GA-P55-UD4 with Core i5-750 OC configuration
GA-P55-UD4 with Core i5-750 OC configuration
Hi Overclockers,
I’ve finally managed to overclock my Core i5-750, which was a long time coming.
Would anyone have some guidance on fine-tuning the settings?
CPU: Core
I5 750
CPU Cooler: HYPER 212X
Motherboard: GA P55 UD4
RAM: KHX1600C9D3 (4GB) & KHX1600C9D3K2 (8GB)
GPU: GTX 750
Power Supply: TX650
Right now I’m running at around 3.6Ghz with a slight voltage boost.
The temperatures are about 40°C during idle, chrome mode, and 10 tabs open.
Some overclockers have pushed their chips to 4GHz – I’m wondering if that’s possible with my current parts?
My settings seem to be limiting things, but I’m new to OC so it could be either the configuration or the hardware itself...
Could someone review my BIOS and suggest adjustments for my setup?
Also, regarding the RAM: both chips are at 1440 with an 8x multiplier and a DRAM voltage of 1.6. Should I raise these values? Also, the CL speed is set to 9 – should I change that as well?
Any additional tips would be really helpful!
Thanks!
What temperatures are you experiencing during stress testing? Up to 80-85 degrees Celsius is acceptable; just check for "max temperature" on the hardware monitor after stress testing to identify the actual maximum temperature in any core. This would correspond to around 75 degrees Celsius while gaming.
You can reduce temperatures by lowering the cooling by -10 or -20 degrees by removing the case, unless you prefer not to invest more in cooling solutions. Alternatively, using high-quality thermal paste like NT-H1 or Kryonaut can help, though a temperature drop of only about 5 degrees is achievable.
Increasing the CPU vcore has a significant effect on temperature, while raising VTT has a minor impact. Raising PLL from 1.8 to 1.9v causes very slight temperature changes—keep these factors in mind.
For higher BLCK settings, adjusting UNCORE/Northbridge frequency or DRAM frequency will require further adjustments.
Seeking improved CL and clock speed. Use two identical RAM chips of the same size. Aim for speeds above 3.6 GHz. Consider the 8xx series CPU; an i7 860 or 870 works well, or the Xeon X3450,60 and 70 (X3470 is i7 870 without GPU, ideal for overclocking, as both models are better in binned tests).
What temperatures are you experiencing during stress tests? Up to 80-85 degrees Celsius is acceptable; just check the "max temperature" on the hardware monitor after stress testing to identify the actual peak temperature in any core. This would correspond to around 75 degrees Celsius while gaming.
You can reduce temperatures by lowering the cooling by -10 or -20°C by removing the heatsink, unless you prefer not to invest more in cooling solutions. Alternatively, using high-quality thermal paste such as NT-H1 or Kryonaut can help, though a mere 5°C reduction is achievable.
Increasing the CPU vcore has a significant effect on temperature, while raising VTT has only a minor impact. Elevating PLL from 1.8 to 1.9v causes very slight temperature changes—keep these factors in mind.
For higher BLCK settings, adjusting UNCORE/Northbridge frequency or DRAM speed requires increasing VTT/QPI. First, immediately lower the "PCH voltage" from 1.200V back to the default 1.050V. This adjustment is rarely necessary; I've raised it to 1.10V for over 205-210 BLCK, but that's essentially the final step on this list. Stick with 1.050V.
You can gradually increase vcore from 1.300 to 1.35 by small steps and monitor temperatures under stress. You'll likely reach 80-85°C quickly unless you remove the heatsink. Up to 1.400 is safe with these chips, but you must remove the heatsink and ensure superior cooling.
Ensure Loadline calibration is enabled in BIOS during stress tests. Observe CPU voltage/vcore under load using tools like cpu-z or hwmonitor—compare it to the voltage set in BIOS.
VTT behavior differs: chip memory controller temperatures aren't visible inside the chip, and this voltage can cause rapid degradation. Keep it below 1.25-1.275V with your chosen cooling solution; Intel recommends 1.21V for VTT and 1.40V for vcore. This is crucial—unless you need higher values, stick to the lower end.
For very high BLCK configurations, consider raising PLL voltage to 1.8v. When experiencing blue screen errors or boot failures, keep the default settings. Disable power-saving features and turbo-boost entirely unless necessary. This helps stabilize overclocking. In "CPU Features or Advanced CPU Core Settings," turn off turbo boost, enable all CPU cores, disable C1E, C3, C6, C7 states, and turn off Intel IWT. Leave the rest on auto or manual.
Dram voltage up to 1.65V is acceptable, but mixing RAM kits is not advisable. With a good DDR3 2x8GB kit, you can achieve 2133MHz DRAM paired with a 3600MHz Northbridge frequency on most motherboards.
NB, you cannot adjust the NB frequency on any P55 chipset motherboard—it will increase when BLCK is higher, providing a slight performance boost. Higher NB frequencies demand more VTT/QPI voltage.
Keep in mind these recommendations.
Koekieezz
I prefer the x3470 model—4 cores, 8 threads. If you upgrade, consider the x3440 or x3470. The i7-750 supports higher overclocks but remains a 4-core, 4-thread processor. If your performance isn't sufficient, look into upgrading to something like the x3470.
The Xeon X3470 appears reasonably affordable today in the used market, matching the price of the i5 3470 in my country. If you wish to remain on that platform, choose the X3470 and ensure the BIOS is up to date. After updating, boot into Windows, then uninstall the processor via Device Management (expected to be 4) by following these steps: shut down, install the CPU, reset all settings in BIOS, save changes, and finally restart into Windows.
Yeah, I'm still good with my x3470 and DDR3 2400MHz CL9. Just check the CPU cache latencies, see if you can improve it.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/35395290
I'm reaching 2666MHz at CL10, but I don't think it's worth pushing the voltage too high. I'll keep the CPU at 4.2 or 4.3GHz, with a 3800MHz base frequency and 2400MHz DRAM CL9 for continuous overclocking.
You're lucky to run on 2400mhz CL9, i currently use a xeon E3 1240 v2 on a Gigabyte B75M HD3, so no memory oc, and my ram is Teamgroup Vulcan DDR3 2133 CL10, i have a Z77 motherboard but it doesn't work, it does power everything on but no display at all (and no usb/ ps/2 power)
🙁
Best i could do is really tightening the primary to teritary timing, and it did pretty well compared to my HyperX DDR3 1600.
Yeah just curious if i done 2133mhz and custom timing it,
also heres my userbenchmark:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/46076127
Memory controller improvements were made in Ivy-Bridge compared to the previous Sandy-Bridge CPUs. Almost all aspects enhanced. The main reason Ivy-bridges didn’t outperform the Sandy-bridges overall was due to differences in TIM performance and how well the solder joints functioned. The biggest challenge for OPs is board age. All first, second, and third generation boards are experiencing significant degradation, particularly with capacitors. Many are starting to fail at higher operating voltages or are on the verge of it. This makes achieving stable high-OC performance difficult. Sometimes simply providing adequate performance is enough, and pushing further can lead to problems. This issue also affects CPUs, especially those that endured prolonged high voltage and frequency during earlier overclocking phases.