Overclocking
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for Overclocking) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | ASRock Z77 Extreme6 | Asus P8Z77-V Pro | Biostar TZ77XE4 |
| CPU Base Clock | 95-150 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 95-300 MHz (0.01 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 63x | Up to 63x | Up to 63x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-3000 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 1066-3000 (200, 266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.60-2.20 V (5 mV) | 0.80-1.92 V (5 mV) | 1.00-1.79 V (10 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | 0.77-1.63 V (10 mV) | Row 5 - Cell 2 | 1.05-1.16 V (12.5 mV) |
| VCCSA Voltage | 0.93, 1.02, 1.11, 1.20 V | 0.80-1.70 V (6.25 mV) | 0.90-1.70 V (12.5 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | 0.78-1.65 V (9.3 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (10 mV) | 1.05 V +0 to +15% (5%) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.17-1.80 V (5 mV) | 1.20-1.92 V (5 mV) | 1.30-2.11 V (12 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 3-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9-63 Cycles | 1-255 Cycles | 9-63 Cycles |
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for Overclocking) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | ECS Golden Z77H2-A2X | Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H | MSI Z77A-GD65 |
| CPU Base Clock | 99-150 MHz (1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.01 MHz) | 0-655 MHz (0.1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 59x | Up to 63x | Up to 63x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-2800(200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-2933 (266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 1.00-1.50 V (15 mV) | 0.80-1.90 V (5 mV) | 0.80-2.155 V (5 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (5 mV) | 0.95-1.55 V (10 mV) |
| VCCSA Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | 0.72-1.40 V (5 mV) | 0.93-1.59 V (10 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | Not Adjustable | 0.78-1.72 V (5 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | 1.10-2.10 V (5 mV) | 1.11-2.46 V (7.25 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-15 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 3-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9-63 Cycles | 5-63 Cycles | 10-40 Cycles |
Saving the best for last, all six of today’s motherboards yielded phenomenal air-cooled overclocking results from this specific Core i7-3770K processor. This is the first time in around two years that this editor received am above-average CPU sample on his first try, and history indicates that we’ll most likely see a greater percentage of acceptable overclocks as new steppings address minor hot spots.
MSI’s Z77A-GD65 edges out the competition for maximum CPU clock, while the second- through fourth-place overclockers are essentially tied. Biostar falls only slightly behind the median, while ECS drops a little behind Biostar.
ASRock has the highest base clock, while the top five boards prove the superiority of this specific CPU sample. Most users should expect an extra 6 MHz or so from their 100 MHz base clock, and even the bottom board gets that far.
A 2612 MT/s data rate is extremely remarkable compared to processors of old, and the fact that ASRock holds four modules stable at that setting with a $165 motherboard is similarly striking. So striking, in fact, that Asus called us out for not checking ASRock's XMP voltage more thoroughly. A retest at 1.650 V resulted in a maximum four-DIMM stable data rate of DDR3-2559 in Prime95. Two-DIMM results remained at DDR3-2700. We should also note that Asus isn't completely blameless here, as its P8Z77-V Pro showed 1.659 V in its own UEFI at the memory's XMP value of 1.650 V.
ECS sets a new standard for itself by winning the two-DIMM overclock tests, while any overclocking deficits for Biostar’s offset DIMMs appears significant only when four modules are installed.
