Overclocking my i7 920?

[RSharpe]

I continue to fiddling with relevant settings but keep getting memory problems (the pc hard locks) at a measly 3.3 and 50C max. Cannot figure it out.

 

If some folks could post their freq and voltage settings that might help.

 

Also, what is the max safe CPU voltage for the i920, 1.4?

 

That's very strange indeed. What revision of the 920 do you have? The C0 or D0? On my D0 I can pretty much get to 3.5ghz simply putting all settings on auto and boosting the blck to around 175. If I want to get to 4.0ghz I need to tweak the memory timings and voltages too. When things get unstable, try bumping up the voltage. I can't remember what was giving 3.5ghz, but it was under 1v. Probably something like .95v.

 

Not all 920s clock as well as others. You may not have been lucky and good a good overclocker.

[EtherealN]

Keep in mind those synthetic stress tests aren't even close to real world at all. I've never seen any game even come close to loading 4 cores or 8 threads to max.

 

True. So what?

 

You aren't saying that it is extremely rare for a gaming rig to task a CPU as heavily as a stress-test application, and that for that reason it is acceptable to maintain an overclock setting that fails on the stress-test?

 

Eh... Do you also trim your automobile so hard that it'll blow a piston if you push the gas pedal down all the way, since you'll only push the pedal down there in emergencies anyhow? Except, what happens when an emergency causes you to actually need all the power you can get?

 

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Mower, first off: sorry for the somewhat noobish question but I just want to get that possibility out of the way, no attack on your e-honor intended: have you unlinked the memory controllers and/or made sure to manage the memory multipliers to ensure that your memory stays in specification as you step up the overclock?

 

Also, do you have the same issue if you first lower the CPU core multiplier as low as it can get and then go to the same bCLK where you previously had issues? If so, then the problem might be in your motherboard, not the CPU. Generally speaking this is the method I would recommend: start by finding the top end of what the motherboard can sustain in bCLK, and then take one step back in that and start re-raising the CPU multiplier towards it's normal setting.

 

As for max safe voltage, I'm not sure where the limits for the core is. I do know Intel are pretty harsh on that 1.65v limit to the uncore/memory, since anything above that will risk frying the memory controller - which could brick your CPU entirely or just cause partial damage leading to instability.

[Steel Jaw]

have you unlinked the memory controllers and/or made sure to manage the memory multipliers to ensure that your memory stays in specification as you step up the overclock?

 

Yes.

 

Also, do you have the same issue if you first lower the CPU core multiplier as low as it can get and then go to the same bCLK where you previously had issues? If so, then the problem might be in your motherboard, not the CPU. Generally speaking this is the method I would recommend: start by finding the top end of what the motherboard can sustain in bCLK, and then take one step back in that and start re-raising the CPU multiplier towards it's normal setting.

 

Fails to POST.

 

 

Thanx, I guess it's gonna be more trouble than it's worth for me.

[EtherealN]

Yeah, then I don't quite know where to dig for that issue, sadly. :(

[Teej]

I had tried dropping my 950 down to a 20 multiplier and it too failed to post.

 

Currently running 160 x 23.

[RSharpe]

I had tried dropping my 950 down to a 20 multiplier and it too failed to post.

 

Currently running 160 x 23.

 

What are your voltages for your CPU and RAM and what's your clock and timings for your RAM?

 

My i7 is running a stable 200x20 without any problems.

Edited December 13, 2010 by RSharpe

[Teej]

When I tried going with anything x 20 (be it 133 or 200 or 1-2 tries in between)...I had left most of that stock. Thought I had the memory set for a ~ stock speed.

 

As it sits right now I've got the cpu set at 1.4v, memory at 1.75 (rated at 1.65, bios wanted to only feed it 1.5) at stock speed 8-8-8-24 timings.

 

There was one other voltage setting I nudged up...forgot the name of it off the top of my head...stock was 0, I tried 100mv and then 200mv before system booted/ran stable.

[RSharpe]

Wow. Those are high voltages. It's strange how much i7s vary.

[Teej]

I might be able to back off the 1.4 a bit, not sure. I don't consider the current setup permanent - just stable and runs plenty cool, so I'm not super concerned. I'll have more time to play with it over the next couple of weeks.

[Steel Jaw]

I have a D0 and a good o/c mobo, so I do not understand why I cant get a good stable moderate o/c.

[Teej]

I have a D0 and a good o/c mobo, so I do not understand why I cant get a good stable moderate o/c.

 

Well, it's always possible you got the runt of the litter. (Piece of silicon that failed during higher speed testing so it got the low speed tag).

[Steel Jaw]

Well, it's always possible you got the runt of the litter. (Piece of silicon that failed during higher speed testing so it got the low speed tag).

 

I hate to say but I am beginning to think so. And because it's an OEM CPU I do not know how to find out the batch.

 

Can a sound card cause a lock up when o/c?

Edited December 13, 2010 by Mower

[Teej]

Depends if the settings you tweak to OC are cranking up the PCI bus rate.

 

FWIW, I now have mine running at 20 x 200. When I tried it last, I had forgotten to adjust the memory clocks. So now I have it set w/ memory at stock clock rate.

[Steel Jaw]

Teej, what are the voltages? Or have you left them on auto?

[Teej]

Well, as others have said, every chip seems to run a bit different, and mine are a little higher than I'd like where I changed them.

 

I changed the CPU to 1.40

Changed VTT from 0 to 100mv.

 

I'm using Corsair XMS3 ram rated at 1.65v, but I've got it bumped to 1.75 at the moment. Probably going to try to bring that and the CPU down.

[Teej]

Currently doing another Orthos stress test with the voltages pulled back a bit.

 

CPU down to 1.36875 selected, e-leet reading 1.34 under load

DRAM pulled to 1.65 (rated voltage) at rated speed

 

4 copies of orthos with affinities set to stress all 4 cores (1 as "CPU and ram", 2 as "CPU and some ram" and the 4th just CPU)

 

I get these temps:

CPU 52

VREG 67

System 29

Cores are reading 66/64/63/62

 

Anyone think I should tweak anything further? This is getting to be a range I'm happy with.

 

Thx.

 

Teej

[RSharpe]

Those voltages are a lot better. I don't think it's good to exceed 1.65v for RAM.

 

So those temps are your stress load temps? If so, they're quite good. Mine get just over 70C at 4.0ghz and 1.25v + vdroop.

[Kuky]

Last weekend I got i7 950 and have it running at 4Ghz (166x24) and 1.265V vcore, RAM is at 1331MHz notch over 1.5V (12GB Corsair DDR3 1600MHz) and CPU temps are about 64°C tops under full load at 25°C room temperature and about 40°C idle (CPU is water cooled), also I use IntelBurn Test for testing stability.

 

I'm happy with this o/c for now and I think above 1.3V vcore is starting to be too high for the CPU for 24/7 overclock

Edited December 14, 2010 by Kuky

[Teej]

I got a bit more aggressive with the voltage pull, and it's about as far as I can bring it down - setting a tick under 1.35v with vdroop, it reads 1.32 under heavy load, with the temps a touch lower.

 

I think I'm done. Heh.

[Pilotasso]

Just out of curiosity, what are your windows 7 CPU ratings?

[Steel Jaw]

I have managed to get an o/c of varying clocks long enough to see that A10C runs no better or slower than no o/c.

 

Yeah it's beta, so too early to know, but for me at least, I see no advantage.

[RSharpe]

I have managed to get an o/c of varying clocks long enough to see that A10C runs no better or slower than no o/c.

 

Yeah it's beta, so too early to know, but for me at least, I see no advantage.

 

You're probably GPU limited right now, and no matter how fast you push your CPU, you won't see a change in framerates.

[Steel Jaw]

You're probably GPU limited right now, and no matter how fast you push your CPU, you won't see a change in framerates.

 

Entirely possible, the GPU is slated to get replaced in a month.

[EtherealN]

To be honest, that depends. I use a 9800GTX+ as well, and while it is eminently possible to bottleneck A-10C with that card, a few flips down on the graphical settings and it's my CPU again. For DCS:BS and FC2 I need to go into supersampling territory to start bottlenecking at the GPU.

[Teej]

Just out of curiosity, what are your windows 7 CPU ratings?

 

7.7 / 7.7 / 7.4 / 7.4 / 5.9

 

(I have a ~ 2-3 year old HD running as the system drive for now)