OK, so I am stick today and skipping church on Easter, so what better thing to do but to OC my computer?
System: Check for detailed system specs in my profile
Mobo: ASRock ex3gen3
CPU: i7 2600 (nonK)
Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO, Stock fan was too loud (compared to my old Zalman that made its way into my wife's PC), so I replaced it with 2 120mm Enermax fans that run quite silent.
Ram: Corsair 1333 @ 9, 9, 9, 24
What I have done so far:
Multiplier is set at 42 (as this is a nonK CPU that would be my turbo boost multiplier)
BLCK is at 101 (kinda scared to mess this this much)
Under Prime95 (so far 2 hours in) I am getting temps at ~43c with occasional spikes up to 48c which I think is perfectly acceptable. Fans are at minimum settings until 50c at which point they will start ramping up. I am very happy with the noise and temps for this speed so far.
Using CPUz to check CPU speed. Generally hovering at x40-41 multiplier (4.03 and 4.14GHz respectively) with the occasional x42 multiplier (4.24GHz), again, this is with prime 95 blend test.
Using CPUID's Hardware Monitor for temps and fan speed read-out
All voltages are at stock/auto settings
Questions:
1) I seem to have the thermal overhead, so is there a way to 'trick' turbo boost to run flat out at x42 whenever a load is present? Or at least to hit x42 more consistently than it does now?
2) How scared should I be about changing the BLCK? My fear is that I could damage my RAM (which is not performance ram by any stretch of the imagination), or would the computer protect itself and reset if there are problems? I have read that one can generally get up to 105 without problems, is that something I should shoot for? Or is that asking for trouble for a mere 5% increase in clock?
3) Any other general advice is welcome, just don't say "You should have bought a K series chip" I knew what I was buying when I got it, and I am not big on overclocking in the first place, this is mostly just for fun as the stock speed was plenty fast for what I do.
4) What tests/monitors do you use on your system to check temps and stability?
It amazes me that with as easy as it was to get to 4GHz that they do not simply sell a 4GHz chip to begin with. My last CPU was a C2Duo 2.2GHz, and it took everything I had to get it up to 2.66GHz. This i7 has gone from 3.4 to 4-4.2 with no effort at all, and it still runs just as cool as that old C2Duo!
Thanks for the advice!
System: Check for detailed system specs in my profile
Mobo: ASRock ex3gen3
CPU: i7 2600 (nonK)
Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO, Stock fan was too loud (compared to my old Zalman that made its way into my wife's PC), so I replaced it with 2 120mm Enermax fans that run quite silent.
Ram: Corsair 1333 @ 9, 9, 9, 24
What I have done so far:
Multiplier is set at 42 (as this is a nonK CPU that would be my turbo boost multiplier)
BLCK is at 101 (kinda scared to mess this this much)
Under Prime95 (so far 2 hours in) I am getting temps at ~43c with occasional spikes up to 48c which I think is perfectly acceptable. Fans are at minimum settings until 50c at which point they will start ramping up. I am very happy with the noise and temps for this speed so far.
Using CPUz to check CPU speed. Generally hovering at x40-41 multiplier (4.03 and 4.14GHz respectively) with the occasional x42 multiplier (4.24GHz), again, this is with prime 95 blend test.
Using CPUID's Hardware Monitor for temps and fan speed read-out
All voltages are at stock/auto settings
Questions:
1) I seem to have the thermal overhead, so is there a way to 'trick' turbo boost to run flat out at x42 whenever a load is present? Or at least to hit x42 more consistently than it does now?
2) How scared should I be about changing the BLCK? My fear is that I could damage my RAM (which is not performance ram by any stretch of the imagination), or would the computer protect itself and reset if there are problems? I have read that one can generally get up to 105 without problems, is that something I should shoot for? Or is that asking for trouble for a mere 5% increase in clock?
3) Any other general advice is welcome, just don't say "You should have bought a K series chip" I knew what I was buying when I got it, and I am not big on overclocking in the first place, this is mostly just for fun as the stock speed was plenty fast for what I do.
4) What tests/monitors do you use on your system to check temps and stability?
It amazes me that with as easy as it was to get to 4GHz that they do not simply sell a 4GHz chip to begin with. My last CPU was a C2Duo 2.2GHz, and it took everything I had to get it up to 2.66GHz. This i7 has gone from 3.4 to 4-4.2 with no effort at all, and it still runs just as cool as that old C2Duo!
Thanks for the advice!