**Official** Core i7 860/870 overclocking thread

[nolonger]

I've been working on overclocking my i7 860 and benching it under air before going DICE. So far I managed 19.55 secs on PiFast and 9.281 on SuperPi 1M.
http://hwbot.org/community/submissio..._860_19.55_sec
http://hwbot.org/community/submissio...860_9sec_281ms

Any suggestions on how I can improve my scores? I'm using some really crappy RAM until my G. Skill 2200MHz kit arrives.

[ezaleina]

hi guys.,noob question here.,i dunno which one is the vtt for M3F board is it IMC or southbridge voltage..confuse here..

[devil_mcry]

hi guys.,noob question here.,i dunno which one is the vtt for M3F board is it IMC or southbridge voltage..confuse here..

vtt on mf3 is called imc voltage, i think

[nolonger]

Noob question here too: What does the PLL Voltage do?

[HondaGuy]

Here is mine.

[ezaleina]

vtt on mf3 is called imc voltage, i think

thanks man..

[xcluded]

Hi , on default vcore , on average how far can an i7-860 go ?

thanks

[devil_mcry]

Hi , on default vcore , on average how far can an i7-860 go ?

thanks

mmm my i7 860 has 1.12v default vcore, i can run full stable 3600mhz @ 1.84v then i think is easy 3300-3400mhz

[xcluded]

mmm my i7 860 has 1.12v default vcore, i can run full stable 3600mhz @ 1.84v then i think is easy 3300-3400mhz

ah i see.

pardon me for asking this , as i'm very new to this platform...

with a default vcore of 1.12v , what is the safe range that one should be aware of ?

[nolonger]

Up to 1.4V for daily use.

[Cleatus]

[mooch49]

i experimented with LLC on and off. it seems when off(vdroop high) i have to put vcore high in the bios like 1.45. but when i test with linx, i notice the vcore go down in cpu-z while at its highest temps. for example, cpu-z shows core voltage at 1.408, then once i start testing with linx, it goes down to 1.328. now when i enabled LLC (vdroop low), i would have to set vcore at around 1.30 in bios. then i test w/ linx and i notice core voltage going up over 1.40. also, temps are about 5-10 degrees higher w/ LLC enabled. i am kinda confused about these discrepancies. which do i take as most accurate? i know most people say not to go above 1.40 w/ vcore. but when i disable LLC, i have to set around 1.45, but in windows you see it go down. the opposite occurs when i enable LLC and set a lower vcore in bios.

my system is
msi p55-gd80 bios 1.8
venemous-x; scythe flex-e push/pull
4 gigs of gskill ddr3 trident 1600, timings are 2-2-2-8
evga gtx 480
bfg gtx 260 for physX

[Vinas]

LLC works differently across motherboards. Some boards boost vcore pretty high, and then others stay within +-0.02 vcore. There is no factual chip killing voltage to stay under either. Even at 1.4v you could toast an i7 860 CPU, so 1.4v can be misleading but it is safe to say this is just more of a guideline to follow. Because it's not very common to have a chip crap out at 1.4vcore.

[Martin.v.r]

I use watercooling
Is not the best cpu,but here can I run 24/7 3D test/games

[MikelMolto]

@Martin.v.r
First let me say, that I am impressed about Your RAM settings!

I just have one doubt, because I don´t know if I understood this right.
Is it correct, that the QPI Link should be 2 times the speed of the RAM?
As I understand it, You are running QPI 3367,5 with a BCLK 210,5 (3367,5 div 210,5 = 16) what tells me, that You use the slower QPI.
The other Option in the Bios is 210 * 18 = QPI 3780 Mhz. This was good for a Memory speed of 1890 Mhz.

Here now my doubt:
- Does a Memory speed higher than the QPI speed (like in Your case) bring any better performance?
- Was it not better if You would set the higher QPI Speed?

[Martin.v.r]

at high overclock you must lower the QPI, it might go beyond the overall performance if it is too high
if you run whit high overclock
MSI OC tabel to I7 860/870
AIR /AIR+watercooling /water... / Water... Dise / LN2

[Pekalion]

Hi guys! Today I finally received the Maximus 3 Formula and the i7 860. BTW, the batch/fpo is L003B720. Does anyone know if is it a good batch? Hope it is :p

Tomorrow I will try to put all together and see what can I do with a Venomous-X.

[MikelMolto]

Just as an information, in case of somebody didn't see it.
In June 2010 Intel has updated the absolute minimum and maximum ratings for I7-800 and I5-700 CPU´s.

[some_one]

@Martin.v.r

Here now my doubt:
- Does a Memory speed higher than the QPI speed (like in Your case) bring any better performance?

Not sure what you are doubting here, if it's the MaxxMem2 bandwidth results then what would you say for this result with a much lower RAM clock? Or are you trying to say higher RAM clocks aren't worth it.

[Pekalion]

Hey guys, I have seen several users with M3F and with great OC on theirs 860's. What advice can you give me for a nice 24/7?

[MikelMolto]

@some_one
I try to understand, if a memory speed higher then QPI Speed still brings any better bandwidth.

@Pekalion
For me a nice 24/7 setting is, when I can OC my CPU without using too much Voltages on IMC and VCore, but still have a good result.
For my case I found out, that 3,86 Ghz runs nice and cool with a small adjustment and 4,0Ghz need much more VCore.
As I don´t feel any difference in my daily use between 3,86 Ghz and 4,0Ghz, I keep running with 3,86 Ghz.

On the other side, every CPU is different and other people have other 24/7 settings.
I know a lot of people who just OC for benching until 4,xGhz but 24/7 they run stock.
To be honest, I even don´t feel a difference between stock and 3,86 Ghz.

[trentbg]

Martin.v.r, can you please advise your exact settings in the bios, I have the same MB and CPU, but I can not get the same results as you, if you don't mind please share, thank you in advance.

[alexopus6]

Hi there!!
Im upgrade from an i5-750 to i7-860 with asus p7p55d premium and i can say im very glad, but i cant undestand why at cinebench r11.5 i get low scores
At stock i have 4.86 and as i see at cinebench cpu ranking it says 5.06 for a stock i7-860.
Also i see people with i7-860 at 4.1 has score 7.1-7.2 and i get 6.70-6.80.
Can anyone help??

[Pekalion]

@some_one
I try to understand, if a memory speed higher then QPI Speed still brings any better bandwidth.

@Pekalion
For me a nice 24/7 setting is, when I can OC my CPU without using too much Voltages on IMC and VCore, but still have a good result.
For my case I found out, that 3,86 Ghz runs nice and cool with a small adjustment and 4,0Ghz need much more VCore.
As I don´t feel any difference in my daily use between 3,86 Ghz and 4,0Ghz, I keep running with 3,86 Ghz.

On the other side, every CPU is different and other people have other 24/7 settings.
I know a lot of people who just OC for benching until 4,xGhz but 24/7 they run stock.
To be honest, I even don´t feel a difference between stock and 3,86 Ghz.

Sorry for the late answer! Thanks a lot Mikel!

Im getting into this, take me a time figure out how this new socket works. BTW, what Bios version should I use? If im not wrong, I think that I have 1202, the one that come from the fabric.

Anyway, as soon I reach home I will give a try with that Bios and see what can I get.

I got a vid of 1.184v, is that ok for the 860?

[Martin.v.r]

To trentbg
I got a bad cpu is vcore hungry

but try these voltset I showed in the photograph to find no two motherboards/cpu/mem ther are identical
MEM set B2B test from 0 to 6