Upgrading 775

[jason4207]

Prime95 has always been free. Minecraft is not any kind of real stability test.

Past 4.5GHz you need exponentially more voltage to keep climbing.

Using a fixed vcore instead of offset vcore may help you reach those higher clocks. Have you enabled PLL overvoltage?

Is that 1.35v under load? Some chips just won't go 4.8GHz+. You may be able to get higher with more exotic cooling.

At very high OC's you sometimes have other strange problems, so it's not always worth it for a 24/7 setup, but can be fun for benching.

 

[ivanlabrie]

I agree, but I also think it's good to test your actual processor load for stability, after passing Prime95 blend...

 

[Groov3st3r]

PLL is and was enabled all this time.

I don't have a set VCore option, Offset or Automatic only. That voltage is indicated by CPUID and it goes for Idle, Loa, medium Load, extreme Load... it just stays around 1.35 with small fluctuations

I looked at PassMark, that might have been why I thought it was not free...

EDIT:
I have loaded up my stable 4.5 setting with CStates and now voltage is around the level of 0.9-1.0, increasing to 1.256v under Prime95 - which btw is the most my CPU has been used so far, even multiple background programs haven't been able to max out this monstrosity.
However it encountered a rounding error.... literally a minute into the test.

On a lighter note, the 212 EVO kept a 4.5ghz core within 50 degrees under full load.

EDIT 2:
Had a closer look, each core errors around the similar time but sort of in sequence. They only last around 1.2 of a test

 

[ivanlabrie]

Prime95 is free...get ver 27.7 and do blend tests. Custom, set ram size to 85% of your total ram and run it for 18hs. That's THE stability test, if you have the time.

On the offset oc, you might have to fiddle more with it, I'd use LLC on low, or disable it altogether. It tends to generate instability under light processor loads.
For quick stability assesment run Prime95 and select custom test, run fft's in place, min and max fft size to 36. If that doesn't crash or give errors in 30 min you can decrease your offset value till it does...And then tweak it from there. Software overclocking tools are nice for this, cause they speed up the whole rebooting process...Just change the offset value from within Windows if you don't get a BSOD but you see app crashes or WHEA errors.
You can then save it as a profile in the bios and call it a day.

 

[Groov3st3r]

Onto the 27.7 results now.

Worker #1 stopped almost immediately.
#2 went on the second test
#4 went on the 6th test
#3 is still going but I don't think it will last that much longer.

I assume that is not good.

EDIT:
Still going on that one core....

EDIT 2:
Failed test 15.

 

[ivanlabrie]

Yep, that means your vcore is low...Go in 0.005v increments till no workers stop.

 

[jason4207]

Once 1 core fails, just end it and try more vcore.

 

[Groov3st3r]

I am up to +0.020v
C-States off, VCore is 1.344v no load. Goes DOWN t o1.304v under load but still 1 worker failed immediately.
Also, is there any specific setting I should use for Additional Turbo Voltage?

 

[ivanlabrie]

Once you pass that half hour test, run Blend test with 85% of your ram size (after hitting blend, custom you can change the ram size and test duration).
You can run the standard 15 min duration test, which takes 18 hours to complete a full loop, or shorten it to 5 min per test. Up to you to decide.
Blend test will also test your memory stability, so you can run it first with ram at stock volts and speed, and after passing the 6hs 5min per test run, oc your ram and tweak accordingly.

pssst: check this thread out. Might come in handy...

 

[Groov3st3r]

Thanks but I still don't know what cause my voltage weirding... Shouldn't it rise when under load and lower when not?

Instead the LESS load, the more voltage CPUID indicates. To the point where running Prime95 lowered it by almost 0.1v...

Apparently someone thinks that LLC and OFFSET should not be used together. How should I set the LLC? and the PLL? Too many options for me to understand all at once 0.0

EDIT:
Enabled PLL... amongst the many settings it turned out to be OFF.
Enabled C1E and SpeedStep, voltages ''appear'' more normal now.

On the last try, before those changes, Prime95 itself crashed and quit..

 

[ivanlabrie]

Forget about LLC, monitor your under load voltage in Cpu-z and use that as a reference for increasing the offset voltage.
I don't get one thing, your bios has an offset voltage dvid thingie, (+0.0xxv) and ALSO has an additional turbo voltage? That's odd...
Your cpu should run with less voltage AND clocks when idle, but you'll need to enable EIST / Speedstep, Turbo and C1E for that to happen.

 

[Groov3st3r]

All 3 of these are enabled and it throttles back when not used now.

When used, if one or more cores don't pass Prime tests, it starts rising to 1.344v (eventually), but when under full load it's only 1.29v with +0.020v offset. Still need more vcore since it just keeps failing.

And yes, there is an option called additional turbo voltage - set how much additional voltage is applied when turbo is enabled. And I can't DISABLE turbo, thats the fun part. There is an option to do so but it just skips over it...

 

[ivanlabrie]

Leave turbo on...no prob there. Try that additional turbo voltage thing too, and monitor voltages in cpu-z when all cores are at 100% usage during prime.
If a core stops, you need to stop prime95 and add more volts.

 

[Groov3st3r]

That's what I keep doing, now 14 tests in at offset +0.030v, no failure.

Ill try and do that additional voltage thing to 0.005v which is the least it goes to. Maybe then I can have more control over my voltages.

 

[ivanlabrie]

Don't worry if it overshoots when on lighter loads, it should do that. After you're done with stress tests do some regular tasks, play games and see how that goes
You should stress test based on your needs. You need to browse, run games, do some video transcoding...then do that by all means, after testing stability, and that will give you the final verdict.

 

[Groov3st3r]

Still testing

Im now up to +0.035v and set the additional turbo to +0.004v

Indicated voltage usage is around 1.312v +/- 0.008v

 

[ivanlabrie]

Looking good...that's for 4.5ghz or what?

 

[Groov3st3r]

4.5 but ill increase it tomorrow and carry on testing more then. Im too tired at the moment But no crash within 10 minutes so its good.
Max temp 61 degrees and max voltage 1.320v

 

[ivanlabrie]

Leave it running while you sleep...

 

[ivanlabrie]

I'll have to disagree. I would recommend selling what you have an actually upgrading. Buy a new CPU, MB and ram and move up. Grab an i5 2500k and go for it. 775 is now waaay behind the times, and instead of spending $120 on a Q9550, get a 2500k for $179.

Spammer!