Intel Core i7 Overclocking - Core i7 Overclocking

Introduction:

We have already benchmarked two new Nehalam processors- the 920 and the 965EE and compared them to other processors on the market. It is now time for some temperature tests and to see how high these processors can be overclocked using the ASUS P6T motherboard. It is very interesting how Intel works with the QPI bus v/s Multipliers. After a bit of tinkering around, we eventually found the sweet spot on each of these processors. So it was now time to see how hot these babies got on a one hour OCCT stress test

No surprises with the temperatures for the 130W CPU’s especially the 965EE hitting 4GHz on a stock air cooling solution.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty while we explain how we managed the overclock. We kept the voltage configuration set to Auto at first and increased the BCLK from 133 MHz to 150 MHz as a jumpstart. From there we steadily increased the BCLK in increments of 5 MHz. We eventually hit the wall at 180 MHz which was the limit at which we could enter Windows, but the OCCT test threw off a bit and we lost stability.

We then took the bus speed down in 2 MHz decrements with stress tests at each level and success arrived at 168 MHz. Next up was the Multiplier, which we toggled around a bit until we hit 4 GHz on the 965EE while the 920 stayed at 3360 MHz due to its multiplier limit of 20x. Increasing the voltage wasn’t doing us any good as we weren’t able to manage a stable one hour stress test. Although, higher clocks could be possible with a better cooling solution and a lot more time.

Conclusion:

From this we can take home the fact that the Core i7 has started out as a good overclocker. Getting to the sweet spots wasn't really difficult and all this achieved on the stock air cooling solution provided by Intel and stock core voltages. We feel that with better cooling and a lot more time, these processors can be taken even further to new heights.

The overclocked Core i7’s do make excellent performers and those seeking not only thrills from overclocking their CPU’s are in for a ride. So, are you ready to click on the Order button to enjoy the benefits?

Credit to: http://www.tbreak.com/articles/13/1/Intel-Core-i7-Overclocking/Page1.html