Attempting to Push i7-930 w/ X58A-UD3R Motherbaord Past 4GHz Mark

Hey everyone, I’m trying to get my i7-930 past the 4GHz mark but I’m having a little trouble. Right now it is running pretty stable at 4GHz and is around 40C at idle and around 70C when at 100% use. I’m looking to get it to at least 4.2Ghz stable but more would be a plus. Another thing I’m a little concerned about is my DRAM settings. I'm really not sure if the timings and voltage are good for my specific memory.

Here are the components that are relevant to overclocking:
CPU: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212+

Picture of CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Real Temp at idle

Here is my BIOS template:

Advanced CPU Features:
CPU Clock Ratio ................................ [20]
Intel(R) Turbo Boost Tech ................. [Disable]
CPU Cores Enabled .......................... [All]
CPU Multi Threading ..........................[Enable]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) ................. [Disable]
C3/C6/C7 State Support ................... [Disable]
CPU Thermal Monitor ........................ [Disable]
CPU EIST Function ............................ [Disable]
Virtualization Technology ................. [Disable]
Bi-Directional PROCHOT .................... [Enable]

Uncore & QPI Features:
QPI Link Speed ..............................[x36] 7.2GHz
Uncore Frequency ..........................[x16] 3200MHz
Isonchronous Frequency ..................[Enable]
NB Frequency ................................3200Mhz

Standard Clock Control:
Base Clock (BCLK) Control .................. [Enable]
BCLK Frequency (MHz) .........................[200]
PCI Express Frequency (MHz) ............. [Auto]
C.I.A.2........................................... ....... [-]

Advanced Clock Control:
CPU Clock Drive ..............................[800]
PCI Express Clock Drive ................ [900]
CPU Clock Skew ............................ [0]
IOH Clock Skew ............................. [0]

Advanced DRAM Features:
Performance Enhance .......................... [Standard]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P) ........... [Disable]
System Memory Multiplier (SPD) ........... [ 8]
DRAM Timing Selectable (SPD) ............. [Quick]

Channel A + B + C

Channel A Timing Settings:
##Channel A Standard Timing Control##
CAS Latency Time ..................[8]
tRCD ......................................[8]
tRP ........................................[8]
tRAS ......................................[20]
CR..........................................[2]
B2B........................................[-]


Advanced Voltage Control:
CPU Intel Core i7 930 D0 Stepping
Load Line Calibration .................... [Standard]
CPU Vcore ......................................[1.325]
QPI/VTT Voltage 1.150v .................[1.20]
CPU PLL 1.800v ..............................[1.80]
PCIE 1.500v ...................................[Normal]
QPI PLL 1.100v ..............................[Normal]
IOH Core 1.100v ............................[Normal]
ICH I/O 1.500v ...............................[Normal]
ICH Core 1.1v ................................[Normal]

DRAM
DRAM Voltage 1.500v .............. [1.64]
DRAM Termination 0.750v.......... [Normal]
Ch-A Data VRef. 0.750v ...........[Normal]
Ch-B Data VRef. 0.750v ...........[Normal]
Ch-C Data VRef. 0.750v ...........[Normal]
Ch-A Address VRef. 0.750v ........[Normal]
Ch-B Address VRef. 0.750v ........[Normal]
Ch-C Address VRef. 0.750v ........[Normal]


Any recommendations on how to push this bad boy to 4.2 GHz? This is my first computer I’ve even attempted to overclock so I’m a little new to this.

Anyways, thanks for the help in advance.

There's no such thing as "pretty stable"... either the system is stable at 4.0GHz or it isn't. Default timings for those Ripjaws are 8-8-8-24-2T at 1.65V, so change tRAS from 20 to 24 w/ all sub-timings left on Auto. At a 200 BCLK x 21 = 4.2GHz, leave the Vcore at 1.325V but bump QPI/VTT Voltage to 1.280V, DRAM Voltage to 1.65-1.66V, and PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) to 103 (all other voltages on Auto). Also try setting LoadLine Calibration from Standard to Level 2.

I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't stable. I ran an 8 hour prime95 test without any problems. It's just that its only been running at 4GHz for 2 days so you can never be too sure.

Ok so I took your advice and changed everything like you said. As of now the temperatures at idle for 4.2ghz with the settings you posted are almost identical to my old settings for 4ghz which is a really good sign. Right now I'm going to begin stressing it and post back with the results.

Edit: After running prime95 for 10 minutes I got a BSOD and the computer restarted. Do you think increasing the Vcore would be the next step?

The first thing you should have done after changing those settings was run Memtest86+ to check for RAM stability, instead of attempting to boot directly into the OS and run Prime.

Like I said this is my first time overclocking so you'll have to bear with me.

I just got finished with 2 passes of Memtest86+ with 0 errors so it looks like the memory is fine.

Start up Prime and monitor the Vcore using CPU-Z. If the voltage drops below the 1.325 Vcore set in the BIOS, then adjust it accordingly. You might also want to play around w/ the Load Line Calibration settings, adjusting LLC and Vcore as necessary to achieve a loaded Vcore that doesn't fluctuate enough to cause a BSOD, lockup, or reboot.

I first upped the voltage to 1.33125, but prime95 was still blue screening so I decided to go up to 1.3375. I still have LLC level 2 on as well. When idle, CPU-Z reads the voltage at 1.312 and when running prime95 it stays steady at 1.328. But when running prime the temps average around 85 and can get up to 89. Is this too hot?

Prior to upping the voltage to 1.3375, prime95 was crashing on around the third test, but with this voltage I was able to get to the 10th test before I canceled it, so I know I am at least making progress. Another thing to note is that a windows message came up saying that it encountered an error with a certain process, but after hitting OK it went back to normal instead of crashing windows like it normally does.