5960X Overclocking - Complete Dog?

[Phail]

I would not use Prime95 28.5 for Haswell. I bet your CPU voltage is more like 1.35 when using that not 1.25.

This is a link to Prime95 27.9, the same I used on mine. It doesn't have the AVX support and won't cook your CPU. If you find this stable then your CPU voltage may only need a slight 0.02 v bump to find total stability.

ftp://mersenne.org/gimps/p95v279.win64.zip

 

[sk3tch]

Two cores are throttling they are so hot it looks like. You are not getting a full speed stability test.

Perhaps - TJMax is higher than 100C though.

I would not use Prime95 28.5 for Haswell. I bet your CPU voltage is more like 1.35 when using that not 1.25.

This is a link to Prime95 27.9, the same I used on mine. It doesn't have the AVX support and won't cook your CPU. If you find this stable then your CPU voltage may only need a slight 0.02 v bump to find total stability.

ftp://mersenne.org/gimps/p95v279.win64.zip

I have that, too. Will retry with it. Thanks!

Memory seems to have checked out OK:


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[sk3tch]

Well, it survived the Prime95 27.9 Small FFT for over 11 hours:


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So my CPU is good, RAM is good...wonder what is causing ROG RealBench to crash like it does? It stresses everything (including the GPU)...I guess I'll try out my AX1500i (replacing an X-1250) this weekend when I return from my biz trip. From there - maybe use the dipswitches on my X99S XPOWER AC to turn off individual GeForce cards until I isolate it (or rule it out). Also - eventually I'll keep pushing my 5960X past 4.0GHz and see what my limits are.

Anyway - thanks again all for your help through this journey thus far!!

 

[LigTasm]

Well, it survived the Prime95 27.9 Small FFT for over 11 hours:



So my CPU is good, RAM is good...wonder what is causing ROG RealBench to crash like it does? It stresses everything (including the GPU)...I guess I'll try out my AX1500i (replacing an X-1250) this weekend when I return from my biz trip. From there - maybe use the dipswitches on my X99S XPOWER AC to turn off individual GeForce cards until I isolate it (or rule it out). Also - eventually I'll keep pushing my 5960X past 4.0GHz and see what my limits are.

Anyway - thanks again all for your help through this journey thus far!!

Uncheck the GPU box and see if it crashes with just CPU.

 

[Dan_D]

So XMP sets bclk to 125mhz? Because the 4th screenshot shows BCLK 125 MHz.

Yes, setting the XMP profile will sometimes do that. These motherboards all shipped wanting to default to 125MHz BCLK. Additionally they usually won't break DDR4 2666MHz unless you are on a 125MHz strap.

1.35v is an awfully high starting point. I would start much lower and lock some settings down. An H110 @ that voltage will struggle to keep temps under control when really stressed.

1.25v VCORE, 1.95v VCCIN 40x100.
Memory @ 2133 at whatever voltage it calls for 1.35v maybe.
Lock the Ring Ratio @ 30.

Leave everything else at auto. Then start testing and see if you can get any stability. Work your way down the CPU Ratio if it is not stable.

Good luck.

My 5960X test CPU requires damn near 1.35v to run stable at 4.4GHz or better. The temps are fine with a tripple radiator when stressed by most applications. Prime95, Aida and the like will push it higher than you'd see it while gaming or doing general things. When stress testing I'll often see "heat soak" after an hour or more that prevents me from attaining 24/7 stability on most systems at 4.5GHz or higher.

The MSI XPower and MPower motherboards require more manual tuning than most X99 motherboards do. VCCIN should be 1.90v. I've seen one or two motherboards that can give you 4.5GHz at 1.85v and about as many require 1.95v. 1.90v is usually enough. There are some voltage settings, (VCCIO and one other) listed in the MSI Overclocking guides included in the motherboard that like a value of 1.05 to 1.1v which helps a lot on some systems. Also this was my experience with the X99S XPower AC: "I had to increase CPU vCore to 1.35v, CPU ring voltage to 1.25v, and the CPU SA voltage to 1.2v to achieve stability. Interestingly, despite what the memory profiles called for I also had to run my RAM at 1.25v instead of 1.20v."

Thanks! You may be onto something - perhaps too much voltage? I did use the ROG guide at first (so 1.30v). With 1.25v and 4.0GHz RealBench went 29 minutes before crash:


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Just very disheartening that even an extremely modest OC won't work. There has to be something obvious that I'm missing? I'm not looking for 4.5GHz or anything...just 3.9GHz or higher.

Off to try 3.9GHz with 1.25v.

EDIT: failed at 3.9GHz, 3.8GHz, 3.7GHz, and 3.6GHz. I have to be doing something wrong here, lol.

EDIT2: Going to re-start at 4GHz/1.25v (same as recommended) with AIDA64 System Stability Test. I have heard it's not nearly as tough as others - but at this point I just want to pass something! Ha.

EDIT3: 90 minutes passed with AIDA64 System Stability Test...so that's...something.


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You should need no more than 1.25v for your RAM if your RAM is specced for 1.20v.

Other Thoughts:

Your PSU isn't the problem. Power supply issues do not generally present the way you describe your issue. Typically PSU problems in systems present with cold boot problems, suddenly shut off, or randomly restart the system.

The ASUS ROG guide may help you with some general tuning but overclocking an ASUS motherboard and an MSI XPower or MPower motherboard are pretty different experiences.

 

[sk3tch]

Uncheck the GPU box and see if it crashes with just CPU.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x164/arc00ta/rog.jpg

Thank you! That is very helpful. I can try without any GPUs, 1 GPU, 2 GPU, etc. and isolate it - much easier. I won't be able to test until Sunday, but it's on my to-do list!

r better. The temps are fine with a tripple radiator when stressed by most applications. Prime95, Aida and the like will push it higher than you'd see it while gaming or doing general things. When stress testing I'll often see "heat soak" after an hour or more that prevents me from attaining 24/7 stability on most systems at 4.5GHz or higher.

The MSI XPower and MPower motherboards require more manual tuning than most X99 motherboards do. VCCIN should be 1.90v. I've seen one or two motherboards that can give you 4.5GHz at 1.85v and about as many require 1.95v. 1.90v is usually enough. There are some voltage settings, (VCCIO and one other) listed in the MSI Overclocking guides included in the motherboard that like a value of 1.05 to 1.1v which helps a lot on some systems. Also this was my experience with the X99S XPower AC: "I had to increase CPU vCore to 1.35v, CPU ring voltage to 1.25v, and the CPU SA voltage to 1.2v to achieve stability. Interestingly, despite what the memory profiles called for I also had to run my RAM at 1.25v instead of 1.20v."



You should need no more than 1.25v for your RAM if your RAM is specced for 1.20v.

Other Thoughts:

Your PSU isn't the problem. Power supply issues do not generally present the way you describe your issue. Typically PSU problems in systems present with cold boot problems, suddenly shut off, or randomly restart the system.

The ASUS ROG guide may help you with some general tuning but overclocking an ASUS motherboard and an MSI XPower or MPower motherboard are pretty different experiences.

Thanks Dan! I will apply that when I return. RE: the PSU - I vetted that my X-1250 was more than adequate over at the jonnyguru forums - but while I was stressing I researched the AX1500i and liked what I saw. Just waited on the fancy braided cables (aesthetics - i know...sigh) and I'll get that puppy in.

This has been a great experience. Thanks for helping me out guys. Can't wait to update you with some more successes. I think I'm in a good spot now to get things moving and I've learned a ton! Thank you!

 

[sk3tch]

So - update and it looks like I have solved my issue...and you guys won't believe what a bonehead mistake that I made.

So, I installed my Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-3000 PWM 140mm fans (to replace the Corsair ones I was using on my H110) - I had used the case's built-in fan controller for the prior fans. I switched the Noctuas to CPUFAN2 on the mobo (and push instead of pull) and my temps dropped significantly (on average) by around 10-20C.

With that being the only change - I passed a full 1 hour ROG RealBench 2.41 stress test at 4.0 GHz / 1.25v / 2.0 VCCIN.


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BIOS settings that were finally stable...now time to tweak more. I doubt 4.0 GHz is the limit!


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[Voxata]

Seems 4-4.3 is pretty common ground for these, I kind of expected a lot higher.

 

[sk3tch]

Seems 4-4.3 is pretty common ground for these, I kind of expected a lot higher.

Baby steps. Starting at 4.0 GHz!

 

[Dan_D]

Seems 4-4.3 is pretty common ground for these, I kind of expected a lot higher.

4.5GHz isn't uncommon but it is on the higher end of the spectrum. These CPUs do not reach the same clock speeds as previous generation processors or even match the Core i7 4970K's. Those can hit speeds of 4.7GHz or more in some cases. The problem is that the integrated voltage regulator creates more of a CPU lottery than we've seen from Intel CPUs in the past.

 

[Voxata]

4.5GHz isn't uncommon but it is on the higher end of the spectrum. These CPUs do not reach the same clock speeds as previous generation processors or even match the Core i7 4970K's. Those can hit speeds of 4.7GHz or more in some cases. The problem is that the integrated voltage regulator creates more of a CPU lottery than we've seen from Intel CPUs in the past.

Thanks for the info, I didn't know the lottery applied to these chips too. My 4790K just requires such a massive voltage dump to move beyond 4.8Ghz its just not worth it at all.. I had considered upgrading next year but, looks like I'll just be holding off. Everything is a sidegrade for gamers anyways.

 

[Dayaks]

Someone on this forum did say he was flipping his 1200W PSU with two overclocked 780tis and an OC'd 5960x. Overkill doesn't always hurt with a PSU IMO.

 

[sk3tch]

Someone on this forum did say he was flipping his 1200W PSU with two overclocked 780tis and an OC'd 5960x. Overkill doesn't always hurt with a PSU IMO.

Thanks - yeah, the Seasonic X-1250 is pretty awesome and actually completely OK for my build. However, I'm looking forward to the 1500i's detailed monitoring capabilities as well as the extra headroom should I want to do 4-way/etc.

Update on my OC - went to 4.1GHz/1.25v (no), 1.275v (no), and 1.3v (no) - all 2.0 VCCIN. Gonna have to push some serious volts to get over 4.0Ghz, I guess. :-/

 

[Dan_D]

Someone on this forum did say he was flipping his 1200W PSU with two overclocked 780tis and an OC'd 5960x. Overkill doesn't always hurt with a PSU IMO.

I'm not even pulling that much power on my rig. Granted a 5960X isn't the same thing as a 3930K @ 4.4GHz but I have three GTX 780 Ti's so I'm probably still pulling more power. Unless that guy has a fuck ton of drives I don't see how he could tax a quality 1200 watt PSU that much.

 

[sk3tch]

I'm not even pulling that much power on my rig. Granted a 5960X isn't the same thing as a 3930K @ 4.4GHz but I have three GTX 780 Ti's so I'm probably still pulling more power. Unless that guy has a fuck ton of drives I don't see how he could tax a quality 1200 watt PSU that much.

I think the bolded word is the key one here. Doubtful they were using a top tier PSU. My X-1250 has powered an OC'd to 4.5GHz 4930K and 3x TITANS so it's no slouch. The toughness of the 5960X OC (and my own bonehead configuration error) made me doubt it. I should not have ever done so.

 

[Dayaks]

Ah it was MunneY from the 5960x review discussion thread. Maybe he was really pushing those Classy's

That is a pretty solid bet. With my 5960x and 2 780 Ti Classy's I was shutting down a 1200w psu :-D

 

[sk3tch]

Ah it was MunneY from the 5960x review discussion thread. Maybe he was really pushing those Classy's

Yeah, maybe...check out my utilization with an OC'd 5960X and 3x980s - no where near that!



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Although - pulling much more via 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra:

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[skypine27]

Skipped most of this thread, so maybe providing a useless reply

I run a 5960 x at 4.0 (just upped the multi to 40x, nothing else). Had to up the vCore a bit, 1.26 I believe. Running memory manually set to 2400. Rock stable and good temps even with my radiator fans running really slow with asus fan Xpert.

 

[skline00]

I'll post my findings for my rig below. Have the Asus RE5mb, 16g Corsair LPX Vengence DDR4-2800 (more on that later), 5960x custom water cooled with a EK Supremacy EVO block, 2 Sapphire Tri-X R9 290s in CF and water cooled etc.

I previously had a 3930k at 4.6Ghz water cooled with DDR3-2133 ram and same video cards.

Both setups used a PC P&C 1200W Mk III Silencer, a Brute of a power supply.

First, FORGET those people running 8 core/16 thread cpus at 5 Ghz claiming stability. Good lord this chip is baselined at 3Ghz/3.5Ghz turbo for all 8 cores. When you ramp up all 8 cores you really need vcore AND produce heat.
I wonder how many 5Ghz 5960xs can run ROG RealBench for 4hrs and pass it? I can run it for 8 hrs and pass at my specs. Have done it three times. What vcore are they running and what heat are they putting out. Mine is maxed at 1.328v, set manually to 1.315 AND my hottest core after running Aida 64 Extreme for 4 Hrs was MAX 73 C, most were in the mid 60s.

Some of the reviewers wer showing their 5960x at 4.5 to 4.6Ghz "claiming" stability because they ran Aida 15 minutes. GOOD LORD! I wonder how many ran ROG RealBench for even 15 minutes at 4.5Ghz?

Second, AIO coolers are not bad but as you approach higher speed and vcore the 5960x takes off with thermal output.
It may overwhelm the radiator with heat. You have a H110i so you should be fine at 4 Ghz (probably even up to @4.4 as 4.5Ghz seems to rocket most chips with heat per my reading)

Third forget Prime 95 for Haswell E chips. It runs them too hot, is an older stress test and is generally NOT recommended for stressing Haswell E chips at high vcores. If you check the web reports, most reviewers are passing on Prime 95 for the Haswell E. Use Aida 64 Extreme.I bought a licensed version as it is a very good benchmark. I also use ROG RealBench (have the ROG mb so why not) and if you read the comments about this benchmark it points out that it really stresses the system including memory. I found it to be a VERY sensitive benchmark that will quickly show an instability. I like it and will tweak with a goal toward running it at least 4 hrs for pass.

Speaking of memory, I'm admittedly in the infancy stage of learning about parameters of mem overclocking with DDR4 but suffice it to say that 2666 mem speed and above is real tough to run on the 5960x without upping the BLCK to 125. Just read a review on how much more overall performance you gain from higher clocked DDR4 memory and it's not as much as I would have thought. For now, I'm sticking with 2133 for stability. Keeping it under 2666 seems to assure that BLCK doen't need to jump to 125.

I found running my ram at XMP1 (2800 125 BLCK) or XMP2 (3000 125 BLCK 1.35vcore ram)) caused RealBench to fail if I upped the core multiplier to reach 4.4Ghz. I have to learn how to tweak all of the memory parameters and respective voltages. I'm very timid about fooling with parameters right now so I'm happy to run my 5960X at 44 x 100 with mem at 2133 and vcore at manual 1.315. It jumps as high as 1.328 when running Aida stability testing and RealBench but my highest core temp MAX is 73C. Obviously I have very good cooling but I see no need to go higher just for bragging rights. I have a lot to learn about tweaking the ram while keeping my multiplier at 4.4Ghz AND achieving stability for RealBench.

With all of that said, the poster above me, skypine27, is happy at 4 Ghz. Kept his ram at 2400 (I opted for 2133 as I didn't notice difference PLUS it allowed 44x100 without a hitch). He also has a Corsair H110I.

BTW, I again purchased (as I did for my 3770k and 3930k) the Intel OC protection plan directly from Intel for $35. This gives a little more protection when OCing AND with a $1,000 chip is a SMALL price to pay.

 

[NeonGuy]

Your settings got my 5820k 4.4 stable..bout 8 hours. prime 95 .and turned it off, I only prime stress for at least 6 hours..
..before get 3 or 4 hours then fail.
Now im reducing core volts to find happy spot.

You have retardedly high PCH 1.05 voltage and VCCIO, and I can't figure out why (both are above the max Intel specs). Set those back manually to 1.05 and somewhere south of 1.200V respectively and increase your SA voltage to 1.100-1.150V if you;re trying to find stability with high speed RAM. It looks like your BIOS might be a little wonky, I also have an MSI X99 board, my CPU is only a 5820k but I'm running at 4500mhz right now and my board did not auto-volt those things nearly as high. I'll try and grab a screenshot of it in a minute.

EDIT- here is some screens of my quick and dirty 4.5ghz, note the auto voltages my board has set in respect to yours (mine isn't a higher end OC'ing board, just the SLI plus so I don't have many of the settings you do though -also my CPU core voltage is only 1.295V under load, not sure why it shows 1.373V in BIOS):

 

[The Cobra]

I hit 4.3Ghz on 1.28v and it is completely stable. Anything above 4.5Ghz the machine goes bat shit crazy.

 

[arestavo]

If it hasn't already been said, some motherboards turn out to be absolutely crap for overclocking (kinda like some CPUs and GPUs).

I've got an Asrock Extreme6 X79 that won't overclock even a little, but my EVGA Dark X79 overclocks the same chip like a damn champ.

 

[Araxie]

[email protected] is damn good for a 5960X... how are you checking stability only CPU or full system? a heavy OC'd 5960X at about 1.3V and 4.4Ghz-4.5Ghz can draw close to 25Amp in the 12V EPS so check PSU connections specially with those gargantuan 295x2 in Quad-Fire setup, CPU Alone will be in the 300W-400W territory again ALONE specially if you are stressing it with extreme synthetic and Active VRM cooling it's also required for anything above 4ghz for most Motherboards..