How to Overclock i7 920. Safe to run the i7 920 at what temp?

[Marloon]

Hi Guys...

i am a newbie at overclocking, and i would like to learn more about overclocking.

in terms of hardware, i have a i7 920 with a ud4p motherboard. I am using an antec 900 with stock fans. For the CPU fan, i went with a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. i am using Corsair's Xms3 tri-channel CL 9-9-9 ram.

All i did to overclock was...
1) go to bios and up my multiplier to 20x and my bus speed to 140. Since my multiplier is turboed it's been bumped to 21x giving me 2.95 - 3.0ghz. Every other setting was left to stock and auto.
2) i went to use prime95's x64 torture test, and used CPUID to measure my core temperature at full load. My core temp is at 80 degrees.

at idle, my computer runs at 45 degrees. which i am definitely okay with.

i guess my question is, are you okay with running your i7 920 at 80 degrees. I used to run it at 3.2Ghz and at full load, it was running at 100 degrees and i got quite scared. At 3.2ghz, it passed a 4 hour stress test. I was scared of the high temp so i knocked it down to 80 degrees giving me 3.0ghz. When i did a stress test at 3.4ghz, it failed within 1 hour.

[Marloon]

apparently you can run this processor at 4.0Ghz with upped voltages, and a third party cooler. some people were able to run 3.2ghz on stock voltage and stock fan. hmm... what am i doing wrong here then. hahaha

maybe over-clocking isnt for everyone ahha. I dont know how to do it properly - just would like to learn.

[Marloon]

when it comes to measuring temperture, do you measure processor temp? or temp per core? hmm...

[morpheus6d9]

when measuring temp i do temp per core

[basroil]

when measuring temp i do temp per core

when it comes to measuring temperture, do you measure processor temp? or temp per core? hmm...

Yes, for i7 computers per core is the way to go. Why? Because turboboost works even when overclocking, so if 3 cores are running at 22x during a test, the 4th core will be at 23x (if the heat is not too high).

From literature, you only need a stock cooler to run it 3.6gh, so have you checked to make sure your case cooling is working as well as cpu cooling?

And 45/80 sounds like my (not overclocked) laptop there... Should be fine, and cpu stop shouldn't kick in until about 120. Worst comes to worst, just turn your rig into an oil cooled rig and you can do some crazy stuff to (and with) it.

[philmar]

I wouldn't ask questions about photography in an overclocking forum, likewise I wouldn't ask questions about overclocking in a photography forum. But that's me.

[mzondeki]

Hi Marlon,
I see you are using Gigabyte-UD4P motherboard. This MB comes up with a software called Easy-Tune. Install this. you dont have to do any calculation about QPI, BCLK, memory speed etc .
I found Easy-Tune extremely handy. It has 3 modes, that can over clock to 2.8, 3.0 , 3.3 GHz respectively. Just choose the one you are interested.

Make sure you have a good CPU cooler.

[nphsbuckeye]

I wouldn't ask questions about photography in an overclocking forum, likewise I wouldn't ask questions about overclocking in a photography forum. But that's me.
Excepting they'd find ways to yell at us anyhow - like why I don't have aftermarket coolers or the i7 965.