about 1.60v QPI/DRAMyes, it can be done but do be aware it does cause heat issues that can not be monitored. I do find it strange the 975 requires a 1.60v QPI/DRAM since this is one of the issues the D0 procs was suppose to address with the higher speed memory product. The voltage itself is not dangerous as long as it remains within .5v of DRAM however there is a heat factor involved in which my contacts at Intel suggest doing so may shorten the life of the proc. By how much was problematical to several factors. It is not something that will kill a proc in a year however it could drop the life of the proc by 50% to 5y or less. Its way too early in the game to know the dynamics around that since not many are working with i7 and DDR3 2000In my opinion if a user is not running 7-7-7 (or less) timing DDR3 2000 its not worth running it and instead DDR3 1600 6-6-6 (or lower) is a much better choice. The main thing around this is DO make sure the tower has excellent airflow. As Bob pointed out too many users focus on the heatsinks and really do not consider the aerodynamics of the tower, or, how clean the inside is loomed of cables/wires.

Hi Nick,I have an Antec 1200 case and all the wires are routed behind the motherboard. Combine that with 13 fans and I think my airflow is good. If the CPU lasts for about 5 years that's fine by me, I'll probably upgrade before then anyway. :( The memory is set at 7-8-7, close to your 7-7-7.

Hi Nick,I have an Antec 1200 case and all the wires are routed behind the motherboard. Combine that with 13 fans and I think my airflow is good. If the CPU lasts for about 5 years that's fine by me, I'll probably upgrade before then anyway. :( The memory is set at 7-8-7, close to your 7-7-7.

MikeIn case it's of interest, here are some detailed results with my new i7 975:Kit: i7 975@4410MHz ([email protected] vCore and 1.35v QPI), with 6GB of DDR3-1871@7-7-7-20 N1 (Everest Latency 40.2ns, 23513MB/s Mem Copy, 20486 MB/s Mem Read, 16587MB/s Mem Write), GTX285@702MHz, Asus Rampage II Extreme, 3ware 9690SA and 4xHitachi Ultrastar 15kRPM SAS 300GB drives (1x disk for OS and applications, 3x disks as a large-stripe RAID0 for FSX).Here is a list showing the average of 3 FRAPS results on my test flight (landing at EGLL in the MD-11 with Aerosoft's MegaHeathrow and UTX night lighting at dawn with a brewing thunderstorm and lots of clouds) 50% AI traffic etc [figues in square brackets are from my old PC: see * below for specs]: FRAPS results: Minimum 16.67fps [11.33fps]; Average 21.83fps [16.69fps]; Maximum 25fps [20fps]; Mode 22.67fps [17.33fps].This is nearly a 50% improvement in minimum FPS, which is where it really counts.Additionally, textures snap in smartly and take less time to become "crisp" after changing views; and autogen loads much faster too.* My old PC was a [email protected] with 4GB DDR3-1600@7-7-7-20 N1 (Everest Latency 46.9ns, 10474MB/s Mem Copy, 11173MB/s Mem Read, 10202MB/s Mem Write), GTX285@702MHz, Asus Rampage Extreme, 3ware 9690SA and 4xHitachi Ultrastar 15kRPM SAS 300GB drives (1x disk for OS and applications, 3x disks as a large-stripe RAID0 for FSX).The overclock was so simple to achieve and so satisfactory in its result, that I do not think I will bother trying to improve it.I was already getting good results with my old setup so I was more curious than optimistic about what to expect from this upgrade. But in fact everything is just so much smoother and all-round better that I'm pleased I made the jump. Also, Photoshop CS4 works like an absolute charm with this kit.All the best,TimPS: I was able to do all this very quickly because thankfully I was able just to swap my hard disk setup from the old PC to the new one. Windows 7 took a couple of re-boots then recognised all the new kit just as if I had upgraded each component one piece at a time: no reinstalls! Brilliant time saver.

I agree! It's all about the smoothness. I don't even overclock and the i7 975 is just blazing fast on all the applications that I run.I had a pretty good system before. Now with fps of 25-35 in NYC, I found my PC.I play FSX that's why I'm a PC.

Hey Tim,Sweet settings, [email protected] vCore and 1.35v QPI will not work for me. Looks like I'm set with 143x30=4290GHz.Time to run a flight.

Couldn't you have spent 800 bucks less on a D0 920 and done the same thing??????????????????????????????

Couldn't you have spent 800 bucks less on a D0 920 and done the same thing??????????????????????????????

That could have been phrased a little different.I think, and others whom I respect highly have clearly advised, that the 975/965 extreme chips are well worth the money compared to the 920, D0 or not. The EE is cream-of-the-crop and highest binned. It has the multipliers to run any memory at just about any speed. -jk

Couldn't you have spent 800 bucks less on a D0 920 and done the same thing??????????????????????????????

Maybe, maybe not. Mike has bought nearly instant success instead of the mere chance that he would, eventually, perhaps, after an unforeseeable amount of fiddling, get a decent overclock. Worth the money? Rather depends how you value your time.Tim

Maybe I could have killed off some question marks....but I've seen a lot of guys get 4+ with the 920's and I just don't know why you would get the extreme chip. Shouldn't it go to 4.6+ easy?

Maybe I could have killed off some question marks....but I've seen a lot of guys get 4+ with the 920's and I just don't know why you would get the extreme chip. Shouldn't it go to 4.6+ easy?

I edit my last post a little.I don't think Mike's even reached the full potential of his chip yet. He's just started tweaking and it really takes time to nail things down. And it's not just the chip that influences the clock. I have my i7 965 and with a P6T Deluxe and Corsair Dommies I couldn't get that sucker past 4.06GHz on any voltage without locking up or BSODing. I've since switched to the Rampage II Gene and Mushkin Redline DDR1600s. Now I'm at 4.20GHz @ 1.41v vcore and stable in OCCT and FSX. And I haven't even pushed that any further yet. BIOS upgrades are there too and can improve things. Of course I'm under water so I can get better temps but I'm also in San Diego and it get's warm here (a little).-jk

Hi,I'm still playing. I haven't even looked at the memory end of the overclock yet. As far as the money: 1. I can afford it and two I like the idea of an unlocked multiplier.Who knows where I'll end up if I decide to go water cooled.Only time will tell...

Ok, maybe I misunderstood your first post, "I'm done as far as my OC is concerned."I'm glad that you will try for more, I would think that thing would go to 5.0 on water

I'm glad that you will try for more, I would think that thing would go to 5.0 on water

There's little doubt in my mind that it would, but only by pushing voltages way past the published maximums. I've had mine over 4.5 within the max voltage limits, and WAY under thermal limits and without any real fine tuning...but I can't say the risk is worth an extra frame or two. The same smart guys that made a CPU like the i7 possible also determined the ops limits. If you read the Intel spec sheet, it has a reasonably stern warning about overshooting Vss. For those that are willing to eat well into the safety margins and accept the risk, hey, go for it. I'm happy at 4.4 with some margin as insurance.CheersBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

Hi,I changed my mind after seeing Bob's results. :(

Ok, maybe I misunderstood your first post, "I'm done as far as my OC is concerned."I'm glad that you will try for more, I would think that thing would go to 5.0 on water

It is not that easy to overclock an i7 as it is/was with the E8xxx generation.The most limitation factor is heat, the balance between VTT/QPI, VDIMM, CPU Vcore, VIOH and VICH and lots of luck in getting a good overclockable i7 Chip.In my case, overclocking my i7 920 D0 to 4.5GHz was no problem and took me about 20 hours. Now I am in progress to go for 4.6GHz and this is far difficult.As for the expensive Chips like 950 or 975 THERE IS NO GUARANTY to overclock this babies higher then a 920! With my Xeon W3540 (same as a 950) I was not able to get this Chip past 4.4GHz. But if you put this chip on ice it will run with 5+GHz, but this is not for 24/7...By the way, a few people at our overclocking form recently gets their 975 and all of them where not able to go past 4.4-4.5GHz (on water).I will start a new topic as soon my 920 is stable at 4570MHz to show you all how this will run our FSX.