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Just tried a suicide run into 4.5GHz.
Lost Windows altogether.
Ended up with just a blinking cursor at the end of the boot screens.
Inserted the OS disc and all it saw was the unformatted iRAM, no option to repair or nuttin.
Struck me as odd...usually you'd see a error message of some kind ("corrupted bootloader", missing "NTOSkrnl", etc.) but this time- nada.
Oh well.
try to keep the timmings sth like 6-6-6-18 @ 2.1v max. should work with most ram sticks.
If not, try 6-7-7-21 @2.1v.
btw, which are your sticks ?
I'm running these G.Skills.
And yes, I know I probably could start relaxing the RAM timing to pile on a few more MHz but don't feel the desire to do so right now.
Been there, done that.
I mean really...I took a $200 chip and bumped it a full GHz without having to do anything...frankly, it's made me lazy.
Besides, until you post a verified SuperPi result I still have the fastest score around, so where's my incentive?
Oh I cant wait to get a better score:angry:
I'd like them to make a program like SuperPi that can utilize multiple cores. Then my score would likely beat yours :P
My vista experience score is 5.9 all across the board now, but too bad that doesn't mean squat.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/a445080d.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/9bc4b4b1.jpg
This is 32bit Vista.
I should have a 64bit copy in a few weeks.
Right now I'm triple booting Vista and both versions of XP Pro.
I have a partition all ready for Ubuntu but still can't figure out how to get it on a RAID array.
K., how about running the OverDrive beta tests here (must use Internet Explorer).
I'd be interested to see how the processor scores compare.
Anyone else is welcome too, of course.
Bragging rights at stake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iler/Score.jpg
Bragging rights = mine :)
Literally no tweaking at all aside from bumping the Q6600 to a measly 3Ghz, and it recommends updating my sound and video drivers, which would likely yield a higher result as well.
But top 3% in the whole world is pretty decent...
Holy shit.
That chip is amazing.
Hmmm, wonder if Microcenter is still selling 'em for $200.
Yes, it is a beast. Mine has been proven stable at 3.6Ghz but I just can't deal with the heat load right now so I'm running it at 3Ghz which is still plenty.
Compared to the e8400, I like to think of it as being the big 1 tonne truck, capable of pulling/pushing through anything you throw at it with absolutely no effort. While the e8400 is like the sports car, incredibly fast but extremely high sped.
Something like that anyway....
Notice in my score my crappy Crucial value RAM, only running at 667Mhz. Also your drives are faster than mine are, I'm also running a raid-0 array, but not as efficiently. My drives are both the same size but different specifications, also one is Sata and the other is Sata2. Still considerably faster than booting from a single drive though.
I do wonder why your 8800GT scores 300 points higher than mine. What drivers are you running, and what speeds?
EDIT
Just ran 3DMark06
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...iler/13155.jpg
Sorry clocker...
169.21 forceware.Quote:
Originally Posted by kaiweiler
Stock speeds, want to upgrade the cooling before I play with the card.
No need to be sorry, you've got a great PC.
Just finished my qualifying run for the official [H]forum OC database..
Should put me #6 in the e8400 class...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/d4cd5a6f.jpg
Even if I scrape up another couple hundred MHz, it won't compare to that quad though.
What's holding you back on the overclock?
I'm guessing the 445FSB is getting close to the max for that P35-DS4...
Nice voltage for 4Ghz though :)
I'm guessing that my artificial and arbitrary cap on CPU voltage is the limiting factor.
That, and laziness.
There are so many other aspects of Sprocket that I could spend time on- video performance, for one- that ekeing out a few more MHz of clock speed has to fall down the list a bit.
Besides, I've run into a few issues that need to be addressed that affect my day to day usage...primarily, mouse stuttering.
This seems to be a relatively common problem and the general consensus points to the Intel AHCI/RAID drivers.
So far it is limited mostly to my Pro 64 install.
Not so much the 32 bit Pro and not at all in Vista.
I need to round up a PS2 mouse to see if this solely a USB issue or what.
Have any of you guys run into this?
Edit: Tightened up the RAM timings and added another 50MHz...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/854030f9.jpg
Also set new personal Aquamark record...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/92ef2609.jpg
Ran a new 3DMark but it wouldn't upload the score for some reason, shall try again.
Scraped a few more MHz out and still didn't cross the 1.3v vCore limit...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/d3f304b8.jpg
And came so fucking close to a 10 second SuperPI that I could almost cry...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/260040b1.jpg
BTW, the world record SuperPi is somewhere around 7.9 sec these days.
Achieved on an Intel chip clocked to 5.5GHz and cooled with liquid nitrogen.
Guess I still have a ways to go.
Just throwing this up because it surprised me so.
Flashed to the new Gigabyte F12 BIOS- only apparent change is the ".5 multiplier" option- and was considering where to go next with my chip when I recalled some talk about a "hole" in the FSB that seems to sit around 450 or so.
I wondered how deep that hole might be and decided to try 8 x 500, just kind of randomly picked it out but the resulting numbers had a pleasing symmetry to them...nice round 4000MHz clock speed, RAM exactly at it's 1000MHZ advertised speed and a rated FSB of 2000 even.
Figured it might boot to desktop but not much more.
Well, it did boot and seemed OK so I set up an Orthos run and left to run some errands.
This is what I came home to...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/1cdc6e16.jpg
Note the vCore.
It's set to 1.275v in BIOS so there's some droop under load (Orthos reports an idle voltage of 1.280, so there's a bit of inaccuracy everywhere it seems) but this particular chip seems to thrive at lower voltages.
Very odd.
Also, my temp sensors seem to be "loosening up" or something.
When I first got the chip a few weeks ago, it would NOT read below 35°c, regardless of the ambient.
I froze my tail off with a window open only to see the temp remain stubbornly fixed.
Now, under more normal conditions- i.e., window closed, me comfy- idle runs a more realistic 26-28°c...much closer to what I would have expected with effective watercooling.
Next I think I'm going to try lowering the vCore again- maybe 1.25v- and see what happens.
Meanwhile I'll enjoy the warm and fuzzy feeling that a 500FSB gives me...
Wow, that's awesome.
Why does Orthos see the CPU speed at 4.5Ghz instead of 4Ghz?
I don't think ORTHOS can deal with any multiplier except stock, which is 9 in the Wolfie's case...so 9 x 500= 4500.
Just a guess.
Ahh I see, good guess!
I see your using the Windows Sidebar, what do you think of it?
I didn't like it at first and didn't use it for quite some time but gave it another shot a couple months ago and loaded it up with some useful gadgets and now I'm quite fond of it actually...
I don't have strong feelings one way or the other actually.
I'm still just playing with Vista, waiting for my 64 bit version to arrive from MS.
I was just notified yesterday that my participation in the "Windows Feedback Program"- essentially 90 days of being spied upon by MS*- was complete and my free Vista (both 32 and 64 bit) would be sent soon.
So right now I'm just experimenting, both with Vista and overclocking configurations, wiping and reloading as necessary.
What gadgets do you find useful?
*During this period, whoever was monitoring my data saw a blizzard of OS installs, hardware changes and crashes due to overclocking.
I have to think that they were somewhat confused by the results and doubt I provided much in the way of useful info.
But I got another legal set of OS to add to the collection, so what the hell.
Last night's experiment involved the hard drives.
Since I was no longer being monitored I decided to ditch all the standby operating systems ( I had three, the "Feedback Panel" was only installed on XP Pro 32 so I could duck into the other two and remain hidden from prying eyes) and try to optimize the RAID array.
I rebuilt the RAID array and sliced off the fastest 30GB section for the OS.
The rest of the 500GB is just storage/page file, etc.
This made quite a difference...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/238964a9.jpg
Granted, "burst speed" is purely a benchmark result, but still....
For gadgets I use:
Multi Meter - displays CPU usage on each individual core as well as RAM consumption
Imp's Drive Info - displays hard drive consumption for multiple drives
As well as some not so important gadgets like weather and clock.
I have the sidebar located on the right side of my secondary monitor, so when I game I can still see the sidebar. It's nice to have a clock there to see how much of my life I waste away...
WOW dude I HAVE to try those numbers tomorrow, as of now we have the same chip and ram. I still haven't had time to set up the Q6600 yet have you? What do you leave your setting at on a normal day?
Also I use multi meter because it shows both cores too. I know you said you had a few copies of Black XP have you installed the 100 or so gadgets using the WPI?
Secondary monitor Kai!? Must be nice
I haven't bought a quad yet...kinda waiting to see what you thought.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detale
No pressure or anything...
Those are my normal settings.
I ran a ten hour Orthos test today while I was out and about and passed with flying colors.
Average temp was under 40° (I had the window open as it was pretty nice here), so stability is good, temp is good and voltage is low...why not run like this all the time?
I did get some new cooling stuff, will have pics up (hopefully) tomorrow as it gets installed.
I run two 19" widescreen LCD's, I doubt I'll ever go back to single monitor setup again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detale
I'm pretty happy with my Q6600, I'm only running it at 3Ghz daily but as soon as I get a better cooling solution I plan on running it at 3.4-3.6 (which the chip itself has been proven to be easily capable of)
I could use some better RAM though as well...
It's a never ending story isn't it?
clocker, is the new cooling stuff wet?
Let's try this again...I had a big response all ready yesterday only to get the "Site down for maintenance" when I hit submit.
Kinda pissed me off...
No K., it's not "wet".
I've seen some posts around that deal with the fancy heatpipe setups that many motherboards feature- mine included.
Apparently, these contraptions look quite impressive but are not in fact very well implemented.
Since I've been pushing my system more than anticipated (and don't have any way of monitoring north/south bridge temps (thanks a lot, Gigabyte), I decided to take a look at mine.
Glad I did.
Apologies in advance for the picture quality, many of the motherboard shots were completely unusable...
I stripped Sprocket down and removed the motherboard.
Then, squeezing off the retention pushpins, I pulled the all-in-one heatpipe cooler off.
This particular board has the heatpiped sinks covering the north and south bridges as well as the power conversion components.
Of the four main sinks, only the northbridge showed any indication at all that the sink had actually made contact with the chips it covered.
The sinks did not have thermal paste, instead there was a rubberlike strip between the sink and the chips, and close examination did not show indentations which would indicate contact.
Basically, most of that setup was for show.
I cleaned off the sinks and the chips with AS cleaner & purifier and applied Ceramique to all the components.
Then I reinstalled the heatpipe with screws and nuts instead of the flimsy pushpins.
Like so...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/54e7a79d.jpg
On the back I used a plastic washer (for insulation) followed by a metal washer and a nut...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/368dea68.jpg
Then I removed the entire assembly to check my contact patches- it looked much better- recleaned, repasted and reinstalled.
So now I know that at least the sinks are making contact with the motherboard and the components have a chance at being cooled.
That was Stage 1.
Stage 2 involved cooling the vid card (which has been running stock so far) and the memory (ditto).
I ordered a box of swag from FrozenCPU and got this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/848ae4a3.jpg
-Zalman VF1000 copper VGA cooler and a RAM sink cooler unit (which, despite being advertised as applicable for the 8800 series, does NOT fit the GT, so it will be returned)OCZ Freeze Extreme TIM.
-OCZ memory cooler module which sports two 80mm fans and clips to the DIMM retention clips
-OCZ Freeze Extreme TIM ( for the CPU as well as the GPU).
-the bag of fans I already had and was hoping to use as spot coolers on the motherboard but haven't done anything with yet.
First, the video card.
Remove the stock cooler...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/eef5ac0b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/a4cb1325.jpg
And install the Zalman.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/f5a3f1c6.jpg
I had to use the individual memory sinks that come with the cooler instead of the super-duper heatsink that Zalman sells separately (which covers everything...as long as you have a GTS or Ultra).
Then the board got remounted in the case and the memory cooler and vid card were reinstalled.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/0ec74459.jpg
It's a very close fit between the memory cooler bracket and the bottom of the video card...so close that I layered some electrical tape on the memory unit's upper bracket to prevent accidental shorting.
I'm not impressed with the OCZ's mounting method- it works but is rather loose, so I may custom make a bracket that is more stable and lowers the module a few millimeters to completely eliminate the possibility of vid card contact.
Thus ends Stage 2.
The Zalman VGA cooler lowered the GT's idle temps from 55°c to @ 30°c- a dramatic improvement. Running a few loops of 3D Mark 06 gave me load temps in the mid to upper forties, so I consider this modification to be an unqualified success.
I have no way of measuring my memory temps so I can't comment about the OCZ's effectiveness, but it does look pretty cool and I consider it good insurance as well as adding a bit of bling.
I went through all this rigamorole because I've hit a wall overclocking the CPU and it seems likely that I'll have to apply more voltage to the motherboard to achieve stability.
Even if I don't pursue the quest for more MHz, it seemed like a good idea to make sure my cooling was up to par and judging by the look of the stock heatpipe solution, this board needed some attention.
Now that I feel more confident about my safety net, we'll see what this thing can do...
Sorry man life in general has been insanely hectic, I have been working my ass off 6 days a week 12 hours a day so when I'm home I'm eating, sleeping or changing shitty diapers.Quote:
Originally Posted by clocker
BTW way to void every warranty you had!! :P You rock dude
OK but I had Sunday off and 3 whole hours to myself(these days thats an eternity) So I flew through installing the new PSU ( Corsair 620 Thanks Clocker I love the damn thing) and the Q6600 also re-installing my Blue Orb II cooler as I had the stock cooler on the wolfdale after the temp confusion episode.
So all is going well when I am tightening the 2nd screw on the CPU cooler when I hear an oh so dreaded "snap" I'm like WHAT THE FUCK NOW!!! so the good news is it was only one of the mounting screws on the cooler itself so not that big a deal but the bad news at least for now is I am stuck with the stock cooler again ( BTW I need a recommendation on a new CPU cooler guys)
OK so I get the rig up and running just then now remembering I wanted to run some last min tests on the Wolfdale and take some screenshots to compare along with pics of my rig innards All of which I forgot about because I was in an incredible rush ( sorry again)
Now I overclocked it to 333x9= 2997 which is close enough to 3 for me as a first run. Now CPU-Z is showing the multiplier @ 6 which is less than 2Ghz if I check the Bios it shows 3 but why not in Cpuz or Everest?? Oddly when I first ran Cpuz and saw that it said 6 I ran my mouse over it and it only for a second changed to 9 but then back to 6???:huh:Everest shows this
and here is Cpuz and speedfan with a little SuperPi thrown inQuote:
Overclock
CPU Properties:
CPU Type QuadCore Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
CPU Alias Kentsfield
CPU Stepping G0
Engineering Sample No
CPUID CPU Name Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
CPUID Revision 000006FBh
Core Voltage 1.163 V
CPU Speed:
CPU Clock 1998.0 MHz (original: 2400 MHz)
CPU Multiplier 6.0x
CPU FSB 333.0 MHz (original: 266 MHz, overclock: 25%)
Memory Bus 499.5 MHz
DRAM:FSB Ratio 12:8
CPU Cache:
L1 Code Cache 32 KB per core
L1 Data Cache 32 KB per core
L2 Cache 2x 4 MB (On-Die, ASC, Full-Speed)
Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID 01/02/2008-X38-ICH9-6A79OG0QC-00
Motherboard Name Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 (2 PCI, 3 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Dual Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394)
Chipset Properties:
Motherboard Chipset Intel Beachwood X38
Memory Timings 5-7-7-19 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
Command Rate (CR) 2T
SPD Memory Modules:
DIMM1: G Skill F2-8000CL5-2GBPQ 2 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 400 MHz) (4-4-4-10 @ 266 MHz)
DIMM3: G Skill F2-8000CL5-2GBPQ 2 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 400 MHz) (4-4-4-10 @ 266 MHz)
BIOS Properties:
System BIOS Date 01/02/08
Video BIOS Date 12/06/07
Award BIOS Type Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Award BIOS Message X38-DQ6 F7
DMI BIOS Version F7
Graphics Processor Properties:
Video Adapter nVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
GPU Code Name G92GT (PCI Express 2.0 x16 10DE / 0611, Rev A2)
GPU Clock (Geometric Domain) 602 MHz (original: 600 MHz)
GPU Clock (Shader Domain) 1512 MHz (original: 1500 MHz)
Memory Clock 900 MHz (original: 900 MHz)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9678/q6600wg6.jpg
Now the temps look OK IMO but the same 3Ghz under the Wolfdale I got on my first try as seen in an earlier post in this thread is @ 15.6 sec So I have to say thus far at least I am not immediately impressed with the Q6600 over the E8600 The next 3 hours I get will prob be spent Swapping out this CPU for the Wolfdale again along with installing a new CPU cooler which I say again
I need some advice on please
But there is something to consider, the Blue Orb had two brackets installed using screws through the back of the Mobo then two screws through the fan onto said brackets. I cannot use something with a "plate" on the back of the Mobo I have this Copper plate back there ie
http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggIma...128-066-06.jpg
I have read that it will interfere with certain CPU coolers in that there screws aren't long enough to reach past the copper So any help would be cool as hell guys Thanks in advance I am looking for something firstly functional but also a little flash if thats possible something along the lines of this
Cooler Master Hyper TX 2 CPU Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/images/prod...cpu-cma-11.jpg
or
Cooljag Falcon 92-CU Quad Heat Pipe Copper Silent PWM CPU Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/images/prod...cpu-cjg-20.jpg
D., you need to disable the power saving features in BIOS (EIST, CIA2?)...they are what causes the multiplier to default down to 6 whenever they decide the processor can run slower.
I thought that overclocking the chip usually disabled the power save features automatically but it wouldn't hurt to do it manually.
TheAC Freezer Pro is tough to beat for the money.
On the high end, the Thermalright Extreme 120 is generally considered the unit to beat.
Yeah, it's the power savings feature...
Also remember that SuperPi just runs on a single core, where FSB and Ram speed probably plays the biggest factor. The E8400 has a 1333Mhz bus, while the Q6600 has 1066Mhz.
Try some video editing or other multi-core apps, even heavy multitasking and that is where the Q6600 will come out on top of the E8400.
Played around a bit with the video card...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/17dfe229.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/3097dbd6.jpg
Now I need something to stress the vid so I can check the temps, any suggestions?
AtiTool, scanning for artifacts?
Nice score in 3dMark! Around 400 points more then I am getting. Although I see your using XP 32bit, I'm on Vista64.
What clocks did you get on your GT?
Actually K., that's Vista 32 SP1.
That run was at 700/1100.
I'll try the ATI Tool, thanks.
Oh strange, in your screenshot it says XP 32 bit, I just assumed you had added a Vista theme.
Um, yeah, you're right.
I dunno why it says that.
It's definitely Vista x 86...I spent time this morning installing SP1.
At this point Vista is the only OS I have installed.
Did you notice any improvements with SP1? Is it the final release or the RC version?
It's the final release and no, I haven't seen anything obvious as yet.
My understanding is that the file transfer speeds will be increased and I plan on testing that out soon.
My brother, sister and nephew are all visiting this week, so time is at somewhat of a premium.
Dude thanks so much. I hope all is well with the whole Clocker crew. I did some research on the Thermalright and I found that only 1 cooler beat it in certain tests the Enzotech Extreme-X Copper Forged Premium Heatsink I think I am going to go with it What do you think?Quote:
Originally Posted by clocker
Looks like a decent cooler, but I would personally go for the Ultra 120 Extreme from Thermalright instead. I like having the freedom of choosing a fan that suits my liking.
That Enzotech is rated at 43dBa, which is quite loud. Of coarse sound level ratings have a lot of variables involved to make them accurate, but regardless I'd probably end up changing out the fan anyway. It depends what you want really.
In any case, I have never ever heard of anyone being disappointed with the Ultra 120 Extreme.
Given my freakish weakness for cooling products, I'd probably buy both and see for myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detale
But that's just me.
I've used Thermalright products in the past and believe their rep is fairly earned.
Enzotech is relatively new but seems well reviewed.
Forced to choose, I'd go with the Thermalright since I have many, many fans I could slap on, not to mention the world's best fan controller (Sunbeam), so I could tailor the performance/noise ratio to a T.
If you're working with the e8400, it really doesn't matter much...the chip runs so cool that almost any quality sink would handle the load.
I suppose one deciding factor would be how you want the heatsink oriented on the board...the TR sits vertically and the Enzo horizontally, so you may want to analyze your layout and see which might be more advantageous to the components surrounding the CPU socket.
[quote=clocker;2731532]Given my freakish weakness for cooling products, I'd probably buy both and see for myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detale
But that's just me.
I've used Thermalright products in the past and believe their rep is fairly earned.
Enzotech is relatively new but seems well reviewed.
Forced to choose, I'd go with the Thermalright since I have many, many fans I could slap on, not to mention the world's best fan controller (Sunbeam), so I could tailor thDon't temp me bro. Damn I still don't know I have to think on it a while but Im leaning towards the Enzotech because I think it looks a bit nicer.Quote:
Originally Posted by clockerGiven my freakish weakness for cooling products, I'd probably buy both and see for myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detale
But that's just me.
I've used Thermalright products in the past and believe their rep is fairly earned.
Enzotech is relatively new but seems well reviewed.
Forced to choose, I'd go with the Thermalright since I have many, many fans I could slap on, not to mention the world's best fan controller (Sunbeam), so I could tailor the performance/noise ratio to a T.
If you're working with the e8400, it really doesn't matter much...the chip runs so cool that almost any quality sink would handle the load.
I suppose one deciding factor would be how you want the heatsink oriented on the board...the TR sits vertically and the Enzo horizontally, so you may want to analyze your layout and see which might be more advantageous to the components surrounding the CPU socket.
Have you put any thought into the Q6600 at all? I personally don't think much of it after the E8400 also I used the new Convert X to DVD 3 ( My video converter of choice) it says it supports quad cores but I only see an increase in converted frames per second of around 10-15 average again not really impressed much, When I have time I'm going back to the Wolfdale prob when I get the new CPU cooler.
EDIT: OK so I never really wanted to get into water cooling before because I feel it's a bit expensive BUT I am lurkiing around on some great cooling sites and I come across this product:
CoolIT Eliminator Thermoeletronic CPU Cooler $160
http://images.tigerdirect.com/skuima...-1000-main.jpg
Now I have not seen anything like this before.
3DGameMan gives it a "kickass" review ( I know he's corney but I think his reviews are thorough)
[youtube]DU7Z8VeRJHQ[/youtube]
I have done some mild reading and can't find anything wrong with it as of yet. Do you guys know anything about it? Please hurry I don't know how long I can hold off from making an impulse but right now
Sorry to hijackyet again, I'll stat a new thread man
I've been playing around some more but in a somewhat unusual direction.
It's pretty apparent by now that the e8400 Wolfdales are freakishly overclockable but there is a huge difference in how people achieve the extra speed.
In the various threads it seems that once the easy level is reached- by this I mean 9 x 400= 3.6GHz- the amount of voltage required to hit 4 GHz is radically different (although there is no way of knowing how competent these people are...they may just be upping the juice because they think they should).
Sprocket's chip seemed to be less voltage hungry than most (I've only seen one or two examples that hit 8 x500 at less than my 1.275v), so I've been experimenting with the highest possible clock balanced against the lowest possible voltage.
Although not exhaustively tested as yet, I have managed to hit 9 x 400 (3.6GHz) with just 1.175 vCore ( this is down from a stock level of 1.225v) and I'll bet she'll go even lower...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/c2f48446.jpg
This is not just a whim on my part.
Lots of the early users are now reporting a total loss of overclock capability after a few weeks of 24/7 running at elevated voltage.
There is a lot of controversy about what the highest "safe" voltage might be and I've decided that until more trustworthy data is available (which may be never) that I'll just sidestep the question altogether and explore the undervolting option.
So far, it seems to be working out quite well.
The Wolfdale's other main weirdness surrounds it's temp reporting...basically, idle temps are very untrustworthy.
Intel says that it really doesn't care about the sensor's accuracy at low temps since they are there to throttle the chip at dangerously high levels, so that's the area they concentrated on.
There is a program (RealTemp) specifically written to try and spoof this inaccuracy but I'm not sure how good it really is.
My doubt springs from the fact that my idle temps haven't scaled downward with the voltage decrease.
Even my full load temps haven't changed much (after factoring in ambient variations) but as I've rarely seen max temp exceed 40°c under load, I guess I can stop worrying about that as well.
This setup is just sweet as hell...I don't know how AMD will ever catch up again.
Edit: Just finished another round with 1.15v vCore...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/e7a7f8b9.jpg
Time to drop 'er again...
any ideas of which are considered the safe volts to keep a wolfie 24/7 safely? i'm near 1.48v and i think it's kinda high for a 45nm chip.
I don't know and I don't think anyone else does either.
People argue quite vociferously and throw Intel White Paper quotes around like spears about that very topic.
Then there are the folks who have lost the ability to clock at all after a few weeks of higher voltage.
It's confusing partly because heat alone doesn't seem to be an indicator.
Used to be- think AMD 2500 Barton here- that you had to toss lots of voltage to up the FSB but as long as you managed the temps the chip seemed to survive OK.
Nowadays- probably because of the advances in cooling solutions- even insanely (by my definition) overvolted chips max out well below the TJ max value and yet some of them die.
Because of the uncertainty I set my personal comfort cap at 1.3v.
It helps that I got extremely lucky with my chip and excessive voltage hasn't been needed to reach good clocks.
Within a few days of posting initial results (I admit to pimping Sprocket in several other forums) I started getting offers to buy the Wolfie at a premium over what I paid.
The potential to profit has also had an effect on how much I'm willing to push the chip as well.