Core i7 Overclocking Guide - Page 6 - Intel

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A bios flash may help.
But i would just adjust them manually, it takes a matter of minutes.

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Reply to overshocked

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overshocked wrote :

The i5 is a bitch to overclock, i think writing a guide might be a little difficult for people who want to push it past 4.5ghz.

This guide will do if you only want to get to 4.0 ghz though.

Well, is another challenge,isn't it? i would like to see i7 core users watchin it lol

Reply to damian86

Hi Overshocked - Here's another real Noob with a problem!!!!!

I have an i7-920 mounted on a GigaByte GA_EX58-UD4P with 6GB (2x3) DDR3/1600 memory.

I was trying to follow your well written guide as closely as I could, but obviously I've screwed it up - another case of not knowing what the instructions were really saying.

Here's what I did -

First off I couldn't get to the System Memory Ratio (it was greyed out) but the System Memory Multiplier right above the Ratio was adjustable (Auto) so I set it to the lowest value - 8.0.

I set the QPI Link Speed from Auto to - 36.

I set the Uncore Frequency from Auto to the lowest value - 12.

After each change I saved and restarted to Windows. After I made the Uncore Freq change the computer won't boot. It tries to start - fans/lights/temp monitor come on in case but then it shuts down and tries all over again.

HELP!!!! - Thud

Reply to thud_25

Thats the reason i say that the uncore multiplier adjust isnt needed.

All your other setting look good. Just start adjusting the bclock now.

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

Thats the reason i say that the uncore multiplier adjust isnt needed.

All your other setting look good. Just start adjusting the bclock now.

Ok, but right now I can't get to the BIOS since the computer won't start past a "power on." I suspect that I have to clear CMOS and then start again - right?

I am only looking to do a very modest OC - I just have air cooling (Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling) - of maybe 3.2 or so. I just want to get rid of some minor stutters I have in Flight Sim X. Do you think it would be acceptable to just start at step #4?

If it's better to set the System Memory Multiplier and QPI Link Speed as I did before what do I do after I'm done doing the OC - do I reset them back to auto or do I leave them at 8.0 and 36?

Thanks - Thud

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Message edited by thud_25 on 10-24-2009 at 04:13:22 PM

Reply to thud_25

thud_25 wrote :

Ok, but right now I can't get to the BIOS since the computer won't start past a "power on." I suspect that I have to clear CMOS and then start again - right?

I am only looking to do a very modest OC - I just have air cooling (Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling) - of maybe 3.2 or so. I just want to get rid of some minor stutters I have in Flight Sim X. Do you think it would be acceptable to just start at step #4?

If it's better to set the System Memory Multiplier and QPI Link Speed as I did before what do I do after I'm done doing the OC - do I reset them back to auto or do I leave them at 8.0 and 36?

Thanks - Thud

Yes, clear the cmos 1st.

Then I would drop the memory multiplier then start increaseing the base clock. Ive used the lclc before. Its a nice little setup.
I was able to attain 4.54ghz with that little guy. [:lectrocrew:6]

I bet you will be able to get to 3.8-4ghz stable.

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

A bios flash may help.
But i would just adjust them manually, it takes a matter of minutes.

ok so i q-flash bios its now latest version, tried the XMP got bsod then i tried with manual settings got bsod

Reply to julsee

overshocked wrote :

Yes, clear the cmos 1st.

Then I would drop the memory multiplier then start increaseing the base clock. Ive used the lclc before. Its a nice little setup.
I was able to attain 4.54ghz with that little guy. [:lectrocrew:6]

I bet you will be able to get to 3.8-4ghz stable.

Thanks again Overshocked - everything is back to running again. I was up to 3.8 on stock Vcore, but with the cooling I have temps were starting to climb quite rapidly (85C if I can believe Speedfan or 60 to 80 according to my led lights). I don't really need that high for FSX so I dropped it back to 3.6 and temps are now 40 - 60 C and very stable. Never did get a BSOD.

Cheers - Thud

Reply to thud_25

WOW, nice, can i see a cpu-z screenie at full load?

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Reply to overshocked

Your guide is very impressive. Both clear and concise at the same time. Very good!
Now how-about explaining how to optimize an i7-800 type CPU with Turbo Boost turned on.
Thank you.

Reply to wgriff

Pretty much the same, but you may need to bump up the pci-e to get higher b-clocks

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Reply to overshocked

great guide. i cant wait to get home and start overclocking. question though, i just got a v8 and was pretty excited but you talk about it sucking. ive seen some reviews from others stating this thing can knock idle temps of stock as low as 20-22 and ppl were getting load temps of 50-60 at 3.8. im not wanting to max this thing out, just a real good overclock that doesnt bottleneck my 5870. would i be pretty safe at 190 bclk for 3.8 or should i shoot for 200 to try for 4?

Reply to illegalnaut

The v8 will do fine for that, it should probably get even further.

There are just so many better coolers for cheaper.

http://www.frostytech.com/articlev [...] 461&page=5

For example the core contact freezer costs $20 and is alot better.

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Reply to overshocked

Scared to death of over clocking especially now that it seems just too easy. So let me get this straight. Tweak_restart-teak_Restart-Tweak_restart-teak_Restart-BSOD-Tweak_restart-teak_Restart-Tweak_restart-teak_Restart-BSOD-Tweak_restart-teak_Restart----- Smoke coming from CPU No BSOD. Get new CPU and start over!
Like I said scared but this post will make a difference. Wish me luck.

*************** Bring a New Definition to NOOB ******************

Reply to CosmicTwister

HAHAHA pretty much how overclocking goes, except for the "smoke from cpu" part.

Although just recently i had my x58 classified ($450 motherboard) catch on fire after doing an ln2 run.

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Reply to overshocked

so im not sure why, but i have the xmp profile enabled in my bios for my ram to run at 1600. and until i have time to oc i have the dummy oc set so that it runs at 3.2 (3.45 w/ overdrive) but my memory in cpuz shows as 800. is this something im gonna have to live with until i oc myself, or is there a work around for that?

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Reply to illegalnaut

Please google before you post.

your memory is ddr wich means double data rate, so double what you see in cpu-z and thats the real speed.

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Reply to overshocked

illegalnaut wrote :

so im not sure why, but i have the xmp profile enabled in my bios for my ram to run at 1600. and until i have time to oc i have the dummy oc set so that it runs at 3.2 (3.45 w/ overdrive) but my memory in cpuz shows as 800. is this something im gonna have to live with until i oc myself, or is there a work around for that?

800x2 = 1600 [:lectrocrew:1]

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Reply to OvrClkr

Great guide overshocked!

But there is a little typo:

Step One
Change the memory mhz to the lowest posible ratio

This is a fairly simple step but i will brake it down for you.

^^ Edit: This is a fairly simple step but I will break it down for you.

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And for the record, you did break it down quite nicely! Thanks overshocked!

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Reply to Zinosys

OvrClkr wrote :

800x2 = 1600 [:lectrocrew:1]

Some people shouldnt even be opening up cpu-z....

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Reply to overshocked

Zinosys wrote :

Great guide overshocked!

But there is a little typo:

Step One
Change the memory mhz to the lowest posible ratio

This is a fairly simple step but i will brake it down for you.

^^ Edit: This is a fairly simple step but I will break it down for you.

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And for the record, you did break it down quite nicely! Thanks overshocked!

Ahh, thx.

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Reply to overshocked

thanks for being jerks about it. i didnt know that therefore didnt know what to google. i know what forums to stick to and where not to go. thanks for pointing me in the right direction

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------------------------------ Core i7 920 (3.4)
C/M V8
3x2 GB Corsair Dominator 1600
eVGA X58 3x SLI
Reply to illegalnaut

illegalnaut wrote :

thanks for being jerks about it. i didnt know that therefore didnt know what to google. i know what forums to stick to and where not to go. thanks for pointing me in the right direction

I told you what you needed to know didnt I?

You didnt really need to know what to google.

Here, this explains it all. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cpu-z+%20ram+speed

Message edited by overshocked on 11-11-2009 at 07:40:50 AM

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Reply to overshocked

I have a i7 860. Not overclocked yet. But I tried once. Raise the base clock to 145MHz, but didn't change anything else. And crashes(screen turns black. not a BSOD). Do I need to increase the Voltage?

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Message edited by xmexhksx on 11-11-2009 at 01:44:22 PM

Reply to xmexhksx

overshocked wrote :

fixed thanks

Did you really get your 920 to 4.53ghz on air? I saw it was with the Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer; is it really that good? What do you run 24/7 at?

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Reply to jaymoney61

which is better? The Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer or the Cooler Master V8?

Reply to xmexhksx

which is better? The XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283 or the Cooler Master V8? And do I need to buy the retention bracket for the XIGMATEK Dark Knight if I am getting it? Is there any difference between the Dark Knight-S1283 and the Dark Knight-S1283V? Difference is only the V

Message edited by xmexhksx on 11-12-2009 at 09:59:04 AM

Reply to xmexhksx

Im really not a big fan of the V8, the xiggy is pretty nice though.

I like the CCF the best because of the pric, i think its like $20 after MIR on the egg.

here are temp comparison charts.

http://www.frostytech.com/articlev [...] 461&page=5

Keep in mind the megahalem is a little better than the ice age 120, they just havnt added it to the chart yet.

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Reply to overshocked

jaymoney61 wrote :

Did you really get your 920 to 4.53ghz on air? I saw it was with the Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer; is it really that good? What do you run 24/7 at?

Yeah, i did really got it to 4.53, actually when i did a dice run i got 4.75 on stock voltages, i couldve gotton further, but i didnt have the time to start messing with pci-e freq.

I run it 24/7 at 3.5-3.8.

I could run it at 4.3ghz 24/7 but i really dont need all that power for just surfing the net.

I usually will crank it up when i play a game though.

Message edited by overshocked on 11-12-2009 at 06:26:11 PM

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Reply to overshocked

xmexhksx wrote :

I have a i7 860. Not overclocked yet. But I tried once. Raise the base clock to 145MHz, but didn't change anything else. And crashes(screen turns black. not a BSOD). Do I need to increase the Voltage?

Did you do this in the bios?

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

Did you do this in the bios?

no. i do it in asus turbo v. using asus p7p55d le board.

Reply to xmexhksx

^thats your problem...bios is 10x more stable.

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

^thats your problem...bios is 10x more stable.

Oh ok. Anyway, where is the CMOS?

Reply to xmexhksx

Boot your comp and hit delete until it comes up.

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Reply to overshocked

So I am assuming I know what the answer to this is going to be (get a better cooler) but at the time I bought this PC I couldn't find the Hyper 212 anywhere....

Anyway here goes:

Components:
i7 860
P55-UD4P mobo
Corsair Dominator RAM
ThermalTake Silent 1156 Cooler
HAF 922 Case
5850 Msi GPU
Corsair 750HX PS

Tried a few different things, and while each and every time it booted into Windows and was running Prime fine for a few minutes, I stopped it each time since temps would reach 80c+ fairly quickly.

F3 Bios on it now, and I have the F4 in the event I need to flash

Setting the QPI Link to x32 (didn't mess with voltage much on this, did try 1.23 I believe)
Setting the Memory Ratio to 8 - (defaulted to 99924 - changed to 88824 - raised DRAM volt to 1.64 or 1.66)
Setting BCLK to anything from 165-180 and Vcore anywhere from 1.325-1.375

Again - Windows booted each and every time I tried, but after a few min of Prime monitoring via RealTemp 3.40, temps would reach 80+

Any suggestions?

Reply to wnysupport

A better cooler would be ideal, but this is what i would try...

Try dropping the vcore a little then raising the qpi voltage. You should be able to compensate a little.

But what multi is your memory running at?

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

A better cooler would be ideal, but this is what i would try...

Try dropping the vcore a little then raising the qpi voltage. You should be able to compensate a little.

But what multi is your memory running at?

I was running the memory @ 8

What do you suggest putting the QPI up to, and lowering VCore to any suggestions?

I wasn't looking for a huge OC - stable @ like 3.6Ghz would be perfect 3.4-3.5 I would settle for

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Reply to wnysupport

Great guide. Made things reallys simple.

Now my issue

Specs:
i7920
Radeon 5870
V8 Cooler (i know i know)
Antec 1200
EVGA X58 mobo

I followed your guide to the letter and everything went great. Went to run 3dvantage and it locks up everytime(grey/blue lines) and forces a reboot.
I reset cmos and i can run it just fine.
I try to OC again (barely) and it locks up again.
Reset cmos and it works just fine.
My 5870 isnt oc at all.

Latest drivers/bios/windows update(win 7 64bit)...
My score was only 16k so wanted to do some oc to push it but no luck in figuring out the issue as of yet.

This sound like a hardware issue?

Reply to supfresh

As an update, I changed my voltage to: vcore 1.275 QPI to 1.21 running @ 3.4GHz

Averaged high 70s' with running Prime for 10+ mins

Should I try to adjust Vcore down a little more (say 1.25) and see if it reduces it more and is stable.

Or any other thoughts?

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Reply to wnysupport

wnysupport wrote :

I was running the memory @ 8

What do you suggest putting the QPI up to, and lowering VCore to any suggestions?

I wasn't looking for a huge OC - stable @ like 3.6Ghz would be perfect 3.4-3.5 I would settle for

Like you prolly know by now, there is no "special voltage that works for everyone. You will definetly want to tweak it. Just drop the vcore as far as possible with a stable boot up and raise the qpi to compensate.

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Reply to overshocked

wnysupport wrote :

As an update, I changed my voltage to: vcore 1.275 QPI to 1.21 running @ 3.4GHz

Averaged high 70s' with running Prime for 10+ mins

Should I try to adjust Vcore down a little more (say 1.25) and see if it reduces it more and is stable.

Or any other thoughts?

Nice , what i would do is drop the voltage as low as possible, with it still being stable. That will reduce the temps(obviously).

But 10min on prime 95 does NOT constitute atability. I would give it 12-24 hrs. [:lectrocrew:6]

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

Nice , what i would do is drop the voltage as low as possible, with it still being stable. That will reduce the temps(obviously).

But 10min on prime 95 does NOT constitute atability. I would give it 12-24 hrs. [:lectrocrew:6]

No doubt on that - I just wanted to see if I could at least run 10 mins of the Small FFT to see if the temps would reach into the 80s' right away.

My next endeavor is going to be to get it as stable as I can (hopefully low 70s high 60s) at 3.4Ghz on this cooler - run Prime over night and make sure all is well.

Then see what is the absolute max BCLK I can hit with that same vcore or just a bump up- and call it a day with this cooler.

Like I said earlier hitting 3.4 stable would be fine - anything above and I will be happy (at least until I decide on another cooling solution)

Reply to wnysupport

Update:

Up to 3.5GHz (175x20) with 1.21 QPI Voltage and 1.2125 vcore (I believe)

Maxing in the mid 70s (75 seems to be the highest) - so getting better.

Thinking about trying 1.20vcore w/ 1.21 QPI, or maybe if I have to raising QPI to 1.23....

I am thinking 3.6GHz is a very real possibility which I would be really happy with.

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Reply to wnysupport

wnysupport wrote :

Update:

Up to 3.5GHz (175x20) with 1.21 QPI Voltage and 1.2125 vcore (I believe)

Maxing in the mid 70s (75 seems to be the highest) - so getting better.

Thinking about trying 1.20vcore w/ 1.21 QPI, or maybe if I have to raising QPI to 1.23....

I am thinking 3.6GHz is a very real possibility which I would be really happy with.

Dont expect a new cooler to work miracles for you. It doesnt seem like you have the best cpu in the world

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Reply to overshocked

overshocked wrote :

Dont expect a new cooler to work miracles for you. It doesnt seem like you have the best cpu in the world

Not expecting miracles - actually 3.6 would be perfect for me, so I am assuming I could get the vcore down more and hit it.

My issue off the bat was I was trying to put too much voltage on it. Which skewed my initial reactions.

...but either way 3.6 would be my sweet spot, and I don't think I need any more out of it to be happy.

Thanks for your help.

Reply to wnysupport

Yeah, no problem dude.

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Reply to overshocked

How much will this all cost?

Reply to Blackinvador

How much will what cost?

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Reply to overshocked

OK overshocked, please help a noob understand exactly which BIOS settings you're referring to, so I can wean myself off the EZ settings (3.8 @ 68C fully loaded ain't bad, but I'm sure there's more here).

In Step 1 it says to change the "memory speed" to a lower ratio, but the only thing close that I can find in my BIOS is "DRAM Frequency", but there isn't any "ratio" to be found... any other synonyms I should be looking for?

Step 2 it says to find the "QPI Link Speed" or "QPI Multiplier", which I'm guessing is the same as "QPI Frequency", no?

In Step 3 it says to find the "uncore multiplier", which I'm guessing is the same as "uncore frequency"?

And what about SpeedStep? C1E? Spread Spectrum?

And all the voltages... PLL, VTT, etc. (pretty sure I butchered some of these)?

My board (ASRock x58 Extreme) also "Optimized" and "I.O.T." (Intelligent Overclocking), in addition to Auto and Manual... should I mess with those or leave on Manual?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE...

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Reply to ruffhouseutah

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Core i7 Overclocking Guide - Page 6

Forum Overclocking : Intel - Core i7 Overclocking Guide