Overclocking with Static Implementation of Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Now let’s check out overclocking during static implementation of Intel Turbo Boost or with this technology totally disabled. If you overclock without increasing the processor core voltage, then you can expect the resulting frequency to be around 3.5-3.7 GHz. This is only an approximate number that we obtained during our overclocking experiments performed with only two processor samples. We will be able to offer you more exact data a little later when we collect a bit more statistical data. But anyway, you are the only ones who can find out the overclocking maximum for your particular processor sample. At first you have to make sure that the processor cooler that you work with is efficient enough to handle overclocking. Intel Linpack testing suite generated extremely high processor load. You can use LinX shell for your convenience. After that using Prime95 as a stability test we increase the base clock if the system passes the tests, and lower it if errors emerge. After a few attempts you will fina the maximum stable frequency for your particular CPU.

For higher results, you need to increase the processor Vcore and this is where temperature becomes of primary importance. The higher you set the core voltage, the higher overclocking results you can actually achieve. But excessive voltage increase may push the CPU temperature to extreme heights, which will only limit further overclocking. Our goal is to fine the optimal combination of CPU core voltage and temperature.

The eternal question is: what is the maximum acceptable CPU temperature? Strange as it might seem, but it is your call. Some try to keep the CPU temp below 60 °C, some believe that 95 °C is not the limit yet. I can say one thing with all certainty: it is best if the CPU core temperature doesn’t hit 90 °C. Moreover, overclocking with the CPU temperature exceeding 90 °C is meaningless and unreasonable. For example, when the CPU core temperature reaches 93-94 °C on Asus mainboards, protective technologies kick in and start lowering the frequency. Summer has come and the room temperature increased, or you turned the heater on, or maybe the processor heatsink sucked in too much dust and doesn’t cool well anymore – any, even the slightest change in the working conditions may lead to system instability and errors. Why do we overclock processors in the first place? To boast a record-breaking screenshot or to get higher performance in any conditions and under any type of workload?

You can use i7Turbo utility to monitor the CPU temperature. It will show if the clock frequency multiplier is dropping under maximum load. It doesn’t make sense to overclock the CPU if it can’t remain stable under maximum operational load and starts losing frequency. Therefore, 90 °C is the maximum temperature for processor cores, and would really be best to stay as far below it as possible. Therefore, during overclocking we can look for maximum CPU Vcore with which the temperature will remain within acceptable range, rather than maximum clock frequency. We will get the maximum frequency as a result of our core voltage increase.

It doesn’t matter if you tried to find the maximum setting at which the CPU remained stable with or without its core voltage increase. If you did, then leave the determined value, if not, then set an approximate base clock frequency that will produce resulting CPU speed between 3.5 and 3.7 GHz. After that, increase the voltage. At first let’s try and push it up to 1.27-1.3 V. Launch LinX and see how far away the core temperature is from the dangerous 90 °C or any other threshold you picked. You can monitor the core temperature using any tool: RealTemp, CoreTemp, HWMonitor, SpeedFan, Everest. If the temperature is too high, you should lower the voltage, if it is pretty low, you can increase the voltage a little more. In either case, it is important to remember that later on when we increase the frequency the temperature will continue to grow, even though not so greatly as during voltage increase.

Have you determined the approximate voltage setting when the core temperature remains within acceptable range? Now let’s repeat the familiar course of actions: increase the base clock if the system passed the stability test, or lower it if it didn’t. This way we will find the maximum processor frequency at the given voltage setting, which in its turn prevents us from getting beyond the acceptable temperature threshold. After that you can normally lower the processor Vcore a little without losing stability, which will also lower the maximum temperature. Now all we have to do is find the optimal memory frequency and timings for the determined base clock. Congratulations! You have just overclocked your system. It will be able to stably deliver higher performance for years in this safe mode (from voltage and temperature prospective).

Summing up, here is the schematic succession of actions we have just performed:

• Preparatory work: lower the memory frequency, lock the timings and voltages;
• Find maximum base frequency at which the board remains stable  and determine the IMC voltage required for that;
• Set the base frequency so that the resulting CPU frequency will be around 3.5-3.7 GHz;
• Find the approximate CPU core voltage at which the core temperature won’t get beyond the acceptable limit even during maximum CPU utilization, or lock it at its nominal value;
• Increase the base frequency even more if the system passes the stability check, and lower it if errors occur;
• We can increase the voltage if the core temperature remains within acceptable range under maximum load, or lower it if it is way too high. After that we have to repeat the previous step;
• Determine the final voltage setting required for stable CPU operation;
• Find the optimal memory frequency and timings for the obtained base frequency;
• Celebrate our success.