Help with first i7 overclock

[jimthebob]

My setup:

X58 Supercomputer
i7 920
6gb (3x2gb) DDR3 1600
Antec 550

My goal (I know I could go higher, but I don't really want to) is 3.6ghz. So far, I have these settings getting me to 3.6ghz Prime95 stable:

BCLK: 180
Spread Spec: Auto
QPI: 6.48
Uncore: 3240
DRAM Freq: 720mhz DDR 1440

Vcore: 1.35000 (1.248 reported by CPU-Z when Prime95ing, and why the difference is voltage in the BIOS vs CPU-Z, vdroop? Does this seem like a high voltage to anyone?)
DRAM: 1.647
VTT Offsest: +300mV
CPU PLL: 1.86

Everything else in the BIOS has been left at Auto, including Multiplier. Is there anything else I should look at changing or modifying (voltages, multipliers, etc) that are currently set to Auto that would be better off set manually?

Edit: Are these core temps normal?

Core 0: 82°C
Core 1: 81°C
Core 2: 77°C
Core 3: 75°C

Is that much variance between cores normal, or would it be worth it to try rotating my HSF 90°?

BTW: My HSF is the Sunbeamtech 120 Core-Contact Freezer with the 1366 adapter (this was originally a 775 cooler)

http://www.sunbeamtech.com/PRODUCTS/...ctFreezer.html

 

[XFaega]

Your temps seems high. Is this at max or idle? Also another thing you can do is set everything in your bios to default and slowly up your BCLK and nothing else to see how high you can go before you have to mess with the Vcore. also set you Memory to auto or keep it at 1333. I hope this helps

 

[Tsumi]

Is your 920 a C0 or D0?

1.35v is on the high end of the normal range for Nehalem chips. So no, it's not really all that high.

 

[jimthebob]

Your temps seems high. Is this at max or idle? Also another thing you can do is set everything in your bios to default and slowly up your BCLK and nothing else to see how high you can go before you have to mess with the Vcore. also set you Memory to auto or keep it at 1333. I hope this helps

That's max temps, I'll try what you said and report back.

Is your 920 a C0 or D0?

1.35v is on the high end of the normal range for Nehalem chips. So no, it's not really all that high.

It's a C0 chip but I still feel that's kinda high on the voltage side. Didn't know if any other voltages needed upped that could add stability also allowing me to lower my CPU voltage or not.

 

[Tsumi]

C0 chips, the max you're looking at is ~3.6-3.8 ghz, unless you're lucky and got one of the C0 chips near the end of the production cycle that was practically a D0.

Besides, your actual voltage is 1.248, which is very safe. The difference is indeed due to vdroop, you can set vdroop or LLC (depending on the options your motherboard has) to lower vdroop. You can also try increasing PLL and QPI voltage and see if you can bring down vcore.

 

[rennyf77]

i still run a i7 920 c0 purchased at launch. tsumi is spot on about 3.6 to 3.8 ghz on high end air cooling. you'll need 1.4v or more to achieve a stable 4ghz and that will only be possible with a serious investment in watercooling.