Overclocking i7-950

[Wr3tch3d_futur3]

i recently rebuilt my computer and i want to overclock it to its best capability. i do not want to harm my computer or any of the other components so i would like some advice before i start to overclock.

my current build:
Motherboard: ASRock x58 extreme
CPU: i7-950 @ 3.07Ghz x8
RAM: 10.0 GB @ 2100Ghz
Video card: Nvidia GTX 465

i have read up on overclocking a little bit and a greatly recommended program for overclockers was Prime95. i downloaded this and started to run a stress test however as a novice in the computer field i hardly know what information i am supposed to gather from this program. also my mobo came with a simple OC program "ASRock OC Tuner" which allows you to OC from your desktop rather than going through CMOS but i feel this doesnt give me the full extent of my OC ability.

i was also trying to OC my PCIE card and i came across a couple options that i am unfamiliar with i.e. PCI latency timer.

can anyone give me a few pointers or a walk through?

 

[suteck]

First thing we need to know is what type of cpu cooler do you have. If you are using the stock cooler then you will not be able to get hardly any overclock on the cpu. OC tuner isn't too bad but it only runs that way until you restart your computer since it is a software based OC. Doesn't hurt to play with it. It usually only shuts down and gives you a blue screen then restarts. Second thing, you will need to download temperature monitoring software. You NEED to keep an eye on the temps while overclocking. Did you download realtemp when you downloaded prime95? If not GET IT HERE.
I use OCCT for my overclocking temp monitoring and stress testing both on the same window, gotta love it. It will stress test the cpu, gpu, mem and psu. I only use it for the cpu and gpu. You can GET IT HERE and try it out.

As for the overclocking... AFTER you get temp monitoring software and see what the temps of all four cores then I would reboot the comp. go into bios and
1. Choose EZ OC Setting 3.60 GHz. This automatically sets the BCLK to 180 MHz and PCIE frequency to 100 MHz. Also sets DRAM frequency to 540 MHz (DDR3 1080 MHz, up from the default 1066).

2. Set uncore frequency to 2160 MHz (twice the DRAM frequency [1080]).

3. Set CPU voltage (VCore) to 1.25 V. (up from the default 1.2V)

4. Set DRAM voltage to 1.639 V. (My RAM is rated at 1.65 V, and the default was much lower for some reason.)

5. Set VTT (uncore voltage) to 1.34 V.

6. Set PLL voltage to 1.88 V.

7. F10 save and exit, Y, enter and it will reboot to the new settings - hopefully.

Do you know how to clear cmos? Make sure you do incase it's so wack it won't boot. If not, turn off psu and clear cmos. reboot. Let us know.

When it boots, Run the OCCT and it will show you the temps of the 4 cores, the current core speed and the vcore 1.25V. Check the temps, as long as they are under 68.7*c your ok for now. They shouldn't be that high because you aren't doing anything but watching it at idle but if you're using the stock cooler they will be higher than normal. Remember what they were before the overclock?? Do you see a difference? If you start the OCCT stress testing it will run until it becomes unstable, time runs out, 1 hr default - I always set mine for 10 min to start, - or it will automatically shut down the test at 80*C, Default. You will be surprised at quickly they jump. You can change that in tools in OCCT to a higher degrees but the max TDC for the chip is WHAT, DO YOU KNOW? YOU should check that first - lol 100*C. Try that and let us know what happens. Overclocking is trial and error. It's never the same for any two board/cpu combo so you might have to tweak some from there but it's a start. Sorry, if I come off like a jerk I'm just not a teacher so I pick 😗

 

[Nobbo91]

Hello i have the same setup and used the persons above advice to get a stable 3.6ghz overclock. Just wondering what settings i would have to tweak to get 4ghz. When i just change the ez overclock setting to 4ghz the pc wont boot properly. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.