The Overclocking Experience (Core i7 870)
Core i7 870 overclocking
First up for this processor, check what your current maximum multiplier values are -- 22. We again fire of a much higher base clock to that multiplier of 22.
As such we were able to overclock the Core i7 870 processor to 4.1 GHz with a Thermalright MUX 120 air cooler. Here's what we did:
- Disable Turbo mode
- Set maximum processor multiplier
- Increase processor voltage a little bit to 1.42v
- Lower QPI ratio (as close as possible to 4800).
- Lower memory multiplier to maximum stable memory frequency
- Increase CPU base frequency
At 4000 MHz on the air cooler we easily booted into windows. We settled at 22x187.5 @ 1.42 Volts. The end result was a stable 4125 MHz.
When we stress the CPU cores with prime 95, temperatures now rise to 79 Degrees C (174F) which really is the maximum limit you want to go to. But ... 4.1 GHz air-cooled is just downright good.
Overclocking itself, it is a pretty easy thing to achieve with this processor. Mind you that overclocking will draw a lot of power from your system. We'll show you that on the next page.
