Fun with Z77X-D3H, can't reach same multiplier than on ASUS - did I miss something?

He guys,

I need your help as not so expierenced overclocker!

Recently I switched from a ASUS P8P67 Pro (had some issues with cold boot) to the Z77X-D3H.
On the Asus I could very comfortably go up to 46 now on the Gigabyte everthing screams stop when I barly touch the 44. Did I miss something obvious or is the gigabyte just not as good?

First some stats:
Processor: i5-2500k
Cooler: Corsair A50, with 2 18mm Push-Pull ( http://j.mp/TbJ0S8 )
Motherboard Firmware/Rev: F16/1.0


When I remember correctly my vcore on the Asus was on auto and most of the time it only needed around 3.45v. Now I have to go up to 1.385 and under load it gets up to 1.404v. Which seems awful high for the mulitiplier and also like to reach temperature above >91° Celsius. Doesn't seem to good for high use.


I attach some pictures of my Mobo-Configuration (sry for iphone photo, don't use FAT disks anymore). Maybe I really did't something awfull dumb. If so please don't hestitate to tell me. Or if you need more infos.

I really would like to go at least for a stable 46, as I'm rendering a lot of the time and need a machine which can work quite some time under full load!

Thx a lot for reading all this,
Joe

Ps.: sry for my english, not an native speaker

Hi Joe,

The D3H is a decent overclocker even if it is on the basic end of the z77 range. It looks like you have some strange settings going on there though.

I think you've got confused between an offset and fixed overclock. You've left the turbo on but set up the overclock as if it was fixed. The biggest problem with that is that you've dialed in the vcore but the offset voltage (Dynamic vore) is still set to auto - that could explain your issues.

If I were you I would turn off the Turbo and just set the CPU clock ratio and CPU Vcore boxes only. See where that gets you.

nuke01 said:

When I remember correctly my vcore on the Asus was on auto and most of the time it only needed around 3.45v. Now I have to go up to 3.845 and under load it gets up to 4.04v. Which seems awful high for the mulitiplier and also like to reach temperature above >91° Celsius. Doesn't seem to good for high use.

Click to expand...

Don't forget the 1 in your vcores - it's 1.345v not 3.45v! At least I hope it is! You are right about 1.404v being high for a x44 clock. I think the dvid is adding to what you have set because it has been left on auto.

Thx for the answer!

Yeah I meant 1.404v, fixed it, thx!

But if I deactivate the Turbo, won't it always use the full power? I want it to relax when it's not busy? how can i overclock with the turbo working? is it any different? (i'm overclocking for the max used multiplier, ain't i?)

Good tip about the dvid being on auto, I will check that twice next time!

I just updated my bios to f17f and now will try to "offset" overclock.

Volts is only half of the power equation:

Volts x Amps = Watts.

Just because the CPU is being supplied with, say, 1.3v doesn't mean that it is drawing the same number of watts because the motherboard will decrease the amount of amps. Offset is better to a point but the difference in temperature (and wear) is likely to be marginal unless you plan on keeping the thing for many, many years. This thread might help (particularly post #4).

The problem with offset is that when you let the system change the cpu speed and the vcore at will then you add instability into the system as it powers up and down. The result is that an offset overclock will need more volts under load to smooth out these changes. The bigger the overclock the bigger this difference is. Therefore it becomes a personal choice:

1. If you are really looking for a big overclock then go fixed because the instability associated with offset overclocking will limit you.
2. If you work your CPU hard and often then a fixed overclock is better because the same clock will be stable at a slightly lower voltage on a fixed setting.

Offset overclocking is better at lower loads/idle states. Even then the amount of extra power supplied only amounts to 2-3C at idle and I would argue that it would make little difference to the life of the CPU (not noticeably given the useful life of the CPU, if at all).

Thank you, that is very interessting to read! I will try it!

but which is off and which is fully on the gigabyte vcore loadline calibration?
there is auto normal standard low medium high turbo extreme

sry for the dumb question, but i dont want the experiment to go wrong because my assumption were wrong from the start

I wouldn't worry about LLC too much at this stage. I'd set it somewhere in the middle, like on medium or high and get the overclock working. Worrying about that level of detail is for fine tuning.

good.

should i enable PLL?

PLL overvolting? No that isn't necessary for a normal overclock. That's for LN2 stuff!

Does your BIOS have any power limiting features? I have a P8Z68 and under CPU Power there's a list of core current limiters and power limiters. Have you had a look for something like that on your board? It might be that limiting it. Here's my attempt at 4.6

So far it's pretty stable, however under prime it comes up with about 105W, so the power settings need to be managed or the board will just limit it. That's my take on this issue for the moment, not too familiar with GB motherboards, so I may be missing something too. Have a look at all the options it offers, it maybe something they've tucked away neatly.