i7 920 can't get past 3.5Ghz

[fjanicki]

I never really got into overclocking, but I did overclock my i7 920 a bit when I got it. Now, browsing forums, I see people overclocking their i7 920 C0 up to 4.2 Ghz, and getting easily 3.8 Ghz on stock cooling.

I do have a fairly high-end air cooling system, a high end motherboard, an i7 920 (C0), but I just can't get past a BCLK of 166 anything higher will either not POST or windows won't load or it will crash within minutes.

Wondering if I could get some help please.

Also, aren't my Temps a bit high?

Full system spec in my profile.

[rjbarker]

Here's a 3.83 Ghz Template from my old 920 CO Stepping....this OC was rock solid P95 Stable....any higher and Temps got a little high for my liking...oh....there's nothing "easy" at all getting a 920 CO stepping stable (on air) at 4 ghz or higher....

Evga X58 Classified 759 w I7 920 (CO) Overclock Settings:
3.83 Ghz - Memory @ 1612 Mhz - LinX Stable 30 Passes - Max GFlops 49.7 GB/sec
Mother Board ( EVGA X58 Classified E-759 )
Drivers ( Current )
Bios ( S227 )
CPU ( I7 920 CO Stepping )
CPU Cooler ( TRUE 120 Push/Pull )
Memory ( Corsair Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D 8-8-8-24 88 1T @1612 Mhz)
PSU ( Corsair HX 1 kW )
GPU ( GTX 480 850 / 1700/ 2000 Benching )
Drivers ( 257.15 Beta )
Operating System ( Windows 7 64 Home Premium )


Frequency Control
CPU Clock Ratio ( 19x )
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ( 202 Mhz )
MCH Strap ( 1600 Mhz )
CPU Uncore Frequency (Mhz) ( 3237Mhz {16x } )
CPU Clock Skew ( 0 ps )
Spread Spectrum ( Disabled )
PCIE Frequency (Mhz) ( 100 )


Memory Feature
Memory Speed ( Disabled )
Memory Control Setting ( Enabled )
Memory Frequency ( 1612Mhz / 2:8 )
Channel Interleave Setting ( 6 Way )
Rank Interleave Setting ( 4 Way )
Memory Low Gap ( Auto )
tCL Setting ( 8 )
tRCD Setting ( 8 )
tRP Setting ( 8 )
tRAS Setting ( 24 )
tRFC Setting ( 74 )
Command Rate ( 1t )


Voltage Control
EVGA VDroop Control ( With VDroop )
CPU VCore ( 1.31875 )
CPU VTT Voltage ( +125 )
CPU PLL VCore ( Auto - 1.8v )
**IOH PLL VCore ( Auto - 1.8v)
DIMM Voltage ( 1.64 )
DIMM DQ Vref ( +0mV )
QPI PLL VCore ( Auto 1.1v )
IOH VCore ( Auto 1.1v )
IOH/ICH I/O Voltage ( Auto 1.5v )
**BR04 ( NF200) Voltage ( Auto 1.2v ) (only on E-759)
**VTT PWM Frequency ( 250 KHZ )
**CPU PWM Frequency ( 800 KHZ )
**CPU Impedance ( Auto )
**QPI Signal Compensation ( Auto )
ICH VCore ( Auto 1.050v )
*PWM Frequency ( Not Used on Classified )


CPU Feature
Intel SpeedStep ( Disabled )
Turbo Mode Function ( Disabled )
CxE Function ( Disabled )
Execute Disable Bit ( Disabled )
Virtualization Technology ( Disabled )
Intel HT Technology ( Enabled )
Active Processor Cores ( All )
QPI Control Settings ( Enabled )
QPI Link Fast Mode ( Enabled )
QPI Frequency Selection ( 4.800 GT/s )
OC Recovery ( Disabled )

PnP/PCI PCI Express
Maximum Payload Size ( 512 )

[vohiep84]

Have you tested for ram stability at higher blcks?

[rjbarker]

Perhaps someone with a Gig Board will be better prepared to help you out, but 3.6 Ghz should be a breeze even for a CO Stepping Chip

[mo' power]

Your temps do seem high since you're using aftermarket cooling. Try reseating your cpu and bump your cpu voltage a bit.

[nzaneb]

You're going to need VTT over 1.35V for a C0, even then you shouldn't expect 4ghz. Unless you're running a Venemous X, Megalehelms, or similar; in a push pull setup (with decent fans). 3.8 was usually the stopping point for C0's on air.

[bojangles]

Your temps are quite high. Apply new TIM and reseat the cooler. Also, how's your airflow? Do you have lots of fans in your 900? How is your cabling for the PSU? You have a lot of wires to manage with the PSU of yours. Also, I would go by what rjbarker posted for general overclocking settings. Start with max multiplier and work your CPU frequency up to whatever you can boot at 1.35 Vcore. Boot into Windows, run some P95, and if it fails, back off the frequency a bit. Check temperatures. Lower voltage if you have to. Some chips are duds in terms of overclocking. Just keep tinkering.