Hi All,

It is no secret that I have had issues overclocking my new rig but I have learned alot over the last few weeks so I though I would put something together for others to use.  Please post OC problems in a seperate thread as I want to use this thread only to show others how to overclock this beast!

i7 Architecture:




RAM Speed Calculation:
When selecting a RAM divider like the 2:10, take the last number and multiply that times the QPI.  Using the 2:10 as an example, this means for every 2 MHz on the QPI, the RAM bus speed will increase by 10MHz.

Example:

CPU Clock Ratio ( 20X )
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ( 134 )    <<--- QPI
CPU Uncore Frequency (Mhz) ( 20x )
Spread Spectrum ( Disabled )
PCIE Frequency (Mhz) ( 100 )
Memory Feature
Memory Control Setting ( Enabled )
Memory Frequency ( 2:10 )              <<--- RAM Divider
Turbo Mode Function ( Enabled )

QPI(1/2) X RAM Divider = RAM Speed(1/2)
134(1/2) X (10/2) = RAM Speed(1/2)
(134 X 10) X (1/2) = RAM Speed (1/2)
134 X 10 = 1340MHz for the RAM speed.

CPU Speed Calculation:
When running a 920 or 940 at the stock Clock Ratio of 20 and 22 respectively and turbo is enabled, the calculation is the clock ratio +1 multiplied by the QPI.  An example using the data above:

20+1 X 134 = 2814MHz = 2.8GHz.

With turbo disabled the calculation becomes:

20 X 134 = 2680MHz = 2.68GHz

**** The calculation above is to be to used if running a 965 above the stock clock ratio even if turbo is enabled.

Core i7 Frequency Calculator (Courtesy of linuxrouter):
http://www.linuxforge.net/freqcalc.php

RAM Speed Info(Courtesy of linuxrouter):
http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspx?m=5247

How RAM and Cache Scale as the QPI is Increased:
http://forums.evga.com...1&key=&#762686

Overclocking:
First "major" changes should always be done in the BIOS and after that tweaked with the latest version of E-LEET from within Windows.

Now lets get started!

Disclaimer!:  "stable" does NOT and I repeat NOT refer to anything other than you are ok to proceed to the next step.  Once you get to a final OC, long term stability testing methods should be used.

Key Terms(Most came from Jacob's Overclocking Guide thread):

1. CPU Clock Ratio - The multiplier used to determine CPU speed when taking the product of it and the CPU Host Frequency.
2. CPU Host Frequency  - Speed of the bus i.e. Base Clock (BCLCK) or Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) speed. 
3. CPU Uncore Frequency - Speed of the L3 cache and Integrated Memory Controller.  The frequency should always be set to 2x or 2x+1 of the RAM divider i.e. if the 2:8 RAM divider is used, uncore should be set to 16x or 17x.  If the 2:10 divider is used, uncore should be set to 20x or 21x. 
4. Turbo Mode - Adds 1x to the last 3 cores and 2x to the 1st core when running stock Clock Ratios. 
5. Voffset - Difference from vcore voltage setting in the BIOS to what is seen in Windows.
6. VDroop - The drop in vcore voltage seen in Windows when the CPU is under a load.
7. CPU PLL - The clock generator.
8. VDIMM - Memory voltage.
9. CPU VTT(uncore) - The termination voltage, you need this for higher QPI speeds.  This should be within .5v of the DIMM voltage.   This means if CPU VTT is 1.1v for example, the DIMM voltage can be no more than 1.6v.  See (3) above.
10. IOH - Northbridge voltage.
11. ICH - Southbridge voltage.
12. PWM - The adjustable mosfet frequency, higher is cleaner power, but runs hotter.

Some more good info,
[link=http://forums.evga.com/tm.asp?m=100494809&mpage=1&key]http://forums.evga.com...09&mpage=1&key[/link]

The Strategy:
Prereq's:  p95v25.8, LinX, E-LEET, RealTemp and/or Everest Ultimate are already installed. Adequate cooling for the CPU must also be in place.  Overclocking past 3.2Ghz should not be done on stock cooling.

It is important to know what stepping chip you have as D0 stepping chips are know to take less votlage than C0/C1 stepping chips BUT the strategy for overclocking both of them is exactly the same.  For extreme chips, the 965 and 975, the strategy remains the same but voltage step size may need to be larger if you are overclocking by Clock Ratio vs BCLK.  This is true becuase you are increasing speeds by 1x X BCLK which in general is larger than just increasing the BCLK by say 3MHz.

Auto BSOD Restarts are turned off in Wondows.  To turn off Auto restarts,

• First do a reasonable amount of testing to ensure your machine is stable at stock clocks. No cores should reach 85C under a load.
• Once that is complete, launch E-LEET, RealTemp and p95.
• Now lets see just how far you can go on STOCK EVERYTHING!
• Once in E-LEET, go to the Voltage tab and note all the settings.
• One thing to ensure is the CPU VTT and the DIMM Voltage are always within .5v of each other.  This means if CPU VTT is 1.1v for example, the DIMM voltage can be no more than 1.6v. 
• Now go to the Overclocking tab and increase the QPI by 3-5MHz and hit "Apply Selection"
• Watch your Core temps in RealTemp and start p95 to stress all cores.  Also note your under load Vcore, DIMM and CPU VTT voltages.  Keep track of these for use later.
• After 5-10 minutes or so if there are no BSODs, lockups or errors and your temps are not over 85C, stop p95. 2 or 3 passes of LinX will do as well just be sure it is maxed on problem size and RAM tested.  Note:  This testing is just to ensure some level of stability as you keep going.  As clocks get higher, more testing should be done and a full range of stability testing should be done once you reach your final overclock.
• Repeat the previous 3 steps until your machine crashes or your temps get over 85C.  This will happen becuase either you will cross a strap or come to a point where stock voltages are not enough.
• Once you crash or have increased the QPI say 10MHz, reboot and enter in the last good testing QPI into the BIOS.
• Once back in Windows, go back to the beginning of this procedure and increase the QPI more agin in small steps until you crash again, reach your desired overclock OR the point where AUTO voltages can take you no further.  Once at the "max auto voltage point", vcore and CPU VTT will need to be set manually.  Where you set vcore will depend on the vdroop setting so "with vdroop" vcore will need to be set to a value of ~.15v ABOVE the load voltage of vcore but ~.1v BELOW it if running "without vdroop".
• Depending on what BSOD you encounter, increase the DIMM, vcore or CPU VTT accordingly.  Hard locks are usually RAM related (timings or voltage).  BSODs are usually vcore or CPU VT related.  To find which on needs a bump, start with vcore and increase it by 0.04v and restest.  If that fails, repeat.  If that fails roll back vcore and repeat for CPU VTT using a +50mv step size.  Repeat if it fails.  If after the second bump of CPU VTT you still have issues, increase the DIMM by 0.02v and retest.  Note:  what you are watching for is a CHANGE i.e. does the BOSD happen faster or after a longer period than before or is it now a different BSOD etc...  Changes are good that means you are making an impact and no change means you are most likely tweaking the wrong thing.

BSOD Info:

Increase Vcore if you see this BSOD.




Increase VCORE or CPU VTT if you see this BSOD (you must test by bumping each voltage watching for a change to see which one is needing an increase).






I just went though this last night after a RAM change and OS rebuild.  It only took me a few hours to get up to 190MHz on the QPI.

Different Processors:
The 920 and 940 have locked Clock Ratios of 20x and 22x respectively.  That means you cannot go above those values however you can go down to a minimum of 12x I believe.  The 965 however is unlocked ie. the Clock Ratio can be increased above its default value of 24x.  It is also important to note that many are finding better overclocks with odd Clock Ratios vs. even Clock Ratios.

On the 965, the overclocking strategy explained above is still the same voltage wise but what you have to decide is how do you want to overclock it?  Do you want to leave the Clock Ratio at its default of 24x and simply increase the QPI, do you want to leave the QPI at its default of 133MHz and simply increase the Clock Ratio or better yet do you want to do BOTH!  No matter what your decision is, start with the same steps laid out above.  Once auto runs out, voltages will need to be set manually.

On all the i7 processors the Clock Ratio can be decreased as well. It is just as good to actually lower the Clock Ratio and increase the QPI to achieve the same overclock.  I am not saying go from 24x to 12x to get these results so keep that in mind.  Later in this thread, you will see some Everest Ultimate Memory and Cache benchmarks that I did using my latest 965 to show how the RAM and Cache scale as the QPI and Clock Ratio are changed.  Small changes in QPI do little for performance but comparing say a 4GHz overclock by just increasing the Clock Ratio vs. leaving the Clock Ratio at its default or lowering it but then increasing the QPI to achieve 4GHz, will result in higher benchmarks.

2:12 and above RAM Dividers on a 965
[link=http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspm=100468697&mpage=1&key=&#100468697]http://forums.evga.com...mp;key=&#100468697[/link]

IOH, ICH and IOH/ICH Voltages for SLi and above Rigs:
To this point all we have talked about and tweaked are CPU related voltages.  The next part is very important for SLI, triSLI and QuadSLI rigs otherwise your benchmark scores may be a little low, you may even get BSODs when your GPUs are OC'd.  I did some testing per the chart below using E-LEET to tweak voltages between Vantage runs.  My GPU OC is 737/1474/1237(729/1458/1242 eff).  The "()" values are the first green value for this setting in the BIOS.

Voltage Group           IOH(1.4)       IOH/ICH(1.65)     3B    ICH(1.25)
1                            1.15             1.55                      1.1
2                            1.225            1.6                       1.15
3                            1.275            1.625                    1.2

The vantage results are from me using my 3.4GHz OC and only running Graphics Test 1 and CPU Test 1.

Voltage Group         Graphics Test 1            CPU Test 1
1                          75.33                          2909.98
2                          76.28                          2924.20
3                          72.26                          2912.59
Full                       78                              2922.71

As I said these systems have a defined voltage window.  When inside it things are good but above or below it wierd things can happen.  Using the data above, this is proven even further seeing that voltage group 2 has the best scores.  The "Full" run above is a complete Vantage run of all tests at voltage grup 2 settings in the IOH/ICH.  The final score as 30173.  I can say this is ~150 points better than the run I did at voltage group 1 settings last night.

More data from my 4.2GHz OC with everything other than the obvious the same as above:

Voltage Group           IOH(1.4)       IOH/ICH(1.65)         ICH(1.25)
1                            1.25             1.525                      1.225
2                            1.325            1.575                      1.25
3                            1.375            1.625                      1.25
4                            1.425            1.675                      1.275

Voltage Group         Graphics Test 1            CPU Test 1
1                          83.43                          3510.89
2                          83.52                          3509.55
3                          84.21                          3533.78
4                          82.92                          3503.10


Looks like voltage group 3 has the best performance!

It should be noted that for SLI, triSLI and QuadSLI rigs the IOH voltage may need an increase in order to stop GPU related BSODs (0x00000116).  Increase the IOH voltage until they stop then use E-LEET to make 1 notch increases while running a GPU test tool like Vantage between changes to find the voltage point at which scores peak.  This is your IOH sweet spot for your current OC.  While testing this strategy, I corrupted my video drivers so bad that the Windows login screen just went black!  Do NOT make voltage changes to the IOH, IOH/ICH I/O or ICH while your GPUs are overclocked or any application is open other than E-LEET.  The IOH/ICH I/O and ICH are not coupled together with the IOH voltage wise so those voltages can be left on AUTO or manually set to their default.


Finding Your Max Clock Speed (From Cyb3rGlitch Tutorial link)
For an unlocked multiplier:

1. Raise the multiplier by one.
2. Check for instability and temperature.
3. Repeat 1 and 2 until unstable.
4. Increase vCore until stable (make sure this isn't an excessive amount).
5. Check temperatures.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 until vCore increases don't help, or they're becoming excessive. Or if the temperatures exceed 65c under load.

For a locked multiplier:

1. Lower the QPI multiplier to 18x.
2. Ensure the CPU multiplier as at its maximum.
3. Check for instability and temperature.
4. If unstable, raise the vCore and repeat, otherwise continue.
5. Increase the Bclock by 10MHz.
6. Check for instability and temperature.
7. Repeat 5-6 until unstable.
8. Increase vCore (if safe to).
9. Repeat 5-8 until vCore is too high, or vCore has no effect on stability.
10. If the QPI and/or Uncore are overclocked at this stage, increase the vTT, or try lowering the Uncore multiplier.
11. Repeat 5-10 until the temperature is too hot, or the voltages are becoming excessive.

I hope this helps someone "sneak up" on an overclock.

Good i7 Links:
bit-tech
lostcircuits
ixbtlabs
xtremesystems
techreport
techgage
cyb3rglitch
anandtech


RAM Divider Templates for the Stock QPI:
 
Note:  D0 stepping chips usually take less voltage for vcore and CPU VTT to hit the same speeds as C0/C1 stepping chip.  All templates below are for C0/C1 stepping chips.

Here is a template to test the 2:10 RAM divider at a QPi of 134 which is where the 1333MHz RAM rating is at specified timings:

*** No other changes should be required ***

Mother Board ( EVGA X58 )
Drivers (  )
Bios ( SZ1A or above )
CPU ( 920 C0 )
CPU Cooler ( )
Memory ( 1333MHz RAM )
PSU ( )
GPU (  )
Drivers ( )
CPU Clock Ratio ( 20X )
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ( 134 )
CPU Uncore Frequency (Mhz) ( 20x )
Spread Spectrum ( Disabled )
PCIE Frequency (Mhz) ( 100 )
Memory Feature
Memory Control Setting ( Enabled )
Memory Frequency ( 2:10 )
Channel Interleave Setting ( 6 Way )
Rank Interleave Setting ( 4 Way )
Parameters
tCL Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec )
tRCD Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
tRP Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
tRAS Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
tRFC Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec )
Command Rate ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
Voltage Control
EVGA VDroop Control ( Without VDroop )
CPU VCore ( AUTO )
CPU VTT Voltage ( +100 )
CPU PLL VCore ( AUTO )
DIMM Voltage ( 1.5 - 1.65V Per Your RAM Spec )
DIMM DQ Vref ( +0 )
QPI PLL VCore ( AUTO )
IOH VCore ( AUTO )
IOH/ICH I/O Voltage ( AUTO )
ICH VCore ( AUTO )
PWM Frequency ( 800 )
CPU Feature
Intel SpeedStep ( Disabled )
Turbo Mode Function ( Enabled )
CxE Function ( Disabled )
Execute Disable Bit ( Disabled )
Virtualization Technology ( Disabled )
Logical Processor Setting
Intel HT Technology ( Enabled )
Active Processor Cores ( All )
QPI Settings
QPI Control Settings ( Enabled )
QPI Link Fast Mode ( Enabled )
QPI Frequency Selection ( 4.8 GT/s )


Here is a template to test the 2:12 RAM divider at a QPI of 134 which is where the 1600MHz RAM rating is at specified timings:

*** No other changes should be required ***

Mother Board ( EVGA X58 )
Drivers (  )
Bios ( SZ1A or above )
CPU ( 920 C0 )
CPU Cooler ( )
Memory ( 1600MHz RAM )
PSU ( )
GPU (  )
Drivers ( )
CPU Clock Ratio ( 20X )
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ( 134 )
CPU Uncore Frequency (Mhz) ( 24x )
Spread Spectrum ( Disabled )
PCIE Frequency (Mhz) ( 100 )
Memory Feature
Memory Control Setting ( Enabled )
Memory Frequency ( 2:12 )
Channel Interleave Setting ( 6 Way )
Rank Interleave Setting ( 4 Way )
Parameters
tCL Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec )
tRCD Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
tRP Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
tRAS Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
tRFC Setting ( Per Your RAM Spec )
Command Rate ( Per Your RAM Spec  )
Voltage Control
EVGA VDroop Control ( Without VDroop )
CPU VCore ( AUTO )
CPU VTT Voltage ( +200 )
CPU PLL VCore ( AUTO )
DIMM Voltage ( 1.5 - 1.65V Per Your RAM Spec )
DIMM DQ Vref ( +0 )
QPI PLL VCore ( AUTO )
IOH VCore ( AUTO )
IOH/ICH I/O Voltage ( AUTO )
ICH VCore ( AUTO )
PWM Frequency ( 800 )
CPU Feature
Intel SpeedStep ( Disabled )
Turbo Mode Function ( Enabled )
CxE Function ( Disabled )
Execute Disable Bit ( Disabled )
Virtualization Technology ( Disabled )
Logical Processor Setting
Intel HT Technology ( Enabled )
Active Processor Cores ( All )
QPI Settings
QPI Control Settings ( Enabled )
QPI Link Fast Mode ( Enabled )
QPI Frequency Selection ( 4.8 GT/s )


*****************************************************************

!!!!!!!!!  Please do NOT use these settings as gospel!  I used the information and strategy above to get these overclocks on my board, chip and RAM.  This does not mean they will work on yours exactly as they are BUT the strategies I outlined above WILL work on your machine.  It takes time, patience and maybe a little money for another processor to overclock the i7.

My Templates (All are C0 chips):
3.4GHz

CPU Clock Ratio ( 20)
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ( 164 )
CPU Uncore Frequency (Mhz) ( 20x )
Spread Spectrum ( Disabled )
PCIE Frequency (Mhz) ( 100 )
Memory Feature
Memory Control Setting ( Enabled )
Memory Frequency ( 2:10 1333 )
Channel Interleave Setting ( 6 Way )
Rank Interleave Setting ( 4 Way )
Parameters
tCL Setting ( 8)
tRCD Setting ( 8)
tRP Setting ( 8)
tRAS Setting ( 24)
tRFC Setting ( 74)
Command Rate ( 1T)
Voltage Control
EVGA VDroop Control ( Without VDroop )
CPU VCore ( 1.28125 )
CPU VTT Voltage ( +125 )
CPU PLL VCore ( 1.8 )
DIMM Voltage ( 1.575 )
DIMM DQ Vref ( +0  )
QPI PLL VCore ( 1.15 )
IOH VCore ( 1.225 )
IOH/ICH I/O Voltage ( 1.6 )
ICH VCore ( 1.15 )
PWM Frequency ( 800 )
CPU Feature
Intel SpeedStep ( Disabled )
Turbo Mode Function ( Enabled )
CxE Function ( Disabled )
Execute Disable Bit ( Disabled)
Virtualization Technology ( Disable)
Logical Processor Setting
Intel HT Technology ( Enabled )
Active Processor Cores ( All )
QPI Settings
QPI Control Settings ( Enabled )
QPI Link Fast Mode ( Enabled )
QPI Frequency Selection ( 4.8GT/s )

4.2Ghz

Mother Board ( EVGA X58 )
Drivers (  Intel Chipset 9.1.0.1007  )
Bios ( SZ1A )
CPU ( 920 C0 Batch: 3841A385 )
CPU Cooler ( H2O on CPU and PWM )
Memory ( Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D 8-8-8-24-74-1T@1.625v)
PSU ( Corsair HX1000 PSU )
GPU ( GTX260 Core 216 x 3 )
Drivers ( 185.20 )
CPU Clock Ratio ( 20X )
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ( 200 )
CPU Uncore Frequency (Mhz) ( 17x )
Spread Spectrum ( Disabled )
PCIE Frequency (Mhz) ( 100 )
Memory Feature
Memory Control Setting ( Enabled )
Memory Frequency ( 2:8 )
Channel Interleave Setting ( 6 Way )
Rank Interleave Setting ( 4 Way )
Parameters
tCL Setting ( 8 )
tRCD Setting ( 8 )
tRP Setting ( 8 )
tRAS Setting ( 24 )
tRFC Setting ( 74 )
Command Rate ( 1T )
Voltage Control
EVGA VDroop Control ( Without VDroop )
CPU VCore ( 1.4 )                      <<<---  Increased this to stop BSODs
CPU VTT Voltage ( +300 )               <<<---  Increased this to stop BSODs
CPU PLL VCore ( 1.9 )
DIMM Voltage ( 1.625V )
DIMM DQ Vref ( +0 )
QPI PLL VCore ( 1.325 )                <<<---  Increased this to stop errors
IOH VCore ( 1.375 )
IOH/ICH I/O Voltage ( 1.625 )
ICH VCore ( 1.25 )
PWM Frequency ( 933 )
CPU Feature
Intel SpeedStep ( Disabled )
Turbo Mode Function ( Enabled )
CxE Function ( Disabled )
Execute Disable Bit ( Disabled )
Virtualization Technology ( Disabled )
Logical Processor Setting
Intel HT Technology ( Enabled )
Active Processor Cores ( All )
QPI Settings
QPI Control Settings ( Enabled )
QPI Link Fast Mode ( Enabled )
QPI Frequency Selection ( 4.8 GT/s )

< Message edited by EVGATech_JacobF -- 9/29/2009 7:46:39 PM >

done!

glad this has been moved to the new forum. use this for future guidance all the time.

Update on RTL and how the board sets it is here;

http://www.anandtech.com/...oc.aspx?i=3671&p=6

enjoy!

"  Once at the "max auto voltage point", vcore and CPU VTT will need to be set manually.  Where you set vcore will depend on the vdroop setting so "with vdroop" vcore will need to be set to a value of ~.15v ABOVE the load voltage of vcore but ~.1v BELOW it if running "without vdroop".
"

I don't get that last statement. Can some please help explain?

Thanks.

thanks :)

This is the most Complex Thread i've ever read, everything is unclear,
 
shall turbo mode be enabled or disabled before start to OC ?
 
i have 920 D0, when turbo mode is enabled, and i open eleete, 22x for first clore, 21 for the rest.
 
shall i keep increasing the QPI MHz till i BSOD ? or just to achive 10 MHZ ? 133 to 143 MHZ ?
 
i was able to achive 151 MHz stable ( testing with prime and Linx) when i increase to 153, (prime works alittle then stops says hardware faluire, if i increase to 156 and click apply a BSOD will appear, but non of those BSOD mentioned in your thread.
 
i have CORSAIR DOMINATOR 1600 with XMP, shall the standard profile be enabled or the XMP be enabled before overcliking ?
 
all this is unclear, i want to get 3.8 Ghz thats it !?

Shansmi: Just to letyou know. The EVGA forum links you show need to be ported to the old forums archives. They should look like this.
 
http://forums.evga.comarchive/tm.asp?m=762686&mpage=1&key=%F2%BA%8C%BE

Read through the whole thread and I am really confused. Hope my i7 OC isn't this complicated.

is it just me, or are you confusing qpi frequency with Base clock frequency......... thats what im seeing in your explaination of how you got to 190 mhz, its base clock not qpi. memory speed is determined by the memory devider (duh) so it would be 200:8 for example. most people cut off the extra numbers to make it shorter, 2:8. the 200 is the base clock which is multiplied by the mem divider number, 8. this is what most people use for a 920 to get to 4ghz with 1600 mhz memory. 8x200 == 1600. (simple math lol xD) now obviously 200x20 (20 being the clock multiplier of the i7 920) is 4000 mhz. qpi is almost unrealated (almost) and is determined by the uncore frequency multiplier. if i remember correctly, this multiplier spans from 10 to 30, but its been awhile since i read up on it so ill have to look it up and post it here for all to read. however, i do know, if the uncore multiplier is left untampered with, it will be 7.2 Gigatransfers/second at 4ghz with an i7 920. its normal qpi is of course 4.8 Gigatransfers/second. this overclock would set the 920 performing much higher than even the i7 965, though the main difference is that the 965 has an unlocked multiplier, therefore can be overclocked much higher, not to mention the extreme editions are binned much higher XD so it has better silicon.


Deathstroke the Terminator


update:
     ok so for qpi, it is related to base clock. (base_clock) x (uncore_multiplier) == core_QPI (core_QPI being the frequency that the qpi bus is running at in mhz).   core_QPI is in mhz. since electrical signals are transmitted via waves, mhz are measured using half the wave of each wave in a certain amount of clock cycles in the data stream of memory, cpus, gpus, ect ect. megatransfer is the proper term for the whole wave. so (core_QPI) x 2 == megatransfers/second. in an intel i7 920, the uncore clock is set to 18, so (base_clock) x (uncore_multiplier) == core_QPI, or 133 x 18 == 2394. 2394 x 2 == 4788, which, for all intents and purposes is 4800 megatransfers/second, or 4.8 gigatransfers/second. i beleive the max qpi multiplier is 24, thats from what ive seen and read XD. though i just got my Evga x58 sli le mobo, so i will update if i find out otherwise. happy overclocking XD.

If the above is to me I done think I am since it is left on auto defaulting down to 4.8 plus it scales with the QPI anyway.

gkanakis

I know there are some that want to set it and forget it on the first try.
To them I say don't overclock, because it is a long process.
I have not overclocked since the AMD 1600+ came out!
I remember taking my 1.4ghz chip to 2ghz with a peltier and water cooling.
Anyway, I have forgot almost everything!
This is a great write up! Great job!
 
Edit: 5 hours latter, including dinner, and OC'ed to 4 ghz!
All cores run at 75c under full load for over an hour, Corsair H50 sure helps.
Again thank for the write up!!!

Excellent!! Glad to help.

Thank you for this guide Shansmi.  This guide along with Chronic's "Noob" guide helped me get to a stable 4.1 OC on a I7 920.  This is my first OC.  It took me almost 2 weeks of trial and error but I learned alot for next time. 190 X 21 HT, Turbo and Vdroop all on. Uncore X16, Vtt at 100.  The Vcore at 1.38 somthing is a little high but it will do.  My hottest core temp with Real Temp was 75C on 20 Linux passes. With Eleet it shows 71C as the hottest core? *shrug*  My CPU is adling at 24C with Cores 38-43C Idle.  I think I might try for 4.2 but doubltful unless I can keep the temps at 75C or below.  Thanks again for this very helpful guide.

Alucard666

I'm currently having issues with Bios 44 and bios S22D any recommendations shansmi? I can't oc past a QPI of 158. I'm looking for something of a 3.6 or 3.8 oc. 

 
You might consider starting a new thread in the forum, and posting a bios template. Lots of good folks there that may can help you out , rather than in this stickied thread. You can get a copy of the bios template from this same sticky section, and just type your settings  information in where appropriate.
 

 

Two questions for the pros here

1) I've been working this guide and getting some odd results, ill step my way up through QPI's per the guide and once I crash will revert back to the stable setting and 'lock that in' into the bios.  Then just cause i'm a retest guy I will notice that what used to run through prime 95 for 10 mins will now insta crash.

2) I installed a new W/C unit from Corsair today that is self contained.  I'm really pleased cause my initial boot up temps dropped a good 12 degrees (got a new case to think my airflow was fcked) anyways.  I tried OC'ing using the 4.2 template and tweaking the tagged lines but cant get it to post.  I read Sham's 'tweak this to stop the errors' to mean post errors; anyone have any guidance on which setting to tweak if you can't post?

Thanks in advance for any help.

EVGA x58 3xsli
2 @EVGA 275
I7920
Corsair 2 @ 2048 - cm3x2048-1600c7dhxin
Corsair H50 W/C
Coolermaster Haf932