I've never been a great overclocker, and mainly used AMD systems. But is it true with the intel extreme variations of their CPU's you can simply set the multiplier in the BIOS and get a huge OC with minimal effort?Obviously you pay for it hehe :(

Yeah the multiplier is unlocked. The benefit there is that you don't have to OC the rest of the system (RAM, QPI/uncore, etc) in order to get the CPU up higher.

You can do the same with AMD's Black Edition CPUs. In fact, AMD has an overclocking utlity that allows you to adjust the multiplier, FSB, and voltage from within Windows. Unlike a lot of similar utilities from motherboard manufacturers, this one actually works too, in my experience.

Ok, I just thought I'd toss my question out there. I'm not in a position to build at the moment..... but maybe in a year or less. I'm pretty bad with raw numbers and trial and error, so I'm the type of person that needs a manual on exactly what to do for an OC. I'll have to see if the cost would be worth the benefit of having an unlocked multiplier.What is the next Intel CPU coming out with an unlocked MP? Is it the 980?Also, OT, but has anyone had any experience with this case? It is pricey - yes - but it looks well-built and I like how you can hide the wires:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...9-001-_-Product

What is the next Intel CPU coming out with an unlocked MP? Is it the 980?

The 6-core 32 nm i980X, See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulftown_(microprocessor)Cheers,-jahman

Yeah the multiplier is unlocked. The benefit there is that you don't have to OC the rest of the system (RAM, QPI/uncore, etc) in order to get the CPU up higher.

Just a heads up in case you didn't know:Since spring of last year all retail I7-920s can overclock without needing to O/C the rest of the system, same memory/QPI deviders are all avilable with proper BIOS support (most all boards), its just that the Multpliers of 22 and up are not availabe (21+turbo will enable 22 but thats it). Not the case with OEM I7-920s though.

I7-920-DO stepping >retail versions are unlocked, not OEM.

I7-920-DO stepping >retail versions are unlocked, not OEM.

I7-920-DO stepping >retail versions are unlocked, not OEM.

I've never been a great overclocker, and mainly used AMD systems. But is it true with the intel extreme variations of their CPU's you can simply set the multiplier in the BIOS and get a huge OC with minimal effort?Obviously you pay for it hehe :(

The multiplier on my i7 940 isn't locked.

I'm pretty bad with raw numbers and trial and error, so I'm the type of person that needs a manual on exactly what to do for an OC.

Chips have differences depending on revisions. The internal physics show up differences between manufacturing batches. It's not possible to produce an exact manual on overclocking. There are a lot of guides, but no exact manual. It's not all about the CPU. An OC:ed system need to be stable and the components that work together and need to be stable are CPU, chipset, memory, graphic card(s), sound device etc.

It's not possible to produce an exact manual on overclocking. There are a lot of guides, but no exact manual.

I get lost in the semantics between "manual" and "guide".I would think it should be possible to come up with an exact set of instructions to OC any CPU/RAM/GPU in the form of a flow chart.Me I'm a total zero at this point on OCing, but if Boeing could come up with a flow chart (and thus the software) to safely autoland a 286 ton B-747-400 in zero-zero visibility conditions and with up to a 25 knot crosswind, I would think it is also possible to come up with a flowchart to OC a PC ...So if anyone could recommend a manual or guide for OCing this would be most welcome.Cheers,- jahman.

I would think it should be possible to come up with an exact set of instructions to OC any CPU/RAM/GPU in the form of a flow chart.

Instructions regarding the procedures - Yes. Exact voltages and timings - No.

Instructions regarding the procedures - Yes. Exact voltages and timings - No.

Indeed, every chip is different even if from the same wafer.What is needed is a reliable set of instructions detailing thedifferent procedures and the order in which to carry them out.Any pointers on where to get these instructions from?Cheers,-jahman

Indeed, every chip is different even if from the same wafer.What is needed is a reliable set of instructions detailing thedifferent procedures and the order in which to carry them out.Any pointers on where to get these instructions from?Cheers,-jahman

You may want to rummage thru these:http://forums.pureoverclock.com/showthread.php?t=5736http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2008...l-core-i7-920/3http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253365-2...rclocking-guide