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Which processor "guarantees" a 4ghz overclock?

M

MJZ

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
1,200
I understand the i7 920s can hit 4ghz with some good increases in voltage, but what about the 940?

Is there a good chip or stepping that gives the best chance of being stable and moderately temperate @ 4ghz?
 
it's not guaranteed, but on a good batch of the Intel Core i7 920 D0 stepping, you will probably get 4.0Ghz on 1.35 Vcore.
 
No overclock is ever guaranteed. Nevertheless, there are some processors that have a fairly high probability (distribution) of getting to 4GHz. The i7 920 is one of them.
 
Motheboard choice factors into that equation too. Some OC better than others. Also, ram, HSF and PSU quality are more factors to consider. My i5 750 does 4.0ghz but I use auto voltage control for ram and cpu and when running at 4.0ghz the voltage gets up to 1.46v and is stable. On i5 and i7 it is my understandign that it is better to use auto voltage control and set power mangement to balanced in Vista/Win7. Then it only OC when you need it and not all the time. During normal PC usage my CPU voltage is only 1.06 and boosts to 1.46v when running something that needs it.
 
MJZ said:
I understand the i7 920s can hit 4ghz with some good increases in voltage, but what about the 940?

Is there a good chip or stepping that gives the best chance of being stable and moderately temperate @ 4ghz?
Click to expand...

Just the luck of the draw really.

If you buy a D0 i7 920 you have a WAY better chance of hitting 4ghz, but its not 100%
 
The question is "why"?

Not for gaming, i hope

The only way you will get a guarantee is from a seller who tested it.;)

e8600, core i7 920 (D0) will likely overclock over 4.0 GHz if you have a good cooler for them
 
There's no guarantee but the D0 stepping chip along with a good heatsink like a TRUE or Megahalems gives you a better chance at hitting 4ghz. The motherboard is also a factor. And your memory better be able to keep up.
 
vjcsmoke said:
There's no guarantee but the D0 stepping chip along with a good heatsink like a TRUE or Megahalems gives you a better chance at hitting 4ghz. The motherboard is also a factor. And your memory better be able to keep up.
Click to expand...

Just to underline the importance of the mobo: same CPU will overclock differently from one mobo to another
 
There is no guarantee period. Unless intel comes out with a 4ghz model. Ocing is just luck and some does better then others. I got my 920 D0 and it can do 3.8ghz rock solid running 20 passes of IBT and Linx but at 4ghz I get bosd even I upper the voltage over 1.40v which I'm getting close to 90c on the higest core. I might be able to hit 4ghz with a water cooling. Then on the other hard there are some 920 D0 that can do 4+ghz on simple air cooling with lower voltage. Luck of the draw pal.

The crazy over price unlock multiplier ex version of the i7 aka 975 will has the highest chance of hitting 4ghz with less stress on the board. But not sure who will spend that much.
 
vjcsmoke said:
There's no guarantee but the D0 stepping chip along with a good heatsink like a TRUE or Megahalems gives you a better chance at hitting 4ghz. The motherboard is also a factor. And your memory better be able to keep up.
Click to expand...

TehQuick said:
Just to underline the importance of the mobo: same CPU will overclock differently from one mobo to another
Click to expand...

Any suggestion on what boards that are generally good for overclocking?

thanks
 
Hornet said:
Any suggestion on what boards that are generally good for overclocking?

thanks
Click to expand...

All of the X58 boards are pretty good to be honest. Based on features, personal preferences and your budget, you'd be looking at the following:

Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
Gigabyte EX58-UD4P
Gigabyte EX58-UD5
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
ASUS P6T
ASUS P6T SE
ASUS P6TD
EVGA E758-TR
 
keshavcharya said:
it's not guaranteed, but on a good batch of the Intel Core i7 920 D0 stepping, you will probably get 4.0Ghz on 1.35 Vcore.
Click to expand...

This is pretty accurate. Though not all D0's can do it that low volts.

If your cooling is good enough, your mobo good enough, and a general amount of luck and skill you should almost always hit 4GHz but it may take more volts.
 
Myself and my friend were worried about my initial certainty that buying a 920 D0 would yield 4ghz. Luckily, I didn't have to change the core voltage at all, and hit 4ghz with a few settings changes in the bios.

My E6400 a few years ago hit 3.2ghz at essentially stock volts, then I had to RMA and got one that would only do 3.0ghz at insanely high volts.

Luck of the draw is usually the case, but I think it'd be extremely rare to get a D0 that doesn't hit 4ghz with a decent CPU, RAM, cooler, and motherboard.
 
my i5 750 is at 4ghz with reasonable voltage. no problems at all.
 
MJZ said:
I understand the i7 920s can hit 4ghz with some good increases in voltage, but what about the 940?

Is there a good chip or stepping that gives the best chance of being stable and moderately temperate @ 4ghz?
Click to expand...

i7 920 here, I can run 4ghz stable with no voltage increase. It's a D0, not sure which batch number atm.
 
"Back in the day" the Q6600 was all the rage for the same reason. "Guaranteed" 3GHz from 2.4, some reports beyond that etc. etc. Mine goes to 3.2GHz but only at insane volts, something like 1.45v (currently kept cool enough that I'm not worrying).
 
Sovereign said:
"Back in the day" the Q6600 was all the rage for the same reason. "Guaranteed" 3GHz from 2.4, some reports beyond that etc. etc. Mine goes to 3.2GHz but only at insane volts, something like 1.45v (currently kept cool enough that I'm not worrying).
Click to expand...

No overclock is ever truly guaranteed. Unfortunately, your chip could not reach the frequencies that others could.
 
Sovereign said:
"Back in the day" the Q6600 was all the rage for the same reason. "Guaranteed" 3GHz from 2.4, some reports beyond that etc. etc. Mine goes to 3.2GHz but only at insane volts, something like 1.45v (currently kept cool enough that I'm not worrying).
Click to expand...

Strange, I get 3.2 (8*400) with stock volts of 1.225V (stable).

I can reach 3.6 at 1.2850 volts, but get stable for general use at 1.3540. Temps are 70*C though at 3.6 in Prime 95. Too hot for my liking.
 
q9550+ e0 and i7 920+ d0 come to mind as good starting points
oh and d8400+ for sure
 
RuSty13 said:
i7 920 here, I can run 4ghz stable with no voltage increase. It's a D0, not sure which batch number atm.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt yours is very stable with no increase.

Mine is 4ghz just fine. Water cooled.

Motherboards will also play a factor in how well the over clock is.
 
What is stock voltage? I'm running at 1.305v and perhaps it could run lower. That was my starting point and it worked so I left it.
 
What is stock voltage?
Click to expand...

The voltage the CPU operates at stock frequency without the user changing the setting in the BIOS. This is a bit complicated with Intel chips because the same model/stepping can have a very different stock voltage. I mean my C1 Q9550 has a 1.15V stock @ 2.83GHz and 1.05V idle at 2.03GHz.
 
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How long do steppings usually last? I don't feel like buying an i7 now when I don't even have my case yet - hopefully by then the price will have gone even lower than ($200 @ Microcenter)
 
Mike211 said:
i7 975 D0 can hit 4ghz easily with low voltage.
Click to expand...

Really now? It's already running at 3.33 stock, and since it is an extreme chip 4 isn't a big step. I'd hope it can go higher than 4 especially since it is a $1000 CPU. Otherwise that is a complete waste of money seeing as a 920 and a 975 at 4 are going to perform the same. (heat and voltage differences aside)
 
robble said:
What is stock voltage? I'm running at 1.305v and perhaps it could run lower. That was my starting point and it worked so I left it.
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure to be honest. My i5 750 vdroops to 1.168 during loads, otherwise it's 1.232 during idle. That was with "auto" setting - I've since set it to 1.232 manually. My guess would be 1.17 I guess, if you have LLC.
 
860 or 920 are likely to give you a 4GHz OC, but like everyone else said, nothing is guaranteed.
 
Erasmus354 said:
The closest you will come to a guaranteed 4ghz is the 3.8ghz p4 netburst :)
Click to expand...

I like this answer, and with a teeny overclock and a slight bump in voltage, the OP should have no problem hitting 4.0GHz with this one. Nonetheless, if he's not successful he can always settle for 3.8GHz stock. It's only a couple hundred MHz right?

Holy Grail Clockspeeds FTW!!! :D
 
I think the quality of the memory is a huge part of it. I am still new to overclocking an i7, but my mobo seems to like the 10x multiplier on the memory, so I think the G.Skill Perfect Storm is helping a ton.

I think the heatsink is also huge. I am using the Thermalright Ultra 120 1366, and I still don't like the load temperatures (in the low 80's... ugh!). You have to use a high quality heatsink to get a good overclock. I am an air-cooled guy, but if you are open to water cooling, this is the processor to use it on.

The guy who sold me the processor likes the Xeon's, he says he gets better results from them. He has had a ton of success with 920's, but he says it is all about the batch. Is there some kind of database of batches? How would you know?
 
That's just looking thru multiple forums and see who has the highest OCs, with the lowest voltage. The problem is people vary considerably on what they call a stable OC, so take that into consideration when you're doing research. I tried running a database once for e8400's C0's, but people were not consistent with how they tested their OC so I ended up shutting it down.

So yeah - if you get the exact batch/week/etc. that another successful person has used, the hope is that it is just as successful. But as always, there are no guarantees.
 
Most recent 45nm Core 2 and the i7 and i5 chips pretty much could all do 4.0GHz with good cooling.
 
I had no trouble getting 4GHz with a Q9650 and a Giagbyte EP45-UD3 with 4x2GB DDR2 1066.
 
I have seen threads lately suggesting that perhaps you shouldn't put too much stock in steppings. At the end of the day, it seems to be the luck of the draw.
 
I dont want to beat a dead horse on this one, but overclocks arent guaranteed. Its where the processor comes from on the wafer, the closer to the center the better for overclocking, or so i have been told. Now, if this were to be true, that would you need a chip selected from the center, which means you need an extreme edition. But no one really wants to pay that much for a processor unless you wipe your ass with $100 bills. Now i got lucky, which is what half of overclocking is. i can to 3.8ghz with no voltage change, while prime95, i topped out 78c and my ram was a bit warm, so i keep her at 3.6ghz unless im trying to get the most i can in 3DMark06 for shits and giggles(i cant quite get to 20000 points im at 19943). Now let me ask you a questions. Does 4.0ghz really make an impact over 3.8ghz in real world apps?I only noticed a difference from3.8ghz from 3.6ghz in 3DMark06, after i saw the score. Its an epeen thing, Will overclocking always be a pissing contest.
 
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