Issues with boosting my old i7 965 XE using MSI x58 Pro-E board
Issues with boosting my old i7 965 XE using MSI x58 Pro-E board
I've just made the switch from an LGA 1366 ASUS Rampage II Extreme to a MSI x58 Pro-E. The ASUS BIOS didn't automatically set RAM to 1600 on my Corsair Vengeance 3x4GHz CL9 1600, but it was easy to tweak the frequency without affecting core speed. Now that I have the Pro-E, I realized changing RAM to 1600 would require upgrading my CPU to x26. Interestingly, only the core 0 changed, and the Turbo Boost adjustments were limited to x27 across the board. My QPI Link speed dropped from 3200 to 2400, while the base clock remained at 4800 (or defaulted to 4800). I'm unsure where I went wrong—should I manually adjust the base clock above 133? Also, Turbo Boost settings are the only place for multi adjustments. Isn't Turbo Boost just an 'on demand' OC for i7s? And isn't the bandwidth already so high that a 4800 QPI shouldn't hurt performance?
I also noticed CPU-Z now shows core speed at 3607, but when I run a Prime95 stress test it drops to x24 and the base clock or 25 to 26, never reaching x27. Is this throttling due to voltage or just Turbo Boost limitations?
My temperatures stay under 60°C, maxing out at 70°C on the IOH—considered low for an x58. C-State and SpeedStep are enabled. I updated the BIOS to limit fans to 1000rpm for quieter operation during a hot day and ran Prime95 to check maximum heat. Now I'm seeing a core temp of 66°C, with only a 3°C drop on all other cores. Multi still clocks at x24, though. Only in Prime95, not in other intensive apps.
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I favor MSI and ASUS because of that. I steer clear of Gigabyte... though I understand there are many MSI critics out there. Likely since MSI makes solid and decent boards. The method you mentioned for overclocking through bclock rather than just multis seems too complex given my unlocked multi. Likewise, I won't overclock my RAM as it's more effort than benefit. Also, gaming RAM overclocking, particularly on an i7, is really pointless.
3600mhz is equivalent to 3.6ghz. Consider modifying the CPU multiplier and core clock speed. If the motherboard displays a red warning, avoid that configuration or risk failing to boot and causing damage.
This should be possible to modify the multi outside of TurboBoost. Would it make sense to change the clock speed through an OC process rather than relying on my unlocked multi? It would eliminate the need to separate bclock from CPU, DRAM, and voltage adjustments. What bothers me is that I can tweak voltages manually but not adjust the CPU ratio beyond TurboBoost—there’s no setting available, only the adjusted core clock displayed.
It seems like you're pointing out a mistake in direction, but the original reason for sharing the first link was clear. Overclocking on Intel chips is typically done by following the correct method, and it's important to note the MSI board mentioned. Among all the motherboard makers, I often find MSI and Gigabyte easy to overclock if their BIOS setup is straightforward.
I favor MSI and ASUS because of that. I steer clear of Gigabyte... though I understand there are many MSI critics out there. Likely since MSI makes solid and decent boards. The method you mentioned for overclocking through bclock rather than just multis seems too complex given my unlocked multi. Likewise, I won't overclock my RAM as it's more effort than benefit. Also, gaming RAM overclocking, particularly on an i7, is really pointless.