Possible to OC an i3-2120 to 3.9 - 4.0 GHz?

[g-unit1111]

I'm definitely new when it comes to OC'ing but I'm curious to push my new i3-2120 (but not test the limits), but is it possible to do? I have a Gigabyte motherboard with TouchBIOS enabled if that will help.

Specs:

Cooler Master HAF 912
Intel Core i3-2120
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus w/ 2 fans
16GB Corsair XMS3 RAM
ATI Radeon HD 5830
Crucial M4 64GB

 

[Ubrales]

Yes, with your setup this is attainable. I ran my i7-920 at 3.82 GHz for several months; very stable and excellent temps. Then on a whim, I increased the OC to 4.0 GHz and found that my system was still stable and the temps were almost unchanged. I ran it at 4.0 for a few weeks.

When my curiosity was satiated, I decided to lower the OC back to the 3.82 GHz, and that is where it is now. 3.82 GHz for over 18 months. At this level I can expect a long life along with good performance, out of the CPU.

3.9 to 4.0 will not hurt the system as long as the voltage is within specs and the temps are reasonable; <40 degs C on idle.

When you OC, do it in increments of 0.1 GHz and pay close attention to voltages and temps. - Use the guides on OC at this site.

 

[g-unit1111]

So my first couple of attempts produced failure errors - what am I doing wrong? I attempted to overclock at 3.43 GHz - I set the multiplier, unlocked the voltage, set the timing and default speed of the RAM (1333 MHz), and set the video clock, but when I rebooted, it gave me errors saying "FAILURE TO BOOT BECAUSE OF ATTEMPTED OVERCLOCKING", so I immediately went back into the BIOS and loaded the fail-safe defaults, and it works perfectly fine when I do that.

 

[Ubrales]

So my first couple of attempts produced failure errors - what am I doing wrong? I attempted to overclock at 3.43 GHz - I set the multiplier, unlocked the voltage, set the timing and default speed of the RAM (1333 MHz), and set the video clock, but when I rebooted, it gave me errors saying "FAILURE TO BOOT BECAUSE OF ATTEMPTED OVERCLOCKING", so I immediately went back into the BIOS and loaded the fail-safe defaults, and it works perfectly fine when I do that.

Start by setting the RAM multiplier to its LOWEST ratio.

 

[aftcomet]

DO NOT overclock the i3.
its sandybridge 1155 and is not a k series chip.
its not an unlocked cpu and will cause damage to all connected componants.
you have been warned.

I also have a 2120 and I've heard this before. Haven't tried overclocking but this does sound plausible. Can anyone explain why though? Why would it damage the HDD, or GPU?

 

[saint19]

I'm definitely new when it comes to OC'ing but I'm curious to push my new i3-2120 (but not test the limits), but is it possible to do? I have a Gigabyte motherboard with TouchBIOS enabled if that will help.

Specs:

Cooler Master HAF 912
Intel Core i3-2120
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus w/ 2 fans
16GB Corsair XMS3 RAM
ATI Radeon HD 5830
Crucial M4 64GB

You can't, for overclock with those components you need a "K" series CPU, 2500k, 2600k or upcoming 2700k

I also have a 2120 and I've heard this before. Haven't tried overclocking but this does sound plausible. Can anyone explain why though? Why would it damage the HDD, or GPU?

The multiplier and reference clock can't be changed and are linked with the USB and GPU clock if you change the reference clock you change all the settings in the rig and not only the CPU.

 

[g-unit1111]

OK I see why I keep getting those errors. So if I want to OC, then I need a 2500K or 2600K correct?

 

[k1114]

Actually for a locked SB cpu, it must be at least a i5 since i3 doesn't have turbo. Because you are essentially changing the turbo speeds to OC. Locked SB cpus have 4 extra bins (probably because they are all quad cores) to mess with which is essentially 400mhz. And this is not messing with bclk which could possibly be OCed only 5mhz before it's unstable.

 

[aftcomet]

You can't, for overclock with those components you need a "K" series CPU, 2500k, 2600k or upcoming 2700k



The multiplier and reference clock can't be changed and are linked with the USB and GPU clock if you change the reference clock you change all the settings in the rig and not only the CPU.

Thanks. Makes complete sense now.

 

[g-unit1111]

What's really weird about this whole thing is that CPU-Z and the BIOS on my motherboard are reporting that the CPU is running at 1/2 the normal speed - how do I enable it to run at the full stock speed?

 

[k1114]

It throttles down during idle to save power, the instant you need power it'll go to full speed. You can see if you run prime95.

 

[vargis14]

Yep like everyone said you can only overclock a i5 non k version with the turbo settings and maybe the block from 100 too maybe 104mhz.the K chips have unlock multipliers i just had my 2600k with SLI EVGA 560 ti SC's at 950mhz a few moments ago trucking at 5.0ghz and 1.45 volts and she peaked at 60c but i have a h60 cooler augmented with a window air conditioner I just wanted to see if i could break 10.00 in cinebench....came close 9.91 pts. Backed her down to 4200mhz @ 1.28 volts for 24/7 use. I love and hate my p67-ud4-b3 motherboard not bad for a march 2011 build.
I also have 2 gateway prebuilts 1 is aa 1155 2800 slim tower series with a tiny 220watt psu i picked up at microcenter with a g530 2.4ghz celeron 4 gig of ddr 1066 and a 500gb 7200rpm drive for 229$ refurb for a HTPC, slapped a 50$ asus 6570 1gb low profile card in there and overclocked it to 800+ core so its basicly a 6670 with ddr3. The i had a gift card for 75$ so i stuck a i3 2125 in it. It runs diablo 3 great at 1080p on my 47" lcd. My other Gateway is a 4000 series that came with 6gb ddr3 1333 a i3 2120 and a 1TB hd and another killer 300watt PSU for 329.99......i put a hd7750 in that and that games pretty good on my 55" panasonic vt30 3d plasma....diablo3 loks amazing in 3d but have to run it at 720p at 60fps over hdmi....@ 1080p the HDMI format limits it to 24 fps, totally unacceptable. once i get a new z77 board for my 2600k i will reuse the g520 in the slim tower it will play D3 just fine since that game uses no cpu horsepower at all. Then reuse the i3 2125 in my GB p67 board with for another HTPC/gaming rig.The i3 2120/25 chips game better then amd quad cores easily......sorry for the drunken banter

 

[amuffin]

What a waste.

 

[rnaodm]

Hi I just put together a i3 rig, Asus P8P67 mobo, Currently its at 105.1 BLCK giving me a clock of 3.51 Ghz from the standard 3.3

Ram is at 1700Mhz, Its been running like a champ, completely stable, temps are pretty low, esp because im using the stock cooler.

How far is safe with overclocking the i3, I know because raising the clock speed it speeds up the other perphials but exactly how and what can be damaged as a result, do you think im safe at 3.5? Id like to go higher, I really lover overclocking just couldnt afford an i5-2500k, and got this great overclocking mobo for super cheap.