Hello Everyone, I have noticed several on-line ads claiming to be selling i7 920 CPU's that will overclock to 4.5 ghz and above with after market air cooling simply because they are D0 stepping and from a special production run - SLBEJ. They claim to be far superior than most i7 975's on the market and yet cheaper. Can anybody out there confirm this or is it a scam? Am I better simply buying an i7 950 from a shop and overclocking it?Regards,Stephen.

The Intel sSpec you mention SLBEJ is the identifier for the current 920 chips being made,also known by the D0 stepping code.http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.aspx...&SearchKey=In general they are reported to overclock often with lower voltage requirements than the original C0 stepping.That's not to take away from C0 920's that also overclock very well :)C0 920's usually hit 3.8 to 4.0 GHz with little effort and under 1.375 'with droop' vcore.D0 920's are being reported to hit up to 4.2Ghz with similar small effort similar or lower vcore.In the end it comes down you the specific chip you own and your MB.Don't expect to hit 4.5Ghz with any i7 except using extreme settings.If I was buying new I'd buy a new 920 SLBEJ D0 stepping and overclock it.I see no reason to spend the extra money on a 975 or 950as if your overclocking your end result will be the same...Just luck of the draw, it will depend on the particular chip and MB you buy.My original 920 has been running at 4Ghz since day 1 on a eVGA x58, with only 3 key bios changes needed:Turbo ON (21x Mult)bClk = 191vCore 1.375Turning off HT in any i7 will allow for lower temps or higher clocks,as far as FSX is concerned it might as well be off too.

The Intel sSpec you mention SLBEJ is the identifier for the current 920 chips being made,also known by the D0 stepping code.http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.aspx...&SearchKey=In general they are reported to overclock often with lower voltage requirements than the original C0 stepping.That's not to take away from C0 920's that also overclock very well :)C0 920's usually hit 3.8 to 4.0 GHz with little effort and under 1.375 'with droop' vcore.D0 920's are being reported to hit up to 4.2Ghz with similar small effort similar or lower vcore.In the end it comes down you the specific chip you own and your MB.Don't expect to hit 4.5Ghz with any i7 except using extreme settings.If I was buying new I'd buy a new 920 SLBEJ D0 stepping and overclock it.I see no reason to spend the extra money on a 975 or 950as if your overclocking your end result will be the same...Just luck of the draw, it will depend on the particular chip and MB you buy.My original 920 has been running at 4Ghz since day 1 on a eVGA x58, with only 3 key bios changes needed:Turbo ON (21x Mult)bClk = 191vCore 1.375Turning off HT in any i7 will allow for lower temps or higher clocks,as far as FSX is concerned it might as well be off too.

Thanks for the reply. Is it easier to get a 950 up to 4ghz+ (ie lower temps) or does it make no difference to overclocking a 920?Stephen

After following the x58 eVGA forum for some time,I've not noticed any major difference from the i7 tiersas far as overclock potential, vcore needed or temps.Quick way to drop temps on all i7's is to turn HT off.FSX does not really push the temps in any case,compared to CPU stress testing tools.It seems a 920 DO will give you as much chance for 4Ghz as the others.Lots of people on the eVGA x58 forum to ready to help with settings too,I think ASUS has support forums as well.Paired with a decent CPU cooler, MB and Ram most 920 owners end up pleased :)

After following the x58 eVGA forum for some time,I've not noticed any major difference from the i7 tiersas far as overclock potential, vcore needed or temps.Quick way to drop temps on all i7's is to turn HT off.FSX does not really push the temps in any case,compared to CPU stress testing tools.It seems a 920 DO will give you as much chance for 4Ghz as the others.Lots of people on the eVGA x58 forum to ready to help with settings too,I think ASUS has support forums as well.Paired with a decent CPU cooler, MB and Ram most 920 owners end up pleased :)

Thanks for the info!