overclocking help request.

[CalcProgrammer1]

The core speed should jump if you have SpeedStep enabled (it is enabled by default). Speedstep lowers your processor speed whenever it is idle, but it is recommended to disable when overclocking. Your temps look great, none of the cores broke 70C during a LinX run. Your maximum voltage was 1.24V, not bad. The next step from here is to increase the base clock (BCLK, sometimes called bus clock or FSB, though FSB is technically incorrect for the i7 platform). If ASUS has a motherboard tweaking utility program (look on the motherboard CD) you may be able to overclock BCLK from Windows without going into BIOS. I know on my Gigabyte board there's a utility called EasyTune6 that lets you set BCLK without rebooting and it's useful for testing before making BIOS adjustments. If you have such a utility, use it, otherwise go into the BIOS to change BCLK.

The default BCLK frequency is 133MHz, so start small, see if you can push it to 135MHz just for a test run and then repeat the test you did with LinX, noting any changes in temperature or voltage. If all goes well, try 140MHz and keep increasing as long as voltage stays under 1.3V and temperatures stay under 80C. While the chip can run at higher voltages I would recommend manually setting them if it is getting above 1.3V so just keep an eye on it. Intel's specification rates the i7's at 1.375V max but just watch the temperatures too as overheating can damage the chip, staying under 80C should be fine. The other possibility is that setting BCLK too high without changing any voltages will result in instability. If your machine is unstable, it will crash with either a LinX error or blue screen of death after running LinX for a while. This means you need to either lower BCLK for stability or increase voltages.

 

[LA1978chik]

I have set the:
1) Ai overclock Tuner to Manual
2) Speedstep to Disabled
but I cannot seem to locate the CxE function. My bios is version 02.61. ( I'm assuming it might be labeled differently.) My googling reveals it shows as a Cxe item listed in other pics but not on mine??

thanks

Here is a shot of the AI Tweaker page so far...

I cannot seem to change the value of the BCLK frequency at all. I suppose i need to switch something else on or off also....

 

[Slaymate]

Go to the Advanced Tab and look for CPU Configuration or something simular. Look for CXe or C1e or C-State, there may be more than 1, disable them all. You may also see a setting for CPU TM Function, Disable this also.

To change the BLCK setting you may have to highlight it and then manually type in a value.

 

[LA1978chik]

Well I have monkeyed around with this now a little and here are the results. My process was to increase the BCLK frequency by 5mhz at a time until the PC does a hard reboot. Then I increased the voltage by the recommended amount in the bios till I got to the setting shown below. Now I don't know when to quit!!! LOL
My main concern now is other settings (memory to match). I have read up on these things but not sure quite what to do next. I may be ok but my screenshots hopefully will tell.

Now when I continue on this same path and get to this point.....

I get the bsod after running Linx for about 2+ minutes. My core temps reach 70C +/-. I don't know where it sends the crash report if you need to look at it.
Thanks so far....

 

[Slaymate]

It's hard to know just whats going on without the CPU-Z "SPD" Tab screen. It's telling us the Memory Speeds aka "SPD". As you change the BCLK frequency your changing the CPU Speed but it's also changing the Memory Speed.

We don't need to see the crash report but we do need to know what error code was listed on the Blue Screen itself. It will look like this:

***STOP: 0x00000101

or this

***STOP: 0x00000124

or it may be a different combination of numbers and letters. It may also specify a file name and a message.

If the BSOD is flashing up for a second and restarting then you need to adjust the setting. Uncheck the "Automatically restart" box and click OK

 

[LA1978chik]

hmmm ok I'll try to look for that the next time that happens. I backed the BCLK down slightly and adjusted the voltage as shown below but after Linx I get an error. I think I'm almost there.

and a shot with SPD results.....

 

[Slaymate]

I'm sorry I guess I want to see the Memory Tab, I got them backwards. Look at my post above as I added an Edit to it.

 

[LA1978chik]

roger that Slay'

here you go with the memory tab....

and thanks for the tip regarding the info on the bsod info.

 

[Slaymate]

You have DDR3 1600 MHz but it's only running at 1001.2 MHz. Looking at your image, the DRAM Frequency is 500.6 MHz, your memory is DDR (double data rate) so you have to (double) the DRAM Frequency (data rate) to get your actual memory speed.

The next thing to look at in the image is the FSB : DRAM and it's set at 2:6. The "6" is the number were interested in. The BCLK (cpu tab lists this as the bus speed) times the 6 equals the memory speed or 2x's the DRAM Frequency.

166.9 x 6 = 1001.2
1001.2 / 2 = 500.6

To adjust this setting you have to change the DRAM Frequency setting in the bios. Right now your at 6 but I'm not sure just what options you'll be presented with. You may see 2:6, 2:8, 2:10, etc... or you may see 6, 8, 10, etc... or you may see 800, 1066, 1333, etc....

2:6, 6 or 800 are all the same setting. The stock BCLK setting of 133 times a DRAM Freq of 6 = 800 (more or less)
2:8, 8 or 1066 are all the same setting. The stock BCLK setting of 133 times a DRAM Freq of 8 = 1066 (more or less)
2:10, 10 or 1333 are all the same setting. The stock BCLK setting of 133 times a DRAM Freq of 10 = 1333

Am I confusing you yet?

Right now your at 4GHz but your memory is running super slow. As you increase the memory speed it's going to cause the system to work harder and that's going to make it crash sooner.

To get to 4 GHz with your memory at 1600 MHz I suggest changing the following setting:

Xtreme Phase Full Power Mode - Enabled
Load Line Calibration - Enabled
Turbomode Tech - Disabled
CPU Multiplier - 20
BClk - 200
DRAM Freq - 8
CPU VCore - 1.3125 volts to start with. We can lower it later, if the system is LinX stable but running to Hot.

Raise this Voltage with this ***STOP: 0x00000101​

QPI/DRAM Core Voltage - Keep this at Auto.

Increase it with this ***STOP: 0x00000124, but Keep this below 1.4 volts if possible.​

DRAM BUS Voltage - 1.65 volts
DRAM Timing Control - DRAM CAS# to 8, DRAM RAS# to CAS# - 8, DRAM RAS# PRE - 8, DRAM RAS# ACT - 24
PCI-e Frequency - Leave at Auto. Try adjusting this up to 101-106 if the system seems stable but a little flaky.
Speedstep - Disabled
C1E Support - Disabled
CPU TM Function - Disabled
TurboMode Tech - Disabled
C-STATE Tech - Disabled

I'm looking at the manual for your mobo and I see some of the settings listed more than once so that's why I have a couple of them listed twice.

The speed settings I selected will keep everything sync'd just right at 4 GHz and 1600 MHz. We may need to plays with the Volts some more thou.
cup speed - 20 x 200 = 4000 MHz or 4 GHz
memory speed - 200 x 8 = 1600 MHz (cpu-z memory tab will list 800)

 

[LA1978chik]

I have gone through all of your recommendations (settings) with one exception. I cannot seem to locate the "Turbomode Tech" function in the bios. I have googled till the cows come home but cannot seem to locate it. Do have a screeny showing me where it is?
As you feed me more information and I bounce it off your tut' it seems to make more and more sense as we go. Kinda like putting a jigsaw puzzle together!
Thanks so thus far...............chik.

PS Is CPU ratio setting the same as CPU multiplier?.....(NOOB)