How To Overclock a Locked New Sandy Bridge E Processor - By Intel

[qubit]

We know how chip manufacturers aren't usually very keen on overclocking of their products, but here, Intel explains the actual steps to take in achieving a great overclock! And oddly enough, this includes their locked CPUs as well, which raises the question of why lock them at all? Bit-tech looked into overclocking the new LGA2011 Sandy Bridge E in detail.


Intel highlights the key areas for overclocking Sandy Bridge E processors, and gives a practical example of a 4.74 GHz overclock


Here are the basics:

- Locked CPUs can be overclocked too
- SB-E has more flexible base clock overclocking, using two dividers, 1.25x & 1.66x
- You need to play with Turbo Boost to prevent power limiting from throttling the system back
- There's some scary maths to work out, for example: 1) 5,000 ÷ 1.66 = 3,012 2) 3,012 ÷ 100 = 30.012 3) 3,012 ÷ 30 = 100.4 system clock. Likely a spreadsheet would help here.

For full details, see the bit-tech article, where they work out how to push an SB-E system to a healthy 5 GHz.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Completely Bonkers]

Good find. Very interesting. Let me know when you have that spreadsheet ready

 

[qubit]

Good find. Very interesting. Let me know when you have that spreadsheet ready

Yeah, you can just imagine the multiple forum threads of confused members trying to figure out how to overclock their Sandys.

It shouldn't be too hard for someone like W1zzard to program a little app where you plug in the numbers and it works it all out for you.

 

[erocker]

This is good! Real overclocking just like mama used to make without alll those convenient unlocked multipliers! If you can use a calculator.. or even your brain, you can overclock SB-E. Good news, thanks for the info.

 

[Arrakis9]

Would love to see an app for that, if SB-E can really easily do 5GHZ with a 6 core i might be looking to switch up to it >_> provided they make some M-ATX boards too

 

[DanishDevil]

It would be easy enough for anybody to code into excel with a few simple formulas.

Good show by Intel to stand behind its overclocking community.

 

[Steevo]

Looks like a brown pant move by Intel, BD has arrived and made some huge gains and now they can no longer rest on their laurels.

Better break out the overclock.

 

[qubit]

Looks like a brown pant move by Intel, BD has arrived and made some huge gains and now they can no longer rest on their laurels.

Better break out the overclock.

You could well be right. This would mean that AMD is finally starting to give Intel some much needed competition. New products have to leapfrog each other every generation, not be sort kinda comparable with the competitions current lineup.

 

[cheesy999]

You could well be right. This would mean that AMD is finally starting to give Intel some much needed competition. New products have to leapfrog each other every generation, not be sort kinda comparable with the competitions current lineup.

i can't remember where i heard it but isn't bulldozers replacement architecture coming in quite fast, like mid 2012 or something, it would've been a much bigger gap but with all the bulldozer delays...

EDIT:Found it

2nd Generation Bulldozer-based (2012)
[edit]"Sepang"[5] 4000 Series Opteron (32 nm SOI, up to 10-core)
Triple-Channel DDR3
Integrated PCI Express 3.0
Socket C2012
[edit]"Terramar"[5] 6000 Series Opteron (32 nm SOI, up to 20-core)
Quad-Channel DDR3
Integrated PCI Express 3.0
Socket G2012
[edit]3rd Generation Bulldozer-based (2013)
[edit]"Macau"[5] 4000 Series Opteron (28 nm high-k or possibly 22 nm FDSOI[6], up to 10-core)
Triple-Channel DDR3
Integrated PCI Express 3.0
Socket C2012
[edit]"Dublin"[5] 6000 Series Opteron (28 nm high-k or possibly 22 nm FDSOI[6], up to 20-core)
Quad-Channel DDR3
Integrated PCI Express 3.0
Socket G2012

where the server parts go the desktop parts usually receive a cut down version a few months later, so late q3/q4 2012

 

[Hayder_Master]

Good to sandy B-E samples

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

This is good! Real overclocking just like mama used to make without alll those convenient unlocked multipliers! If you can use a calculator.. or even your brain, you can overclock SB-E. Good news, thanks for the info.

Yeah but math makes my brian hurt

 

[cadaveca]

Loving how they say they have no chips, but here, this is how you overclock. HMmmm...

 

[DrPepper]

Seems like bulldozer is better than they anticipated.

 

[qubit]

Seems like bulldozer is better than they anticipated.

Yeah, it could well be AMD sandbagging Intel with this one. And why not? It's good to let Intel know they're not omnipotent.

 

[Altered]

Looks like this could be a response to BD. This thread http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152569 has a slide that made me think this was their rebuttal. Se the very last line on the AMD side.

 

[nINJAkECIL]

CMIIW, looking at the pic, it stated 4.754ghz OCed @turbo boost, so it pratically 3 core running @ those speed, while the other 3 cores remains idle @4.354ghz.

And if Intel suggesting and giving an example on how to OC their cpus, does it means there are no voiding warranty regarding overclocking their cpus?

 

[Bundy]

This is excellent news. SB-E will overclock high and there is 'some' skill involved. Glad we don't need the unlocked multi - that is for noobs.

 

[AnnCore]

Yeah but math makes my brian hurt

I guess spelling does too.

 

[MikeMurphy]

Or Intel could respect the community who buys the SB-E processors and just friggin' unlock them. Cost to unlock? ... nothing. They just want to squeeze you for a couple extra bucks even when you're spending over $300 on a CPU alone.

I'm getting sick and tired of Intel.

 

[qubit]

Or Intel could respect the community who buys the SB-E processors and just friggin' unlock them. Cost to unlock? ... nothing. They just want to squeeze you for a couple extra bucks even when you're spending over $300 on a CPU alone.

I'm getting sick and tired of Intel.

+1 here, dude. :shadedshu That's why I asked this very question in the article.

Ultimately, even though you can still overclock them, you'll be more limited in what you can achieve than if the CPU was unlocked - and it's more difficult to get there, too.

 

[meirb111]

this is useless no how to just numbers and tech info

 

[Bundy]

Or Intel could respect the community who buys the SB-E processors and just friggin' unlock them. Cost to unlock? ... nothing. They just want to squeeze you for a couple extra bucks even when you're spending over $300 on a CPU alone.

I'm getting sick and tired of Intel.

+1 here, dude. :shadedshu That's why I asked this very question in the article.

Ultimately, even though you can still overclock them, you'll be more limited in what you can achieve than if the CPU was unlocked - and it's more difficult to get there, too.

this is useless no how to just numbers and tech info

I think the message is meant to be that if you do not feel confident enough to OC a mid range binned chip properly, then buy a high range binned and unlocked chip. (assuming you want to OC and are prepared to invest in the correct cooling and voltage control)

There is no such thing as a cheap CPU that you buy and whack onto any mobo, turn the multi up to max, sit back and pwn.

 

[meirb111]

I think the message is meant to be that if you do not feel confident enough to OC a mid range binned chip properly, then buy a high range binned and unlocked chip. (assuming you want to OC and are prepared to invest in the correct cooling and voltage control)

There is no such thing as a cheap CPU that you buy and whack onto any mobo, turn the multi up to max, sit back and pwn.

bottom line you can't do anything with this info its mumbo jumbo!!

 

[qubit]

bottom line you can't do anything with this info its mumbo jumbo!!

No, it's not mumbo jumbo, you're missing the point of the article.

Intel are just explaining the basics of how to go about it. The precise details will be explained at length by various review sites when the product is released.

You can ask just why are they bothering to help overclockers? I think the answer's fairly obvious that it's to counter AMD's Bulldozer, which is starting to look better than people had speculated.

 

[erocker]

this is useless no how to just numbers and tech info

Why post a "how-to" when the CPU isn't even released? Even when it's released I don't see Intel posting "how-to's" on how to overclock their CPU's. Many can look at the pictures and understand what's happening here.