Yay!
I got my Core i7 920 running at 4.0ghz!
My i7 920 is running at 4.0Ghz
I’m not a hardcore overclocker, but I wanted to see if my processor could reach the 4.0ghz milestone. Wow, I can’t believe it booted up successfully into Windows 7.
I had to set the voltages higher than I like (my BIOS warned me that the voltage would reduce the life of my processor). My idle temperatures are too high for my comfort as well (45C-50C idle). I’m sure I could get a better idle temperature if I fiddle with my heatsink and jack up the speed of my fans.
I prefer being conservative with my overclocks and having a computer as silent as possible. So I’m bringing it back down to 3.2ghz for my usual day to day work. Next year, when I start to get dissatisfied with my computer’s performance, I’ll overclock back up to 4.0ghz and do it properly so it’s stable for day to day use.
At 3.2ghz and my GeForce 8800gt 512mb, I can happily run Left 4 Dead at 1920×1200 with max settings and 16xQ antialiasing/16x anistropic. I have no problems running any of my MMORPG’s or single player RPG’s. I can’t really ask for much more than that right now.
By the way, I don’t know how or why, but I can play Left 4 Dead (a first-person shooter) without getting virtual motion sickness. It’s sweet. I’m absolutely horrible at it, but it’s great to play a FPS for a change. By the way, Left 4 Dead is on sale for $24 on Steam right now. It’s easily one of the best games of the year, so now is a good time to check it out.
UPDATE 1:
High voltages are what reduces the life expectancy of a processor and the various components. As a result, I’m going to run my computer at the highest stable overclock I can accomplish without increasing the voltages.
Right now, my lovely i7 is running at 3.5ghz at default voltages. My memory is running at 1400mhz with 7/7/7/16/1 timings. Torture testing my system with Prime95 results in temperatures around 70C. I could spend more time fiddling with my computer, but I’m completely satisfied with her performance. I couldn’t be happier.
I’ve been doing a bit more research and I found that 3.8ghz appears to be the average maximum overclock using air cooling. 4.0ghz has been reported by many people, so it’s possible, but typically requires much higher voltages.
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Nice! I know very little about overclocking, but that’s impressive to me. How does it work, exactly? Is it software-driven? Is it fairly straightforward?
Overclocking is not that hard, especially nowadays because so many motherboards have plenty of features to allow people to overclock easily and safely.
In the past, it was too easy to change settings improperly and possibly kill your CPU and/or motherboard.
Some motherboards come with overclocking software, so you can just boot up the utility in Windows and change it however you like. Many utilities like that are dummyproof.
You have a lot more control if you manually change settings in the BIOS, but that is a bit more complicated.
I would say that overclocking is easy and straightforward. It just requires some research…and there are TONS of articles out there in the internet that can guide you step by step. If you can build your own system, learning how to overclock won’t be a problem.
Just remember that you’re dealing with expensive items, so take it slow. Keep track of temperatures. Try to avoid increasing voltages, if possible. As I found, it’s not necessary to increase voltages and you can get a great overclock on the i7 920. I’m still running at 3.5ghz with no problems at all.
Ive got mine runnig at 4.2ghz stable on air cooling, but using an aftermarket zalman cooler. check out my blog http://ozrow.worpress.com
Also I recommend you running passmark and upload your results to compare. Thanks again for the blog.