i7 980x slight overclock noob pls help

Hi im new to overclocking and i find it very scary to overclock.I read the guide but its a little complicated.There are so many numbers that i was confused.

To tell the truth i know only some basics about overclocking but havent done anything yet.

So i was thinking if an i7 980x could just jump from 3.3 to 3.6 with no increase in volts.

I read a guide from some other site that u can increase some mhz without increasing the volts.is that right?

I'm not an Intel guru at all.

What I do know, is that you can get away with increasing the multiplier and that will cause the MHZ to increase. For example if your multiplier is set to default of 20 and your FSB (Front side bus) is at 200mhz then your chip would be running at 4Ghz.

Simple as that. If that is the default spec for that chip.

Now to your question regarding the voltage. You wouldn't have to increase the voltage on the stock settings because the chip is programmed to run at that voltage as it's able to sustain the power it needs to operate at 4GHZ

If you increase the multiplier you may or may not need to increase the voltage. It just depends on how your computer responds.

It's very important to research FIRST. . You should never increase your voltage by more than .5v at a time (unless you know what you're doing) because you can fark up your chip permanently.

If your computer doesn't boot after an increase in the multiplier its either because the voltage wasn't high enough or the chip/MB can't handle it. (or worse you went to high and you killed it )

if it does boot, then this is a good thing, however it may not be stable. You could get BSODS and your software and/or OS could act very unusal or erratic which is a good indication that you need a SMIDGE more voltage (.05)

Like I said I'm not an intel guru, I know AMD much better, but I can overlock and explain things in layman's terms.

Hope that helps.

Research 1st always. It's not that scary at all. It's fun.

You can simply divide 3600 with your multiplier (3600\multiplier) so you'll know how much you need to bump your FSB to get your CPU running @ 3,6ghz.
There is nothing scary about overclocking I've tortured my system, had many unsuccessfull tries, but I'm still up and running after clearin the CSMOS.
And yes, you'll be able to hit 3,6ghz @ stock voltage, but I'd bump it with 0.150 just to be sure if I were you.

Well if you can afford a $1000 cpu surely you can afford to build a $300 second system to learn how to overclock. That way if you make a major mistake, you arent having to replace that big boy. It would also let you be more brave and less antsy about playing with settings to learn. Just a suggestion.

reign...post up ur PC specs please. In simple terms, u should be able to OC to 4Ghz straight off by upping the multiplier. Dont set the CPU voltage (vcore) to 1.35v for 24/7 use. What is ur cooling? If u are using the stock 980x aircoolers then should be be fine for a modest OC. One thing about OCing...if ur scared to make a mistake then its not worth trying. U have to try, fail, learn...educate urself...research...and gradually u get to ur final goal. Just one thing to remember...the rules of OCing are the same for beginners and pro's...its only each individuals experience that makes them take differing courses to reach their goal. Happy OCing!

I havent bought it yet but im thinking for this one


Silverstone Temjin nVidia Edition SST-TJ10B-WNV Case
i7 980x
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R mobo
corsair dominator gt 6gb 1600mhz 7-7-7-20
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB HDD (64MB Cache, 7200RPM, Sata III)
evga gtx 480 sc x2 sli
CoolerMaster Silent Pro M1000 RS-A00-AMBA-J3 1000W Modular PSU

everything on stock cooling and maybe go for this water cooling=>

Swiftech Waterblock CPU Apogee GT
Black Ice Radiator GTX 480
EK Waterblocks EK Multioption 250 REV.2



If someone thinks that my combination is not good he can post any advice

thank u

First off, to OCForums

What are you buying the rig for? Looks like a good gaming rig to me....but your money would go furthur with a quad core like the i7 930....most will overclock to 4GHz easily on water, and you can learn the ropes with a locked muliplier....after you get more comfortable with the BIOS, and the OCing methods, upgrade if you still have the itch....if not enjoy a very powerful (plenty for a gaming rig) quad core

Also, consider a Corsair, Enermax, or Antec PSU, they are a bit better than the Cooler Master units

Check the link in my sig for a good OCing guide

MIAHALLEN said:

First off, to OCForums

What are you buying the rig for? Looks like a good gaming rig to me....but your money would go furthur with a quad core like the i7 930....most will overclock to 4GHz easily on water, and you can learn the ropes with a locked muliplier....after you get more comfortable with the BIOS, and the OCing methods, upgrade if you still have the itch....if not enjoy a very powerful (plenty for a gaming rig) quad core

Also, consider a Corsair, Enermax, or Antec PSU, they are a bit better than the Cooler Master units

Check the link in my sig for a good OCing guide

Click to expand...

Yeah it's for gaming.

So if not coolmaster psu what about Zalman ZM1000-HP PSU (1000W)?

Is it good enough as Corsair CMPSU-1000HXEU PSU (1000W)

No, Zalman's not great either.....we do maintain a list of recommended PSU's here:
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=589708

oops The Coolermaster you are looking at is on the list....don't I feel silly
The Coolermaster is fine, sorry LOL

Im not sure what type of gaming you plan on doing.... Only 2 maybe 3 games I know of can use half of that system.

I would def save the 700 on the cpu and grab a 930. Xtreme cpus are meant for overclockers, hence the unlocked multiplier. Its also the reason for the price. Niche market and all that.

The only reason I bring this up is because you show no real interest in pushing the 980x, therefore its a huge waste of money for you when an overclocked 930 will give you everything you could ask for with a much smaller price tag.

And make sure you loop that water cooling kit to the gpus. I hear the fermi chips get mighty toasty! You might want to consider waiting on those 480s. The 490 is getting close to release and its a dual gpu with 2 GF104 (GTX 470) chips in sli.

In the end, though, you have to buy what makes you happy. Good luck!

Hi reignjuste,

I just read some articles about nvidia 4xx series because I got a broken 8800GTS and need to get a replacement with my warranty...

I was kind of surprised about the new 465 and abowe nvidia cards... in a bad way:

-they got hugh core gpu even with the small(est) production technology. Experts say its very high risk to have them damaged over time and they have/had technological and production issues. That already concenrs me. I wouldn't buy a car when I know there is a chance that it will break down on me with bigger chance than others.

-They eat a LOT of power. Comparing nvidia 4xx series to ati similar models they eat much more (10/15+% maybe more) power. Now that wouldn't be too much or who cares... but then I compared them to my current vga and its at least double the power consumption then my 8800GTS. That is crazy! Let me tell you that my energy bill takes up 80% of my machine alone. And its already hugh! I'm personally not going to buy a powerful kick *** vga like that if it will eats up my money over time and I have to pay like 20-30% more energy bill. Not worth it!

Then I read about the new GTX460 and I believe I will go with that card. Comparing it to other cards (old or new), the price/performance is very good, better than the bigger cards. Also it doesn't eat that much more power. And to me, most importantly: using a different, more advanced fermi core, smaller, less heat, less chance for defect in the gpu.

As for cpu wise: I do recommend a quad core as well. Until today I didnt really see games or apps (expect photshop or 3d apps) that maximized the 4cpu out to 100%. Still, thinking for the future and long term, in the next 2-4years the games will advance even more so we would need a little more cpu power for sure. I'm not considering buying a new machine in the next 5years how about you?

Ohh and overclocking: GPU: Piece of cake! I ALWAYS able to oc my gpus at least 15% or more! my I7 quad core 2.66Ghz also singing on 4Ghz, without any hickups (put aside the ram overclocking issues I got currently). Raising the voltage is not needed, heating is also not an issue, 90Celsius is the hottest I see, so this ocing on long term will definitelly work for me. 4Ghz x 4 cores... 16Ghz... I think you agree its a hugh number.

Hope I helped a bit, consider wisely, dont always go for the "biggest and most powerful" when it comes to vga... not worth the money I recon!

reignjuste said:

I havent bought it yet but im thinking for this one


Silverstone Temjin nVidia Edition SST-TJ10B-WNV Case
i7 980x
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R mobo
corsair dominator gt 6gb 1600mhz 7-7-7-20
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB HDD (64MB Cache, 7200RPM, Sata III)
evga gtx 480 sc x2 sli
CoolerMaster Silent Pro M1000 RS-A00-AMBA-J3 1000W Modular PSU

everything on stock cooling and maybe go for this water cooling=>

Swiftech Waterblock CPU Apogee GT
Black Ice Radiator GTX 480
EK Waterblocks EK Multioption 250 REV.2



If someone thinks that my combination is not good he can post any advice

thank u

Click to expand...

Well that means.... another buildlog YIPPPPPIEEEEE

BTW great looking PC so far OP

my suggestions:

CPU: i7 980x (i7 990x coming out next month - might wanna wait for that - claimed 5ghz on water!!!!!!)
Mobo: Asus Rampage 3 Extreme - should be able to take your cpu to those clocks
Ram: Corsair Dominator GTs 2000mhz? perhaps
PSU: Seasonic x-1200 or corsiar ax1200 or corsair 1000hx
Case: Obsidian 800d
SSD: Believe crucial is the current best
HDD: 1tb of WD black or sammy f3
GPU: EVGA superclocked 480s sli

cooling

cpu block: ek hf supreme redesigned (the new one that come out recently)
gpu block: ek
mobo block if you want: ek

and that is as far as my knowledge of Watercooling goes

BTW that will be one kickass rig OP

Remeber when you get this build under way - PICS are a must

I am going to go against the majority here and say the i7 980x/990x is actually a good choice for gaming, and here is why....

if you remember when the first nvidia core 2 quads came out, for those who bought one of those and OCd it, you can still use it several years later comfortably for gaming, and its the same with the i7 980x/990x

you get this 6 core and OC it, and you will be laughing in terms of CPU for years to come

Furthermore, games are starting to come out that use more than 4 core - sure you say just turn on HT, but it won't be long before games start coming in 3d that can utilize serious computing power

Finally, keep in mind that one of the most important aspects of a cpu in gaming is speed, and consideirng the claims of getting the 990x to 5ghz on water, that would be far the best choice for gaming

just my 2c

if the OP wants to really future proof his CPU while having the best for a year or two, then the i7 980x/990x is the way to go

No such thing as future-proofing. Get a Quad I7 now, and if you need more cores in a couple of years then drop in whatever 6-core mainstream CPU that comes out in a decent price range.

$200 now + ~$200-300 in 2 years is still a lot less than $1,000.

jason4207 said:

No such thing as future-proofing. Get a Quad I7 now, and if you need more cores in a couple of years then drop in whatever 6-core mainstream CPU that comes out in a decent price range.

$200 now + ~$200-300 in 2 years is still a lot less than $1,000.

Click to expand...

100% agreed... i7980x is over kill. if it was $400-$500 for the cpu I would say go for it, but for $1000! thats what i just spent on my whole new rig that i just built lol (in sig). throw any game at it and it will run it just fine.

but hey if money is no option please buy it. I just didnt have coin to justify it.

after reading the thread...980 is overkill as mentioned but not if ur into heavy duty encoding (video), programming or simulations (pro level rendering)...then 980 is a great CPU. I do some encoding but tons of network infrastructure live modelling and I need the cores. A 920/930 would be a good choice of CPU, they OC easy to 4Ghz. Last 920 hit 4.3Ghz with a D14 - that was a month ago.

well then why stop there? I mean you are contradicting yourself by saying the i7 980x isn't worth it then recommending the i7 930...

"An i5 and i7 "destroy" a Phenom II if all you do is jack off to benchmarks all day... if you actually use your computer, there is almost no difference." - a quote from another forum

as the OP said - this is mostly likely a gaming rig so then the best way to go is with amd phenom 2 955 especially considering the latest price drops

add a cheapo mobo and 4gb of ram and you've got yourself a gaming rig - the real life performance in gaming from an i7 to a phenom 2 is almost unnoticealbe

How is it contradicting to say a $1,000 CPU (980X) isn't worth it, and then recommending a $200 CPU (920/930)?

Let's not start an AMD vs. Intel battle, please.

In the Intel world the 920/930 is the next step down from the 980X from an OC'd performance stand-point, and it's also $800 cheaper.

jason4207 said:

How is it contradicting to say a $1,000 CPU (980X) isn't worth it, and then recommending a $200 CPU (920/930)?

Let's not start an AMD vs. Intel battle, please.

In the Intel world the 920/930 is the next step down from the 980X from an OC'd performance stand-point, and it's also $800 cheaper.

Click to expand...

980X = you have money to burn
920 = always down for an OC challenge w/o unlocked multiplier

Killador said:

980X = you have money to burn
920 = always down for an OC challenge w/o unlocked multiplier

Click to expand...

well why would you recommend a i7 for gaming?

i7 is best for 3d applications such as CAD and stuff - it has no benefit over phenom 2 for gaming other than being double the price + extra for the motherboard