Guys,I have a newly built FSX computer and since I am not computer savy, nor have much experience with Overclocking (i do but not pro like many of you), what's the best way to over clock my Intel 950? Is it best to use the BIOS within the MOBO, or is it best to use the Intel OC software that comes on the MOBO CD.--- I ahve an ASUS Motherboard: X58--- Intel 950, 3.06 Ghz CPU...Water Cooled.Thanks,John

No offense intended, but you struggled a bit with installing a HD. I think you should reconsider overclocking, since it requires a LOT more skill than installing a HD. I'm not saying you shouldn't OC, all I'm saying is that you need to be wary about OCing, as you can very easily damage your motherboard and CPU. Before doing this I think you should google and YouTube overclocking the i7 series, get to know the risks, common errors, what the basic layout f your bios is, what each Overclocking setting does in your bios, and have a bit more general knowledge about how computer clocks, multipliers etc work. Once you've done this, there are hundreds of guides both on YouTube and google. Just search them. NOTE: if you do use a YouTube video, do NOT just enter in the exact same settings they have used to get 4GHz or whatever. You need to OC gradually, and stress test as the clocks get higher. Good Luck!

No offense intended, but you struggled a bit with installing a HD. I think you should reconsider overclocking, since it requires a LOT more skill than installing a HD. I'm not saying you shouldn't OC, all I'm saying is that you need to be wary about OCing, as you can very easily damage your motherboard and CPU. Before doing this I think you should google and YouTube overclocking the i7 series, get to know the risks, common errors, what the basic layout f your bios is, what each Overclocking setting does in your bios, and have a bit more general knowledge about how computer clocks, multipliers etc work. Once you've done this, there are hundreds of guides both on YouTube and google. Just search them. NOTE: if you do use a YouTube video, do NOT just enter in the exact same settings they have used to get 4GHz or whatever. You need to OC gradually, and stress test as the clocks get higher. Good Luck!

Thanks, Chris... I will proceed with caution !

Always overclock from the BIOS. Software overclocks can lead to instability. The first thing that you need to do is to go read these two guides and read each of them at least twice.http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?board_id=1&model=P6T+Deluxe&id=20081220191040237&page=1&SLanguage=en-ushttp://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/22106-core-i7-overclocking-guide-beginners.htmlWhat kind of a HSF do you have mounted on your CPU? You have to have an aftermarket HSF before you start to overclock. Right now the socket 1366 king is the Thermalright Silver Arrow and the Noctua NH-D14 is almost as good.You will have to monitor your core temps, download and install RealTemp.http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/Once you OC your rig you will have to stress test to make sure that your OC is stable. Run OCCT CPU test on auto for one hour.http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?2009/05/21/39-occt-perestroika-310There are more stress test software, but start with this one, if you pass an hour of OCCT you are well on your way to a stable OC.A great i7 overclocking forum is at www.overclock.net go to the Intel CPU section.Before you start you really need to investigate this and do a little research. When you OC you generate more heat and if you get your CPU to hot you will mess it up. When running OCCT your max core temp as shown by RealTemp should be no more than 80C.

Always overclock from the BIOS. Software overclocks can lead to instability. The first thing that you need to do is to go read these two guides and read each of them at least twice.http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?board_id=1&model=P6T+Deluxe&id=20081220191040237&page=1&SLanguage=en-ushttp://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/22106-core-i7-overclocking-guide-beginners.htmlWhat kind of a HSF do you have mounted on your CPU? You have to have an aftermarket HSF before you start to overclock. Right now the socket 1366 king is the Thermalright Silver Arrow and the Noctua NH-D14 is almost as good.You will have to monitor your core temps, download and install RealTemp.http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/Once you OC your rig you will have to stress test to make sure that your OC is stable. Run OCCT CPU test on auto for one hour.http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?2009/05/21/39-occt-perestroika-310There are more stress test software, but start with this one, if you pass an hour of OCCT you are well on your way to a stable OC.A great i7 overclocking forum is at www.overclock.net go to the Intel CPU section.Before you start you really need to investigate this and do a little research. When you OC you generate more heat and if you get your CPU to hot you will mess it up. When running OCCT your max core temp as shown by RealTemp should be no more than 80C.

Overclocking is definitely not easy... I gave it a last night and I barely got my i950 to 3.20....Beyond that I kept getting blue screens.. I wonder how those others guys manage to get all the way to 4.0... I have a water cooled system for my CPU...MOBO is Asus x58.

No offense intended, but you struggled a bit with installing a HD. I think you should reconsider overclocking, since it requires a LOT more skill than installing a HD. I'm not saying you shouldn't OC, all I'm saying is that you need to be wary about OCing, as you can very easily damage your motherboard and CPU. Before doing this I think you should google and YouTube overclocking the i7 series, get to know the risks, common errors, what the basic layout f your bios is, what each Overclocking setting does in your bios, and have a bit more general knowledge about how computer clocks, multipliers etc work. Once you've done this, there are hundreds of guides both on YouTube and google. Just search them. NOTE: if you do use a YouTube video, do NOT just enter in the exact same settings they have used to get 4GHz or whatever. You need to OC gradually, and stress test as the clocks get higher. Good Luck!

Hi Chris.. you are right it is not easy.... I went online and read a bunch of articles ... I couldn't find much help on You Tube (or maybe I not search the correct words)... I have an i950 and an Asus MOBO x58.....So, I tried several settings and barely got me to 3.20...After that I kept getting Blue Screens....or the system would not boot.---- Do you have any link to You Tube videos that would help me regarding my specification ?Thanks,John

what "several settings"?

Hi Chris.. you are right it is not easy.... I went online and read a bunch of articles ... I couldn't find much help on You Tube (or maybe I not search the correct words)... I have an i950 and an Asus MOBO x58.....So, I tried several settings and barely got me to 3.20...After that I kept getting Blue Screens....or the system would not boot.---- Do you have any link to You Tube videos that would help me regarding my specification ?Thanks,John

Overclocking is definitely not easy... I gave it a last night and I barely got my i950 to 3.20....Beyond that I kept getting blue screens.. I wonder how those others guys manage to get all the way to 4.0... I have a water cooled system for my CPU...MOBO is Asus x58.

Did you go read those two guides and did they make sense after you read them and looked at your AI Tweaker settings in your BIOS?Do you have an aftermarket HSF installed, if so which one? Did you download RealTemp, if so what was your maximum core temp after you got to 3.2GHz?What Asus motherboard do you have?Post your settings that you have for the below settings when you were getting BSOD's. What BSOD codes were you getting? You can download BlueScreenView and use it to view the BSOD error logs.http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.htmlThese are my settings for a 4.2GHz OC with an i7 950 on an Asus P6T Deluxe v2, what are your settings at? Your BSOD's are probably due to your settings. Note that your dram settings will be different than mine. You will need to post the brand and model number of your ram before I can tell you what to change.AI Overclock Tuner: ManualCPU Ratio Setting: 21xIntel SpeedStep Tech: DisabledIntel Turbo Mode Tech: DisabledBLCK Frequency: 200PCIE Frequency: 100DRAM Frequency: DDR3-1603MHzUCLK Frequency: 3208MHzQPI Link Data Rate: Auto (3600 MHz)DRAM Timing Control1st Information :CAS# Latency: 6DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 7DRAM RAS# PRE Time: 6DRAM RAS# ACT Time: 182nd Information :DRAM Timing Mode: 1N CPU Voltage: 1.32500CPU PLL Voltage: 1.82QPI/DRAM Core Voltage: 1.34375IOH Voltage: 1.20ICH Voltage: 1.20DRAM Bus Voltage: 1.66Load Line Calibration: EnabledCPU Spread Spectrum: DisabledPCIE Spread Spectrum: DisabledAll Other Settings: AutoAdvance CPU SettingsCPU Ratio Setting: 21x C1E Suppport: DisabledHardware Prefetcher: EnabledAdjacent Cache Line Prefetch: EnabledIntel® Virtualization Tech: DisabledCPU TM Function: Disabled Execute Disable Bit: DisabledIntel HT Techology: DisabledActive Processor Cores: AllA20M: DisabledIntel SpeedStep Tech: DisabledIntel Turbo Mode Tech: DisabledIntel C-STATE Tech: DisabledUnder Advanced Menu: PCIPnPPNP OS = Yes

DO NOT JUST ENTER THE ABOVE VALUES INTO YOUR BIOS THINKING THEY WILL WORK. THIS COULD POSSIBLY DAMAGE YOUR CPU AND/OR RAM. On another note, make sure that you have installed all games and software before overclocking. I have read reports previously that installing software when OCd can cause BSOD and data corruption. So when installing new software (large programs like games, small programs don't matter), change to your default BIOS profile, install, then change to OCd profile.

Did you go read those two guides and did they make sense after you read them and looked at your AI Tweaker settings in your BIOS?Do you have an aftermarket HSF installed, if so which one? Did you download RealTemp, if so what was your maximum core temp after you got to 3.2GHz?What Asus motherboard do you have?Post your settings that you have for the below settings when you were getting BSOD's. What BSOD codes were you getting? You can download BlueScreenView and use it to view the BSOD error logs.http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.htmlThese are my settings for a 4.2GHz OC with an i7 950 on an Asus P6T Deluxe v2, what are your settings at? Your BSOD's are probably due to your settings. Note that your dram settings will be different than mine. You will need to post the brand and model number of your ram before I can tell you what to change.AI Overclock Tuner: ManualCPU Ratio Setting: 21xIntel SpeedStep Tech: DisabledIntel Turbo Mode Tech: DisabledBLCK Frequency: 200PCIE Frequency: 100DRAM Frequency: DDR3-1603MHzUCLK Frequency: 3208MHzQPI Link Data Rate: Auto (3600 MHz)DRAM Timing Control1st Information :CAS# Latency: 6DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 7DRAM RAS# PRE Time: 6DRAM RAS# ACT Time: 182nd Information :DRAM Timing Mode: 1N CPU Voltage: 1.32500CPU PLL Voltage: 1.82QPI/DRAM Core Voltage: 1.34375IOH Voltage: 1.20ICH Voltage: 1.20DRAM Bus Voltage: 1.66Load Line Calibration: EnabledCPU Spread Spectrum: DisabledPCIE Spread Spectrum: DisabledAll Other Settings: AutoAdvance CPU SettingsCPU Ratio Setting: 21x C1E Suppport: DisabledHardware Prefetcher: EnabledAdjacent Cache Line Prefetch: EnabledIntel® Virtualization Tech: DisabledCPU TM Function: Disabled Execute Disable Bit: DisabledIntel HT Techology: DisabledActive Processor Cores: AllA20M: DisabledIntel SpeedStep Tech: DisabledIntel Turbo Mode Tech: DisabledIntel C-STATE Tech: DisabledUnder Advanced Menu: PCIPnPPNP OS = Yes

Hi, Well, after reading a bunch of articles lastnight, I got my i7 950 to 499.02/ Temps: 42-74 degeees celcious/ Vcore @ 1.34/ 6GB of RAM Tri Channel CorsAir Dominator (1600 mhz) 7-7-7-20 @ 1.33 votls /CPU Ratio Setting: 23x/ Asus MOBO X58 Sabertooth/ Water Cooled CPU- H70... I ran Prime 95 and the darn thing gave me errors after 5 seconds...But the computer is till runining fine with no problems...So, don't know if I need to lower the Ghz speed from 499.02 to something lower, or should I increase the volts on the CPU or the RAM....Or should I change the CPU Ratio Setting: to 21x (instead of 23x) ?

4.99GHz???? No wonder you're getting errors. I'm surprised you haven't fried your CPU. You should run at max. 4.2GHz, even with liquid cooling. You should only go above this with a custom liquid cooling setup. Lower that immediately.

4.99GHz???? No wonder you're getting errors. I'm surprised you haven't fried your CPU. You should run at max. 4.2GHz, even with liquid cooling. You should only go above this with a custom liquid cooling setup. Lower that immediately.

Oh! So that's what it is...... No wonder I saw smoke coming out of the Case... Luckliy I keep a bucket of water near me; everytime I smell smoke I throw some water at the "soccer" and it seems to cool off. lol (I know, I'm crazy) hahaha.Actually, Chris, that was my mistake... I meant to say 3.99 Ghz (almost 4 Ghz)...I'll be trying a few other settings tonight. Now the errors I am talking about is when I run Prime 95...Within a few seconds it stops "priming) and says the "work" has stop.... "working"....you know the little icon goes from green to magenta....I don't know if I should increase or decrease the voltage or just decrease the Ghz speed from 3.99GHz to maybe 3.65 ghz ? I'll try different settings, but getting there....getting there...I hope I don't burn this thing for trying so many settings. :Praying:

Oh! So that's what it is...... No wonder I saw smoke coming out of the Case... Luckliy I keep a bucket of water near me; everytime I smell smoke I throw some water at the "soccer" and it seems to cool off. lol (I know, I'm crazy) hahaha.Actually, Chris, that was my mistake... I meant to say 3.99 Ghz (almost 4 Ghz)...I'll be trying a few other settings tonight. Now the errors I am talking about is when I run Prime 95...Within a few seconds it stops "priming) and says the "work" has stop.... "working"....you know the little icon goes from green to magenta....I don't know if I should increase or decrease the voltage or just decrease the Ghz speed from 3.99GHz to maybe 3.65 ghz ? I'll try different settings, but getting there....getting there...I hope I don't burn this thing for trying so many settings. :Praying:

You should up your cpu voltage a tad. Every cpu is going to have slightly different potential so don't push it too far, 1.35-1.37 volts should be safe. There is generally going to be a point of diminishing return, where as the next step up will require a lot more voltage.You should record your highest cpu temp when running occt for 1 hour without getting any errors. 70c max cpu temp or under would be a good, safe overclock.

You should up your cpu voltage a tad. Every cpu is going to have slightly different potential so don't push it too far, 1.35-1.37 volts should be safe. There is generally going to be a point of diminishing return, where as the next step up will require a lot more voltage.You should record your highest cpu temp when running occt for 1 hour without getting any errors. 70c max cpu temp or under would be a good, safe overclock.

Thank you, brother....I'll increase the voltage a bit...then "prime" it. Let's see what happens...As long as there's no smoke I think we should be fine- I hope. jeje

Did you change your ram timings to the below or did you leave them on auto? You may need to bump your DRAM voltage up to 1.65 - 1.66. It would help if you posted all your BIOS settings like I did above. Your DRAM, UCLK and QPI Link freqs all have to be in agreement. Download OCCT and run the CPU test on auto for an hour and see if that passes. Your core temps are fine and at this point I think your CPU vcore is fine, you probably need to adjust something else.DRAM Timing Control1st Information :CAS# Latency: 7DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 7DRAM RAS# PRE Time: 7DRAM RAS# ACT Time: 20What are all your voltages set to?