Advice on i7 970 @ 3.2

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

Hi there guys, this is my first post in the forum so excuse me if I am posting in the wrong place and also if I am posting an outdated post as well.

I have an i7 970@ 3.2GHz with ASUS motherboard running H50 (watercooling) and I was wondering if:

1. it's worth overclocking (I am asking since I am actually going to be using the computer as a DAW for music)
2. yes to overlock what would be a good configuration for it.

I am posting some pictures on my setup with running everything on AUTO at the moment (aside the voltage of the RAM which I input manually)

Many many thanks in advance guys!

trents · Jul 1, 2015

Could you provide a link to the water cooler or is that a typo? Can't find any info on it.

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

My apologies! I will edit it. It's the Corsair H50.

trents · Jul 1, 2015

Is that pic of HWMonitor reflective of full load temps? I mean something like stressing it with IntelBurnTest for 10 minutes? A key question here is do you have cooling headroom to overclock. That's why I'm asking.

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

No. That's a screenshot when idle. This is when IntelBurnTest (screenshot below). The reason I am asking if it's worth an overclock is that a friend did a mild OC before and the computer running fine with no problems but recently I have experienced problems in video crashing. The video setup is :

GPU 1 = 1 x HDMI (centered monitor)
GPU 2 = DVI + VGA (L and R)

The centered monitor will jitter and computer will freeze (which I have to manually reboot) when having Skype video call for example but not when watching YouTube or working with video. If it's not an OC problem then I suspected is :

1. Airflow on the GPUs
2. Driver issue.

But anywho, the original question: Is it worth the OC (especially working with music) ?

trents · Jul 1, 2015

So what you need to do now is install IntelBurnTest and run it with HWMonitor open on the desktop to capture max temps. Then report back with another pic of HWMonitor.

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

Ok cool. Thank you! Posted above

trents · Jul 1, 2015

Just for a reference point, I believe the TJMax on that generation of Intels was 105c but I would not push it beyond 100c. On two of your cores you are already at 89c. So not much headroom at all for overclocking unless you change out that water cooler for one with a considerably bigger radiator. Looks like from HWMonitor you have some of the cores disabled.

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

Hm I totally understand you on the temp site of things. All the cores are enabled however, here's a screenshot from HWiNFO as well.

trents · Jul 1, 2015

Okay, HWMonitor has labeled the cores in an odd fashion. It would not show the HT pseudo cores of course but I would think it would show the six real cores as 0-5. Perhaps that is normal however, as I've never owned a hex core CPU or seen a screenie of HWMonitor pic of one before.

Anyway, I wouldn't think about overclocking until you get better cooling and I mean significantly better. With a 32nm hex core you might ought to be looking at custom water cooling as I don't think any of the all in one kits would give much more of a margin. Maybe something like the Thermaltake Big Water Ultimate would but you might have problems fitting a 3x120 radiator in your case. What is the make and model of your case?

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

I see. Is it worth though going to that extend really? I only use the computer for music (professionally composing I mean) and not for gaming nor video editing and such.

My case is the Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced Midtower.

trents · Jul 1, 2015

mousikanos1 said:
I see. Is it worth though going to that extend really? I only use the computer for music (professionally composing I mean) and not for gaming nor video editing and such.

My case is the Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced Midtower.

If you are satisfied with the performance of the system then certainly it would not seem prudent to make the kinds of changes needed and the go to the commensurate expense those changes would require in order to overclock it to a meaningful extent. If the performance of the computer is an impediment to your job then go for it.

mousikanos1 · Jul 1, 2015

I totally see your point. How do you explain the jitter screen and freeze though on the machine? Maybe because of the OC settings causing heat? There's no BSOD neither any report. Just jitter, video crash and freeze.

I ran IBT, Prime95, FurMark and OCCT and all came out normal and fine, so it might lead me that it must be GPU overheating.

trents · Jul 2, 2015

That does sound like a GPU issue to me. What task are you performing when this happens? Are your video card's fans getting arthritic such that they don't start spinning soon enough but finally do when there is enough load and heat?

mousikanos1 · Jul 2, 2015

Nothing with heavy load. Like yesterday it happened when I having a Skype call. The cards don't have fans but when that happens the screen jitters and I think yes the computer throttles and stays like that, thus I need to force a reboot.

Can I test the GPU and check if it's dying?

mousikanos1 · Jul 2, 2015

You were also right about the Cores. They were parked. So, I have un-parked them.

trents · Jul 2, 2015

So you have two cards? Are you running in SLI then? This could be a driver issue as well. SLI and Crossfire can be problematic. It's always smarter to use one good card than to run two mediocre cards in SLI/Crossfire. Well if you have two cards then take one out and run a single card to see if your video problems disappear. Try one card and then the other.

If you were hitting high 80s Celsius with parked cores when running that stress test yesterday then my friend you really do need to get better cooling, regardless of whether you overclock or not. Unparking those cores will add more heat to the pot.

mousikanos1 · Jul 2, 2015

Thank you for your replies. I am running two cards but they are not SLI nor Crossfire enabled.

However, if it is a cooling issue wouldn't that you come up 2 yrs or a year ago or so and if not why now?

I have checked the capacitors on the motherboard and they are all fine. RealTemp and CoreTemp have shown very good temperatures as well as the thermal status show on okay on all 6 cores.

Do you think that has something to do with drivers?

trents · Jul 2, 2015

mousikanos1 said:
Thank you for your replies. I am running two cards but they are not SLI nor Crossfire enabled.

Why are you running two cards then? Are they special purpose cards geared to do certain things in your profession? Are the cards the same? Drivers could be in conflict. Can you go with just one card for a while to test the viability of each one in turn?

However, if it is a cooling issue wouldn't that you come up 2 yrs or a year ago or so and if not why now?

How long have some of your cores been parked?

I have checked the capacitors on the motherboard and they are all fine.

There are other things besides capacitors that can go wrong on a board. And bad capacitors don't always look bad, especially if they are the "solid" kind which are commonly used on more expensive boards. Oil-filled capacitors will often, but not always, show bulging or leaking when they go bad.

RealTemp and CoreTemp have shown very good temperatures as well as the thermal status show on okay on all 6 cores.

When stress testing?

Do you think that has something to do with drivers?

It certainly could be a driver issue, especially if you have stress-tested the cards with something like Furmark and they don't weird out on you.

mousikanos1 · Jul 2, 2015

Why are you running two cards then? Are they special purpose cards geared to do certain things in your profession? Are the cards the same? Drivers could be in conflict. Can you go with just one card for a while to test the viability of each one in turn?
I am using 3 monitors hence the dual setup.

How long have some of your cores been parked?
I wouldn't know.

Like I mentioned above I have stressed the computer with pretty much ALL possible softwares out there.

FurMark
OCCT
IBT
3D Benchmark
Prime95
MemTest+
SpeedFan

and none gave any errors whatsoever. If it was an error would have shown right?

An update for Skype has been released today and I have installed it. Interesting to see what would be the case after that. Thanks again!

Advice on i7 970 @ 3.2

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Senior Member

Registered

Similar threads