P8Z77-V Pro Firmware
The P8Z77-V Pro pushed our Core i7-3770K to 4.77 GHz at 1.30 V using a 101.4 MHz base clock and 47x core multiplier. We began our overclock at A.I. Tuner’s X.M.P. overclocking mode, rather than using purely manual or Asus-defined overclock settings.
Shown at DDR3-2703, the P8Z77-V Pro pushed a stable DDR3-2715 from G.Skill’s DDR3-2666 when a lower CPU multiplier was used.
Red warnings tell us that 1.30 V core and 1.20 V System Agent voltage levels are higher than suggested for Ivy Bridge, though some of our engineering friends advise otherwise. We asked many questions before choosing these settings, but only time can prove the adequacy of this advice.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all found within Ai Tweaker’s DRAM Timing Control submenu.
The CPU Power Management menu also provides the actual multiplier control for fixed mode, along with several current limits. Asus says that Automatic power settings are more than adequate for all but the most aggressive overclockers, and we never encountered a power reset or lock-up by using these.
Load-line calibration could be the most important feature of Asus’ Digi+ Power Control submenu. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Auto settings kept our CPU core voltage stable under various load conditions.
