Overclocking i7 3820 on sabertooth x79 is challenging. Can you get assistance?
Overclocking i7 3820 on sabertooth x79 is challenging. Can you get assistance?
Hello! I recently performed an overclock of 4.6GHz on my i7 3820 using a tutorial found online (links are provided below). Despite this, I've encountered occasional stability problems, especially during gameplay where the system would freeze and display a BSOD with the error "Stop:Clock_watchdog_timeout." It's unusual since the system passed Intel Burn Test on High without issues, yet it still crashes intermittently. I'm attaching screenshots of my BIOS settings for this overclock, hoping someone can assist in identifying the cause. I've also tried various guides, but they seem to be even more unstable.
Here are my specifications:
OS: Windows 10 Pro
CPU: Intel Core i7 3820 @3.6GHz (stock) → overclocked to 4625Mhz
CPU cooler: Corsair H80
Motherboard: Asus x79 Sabertooth
RAM: Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3/4GX 16GB(4x4) DDR3 @1600Mhz
Storage: Samsung 960 Evo 1TB SSD
GPU: EVGA GTX 1070 Ti FTW2
PSU: EVGA 750G3 750w
Attached screenshots of my BIOS overclock configuration:
Screenshot 1: BCLK set to 125, Memory at 1666MHz
Screenshot 2: Memory Timings
Screenshot 3: CPU LLC set to extreme values
Screenshot 4: VCORE voltage at 1.32v
Screenshot 5: Link1
guide
Link2
guide
I trust these images will help. There are some BIOS settings missing or not visible, such as Vcore Loadline Calibration, PWM Phase Control, and Vcore Voltage Response. The first guide even suggests disabling Intel Turbo Boost, which I had to keep active since otherwise the max frequency would be capped at 4500MHz with 125 BCLK (see screenshots 8 and 9). Feel free to ask for more details—any support would be greatly appreciated!
Also consider modifying the multiplier while keeping the base clock at its standard value.
I agree on the cooler, which is why I didn’t go higher than 1.32 because my CPU was already reaching over 80 degrees. I’ll also switch to Prime 95. Thanks for the advice, I’ll implement the changes and check the outcomes.
I've experimented with the same frequency but changed the multiplier. The 4.6GHz overclock isn't working because my CPU's multiplier is limited to 44x. It seems I might need to settle for 4.4GHz using a lower voltage with the multiplier, as I can't increase the voltages further due to my cooler. I've attached a screenshot of the BIOS output for reference. What are your thoughts on this?