7 920 (DO) have locked multiplier to 20.

ok try these settings..

Vcore: 1.35
DIMM Voltage: 1.62
QPI PPL Voltage: 1.30
VTT : 1.20

try these... it should give you a fresh boot up start and clean... SET you timings to default or 7-7-7-20(24)...

good luck. (every Computer is different so you have to deal with those settings and test and test until you reach your satisfactory speed..)

When you say QPI PPL voltage do you mean CPU PPL voltage? and also where is QPI voltage?

Are yoiu saying CPU PPL and QPI are the same thing?

There's still a problem with my ram, i'm not sure if it's capable of getting to 1600 MHz, i left everything at stock except for ram multiplier 8 and voltage 1.65 to test the ram, i don't know how to test it, so i just took a screen shot with CPU-Z:

The timings were on auto in BIOS.

I don't know what any of that means, if my ram running and 1600 MHz or not?

Now, back to your suggestions, considering that i can't get to BIOS screen when my ram multiplier is set to 8 and therefore i have to set it to 6, wouldn't 1.62v be overvolting my ram while it's underclocked?

 

[jeyd02]

no no no no. CPU PPL and QPU are way DIfferent. if you don't see QPI just leave it on Auto then. and perhaps you are right. it a bit overvolting your ram, so you might decrease the volts of ram.

and from the picture it seems your ram is overall good.

please Go to this Screen site on your bios and check the "Current Memory Frequency". that should tell your current Frequency as 1600mhz.

just a quick question.? during your boot up, did you computer started freezing or spiking?

 

[wolfram23]

If your PC isn't booting after an OC, it's a bad OC. I have an i5, but from what I've read the i7s are more power hungry particularily with HT enabled. Now, my PC is currently running a 175 bclk with turbo on at (iirc) 1.32V Vcore and 1.206V Vtt. Generally speaking, more bclk needs more Vtt while higher speeds needs more Vcore. PLL, QPI can all be auto. When overclocking the CPU, you should always downclock the RAM to guarantee it'll boot and after you get the CPU tuned, THEN start setting the RAM.
IMO you need to take some smaller steps and really figure out what you're doing... search for some more guides and take your time. Just getting it to boot isn't the half of it, as then you need to run some stability tests like LinX or Intel Burn Test, and once those are stable (for, say, 15 runs) you should still do about a 10 or 12 hour Prime95 to really make sure.

About the RAM, I also have CL8 1600mhz RAM although different brand. I get pretty identical performance at 1400mhz CL7 as 1600 CL8 or 1800 CL9... the short story is that RAM has a minimal effect on CPU performance under most situations.

EDIT: Also, make sure you know what your CPU limits are via the Intel spec documents you can find on their website. IIRC max Vcore is like 1.7 and Vtt 1.31 but I'm not certain on the i7... I know the i5 is 1.55V Vcore and 1.21V Vtt.

 

[Mpyra]

no no no no. CPU PPL and QPU are way DIfferent. if you don't see QPI just leave it on Auto then. and perhaps you are right. it a bit overvolting your ram, so you might decrease the volts of ram.

and from the picture it seems your ram is overall good.

please Go to this Screen site on your bios and check the "Current Memory Frequency". that should tell your current Frequency as 1600mhz.

just a quick question.? during your boot up, did you computer started freezing or spiking?

When booting up with OCed BIOS settings it may take a while for the pc to actually power up after you press the power button.

It may also take a bit longer for the GPU fan to stop spinning at high RPM (as i believe i common when you start up a computer) and therefore longer for the bios screen to appear.

After the bios screen has appeared the bootup will progress at normal speed until it pauses either at or just before the windows logo appears. If the windows logo appears, the swirly graphics will not and it will remain paused.

There is no where in the bios where you can see the ram frequency except for the top of the overclocking page, but your right that was a stupid question, ram = multiplier x bclk, i've never seen my ram running at 1600 mhz in bios because i've only ever tried to get 1600mhz with 200x8, which never boots, i'm going to try another multiplier and bclk to see if i can actually boot with my ram running at 1600mhz.

no no no no. CPU PPL and QPU are way DIfferent. if you don't see QPI just leave it on Auto then. and perhaps you are right. it a bit overvolting your ram, so you might decrease the volts of ram.

Okay, so what should i set CPU PPL to?

You can see, all the options i have availible in the screenshots i posted.

A better solution to the ram problem would be to find a way to get it to boot into bios...

I'm going to post a screen shot of a ram timing adjustment menu in bios it might shed some light on this matter.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Mpyra]

If your PC isn't booting after an OC, it's a bad OC. I have an i5, but from what I've read the i7s are more power hungry particularily with HT enabled. Now, my PC is currently running a 175 bclk with turbo on at (iirc) 1.32V Vcore and 1.206V Vtt. Generally speaking, more bclk needs more Vtt while higher speeds needs more Vcore. PLL, QPI can all be auto. When overclocking the CPU, you should always downclock the RAM to guarantee it'll boot and after you get the CPU tuned, THEN start setting the RAM.

IMO you need to take some smaller steps and really figure out what you're doing... search for some more guides and take your time. Just getting it to boot isn't the half of it, as then you need to run some stability tests like LinX or Intel Burn Test, and once those are stable (for, say, 15 runs) you should still do about a 10 or 12 hour Prime95 to really make sure.

Well, i think i know what i'm doing i don't think i did when i began this thread, but i feel i've got a rudimentry grip on it now, as for Intel Burn Test and Prime 95, i know about them and have used, i even used burn test earlier to test the stability of the 3.33 GHz overclock i achived by simply changed the bclk to 166.

Right now the main problem is with booting and the i'm obviously in requirement of a better understanding of the nuances of overclocking and unfortunely that's something that's better gained from experience and trial and error.

Good suggestion about the RAM, i guess i'll have to put that to the side for the moment.

About the RAM, I also have CL8 1600mhz RAM although different brand. I get pretty identical performance at 1400mhz CL7 as 1600 CL8 or 1800 CL9... the short story is that RAM has a minimal effect on CPU performance under most situations.

EDIT: Also, make sure you know what your CPU limits are via the Intel spec documents you can find on their website. IIRC max Vcore is like 1.7 and Vtt 1.31 but I'm not certain on the i7... I know the i5 is 1.55V Vcore and 1.21V Vtt.

Okay, well i'm not really bothered about RAM, i just want everything to work as it should, i may end up settling for lower frequency and better timings, but looks at the timing adjustor section looks to me to be a daunting task.

Looking for the voltage limits was one of the first things i did when i started this whole process.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[jeyd02]

Okay, so what should i set CPU PPL to?

You can see, all the options i have availible in the screenshots i posted.

A better solution to the ram problem would be to find a way to get it to boot into bios...

I'm going to post a screen shot of a ram timing adjustment menu in bios it might shed some light on this matter.

Thanks again for your help.

Ok. You can set that To auto. and to get the overclock finally stable, try increasing volts bit by bit until you get a normal boot with stability... make sure you don't overdo it on the volts..

as what wolfram said. you can set the RAM settings to default and check... then change the timing ...most likely 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-20. considering your motherboard the fact that it doesn't provide some settings, can you take pictures of the bios itself?

 

[wolfram23]

RAM timings can mostly be left to auto, except you'll want to set the whole 8-8-8-24 part yourself. If you can get it up and running you can check CPUZ for a readout on suggested timings or you can use Everest which is far more in depth, or you can try saving whatever OC you have set, then setting the defaults, then load the XMP Profile off your RAM which will probably just set a 160bclk and 1600mhz RAM at 1.65V... but, after you set it, reboot, enter BIOS, and check out what it set the timings to.

 

[Mpyra]

Ok. You can set that To auto. and to get the overclock finally stable, try increasing volts bit by bit until you get a normal boot with stability... make sure you don't overdo it on the volts..

as what wolfram said. you can set the RAM settings to default and check... then change the timing ...most likely 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-20. considering your motherboard the fact that it doesn't provide some settings, can you take pictures of the bios itself?

Ofcourse lol, i've been posting bios screen shots for the past few hours, here is what is visible when you enter DRAM parameter Settings in the Overclocking panel:

Here is what you see when you enter DRAM Timing Mode:

Here is the top half of what you see when you Enable "Configure DRAM Timing":

Here is the bottom half of what you see when you Enable "Configure DRAM Timing":

It is probably worth mentioning that three of my dimm slots don't work, there are 3 green and 3 black in an alternating pattern that goes (in order of closest to cpu) green black green black green black.


My 3 x 2 gb ram sticks are all in the black dimm slots.


I have no idea how to go about altering the timings, i know alittle bit about timings, but i only thought there were 4, looks to be alot more that need adjustment.


Okay, right now my computer is sitting at 3.33 GHz, ram multi 8, Vcore 1.40, VTT 1.20, ram voltage either 1.65 or auto i can't remember and everything else on auto.


If i am to go about incrementally increasing the bclk, would i have to do it in specific increments? or would any numbr between 166 and 200 do?

Would bclk 187 work for example?

 

[Mpyra]

Okay, well 177 has worked, i'm at 3.5 GHz, i will up the bclk in a few minutes and test that.

 

[jeyd02]

NO. don't hit VCore more than 1.35..... at 1.35 you cpu should be hitting. so don't adjust more to vcore. please go back to 1.35 and your timings seems good..

to be sure. Did you properly mounted the Ram according to the Motherboard instruction??

 

[Mpyra]

NO. don't hit VCore more than 1.35..... at 1.35 you cpu should be hitting. so don't adjust more to vcore. please go back to 1.35 and your timings seems good..

to be sure. Did you properly mounted the Ram according to the Motherboard instruction??

I actually lost the instruction booklet for the motherboard somehow, however i'm very sure the ram is mounted correctly and that it's okay to use the 3 black slots.

Now, i tried 187 bclk, but just after the swirly colour animation above the windows graphic start to play there was a bsod error message that flashed then the pc restarted.

I've pulled it back to 180 for now and am now going to set the vcore to 1.35 as you have suggested.

What is the deal with my ram timings? They look like they might be CAS 7 instead of CAS 8? and what is that Auto 1T 2T menu about?

 

[cadder]

1. You can find a manual for your motherboard on the net, probably in pdf format.

2. To start with you shouldn't need to change any ram or voltages. Set the bclk, qpi, ram multiplier and so forth, and try it out. Set the ram multiplier to run the ram at a slow speed and don't worry about that part of it. If it boots then go on to some prime95 testing. If it doesn't boot then reduce the bclk and try again. You have to do trial and error back and forth on the bckl until you get it to boot. Sometimes you have to increase it in small increments. There is no guarantee that your cpu will run at 4GHz.

3. Once you get it to boot and run windows successfully, then do some testing with prime95. If it runs long enough, and the temps are OK, then your speed is good. Frequently a speed that will boot and run windows won't run prime95 for very long so you have to lower the speed a bit and try again.

4. Now that you think it is reliable at a certain speed, you can start playing with the ram timings to increase the ram speed. There aren't very many choices in the ram multiplier so you won't get it to the exact speed you want, just get the closest speed below that that you can.

5. Now you can play with cpu voltages. There is some advantage to lowering the voltage below what your motherboard wants to put it at automatically, as it will reduce heat output. Also some motherboards will try to put the voltages a bit too high when you start to reach the limits of the cpu speed.

Some people might prefer to do the above in slightly different order. I've built and overclocked 3 machines using the i5, which doesn't make me an expert at it.

 

[Mpyra]

Okay, 180 BCLK booted fine with 1.35 vcore.

Considering that, it doesn't make sense to think that vcore is holding me back at 180, if 187 was a fail at 140 vcore, you'd expect drawing back t 135 to cause 180 to fail if it had anything to do with the vcore.

I wonder if i had set my bclk to 180 and left everything on auto at the beginning of this whole process whether it would have booted or not...

Hmmm... I'm going to try it...