high voltage with core i7 2600k ?

Hello,

I'm a noob with overclocking. I recently installed a custom loop water cooling system and i want to see how far i can push my core i7 2600k

So far the highest i could get is only 4.5ghz but at 1.38v (in bios)

It looks very high to me, i've read on this forum that many people were able to achieve 4.5ghz and even 4.8ghz at 1.30v .... I've also read that the maximum recommended is 1.4v (some people are saying that intel doesn't recommend going over 1.8v)...

Even with my water cooling, my CPU temp gets up to 70C while doing a stress test on Prime95

I have also tryed to let the voltage on auto mode, but the highest i can go without manually setting the voltage is only 4ghz
When going on auto mode, Core Temp tells me that the voltage is 1.37v... still looks high, but at least the Prime95 temp stay around 60C

Anything below these voltages will get me a lot of BSOD while running Prime95, or sometimes windows just won't boot

- Is it normal that i need high voltage like that with my CPU ?
- How come most of the people are able to achieve similar overclocks with only 1.30v ?
- This is a 24-7 setup, so i guess 1.38v is too high ?
- If i get 1.37v (CoreTemp) on auto-voltage mode (4ghz), does it means it is useless to try anything below 1.37v @ >4ghz ?
- In other words, i have a piece of **** CPU, right ?

thanks !

1.38 for 4.5 is a bit high, but it shouldnt hurt your chip. A few people here have been pushing 1.45v for a year or more ok, and most of the rest say 1.4v is a good safe max voltage. 70c is well within an acceptable temperature, and not really high for that voltage, depending on your ambient temp.My chip loads up to the low 60s in prime with 1.308v on a custom water loop.

My chip has a nasty voltage requirement moving on from 4.6ghz. I can do 4.6 at 1.288, 4.7 takes 1.308, 4.8 takes 1.4v. Sounds like your chip starts climbing that hill a multi or two before mine is all.

Also, that 1.38 in bios, is that with loadline calibration on, and what does cpu-z report it as under load. If you are running an msi board, for example, its possible that its voltage regulation is as **** poor as my old p67a-gd65. 1.38v in bios meant 1.44v under load, and the loadline calibration options didnt work, or rather, couldnt be turned off.

Thanks for the reply

1.38v in bios equals to something like 1.40v while running Prime95 (thats from coretemp)

Yes i am running MSI Board (Z68A-GD65) but i haven't touched "loadline calibration" and to be honest i don't even know what it is (i'm a noob and this is my first overclock but i learn fast with computers )

Just wondering, is there a big difference on the electricity bill between 1.30v and 1.80v ? My computer will be running 24-7 but rarely on high loads

anarchoi said:

Thanks for the reply

1.38v in bios equals to something like 1.40v while running Prime95 (thats from coretemp)

Yes i am running MSI Board (Z68A-GD65) but i haven't touched "loadline calibration" and to be honest i don't even know what it is (i'm a noob and this is my first overclock but i learn fast with computers )

Just wondering, is there a big difference on the electricity bill between 1.30v and 1.80v ? My computer will be running 24-7 but rarely on high loads

Click to expand...

Anarchoi 1.8v has a high probability of frying your chip immediately. I've seen benchers get over 1.6 but that's with a lot of exotic gear and a lot of knowing exactly what they're doing. One might pipe up here having done something that high, but 1.8 is definitely not something regular joes should be attempting on a regular system. 1.5 really even isn't. Opinions vary, but I wouldn't ever go over mid 1.4s with a daily driver Sandy Bridge.

2500k is much like 2600k for OCing, and I'm at 1.4v @ 4.6GHz on my 2500k. Anything lower than 1.38, even just a transient, will have me looking at a blue screen with a 101 error. This is a fair example of a piggish chip - not a good clocker. Compare that with both my 2600ks, which are good clockers at 4.6 @ 1.3v, and you can see what both ends of the spectrum look like. I think the average SB will end up around 1.35v or so at 4.6GHz.

My bad, i meant 1.38v and not 1.80v, sorry... I would never go above 1.4v

So here's the result of my tests so far.. I managed to find a couple of stable settings but my voltages is still very high

4ghz with auto voltage = stable
CoreTemp says VID is @ 1.37v

4.1ghz with auto voltage = stable
CoreTemp says VID is @ 1.3761v

4.2ghz with auto voltage = stable
CoreTemp says VID is @ 1.3811v

4.3ghz with auto voltage = stable
CoreTemp says VID is @ 1.3811v

All of the above settings stay at reasonnable temperature under heavy stress test

But to reach 4.5ghz i have to use manual voltage settings @ 1.385v in BIOS.
CoreTemp will tell me that the voltage is @ 1.3911 and the temperature reach 65°C after only 15 minutes of stress test in Prime 95

I can also reach 4.6ghz using 1.385v in BIOS (equals to 1.3961v in CoreTemp) but i only have tested it with Prime95 for a couple of minutes.

if i try 4.7ghz with 1.385v in BIOS, it will equals to 1.40v in CoreTemp and instantly gives me a BSOD while starting Prime95 stress test. I think the maximum i can reach with my CPU is 4.6ghz.

So what should I do ? 1.39v @ 4.5ghz looks high to me, but even if i lower the clock to 4ghz i'll still be at 1.37v... Doesn't looks like an huge difference in voltage, but the difference between 4ghz and 4.5ghz isn't small.

Any recommendations ?


Note about the temps:
I'm on custom water cooling loop with a large XSPC radiator using 3x 1300rpm fans.

anarchoi said:

I can also reach 4.6ghz using 1.385v in BIOS (equals to 1.3961v in CoreTemp) but i only have tested it with Prime95 for a couple of minutes.

if i try 4.7ghz with 1.385v in BIOS, it will equals to 1.40v in CoreTemp and instantly gives me a BSOD while starting Prime95 stress test. I think the maximum i can reach with my CPU is 4.6ghz.

So what should I do ? 1.39v @ 4.5ghz looks high to me, but even if i lower the clock to 4ghz i'll still be at 1.37v... Doesn't looks like an huge difference in voltage, but the difference between 4ghz and 4.5ghz isn't small.

Any recommendations ?


Note about the temps:
I'm on custom water cooling loop with a large XSPC radiator using 3x 1300rpm fans.

Click to expand...

It is fairly high, but you may have just lost the chip lottery like I did with my 2500k. On the other hand there's quite a few other settings that can affect your OC beyond vcore. You'd have to list all your bios settings for further help.

With your loop cooling will not be an issue for you.

If all you're doing is cranking vcore and leaving other settings as-is try this. Set everything back to default, then check out this thread http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693613

That will help you get a better clock than just going to failure and raising vcore. In all reality vcore is the last thing you change once you hit instability. You know you're at the end of the line for your chip when, once everything else has been done, you need large increases in vcore for small increases in clock. Eventually it won't take any higher clock multiplier no matter how much vcore you give it.

Other things to consider that I don't believe are in that guide:

If your UEFI has a setting called something like "CPU Spread Spectrum" disable it.

Manually set VRM frequency to 350. Shouldn't need more than that for <5ghz

Increase your CPU current capability to 120-140% or so.

Hard to name what those exact settings will be called in your UEFI because they're diffrerent from different companies

i followed this guide to overclock my CPU:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265056-29-2600k-2500k-overclocking-guide

All settings are to default except:

Disable:


Limit CPUID Maximum
Power Technology
C1E Support
OverSpeed Protection
Spread Spectrum


Enable:


Internal PLL Overvoltage
Execute Disable Bit
Intel Virtualization Tech

Click to expand...

I can't find anything about VRM frequency in my bios


Here is the list of my settings :

cpu base frequency = 10000
adjust cpu ratio = 46
adjust cpu ratio in os = enabled
internal PLL overvoltage = enabled
dram frequency = auto
extreme memory profile XMP = enabled
dram timing mode = auto

spread spectrum = disabled
vdroop control = auto
cpu core voltage = 1.385v
cpu i/o voltage = auto
dram voltage = auto
gpu voltage = auto
system agent voltage SA = auto
cpu PLL voltage = auto
ddr_vref_ca_a = auto
ddr_vref_ca_b = auto
ddr_vref_da_a = auto
ddr_vref_da_b = auto
PCH 1.05 = auto

- CPU Features -
hyper-threading = enabled
active processor cores = all
limit CPUID maximum = disabled
execute disabled bit = enabled
intel virtualization tech = enabled
intel VT-D tech = disabled (greyed out)
power technology = disabled
c1e support = disabled
overspeed protection = disabled
long duration power limit (W) = 200
long duration maintained (ms) = 1
short duration power limit (W) = 250
primary plane turbo power limit (W) = 0
secondary plane turbo power limit (W) = 0
1-core ratio limit = 46
2-core ratio limit = 46
3-core ratio limit = 46
4-core ratio limit = 46

Click to expand...

Looks like you're doing the right things. You wouldn't believe how many people just crank vcore and call it a day on SB chips.

All I can say is possibly turn off PLL overvoltage and see if it helps. Only reason I say that is PLL is not like vcore, in the sense that you're "tuning" a VCO vice putting larger "teeth" in a squarewave clock signal. Increasing PLL voltage is not always the answer. Sometimes decreasing it can be the answer. It's a weird animal, so best I can say with PLL is trial and error.

You appear to be doing things right, so you're now out of my league. A bencher may have more tricks up their sleeve, but from where I'm looking you're pretty close to the end of your OCing rope.

I'm sitting at 4.2ghz at 1.2v , Have you tried messing with memory settings at all, I found that memory when OC CPU at least for me started to get unstable. So I had to change my mem settings some to stabilize it some.

No i have not tryed to overclock my memory and i honestly don't have any experience in this domain.

A few days ago i tyred to push the frequency of my memory over 1600mhz and my computer refused to boot. Then my first BIOS failed, hopefully i could reflash it using MSI's dual-bios technology... After that i just gave up.

i'm using 16gb of Kingston Hyper-X 1600 (KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX)

If you can guide me, i can try overclocking it again

I think that your problem with going higher on your cpu overclock is that you have all of your voltages set to auto. There are several guides out there that give you rough voltages for certain clocks, and with some time and fine tuning you can find what works best for your chip. If you are on custom water and are seeing temps of 70c at 1.38v, then I would guess that you either have a 1x120 rad or a 2x120 with the wrong speed fans (correct me if I am wrong). I have a 3x120 with yate loon mediums, and I never see over 55 on my 2500k at 1.45v (and never over 75c with 1.675v), so more rad or better fans might be in your future if you want to push for more. As far as core voltage goes, I would not be afraid of going up to 1.5 for 24/7 (I would run it if it got my overclock 24/7 stable)(intel says 1.52 max on the white sheet). I have run up to 1.675 water cooled on my 2500k for more than 5 hours straight benching on several occasions, and my processor is no worse for wear (do at your own risk though). For your memory, you stated in your settings that you have XMP enabled, and if it is enabled then it should be running at 1600. Open up CPU-Z and check to see what the memory is really running at. I hope this gives you some insight, and if you need more help be sure to ask.

gregmacknass said:

I think that your problem with going higher on your cpu overclock is that you have all of your voltages set to auto. There are several guides out there that give you rough voltages for certain clocks, and with some time and fine tuning you can find what works best for your chip. If you are on custom water and are seeing temps of 70c at 1.38v, then I would guess that you either have a 1x120 rad or a 2x120 with the wrong speed fans (correct me if I am wrong). I have a 3x120 with yate loon mediums, and I never see over 55 on my 2500k at 1.45v (and never over 75c with 1.675v), so more rad or better fans might be in your future if you want to push for more. As far as core voltage goes, I would not be afraid of going up to 1.5 for 24/7 (I would run it if it got my overclock 24/7 stable)(intel says 1.52 max on the white sheet). I have run up to 1.675 water cooled on my 2500k for more than 5 hours straight benching on several occasions, and my processor is no worse for wear (do at your own risk though). For your memory, you stated in your settings that you have XMP enabled, and if it is enabled then it should be running at 1600. Open up CPU-Z and check to see what the memory is really running at. I hope this gives you some insight, and if you need more help be sure to ask.

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Well if you read the whole topic i already said that I did try manually setting voltages but i still need very high voltage (4.6ghz @ 1.385v is the best i could achieve. I tryed 4.7ghz but couldn't avoid blue screens even @ 1.42v)

I also said that i have a 3x120 rad with 1300rpm fans. The 70°C was from running a Prime95 stress test. I am currently @ 40°C while browsing the web and sometimes it can jump to 50°C

anarchoi said:

Well if you read the whole topic i already said that I did try manually setting voltages but i still need very high voltage (4.6ghz @ 1.385v is the best i could achieve. I tryed 4.7ghz but couldn't avoid blue screens even @ 1.42v)

I also said that i have a 3x120 rad with 1300rpm fans. The 70°C was from running a Prime95 stress test. I am currently @ 40°C while browsing the web and sometimes it can jump to 50°C

Click to expand...

Sorry that I missed that you are on a 3x120, but your temps should be better than that so something is a miss (be it your mount, your block, or your fans, or your pump). But you are missing what I am saying to you entirely. All of your voltages (other than Vcore) are set to auto, and if you have any hope of getting higher than 4.5-4.6 then you will need to set all of these voltages manually. If you need higher voltages for all of these settings, then so be it. It just means that you got an average chip (it happens), and you will have to live with it. You can't go off of Joe Blow got X gigahertz at X volts as a standard, because all chips are different voltage wise. If you want every last drop of performance out of your chip that you can get, then you are going to have to listen to someone who has found these things out the hard way. All of these voltages play an important role in the stability of your overclock, and finding the right voltage will be a long process of trial and error. If you are happy with what you have achieved, then leave it be, if not then press on and find out where you can take it. Auto settings on the CPU settings will not get you there, so some effort is needed. I suggest that you keep a written log of what works and what doesn't so you have some reference to go by for your voltages. Prime 95 and Intel Burn Test are good tools to find out if your overclock is stable, but with SB I have found that idle stability is the key for 24/7 overclocks is the key. I really hope that you find this info helpful, and find the overclock that works best for you. Good luck.

Well my CPU water block is installed the wrong way (the "raystorm" letters appears vertically instead of horizontally) i don't know if it can makes a difference... But to install it the right way i'd have to get a longer tube, and i don't want to re-install my water cooling system and re-do leak tests..

My radiator is mounted on the top of my Cooler master haf 922 case, and the 3 120mm fans are installed below the radiator and pushing air outside of my case.

The pump is only at first speed out of 5 because i want a quiet system.

What are the voltages that i should be manually setting beside vCore ? I know i can change CPU I/O voltage but i don't know what i should set it to...

A few hours ago i tryed to reach 4.7ghz but even with 1.42v i couldnt get rid of the blue screens

anarchoi said:

Well my CPU water block is installed the wrong way (the "raystorm" letters appears vertically instead of horizontally) i don't know if it can makes a difference... But to install it the right way i'd have to get a longer tube, and i don't want to re-install my water cooling system and re-do leak tests..

My radiator is mounted on the top of my Cooler master haf 922 case, and the 3 120mm fans are installed below the radiator and pushing air outside of my case.

The pump is only at first speed out of 5 because i want a quiet system.

What are the voltages that i should be manually setting beside vCore ? I know i can change CPU I/O voltage but i don't know what i should set it to...

A few hours ago i tryed to reach 4.7ghz but even with 1.42v i couldnt get rid of the blue screens

Click to expand...

The direction that the water block is installed, will make little if no difference in temps. The thing that will make a difference in temps is the way that the fans are blowing. You want to be pulling cooler air from outside the case rather than hot air from inside the case. Your pump speed will determine cooling ability just as much (if not more than) the fan direction, so these could very well be what are causing the temp increase. Cpu PLL and Vcore tend to be the most common culprits for an unstable overclock on SB chips, but other voltage settings can play a role in the stability of an overclock. This is why I suggest that you take all of the voltage settings off of auto and set them manually. If you only increase 1 voltage at a time , then you can see if it helps stability or not. Keeping a log of the success and failure of different voltages, gives you a reference point to work off of to find the best settings that work for you. I hope that my advice helps you out, but it takes a lot of work to overclock a CPU properly and it is up to you.

Huhhh what the hell... My DRam frequency is set to 1600mhz in BIOS, but CPU-Z tells me that DRAM Frequency is @ 798.3Mhz ???

anarchoi said:

Huhhh what the hell... My DRam frequency is set to 1600mhz in BIOS, but CPU-Z tells me that DRAM Frequency is @ 798.3Mhz ???

Click to expand...

It is DDR3 so double the speed, roughly 800 x 2 is 1600. So your ram is running at the rated speed.

You want to be pulling cooler air from outside the case rather than hot air from inside the case

Click to expand...

But if i do that i would need another exhaust case fan to get the hot air out, and it would cause even more noise :/ I bought a WC system to get the quietest possible system, so i don't want to add another fan

e. Cpu PLL and Vcore tend to be the most common culprits for an unstable overclock on SB chips, but other voltage settings can play a role in the stability of an overclock. This is why I suggest that you take all of the voltage settings off of auto and set them manually. If you only increase 1 voltage at a time , then you can see if it helps stability or not.

Click to expand...

Ok I understand, but what numbers should I start with ? It's currently set on auto but i have no idea what are the real numbers so i have no point to start from

It is DDR2 so double the speed, roughly 800 x 2 is 1600. So your ram is running at the rated speed.

Click to expand...

It's DDR3 :/

anarchoi said:

But if i do that i would need another exhaust case fan to get the hot air out, and it would cause even more noise :/ I bought a WC system to get the quietest possible system, so i don't want to add another fan


Ok I understand, but what numbers should I start with ? It's currently set on auto but i have no idea what are the real numbers so i have no point to start from


It's DDR3 :/

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You caught me before an edit to ddr3 vs dde2, but the same still applies (double data rate DDR means 2x the frequency). With the needing another exhaust fan, I run 1 out with 3 in's with no problems (if noise is a problem, then you need more radiators). As I said before, there are many guides that give you a baseline for the voltages that are needed for overclocks with SB, and you can use them as a baseline to start with for where you will need to be for your prospective overclock. It will take guesswork, and trial and error to find what works best for your situation. I'm not gonna give you an X volt's work for X gigahertz, because every chip is different (and I suggest that you take any guides as such).

double data rate DDR

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Wow, i didn't even know that... i feel stupid, thanks for sharing !

As I said before, there are many guides that give you a baseline for the voltages that are needed for overclocks with SB, and you can use them as a baseline to start with for where you will need to be for your prospective overclock. It will take guesswork, and trial and error to find what works best for your situation. I'm not gonna give you an X volt's work for X gigahertz, because every chip is different (and I suggest that you take any guides as such).

Click to expand...

Could you post the link to a guide you would recommend ? Thanks !