Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs

Retrorockit · Apr 16, 2019

I would be careful with the T3610. There's no overclocking history with this sytem. The highest CPU I see at userbenchmark is the 1650 v2. That would probably be a good place to start.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-T3610/1177
If you can find a running system with a higher CPU please let us know.
Some of these chips were released unlocked, but later BIOS or chipset drivers can lock them back up.
I need to make it clear that this thread wanders off into uncharted territory every now and then. This is one of those times. There's going to be some guess work ,and trial and error involved.
For dual CPU chips turbo speed on all cores would be a good target.
As far as how far a TS overclock can go, it varies from near the top of the chart at CPUZ to average results. There's usually a performance hit of some kind related to RAM timing not increasing, but that also provides a stability and cost benefit. 3 and 4 channel RAM helps with this. I would also look into whether single socket CPUs can run RDIMMs or need UDIMM memory. The memory controller is on the CPU. There is an optional 685W PSU for these. Aftermarket PSUs won't fit so I would add that to my shopping list. But the standard 425W will run a GTX1060, and possibly a 1070.
If you try something and it doesn't work please post here. The information is very useful so the same experiment isn't done over and over.
If I were looking for a T3610 I would get a 1650v2, 16GB 4 channel RAM, and a 685W PSU running system.

juiseman · Apr 16, 2019

Yea, the HP Z420's w/ 2013 boot block date are a better deal.
They will take a 1680v2....
I have 2 Z420's and been through several Z400's Z420's repaired
upgraded then resold. like these used Z's so much I
created a thread for them:

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/hp-workstations-owners-club.254315/

So far not much interest.

Ha...

Retrorockit · Apr 16, 2019

juiseman said:
Yea, the HP Z420's w/ 2013 boot block date are a better deal.
They will take a 1680v2....
I have 2 Z420's and been through several Z400's Z420's repaired
upgraded then resold. like these used Z's so much I
created a thread for them:

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/hp-workstations-owners-club.254315/

So far not much interest.

Ha...

Have you tried a Throttlestop overclock? I just got into Dells because of overclocking some Dell BTX systems. But there's no reason not to do an HP. There are some HP owners who post in the Dell Workstation Owners Club.
Here's a Z420 @ 4ghz with a 1650v2 scoring 88% CPU. That's pretty respectable staring point.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/5476933
I'm not familiar with the newer than LGA1366 CPUs. But thanks for letting us know about the Z420 1680v2.
At userbenchmark I don't see 1680v2 running but 1650v2 is the top ranking CPU there. Could you run your 1680v2 at userbenchmark so we can see what the difference is?
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/HP-Z420-Workstation/3128

juiseman · Apr 16, 2019

My Z420's don't have that CPU, I think 1 is a 2667v1 and the other is a 2650v2.
I will try to post some results. My main goal was to try throttle stop on my 2 other main rigs (E5-2667v2 & E5-2690v2) which are
also on the same chipset (Intel C602) as the Z420's. These are import china boards. If it
works on them; I would imagine they will work on any of these older workstations.
But I'll have to try it out first.

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/search?dir=desc&q=HP+Z420&sort=multicore_score

This is showing a 2697v2 12 core in a Z420

https://compadvance.co.uk/en/item/630330/HP-Z420-8C

Here is a built one with a 1680v2 installed

I'm pretty sure they work.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2NS-0008-34US6

Dell Precision T3610 Workstation, 1x Xeon E5-2690 v2 3.0GHz Ten Core Processor

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12347677 Dell Precision T3610 Workstation Geek Bench

Looks like the Dell will take a 130W CPU

Intel Xeon 2690v2 Spec:
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...-processor-e5-2690-v2-25m-cache-3-00-ghz.html

Thanks

Retrorockit · Apr 16, 2019

The most likely result with an E5 2xxx v2 is to get Turbo speed on all cores. I see a few E5 1660v2 there.
I like Geekbench but don't use it as a reference for Throttlestop. It either rejects the run due to detecting 2 clock speeds, or if you restart it allows the run but records the base clock as the speed with the result way out of line on the graph. They had to extend the chart up for my Dell Dimension QX6800 E520 3.72GHz run. which they charted as 2.93ghz. It should have been in line with the 3.7Ghz Pentium 4 Xeons which would have been even more of a performance gap on the chart.
I know these 8 and 10 core CPUs hammer the benchmarks, especially with hyperthreading. But I wonder for a gaming rig if a 6 core with an overclock is still the way to go.

lexluthermiester · Apr 16, 2019

Retrorockit said:
But I wonder for a gaming rig if a 6 core with an overclock is still the way to go.

I'm not having any issues with my X5680 at stock. All games I have run perfectly and at 120+hz@1440P.

Retrorockit · Apr 16, 2019

I found a reference from Bambiboom who I know from Tomshardware as a workstation modding enthusiast. He lists an HP Z620 E5 1680v2 @ 4.1. He was using XTU. So maybe the dual CPU machines in single mode can be an option. This didn't work for the Dell T5500 series.

Arkaign · May 2, 2019

Hey guys! I deeply appreciate the hard work involved with all of this.

I wonder if you can help me with determining what I'm doing wrong, or if I'm just SOL with this particular setup.

I have a Lenovo S30 S2011 PC with a Xeon E5-1650v2 CPU. It seems to be a C600 based mobo.

I've downloaded Throttlestop, but the multiplier doesn't seem to want to go past 39. I don't see a way to unlock this as far as I can tell. I have ThrottleStop 8.70 installed, running with admin on W10 x64 v1809, fresh install w/updates. From my cursory research on this, it seems like the 1650v2 should theoretically be overclockable? If not, is there another CPU supported by ThrottleStop in this PC I could perhaps look for? Or am I missing something? I believe I've seen people with this CPU on Z420 with good results, but for the life of me I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks!!!

juiseman · May 2, 2019

Have also tried this tool yet?

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24075/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-Intel-XTU-

See if its also locked at x39.

Retrorockit said:
Have you tried a Throttlestop overclock? I just got into Dells because of overclocking some Dell BTX systems. But there's no reason not to do an HP. There are some HP owners who post in the Dell Workstation Owners Club.
Here's a Z420 @ 4ghz with a 1650v2 scoring 88% CPU. That's pretty respectable staring point.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/5476933
I'm not familiar with the newer than LGA1366 CPUs. But thanks for letting us know about the Z420 1680v2.
At userbenchmark I don't see 1680v2 running but 1650v2 is the top ranking CPU there. Could you run your 1680v2 at userbenchmark so we can see what the difference is?
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/HP-Z420-Workstation/3128

I was unable to get TS to work on this Huanan Intel c602 based chipset; which is understandable because the CPU's were E5-2600's series (2667v2 & 2690v2)

LINK to Motherboard I'm using for 2667v2
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/HUA...e-for-server-RAM-desktop-RAM/32850475114.html

Here is some other guys using the same board......
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/cheap-chinese-x79-mobos.15278/page-4

I did however get the 2667v2 to maintain all 8 cores at 3.5GHZ instead of 3.3GHZ under heavy load.
I adjusted the C-states in the BIOS and now it stays at 3.5GHZ.
The only thing is; I lost my turbo boost speed of 3.8GHZ.
It doesn't concern me since it only momentarily stayed at 3.8 then clocked back 3.3 almost instantly

The same result of the other import board with the 2690v2

Link to the 2690v2 board I was using: Runing X79Z B10 Motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1HD-005V-00002

Retrorockit · May 2, 2019

Arkaign said:
Hey guys! I deeply appreciate the hard work involved with all of this.

I wonder if you can help me with determining what I'm doing wrong, or if I'm just SOL with this particular setup.

I have a Lenovo S30 S2011 PC with a Xeon E5-1650v2 CPU. It seems to be a C600 based mobo.

I've downloaded Throttlestop, but the multiplier doesn't seem to want to go past 39. I don't see a way to unlock this as far as I can tell. I have ThrottleStop 8.70 installed, running with admin on W10 x64 v1809, fresh install w/updates. From my cursory research on this, it seems like the 1650v2 should theoretically be overclockable? If not, is there another CPU supported by ThrottleStop in this PC I could perhaps look for? Or am I missing something? I believe I've seen people with this CPU on Z420 with good results, but for the life of me I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks!!!

I don't own one of the newer than X58 systems, so you're the one doing the work on this.
One possibility is that a newer BIOS,or chipset driver has locked down the CPU. Intel did try to shut the door on this mod. Since the unlocked status was unofficail to start with this is undocumented also. Perhaps an older version?
The diffference between TS and XTU is that TS should have better Voltage control on an unlocked CPU. TS was designed for undervolting laptops so Voltage control is built in. On unlocked CPUs it should allow raising Voltage. But it can be pretty indirect sometimes like Tubo Power Limit, Current limit, Ratio Limit etc. XTU is from Intel. and will allow what they want you to have. TS runs from in Windows and reaches back to change the BIOS settings.
I sent a PM to Unclewebb the developer of TS. He usually knows what the relevant settings will be.
We did find that the dual CPU chipset on the LGA1366 platform won't support overclocking the unlocked single CPUs.

Did you set a High Performance user Profile, and disable as much of Windows Security as you can? I use free 3rd party AV, MW, and Rootkit programs.

Bambiboom seems to have disappeared a while ago. He really was the guy who knew about workstation modding.[/QUOTE]

davvy76 · May 9, 2019

Hi all, new t3500 (£53) user here coupled with a w3680 (£25), unfortunately I've either bought a dud cpu for overclocking or the psu / vrms on the mobo are failing. I can't get past 3.6ghz using throttlestop or ixtu, I can apply the multi 30 irc and up the power limit but as soon as I stress the system I get the bsod. Anybody else experienced this on these systems? Ps, the reason I suspect it could be the psu is because when I boot from powered down state the psu crackles slightly before springing into life, I've checked all the connectors are firm inside and the lead to the psu.

I'm currently thinking about returning the t3500 and going t3600 with e5 2680 seen as it won't clock. It was a toss up between the 2 to start with but I thought the higher clock speed would win out, obviously not if I can't clock it :laugh:

Edit:
Yeah, this doesn't sound healthy at all :fear:

lexluthermiester · May 9, 2019

davvy76 said:
Hi all, new t3500 (£53) user here

Hey there, welcome to TPU!

davvy76 said:
Ps, the reason I suspect it could be the psu is because when I boot from powered down state the psu crackles slightly before springing into life, I've checked all the connectors are firm inside and the lead to the psu.

Replace that PSU! It should never "crackle"! I wouldn't even turn it on until you replace the PSU.

davvy76 said:
I'm currently thinking about returning the t3500

I wouldn't do that... That PSU is likely limiting your OC.
Try this one;

New Dell 750W Power Supply Precision 490 690 T5400 KK617 JK933 H750E-00 N750E-00 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for New Dell 750W Power Supply Precision 490 690 T5400 KK617 JK933 H750E-00 N750E-00 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Only $40 and it's a 750Watt instead of the 525 the T3500 came with. The wiring harness will fit perfectly.

davvy76 · May 9, 2019

Hi and thanks for the welcome. I'm guessing you're a fan of the T3500's over the T3600's? I'm thinking I'll end up going the aftermarket psu route, the refurbed 750w psu's are around £40 on ebay UK and at that point I may as well go for a 600w Evga bronze unit with warranty. The seller has offered a return at their expense or a £20 partial refund. Still tempted by the T3600 purely because I've got 32gb eec rdimms I could utilise but I know sandybridge ipc isn't that much greater than westmere so if I can get this w3680 to 4ghz it should be a moot point. Main uses are web creation, encoding videos and of course gaming on an RX 580......decisions!

Retrorockit · May 9, 2019

The T3600,T3610 are kind of unexplored territory for TS overclocking. Also the PSUs are strictly proprietary. The T3500 W 3680 is a known good setup. Most people get 4.3Ghz just by sticking an extra fan on the CPU cooler.
I think back around page 4 Unclewebb goes through all the settings you need to apply for this.
For aftermarket PSUs I like EVGA. Most of them have the extra 5V. power that Dells require. Make sure an aftermarket PSU is up to what the original provided on the 5V. rail. Also Dell uses a full time continuos rating system. The aftermarket uses a "peak power" rating system for advertising. So you will need at least 650W to equal the 525W Dell part. I don't have tests for all the Dell PSUs but the old Optiplex 305W PSU when tested made 400W "peak" power.

Dell H305P-01 Power Supply Review - Hardware Insights

Contents1First Look2Load Testing3Actual Specifications and ConclusionsFirst Look Once again, we’re looking at a unit from a major OEM. Unlike last time, however, we’re looking at a unit from a PC […]

www.hardwareinsights.com

But a used Dell PSU is usually my first choice also.

Aaron_Henderson · May 10, 2019

Just chiming in to say I have my T3500 board hooked up to a standard ATX PSU...a cheap 650W Corsair unit and it has been powering my PC with a 290X for some time now and not a single issue. The PSU mounting and size might be different, but if you're planning a case swap, it's no big deal, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to mount an ATX PSU in the T3500 case.

davvy76 · May 10, 2019

Retrorockit said:
The T3600,T3610 are kind of unexplored territory for TS overclocking. Also the PSUs are strictly proprietary. The T3500 W 3680 is a known good setup. Most people get 4.3Ghz just by sticking an extra fan on the CPU cooler.
I think back around page 4 Unclewebb goes through all the settings you need to apply for this.
For aftermarket PSUs I like EVGA. Most of them have the extra 5V. power that Dells require. Make sure an aftermarket PSU is up to what the original provided on the 5V. rail. Also Dell uses a full time continuos rating system. The aftermarket uses a "peak power" rating system for advertising. So you will need at least 650W to equal the 525W Dell part. I don't have tests for all the Dell PSUs but the old Optiplex 305W PSU when tested made 400W "peak" power.

Dell H305P-01 Power Supply Review - Hardware Insights

Contents1First Look2Load Testing3Actual Specifications and ConclusionsFirst Look Once again, we’re looking at a unit from a major OEM. Unlike last time, however, we’re looking at a unit from a PC […]

www.hardwareinsights.com

But a used Dell PSU is usually my first choice also.

Hi, thanks for the info and sorry for the delayed reply, got sidetracked crossflashing an ibm lsi card to give me sata 3 speeds back. I've ended up going for a Corsair cx650 psu because it's impossible to find the higher what psu in the UK for a decent price and when you do find the model lexluthermeister recommended it's got some bizarre wiring harness without eps connector, guessing it's an older version or ebay seller mislabelled. Corsair should be good, says 12v 54amp, 5v 20 amp, +5vsb 3 amp. If it goes up in a plume of smoke I'll be sure to report back :laugh:

Aaron_Henderson said:
Just chiming in to say I have my T3500 board hooked up to a standard ATX PSU...a cheap 650W Corsair unit and it has been powering my PC with a 290X for some time now and not a single issue. The PSU mounting and size might be different, but if you're planning a case swap, it's no big deal, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to mount an ATX PSU in the T3500 case.

Exactly what I ordered last night, thanks for the info. I got a tenner off for using the amazon app, can't complain at that :toast:

Edit (ignore me, just found the dell specific setting in sppedfan) Does anybody else have issues monitoring what the front fans are doing? I've tried hw monitor and speedfan, neither of which seem to pick them up. Fans are obviously working because they ramp up and down and there's no bios warnings. Bios is A17 if that makes a difference.

Also I've just realised I've hijacked the throttlestop thread, in hindsight this should have been in the workstation thread seen as it turned out to be a hardware fault. Apologies!

Retrorockit · May 10, 2019

Not relly a hijack. youre trying to get it running for an overclock. But the T 3600/3610 info might be better at the workstation club. No one here has tried it yet.

bebop350 · May 25, 2019

unclewebb said:
ThrottleStop is a Windows only app.
For the 1st Gen Core i CPUs, it should be pretty easy to write a little script to overclock in Linux. The MSRs are publicly documented by Intel.

For the turbo multipliers you would need to write to
MSR 0x1AD - EDX = 0x00000000
MSR 0x1AD - EAX = 0x1E11E1E1E

That would get you the 30 multiplier whether 1, 2, 3 or 4 cores are active.

You might also need to adjust MSR 0x199. That one is the multiplier request register. For 1st Gen CPUs, you need to write the default multi + 1 to ask the CPU for full turbo boost. If anyone needs to know more, just ask me. You could also monitor those two registers in Windows with RW Everything while playing around with various ThrottleStop settings. I think the TDP - TDC are both in MSR 0x1AC, also well documented by Intel. It would be great to see Linux users having some multiplier overclocking fun too.

The MSR info you've provided is incredibly useful for overclocking in Linux, and very much appreciated.

Increasing wattage makes perfect sense to me. The rest of it, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around. I have some questions, if you'd be so kind as to help:

" MSR 0x1AD - EDX = 0x00000000 "
What is the significance of this? What do the letters (EDX) after the dash mean?

" MSR 0x1AD - EAX = 0x1E11E1E1E "
How can I write 2 different values to MSR 0x1AD? I don't understand how 0x1E11E1E1E equals a 30 multiplier. Is it a typo; Should it be: 0x1E1E1E1E (as 1E hex is 30 decimal and 1E is repeated 4 times, once for each physical core)?

My system is a Dell 0x501h (Dell XPS 9000 board) with a W3680. I'd like to use a 29 multiplier and 150w limit (It needs nearly 200w for X30 4GHz and X31 appears to be unstable). Turbo is working. I'm probably getting well ahead of myself, but I'm most curious if I can simplify this into 2 commands, such as this in msrtools:

wrmsr 0x1AC 0x4B0 # 0x4BO being the hex of desired wattage times 8 (in this case 150w)
wrmsr 0x1AD 0x1D1D1D1D1D1D # 1D being the hex value of the desired multi printed once for each physical core (in this case 29)

I mean, I'd just try it, but I'd rather get your opinion first to avoid any risk to the hardware.

I'm also curious as to how high you think the wattage can be safely pushed on these locked Dell boards in general (assuming optimal VRM cooling); if you have an opinion on that, or anyone else for that matter, I'd love to hear it. Thank you.

unclewebb · May 25, 2019

These old CPUs are built like tanks so I would not worry too much about hurting one. On the Dell boards you are not able to change the core voltage so there is even less chance of hurting anything.

bebop350 said:
Is it a typo; Should it be: 0x1E1E1E1E

Sorry about the typo. My eyes are not as good as they used to be. Too much programming!

Your correction is correct.

EAX and EDX are just two registers within pretty much all Intel CPUs. At the lowest level, you fill up these registers with info, run a command and then check these registers to see the results. ThrottleStop is a 32 bit program so instead of being able to read and write 64 bits of information to the CPU in one shot, it has to be broken up into 2 chunks of 32 bits.

bebop350 said:
wrmsr 0x1AD 0x1D1D1D1D1D1D

That looks correct.

Give it a try and see what happens. If you have any problems overclocking, have a look in MSR 0x199. That register can be used to limit the maximum multiplier. I will check back tomorrow to see your results. Looking forward to some Dell - Linux overclocking.

Edit - I have not heard of any VRM cooling issues. My nephew has been rocking his overclocked W3680 day in, day out for the last year with no complaints.

Retrorockit · May 25, 2019

The XPS 9000 has a high end ATX motherboard. I haven't researched that specific one but I own a very similar Alienware ALX Micro ATX 04vwf2 which is AKA- MSI 7591 v1. The VRM on these already has heatpipe cooling on the chipset and VRM. There is probably an aftermarket equivalent of that board. There are any number of aftermarket heatsinks that will fit that. I would stay within the Wattage of the CPU fan Dell provided, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's much higher than the typical .3A aftermarket fans. If you can fit a thicker 120x38mm fan I would do so. The more cooling the more power you can get away with. But everything has a limit. A spare CPU is always a good idea if you want to explore this. The actual limits for this type of overclocking are so far unknown.
Linux may allow more direct control than Windows provides. It also means you're probably not a gamer and your data may have some actual purpose or value. These X58 ATX motherboards tend to cost as much as a whole T3500 workstation. But your project will provide some insight into how TS overclocking works an an ATX computer. You might see if there is an Alienware version of that. Often there is an unlocked BIOS available there.

bebop350 · May 25, 2019

unclewebb said:
These old CPUs are built like tanks so I would not worry too much about hurting one. On the Dell boards you are not able to change the core voltage so there is even less chance of hurting anything.

Sorry about the typo. My eyes are not as good as they used to be. Too much programming!
Your correction is correct.

EAX and EDX are just two registers within pretty much all Intel CPUs. At the lowest level, you fill up these registers with info, run a command and then check these registers to see the results. ThrottleStop is a 32 bit program so instead of being able to read and write 64 bits of information to the CPU in one shot, it has to be broken up into 2 chunks of 32 bits.

That looks correct.

Thank you for the explanation and for getting back so quickly. I hear you, mine aren't aren't either.

No worries, just wanted to make sure I understood correctly.

unclewebb said:
Give it a try and see what happens. If you have any problems overclocking, have a look in MSR 0x199. That register can be used to limit the maximum multiplier. I will check back tomorrow to see your results. Looking forward to some Dell - Linux overclocking.

Edit - I have not heard of any VRM cooling issues. My nephew has been rocking his overclocked W3680 day in, day out for the last year with no complaints.

Turbo seems to work, so I thought it unnecessary. But you're correct; the CPU wouldn't actually use the higher multi unless 0x199 was changed.

It worked like a charm:

^^Thats a screencap from when I started a 24hr stress test last night. I'm grateful for all the info. It would have taken many, many hours to find and figure out this MSR data (supposing I could have figured it out at all).

Fellow Linux users, you might want to have a look at cpupower or the older cpufreq (depending on your disto). However I couldn't get cpupower to work on Arch after weeks of trying. Supposedly some boards/BIOS (such as the 0x501h) lock the OS from setting a CPU governor. Anyway, I used this site to convert decimal to hex and vice versa. This is the script I made:

Bash:

#!/bin/bash
###You need msrtools for this to work
###I wouldn't use this script with any other CPU architecture other than X58/LGA 1366 Westmere 32nm
###You probably need to run this as root (sudo) for it to work. As in: "sudo sh overclock.sh"

modprobe msr
###Load the msr kernel module

wrmsr 0x1AC 0x837084B0
###Raise the power limit. 0x370 is the default max amperage of 110 multiplied by 8 then converted to hexidecimal. 0x4B0 is the desired max wattage multiplied by 8 then converted to hex (in this case 150x8=1200)

wrmsr 0x1AD 0x1D1D1D1D1D1D
###Raise the multi. 1D being the hex value of the desired multi of 29 printed once for each physical core

wrmsr 0x199 0x1A
###Enable turbo properly. The default multi+1. For a W3680 its 26, hex value 1A

Retrorockit said:
The XPS 9000 has a high end ATX motherboard. I haven't researched that specific one but I own a very similar Alienware ALX Micro ATX 04vwf2 which is AKA- MSI 7591 v1. The VRM on these already has heatpipe cooling on the chipset and VRM. There is probably an aftermarket equivalent of that board. There are any number of aftermarket heatsinks that will fit that. I would stay within the Wattage of the CPU fan Dell provided, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's much higher than the typical .3A aftermarket fans. If you can fit a thicker 120x38mm fan I would do so. The more cooling the more power you can get away with. But everything has a limit. A spare CPU is always a good idea if you want to explore this. The actual limits for this type of overclocking are so far unknown.
Linux may allow more direct control than Windows provides. It also means you're probably not a gamer and your data may have some actual purpose or value. These X58 ATX motherboards tend to cost as much as a whole T3500 workstation. But your project will provide some insight into how TS overclocking works an an ATX computer. You might see if there is an Alienware version of that. Often there is an unlocked BIOS available there.

Never checked out Alienware, great idea. I've checked MSI and Foxconn boards, but not quite the same. The 0x501h BIOS is (reportedly) encrypted or some such, so BIOS mods are not possible unfortunately.

Sorry for the lack of system info, I'll fill it out shortly. I've been struggling with the cpupower overclocking application for weeks using Linux on a flashdrive, and so was in a rush to get the overclock finalized, stress tested, and start using the rig again (want to make sure it's stable so I don't risk my data).

Cooling is not an issue, but I appreciate the info nonetheless. We spoke on OCN (I'm "Almost Heathen"). The system is used as both a NAS and an HTPC, so lots of gaming actually (I know overclocking a system with server duties is frowned upon, but it'll do 3.9GHz with near stock wattage).

bebop350 · Jun 7, 2019

Userbenchmark runs, as requested by Retrorockit:

X29 ~3.9GHz (stable): 75.9%
X30 ~4GHz (unknown stability): 78.7%
X31 ~4.1GHz (unstable): 81.2%
All benchmarks will have low disk scores, as the Windows install is on a cheap flash drive.

Thought you might like this too; W3680 vs Ryzen 1600:

Please pardon the double post (I can't seem to edit my previous one).

Retrorockit · Jun 8, 2019

I always wonder if HT is worth the trouble. Better stability and clock speeds w/o it I would assume. CPUZ runs benches at different thread counts for 6t vs 6t comparisons.
I know the benchmarks reward CPU core count but most apps. don't ASFAIK. But if it's a server it may need them all.
Anyway your XPS9000 is on the chart there with a 76% overall CPU score. A nice bump up from the previous limit of 68% for the unlocked X980/W3680 CPUs on that system.
I guess your faster runs didn't get published because of stability issues. It looks like 3.9Ghz is where your system ended up there.
I was hoping the XPS stuff would give a way forward from the T3500 setup, but so far it's not happeneing.
As usual on a locked BIOS system TS goes to the top of the chart for CPU score relative to other similar systems.
Thanks for participating and posting your results.
I guess there's a reason this always looks like a Dell T3500 thread. But other systems are always welcome.

lexluthermiester · Jun 8, 2019

Retrorockit said:
I always wonder if HT is worth the trouble. Better stability and clock speeds w/o it I would assume.

True. This has been known since the first days of the Pentium 4 HT models. OC's are much better/easier with HT off.

Retrorockit · Jun 9, 2019

Back then I knew it wasn't worth the bother because the performance increase was so small in P4. But I came into overclocking during the Core 2 era which did away with it altogether. I would still do without it unless there was a need for the extra cores. But bebop350 is a Linux user so he probably knows what he's up to. I just stuck that in there for any others who may read this thread. There may be more in that system for other users

System Name	BTXTREME
Processor	QX6800 SLACP Core2 Extreme
Motherboard	Dell 0WG864 LGA775 BTX
Cooling	Dell T9303 heatpipe cooler, Delta GFB1212VHG 2 motor fan.
Memory	8GB Dell DDR2@800
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Dual BIOS R9-285 ITX O/C 2GB DDR5
Storage	Crucial M500 240GB SSD
Display(s)	Dell 22" LCD
Case	Dell Dimension E 520 MT
Audio Device(s)	onboard sound with Logitech Z523 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA B2 750W semi modular
Mouse	Logitech wireless (two installed)
Keyboard	Logitech wireless backlit
Software	Win7-64, Throttlestop 6.00 overclock
Benchmark Scores	3DMark 11 P7644 (52% )In Win7 64, Firestrike 6892 ( 58% ) http://valid.x86.fr/l2j5p1

System Name	BTXTREME
Processor	QX6800 SLACP Core2 Extreme
Motherboard	Dell 0WG864 LGA775 BTX
Cooling	Dell T9303 heatpipe cooler, Delta GFB1212VHG 2 motor fan.
Memory	8GB Dell DDR2@800
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Dual BIOS R9-285 ITX O/C 2GB DDR5
Storage	Crucial M500 240GB SSD
Display(s)	Dell 22" LCD
Case	Dell Dimension E 520 MT
Audio Device(s)	onboard sound with Logitech Z523 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA B2 750W semi modular
Mouse	Logitech wireless (two installed)
Keyboard	Logitech wireless backlit
Software	Win7-64, Throttlestop 6.00 overclock
Benchmark Scores	3DMark 11 P7644 (52% )In Win7 64, Firestrike 6892 ( 58% ) http://valid.x86.fr/l2j5p1

System Name	BTXTREME
Processor	QX6800 SLACP Core2 Extreme
Motherboard	Dell 0WG864 LGA775 BTX
Cooling	Dell T9303 heatpipe cooler, Delta GFB1212VHG 2 motor fan.
Memory	8GB Dell DDR2@800
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Dual BIOS R9-285 ITX O/C 2GB DDR5
Storage	Crucial M500 240GB SSD
Display(s)	Dell 22" LCD
Case	Dell Dimension E 520 MT
Audio Device(s)	onboard sound with Logitech Z523 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA B2 750W semi modular
Mouse	Logitech wireless (two installed)
Keyboard	Logitech wireless backlit
Software	Win7-64, Throttlestop 6.00 overclock
Benchmark Scores	3DMark 11 P7644 (52% )In Win7 64, Firestrike 6892 ( 58% ) http://valid.x86.fr/l2j5p1

System Name	BTXTREME
Processor	QX6800 SLACP Core2 Extreme
Motherboard	Dell 0WG864 LGA775 BTX
Cooling	Dell T9303 heatpipe cooler, Delta GFB1212VHG 2 motor fan.
Memory	8GB Dell DDR2@800
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Dual BIOS R9-285 ITX O/C 2GB DDR5
Storage	Crucial M500 240GB SSD
Display(s)	Dell 22" LCD
Case	Dell Dimension E 520 MT
Audio Device(s)	onboard sound with Logitech Z523 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA B2 750W semi modular
Mouse	Logitech wireless (two installed)
Keyboard	Logitech wireless backlit
Software	Win7-64, Throttlestop 6.00 overclock
Benchmark Scores	3DMark 11 P7644 (52% )In Win7 64, Firestrike 6892 ( 58% ) http://valid.x86.fr/l2j5p1

System Name	BTXTREME
Processor	QX6800 SLACP Core2 Extreme
Motherboard	Dell 0WG864 LGA775 BTX
Cooling	Dell T9303 heatpipe cooler, Delta GFB1212VHG 2 motor fan.
Memory	8GB Dell DDR2@800
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Dual BIOS R9-285 ITX O/C 2GB DDR5
Storage	Crucial M500 240GB SSD
Display(s)	Dell 22" LCD
Case	Dell Dimension E 520 MT
Audio Device(s)	onboard sound with Logitech Z523 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA B2 750W semi modular
Mouse	Logitech wireless (two installed)
Keyboard	Logitech wireless backlit
Software	Win7-64, Throttlestop 6.00 overclock
Benchmark Scores	3DMark 11 P7644 (52% )In Win7 64, Firestrike 6892 ( 58% ) http://valid.x86.fr/l2j5p1

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System Name	Terminator T3500
Processor	Intel Xeon W3680 4GHz
Motherboard	Dell T3500
Cooling	Deepcool Gammax 400
Memory	12GB (6x2GB) DDR3 1333
Video Card(s)	PowerColor Red Dragon RX 580 8GB
Storage	120GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Display(s)	Acer H233H - 1920x1080 75Hz
Case	Corsair Carbide Spec-01
Audio Device(s)	Kinter MA-170
Power Supply	Corsair CX600
Mouse	Corsair Katar
Keyboard	Ajazz AK33
Software	Windows 10

System Name	NAS / HTPC
Processor	Xeon W3680 @ 3.9Ghz
Motherboard	Dell 0X501H (BIOS based and not EFI capable)
Cooling	Scythe Ninja 4, 6 AFB1212L, 2 120mm VRM fans (1 top, 1 bottom of board), Sunbeam Rheostat Extreme
Memory	30GB DDR3 1066MHz CL7 (3x8GB, 3x2GB)
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 1060 6GB P4-6161-KR
Storage	ZFS root, ZFS mirror (media), ZFS JBOD (gaming, etc.)
Display(s)	Panasonic X3 Plasma TV
Case	Caselabs BH8 (white, vented top)
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound BlasterX G1 USB sound card, H5 cans, Philips 5.1 home theater
Power Supply	Seasonic SS850HT
Mouse	Itac mouse-trak Industrial Trackball, Logitech M310
Keyboard	Logitech K520, CM Storm Cherry Red Mechanical
Software	Antergos Linux XFCE (Antergos repos removed)