Overckocking i7

[sargentchimera]

Im getting a new comp soon and it will have a i7 920 2.66 ghz, and im wondering what is the safest overclock for it and how far will the stock fan be able to keep it cool before i need to buy a better 1. I know you should buy a better heatsink when you overclock but im short on money lol.

 

[flyin15sec]

From what I've read, most get to 3ghz - 3.2ghz, before heat really becomes a factor.

 

[mjevans]

I have my i7 920 oc'ed to 3.6, with temps in the mid-to high 40s at a moderate load (20-30% cpu usage). Installed on a MSI Eclipse SLI mb, 6 gb Ram, and a Thermaltake Inferno FX-14 cooler (one 120mm fan). Using the Antec 1200 case with case fans set to low-med, and both extra case fans installed.

 

[jay2tall]

I think it depends on several factors on what you can OC your i7 to on a stock cooler. Depending if you get a C0 or D0 stepping i7 the D0 seems to OC more and at lower voltages. I think on the stock cooler you will get anywhere from 3-3.6 GHz depending on the stepping and whether you get a magical CPU or not. When I say magical, I mean some people seem to get CPU's that OC at stock voltages to like 3.8 or 4.0 GHz, but this is VERY rare and not the norm.

My thought is, if you are intending do a heavy OC on your CPU, get the cooler right off the bat. Reason being, all of the higher end coolers require a backplate. This means you would have to gut your PC and remove the motherboard in order to install it. It would be a BIG time and headache saver to install this at the beginning, TRUST ME. If you install it after the fact, you have to worry about moving wires around and disconnecting everything and putting it all back. It gets frustrating.

 

[sargentchimera]

Cool thanks for the replies. Im not going to do a heavy OC but i might go as high as 3ghz unless you think it would be to much on a stock cooler. Im buying my pc from ibuypower.com so if this default fan is good enough for the job im happy!

 

[shiftstealth]

Is 3.5ghz at stock voltages magical? i havent tried higher yet.

 

[jay2tall]

^
No 4.0 on stock voltage is MAGICAL.. but it was a D0, which i do have, but STILL!

^
^
Why shoot for 3, get at least 3.2 to match the 965 chip.

 

[sargentchimera]

Ok im just making sure, it is OK to use stock cooling to OC the 920 to 3 ghz?

 

[mjevans]

My recommendation is that since you spent the money for a top-of-the-line cpu, you should get a decent cooler and not use the stock cooler. The Thermaltake Inferno I use only cost me $70. I actually ran my 920 up to 3.8, but I didn't like the noise from the fans, so I backed it off a bit so that I could turn the fans down to low-med.

 

[jay2tall]

Ok im just making sure, it is OK to use stock cooling to OC the 920 to 3 ghz?

Yes, abnd probably a little more. The honest truth is, you can use the stock cooler as long as you keep a manageable temp and don't increase the vcore. I've found that some motherboards like to give the i7 more than it needs. Set the vcore to 1.2v and keep it there, unless you start OCing more. I've seem some people getting 3.6-3.8GHz on the stock 1.20 volts. 3.2 is more realistic though.