I was wondering if Custom PC or Bit-Tech would consider doing an article on overclocking. EVERY article goes into the detail of increasing clock, if not stable then increase VCore and re-test, or increase VCC and re-test. None of the articles EVER mention increasing the CPU PLL or the other settings that are in the bios. Would it be possible to do an article that included a flow chart with if this doesn't work, then try that.... I'd love to see this for each of the current sockets (AM2/3+, 775, 1155/6 and 1366). I've got 1366 and 1155 socket setups but every article I've seen seems to be limited to finding the limit using just BCLK or MULTI and by only adjusting the VCORE and the QPI/VTT/UNCORE voltage. When reading through the articles the other month about an overclocking masterclass, the PLL voltage was set and so on and so forth, so at which point do you stop increasing the Vcore/VTT and then start tweaking other settings. It'd be great to see this kind of information in a mag, maybe even over a series of months to cover the different platforms. Similarly the same process can be used to undervolt and therefore be used to optimise a server/HTPC setup so this could be tied in with other topics.... I've searched the forums, and this kind of information is just not out there. There are a million and one BEGINNERS articles, but nothing covering that extra bit. My selfish reasons are to get my 980X/RIIE folding server running at a higher speed. I managed to get up to 4.17Ghz, but in your mag you jump straight in at 4.41Ghz with the caveat that some processors need more Vcore. Mind wouldn't run stable with the voltages specified, and increasing the VCore had no effect- For my SandyCrack setup the figures published worked an absolute charm, but again, I'd like to know HOW. An article showing how you got there would be far more use than the final figures. What's the phrase about giving a man a fish or a fishing rod....
I would also like something like this, as i've been trying to get my Q9450 over 3.0 GHZ with no luck, so a guide like you are suggesting would be very helpful.
I've just found this... "4.7GHz or Below All bios values to Auto except for those noted- CPU Turbo Multiplier Dram Voltage to specification Internal testing has shown Auto Values will allow for stability in all forms of testing including high synthetic high load applications (Linx, Prime95, Occt ). In the event general stability is not achieved in these synthetic high load applications, you can adjust the noted values for improved stability. Digi + VRM options VRM frequency to 350 – Requires setting to manual adjustment and entering the specified value. 4.7GHz and above CPU Turbo Multiplier – To desired value Dram Voltage to specification Digi + VRM options VRM Frequency change to 350 – this value will allow for scaling to 50+ multi without issues Phase Control change to extreme – this value will allow for scaling to 50+ multi without issues Duty Control change to extreme - this value will for scaling to 50+ multi without issues. No other values need to be changed. Unless otherwise noted all other UEFI values used are AUTO. K series overclocking and its affect on subsystem performance especially HD performance Quick note regarding options that can affect subsystem performance It is NOT advised to make adjustments to Cstates as this can considerably affect hard drive throughput performance ( especially SATA6G SSD or Sandforce 2 based SSD ). It is recommended that all CPU power configuration states be left on their default parameters. Overclocking tests have shown internally no increase in multiplier scaling when adjusting these values. * under special cases with high multi capable CPUs and synthetic high load applications ( Linx, Prime, Occt ) it may required C states to be disabled. This has generally only been confirmed for some 51-54 multi capable CPU’s. K series overclocking benefits from adjustments to Digi+ VRM options Advanced Digi+ VRM options recommendations VCCSA This has shown in internal testing not to improve overclocking, yet may still maintain the same level of stability while being lowered from its default value in order to keep the CPU cooler. VCCIO The adjustment of this voltage may help to slightly improve the overclocking capability of the IMC / DRAM, even though the default voltage is enough to run at a 2133MHz DRAM frequency. A 1.20v setting is more than adequate to maximize Memory overclocks in most cases. CPU PLL This setting did not improve overclocking, yet the user can maintain the same level of stability while lowering its default value in order to keep the CPU cooler. PCH Voltage This setting did not improve overclocking, yet the user can maintain the same level of stability while lowering its default value in order to keep the CPU/PCH cooler. PCH PLL This setting did not improve overclocking, yet the user can maintain the same level of stability while lowering its default value in order to keep the CPU/PCH cooler. K series overclocking and how BCLK is affected and how to best optimize BCLK scaling Quick Note for BCLK tuning BCLK clocking is considerably reduced with this new CPU architecture and as such it is recommended to focus on Turbo Multiplier adjustments for overclocking. With that noted should you choose to make adjustments to the BCLK, ASUS has enabled extensive control to maximizing scaling. Internal testing shows BCLK ranges from 102 to 109.1 with the largest level of scaling dependency placed on the quality of the CPU. CPU Frequency and speed is also directly tied to BCLK scaling. Internally we know that BCLK tuning largely depends on the CPU with approximately but we have noticed up to a 20% dependency on scaling potential based on the board design and PWM utilized. At 4.9GHz, generally the maximum clock speed will not change with a different combination of multi and bclk in this particular example. Example- 100x49 = 4.9GHz 103x48 = 4.9xxGHz Generally the CPU will not do much more than what your maximum CPU multiplier range is in most cases. Keeping this in mind, we offer very fine adjustments down to 0.1x increments to allow for the maximum BCLK tuning. Lastly when considering adjustments to the BLCK range, it is important to remember it will affect the memory divider/strap and DRAM frequency. Keeping this in mind you may want to adjust to a lower divider if your memory does not higher frequencies. This especially true when attempting to sustain 4 dimm and high memory density configurations with high BCLK and high Turbo Multiplier values. " so I'd like to understand WHY some of the settings that are set in the Overclocking masterclass are set at the levels that they are. According to the Article by Asus, it is not necessary to change/set the VCCIO... I do know that the values you provided work, but I'm finding with playing that I can reduce those settings. A detailed article explaining HOW to overclock, and then, how to IMPROVE on that overclock and achieve 24/7 stability is what I'm after, but can;t find it anywere. Every article I read is about "beginners guide" - well what about the rest of us...?