[Team.AU] Core i7 965xe, Gigabyte UD5/Extreme, ADATA 1600+ 3Gb

[T_M]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/logo_team-aus_colour-rev.jpg

The last few weeks i've had the pleasure of playing with Nehalem based systems in various configurations (and in various locations).

Sampling Gigabyte's GA-EX58 UD5 and Extreme board line up has been my main priority, but at the same time ive managed to squeeze out some decent bench results in time for launch.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7012.jpg

Thanks to our various supporters for supplying great hardware to test:

Intel - Core i7 965xe ES, 80Gb 25-M SSD, TRUE Extreme
Gigabyte - UD5 and Extreme mobos, Core i7 965xe's ES, 4870x2
ADATA - Tri-channel 1600+ 8-8-8-24 (3 x 1 Gb kit)

My experience thus far on air is great, with a TRUE strapped to the chip you can easily push out 4GHz plus multithreaded tests, and at that speed and the right tweaking you can have yourself a blazing fast monster PC.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_6998.jpg

On subzero thats where things get a little more shaky, with various chips ive tested so far having coldbug/boot problems at temperature much warmer than extreme benchers are used to (e.g. -60C). The effect of vcore is also slightly different, with chips having a preferred maximum voltage above which their behaviour becomes erratic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7016.jpg

Tweaking for performance is much more satifying than with Core 2 for me, quite reminiscent of the s939 days where you can play with multiplier, base clock, uncore clock, and QPI clock combinations to get the most from your CPU, memory, and PCI-E lanes. Add to that the usual miriad of votlage options available on the Gigabyte boards and you have hours of fun tweaking ahead.

Hicookies notes prior to some board testing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_6999.jpg

The Gigabyte boards are performing really strong for me, no show stopping bugs (ala P45T :p:) and robust stability for even the highest loads (e.g. 5GHz+). The BIOS feels really good, with only some minor details for extreme overclockers to be resolved such as PCI-E frequency adjustment problems and a vcore 'bug' above 1.6V causing an extra 0.04V on top of your BIOS set value. LLC is also not working properly yet, but that can easily be resolved with a pencil/solder/paint vdroop mod as below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7063.jpg

The ADATA tri-channel kit is going really nice, with max benchable speeds so far of ~2050MHz @ 8-9-8-24 1T @ 2V.
I like to run them more around the 1900-2000 range which allows me to tighten things up a little.
20K+ in everest is really simple to achieve, and SuperPI 32M definitely loves it that way ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7003.jpg

So far ive managed to run QPI up to around 7400+, uncore up around 4500+ which brings about some nice efficiency gains in 3D and 2D respectively.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7013.jpg

Here's some links to results ive achieved so far using my better 3831Axxx ES CPU:

5267MHz CPU-Z: http://www.hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=791460

7m 31.950s SuperPI 32M: http://www.hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=791900
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/signature.jpg

18167 PCMark'05 (no iRAM): http://www.hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=792285
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/untitled-5.jpg

2m 46.250s wPrime 1024M: http://www.hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=792600
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/signature-1.jpg

And finally, here's one of me overclocking @ 5GHz at the Core i7 launch party last night in Singapore:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/T_M/IMG_7089.jpg

[ZoLKoRn]

Nice Work Tim :up: so how about other chip and what temps control on 5G+ ?

Keep pushing it Team AU. :up:

[TheKarmakazi]

Nice write up and insights Tim. Did retail clock any better than ES? About what voltages were the chips maxing out at?

[T_M]

I havent had any retails to test yet :(
Both of my chips dont mind "high volts" and scale up above 1.6V.
My better one likes 1.7V for high clock benches like 32M, but lower for high clock multithreaded (probably due to the phenominon that Fugger found)

[dinos22]

nice going Timbo :up:

[youngpro]

hey tim, tim, were on a briiidge tim!

nice work man, how do those press expect you to bench when there blocking your route to the keyboard?!?!?!?!

[T_Flight]

Any idea when those A-Data Kits might be available? Just was curious if anybody had heard anything. I've been eyeing those. Recently was gonna go with another kit, but got sent on a wild goose chase all day yesterday and won't even be giving those a second look now.

[dinos22]

hey tim, tim, were on a briiidge tim!

nice work man, how do those press expect you to bench when there blocking your route to the keyboard?!?!?!?!

tightarses could have bought a bigger screen too and put it up on the wall hehehehe :p:

[T_M]

Nice Work Tim :up: so how about other chip and what temps control on 5G+ ?

Im running -50C to -65C idle, and when benching anywhere up to -70C.
Temperature is not affecting my overclock and i can wPrime at 4.6GHz and 1.65V right up to -14C.

[Deanzo]

Hey bro :)

Very nice numbers mate. Just to be sure, that mod point where you have a VR hooked up to, is the same one to paint across / solder across for the droop ?

[T_M]

yes, you can totally bridge it with either if you want.
But also a VR set such that resistance across it after installation < 1k is sufficent for 0 droop too.
I used a 50k VR for my test, but had to turn it a lot down to get the desired resistance so im guessing something like a 10k should be good.
In both cases if you do that mod, the vcore > 1.6V 'bug' i mentioned above will occur.

[dread77]

Good job Tim...:up:

Hey, mate, you got $6K sitting in a plastic case right there in your first pic...:p:

It's really frustrating though that only one out of six CPUs could provide a descent overclock.:shrug:

[eva2000]

awesome stuff Tim, btw what's max block for each of the cpus you tested on air/LN2 ?

how did the other cpus compare to this one ?

[T_M]

I didnt test hardly any from that tray actually.
My first chip i tested at home was a 3830Axxx and it stank at max windows load 4.7ish.
Then Intel sent me another 3830Axxx in the smackover kit which i havent tested under cold yet, but i can guess how it will go....
When i went to Taiwan recently i swapped the first chip for a 3831Axxx which is now my 'decent' chip.
From that tray in the photo Deanzo and I tested one that did 4800MHz 32M while in Taiwan.
2 others from that tray were tested by other people in the same room and hit only very average clocks AFAIK.

[Hennels]

You make me cry!
Nice going though :up:

[Oliver]

thx 4 posting

cool write up Tim :)

keep pushing it

[scooter.jay]

Ver nice results and some good insights thanks keep pushing:up:

[maverik-sg1]

Cant wait to see your BIOS screenies for this imber set-up.

How did you find insulating around the crowded socket? It looks a real pain to do properly....

I do have a massive bee in my bonnet about i7 motherboards - the price is ludicrous, I mean really stupid.

How can you take away a northbridge and add $100 onto the price of the board - AMD boards are like $200, even with the extra DDR channel I can't understand how they came to the prices they have?

But I go OT - can't wait to see more of your work on this project.

It is interesting that these cpu's have issues below a certain temperature, that should even up the field a bit when it comes to setting WR's, after all, phase cooling is more readily used than LN2 - I feel perfecting all the tweaks etc will once again play an important roles in who will be the best of the best and the best of what's left :)

[chispy]

Great going Tim , Well done 5Gz live :up: , i like the methodology you use bro.
keep going.

[[XC] gomeler]

Feeling better and better about my decision to wait it out on Nehalem till 2009. Nice results but a damn shame on those coldbugs and low walling chips.

[vservera]

nice m8, great scores

[T_M]

http://www.yourfilehost.com/media.php?cat=other&file=ex58ex.f4e

[Harshal]

:D Hey Tim, nice one!! :up:

[memory]

Is there any linky to bios F4b? Thks

[T_M]

hey longy :D

http://www.fileshost.com/en/file/71851/ex58ud5-f4b.html

[stasio]

http://www.yourfilehost.com/media.php?cat=other&file=ex58ex.f4e
What about this link? Can you upload different host.
Btw,
GA-EX58-UD5 - Bios F4e (http://www.jzelectronic.de/jz2/Bios/ex58ud5f4e.exe)

Anybody,Extreme F4e ?

[G.Foyle]

Thanks for F4e link, stasio :up:
It seems to run uncore better than F2 and F3; I can pass 4GHz barrier on uncore now.

[T_M]

http://www.fileshost.com/en/file/71890/ex58ex-f4e.html

Try that

[memory]

thks T_M and stasio fo the link...

Btw, anyone of your experience the primary timings bug?? I set 7-7-7-18 in bios but cpu-z read 7-7-7-24...or it is CPU-Z bug??

[T_M]

CPU-Z bug AFAIK.
Typically i get cas reading higher than set, and also TRAS

[stasio]

http://www.fileshost.com/en/file/71890/ex58ex-f4e.html

Try that
Thanks T_M,this time ok

thks T_M and stasio fo the link...

Btw, anyone of your experience the primary timings bug?? I set 7-7-7-18 in bios but cpu-z read 7-7-7-24...or it is CPU-Z bug??
Everest,MemSet ?

[Trouffman]

nice job T_M :D

Here are more pictures about the A-DATA kit : A-DATA VIESTA Extreme Memory kit (http://soj.mesdiscussions.net/soj/Memoires/gallerie-viesta-channel-sujet_2352_1.htm)

[stasio]

CPU-Tweaker 1.0-beta1

New memory tweaker,support only Nehalem and AMD K10 CPU (with integrated Memory Controller).

CPU-Tweaker 1.0-beta1 (http://www.tweakers.fr/download/CPU-Tweaker-beta1.zip)

http://www.yourpicbox.com/images/oiNFtZUMt1490.jpg

[HDCHOPPER]

wtg tim !! exellent info looks like a fun for all :D

you get 6.0 soon :up:

[Harshal]

Nice info in the thread, TIM :up:
BTW, I managed to upgrade the BIOS on my EX58-UD5P to Ex58-UD5 (F3E) after some stupid auto-recover to F1B.
Will try F4E 2moro and see if goes without any problem.

[stasio]

GA-EX58-UD5 - F4f is released

[stasio]

EX58-UD5- Bios F4f

Visit BEST Gigabyte forum.......TweakTown Forum (http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/)

[T_M]

Thanks, im going to have to slap my Gigabyte sources for not keeping me abreast :P

[stasio]

Thanks, im going to have to slap my Gigabyte sources for not keeping me abreast :P
EX58-UD5- Bios F4g .......testing:banana:

[SiuL]

sweet nice test

[MarcusFoX]

love this setup good job

[MrHydes]

hey tim, tim, were on a briiidge tim!

nice work man, how do those press expect you to bench when there blocking your route to the keyboard?!?!?!?!

:D :D that was funny because the first thing i've notest in that picture

was the same you've notest :rofl:

[EmineM]

Great Results T_M, have you found your 5 GHZ 3D chip yet ?

[T_M]

Havent been looking, no benching at all since November