Xeon L5639 Overclocking on X58

[Burpo]

Sorry, it's a workstation. That means top reliability, first and foremost and that completely excludes overclocking.

 

[hasu]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Phenom+II+X6+1100T

Yup!

And the Atholn 6000+ is anemic (user experience)..
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+64+X2+Dual+Core+6000+

Can't trust passmark.

I checked passmark for X5660 (your link) and at the end of the page there are the latest 4 rating for the same CPU -- varying from 6869 to 9806. If you look at the details the higher rated ones are overclocked.

 

[Makaveli]

In my experience single threaded performance is the only factor which makes the computer feels snappy. I am sure both (2.8GHz Xeon and 3.0GHz AMD) will be similar in windows user experience (not their index), as far as UI response etc goes.

I want to have some fun over clocking too! Last time I over clocked was prior to P3-1GHz (Celeron 300A, AMD 450MHz and similar ). Otherwise the motherboard you linked is pretty good!

Edit: My i7 system actually replaced an AMD 1100T. Will X5660/X5670/X5675 be faster than AMD 1100T?

I don't think you realized the huge IPC difference in the processors you are comparing. Its not even close and going to a AMD 1100T will close the gap but still not enough.

And I guarantee you windows will feel snappier sitting on 6 cores than 2 with all the background processes running.

 

[Makaveli]

Can't trust passmark.

I checked passmark for X5660 (your link) and at the end of the page there are the latest 4 rating for the same CPU -- varying from 6869 to 9806. If you look at the details the higher rated ones are overclocked.

And I agree Passmark is just a syntetic benchmark and I wouldn't be using that to gauge anything.

I've used both systems, in fact my HTPC is still an Opteron 170 it has the same L2 cache as your chip and same clock speed.

They are not comparable.

 

[Headfoot]

Yeah that 6000+ is ancient chinese secret.

I think they invented gunpowder using those chips

 

[hasu]

Yeah that 6000+ is ancient chinese secret.

I think they invented gunpowder using those chips

Do you have one of those? If not how do you know?

 

[Makaveli]

Do you have one of those? If not how do you know?

Athlon 64 x2 is pushing 10 years now.

It is possible he may have owned one within that time frame aswell as 80% of the forum.

 

[hasu]

nm

 

[Blue_Max]

Athlon 64 x2 is pushing 10 years now.

It is possible he may have owned one within that time frame aswell as 80% of the forum.

Yep. Even 4 years ago I found the experience painful.

 

[Makaveli]

Yep. Even 4 years ago I found the experience painful.

For my HTPC which only runs XMBC its good enough that box has 4GB of DDR500 memory with a passively cooled Radeon 6450. However I don't think I could go back to it for normal desktop use so I agree with you.

I almost retired her during the Christmas break with so many sales.

A Dual core i3 will destroy it but I will let her live a little longer, that Opteron gives me good memories of a much stronger competitive AMD.

 

[Headfoot]

Do you have one of those? If not how do you know?

Are you joking?

(I actually do have one... sitting in a box in my closet when I replaced in in 2009 at which time it was ~4 years old)

I can't believe I actually have to link this... http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/28?vs=47.
That's for the 4 core version of the same architecture as the Xeon on 45nm. The Xeon version has 6 cores and is at 32nm so all the multi-threaded benches will be another 50% higher, it's a tiny bit faster at the same frequency per core and it uses less power and overclocks better

 

[imported_millerduck]

I have an Asus P6T board running the i7-920 at 166x21 (3.48GHz) w/Turbo and HT on. It looks like I can still get an L5639 for pretty cheap on the eBays.

Is this a worthwhile upgrade for the 2 additional cores?

How hard will it be to match (or exceed) my current clock speed?

Thanks for the help on my 6 year old hardware

MD

 

[Burpo]

Skip the L5639 & get an X5650.. Has higher multiplier & clocks better.. It's 2.66 same as i7-920 & you can set bclk@200
http://www.ebay.com/itm/INTEL-Six-C...666?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c94db2062

 

[imported_millerduck]

I see that the X5650 is a 95W TDP part vs. 60W on the L5639. Since both are less than my 130W 920, either should be an efficiency improvement.

Are there some "known good" settings / voltages for a decent OC on the X5650?

Thanks again.
MD

 

[Makaveli]

I see that the X5650 is a 95W TDP part vs. 60W on the L5639. Since both are less than my 130W 920, either should be an efficiency improvement.

Are there some "known good" settings / voltages for a decent OC on the X5650?

Thanks again.
MD

Unless you plan on keep it at stock forget about those TDP numbers.

Your 95watt chip will be pulling the same wattage as a 130watt chip when both are running at the same clock speed and voltage for example 4Ghz 200x20.

In terms of voltage / settings and a decent overclock all of the 6 core chips are the same architecture so they all generally top out around the same clocks. And yes some samples may clock higher than others on both sides but that is the silicon lottery each chip is different. Your numbers will be similar to everyone else in this thread as long as your cooling is at par.

 

[hasu]

In terms of voltage / settings and a decent overclock all of the 6 core chips are the same architecture so they all generally top out around the same clocks.

You mean there is no difference between L5640 (2.26GHz, 6-Core, 60W) vs X5675 (3.06GHz, 6-Core, 95W)?

 

[xthetenth]

Not comparing a low power part to a regular power part without changing the TDP, they still fit on the same power/clock speed trendline most likely.

 

[Makaveli]

You mean there is no difference between L5640 (2.26GHz, 6-Core, 60W) vs X5675 (3.06GHz, 6-Core, 95W)?

The difference is the clock speed and voltage only.

If you clock the x5675 at 2.26 Ghz and the same voltage it will pull 60 watts not 95.

 

[hasu]

The difference is the clock speed and voltage only.

If you clock the x5675 at 2.26 Ghz and the same voltage it will pull 60 watts not 95.

Interesting! Will there be any stability issues if a CPU is under-clocked? Or is it that under-clocking is universally safe?

 

[Burpo]

"Intel® Xeon® 5600 series -automatically and intelligently adjusting server performance according to your application needs
Integrated power gates:
Allow idling cores to be reduced to near-zero power, independent of other cores, reducing server idle power consumption.
Automated low-power states:
Automatically put processor, memory, and I/O controller into the lowest available power states that will meet the current workload while minimizing performance impact."

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/product-briefs/xeon-5600-brief.pdf

 

[hasu]

Am I correct that the Xeons are multiplier locked and thus achieving a random frequency may not be possible with the default FSB?

Edit Slightly off topic: I bought a pair of X5675's to upgrade my server (from E5606). I also bought a pair of L5640's for a low power option if I downgrade the server-role to light weight duties. If I can run X5675's at lower clock speeds then I may not need these separate low power CPU's. May be I should return those and get a spare X5675.

I also ordered a Gene III with i7-860 (2.8GHz). Will L5640 work better for overclocking?

Edit 2: from overclockers forum (thanks to redduc900): "A 4.0-4.2GHz clock is about the norm for an 860 (200+ BCLK up to ~210 x 20 or 200 x 21), w/ the DRAM multiplier set to x8 = DDR3-1600+."

 

[Burpo]

Correct.. It's all done with bclk..

 

[Makaveli]

Am I correct that the Xeons have locked clock-multipler within the chip and thus achieving a random frequency may not be possible with the default FSB?

Slightly off topic: I bought a pair of X5675's to upgrade my server (from E5606). I also bought a pair of L5640's for a low power option if I downgrade the server-role to light weight duties. If I can run X5675's at lower clock speeds then I may not need these separate low power CPU's. May be I should return those and get a spare X5675.

I also ordered a Gene III. Will L5640 work better for overclocking?

Yes the clock multipler is locked but usually to a certain range.

Overclocking on 1366 is a combination of FSB changes and multipler changes to get your desired speed.

"Intel® Xeon® 5600 series -automatically and intelligently adjusting server performance according to your application needs
Integrated power gates:
Allow idling cores to be reduced to near-zero power, independent of other cores, reducing server idle power consumption.
Automated low-power states:
Automatically put processor, memory, and I/O controller into the lowest available power states that will meet the current workload while minimizing performance impact."

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/product-briefs/xeon-5600-brief.pdf

Good pdf and going through it brings up an important point.

Everyone has to remember Xeons were made for enterprise systems. So some of those features actually require enterprise/workstation grade chipsets and motherboards to have all the features working. 99% of the people on this thread are putting these chips in consumer level boards.

Will paste this from the link its on page 7.


Intel Xeon Processor 5600 Series
The Intel Xeon processor 5600 series is available in a range of features to match different computing demands.
All processors integrate Intel QuickPath Technology, Intel Intelligent Power Technology and Intel Virtualization
Technology. Intel VT FlexMigration, Intel VT FlexPriority, and Intel® 64 Architecture

Standard, Enterprise Servers: Intel® 5520 and 5500 Chipset
Server and workstation platforms based on the Intel® 5520 and 5500
Chipset, combined with the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series, drive
breakthrough performance and state-of-the-art technology to perfor
-
mance and mainstream server platforms.
The Intel 5520 Chipset supports the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series
at 6.4 GT/s, 5.86 GT/s and 4.8 GT/s speeds via the Intel QuickPath
Interconnect. Additionally, this chipset delivers support for 36 lanes of
PCI Express 2.0 I/O, Intel VT-c and Intel VT-d enhancements for virtual
-
ization OS, Intel® Dynamic Power Node Manager system management,
and support for Intel® ICH10, ICH10R and Intel® 6700PXH 64-bit PCI Hub.
The Intel 5500 Chipset supports the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series
at 6.4 GT/s, 5.86 GT/s and 4.8 GT/s speeds via the Intel QuickPath
Interconnect. Additionally, this chipset delivers support for 24 lanes of
PCI Express 2.0 I/O, Intel VT-c and Intel VT-d enhancements for virtual
-
ization OS, Intel Dynamic Power Node Manager system management,
and support for Intel ICH10, ICH10R and Intel 6700PXH 64-bit PCI Hub.
Workstations: Intel 5520 Chipset in Single
or Dual I/O Hub (IOH) Configuration
The Intel 5520 chipset improves data movement across Intel Xeon
processor 5500 series-based workstations and HPC systems by
increasing interconnect bandwidth, optimizing system bandwidth,
increasing memory capacity, and improving network traffic processing
while reducing I/O latency.
These platform advancements help to match the improved perfor
-
mance of the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series and include:
• Point-to-point connections via the Intel QuickPath Interconnect at
4.8, 5.86 and 6.4 GT/s speeds
• Dual IOH configuration for higher I/O connectivity, up to 72 lanes for
PCI Express 2.0
• Multiple x16 or x8 PCI Express 2.0 graphics card support
• Intel VT-c and Intel VT-d virtualization technology enhancements
• Intel Dynamic Power Node Manager system management support
• Intel ICH10 and ICH10R
• Intel 6700PXH 64-bit PCI Hub

 

[Burpo]

http://ark.intel.com/products/36783/Intel-5520-IO-Hub

http://ark.intel.com/products/36785/Intel-X58-Express-IO-Hub?wapkw=x58+chipset

The 5520 chipset had a slightly higher TDP, lower T Case temp, and slightly smaller package size.. uses same drivers and was "Customized to High-End Desktop X58". I assume partially because of PCI-Express 2.0, after the initial X58 release (1.1).

• Intel® 5520 is first QPI-based chipset with PCI e* 2.0
Intel® 5520 Chipset is an I/O Hub
– Bridge between QPI and I/O
– First server chipset with PCIe*2.0
– Flexible I/O with 36 PCIe* 2.0 Lanes (3
to 10 Root ports of different widths)
– One or two CPU socket connection
– Server and Workstation platforms
– Customized to High-End Desktop (X58)
– Multi-generational CPU upgrades

and my favorite
- Designed to last multiple CPU generations on the
same platform to protect customer investments.

http://www.hotchips.org/wp-content/.../HC21.24.230.DasSharma-Intel-5520-Chipset.pdf

 

[Burpo]

I also ordered a Gene III with i7-860 (2.8GHz). Will L5640 work better for overclocking?

i7-860 is LGA 1156.. L5640 is LGA 1366