I7 920 OC - Check it out please!

[MeiaNoite]

Hi!
After almost one year since i bought my i7, i decided to OC it.
I have got some questions, hope you can help me out

Here is my hardware:
i7 920 rev D0
mobo DX58SO latest bios
RAM OCZ3P1600LV6GK (3x2Gb - tripple channel)
Video XFX HD 4850 ATI
V8 Cooler Master

So here is my OC...

CPU
Clock: 180mhz
Multiplier turbo on: 22x
Speed: 3.96Ghz
Vcore: 1.30V

RAM
Uncore Multi: 16
Memory Multi: 8
tCL: 7
tCRD: 7
tRP: 7
tRASmin: 24
tRPC: 59
Memory voltage: 1.66
QPI: 1.25

Temp
Idle: about 50C
Load: 72C (hyperthreading off) / 79C (hyperthreading on)


Sooooooooo i got it stable!
No crashs at all, butttttttt:

1. Is this temp ok?
2. Its worth to turn HT on?
3. If HT is on, its ok to get 79C temp?
4. Can i push more of my CPU and RAM raising Vcore and QPI to 1.35V ?


Any other advice/tip will be very appreciated!!!
Thanks alot!

 

[Ubrales]

Your temps seems higher than what they should be. I have similar equipment, and my OC is 3.82GHz - my temps are a lot lower than yours. Right now idle is 28 degrees.

The only thing I did with my Cooler Master V8 is to polish (some erroneously call it lapping) the base flat. Flatness is important, not a mirror finish! The i7-920 (DO) I left as-is. Installed everything using Arctic Silver 5, and the system runs fine.

If you have not already done it, I recommend polishing the base of the V8 cooler.

 

[MeiaNoite]

I did not polish it, and here in my city (small one) i really dont know where i could do that, what kindda of service should i look for?
Is my load temp too hi?
I just ordered a Artic Cooling MX-2 which i will use as soon as i get it. Is that enough?

By way, can you post your configs?
Are you using turbo? 166mhz?

Thanks alot for your comments !!!!!

 

[Ubrales]

Polishing the base of the heatsink must be done by you to industry established practices. If you are unfamiliar with the process, ask a friend to guide you. Although it takes some skill, it is not difficult to learn. The v8 heatsink should take about 20 minutes to polish. Do not rush it.

Here are my settings (my configuration can be found in my profile)
QPI - 182 (CPU running at 3.82GHz)
RAM 1452 (underclocked from 1600) - RAM multiplier - 8
VCORE Voltage - 1.275 (max is 1.375)
RAM Voltage - 1.55 (max is 1.65)
Turbo mode is ON

 

[MeiaNoite]

Thank you again!
I will wait for more replies, already got this nice polishing tip! Just gotta find somebody to do it
Thanks alot Ubrales !!!!

 

[Ubrales]

Here is a guide that I wrote a few minutes ago. I assume full authorship of the contents.

Guide to Polishing Heatsink bases.

Polishing Heatsink bases is usually done by enthusiasts in order to improve heat transfer between the CPU and the heatsink. This, when done correctly results in lower CPU temps, thereby prolonging CPU life and also improving Overclocking capabilities.

Polishing is loosely referred to as "Lapping", but let it be known that whereas Polishing can be done at home on a flat work surface, Lapping can only be done utilizing highly accurate, expensive, and precise Lapping Machines.

Flatness and an improvement in micro finish is the objective, not necessarily a mirror finish. Frequently, after polishing, the improved flatness and the fine micro finish will make the surface look more or less like a mirror finish.

Tools requited are 1200 grit Silicon Carbide (wet or dry) paper, 2000 grit Silicon Carbide (wet or dry) paper (optional), elbow grease, and a few drops of water.

Here are the series of steps for polishing the base of a heatsink:

1. Find a flat surface to use as a base. A piece of 12" x 12" x 1/4" glass will work (glass top cocktail table, end table, breakfast table).

2. Lay a full sheet of 1200 grit Silicon Carbide paper flat on the glass surface and ensure that this sheet does not slip or slide during the polishing process. Put about 4 drops of water in the center of this sheet.

3. Place the heatsink base squarely over the center of the Silicon Carbide paper and gently start moving the heatsink base back and forth in about 2" strokes. The direction of the stroking must be towards you and away from you. Care must be taken not to tip the heatsink while you are doing this. Use a light downward force. Light force. Light force. Holding the heatsink closer to the base will help. Again, light downward force. (Practice doing this on a sheet of plain paper first if necessary - this will give you confidence).

4. Continue the stroking towards you and away from you, staying on the same central area of the Silicon Carbide sheet. Move your body (not the work piece) about 30 degrees and continue the stroking. Like dancing around a May pole. This will change the polishing direction on the heatsink base. Repeat for about 10 minutes.

5. By now, you will notice that the polishing residue on the Silicon Carbide paper is reddish - this is the color of the copper base under the Nickel plating film that is now polished away. Using the edge of a razor blade is an approximation of a straight edge. It is not a straight edge, but will give you ball park information that is close enough.

6. Continue for 10 more minutes on the same sheet of Silicon Carbide paper, and you are done. VIOLA!

7. Continuing Polishing with the 2000 grit paper is purely optional. Icing on the cake.


A note about the CPU: Leave the CPU alone. The heat spreader of the CPU is a sheet metal component made by the draw (see "deep drawing") process. The thermal expansion characteristics of thin sheet metal drawn parts are hard to determine. I am reasonably sure (oxymoron?) that there will be some improvement in heat transfer if the high spots at the corners of the CPU are polished away, but the marginal gains may not be worth the efforts. Therefore, I am not recommending any polishing of the CPU. Another point to note would be that any alteration will void the warranty.

 

[MeiaNoite]

Dude i thought i would need a machine or company to do that for me. Just saw your tutorial and some youtube videos and for sure i am capable of do that.
For sure i will polish my V8 now!!! I will try to buy those grits and get my hands on it!
Thanks once more man!!!!

 

[Ubrales]

I saw the YouTube videos too. Most of them are crap! Too non-technical. That's why I decided to write my own guide/tutorial.

Just get a pack of 1200 grit Silicon Carbide paper. I got mine at Harbor Freight (www.harborfreight.com). Go to the store. It's not worth ordering online. Harbor Freight has some nice items mixed with a lot of junk. So check out what you buy.

Other places such as Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, etc., also would carry this. Any automotive parts store worth its name will carry Silicon Carbide paper. Only the prices will be different.

Since this is your first time with polishing, I would suggest that you try it out on a piece of copper similar to the V8 base, before you do it on the real McCoy!

Good luck!

 

[MeiaNoite]

I have an old stock fan here, its copper base, so i will give a try.
Gonna leave home in few minutes and try to grab some grits... Lets see what i can do. I will try to post some pictures

 

[MeiaNoite]

Sorry for the bump here, i just would like that Ubrales could see what i have done.
I just found an old thermaltake volcano and got 2 grits, 600 and 1200.
Also i have heard that those liquid metal polish products helps to make it faster.
I made this in about 40 min and its my first experience.

Nice thing that i saw, was that the very center of this heatsink had was deeper!!!!
After finish with the 1200 grit, the center was almost plane.
Nice !!!

Now i gonna try to get the 2000 grit and as soon as get my Artic Cooling MX-2 compound, i will polish the V8.

Ohhh almost forgot, here goes the pictures.

http://www.zeroping.com.br/downloads/bruno/polish_low_res.jpg - 600kb
http://www.zeroping.com.br/downloads/bruno/polish_hi_res.jpg - 8mb

 

[Ubrales]

Nice pics! Congratulations!

Leave the metal polishes alone. All they will do is shine up the surface, without changing the flatness. Yes, polishes will make it look like a mirror finish, but the objective here is FLATNESS. After you attain a flat surface, you may use the polish to make it shine. No Problem.

If you decide to use the 600 grit paper, use it just to get rid of the high spots. Then switch to the 1200 to complete the job. The 2000 grit is purely optional.

I am glad that it took you 40 minutes. This is not a process that you can put into high gear and perform in 10 minutes. The average time to polish a heatsink base to a high degree of flatness is around 20 minutes. When it's time to re-assemble, use Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound. (There are others just as good, or better, but I have had good results with AS5)

Good luck with your project.

 

[MeiaNoite]

Yeahhhh!!!
When i get my paste i will take a whole day to do this as best as i can
Thanks for the advices again Ubrales!!!
Once i get it done, i will try to send some new photos!
Thanks man!

 

[Ubrales]

Cool!