Newbe Overclocking question

[frankla 44]

Hi guys,I built my first system!!. I have all the info in my signature below. I am going to try to over clock it. But before I do I have few questions:1)What is the difference between CPU temperature and Core temperatures? When people around forums mention their processor temperature, what are they refering to? 2)I get around 30C at Idle for CPU Temp and around low 40's for the cores. When running prime95 my temps rise by about 17-18 degrees. Are these numbers okay for a base clocked system?3)My VReg (voltage regulator) temp is high to me; 55C at idle and around 63C when under full load. Is it high for a system that is not over clocked? If it is what is causing it and what should I do about it?4)What is considered an unstable system as I start my over clocking? In other words what should I be expecting when I get to the limit of my processor?5)I have been running the system for about 20 hours now. Has the Arctic silver had enough time to cure so I can start my over clock?My system:i920 with Zalman 9900 LED HSF. Used Arctic Silver 5.EVGA X58 3SLI Mother board3 * 2 GB OCZ Gold 1600 RAM Triple Channel Antec 650W PSBFG 275 GTX video cardNZXT Tempest case with 6 cooling fansWD 1 TB drive with 32 CacheVista 64 Home premiumAsus 24" 1920 * 1200 MonitorLG 22X DVD read/write

[Guest Nick_N]

Hi FranklaYou are completely new to overclocking and as such you need to be aware that clocking does void any warranty of the CPU and it does come with risks. When we colock we accept these things and learning how comes in steps. I can give you some direction to start out with and some warningsYou ARE USING THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I have to say that, especially to a beginner :( 1. DO NOT EXCEED 80c with a i7 PROCESSOR. The max is 100c and past that point the processor is toast. The thermal junction where the performance of the processor begins to drop is 80c, therefore, never exceed 80c under a full load test using the RIGHT software to load test and check temps2. The RIGHT software to load test is OCCT v3 or higher. http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download Set the temp limit in the properties of the program to 80c so the test will FAIL and shut down automatically if you hit that value3. USE the software REALTEMP v3 http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/ or higher to monitor temps on i7 correctly. Set the TJMAX to 100c in REALTEMP so it will tell you where you stand. 4. Your Zalman heatsink is a good one however I am afraid it may not be good enough for high i7 3.8-4GHz clocking. Because of that you will most likely be limted to about 3.4-3.6GHz however you must test that yourself to confirm as you set up your clock5. In your BIOS under the ADVANCED CPU menu, shut down all of the following.. set it to DISABLEDIntel SpeedStep Tech DisabledIntel Turbo Mode Tech DisabledCPU Spread Spectrum DisabledPCI Spread Spectrum DisabledC1E Support DisabledIntel Virtualization Tech DisabledCPU TM Function DisabledIntel HT Technology Disabled <--- Hyperthreading (Note: Enabled for video encoding., disabled for coolest temp in clock as FSX has no i7 type HT support)Intel C-State Technology: Disable 6. In the BIOS the following VOLTAGES and setting changes are made for any clock:DRAM VOLTAGE = 1.65 to 1.67 DO NOT EXCEED 1.69QPI/DRAM = (on some motherboards this is listed as CPU VTT) - I do not know the EVGA BIOS Frankla so I can not advise on the EXACT name they use for this voltage. PLEASE RESEARCH THAT and VERIFY what EVGA is listing for that voltage setting. It should be set to 1.35-1.40. Some 920 CPUs require a 1.44v setting to be stable above 3.8GHz. Do not exceed 1.44 and try to keep this voltage at 1.35-1.37 if possibleCPU VOLTAGE = This is the variable which YOU must find using the following rules:a. DO NOT EXCEED 1.45vb. LOWER is always BETTER however you must find the LOWEST CPU VOTAGE possible between 1.28 and 1.42 that will run you clock STABLE in the 1hr OCCT test and not excced 80c or fail the test in stability. NOTE: The lower the CPU SPEED the LOWER the Vcore will run. Estimates: THESE ARE ONLY ESTIMATES.. you actualy may be different! 4.0GHz may require 1.38 to 1.423.8GHz may require 1.35 to 1.403.6GHz may require 1.28 to 1.353.4GHz may require 1.28 to 1.32<3.4 may run 1.22-1.28LOAD LINE CALIBRATION = ENABLED - This removes the Intel Vdroop system and stabilized the CPU voltage so what you set in the BIOS remains a constant in Windows. With this DISABLED it allows the CPU voltage to vary automatically and can cause instability in a clock7. To raise the CPU SPEED with i7 920-940In the BIOS and find the setting BCLOCK. Its default is 133Raise it As you raise BCLOCK it will MULTIPLY by the CPU multiplier in use. 133x CPU Multiplier = CPU SPEEDSo (IN EXAMPLE) if you raise you multiplier to the highest possible value and then raise BCLOCk to 150 your CPU speed (x22) is now 3.3GHz or 3300MHzWhat you must watch for is the memory speed. The memory speed increases with BCLOCK as well based on its multiplier. You do not want to exceed (unstable) the memory speed. Unstable memory or CPU speed wont hurt anything it will just be unstable or wont boot and run Windows.So with 1600 memory and a 3.8-4GHz clock your memory speed will be somewhere between 1450 and 1600.. the goal is to get as close to 1600 as possible however without a very high BCLOCK setting or a i7 965 you can not run the full 1600 memory speed. Make sure timing remains correct. There is a memory multiplier you can work with too.8. In Windows and assuming the system booted stable and you have found good values for the voltages, TEST your CLOCK for stability and TEMPSStart REALTEMP and OCCTThe CPU OCCT 1 hour automatic test is fineDo not mess with any other test in the list.,.. just the first option CPU: OCCTIn the OPTIONS click the yellow settings icon and see if the temp is set to 80c.. if it is you are readyClick the ON button... a 1 minute pause will occur then the stress test will beginIt will crash and halt the test if there is A: InstabilityB. You hit 80cyou have to check the GRAPHS (should be in the OCCT folder in your Documents) if you crash and not sitting right there to see what the temp was when it crashed.. if it was not 80c then it was instability that caused the crash.. that would indicate Vcore most likely but could also be QPI/DRAM or DRAM too... If it hits 80c but was stable you either have Vcore too high or your cooling is not sufficient for the speed/vcore you are trying to run, one of the twoIf you crash and temps did NOT exceed 80c then the CPU Voltage is the first thing to raise and try again. Keep in mind, you CAN NOT damage the processor unless temps hit 100c and 80c is where the thermal limit system kicks in to slow the processor so we dont want to do 80c or higher.If you do not hit 80c running OCCT you will never hit 80c running FSX.. probably 15-20c LOWER. We use OCCT to ensure we cant go over 80.USE CPUz and MAKE SURE the CPU and the MEMORY are indeed running the speed and timing they should behttp://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz_150.zipI have given you all the basics however you must research yourself too Frankla. Please be careful as you can damage a i7 processor if you run the DRAM voltage too high or QPI/DRAM at <.50v of the DRAM voltageThere are tutorials on the net about i7 clocking and you may want to check the EVGA motherboard forums too in order to get familiar with your board and BIOS before beginning.

[Guest UlfB]

I guess Nick said it all :( Anyway, here is an article on oc:ing the i7 920: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2008...l-core-i7-920/1

[frankla 44]

Hi FranklaYou are completely new to overclocking and as such you need to be aware that clocking does void any warranty of the CPU and it does come with risks. When we colock we accept these things and learning how comes in steps. I can give you some direction to start out with and some warningsYou ARE USING THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I have to say that, especially to a beginner :( 1. DO NOT EXCEED 80c with a i7 PROCESSOR. The max is 100c and past that point the processor is toast. The thermal junction where the performance of the processor begins to drop is 80c, therefore, never exceed 80c under a full load test using the RIGHT software to load test and check temps2. The RIGHT software to load test is OCCT v3 or higher. http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download Set the temp limit in the properties of the program to 80c so the test will FAIL and shut down automatically if you hit that value3. USE the software REALTEMP v3 http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/ or higher to monitor temps on i7 correctly. Set the TJMAX to 100c in REALTEMP so it will tell you where you stand. 4. Your Zalman heatsink is a good one however I am afraid it may not be good enough for high i7 3.8-4GHz clocking. Because of that you will most likely be limted to about 3.4-3.6GHz however you must test that yourself to confirm as you set up your clock5. In your BIOS under the ADVANCED CPU menu, shut down all of the following.. set it to DISABLEDIntel SpeedStep Tech DisabledIntel Turbo Mode Tech DisabledCPU Spread Spectrum DisabledPCI Spread Spectrum DisabledC1E Support DisabledIntel Virtualization Tech DisabledCPU TM Function DisabledIntel HT Technology Disabled <--- Hyperthreading (Note: Enabled for video encoding., disabled for coolest temp in clock as FSX has no i7 type HT support)Intel C-State Technology: Disable 6. In the BIOS the following VOLTAGES and setting changes are made for any clock:DRAM VOLTAGE = 1.65 to 1.67 DO NOT EXCEED 1.69QPI/DRAM = (on some motherboards this is listed as CPU VTT) - I do not know the EVGA BIOS Frankla so I can not advise on the EXACT name they use for this voltage. PLEASE RESEARCH THAT and VERIFY what EVGA is listing for that voltage setting. It should be set to 1.35-1.40. Some 920 CPUs require a 1.44v setting to be stable above 3.8GHz. Do not exceed 1.44 and try to keep this voltage at 1.35-1.37 if possibleCPU VOLTAGE = This is the variable which YOU must find using the following rules:a. DO NOT EXCEED 1.45vb. LOWER is always BETTER however you must find the LOWEST CPU VOTAGE possible between 1.28 and 1.42 that will run you clock STABLE in the 1hr OCCT test and not excced 80c or fail the test in stability. NOTE: The lower the CPU SPEED the LOWER the Vcore will run. Estimates: THESE ARE ONLY ESTIMATES.. you actualy may be different! 4.0GHz may require 1.38 to 1.423.8GHz may require 1.35 to 1.403.6GHz may require 1.28 to 1.353.4GHz may require 1.28 to 1.32<3.4 may run 1.22-1.28LOAD LINE CALIBRATION = ENABLED - This removes the Intel Vdroop system and stabilized the CPU voltage so what you set in the BIOS remains a constant in Windows. With this DISABLED it allows the CPU voltage to vary automatically and can cause instability in a clock7. To raise the CPU SPEED with i7 920-940In the BIOS and find the setting BCLOCK. Its default is 133Raise it As you raise BCLOCK it will MULTIPLY by the CPU multiplier in use. 133x CPU Multiplier = CPU SPEEDSo (IN EXAMPLE) if you raise you multiplier to the highest possible value and then raise BCLOCk to 150 your CPU speed (x22) is now 3.3GHz or 3300MHzWhat you must watch for is the memory speed. The memory speed increases with BCLOCK as well based on its multiplier. You do not want to exceed (unstable) the memory speed. Unstable memory or CPU speed wont hurt anything it will just be unstable or wont boot and run Windows.So with 1600 memory and a 3.8-4GHz clock your memory speed will be somewhere between 1450 and 1600.. the goal is to get as close to 1600 as possible however without a very high BCLOCK setting or a i7 965 you can not run the full 1600 memory speed. Make sure timing remains correct. There is a memory multiplier you can work with too.8. In Windows and assuming the system booted stable and you have found good values for the voltages, TEST your CLOCK for stability and TEMPSStart REALTEMP and OCCTThe CPU OCCT 1 hour automatic test is fineDo not mess with any other test in the list.,.. just the first option CPU: OCCTIn the OPTIONS click the yellow settings icon and see if the temp is set to 80c.. if it is you are readyClick the ON button... a 1 minute pause will occur then the stress test will beginIt will crash and halt the test if there is A: InstabilityB. You hit 80cyou have to check the GRAPHS (should be in the OCCT folder in your Documents) if you crash and not sitting right there to see what the temp was when it crashed.. if it was not 80c then it was instability that caused the crash.. that would indicate Vcore most likely but could also be QPI/DRAM or DRAM too... If it hits 80c but was stable you either have Vcore too high or your cooling is not sufficient for the speed/vcore you are trying to run, one of the twoIf you crash and temps did NOT exceed 80c then the CPU Voltage is the first thing to raise and try again. Keep in mind, you CAN NOT damage the processor unless temps hit 100c and 80c is where the thermal limit system kicks in to slow the processor so we dont want to do 80c or higher.If you do not hit 80c running OCCT you will never hit 80c running FSX.. probably 15-20c LOWER. We use OCCT to ensure we cant go over 80.USE CPUz and MAKE SURE the CPU and the MEMORY are indeed running the speed and timing they should behttp://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz_150.zipI have given you all the basics however you must research yourself too Frankla. Please be careful as you can damage a i7 processor if you run the DRAM voltage too high or QPI/DRAM at <.50v of the DRAM voltageThere are tutorials on the net about i7 clocking and you may want to check the EVGA motherboard forums too in order to get familiar with your board and BIOS before beginning.

I really appreciate it. (what a bummer about the zalman, I thought I was getting one of the best) Anyway, I need to know that when you mention 80C for i7, are you talking about the CPU temp? or Core temp? I have Eleet utility that came with EVGA. I also have core temp and Fanspeed. Is Real temp different?

[Guest Nick_N]

I really appreciate it. (what a bummer about the zalman, I thought I was getting one of the best) Anyway, I need to know that when you mention 80C for i7, are you talking about the CPU temp? or Core temp? I have Eleet utility that came with EVGA. I also have core temp and Fanspeed. Is Real temp different?

Realtemp is the only utility right now overclockers trust to display the correct CPU CORE DIODE TEMP which can not exceed 80c or the internal themal shutdown sequence will beginThe newer Zalman is much better than their older models however right now there are very few CPU coolers getting i7 920s to 4GHz under the 80c mark. The Thermalright 120 Extreme 1366 is the one of choice and success with that unit also depends on the fan installed and the ambient temp of the room.. along with how well vented the tower is tooAll you can do is try and see how far you can go but the goal is to not exceed 80c with OCCT and that way you would be very hard pressed to ever see that temp running typical software.. PRIME is no longer used for CPU stress. i7 requires either Linpack or OCCT

[frankla 44]

Realtemp is the only utility right now overclockers trust to display the correct CPU CORE DIODE TEMP which can not exceed 80c or the internal themal shutdown sequence will beginThe newer Zalman is much better than their older models however right now there are very few CPU coolers getting i7 920s to 4GHz under the 80c mark. The Thermalright 120 Extreme 1366 is the one of choice and success with that unit also depends on the fan installed and the ambient temp of the room.. along with how well vented the tower is tooAll you can do is try and see how far you can go but the goal is to not exceed 80c with OCCT and that way you would be very hard pressed to ever see that temp running typical software.. PRIME is no longer used for CPU stress. i7 requires either Linpack or OCCT

Nick, OCCT is saying that it is testing at 100% CPU, however vistas own monitor says 51% CPU usage. From my temps, I agree with vista. What gives? What is the difference between CPU OCCT and CPU linpack?

[Guest Nick_N]

Nick, OCCT is saying that it is testing at 100% CPU, however vistas own monitor says 51% CPU usage. From my temps, I agree with vista. What gives? What is the difference between CPU OCCT and CPU linpack?

Did you disable HT in the BIOS as I listed above?Does the VISTA readout show 4 CPUs or 8?

[Guest Nick_N]

I found this list and verified it.. and made notes in it.. it is for the Asus P6T Deluxe however the settings should be similarFor the EVGA x58 you may wish to review these posts: http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=642527http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=100518841====================================================ASUS P6T DELUXE 920 @ 4GHz DDR3 1600 7-7-7-20JumperFree Configuration SettingsAI Overclock tuner: MANUALCPU Ratio Setting: 20xIntel

[frankla 44]

Hi Nick,I so appreciate your help. I have OC'd the system to a stable 3.4 ghz (Althought it has not cured my tree stutters). I am getting mid 40's on my cores at idle and mid 60s at load with OCCT. My room is kind of warm (25C was when I ran the tests) so I am nervous going higher. what do you think of the temps above? should I go try for 3.6ghz? I noticed you left the CPU PLL voltage blank??? What is PLL? should that be played with? Note that EVGA X58 allows you to keep the qpl data rate at its lowest of 4.8. So I assume it has bypassed the lock and allows the uncore to be unlocked. Should I be increasing the uncore voltage anyway? Also I dont have a QPI muliplier to plug into nehalem calculator. I assume that is because the EVGA bios allows you to lower it to minimum data rate? edit: How strange, I went to eVGA E-Leet tuning software and noticed that my Vcore frequency has gone up by itself. I wonder if the motherboard adjusts it itself. (It was below 1.3 and now its 1.3125. Anyway I have the following for 3.4 ghz clock.Vdroop disabledHyper treading disabledIntel turbo mode disabledIntel Speed step: disabledCPU Multiplier: 20Bclock Frequency: 170PCIE Frequency: 100PCI Frequency: 33.3DRAM Frequency: 1360Memory Multiplier: 2:8Uncore Multiplier: 16QPL Data Rate: 4.8 MTs <<<<< I set this manually at its lowest per suggestion from people in EVGA forum to keep the need for voltages and thus temps low. Voltages:VCore: 1.3125vDimm: 1.575vQPI PLL : 1.15vCPU PLL : 1.8CPU VTT: 1.275IOH/ICH I/O: 1.5ICH Core: 1.075Any advice is appreciated.Frank

[Guest Nick_N]

Hi Nick,I so appreciate your help. I have OC'd the system to a stable 3.4 ghz (Althought it has not cured my tree stutters). I am getting mid 40's on my cores at idle and mid 60s at load with OCCT. My room is kind of warm (25C was when I ran the tests) so I am nervous going higher. I noticed you left the CPU PLL (uncore?) voltage blank??? should that be played with? Note that EVGA X58 allows you to keep the qpl data rate at 4.8. So I assume it has bypassed the lock and allows the uncore to be unlocked. Should I be increasing the uncore frequency anyway? Also what do you think of the temps above? should I go try for 3.6ghz?

Frank if you are using REALTEMP 3.0 and set it up with the 100c TJM as I specified you are good to 80c.You CAN NOT DAMAGE a i7 chip till it hits 100c but you should NEVER exceed 80c because they will begin to shut downCPU PLL is AUTOI edited thatThere are values for it however there should be NO reason for you to mess with themYou should READ those EVGA links I posted. I do not use your board and have no frame of reference to your BIOS settings

[frankla 44]

Frank if you are using REALTEMP 3.0 and set it up with the 100c TJM as I specified you are good to 80c.You CAN NOT DAMAGE a i7 chip till it hits 100c but you should NEVER exceed 80c because they will begin to shut downCPU PLL is AUTOI edited thatThere are values for it however there should be NO reason for you to mess with themYou should READ those EVGA links I posted. I do not use your board and have no frame of reference to your BIOS settings

Nick please see my Edit. Thanks

[Guest Nick_N]

Nick please see my Edit. Thanks

I see itThe Vcore can be off by a few 10th's nothing to be concerned aboutRaise that QPI.. get it up to about where I posted 7200MT/s EDIT: HERE, make that 3400 QPI and 3060 or 6120MT/s UCLKCPU VTT EDIT: I NEED TO READ THEIR SPEC FOR THISThey may be ADDING voltage to a base instead of setting the direct voltageI do not know why anyone would have you mess with other voltages like IOH and ICH.. But I as said I do not own any EVGA product. I would let those run AUTODimm: 1.575v?Is that DRAM MEMORY voltage? If so it needs to be 1.65-1.67v for OCZ memory in a clock

[Guest Nick_N]

Example From EVGA for CPU VTT: The base VTT of the regular x58 board is 1.1v and the examples below reflect that. The base VTT of Classified is 1.2v. Make sure to take that into account when you look at the + mv values for VTT in these examples. Required VTT will vary and these examples show what VTT might be necessary for stability. CPU VTT = BASE 1.2v + SETTINGYou want 1.35-1.37Therefore CPU VTT = +150mvFrank.. Is your CPU VTT setting in the BIOS based on +mv values? or strait V values?If its mv then that wants to be +150mvIf direct voltage it wants to be 1.35v1.2 (base voltage) + .15v (convert .15v to millivolts = 150mv) = 1.35vFrank...you need to KNOW that before setting it. I can not help you with a EVGA board... I looked them over when I was looking at x58 boards and found them to be nothing but a pain in the arse to deal with. You need to know what you are doing before changing those settings. I wish I could help however given I do not have any EVGA experience I would perfer not make suggestions unless I use their product to know for sure how their BIOS is breaking down the settings/math

[frankla 44]

Example From EVGA for CPU VTT: The base VTT of the regular x58 board is 1.1v and the examples below reflect that. The base VTT of Classified is 1.2v. Make sure to take that into account when you look at the + mv values for VTT in these examples. Required VTT will vary and these examples show what VTT might be necessary for stability. CPU VTT = BASE 1.2v + SETTINGYou want 1.35-1.37Therefore CPU VTT = +150mvFrank.. Is your CPU VTT setting in the BIOS based on +mv values? or strait V values?If its mv then that wants to be +150mvIf direct voltage it wants to be 1.35v1.2 (base voltage) + .15v (convert .15v to millivolts = 150mv) = 1.35vFrank...you need to KNOW that before setting it. I can not help you with a EVGA board... I looked them over when I was looking at x58 boards and found them to be nothing but a pain in the arse to deal with. You need to know what you are doing before changing those settings. I wish I could help however given I do not have any EVGA experience I would perfer not make suggestions unless I use their product to know for sure how their BIOS is breaking down the settings/math

They are +mv values and I have it set at +200 now. Which gives me 1.3V for CPU VTT Which is now withing .3V of DIMM (DRAM Frequency). I assume as long as they are withing .45 of each other I am safe?

[Guest Nick_N]

They are +mv values and I have it set at +200 now. Which gives me 1.3V for CPU VTT Which is now withing .3V of DIMM (DRAM Frequency). I assume as long as they are withing .45 of each other I am safe?

OK Frank if that is the case then the board uses 1.1v as the base and not 1.2vyes you are safe.. SPEC is 'within' .5v of DRAM (DIMM)You want 1.35-1.37v for CPU VTT in a 4GHz clock as you increase BCLOCK+200mv will probably be fine for you since you are under 3.8-4GhzIf you go to 3.8-4GHz that will need to come up to +250mv but never, ever higher than +320mv (1.42v)I would definitely get the UCLK up... To tell you the truth I think anyone who would suggest you keep that at 4.8MT/s is either stoned or stupid.. you are reducing latency to the memory as that speed increases and although you do not want to exceed values based on QPI/UCLK you do need to set it for performance use. The settings I posted above in the calculator should be correct for it @ 170x20 and 8x memory multiplier on DDR3 1600I am outta here now Frank.. I have a flight to catch tomorrow and will not be on the boards regularly for a while.. so you are on your own for now... Hope what I posted helps