New Core i5/i7 unlocKed CPUs - Intel goes for the throat!

[Olo401]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...lier,2641.html

Big step here.. Before now Intel only unlocked the multipliers on their high-priced (overpriced IMO) Extreme processors, while AMD had unlocked multipliers on all their CPUs. Both these CPUs are priced right in the mainstream - in fact that i5 looks pretty damn good I might pick one up!

(For OC novices, increasing the multiplier is the easiest way to overclock without a great deal of technical know-how and without too much risk of something getting fried.)

[Cephius]

Fuck yes!

http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/...png?1235708113

[Olo401]

Some of the overclock numbers they got in their benchmarking tests are insane.. over 4.8GHz on the unlocked i5!

[Hyan]

So overclocking is much harder on the older i's?

Dang, was planning to OC mine if it was easy/safe enough.

[Cephius]

So overclocking is much harder on the older i's?

Dang, was planning to OC mine if it was easy/safe enough.

What? No. This is something that people have been wishing for forever.

Basically, the speed of your processor is the FSB x Multiplier. So if you have a 400 mhz FSB and a 6 multiplier, you have a 2.4Ghz processor. In the past, the basic non-extreme line of processors had their multipliers locked - meaning if you wanted to go beyond the stock speeds, you have to tweak and adjust the FSB (and usually your RAM speeds as well) to achieve higher speeds.

The main allure of extreme-brand processors was the fact they had their multipliers unlocked so it was MUCH easier to overclock. But, they typically cost over $1000 so they're not really worth it.

As Olo mentioned, all AMD processors have their multipliers unlocked, so they stole a few customers based on this. But now, Intel is unlocking the multipliers on some of their i-series processors. Nerds everywhere, rejoice!

[Norellicus]

Is there some guide to overclocking I can read over? I've tried it a few times by using the exact settings that toms or other places that have done benchmark tests used and I always end up with stability issues. I understand the concept but I don't really know what I'm looking at when I change most of the values or what I should look to change first/in tandem when there's a problem.

If they're releasing these I'd like to try it again and feel confident I'm doing it right :<

[Cephius]

Is there some guide to overclocking I can read over? I've tried it a few times by using the exact settings that toms or other places that have done benchmark tests used and I always end up with stability issues. I understand the concept but I don't really know what I'm looking at when I change most of the values or what I should look to change first/in tandem when there's a problem.

If they're releasing these I'd like to try it again and feel confident I'm doing it right :<

There really aren't values you can copy from a website and plug into your system and have it work. Even if the person you're taking it from had the same chip from the same factory manufactured right before you... it won't matter. Every chip is slightly different, so it becomes trial and error to get a system that runs the highest speed at the lowest possible voltage. Of course, that's half the fun.

The best way I can describe it is to aim small. If you have a 3.0Ghz processor, try setting to 3.6 and bumping the voltages up by maybe 6-7 increments. Boot into Windows, check your temperatures, if they're okay and you haven't blue screened, start stress testing. If the stress testing goes for awhile without any errors or crashes, you're in good shape. The next step is slowly lowering the voltages until you DO crash, then going back up to find that sweet spot.

Of course, there's a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic idea.

[Olo401]

Is there some guide to overclocking I can read over? I've tried it a few times by using the exact settings that toms or other places that have done benchmark tests used and I always end up with stability issues. I understand the concept but I don't really know what I'm looking at when I change most of the values or what I should look to change first/in tandem when there's a problem.

If they're releasing these I'd like to try it again and feel confident I'm doing it right :<

Here's a fantastic introductory guide - http://www.maximumpc.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=65445

Explains what the terms mean, goes through how to OC from the basics to more advanced tweaks, and covers both CPUs and GPUs.

[Purrrfect]

Found some good info at overclockers.com I think it was. Though the info I remember reading was for the C2D era cpus, they explained memory speeds and naming pretty good.

[Norellicus]

See, that's the thing, I know how all the bits interact. But I get all weirded out when it starts saying "don't turn up the voltage, you may have to turn up the voltage to use higher clocks"

At what point do you distinguish between "I should turn up the voltage" and "I'm at my frequency limit and should step back down"? Is it better to just not turn up the voltage ever and just push the clock as far as it will (healthily) go at the stock volts?

Or, is there some tested/common sense maximums that can be used to identify where the relationship shifts?

[Purrrfect]

I believe you can find some common maximums people use for voltages. I believe I just went as high as I could go on stock cpu voltage, but I did up the ram voltage as I read my particular memory like running in the 1.9-2.1v range, but I stayed near the lower end there I think. That was with DDR2, haven't messed with DDR3 or the i-series. Contemplating going to an i or jumping back to AMD for a build this fall.

[Cephius]

See, that's the thing, I know how all the bits interact. But I get all weirded out when it starts saying "don't turn up the voltage, you may have to turn up the voltage to use higher clocks"

At what point do you distinguish between "I should turn up the voltage" and "I'm at my frequency limit and should step back down"? Is it better to just not turn up the voltage ever and just push the clock as far as it will (healthily) go at the stock volts?

Or, is there some tested/common sense maximums that can be used to identify where the relationship shifts?

Voltage doesn't really matter, of course too much voltage will fry your chip your motherboard and processor have built in safeguards to prevent you from using too much voltage. The real enemy is heat. More voltage = more heat, so the goal is to get as much out of it without your temperatures rising too high.

You realistically shouldn't be overvolting by more than .1 to .15 over the stock. .20 is possible but that's getting into dangerous territory. Of course, my experiences are a year outdated... it might be different with the i-series processors.

[Norellicus]

Right, I know the volts just means heat.

I noticed under the helpful links at that MPC page that there's a chart that shows a bunch of stats about various processors, including their maximum heat tolerance, so I guess you can use that to determine how far you can press the overall OC mix huh?

[Stromgarde]

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/...gs-24-7-a.html

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=7528

I found these useful, as usual, your mileage may vary.

[Boyiee]

Is there some guide to overclocking I can read over? I've tried it a few times by using the exact settings that toms or other places that have done benchmark tests used and I always end up with stability issues. I understand the concept but I don't really know what I'm looking at when I change most of the values or what I should look to change first/in tandem when there's a problem.

If they're releasing these I'd like to try it again and feel confident I'm doing it right :<

Honestly it can be really really simple and easy. The first time I OC'd my current processor I only had to change a couple settings, literally like 3-5 at most, never touched voltages, and went from 3.16 to 3.8ghz. Stable, no problems, wasn't even worth it for me to try getting more. I have the E8500 so a lot of people boast 4+ with no issues but I don't even see the point when I've gotten so much already.

Good thing I held off on buying a new CPU, THANKS BG!

[Caiyuo]

In short, /excited. Perfect catalyst to inspire some savings for a new build.

[Celeras]

The main allure of extreme-brand processors was the fact they had their multipliers unlocked so it was MUCH easier to overclock. But, they typically cost over $1000 so they're not really worth it.

Do people really look at this as a feature? I mean sure, 400x6 -> 400x10 is a simple change to make.. but the classic method isn't much more difficult. And it really becomes second nature once you do it a few times.

Is it just considered better for novices because you don't have to touch the FSB at all?

[Cephius]

Do people really look at this as a feature? I mean sure, 400x6 -> 400x10 is a simple change to make.. but the classic method isn't much more difficult. And it really becomes second nature once you do it a few times.

Is it just considered better for novices because you don't have to touch the FSB at all?

Well, there's that and the fact that the extremes are a "guaranteed" overclock because they're covered under warranty. If you overclock one of the other processors it immediately voids your warranty.

But yeah, generally easy to just adjust the multiplier. No worrying about FSB or RAM speeds and voltages really.

[Dmitry]

Damn, this makes me want to go home and overclock my i5-750...

[Saga]

Dammit. I literally JUST ordered a new build yesterday with an i7-930. I've never overclocked anything though and wasn't necessarily planning to. Does it really matter if I wasn't planning to now that these new ones are released?