Everyday OC on a 920 DO?

[Paratus]

I'm replacing my old P4 3.2 Prescott / AGP  rig with a new one.  What I was wondering was what speed should I shoot for on my new 920 DO?  I'd like to keep it at stock voltage and keep speed step / turbo boost enabled.

The machine is used by my wife and kids as well, and I tend to keep my rigs for along time so I'm not looking for the max stable OC.

I've picked up the following parts:

i7 920 DO
ASUS P6T v2
G Skill 1333 c9 3x2GB kit
Win 7 Pro 64

I'm reusing the following:
Coolermaster Praetorian Case w / 4x80mm fans
Enermax Liberty 500w PSU (2x 12v rails at 22A each 32A combined)
Zalman 9500 CNPS Heatsink
1x 300GB WD Raptor Boot drive
1x 500GB & 1x 160 GB WD datsa drives
3500A NEC DVD Burner (PATA)

I'm still waiting to pickup the following:
An ATI 5850 or 5870 (probably the 50 based on prices)
Blu-Ray SATA ROM
1366 bracket for the Zalman 9500

I was thinking of aiming for an OC of 3333.

Any thoughts?  Opinions on the rig are welcome too.

 

[exar333]

Nice system OP! I might be a little suspect of the Zalman 9500 cooling the 920...others here might have more experience, but it might be a stretch for cooling the i7.

That aside, I would shoot for a 3.4-3.6 for everyday use with a good cooler running on a D0.

 

[Paratus]

Nice system OP! I might be a little suspect of the Zalman 9500 cooling the 920...others here might have more experience, but it might be a stretch for cooling the i7.

That aside, I would shoot for a 3.4-3.6 for everyday use with a good cooler running on a D0.

Thanks!
Do you think the 920 runs hotter than a Prescott? It's been able to keep my current rigs temps down around 55C at load in the summer.

 

[Rubycon]

Thanks!
Do you think the 920 runs hotter than a Prescott? It's been able to keep my current rigs temps down around 55C at load in the summer.

Apples to oranges comparison!

3.33GHz is no problem at all for a 920. Should be able to do that on 1.1 volts or lower. Most will do 3.6 at 1.2V and the good ones hit 4+ at 1.2. A good cooler like the Megahalems or TRUE (rev C) will keep load temps (full load Linpack) manageable well under 70C and in the 50's at 3.3GHz.

 

[lopri]

Don't know about Prescott but the 920 is definitely cooler than a Smithfield. (I still have a Smithfield, yeah) But really the CPU itself isn't too big of an issue once an aftermarket cooling is come into the equation. VRMs and NB, are a big part of heat on X58 and I'd make sure to have some sort of cooling around the CPU socket.

 

[exar333]

IIRC the TDP of a Prescott is around 100w and the i7 D0 is 120w or so; the power usage of the i7 goes up moderately until about 3.6ghz, and then really increases after that. You could probably get 3.0 or so out of the 9500, but if you want to up the clockspeed to between 3.2-3.6, I would get one of the coolers Rubycon advised. If you look around, you can get a really good cooler for <$50. Its a good investment if you want to squeeze a lot more from the CPU, and still keep things stable and cool.

 

[Makaveli]

i'm at 3.6 on my D0 at stock vcore.

I agree with everyone else you will want a better cooler.

i'm on a TRUE Black edition Rev C.

 

[Rubycon]

i'm at 3.6 on my D0 at stock vcore.

I agree with everyone else you will want a better cooler.

i'm on a TRUE Black edition Rev C.

I've found the Rev. C is within a degree striking distance of the Megahlems. The mounting bracket is very similar too except instead of cast aluminum it's stamped steel. Coincidence?

 

[harbin]

Apples to oranges comparison!

3.33GHz is no problem at all for a 920. Should be able to do that on 1.1 volts or lower. Most will do 3.6 at 1.2V and the good ones hit 4+ at 1.2. A good cooler like the Megahalems or TRUE (rev C) will keep load temps (full load Linpack) manageable well under 70C and in the 50's at 3.3GHz.

I found it is impossible for me to run 4g under 70C with Megahalems HT on when Linpacking.

 

[Rubycon]

I found it is impossible for me to run 4g under 70C with Megahalems HT on when Linpacking.

Depends on your ambient and vcore/vtt too.

 

[Makaveli]

I've found the Rev. C is within a degree striking distance of the Megahlems. The mounting bracket is very similar too except instead of cast aluminum it's stamped steel. Coincidence?

Probaby not a Coincidence.

I chose the TRUE because it was alittle smaller than the Megahlems and preformance wise very similar.

 

[Makaveli]

Depends on your ambient and vcore/vtt too.

I agree with this also.

With HT on and at 3.6 i'm already hitting 70C full load.

If I decide to throw a second fan on the TRUE this should change but for now i'm not complaining.

 

[Rubycon]

I agree with this also.

With HT on and at 3.6 i'm already hitting 70C full load.

If I decide to throw a second fan on the TRUE this should change but for now i'm not complaining.

I found that a second fan did not bring temps down enough to warrant its use on a TRUE. The Megahalems did benefit from it and that's my current config. 4.45GHz 1.33V HT ON mid 70's Linpack after eight hours.

 

[Paratus]

Well I'll definitely keep a new cooler in mind. However I'm trying to keep the cost down for this upgrade, so I may suggest the TRUE or Megahelms as a fathers day gift.

 

[Interitus]

Apples to oranges comparison!

3.33GHz is no problem at all for a 920. Should be able to do that on 1.1 volts or lower. Most will do 3.6 at 1.2V and the good ones hit 4+ at 1.2. A good cooler like the Megahalems or TRUE (rev C) will keep load temps (full load Linpack) manageable well under 70C and in the 50's at 3.3GHz.

Slightly off topic (sorry for the ninja OP)

Is there any difference between the original TRUE and the Rev C other than the mounting bracket?

I'm building a 920 rig here shortly and figured I'd save some cash keeping my original TRUE and ordering the 1366 bracket.

 

[Hey Zeus]

Ran my old 920 @ 4.2Ghz on a daily basis for months with no issues.4Ghz is really all you need tho.

 

[Gillbot]

Here we go.... people expecting 4GHz on 920's....

 

[nyker96]

I think for everyday use 3,6 probably is a good bet. you might need to change your cooling to something stronger just to have more thermal head room.

 

[Rubycon]

Here we go.... people expecting 4GHz on 920's....

4GHz on 920 is really like 3.2 on G06600 IMO. You set the bar too low! Get mad when you cannot do 4.4 at 1.2V! I did because only 1 of many could do that! I was ready to write letters to Intel! :hmm:

 

[Hey Zeus]

I had 4.3Ghz with 1.3v but that was with a shitty C0

 

[Gillbot]

4GHz on 920 is really like 3.2 on G06600 IMO. You set the bar too low! Get mad when you cannot do 4.4 at 1.2V! I did because only 1 of many could do that! I was ready to write letters to Intel! :hmm:

 

[SanDiegoPC]

I had 4.3Ghz with 1.3v but that was with a shitty C0

Oh, come on now! How long did ~that~ last?

 

[Markfw]

4GHz on 920 is really like 3.2 on G06600 IMO. You set the bar too low! Get mad when you cannot do 4.4 at 1.2V! I did because only 1 of many could do that! I was ready to write letters to Intel! :hmm:

I have to disagree. My Q6600's would all do 3.2-3.4 (still are) and thats it, and on $100 motherboards. Per my other post, I think I know whats up with my 920. To get a 4ghz+ OC, you need a $200-300 motherboard or more. That was not the case with the Q6600. It made a difference, but not as big of one.

As far as the post, I say 3.4-3.6 is the everyday OC you can expect of a 920 D0 and stock voltages.

 

[Rubycon]

I have to disagree. My Q6600's would all do 3.2-3.4 (still are) and thats it, and on $100 motherboards. Per my other post, I think I know whats up with my 920. To get a 4ghz+ OC, you need a $200-300 motherboard or more. That was not the case with the Q6600. It made a difference, but not as big of one.

As far as the post, I say 3.4-3.6 is the everyday OC you can expect of a 920 D0 and stock voltages.

I was being sarcastic there to show it's a disease. After having not so great of an OC experience with 940s at $550 each I ordered W3520s and originally would have been more than happy with 4GHz. When that seemed like tasting sugar, I tried 4.2 then 4.4 then started getting into trouble at 4.5! If you EXPECT to get something fairly lofty when overclocking prepare for disappointment! It's a lottery and no more. One cannot expect to win with just one line.

As far as motherboards go I buy the best and don't look back. Now I've had some not so good "best" boards and that is something (rightfully so!) to get upset over!

 

[Gillbot]

I was being sarcastic there to show it's a disease. After having not so great of an OC experience with 940s at $550 each I ordered W3520s and originally would have been more than happy with 4GHz. When that seemed like tasting sugar, I tried 4.2 then 4.4 then started getting into trouble at 4.5! If you EXPECT to get something fairly lofty when overclocking prepare for disappointment! It's a lottery and no more. One cannot expect to win with just one line.

As far as motherboards go I buy the best and don't look back. Now I've had some not so good "best" boards and that is something (rightfully so!) to get upset over!

I wish more people would understand that. No one should reasonably expect more than stock IMHO. It's a 2.66GHz chip and to buy one expecting anything more than 2.66GHz is setting yourself up for disappointment.