Evga X58 Sli ultimate overclocking/ overview/ discussion thread

[bahlgren342]

thinking of getting this board is the NB fan noisy?

Not at all, just turned all my case fans down to try and listen in.

[LardArse]

hi solar this is what works for me

For those interested in Extreme Overclocking

When Extreme Cooling the EVGA Classified or regular board, I usually have a set fix of steps.

My Observation/Theory:

The i7 CPUs are kinda different from the LGA775 CPUs when extreme cooling them. Temperature makes a huge difference in the amount of current / speed with which current flows through the CPU. The CPU does not like it when it’s comfortable level is passed. The higher the Voltage the faster the current flows. The cooler the temperature, the faster the current flows. The more loaded the CPU, the more the amount of current flows.
So you may observe instances such as these:

Your CPU is stable at 4.6GHz 1.8v VCore at -20C but unstable at 4.6GHz 1.8v VCore at -100C. (Though you will be able to run higher Vcore when cold on EVGA X58s compared to other X58s.)

Your CPU is stable sitting in Desktop at 5GHz -130C 1.6v but unstable running through CPU Tests and you need to run warmer than -120C to pass CPU Tests or lower VCore to 1.55v to pass CPU Tests at -130C. (CPU Tests puts a lot of current through your CPU and the colder the temperature/the higher the voltage that faster it flows – till it surpasses the comfort zone)

Your CPU is not stable at -120C with 3.6GHz Uncore but stable at -120C with 4.5GHz Uncore. (Higher Uncore warms the CPU so that the actual CPU Die is warmer)

Why not tape up some of the VCC (VCore) or VSS (Ground) pins of the CPU to lower this effect? That would be like adding weights to a Race car so it slows down and doesn’t flip at corners – you cover up a hole and open another.

So in effect it is a situation one has to handle and the trick is to find the optimum sweetspot combination of temperature, Frequencies (CPU Core, Uncore, Memory) and voltage.

So a typical Extreme Cooling session for me is like this:

Flip the jumper X-Cool to the 2-3 position, or for the regular board I choose Extreme Cooling Mode 2.



http://g.imagehost.org/0714/1_15.jpg

Then I boot up and start setting settings. (This typically happens for me before I go lower than -50C on the CPU).

I set the voltages (when Extreme Overclocking/Cooling):



http://g.imagehost.org/0205/5_6.jpg

I also set the Memory Timings and Ratios.

I set 25x Multiplier (as I’m using 965XE).
I calculate the target Hostclock I have in mind (For eg, I’m aiming to run 29 x 169MHz -> 4900 MHz I tend to stick to 29x) so I key in 169 MHz here.
I set the Uncore Multiplier of my target.

Note: I tend to set these before CPU hits lower than -40/-50C. I always boot at 25x CPU Multiplier and 1.45 – 1.5v VCore. I always boot at or close to the Host Clock I wanna run.

Then I go into OS and use ELEET or the enclosed ECP Accessory to fine tune CPU VCore (typically the sweet spot ends up around 1.55 - 1.7v) and CPU Multiplier as temperatures drop further. When I reboot to go into the BIOS henceforth, I only adjust DIMM Voltage, or Host Clock, and not options that require a shutdown and poweron again (Such as Memory Ratio/Uncore Ratio), especially when my CPU is @ -100C.

This is what works best for me.

[Solarfall]

Was wondering why I didnt see a thread on this board yet. It's a good board. Pretty easy to use as well. Are you using the E758SZ21 bios? That is the newest version correct?

hehe yeah i was wondering the same thing too compared to dfi x58 board i find the evga x58 little bit easier to overclock/ and it does not seem to need so much voltage to hit high clocks as the dfi x58 board.
and yes im using the latest bios, the E758SZ1N had similar ocing potential, i was able to hit 4.9ghz (superpi 32m stable) with my cascade with that one too, only think i noticed was

hi solar this is what works for me

For those interested in Extreme Overclocking

When Extreme Cooling the EVGA Classified or regular board, I usually have a set fix of steps.

My Observation/Theory:

The i7 CPUs are kinda different from the LGA775 CPUs when extreme cooling them. Temperature makes a huge difference in the amount of current / speed with which current flows through the CPU. The CPU does not like it when it’s comfortable level is passed. The higher the Voltage the faster the current flows. The cooler the temperature, the faster the current flows. The more loaded the CPU, the more the amount of current flows.
So you may observe instances such as these:

Your CPU is stable at 4.6GHz 1.8v VCore at -20C but unstable at 4.6GHz 1.8v VCore at -100C. (Though you will be able to run higher Vcore when cold on EVGA X58s compared to other X58s.)

Your CPU is stable sitting in Desktop at 5GHz -130C 1.6v but unstable running through CPU Tests and you need to run warmer than -120C to pass CPU Tests or lower VCore to 1.55v to pass CPU Tests at -130C. (CPU Tests puts a lot of current through your CPU and the colder the temperature/the higher the voltage that faster it flows – till it surpasses the comfort zone)

Your CPU is not stable at -120C with 3.6GHz Uncore but stable at -120C with 4.5GHz Uncore. (Higher Uncore warms the CPU so that the actual CPU Die is warmer)

Why not tape up some of the VCC (VCore) or VSS (Ground) pins of the CPU to lower this effect? That would be like adding weights to a Race car so it slows down and doesn’t flip at corners – you cover up a hole and open another.

So in effect it is a situation one has to handle and the trick is to find the optimum sweetspot combination of temperature, Frequencies (CPU Core, Uncore, Memory) and voltage.

So a typical Extreme Cooling session for me is like this:

Flip the jumper X-Cool to the 2-3 position, or for the regular board I choose Extreme Cooling Mode 2.



http://g.imagehost.org/0714/1_15.jpg

Then I boot up and start setting settings. (This typically happens for me before I go lower than -50C on the CPU).

I set the voltages (when Extreme Overclocking/Cooling):



http://g.imagehost.org/0205/5_6.jpg

I also set the Memory Timings and Ratios.

I set 25x Multiplier (as I’m using 965XE).
I calculate the target Hostclock I have in mind (For eg, I’m aiming to run 29 x 169MHz -> 4900 MHz I tend to stick to 29x) so I key in 169 MHz here.
I set the Uncore Multiplier of my target.

Note: I tend to set these before CPU hits lower than -40/-50C. I always boot at 25x CPU Multiplier and 1.45 – 1.5v VCore. I always boot at or close to the Host Clock I wanna run.

Then I go into OS and use ELEET or the enclosed ECP Accessory to fine tune CPU VCore (typically the sweet spot ends up around 1.55 - 1.7v) and CPU Multiplier as temperatures drop further. When I reboot to go into the BIOS henceforth, I only adjust DIMM Voltage, or Host Clock, and not options that require a shutdown and poweron again (Such as Memory Ratio/Uncore Ratio), especially when my CPU is @ -100C.

This is what works best for me.

hey lardy thats pretty much the same testing method i used while finding the max clocks that my cpu is capable of doing on this board.. first i find the clocks that allow me to boot into OS and then use eleet software to fine tune the max stable clocks by trial and error. usually i just raise the base clock by 5 like from 210 to 215 and stress the cpu if i the stressing test crashes i just use the eleet tool to raise the volts a little bit.. using this method i've been able to get to 234 base clock speeds.
i think i will have to try next that pmw frequency setting if it helps in getting more out from my cpu so far i've left that to auto.

[Expat GriZ]

It is guides and support like this that makes me want to buy the board right now!!! Thanks guys, very informative!!