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Core i7 920 C0 overclocking help getting to 3.8ghz

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BradleyKZN

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Can you do as Binge suggested and either take a pic of your screen with a camera or write down each setting? Maybe there's something that was changed or should be changed that is being overlooked.

Don't push the fsb 50mhz at a time or anything like that. Go up in increments of 5mhz at a time and find exactly where you loose stability. Say your good at 170 but hang at 175... Go back and try 175 again but only change one setting at a time to find which one helps. Maybe adding QPI voltage helps. If so there's no need to adjust the CPU voltage yet. It's all a matter of finding exactly what is causing the instability. You can't just clock it for 4ghz and start tweaking settings randomly to make it work because then you don't know what setting helped.

When I overclock I do it in this order...
1: Memory always at a safe value in relation to your fsb. Say 800-5-5-5-15@2v. (ddr2) 1066 9-9-9-24@1.5v (ddr3)
2: CPU voltage stock
3: Raise the fsb until unstable
4: Adjust voltages starting with NB/QPI to see if it helps stability. If it does I push for more fsb. If it doesn't I leave the NB/QPI stock and try more CPU voltage. One of them will get it stable again and I push for more.
5: Once the max fsb is reached (staying within voltage and temp extreems) I start pushing the memory.

I usually just leave the ram close to what it's rated for unless the memory strap falls just below or above it's rating. DDR-2 example: If the ram is rated for 800-5-5-5-15 and the strap winds up at 765 then I'll raise the voltage to the ram and shoot for 765-4-4-4-12. If the strap winds up at 860 then I'll leave it alone unless it's unstable then I'll try more voltage to it. It all depends on the memory.

That link I sent you has alot of good information about BIOS settings. It is an MSI board so it uses alot of MSI's terminologies and explains what they do. You have to actually read it though.

I've never played with i7s until last night and had no problem getting my friends i7 to 4ghz stable. It overclocks like any other cpu. The only major difference was the uncore multiplier and QPI voltages. Uncore should be 2x memory multiplier. If mem is 6x then uncore=12x. Treat the QPI as if it was the northbridge. To get a NB to run at high fsb speeds it took adding a bit more voltage to it. My Q9550 is running 3.83 at stock voltage but it took more v+ to the NB to get it to 450fsb. The QPI is the same way. Takes some voltage to it to get higher fsb.
 
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BradleyKZN

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Just a little update, the highest it will do on auto everything is 3.5. A strange thing happened though because in attempting to add more vcore, i accidently reduced it, and it managed to load 3.5 at only 1.22v instead of what the board gives me on auto which is 1.3v. So at least i know my problem is not vcore. Ok, now something weird with my bios. If i press the + key to increase something, eg. Ioh, it takes me a little to high me thinks. 1.5v to be precise, which im guessing is too high. I also ruled out the feeling i had that my ram wasnt able to keep up, as it booted into windows @ 1600mhz!
 
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the highest it will do on auto everything is 3.5.

And whats the highest it will do with a mem multiplier at 6, QPI multi at 12, and QPI voltage raised +.125?
 

BradleyKZN

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I think i may have found the problem, i have a feeling the bios is not very clear on how the +.000 works. Anything you add is from stock not from what it was previously at! Hence my being at 1.3vcore and manually adding .100 left my vcore the same. It was adding .100 to 1.2 not 1.3, so ill try those settings tomorrow laz!
 

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I got it! Woohoo! I was quite stupid actually. I would raise my qpi speed but not raise my qpi voltage accordingly! Major vdroop though lol 1.35 in bios, and 1.41 in windows lol
 
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Sweet. You know their going to hound you for screenshots now. :D
 
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yeah and load temps... you running 3.8ghz on an i7 with stock cooling... crazy dude ;)
 

BradleyKZN

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yeah and load temps... you running 3.8ghz on an i7 with stock cooling... crazy dude ;)

yeah i know, but cold day and big fan blowing on everything helped a ton! Cant wait to get my hyper 212+ next week!
 

BradleyKZN

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Sweet. You know their going to hound you for screenshots now. :D

lol! I got a problem with that because my work server blocked me from tpu! Ill try make a plan though! 15584 on 06 with a 4850 512mb is pretty decent imo!
 
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