M17x-r3 Overclocking (...sort of)

Here's what you'll see when you F2 into BIOS (once you scroll to the 'advance' tab)

Well, your drives will probably look different...and SATA Operation is set to RAID by default (even if you have 1 HDD), but you get the idea.



Performance Options Menu holds all the goodies, so let's check it out! (select enable)



Ok, here's what it really looks like



Override Turbo Settings:


Looks promising...but it's not!
Long Duration PWR Limit is turbo 1 power limit (in watts), and it's already set to the max that BIOS will allow (=TDP, which is 45W for 2630, 2720, and 2820 QM)
Long Duration TimeWindow is the duration in seconds for turbo1, and it's also already maxed out
Short Duration PWR Limit is already enabled and set to it's max [TDP*1.25]

So all we can do here is downclock our turbo. Sort of a downer, so let's move on to bclk!




In case you didn't notice earlier, our bclk is showing somewhere around 99.80mhz. That's odd, because (i7-2630QM) is advertised to be 2ghz. Normal multiplier of 20 * bclk = 1.996ghz (in the case of 2630 - 22x for 2720 and 23x for 2820 I believe). If you'd like, you can bump up the bclk to 100mhz by pressing the + key. If you leave the CPU at 99.80, your ram, PCI (gpu), and stuff will be ever so slightly underclocked along with it.

EDIT - 03/10/2011: A03 seems to list the cpu at 100.0mhz by default, but it's actually at 99.8
To get proper value, you'll need to set bclk to whatever+0.19mhz (100.19mhz to get a real bclk of 100.00mhz)


Scroll down to "Apply New Bus Clock Frequency" and select "Immediately". At this point, you may notice that your BIOS didn't like your bclk value, and set it to something like 99.9 or 100.1. If that's not how you want it to be, press + or - to adjust to your liking - then apply new bus clock frequency "immediately" (again). You may have to bring it up or down by up to 5 khz for BIOS to accept the value.

When you and your BIOS are in agreement, select "Apply New Bus Clock Frequency" again...but this time select "Permanently (reboot)"

Now, how far can you OC the bclk? This will vary by CPU and mobo, but you will most likely be hard pressed to get more than a 5% increase on a non-K/XM CPU. If you want to test the waters, I suggest going up/down by 50khz increments. Sandy Bridge CPUs work differently than previous architectures, so you should be aware that you risk corrupting anything that the CPU controls (memory, pci, hdd, etc). If anything goes wrong and you can't boot into windows, you'll need to open up the bottom panel and gently remove the CMOS battery then replace it and/or reinstall windows (if you get SATA corruption...this happened to me once :/ ).

It's pretty easy to notice when your OC isn't stable because windows will be corrupt or the screen won't display properly. Once I even got the constant and very loud beeping that showed up when Mandrake tried to toss a different GPU into his r3 (check his thread for video).


Hit F10, save/exit, and tap F2 again to re-enter bios so we can cover memory


If you picked up some hyperx 1600mhz DIMMs, and have a 2630QM, you'll want your Memory Overclocking to look like this:



If you picked up some hyperx 1600mhz DIMMs, and have a 2720QM or 2820QM, you'll squeeze maximum performance out of them like this:




Here's the most stable (and pitiful) OC that I can achieve:


Which ends up looking something like this (note the memory bus *2 = higher than 1600 because of bclk OC...reverse applies for underclocking bclk)



That's pretty much it!
It is not possible to adjust anything via ThrottleStop (Due to Sandy Bridge architecture limitations, NOT ThrottleStop)
Hopefully TheWiz and his team will be able to crack the InsydeH20 BIOS sometime in the near future so we can push these systems a little further.

EDIT: "Memory Override Support" lets you set ram voltages anywhere from 1.35v to 1.65v @0.05v increments
EDIT2: the new batch of r3s are shipping with BIOS A03 - shown above is A01. There may be some differences.

 

Thanks for the guide. +rep.

 

I just wanted to let everyone know that this is not a limitation of ThrottleStop but it's a limitation of these new Sandy Bridge CPUs.

For the non-Extreme CPUs, Intel has been locking the multiplier for 15+ years. It is very likely that the turbo power settings in these new CPUs are locked at the hardware level by Intel at the factory so even with a modified bios, there still won't be any way to unlock them. Maximum long term power consumption is set to the rated TDP value and short term power consumption is set to TDP+25% and that's it.

At the moment, the only hope is the 2920XM but even with an Extreme CPU, you might still be limited to what the bios allows. ThrottleStop supports Sandy Bridge but if the Extreme CPUs set the lock bits at the bios level, ThrottleStop won't be able to do anything with them either.

The 920XM and 940XM might be the end of an era. I think the days of unlimited overclocking of the Core i mobile CPUs is over and there's nothing any software can do about it.

 

Thanks for pointing that out
and thanks for the information and advice you've given me in pm's over the past few weeks.

 

Hey Kune quick question for you, didyounotice that certain BCLK settings were unstable and you could go higher or did you just hit a wall and couldn't go higher at all?

 

For me, going beyond 103.35 started screwing with PCI. I could boot into windows, but nothing showed on the screen until it was fully logged in to my account.

Going up to 103.91 caused similar issues to what I describe above, but the screen just flashed for a second or two then just displayed black (had to reset CMOS to get system working again)

When I pushed it up to 104.something I got sata corruption (reset CMOS + reinstall windows)
@105 I got that loud beeping. System wouldn't even post to bios. (reset CMOS)

(I worked backwards from 105mhz)

 

Thank you for this guide! Bookmarked and subscribed!

 

Not much of a guide really.
There's almost nothing that we can do as owners

 

It's helpful in my understanding of what this n that means though, so I thank you for that.

What do you mean by "almost nothing that we can do"? Do you mean that the system can't be OC'd by much? Or do you mean that there's few options to select/change/oc?

 

kunekaden, Is there a noticeable difference in performance between 1333MHz vs 1600MHz?

 

Nope
10char

 

LOL. But still the 1600Mhz sounds better/Sexier than 1333Mhz. :laugh:

 

Wut the...what in the world will utilize 16GB of Ram? Muhahaha...

 

Almost every program that I work with on a daily basis?
(3ds max, autocad, revit, cs5...all simultaneously)

 

Yea, for those programs you definatley need all of that ram. I know from experience. I use CS5, premiere, aftereffects, and Maya. They can take a toll on your system if not properly equipped.

 

Can you tell me why you need to use all the same simultaneously? I don't understand. I usually only have my browser and winamp open, at MOST.

 

Because I am an Architect, and that's what we do?

Project / working drawings in Revit + rendering walk through animations @ 3dsmax + detailing said project in AutoCAD (because revit is bad for that) + splitting/editing/transcoding 3ds clips @ CS5 (but not at same time as rendering)
All slider bars as far right as they can go @afterburner...GPU/CPU fans never turn off when I'm at the office
Work is much more efficient if you do things simultaneously (especially detailing + modeling)

Then get home and game / pay attention to wife

 

WOW COOL! I didn't know that it was possible/wouldeverbenecessary to ever use that many things at once! Cool! I didn't mean it in any offensive way (my question). It was a legit(curious) question

Anywhoo, that just makes me think now, that getting the 2720 may have been overkill for me. Do you agree?

 

I have never wished I got a lesser option. Be it a computer, car or home!

 

K. Money well spent then, I hope

Since I don't do anything fancy, how can I put the hardcore components to use? Any good games that take advantage of the expensive cpu/gpu? And will I need to OC to get max results on (certain) games?

 

So if you put in Kingston hyper x 1600 in a 2720, you set the XMP to 2 and that's it .The pc will recognize the new ram.Sorry a noob here.

 

The 2630 cpu does not natively support 1600mhz (But XMP will enable you to get 1600 on it), however the 2720 and 2820 do.
See this thread: RAM discussion thread.

 

Most Modelers at Game studios need a lot of those programs up as well.

Even Maya lets you use Photoshop for textures and can instantly update!

 

small update in regards to bios A03

 

I found a seller on ebay claiming that his 2720qm ES has unlocked multipliers, and will accept a return if they aren't. Can throttlestop utilize the unlocked multipliers (if this guy is telling the truth)?

 

I'd PM UncleWebb to find out, I don't know if he's put too much into TS with SB because of what we've seen so far but it never hurts to try If you don't mind pm me the info if there's more than one of them lol.

 

I haven't heard of any Sandy bridge ES samples with unlocked multiplies. Would be really cool but I'd be careful.

@Kunekaden - Thanks for the CPU OC and bios info, although its obviously disappointing so far . A GPU OCing guide would be great too when you get a chance . Im pretty sure I can figure it out via MSI afterburner or whatnot but I think alot of people will have no idea.

Our GPU's (460m) seem to run really cool too so it shouldn't effect the temps too much.

 

install afterburner
slide bars to the right
press apply
done!

 

Is that the same for the 6970? On that note, has anyone tried OC'ing the 6970/6870 yet?

 

I don't have a 6970 yet, so I can't answer that question. If it doesn't work with afterburner then it will within a week of retail release of the gpu.

 

The download page for MSI Afterburner says "# Added core voltage control for reference design AMD RADEON 6970 graphics cards with VT1556 voltage regulators" on one of the bullet points for the latest version history. Does that mean that the mobile version of 6970 is supported? Or does that refer to the desktop one?

 

No clue.
Try it when your beast arrives and let us know.

 

it don't work with the 6970m i try already

 

Hi kune,

I tried doing this but once I click apply they reset back to the default values. It also resets even if I save it so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

I would appreciate any help, TIA

 

So hwo do we get it working? Is there something you can manually punch in? Or does it require a software update or something?

Thx

 

which gpu?

 

I have 460m atm. Thanks again

EDIT: Nevermind, but thanks.

It seems it needs to be plugged in to be change lol.

 

Jollibee! First place I ever saw fried chicken and spaghetti on the same menu!

So has anyone been able to OC the 460m yet? If yes, to what values ?

 

Yeah I've been able to bench at as high as 860/1720/1600(core/shader/ram), and run a stable gaming clock daily of 775/1550/1450. The card overclocks very well and stays cool while doing it too, I've yet to break 62 degrees while running those overclocks in games. The only downside to this card is you can't overvolt it or it would overclock even further.

 

What were the stock clocks of the 460m (the clocks that dell shipped you with)?

 

I believe the default values are 675/1350/1250 thats core,shader and memory respectively. lol Dookie, well did you like the chicken?

 

Didnt eat it. Just went there once to look at the prices. We ended up going across the street to eat something else hahaha.

Those clocks that Dane got: "Yeah I've been able to bench at as high as 860/1720/1600(core/shader/ram), and run a stable gaming clock daily of 775/1550/1450," are pretty good over the stock values. I wonder if there's a huge difference when you go into the higher end video games like Metro or Crysis.

 

I can give you some benches in Metro if you'd like, I don't have Crysis installed right now.

 

No need no need. I don't play either anyway. I'll only be playing SC2 and a few other games. No time or money to play anything else

Say, can you bench SC2? Iono, like, show differences in fps on ultra-everything on (you pick the map/replay)?

 

Do you want multi-player online or do you want campaign? Or both?

 

Both please, if you have any good/action-packed replays you can run.

Btw, you can just run the replay for like 10seconds at the peak of action Just want to see the diff in fps change when stock vs. overclocks.


Thx mang!

 

I have SC2 on ultra except on Shadows(it really didn't made a difference), played it while my card wasn't overclocked so I guess it won't be a problem once you do.

 

Campaign:

Stock Clocks - 1080p - Ultra
Min: 29 fps
Max: 50 fps
Ave: 40.85 fps

800/1600/1450 - 1080p - Ultra
Min: 19 fps
Max: 63 fps
Ave: 46.37 fps

Online:

Stock Clocks - 1080p - Ultra
Min: 19 fps
Max: 54 fps
Ave: 37.76 fps

800/1600/1450 - 1080p - Ultra
Min: 24 fps
Max: 63 fps
Ave: 43.44 fps

 

I run my 460 at 880/1760/1500 whenever I'm doing work (~11hrs/day), stock for gaming. Zero issues. I'd clock it higher but afterburner won't let the slider bars go any further to the right...and I'm too lazy to change that or use another program or put any effort into this.

 

Very easy. Apply your overclock with afterburner. Exit complete out of the program (if still the task tray), and reopen afterburner. You wil now have extended slider range.