Jump to content

Help overclocking intel i7 920 (newb)


Recommended Posts

I have never overclocked before. I have an HP computer that I have been upgrading. I have gotten a new case (HAF 922) but that's about it. I want to overclock my i7-920 to a stable overclock that is in the range of 3.6Ghz to 3.8Ghz.

 

Here are my specs:

 

Intel i7 920 2.67Ghz

9GB DDR3 1333Mhz (Three 2GB sticks and three 1GB sticks)

Nvidia GTX 260 1.8GB Memory

 

I realize I am going to need to buy a new motherboard if I want to overclock because the HP board has no overclocking abilities. I am new to this so I would like your guys help in picking a motherboard and then using the BIOS settings to overclock the CPU. I would like a motherboard that will help me overclock easy and one that has 2 PCIe x 16 slots. Thats my only must haves on the Mobo.

 

I have tried reading some guides but I always get confused when they have to lower the clock rate of the ram and pci and stuff because the guide they have doesn't directly apply to me because rthey use 1600Mhz ram. Please remember I have 1066Mhz ram.

 

So just to wrap everything up I need help picking a motherboard and then I need help with what settings to change to get me a good stable overclock with not much extra heat. Thanks for your help.[

Edited by jedinegotiator

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome to OCC my friend!

 

Love the new case mate!

 

What CPU cooler are you currently using btw?

 

There are many boards which could help you overclock you CPU well. My P6X58D Premium is very good IMO and it has everything you asked for. Generally mid-high end ASUS boards are great but my preference for ASUS is more a personal choice then anything else - other brands have good boards as well. However, since I haven't really tried overclocking with this board personally, I can't guarantee you success, so I'll try to leave board suggestions up to the pros here.

 

Generally people buy 1600MHz RAM in order to allow them to overclock their CPU (via the FSB) without running into the risk of having unstable RAM. If you have 1333MHz RAM you may do fine but it will mean you have to be careful about your memory speeds as you increase the FSB.

 

Have you come across this overclocking guide for you chip? Many have found it to be quite useful especially in explaining the bios settings and what each setting does.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome to OCC my friend!

 

Love the new case mate!

 

What CPU cooler are you currently using btw?

 

There are many boards which could help you overclock you CPU well. My P6X58D Premium is very good IMO and it has everything you asked for. Generally mid-high end ASUS boards are great but my preference for ASUS is more a personal choice then anything else - other brands have good boards as well. However, since I haven't really tried overclocking with this board personally, I can't guarantee you success, so I'll try to leave board suggestions up to the pros here.

 

Generally people buy 1600MHz RAM in order to allow them to overclock their CPU (via the FSB) without running into the risk of having unstable RAM. If you have 1333MHz RAM you may do fine but it will mean you have to be careful about your memory speeds as you increase the FSB.

 

Have you come across this overclocking guide for you chip? Many have found it to be quite useful especially in explaining the bios settings and what each setting does.

 

Honestly I have no clue what my heat sink is. I think it is something proprietary to HP as it is not the stock intel heat sink. It looks somewhat like this one but no glowing and its not Asus: http://www.techpowerup.com/img/08-12-23/20081223-a-1.jpg

 

As for the motherboards I was looking as these two:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

 

I haven't decided which one yet. Also I thought the i7 processors had to FSB because the MCC is in the chip its self. I havent came across that guide yet I will check it out. Thanks for the help.

Edited by jedinegotiator

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

this looks like a nice board for the money, cheaper than the rest with all the same useful features :thumbsup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130500

 

the memory MAY hold you back but you should see how far you get before deciding to get 1600mhz sticks. Is your configuration of memory 2GB-1GB-2GB-1GB-2GB-1GB?? How do you have 9GB??

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

this looks like a nice board for the money, cheaper than the rest with all the same useful features :thumbsup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130500

 

the memory MAY hold you back but you should see how far you get before deciding to get 1600mhz sticks. Is your configuration of memory 2GB-1GB-2GB-1GB-2GB-1GB?? How do you have 9GB??

 

Thats right it is in two tripple channels.

 

2GB 1GB 2GB 1GB 2GB 1GB

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well it has an ASUS motherboard.

Are you able to take some pictures of the bios?

 

Take pictures of the BIOS as in the blue screen on my current motherboard? Sure...but why? Its just a stock HP mobo there are literally like 5-10 settings I can change in the BIOS and none of it is overclocking stuff.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well never mind.

I just did some research. and found nothing about the bios. But I did find out that PC is an HP dud.

So replace that crappy motherboard with a better motherboard. And you should be golden.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well never mind.

I just did some research. and found nothing about the bios. But I did find out that PC is an HP dud.

So replace that crappy motherboard with a better motherboard. And you should be golden.

 

Yeah my mobo was actually a dud but apparently they fixed the problem and they replaced my motherboard and I haven't had any problems with it since then....except for the fact I cant overclock with it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...