Wondering about OC for gaming

[j2j663]

I realize that I will probably eat my words and forget something but I will start out by saying that I really can't stand having to go through a long list of questions with the original poster to try and figure out their problem. So I will try and be thorough.

My spec are in my sig but I will start out by saying I built this rig Dec '10 and at is core is a 1090T that has ran flawlessly. I love having the extra cores there when needed but also realize that for a lot of things especially games six cores aren't needed.

Right now I am running on air with Corsair A50 cooler and my system is overclocked as follows:

HT = 250MHz
Core = x16 = 4.0GHz
NB = x8 = 2.0GHz
RAM = x5.33 = 1333MHz @ 8-8-8-22
CPU volt max = 1.425
NB volt max = 1.22

It is stable but I have to work to keep temps below 65C while running Prime95 for that long.
Regular temps are fine I run about 18-20C when idle and while OC it runs about 37-42C under normal load (50-60%).

So as I said before I know that 6 cores aren't needed for games. Since I have control over individual cores via my BIOS (at least control over whether they are on or not) I am wondering if I manually turn off 2 of the cores can I achieve a higher OC with the 4 remaining cores? Or can I at least reduce the voltage to run them at the same OC and therefore bring the temps down a bit under load?

I am really wondering if anyone has any experience with this kind of thing. I have no idea if it would be a good thing, bad thing or even a safe thing to do at all? Has anyone done this before or should I give it a try and post the results and give all those phenom x6 owners some new options?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this.

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

If your CPU doesn't go above 42ºC during normal gaming and such, why are you trying to reduce temps? There doesn't seem to be a real reason to do so.

Go ahead and give it a try if you want to. I don't think I've seen anyone else do that, and I don't really see the point in doing it. As long as disabling the two extra cores actually works, there's really no harm in doing so. It may not allow you to run with less voltage though -- you'll just have to experiment.

 

[geofelt]

4.0 is a fine overclock.
As a rule, you do not get much more performance over3.0. It is usually the graphics configuration that limits you.
Try a little experiment:

1) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration without a higher OC.

2) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade or a better OC is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be change to get better gaming FPS.

 

[j2j663]

Thanks geofelt that is a good idea to run those benches.

However since no one seems to really have any knowledge about disabling cores and what it does for overclocking I think that I will have to take that project on myself. I will plan on posting the results on TH when I am done but it will have to wait a week or so as I have to finish my finals this week.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[j2j663]

Best answer selected by j2j663.