Xeon L5639 Overclocking on X58

[MongGrel]

Finally got my SR-2 and two x5675. Running them at 4GHz for now. Would 4.4Ghz be pushing on a air cooled system?

Yeah, you're right. Just tried 4.4 and got BSOD after couple of minutes. 4.2GHZ at 1.35v seems stable, but need more burning to know for sure. D you know the max voltage for x5675?

Really.

Very nice.

4.2 with one of those is doing very well, yeah.

I'm Jealous

 

[MongGrel]

Love this thread. I found an ASUS P6T at Goodwill for $30 and it's gonna be the base for my new (now super cheap) computer build. I ordered an X5550 from Ebay for pretty cheap and I'm not waiting for that to come in.

Out of the gate, what cooling would y'all recommend? Our local Frys has a Corsair H80i for stupid cheap right now but I've heard the pumps in the Corsair closed loops are suspect. This will all be going into an Antec 900 for the meantime so I can't do any huge radiators water-cooling wise.

You got quite the steal on that board.

 

[YBS1]

D you know the max voltage for x5675?

Anything if you're brave enough...

Seriously though, nobody will be able to give you a "here is your number, anything past it will result in damage immediately" but the general consensus is 1.35 is perfectly safe for daily use. Probably will be ok up to 1.45 daily with excellent cooling. A few of us in here have ventured up past 1.6v into 1.7v territory for brief benching tries with no harm, but that doesn't mean it won't pop on yours.

 

[multifrag]

Anything if you're brave enough...

Seriously though, nobody will be able to give you a "here is your number, anything past it will result in damage immediately" but the general consensus is 1.35 is perfectly safe for daily use. Probably will be ok up to 1.45 daily with excellent cooling. More than a few of us in here have ventured up past 1.6v into 1.7v territory for brief benching tries with no harm, but that doesn't mean it won't pop on yours.

Yeah. I thought that 1.35 will be the ceiling. I'm very happy with price to performance by Xeons not to mention I can have 2 of them at the same time

 

[jdbogaard]

Hi Guys - I just inherited an old computer that a family member was going to throw away with an Asus P6T with a i7 920 and I found this thread. I've read through about the last 30 pages and I must say this is so cool, thank you all for putting all this info together.

I had a few questions though.

1) I see most people are buying the X56xx chips, but I haven't seen any mention of the W3690/80/70. From my research it seems like the chips are identical, except that the W36xx chips are single CPU socket only; but they are also less expensive. I saw a W3690 on ebay for about 150, which is much less than what I could get a X5690 for (which again appears to me to be the same chip/architecture).

Am I missing something?

2) My Asus P6T has no USB 3.0 and no SATA III (6Gb/s). Right now the computer has just a 500GB 7200rpm HDD, so order of business number 1 is getting some sort of SSD for it. What are people on the forums without SATA III doing? One option is to just purchase a 850 EVO and eat the performance hit, but is there a better solution?

M.2 SSD's with PCIE 2.0 x4 like the HyperX Predator seem to be running about $1 per TB, which adds up fast. Some quick math indicates if I really want around 500GB of SSD storage it would be smarter to just buy a new MOBO with SATA III and buy an 850 EVO, as it would be cheaper than trying to buy a M.2 500GB SSD.

3) Finally, I see a lot of discussion about which X56xx Xeon to buy, but in the pages I read I didn't see a great explanation of the real differences between any of these chips when you are overclocking.

Perhaps I missed it, but it seems like if you have a X5670 and an X5690 and you set them both to the same blkg and multiplier they should have identical performance, is that correct? if thats true then is the difference in SKU's more of an average quality, and as such you can safely push the x5690 higher on average?

I apologize if I've asked questions that are already answered here in this thread; I've found a lot of good info here, but I didn't find any of those answers here yet.

 

[Burpo]

My own research shows that the 60 - 95 watt EP Xeons have more headroom for overclocking & less heat. They are also different than the W series. Westmere EP vs Gulftown, look at package specs here & notice tCase temps.
X5670
http://ark.intel.com/products/47920/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X5670-12M-Cache-2_93-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

W3690
http://ark.intel.com/products/52586/Intel-Xeon-Processor-W3690-12M-Cache-3_46-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

There's obviously a difference and it shows when reaching peak overclocks for each. You can't push the W series as hard.
I'll take the X5670 and best any W series cpu in overclocking & benchmarks. I even got my X5650 to boot at 5 Ghz

 

[YBS1]

1) I see most people are buying the X56xx chips, but I haven't seen any mention of the W3690/80/70. From my research it seems like the chips are identical, except that the W36xx chips are single CPU socket only; but they are also less expensive. I saw a W3690 on ebay for about 150, which is much less than what I could get a X5690 for (which again appears to me to be the same chip/architecture).

Am I missing something?

Yes, kind of. The most ideal chips are the X5670 and the X5675. The X5650 and X5660 are great choices as well but may limit your overclock depending upon how good your cpu and motherboard are due to the need for a higher BCLK for equal clockspeeds.

Unless you're just into benchmarking numbers any SSD will probably suit you fine, don't be concerned with the "performance hit" from the old chipset, you won't notice it in day to day usage.

 

[jdbogaard]

My own research shows that the 60 - 95 watt EP Xeons have more headroom for overclocking & less heat. They are also different than the W series. Westmere EP vs Gulftown, look at package specs here & notice tCase temps.
X5670
http://ark.intel.com/products/47920/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X5670-12M-Cache-2_93-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

W3690
http://ark.intel.com/products/52586/Intel-Xeon-Processor-W3690-12M-Cache-3_46-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

There's obviously a difference and it shows when reaching peak overclocks for each. You can't push the W series as hard.
I'll take the X5670 and best any W series cpu in overclocking & benchmarks. I even got my X5650 to boot at 5 Ghz

@Burpo & @YBS1 - thanks for the fast responses.

@Burpo -
I see the difference in the tCase temps, but that is the only difference I can see between the W3690 and the X5690. I had always thought Westmere EP vs Gulftown was just naming convention, and that the underlying microprocessor architecture was the same. I clearly missed the tCase temp differences, but the rest of the ARK is pretty close to identical (thus why I missed it, sorry about that).

The X5670 has a lower TDP than either xx90 chips, so it is interesting that the X5690 is worse for overclocking than the X5670. I would never have guessed that and probably would have went balls out buying a X5690 thinking I'd have the best chance to hit like 5.2 or 5.3.

@YBS1 -
I'm not into benchmarks, but I "felt" like I noticed a difference a few years ago when my main workstation switched from SATA II to SATA III. It could have easily just been all in my head, but I guess if I'm hurting for speed I'll just buy a second SSD and put them in RAID0.

I'll have to look and see what X5670's are going for on eBay and see what kind of a deal I can get.

Another Q:
The machine has 6GB RAM right now, are most of you finding 12GB is enough (ie buying 3 more 2GB) or should I be looking for a triple channel 12GB kit so I can upgrade to 24 in the future

 

[ClockHound]

@Burpo & @YBS1 - thanks for the fast responses.


Another Q:
The machine has 6GB RAM right now, are most of you finding 12GB is enough (ie buying 3 more 2GB) or should I be looking for a triple channel 12GB kit so I can upgrade to 24 in the future

Nope. It's like clocks and cores. You can never have too much. ;-)

I just upgraded from a 3x4 kit because hitting the page file too often - PS/graphics compositing/dev work.

Made my own 24G kit with 3 of these Mushkin 8G sticks: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226682 - 1.35V, so hopefully less stress on the memory controller and higher clocks.

Just finished 36 hours of MemTestDeluxe in the Sabertooth without issue. Will start filling them soon with my own meaningless data instead of some automated process. Oh boy! More 0s and 1s!!! :biggrin:

 

[Burpo]

There's a difference of how much ram the Westmere's can handle vs Gulftown too. Different volts, 2 QPI links, amount of RAM, tCase difference, still think they're the same?

"As of 2015, Xeon 3600 and 5600 series Westmere-EP processors have become somewhat sought after as an upgrade route for older X58 motherboards....With proper BIOS support and the correct supporting components, many users have reported substantial overclocking potential, often as high as 4.4 GHz while staying within Intel's maximum allowed voltages (no higher than 1.35v for the core or the uncore). For gaming, such a system is proving remarkably competitive against much newer, and usually more expensive processors; the supply of second-hand chips from decommissioned servers is finite, however."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulftown

 

[jason166]

I'm curious what my fellow X58 folks think about the Skylake platform....

Is 6700k / z170 a worthy upgrade over a X5560/X58 @ 4Ghz? I mostly game, but do just like having some raw grunt power for encoding/trans-coding.

The big thing that I like is the support for M2/NVMe SSDs which for me has been the weak point of X58 as it ages (no fast SSD support outside of RAIDing SATA 300 together. (With limited support)

I'm also waiting to see when the higher speed DDR4 (3200/3600) becomes cheaper/more available as it seems like that makes a big difference in IPC from the benchmarks I'm seeing.

So go 6700k / Z170, 5820k / X99 or wait for Skylake E? (Possibly late 2016)

Thoughts?

 

[ClockHound]

Don't take a chance. Get both. That way you can game AND encode at the same time on different systems.

If you have to just pick one, don't. Pick any two from your list. Get a 6700k system now - assuming you live somewhere that has supply - keep your X58 beast running - then get a Skylake-E rig when it's released in 2017(ish).

With desktops sales in decline and Intel hell-bent on heading into mobile hell, we enthusiasts need to support their limited desktop options while we still can.

If you to want to be even more corporately philanthropic, pick up a dead-end X99 system now as well. :biggrin:

 

[jason166]

The old X58 will be parted out for storage and the rest will be sold on eBay while it's still worth something

I detect a bit of sarcasm in your post, but isn't it truly sad this discussion is even relevant? That people with hardware for 2009 are still debating whether upgrading offers compelling performance.

Don't take a chance. Get both. That way you can game AND encode at the same time on different systems.

If you have to just pick one, don't. Pick any two from your list. Get a 6700k system now - assuming you live somewhere that has supply - keep your X58 beast running - then get a Skylake-E rig when it's released in 2017(ish).

With desktops sales in decline and Intel hell-bent on heading into mobile hell, we enthusiasts need to support their limited desktop options while we still can.

If you to want to be even more corporately philanthropic, pick up a dead-end X99 system now as well. :biggrin:

 

[Burpo]

Edit : sell the X58 & buy new if you want the best gaming experience.

 

[Makaveli]

I'm curious what my fellow X58 folks think about the Skylake platform....

Is 6700k / z170 a worthy upgrade over a X5560/X58 @ 4Ghz? I mostly game, but do just like having some raw grunt power for encoding/trans-coding.

The big thing that I like is the support for M2/NVMe SSDs which for me has been the weak point of X58 as it ages (no fast SSD support outside of RAIDing SATA 300 together. (With limited support)

I'm also waiting to see when the higher speed DDR4 (3200/3600) becomes cheaper/more available as it seems like that makes a big difference in IPC from the benchmarks I'm seeing.

So go 6700k / Z170, 5820k / X99 or wait for Skylake E? (Possibly late 2016)

Thoughts?

The x58 chipset is really only worth it now if you already have a board laying around. Or can get a board and xeon for cheap other than that you are better off going to a newer platform if building new.

 

[jason166]

Agreed... I have a x5650 running great at 4Ghz with HT on... I'm considering a move to either X99/5820k or Z170/6700k. The 6700k vs 5820k question has played out in a few threads already but I wanted to get the thoughts of my peers who are still running x58 with the X50** Xeon upgrades.

The x58 chipset is really only worth it now if you already have a board laying around. Or can get a board and xeon for cheap other than that you are better off going to a newer platform if building new.

 

[ClockHound]

I'm building an adorable itx Skylake rig as befits modern desktop jewellery. My X58 rig will keep doing the heavy render lifting until its back or motherboard gives out.

For me, the most compelling feature on Skylake is USB 3.1 - that's pretty cool. And so sad.

What board do you have jason166?

 

[jdbogaard]

Alright - looks like the X5670 and X5675 are going for between 100 and 125, which seems real reasonable, so I'll probably just order a brand new X5675 for $125 off eBay. Next problem is that there is currently a stock intel cooler in the PC.

It seems like the popular coolers on the forum are Scythe Mugen/Kotetsu, Noctua NH-D14, and AIO liquid coolers. Ppl with Scythe coolers - are you getting good temps, or is the premium on the Noctua worth it?

On a different note - has anyone thought about starting to try and snipe a good X79 board in anticipation of the eventual mass sale of LGA 2011 Xeons as servers continue to upgrade? Looking ahead, what Xeons do you think would be ideal to slip into those of us with an X79 board floating around?

 

[jdbogaard]

I'm building an adorable itx Skylake rig as befits modern desktop jewellery. My X58 rig will keep doing the heavy render lifting until its back or motherboard gives out.

For me, the most compelling feature on Skylake is USB 3.1 - that's pretty cool. And so sad.

What board do you have jason166?

@ClockHound - Yeah, USB 3.1 is so adorable ... for mobile. We will see how it works out for desktops and if Nvidia and AMD start putting USB 3.1/USB C outs on their GPUs, and it would be great if I could basically have a Thunderbolt display, except with USB 3.1/C for my desktop.

 

[YBS1]

On a different note - has anyone thought about starting to try and snipe a good X79 board in anticipation of the eventual mass sale of LGA 2011 Xeons as servers continue to upgrade? Looking ahead, what Xeons do you think would be ideal to slip into those of us with an X79 board floating around?

It's not going to play out the same on X79 as it did with X58. The LGA1366 Xeons were wildly popular because they could overclock like champs, that's been locked down on the LGA2011 Xeons.

 

[MongGrel]

It's not going to play out the same on X79 as it did with X58. The LGA1366 Xeons were wildly popular because they could overclock like champs, that's been locked down on the LGA2011 Xeons.

Yeah, I doubt they'll let that happen again.

:twisted:

 

[jdbogaard]

It's not going to play out the same on X79 as it did with X58. The LGA1366 Xeons were wildly popular because they could overclock like champs, that's been locked down on the LGA2011 Xeons.

So unlike the LGA1366 Xeons the LGA2011 Xeons are multiplier locked, but from looking at this thread a lot of the gain LGA1366 Xeon's is from pushing the BCLK up, sometimes as high as 210?!

I take it changes in architecture with Sandy Bridge has made adjusting the BCLK too much impossible?

 

[YBS1]

I take it changes in architecture with Sandy Bridge has made adjusting the BCLK too much impossible?

Pretty much that.

 

[Burpo]

Yes, kind of. The most ideal chips are the X5670 and the X5675. The X5650 and X5660 are great choices as well but may limit your overclock depending upon how good your cpu and motherboard are due to the need for a higher BCLK for equal clockspeeds.

Agreed.. I've tried a few CPU's and ended up with X5670. Overclocked it's on par with a stock i7-5820. These offer a lot of value and are worth upgrading to, if you already have a board. Unfortunately, the boards have gotten expensive. I don't see them going down any time soon, because of the value they offer compared to a new system today. The LGA1366 Hex-core Xeons listed can generally be had for under $100..

 

[ClockHound]

Alright - looks like the X5670 and X5675 are going for between 100 and 125, which seems real reasonable, so I'll probably just order a brand new X5675 for $125 off eBay. Next problem is that there is currently a stock intel cooler in the PC.

It seems like the popular coolers on the forum are Scythe Mugen/Kotetsu, Noctua NH-D14, and AIO liquid coolers. Ppl with Scythe coolers - are you getting good temps, or is the premium on the Noctua worth it?

The Kotetsu is a remarkable little cooler. For stock or mild overclocks. It won't do well beyond 3.8/1.25V on a Xeon tho.

I've used the Mugen 4 with reasonable temps - however, had to mod the case to ensure decent intake airflow - with my BitFen Ghost. It's a quiet, restrictive case - limited to 160mm high cooler - hence the 158mm Mugen 4, which I got on sale. The Mugen is good with the stock fan, but ended up using 2 EK Vardar F3s on it to support decent overclocks. After getting 2x $20 fans, it's not a bargain cooler. Went from mid 70s under IBT at 4.25/1.31V to mid 60s after case mod/2 Vardars. Ambient temp 21C, cooler intake temp 24C.

The only bargain cooler I'd consider now is the new(ish) Thermalright TS140 Rev A. which at $39.95 from Nan's is the best cooling deal atm - It's a large single tower with great performance from its quiet 140mm stock fan to support a decent overclock - 4.2 is the start of decent for me.

I'm migrating the Sabertooth/Xeon into a HAF XB, which has great airflow (with 2 140mm Noctuas intakes) and will be using a D15, because cooler height is no longer an issue. Yay! The top tier twin tower coolers are the best choice in air for overclocking headroom. I went with the D15 (and NM-I3 mounting kit - free from Noctua - just ask) because it comes with two A15 PWM fans - in the tippy top tier of 140mm fans. The D14 is great, but the non PWM fans and mismatched 120mm/140mm combo isn't as quiet or as cool as using 2X A15s. And I managed to wrangle the D15 for $15 less than a D14. So there's that.

Don't have temps yet as I'm modding the fugly out of the HAF case first. Will report back, but expect the D15/HAF to best my 2 Vardar Mugen/Ghost by at least 5-6 degrees with more OC headroom.

On the waterfront, the only AIO to consider, imo, is one from trusted companies with custom loop experience. (Won't mention the hideous unreliable pumps, crappy high fpi aluminum rads and MB watering agony I had with a few Aseteks in the past - oops, I just did). And these Aseteks with high FPI rads require fast loud fans to barely beat the best air coolers. The H100i can best the D15 by 1-2 degrees, but it's 5X times louder. Ouch! Not worth the ear pain. If some pretend water-cooler cooler is 5X louder, it better be at least 15-20 degrees cooler and make espresso in the morning. When the fans on most of these AIOs are turned down to civilized noise levels, <40dB, then the D15 will best them by 5-7C. And still be quieter.

Of the AOIs, my picks are the Swiftech 220x/240x and soon, EK Predator. The later is pricey, but is actually the only AIO I would ever buy again. Copper rad, Vardar F4ER PWM fans, Supremacy block, DDC PWM Pump. Basically their quality custom parts in a pre-assembled loop. And the option to expand the loop for GPU cooling.

tdlr;

My X56XX cooler picks:

Bargain air cooler: TR TS140 Rev A

OC'd twin tower beast cooler: D15 (with X58 mounting kit)

AIO: EK Predator