OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

[ped]

Hi everyone,

I have started overclocking my CPU, first ever, and found a bunch of reference materials.

The materials I'm referencing are:
Started here:
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclock...nners.html

Then I went here:
http://www.overclock.net/t/968053/offici...preadsheet

Off the same thread above:
http://www.overclock.net/t/968053/offici...t_14466483

So if I understand correctly.

- Need to find the correct Vcore for the multiplier
- However before that Need to first find the correct LCC setting to minimize Vdroop (spikes) as much as possible.
- However need to know what your Vcore is under load - assuming it's the multiplier you wanted to find in the first place
- Then you need to increment your Vcore slightly until it's passing Prime85
- Then thereafter need to bring down the PLL voltage once becoming closer to stable.

So it all seems circular.
- How do I know what my multiplier will be when I'm trying to ramp up my Vcore based on it?
- Do I set my Vcore to 1.45, my PLL voltage to 1.7, the other parameters based on the P67 OC link from HR, and then keep increasing the multiplier until I see temp / stability concerns?

What I have done:
- Followed the guidelined in the first link for 4000MHz, and bios would flash and reboot again into window repair. So i kept raising my Vcore incrementally. After 4 increments, just tried 1.35v, and it finally booted.
- Tried 4500MHz, Ran Prime95, and although CPUZ confirmed that it hit 4500, it would soon step down the multiplier. I raised the Vcore to 1.4, and it still did the same?
- Reset all settings back to default, and tried the mobo presetting for 4400MHz, and everything ran fine. CPUZ was pegged to 4400 the whole time Prime95 was testing. Used the 4600 OC preset, also worked. Ran Prime95 running blend for 3 hours (short I know). My Vcore is 1.360 and my VID is 1.406 under load and my max temps have hit 73C after 1 hour into the test.
- Got help on other forums to set the max overclock (or something like that) from 150 to 250, when in manual OC settings, but still have the multi step down problem. Then read more about this Vdroop, PLL voltage to 1.7v, etc...

So I'm stuck.
If my manual setting does not peg the turbo to it's max, does that mean need to play with PLL? Vcore? Up/down? Something else?
Do I go to the 4800MHz presetting to see the voltages and then try to step it down from there?
Do i know my OC limits yet?

Frustrating point is that I'm traveling away this weekend, and wont be in front of the machine until Sunday night my time. So doing this from memory. :-/

Anyway appreciate some guideance on some sound steps to take...when to worry about PLL voltage, the VID to Vcore delta, etc.

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

you dont really need to alter much for 4.5ghz,around 1.36v cpu,vtt can be left stock 1.05v and dram voltage 1.5v,llc set to high or middle setting depending on your mb,everything else can be left on auto,

EDIT just saw your running 16gb so might need a little more vtt you will need to test,no more than 1.2v,and no more than 1.5750v for dram,keep temps below 75c imo,

[ped]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

Thanks Wazza.

I can get it to 4500 manually, but I did alot of tweaking on locking down other voltages and timings which I didnt know how they related to the OCing (except if it related to OC'ing the RAM, where there I'd understand). So will try that and leave more on auto.

Only question I have relates to "stablility" which per the definition of most these sites is to run Prime95 without errors or BSODs. Nothing mentions what to do if the CPU steps down its mult on its own. Is that a similar issue to failing a Prime95 test and the response is more Vcore?

And then after 4500? How do I know where my multiplier max would be? Do I crank up the Vcore to 1.4, check my temps and based on those two limits, i tweak the rest to being down all the volatages to keep it as cool as possible while still keeping it performing?

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

if any of the prime95 workers stop then its failing the test,it will clock down slightly then back up to full 4.5ghz when testing,you shouldnt need 1.4v for 4.5ghz,around 1.36v,try highering llc and lowering cpu voltage in dvid

ram speed/timings/voltages should be set manually anyway

[ped]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

Repost:
Ok, I'm going to try for 4.6ghz given thats the preset that worked for on Prime 95 blend for 19hours.
I started at 1.32v Vcore, and am now at 1.35v, and stopped for the night.

Here's the parameters:
Turbo - manual
Min turbo power - 250
Max turbo power - 250
CCL - 250

LLC - level 3 (should I switch higher?) BTW - is more LLC mean level 5 or 1? 1 is highest, right?
Dram - 1.5v
PLL - 1.709v
PCH - Auto
VCCSA - Auto
VCC - Auto (should I make this manual?)

When loaded:
Bclk - 99.8 (should i turn off spreading?)
Core clk - 4589.9 MHz (not sure why its not 4600.1 avg as it does with preset)
VID - hovers around 1.38v
Vcore - can drop to 1.32

Not stable yet. Still failing Prime 95 or BSOD before I left it for sleep for the night.

Will write up more progress tomorrow.

Thanks!

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

1.5v is way too much,please try to stay below 1.4v,4.6ghz should be achievable with 1.36-1.4v max

to lower voltage offset simply lower the amount used,offset only gets applied at load cpu freq,as for all the llc levels id say level one is the least and level 5 is the highest? on my board it says regular/high/ultra ect,keep an eye on how much the llc applies to your load cpu voltage and higher/lower offset to compensate,(this is what i find the trickiest part of sb)

[ped]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

1.5v is way too much,please try to stay below 1.4v,4.6ghz should be achievable with 1.36-1.4v max

to lower voltage offset simply lower the amount used,offset only gets applied at load cpu freq,as for all the llc levels id say level one is the least and level 5 is the highest? on my board it says regular/high/ultra ect,keep an eye on how much the llc applies to your load cpu voltage and higher/lower offset to compensate,(this is what i find the trickiest part of sb)

Oh geez, completely should not be writing too late at night ... Was 1.35, not 1.5. Sorry about that. I corrected it again in the above post.

It would have been nice if the mobo under the description put which on was ultra ect. Instead it shows a graph with Vcore on the y axis and load on the other. Level 1 is indicated as a straight line, level 5 decreases the most as load goes up. So guess that means level 1 is ultra is my case?

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

im not sure,but i think your right

[ped]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

to lower voltage offset simply lower the amount used,offset only gets applied at load cpu freq,as for all the llc levels id say level one is the least and level 5 is the highest? on my board it says regular/high/ultra ect,keep an eye on how much the llc applies to your load cpu voltage and higher/lower offset to compensate,(this is what i find the trickiest part of sb)

Just to clarify for me a bit, what do you mean by lowering the amount used? Lowering the LLC? I read about this offset several times in several posts, and although I understand the concept, no idea what levers we are talking about. If you could break it down for me a bit, would be great.

Thanks much Wazza

EDIT: Ahhhh, I finally get it. Once I find my Vcore voltage, I then switch settings from Vcore fixed to Vcore offset, and I base it off the VID! Finally! I see what we mean now!!

I also realized that my LLC was way too low and my Vdroop was preventing me from finding my real voltage... so will need to start over again.

A few wrap up questions:
1.) My multiplier is at 46 (that's ok), however my BCLK is only 99.8.. which means my core spead never goes above 4.590 GHz. Is that because of the "Spread Spectrum" being enabled? Or related to something else?
2.) How do I find out how much the LLC is applying to my voltage and if it has "spikes"? Is that determined what I lock my Vcore at (prior to putting it on offset), and how much Vdroop there is? Or is there another way to measure LLC?

Cheers.

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

i dont know why its not using 100bclk,it should let you set it in bios,could try disabling spread spectrum



as for llc you just have to see how much extra each level applies to your cpu voltage and cpu voltage offset,mine ends up being 1.36 with llc on high,yet its only showing 1.17v in bios(this is the hardest part) as ive never really messed with llc or felt the need to use it on my x58 board,ive noticed with low llc level and high voltage offset,cpu voltage jumps high from an idle clock to light loading,yet if you set a low voltage offset and high llc it doesnt shoot up or spike as high when cpu is lightly loaded(not full load)

its kinda split into two,the cpu and voltages between idle clocks/voltages and load clocks/voltages and offset and llc affect this too slightly so you need to find the right balance

thats what i think anyway,im new to sb

[ped]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

Got it.

So in my tests with Vcore fixed, noticed my VID was around 1.38. Does that mean I'm doomed to have a high Voffset if I find a "nice low" Vcore of around 1.355? Example of course, but saw mixed comments on what VID high or lower can help with OCing.

Should I be concerned more with my Voffset or voltage spikes? Or is this simply a case to see based on a Voffset underload, what minimum LLC I need to keep it at my target Vcore?
Thanks

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

you just dont want too high an llc so that it uses more than needed cpu voltage i find its best to use a sub 1.2v cpu voltage offset,mines at 1.7v with offset or dvid of +0.005v,that with llc on high is around 1.36v under 100% load,idle it stays below 1v

[Acebmxer]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

Just to clarify for me a bit, what do you mean by lowering the amount used? Lowering the LLC? I read about this offset several times in several posts, and although I understand the concept, no idea what levers we are talking about. If you could break it down for me a bit, would be great.

Thanks much Wazza

EDIT: Ahhhh, I finally get it. Once I find my Vcore voltage, I then switch settings from Vcore fixed to Vcore offset, and I base it off the VID! Finally! I see what we mean now!!

I also realized that my LLC was way too low and my Vdroop was preventing me from finding my real voltage... so will need to start over again.

A few wrap up questions:
1.) My multiplier is at 46 (that's ok), however my BCLK is only 99.8.. which means my core spead never goes above 4.590 GHz. Is that because of the "Spread Spectrum" being enabled? Or related to something else?
2.) How do I find out how much the LLC is applying to my voltage and if it has "spikes"? Is that determined what I lock my Vcore at (prior to putting it on offset), and how much Vdroop there is? Or is there another way to measure LLC?

Cheers.

If you want BCLK to read 100.0 set it to 100.2 or 100.3 and it should read 100

[ped]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

Thanks to you both.

I turned off Spread Spectrum and it actually fixed the Blck problem. Back to 100!

Meanwhile I'm having challenges with using the Vcore offset. The VID was 1.3861, and my stable Vcore fixed was at 1.352, so I set it to an offset of -0.030v (rounded due to options). My idle Vcore was .963 and my VID was .994 at idle. Thats a bit low, so i decided to change the LLC from ultra (level 2) to high (level 3) as it supposedly increases the idle voltage.

Nothing happened to the VID, and with the LLC lower, didnt even boot into Windows. Recommendations?

[wazza300]

Re: OC'ing my first CPU: i7 2600K

those idle voltages are fine,mine even drops to 0.828v sometimes,but usually around 0.960v



if you use less llc then you need to up more offset,so high llc and -0.010v or +0.010v,depends how little it lets you add