Question Watts/Amps for Overclocking W3680/i7 980X
Question Watts/Amps for Overclocking W3680/i7 980X
I'm using a system with the quad version at 29x across all cores, stock cooler, and stock voltage. I'd like to know what the results are, so please share the findings.
Hi crystalcity.
Thank you for your reply.
I didn’t aim for the most scientific overclock due to my limited knowledge, but I managed to set the TDC Current Limit Override to 180 amps and the TDP Power Limit Override to 250 watts, as shown in the screenshot on page 2 of the article you shared in my original post.
I also applied a 73mV Dynamic CPU Voltage Offset, configured all cores with a 33 multiplier and set the Host Clock Frequency to 133MHz, resulting in a clock speed of 4.40 GHz.
I only performed a short stress test lasting half an hour using CPU-Z with all cores at full load; I reviewed the screen capture for temperatures and other metrics just before finishing the test. I’ll continue testing but so far it seems stable.
Screen shots are attached below. I’ll update you if further testing reveals any issues.
Best regards.
Hi crystalcity.
After additional testing, the system stopped working around 1½ hours into heavy usage across all cores. The temperatures looked normal. It seems adjusting the TDC (Amps) or TDP (Watts) might have helped, but without knowing safe limits for my current setup, I changed the Core Ratio Limits to 33, 32, 32, 32, 32, 32 instead of a single 33 across all cores. It still runs at a stable 4.25 GHz on every core, which is great. I ran Prime95 for six and a half hours without any issues, so I’m sticking with these settings now.
Earlier, the i7 940 was my main machine from 2009 to 2015. For the past four years, I used a laptop as my primary computer because mobility was important. Recently, I considered a workflow that would better utilize multi-core processing but only needed occasional use, which led me to explore the W3680. The goal was to run a Navisworks model in Revit while handling other tasks on my laptop.
I purchased the W3680 for $110 on Ebay.
My original plan involved using the W3680’s multiple cores to process large Navisworks models in Revit, generating hundreds of views at different depths and elevations, then exporting them as PDFs on A0 sheets. These backgrounds would be swapped in Autosprink VR for design work.
Now I’m switching from Autosprink to Revit for design tasks. This means the desktop will still be needed for parts of the project that require specific add-ins. I’ll install different add-ins on the laptop and desktop, using the laptop for tasks needing one add-in and the desktop for those requiring another.
I’m planning an upgrade for my laptop soon, but for now it should work well with both machines until I become more comfortable with Revit and its add-ons.
By the way, the desktop comes with a Thermaltake heatsink—though I don’t know the exact model from 2011 (I used a stock cooler back then). It appears to be similar to this one.
There is conflicting information about multi-lock functionality on these devices. For reference, I haven't found success with slower clocked models, so I'd recommend investing a bit more for one of the fastest two clocked W36xx or W35xx if someone wants to experiment with clocks. It's unclear why there are reports that slower ones can be unlocked, possibly during pre-production. Thanks for sharing this information; it's great to see older machines receive some focus during these tough times, whether they're computers or not.