Overclocking i7 960 Newbie, Help!

[MrFroho]

Hello all, I just signed up today because I've recently decided I wanted to overclock my i7 960 which will be arriving in a few days along with the rest of my new gaming computer. I've been reading some basic guides and how-to's because I wanted to do it myself, but the more I read the more scared I got. I'm a hardcore gamer, I know how to build computers and I can solve all my families computing problems, but I felt this was a bit above me and I did not want to kill my new computer that I've been saving up for, so I thought it would be safer to just ask help from the best overclocking forums

Heres the specs of my brand new computer arriving at my house in a few days:

CPU: Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601960
Link

Mobo: EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Link

Memory: Patriot Viper II Sector 7 Edition 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PV7312G1600ELK
Link

Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 590 CLASSIFIED Limited Edition 3GB 768-bit GDDR5 PCI express 2.0 x16, 3xDual-Link DVI, DisplayPort, HDCP Ready, QUAD SLI Ready, PhysX, 3D Vision Surround Support Video Card
Link

If you need any other specs, let me know.

Ok so what I want to do I think is pretty simplistic, I just want to overclock my CPU to 4.0GHz, I've read alot about people saying just get a 920 and save money, but I do NOT want to talk about that please Its already on its way so theres no going back now lol. So if you guys could please please help me with a simple step by step on how to do this, I would greatly appreciate it!

Oh and the other thing I wanted to do was buy a heatsink for my CPU, normally I dont bother with cpu heatsinks, but since I'm going to overclock I think I will need to, but I dont know which one is good. I want a good and quiet heatsink, I can afford in the $50 range (perhaps more if it would make a big difference), and preferably something not complicated, I've never installed a heatsink

Any help you guys can offer (and suggestions/better ideas) is more than greatly appreciated!

 

[BigTerminator]

Noctua NH-D14 is definitely the CPU heatsink you will want to use. It's a performance leader while be VERY quiet.

Now that that's out of the way, follow these settings which should do the job.

Set the BCLK to 200 and the multiplier to 20.
Make sure you set the memory to the factory speeds and timings in manual mode.
Disable C1E and EIST and Turbo Boost.
Set the CPU Vcore around 1.275v, you might need more or less when testing for stability.
Disable Spread Spectrum.
Raise the QPI voltage near 1.2v-1.25v, again might need more or less.
Set DRAM voltage to stock settings.
Set QPI speed to the lower of the 2 multipliers.
Make sure that you aren't running auto on most settings, there some voltages you can leave on auto that don't make much difference.


That should be most settings, I don't know your BIOS so there will probably some parts I missed but that generally how you get to 4ghz. Make sure you get the cooler first before you overclock. And when you do overclock, you need to stress test it with Prime 95 or Intel Burn Test and run it for hours. Also check your CPU temps with Real Temp.

 

[EarthDog]

Welcome! In my signature there is a VERY good link that will help you on your overclocking journey.

 

[MrFroho]

Thank you both very much

BigTerminator: Thats exactly what im looking for, a thorough step by step guide! thank you! 1 Question though. I went to the Noctua website to see if the heatsink would be compatible with my Mobo and it said "EVGA X58 FTW3 Mod In vertical position only" I'm not sure what that means, I assumed there is only one position lol. Leme know if this might be a problem. Link and here is my case, if that helps you understand.

EDIT: Also how do i find out DRAM Stock voltage setting?

Earthdog: Dude that is a nice in depth guide. It has for the most part gone way over my head, but I have bookmarked it and will refer to it often once i get started, thank you very much.

As soon as you get back to me on whether or not this heatsink is compatible, ima go ahead and buy it, thank you again everyone

 

[Theocnoob]

It isn't a problem. It just means that you have to install the heatsink blowing up instead of side to side. It's a very straightforward mount that Noctua uses. A lot of companies use very bad designs but they don't.

You stick a black X shaped plate to the back of the board over the back of the CPU socket which lines up with holes around the socket, then pass 4 bolts through. On the other side you put 4 plastic washers and two retaining arms (which you place vertically on this mobo) and then the heatsink just screws in on top. The instructions are really easy to follow and impossible to screw up.

So yes go ahead and buy it. Just remember it has to be installed with the fans blowing up. Once you get it you'll see. It's self explanatory. I have it. It's a good heatsink and the fans are quiet.

Read the i7 overclocking guide. It's an evil architechture to learn, but it's not that hard to wrap your head around.

It's a couple of multiplications, a couple of voltage ranges, and a couple of voltage ratios you have to remember. Your bios will likely remind you of many of these. It went over my head the first time too. This is my simplified version of it for once you get started-

Cpu speed is BCLK (baseclock) times (multiplier)

So, in your bios, if you set BCLK to 200, and multi to 20, you will have 4Ghz.

If you ever overclocked before, it would be BUS x multi. Now it's Baseclock. Baseclock isn't so much an actual measure of speed as it is just a reference number for other things to multiply themselves off of. The real replacement for BUS in the 1366 architechture is QPI (quad path interconnect)

You also have the Uncore speed, which must be at least 2x DRAM speed. So 1600Mhz DRAM requires a minimum Uncore of 3200Mhz.

SO, in a nutshell:

BCLK = a reference clock for other things
CPU speed = BCLK x Multi
DRAM = (your RAM's speed)
UNCORE = 2x > DRAM
QPI (can be thought of as replacement for BUS) = as high as you can get it while maintaining complete stability.

Before overclocking anything, play with the new system for a day or two and run a couple of stress tests (ie PRIME 95 just google it and run BLEND mode for 6 hours) to make sure the system is solid and stable at stock.

 

[BigTerminator]

In that case I wouldn't recommend the Noctua NH-D14. Like Theocnoob said, instead of the fans blowing horizontally, you'll have to make it vertical which I wouldn't recommend. Get the Corsair H70 or the Antec Kuhler 90 if you can afford it. Your Motherboard's Mosfet heatsinks are in the way of the Noctua cooler so that's why it isn't compatible.

You can find your DRAM's voltage and timings by looking up your model number.