# Help with i7 875k overclocking



## jonathan1107 (Jan 2, 2011)

I am a beginner at overclocking and need some help to find out if my current overclock can be bettered. Here's the info you need :

My rig :

i7 875k unlocked
1 Radeon 6950 (unlocked 
2x 4gb (RAM) (1600 mhz - Ripjaws)
Motherboard : ASUS sabertooth 55i
CPU is watercooled with an ECO watercooler (thermal compound and everything...)

Current overclock settings :

Intel Turbo profile is enabled, I've only touched the multipliers and the CPU voltage (1.3025v)
@ 4 cores, I run 3.611 ghz
@ 3 cores, I run 3.840 ghz
@ 2 cores, I run 4.0 ghz
@ 1 cores, I run 4.2 ghz

Now according to what I've read and googled, it is suggested that I would lower my RAM multipliers, and increase the base clock (which is right now 133mhz) to 161mhz or even 191mhz with lower CPU mulitpliers (because of the base clock increase)...
The thing is, I'm not to sure how to do this. I don't know how "increasing the FSB (base clock) affects other components (like PCI-es... or RAM, can they be damaged?...)... I know it increases RAM frequency but other than that... dunno
Also, I would like to make full use of my RIPJaws 1600 mhz speed...

If you have any suggestions or if you know someone who could help me out... let me know. We could always do this by phone or chat for step by steps. It would be awesome if you give me a hand, would be much appreciated :O)


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## overclocking101 (Jan 2, 2011)

if you are a beginner and have an 875k just up your multiplyer a few notches. test your ram multiplyers for dsired speed and timings. maybe up your cput and imc voltage a few notches but you do not have you use the bclck to oc that chip. you can for which there are tons of guides for.


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## blu3flannel (Jan 2, 2011)

I'd take my base up to 200, get your RAM up to 1600, then go from there with your multiplier. Since you're starting at 20 or 21 or something it'll be an even 4GHz anyway, so you can bump it up from there.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 2, 2011)

*More details plz*



overclocking101 said:


> if you are a beginner and have an 875k just up your multiplyer a few notches. test your ram multiplyers for dsired speed and timings. maybe up your cput and imc voltage a few notches but you do not have you use the bclck to oc that chip. you can for which there are tons of guides for.



Alright, as you might have seen, I've already upped my Core multipliers and have gotten a decent performance out of it... I just need to know how further I can push my system... I've been testing my core temperatures with prime 95 torture test (small FFTs) and I've tried keeping under 80 celsius degrees for each set of cores (1 core, 2 cores, 3 cores and 4 cores)

I'm really confused because of the amount of information I find about overclocking my i7 875k rig on the web. For instance, friends of mine seem to think there is no problem with core temps going up to 100 celsius degrees... Others seem to think I should stay under 80. My objective is to get the best performance I can with these "sub-objectives" in mind :

- I want my stuff to last a couple years. I've bought myself this i7 875k processor, 2x 4gb Ripjaws RAM sticks (1600 mhz speed) and a XFX 6950 radeon (unlocked). And I don't mean to push 'em so hard they won't last 2 years.

- But I want to push my system far enough that I will be "up-to-date" for the next 5 years or so in terms of new technologies. For instance, I want my processor to be overclocked so that it will be able to manage top of the line games in the future...

what are cput voltages and imc voltages... and how much increase should I put in voltage for those ??


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## blu3flannel (Jan 2, 2011)

Definitely stay under 80, anything over that could cause damage to your processor. That wouldn't be good at all. :shadedshu


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 2, 2011)

*What about the voltages at this point?*



blu3flannel said:


> I'd take my base up to 200, get your RAM up to 1600, then go from there with your multiplier. Since you're starting at 20 or 21 or something it'll be an even 4GHz anyway, so you can bump it up from there.



If I increase my base to 200, how do I get my RAM up to 1600... How does increasing the base clock affect other components (like pci e...) I've heard that if I increase the base clock, I have to lower my RAM multipliers...

In other words, what would HELP ME THE MOST, would be an example of what YOU would input in your bios for your overclock.

Keeping in mind I have an ASUS sabertooth 55i motherboard (which can really take the stress), 1600 mhz ddr3 (2x 4gb) RAM sticks, i7 875k processor, with plenty of fans and an ECO watercooler (with the thermal compound all set...)

what would be your values for THESE :

- Core multipliers
- Base clock
- QPI voltages...
- RAM voltage
- RAM multipliers (9 9 9 24) or else (9 9 9 24, is what I actually have running at 1600mhz... (800x2))
- cput voltage
- imc voltage...


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## blu3flannel (Jan 2, 2011)

I have an i5 750 and the same RAM kit (you might wanna tighten the timings to spec, they'll be much faster), so it may be quite similar. I have my base clock at 200MHz, my multiplier at 20, (I haven't messed with my QPI voltage, that may be worth tinkering with), RAM voltage at 1.65, the RAM multiplier set at 5 (overclocked, for 1600MHz set it at 4), timings (for your kit) 7-8-7-24, and that's all I have. Maybe I'll learn something from this thread, as I haven't really messed with any of the other voltages.


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## JrRacinFan (Jan 2, 2011)

jonathan1107 said:


> - Core multipliers - 20x
> - Base clock - 200
> - QPI voltages - 1.3v
> - RAM voltage - 1.65v
> ...



See above.

EDIT:

Oh also, QPI = no greater than 4ghz or 8GT/s


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 2, 2011)

*How about the CPU voltage ?*

What about the CPU voltage? I know that the i7 875k tends to heat up quick because it's got 4 cores (8 if you count all of them). 

I've been thinking that lowering the CPU voltage might allow me to increase my actual Core multipliers. I say that because I've heard that the lower your CPU voltage is the better are the chances of having high multipliers with reasonnable temps..

My current CPU voltage is : 1.312v


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## JrRacinFan (Jan 2, 2011)

Still try 1.4v then start tweaking for lower. Also to be technical it's 4 cores 8 threads.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 2, 2011)

*Other details*



JrRacinFan said:


> See above.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Oh also, QPI = no greater than 4ghz or 8GT/s



Thx alot, now we're starting to talk details, which is what I needed... I was wondering, what is the difference between those 2 overclocking methods : My method has been to use intel's turbo technology and just up the Core multipliers and increase my CPU voltage to get there... Now the other method which you guys are teaching me right now... the one where you play with the base clocks and other elements... do you guys turn off "intel's turbo" or does the motherboard still adjust the multipliers depending on the work load.

I really like that turbo technology because in my mind, it allows the processor to last longer since it's not running at it's full potential the whole time. On the other hand, I've heard that past a certain core multiplier, the multipliers don't get adjusted to the workload anymore... which is what's happening to me right now. My multipliers are so high that even when I just browse the internet, my CPU plays between 3.8 ghz and 4.0 ghz...


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## blu3flannel (Jan 2, 2011)

Yeah, I turn it off, as well as any power saving features, so that it constantly runs at 4GHz.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

What about tweaking down RAM multipliers and CPU voltage? I'm pretty sure my motherboard lets me input any value I want for those... so when you say "tweaking down my CPU voltage from 1.4v to something else" what "increment do you use everytime you do this"... For instance, would you lower it from 1.4 to 1.3 directly or use other values?

As for tweaking down the 9 9 9 24 Ram multis... why tweak them down? and from 9 9 9 24, where would you go next?


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*processor life expectations :O)*



blu3flannel said:


> Yeah, I turn it off, as well as any power saving features, so that it constantly runs at 4GHz.



But if you do, and your processor runs at that speed permanently... doesn't it reduce its life "lenght" since it's not adjusting to your workload...?

Is there any way to do your type of "overclocking" and keep intel's turbo mode active...


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Gotta go eat, Thx alot for your quick answers, keep shooting info at me pls... ESPECIALLY if you DO HAVE experience with overclocking the i7 875k or any other "Lynnfields"...

;O)


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## BUCK NASTY (Jan 3, 2011)

OK, if you want high stable O/C's, you must rethink your approach. Don't worry about temps, as the i7's will throttle when approaching their thermal limit. Disable Intel speed-step/Turbo and settle for a 20x multi. Before we get into this, do you want to run the same O/C's 24/7?


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

What configuration do you want?


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*My desired OC (i7 875k)*

My objective is to have a high OC, without hurting my components too much. That is because you don't throw 2200$ expecting to throw another 1000$ 2 years later because you broke everything and underestimated the core temps :O)

I don't need the OC to be 24/7 ... I like the idea that it would use intel's technology to adjust depending on the workload. I feel like that would bring a longer life to my processor. Now, maybe I'm way off, and I could have a 24/7 high OC because I've got the good components and the watercooler and not have to worry about the "longlife" of my parts. 

I've done a fair bit of reading and googling, but I'm no expert :O)

On my RAM when I bought it ... it says 1600 mhz, but can I overclock it... ??? should I overclock it??? I hear it doesn't make much of a difference...

Also, my OC is "gaming" oriented. and for that matter, I need good CPU speeds. I hear most games published up to now don't make full use of 4 cores... But I expect this to change soon. Would have to keep that in mind. 

I need you guys to be more technical when you say a "stable 4ghz" overclock... do you mean 4 cores active running at 4ghz... because THAT... is impressive. I've got 3.6ghz speed right now when using all 4 cores.


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

No need for much of an overclock for online gaming. It's all gpu power. Make yourself two different profiles in bios...one for everyday use and another for gaming or whatever. Just boot to the one you desire atm.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*Question about your bios setup*



rickss69 said:


> What configuration do you want?
> 
> http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq69/rickss69/DSC00603.jpg
> 
> ...



Those pictures you posted of your bios... Are these the ones from a i7 875k overclock?

And about gaming, you're right it takes a lot of GPU power for online gaming or even single player gaming... But it also requires lots of CPU power. Just take "crysis" for instance... I've been playing it on my new Rig... and believe me when I tell you it sucks every bit of energy and speed my system gives it :O) I've got one of the most recent graphic cards ever (6950)... I've unlocked it to gain the performance of the 6970 and I'm not kidding when I say I could get a more decent performance in Crysis if I had another card in Crossfire with it.

Those pictures you posted of your bios... Are these the ones from a i7 875k overclock?


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Yes - 875

This should be doable with your rig as it is water cooled. Mine is on air atm. I feel like any problems you are having is related to your memory settings. Everything here is on auto as the above post...just bumped the blk a little.  (30x140)

Post some screens of cpu-z as it would help.






P


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*Your Bios*

I guess that's because you don't have the same motherboard than I have... but where are your core multipliers?? When I'm in my Bios, I don't see a "CPU target speed"... 

That's really weird considering you said this is for your i7 875k. Must I turn off intel's turbo technology and power savings ?

And how are you getting your overclock if you base clock is 133 mhz without modifying your core multipliers??


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*My bios*

I'll post pictures of my bios soon for you guys to have a better idea of what we're talking about :O)


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*what about your overclock?*

Is your 875k overclock an even overclock (same speed for all core modes :  1 core, 2 cores, 3 cores, 4 cores... all same speed?)


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

*My Bios and actual overclock*

Here you will find what I see when I enter my bios. You will also see how I've overclocked my computer using intel's turbo technology. Look at the core multipliers... I think that they're around 3 or 4 by default, by I brought em up. 



























How does the multipliers work? How does a x5 multi on my 4 cores result in a x27 when I look at it in CPU Z?


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Hey  guys, now that you can see my BIOS, pls give me the values that you would put in and their consequences. Thx for all the help, REALLY appreciate it :O)


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

My first post was with 30x133 - The second was at 30x140. Leave your dram voltage where it is, put all other voltage settings back to auto and try my settings first (30x133).

CPU-Z shots please. Asus by far has the sorriest bios's I have ever seen...they take something simple and make a wreck of it.


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Weeee!


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

With an overclock like the one you just finished, how are your temperatures... they must be way over! You have 1.384 cpu voltage... Did you test it with prime 95 or other torture test??? and if so, what are your temperatures maximums after an hour???


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Maximum temps will be reached much sooner than an hour lol. DL WPrime v1.55 and run a 1024...if it finishes the benchmark I call it stable. Probably the most stressful thing you will ever do with your pc, it should handle most anything else you throw at it.   http://www.wprime.net/Download/


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Probably about my limit on my air cooling...your turn.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Alright, I'll be trying some stuff soon. It's just very hard for me to use your information and apply it to my BIOS since we don't have the same motherboard (diff bios...) Also I noticed 2 things: Your BIOS has "Speedstep" disabled, which means your overclock is not dynamic... It won't drop the cpu multis when idle (that helps dissipating a lot of heat, saving power and making your CPU last longer...) 

Second thing: What's the difference between prime95 and wprime? What's a 1024 test????

Also, how are you not getting over the 90 degrees with 4 cores and 8 threads on air?? I get close to 85 degrees with watercooling with 4 cores 8 threads @3.611ghz with a CPU voltage of 1.312v ?!?!

The only thing that is different between our 2 overclocks is this : You don't have dynamic core multiplicators... You have 1 cpu ratio (I believe it's 30 if I'm correct...) As for me, I have turbo mode on... different ratios for each set of cores instead of just 1 ratio and speed step is enabled (I have Hyper threading enabled, just like you I believe...)

Here are some CPU zs for you :











Sorry for the image quality (iphone 3g pictures :O)


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Use Paint for your screens - Print screen...open Paint...hit ctrl/v...save file as jpeg. (this is free and works well also... http://photobucket.com/)

You can set yours up the same as mine even tho the mb's differ. Try it my way one time and see what the results are. Perhaps your water loop is not as effective as you would like to think. The temps are the reason I suggested you make two different profiles in bios...no need to run it overclocked unless you are using it for a purpose. Forget about Speedstep and the like...you are not going to injure that chip. It will be there when the rest of the rig is dust lol. Trust me...

The beastly air cooler... Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Intel Core i7 ...


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah, what a best air cooler! I think my water cooler is not as efficient as it could be... It's not one of those crazy ones with green liquid and a reservoir box... It's an ECO watercooler with a radiator and 2 fans (one in the block that touches the CPU and one after the radiator (If I'm correct)

Now.... What exactly must I change to my setup to do it your way? Apart from turning speed step off and setting a permanent CPU ratio of 30???


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Oh, one more thing, my water cooler fan is controlled by the motherboard... Should I control it manually. I have a NZXT phantom Case. When my friend came over to help me build my computer, we could have linked that water cooler's fan to the external controls (outside the case) but we didn't... I think it was because the wires weren't long enough...

Unless there's another way to manually control the watercooler's fan... I know that I manually set the fan speed for my graphics Card, and it helps A LOT! Especially since it's unlocked to become a 6970 and is AMD design (Which means a lot of heat to dissipate)

Do you know of a manual way to control my water cooler's fans?

And just in case you forget, I need an answer to this :

What exactly must I change to my setup to do it your way? Apart from turning speed step off and setting a permanent CPU ratio of 30???


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Just duplicate my bios screens above if you can. Yours should be nearly identical with a few extras probably. Go to cpu configuration and disable speedstep,C1E, ect.

About your water loop...it sounds as if it just isnt efficient enough to dissapate that much heat...probably not enough radiator. Here is what you really need... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250720319943&ssPageName=ADME:X:BOCOS:US:1123


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Lol yeah, my watercooler was around 60$ I didn't feel like putting 400$ on a different kit or cooling system


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Alright, I just learned something that might help a little (maybe it will help decrease temp by 10 degrees or so. I just learned that I can attach an additional fan to my radiator (it has screw holes for that) and it could make my radiator cooler, which means "cooler" water coming back to the pump and CPU.


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Just out of curiosity what is the cooling system you are using? Nevermind, I see now that it is an ECO. Check the Club section...I think there is a H50 group over there that can probably assist you with that set-up.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

This is the name of my water cooler :

CoolIT Systems ECO A.L.C. Liquid Cooler


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm about to try your bios settings, hope all goes well, back to U in a few minutes


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Hmmmmm I've done your 1024 wprime test... and it doesn't seem to bring my core temps up that much. You should try the prime95 torture test (small ffts)... I'm pretty sure you'll get a bluescreen in no time :OP


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Screenshots with RealTemp mandatory.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Alright, I've finished installing the extra fan to cool my radiator. Quick question before I try your overclock :

Doesn't increasing the base clock also affect PCI-e ports and doesn't that also overclock the RAM?


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Doesnt look like your memory will be an issue at these clocks.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

Alright, you still haven't answered me about your other cores. With the o7 875k, you should be able to run different types of programs. Normally, most programs use 1 or 2 cores action... I'm pretty that there will be programs and games (in the future) that will make full use of the 4 cores.

So my last question to you is: What's your real overclock stats?????? I see you're around 4ghz. Is that with 4 cores active. When you run your intel burn tests or wprime or whatnot... do you change the affinity of that test via the taskbar? (in order to find out what speed you have in those circumstances...) ???

Because for me, with 2 cores I jump to 4.1 ghz instead of 3.6 (with 4 cores actively tested)...


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

My bios does not allow juggling of the cores as yours...all the same. Stop fiddling with that and get to benching. 

For WPrime go to advanced settings and set thread count to 8/save.

If using Win7 OS you are going to have parked cores at idle...we will save that issue for another time.  http://ultimatecomputers.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3644


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

alright, I'm going to my bios, get back to U in a few minutes


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 3, 2011)

but even if you bios doesn't support juggling with the cores, how does your processor now operate. Does "your overclock" mean that you're using 4 cores all the time 24/7 @ 4ghz. How does your computer behave when you play a game that uses 2 cores (for say)... Were you to play with the affinity in the taskbar when testing, what would you get???


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

jonathan1107 said:


> but even if you bios doesn't support juggling with the cores, how does your processor now operate. Does "your overclock" mean that you're using 4 cores all the time 24/7 @ 4ghz. How does your computer behave when you play a game that uses 2 cores (for say)... Were you to play with the affinity in the taskbar when testing, what would you get???



Yes, all cores active. If you open task manager/affinity you will see they are already checked. As far as gaming goes, the aforementioned "parked cores" has more effect than you realize. Any results yet?


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 3, 2011)

Me thinks he died in biosland...he never posts results.


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## blu3flannel (Jan 3, 2011)

Either that or he's now addicted to overclocking.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 4, 2011)

Yes, I just finished trying a new type of overclock!!! But I adapted using the information you guys gave me and let me just say : Holy Freakin Crap!

I have not finished tweaking up and down, but I'm definitly able to get the stats I was getting with less heat, more speed and even overclocked RAM :OP 

And Guess what ??!! I have not copied your bios setting. I've come to realize that I could raise the Base clock without turning off speed step features, power saving features, adaptative Core usage that I already had or even change the voltages too much.

I just can't believe how AMAZING my motherboard is! I swear, you mentionned how ASUS makes complicated motherboards... well... you're right about that... But ! They give you WAY more options.

I still have Speed Bins multipliers applied to my cores depending on the workload... By raising the Baseclock, I can play with my RAM better. Also, if I'm getting this right I think :

i7 Cores seem to like higher base clocks VS high core multipliers. It seems that way of overclocking generates less heat and stress on the CPU. Also, it seems doing so doesn't require that much CPU voltage. I'm very impressed.

Now...... I've been running a bunch of errands today, so I haven't sat around my computer that much yet. But in the next hour, I'm going to fine tune my overclocking and give you guys the exact BIOS settings I have used, CPU Z pics temps .... and the like...

I'm really thankful for the help and the insight you guys provided. (Especially Rickss69). Using your tips, I've been able to try what I would call a "hybrid Overclock", which seems to be making full use of my Rig's components at last. 

With that extra fan attached to my watercooler's radiator, I expect to be able to reach speeds around 4.6 ghz with all the cores active, and even more with 3, 2  and 1 core active :O) hehe

Be back with more news soon :OP


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## blu3flannel (Jan 4, 2011)

4.6?  Please share your experiences, I want that kind of overclock!


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 4, 2011)

Alrighty, I'm still fine-tuning this overclock and I now have one more technical question for you experts:

Which is better for my RAM? :::

I have 2 RAM sticks of 4gb each for a total of 8gb. They are rated @ 1600mhz and 9 9 9 24 timings when you buy 'em.

I've done some research and it seems I have 2 options :

I can either go for 1600 mhz with these timings: 7 7 7 24..... OR
I can go for 2000 mhz with the stock timings : 9 9 9 24.

In your opinion, which is better? High speed or better timings??? I hear better timings is the way to go.... or at least the one that makes the most TANGIBLE difference. 

Let me know what you think :O)


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## blu3flannel (Jan 4, 2011)

Alright, I have a question. Are these memory modules blue? If so, they are the same ones I have and they will do 2000MHz at 9-10-9-28 stable. I tried tweaking the latency with no success, so please share if you can get lower than that and at what setting. And in my experience, going from 1600MHz at 7-8-7-24 to 2000MHz at 9-10-9-28 shaved off about 1ns in the SiSandra latency benchmark. It's your call whether or not that's worth it.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 4, 2011)

no they ain't... they're read G skill RipJaws 8gb mem stick, stock speed = 1600 (timings said to be 9 9 9 24). Btw: It's 2 sticks of each 4gb...


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 4, 2011)

Crickets chirping...


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 4, 2011)

This thread is withering on the vine...


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 4, 2011)

Plays BlackOp's nicely with no stuttering...


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## overclocking101 (Jan 4, 2011)

in my experience the tighter timings make more diff then speed. if you can get 1600mhz@6-8-6-24 that will be faster in normal apps then 2000mhz at 9-10-9-28. but honestly I dont think 4.6ghz with a coolit domino alc is possible even with 2 fans. maybe for quick bench runs BUT not for all the time


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 4, 2011)

overclocking101 said:


> in my experience the tighter timings make more diff then speed. if you can get 1600mhz@6-8-6-24 that will be faster in normal apps then 2000mhz at 9-10-9-28. but honestly I dont think 4.6ghz with a coolit domino alc is possible even with 2 fans. maybe for quick bench runs BUT not for all the time



I just want to see screens of it even booting lol. 

Only way I can do it is with mucho volts.   You can do it with Coolit, but it better be one of these :


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 4, 2011)

holy crap! how is your computer not exploding??? 1.5 volts for your cpu.... that's insane!


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 5, 2011)

jonathan1107 said:


> holy crap! how is your computer not exploding??? 1.5 volts for your cpu.... that's insane!



And how is your 4.6GHz coming along stranger?


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well, it's working, but not stable, had to lower it to 4.4 ghz. I don't have a 400$ cooling system like you. Mine is a cheap 60$ watercooler that will get you between 4.2ghz to 4.4ghz.

Can't go further without heating up too much... Especially with this processor... I need to learn about RAM tho... I have got an overclock that reaches 4.3ghz with one core active (on my other type of overclocking) but prime95 and intelburntest both crash when setting the affinity to 1 core...

That's weird. I've got a feeling it's got to do with RAM. It's weird, cause I thought I had a good set of RAM sticks. So here's my question:

When overclocking the i7 875k to say 4.3ghz... do you need the RAM speed to be higher than 1600mhz? Do you need timings better than 9 9 9 24. I've done some research and I hear I can get 7 7 7 24 on my Gskill Ripjaws 8gb and the sweet spot seems to be around 1700 mhz...

OR.... do you need the RAM to run at lower speeds like 1333mhz when overclocking. I don't know much about the relationship between overclocking the CPU and adjusting the RAM in consequence...

I've tried your way of overclocking and I can get my PC to boot and get in windows. But as soon as try testing with prime95 or intelburntest, my system seems to become very unstable. I figured maybe I need to get my CPU voltage up to the 1.4 ish... But that doesn't seem to fix the problem, or at least, that brings about a lot of heat, which I cannot entirely dissipate...


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 5, 2011)

Or could it be the hard drives? Do the hard drives have to have a certain RPM to allow a certain type of overclock to be stable? Mine of 7200RPM drives...


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 5, 2011)

I just noticed you're running a 32 bit version of windows 7, whilst I run a 64 bit version of windows... again does that change anything in terms of overclocking?


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 6, 2011)

Refer back to this WPrime 1024 run when I was on air...no reason you cannot duplicate this.
I have yet to do any tweaking of the memory whatsoever. Everything is on auto at this point except dram voltage. Harddrives or OS choice has nothing to do with it. Give it up on the 4.6GHz quest...you will not make it with your configuration. I don't see you needing anymore clock than the 4.2GHz shown here for any practical purpose. If you duplicate my earlier bios screens I promise similar results. For the moment I would like to see you try it my way first and show some bench results...then you can go back and start tweaking in the areas that interest you the most.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 6, 2011)

I have tried copying your bios from before, I was having stability issues when trying it... I'll try again I guess... I have another question for you related to graphics and games... When I play crysis, my Rig allows me to play everything on the "very high setting". But I've noticed I'm getting some lag when playing fullscreen. When I play in window mode, I do not encounter the same problem at all...

Let me try and describe the lag I am having: When in fullscreen, when I look around when holding any gun or whatnot... I get some horizontal lag. I don't see weird artifacts appearing, I don't get weird dots or flashes... only some horizontal momentary lags. It's like watching tv and having some cable lag...

I've tried v-sync and tripple buffering... I tried lowering my graphics card speed and lowering everything else... like Anti aliasing.. doesn't seem to fix it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Crysis is a dx10 game... I have dx 11...


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 6, 2011)

I just installed Ubuntu on this rig for the first time and it's pretty cool. Weird getting used to it tho lol. Havent played Crysis in a long time...tried another driver, resolution?


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 6, 2011)

why did you install ubuntu instead of windows???


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 6, 2011)

Just testing it for someone.


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 7, 2011)

Hey I found the fix to my graphics problem :O) I think it's going to be helpful for a lot of people so I'm going to post it here. Make sure to tell anyone who have issues with pc games.

When I play crysis in windowed or in fullscreen mode... both have the same FPS and graphical performance.... But... for some reason, when in fullscreen, I have this lag... those horizontal lines that flow up or down the screen every now and then... especially when facing walls or object close to the character...

I was fooling around trying to find a solution when I accidently fixed it lolzzz... In windows 7, whenever I play a fullscreen game and need to go back to my desktop I press alt enter. Alt-tab works too but not if you don't have any other windows opened. (alt tab switches between active windows...)

So Alt-enter will save your ass in windows 7. When you play a game in fullscreen in windows 7, press alt-enter, and it will still be fullscreen, but the bug will be fixed... I have no clue what windows does when I hit alt enter, but it dramatically improves graphic performance when I do... If you press alt enter again, it will switch the game to windowed mode...

Hopes this helps other people too :OP


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 9, 2011)

I have a question about Crossfire. So if any of you guys have experience in that area, please let me know:

Right now I have a single xfx radeon 6950 (unlocked to be like a 6970). I have 2 G skills Ripjaws RAM sticks (4gb each) advertized as 1600mhz capable and 9 9 9 24 timings. Which is what I have right now...

My systems runs at 4ghz on 2 cores and 4.2ghz on 1 core. When playing Crysis with all settings to "very high" with my graphics card 3d options to the max (in CCC), I get around 30 FPS average. Now that's not so bad when you consider that this game pulls everything from any PC system.... especially with EVERYTHING at Very high...

Now I've been thinking: What could allow me to get a decent 60FPS in crysis with everything to the MAX. Should I get another radeon HD 6950 card (unlocked) in crossfire with the one I have get that FPS and performance increase???

Or is the performance more likely to increase if I get better RAM. When I bought my RAM, I thought I had a really good pair of sticks... but I've done some more research lately only to discover there is better RAM than mine... and even "Crossfire Certified RAM" or "SLI certified RAM" out there. Some people seem to think you MUST have those in order to see the performance difference when going for Crossfire.

Also, right now, my motherboard supports up to 4 RAM sticks... My two sticks are set on 2 different channels instead of the 2 being next to each other. Is that the right way to go?

Would overclocking my actual RAM increase my FPS at all? 

There you have it, I know it's a lot of questions... Keep in mind I'm a novice at overclocking and Gaming... I've been gaming mostly on my xbox 360 for the last 8 years and I've just converted back to the Dark side of Gaming (PC gaming :OP)


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## jonathan1107 (Jan 15, 2011)

Hi, I've been working on my new rig trying to get a good performance in videogames...

I have an ASUS sabertooth 55i motherboard with a i7 875k processor. I have plenty of power, 2x 4gb RAM (total 8gb ram) 1600 mhz...
My processor is overclocked using the intel turbo technology and here is my question:

Should I leave "speed step" enabled in my BIOS... which allows the intel turbo technology to increase or reduce clock speeds of the CPU depending on the workload or should I disable it and make sure that my CPU runs at Full potential 24/7...

I have watercooling for my CPU... and CPU stress is not really an issue here.
Let me know what you think pls.

Jonathan


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 15, 2011)

I think you should disable it for gaming and do this as well... http://ultimatecomputers.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3644


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## jonathan1107 (Apr 21, 2011)

I intend to upgrade my rig soon (adding another radeon 6950 and changing my RAM maybe...)

About the RAM... what should I do? I have 8gb (2x4gb) ram 1600 mhz running at 9 9 9 24... I've heard I could lower those timings... but frankly I'm no expert at tweaking the RAM settings... When I get in the configuration page in the bios for RAM... there are like 200 settings... makes me confused...

I was going to get myself another radeon 6950 to crossfire... but I've talked with a local computer technician who tells me that my motherboard might limit a little bit my Crossfire performance being that it will keep it at 8x instead of 16x PCIe... 

He also seems to think that I should have faster RAM (2000mhz instead of 1600) He thinks it would allow for a better overclock and FPS increase and better crossfire performance...

But after what I read on the internet, it looks like just reaching the 2000mhz speed can be complicated with some mobos... Also I'm worried about temps... since my actual temps are just ok right now with the 1600mhz sticks. I guess I might have problems with the 2000mhz sticks...

How much of an FPS increase can you get out of 2x4b sticks 2000mhz?

Lastly, should I buy instead 2000mhz ram but lower its speed to like 1800mhz or even 1600mhz to get lower CAS... like 7 or even 6...???


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