*Official* Alienware M18xR1/R2 CPU Overclocking Thread - Learn How and Share Tips Here

Yep. there sure is.
Did you already run the test yet?

 

I can blck up to 103 with no problems, but I restarted my system and it BSOD on me. So I guess for benching run the blck that high and have fun with it.

 

If you want to do anything better....More than likely...You will need to get it colder. But you do have something to work with now.

 

I still see a 2960 in my future as I want more. In the mean time I'll play with what I have and start submitting items for the benchmark thread.

 

What is wrong with HWiNFO64?

 

Nothing wrong with it during normal use. I run it all the time. But sometimes with benching on CPU intensive things like wPrime it will cause some grief or lower your results. You don't really want something tapping into sensors and recording information when you are focusing on a score. When you are pushing the stable limits of your system to the ragged edge, any program similar to HWiNFO64 can interfere and cause instability. Same with Afterburner. If you're really trying to push the envelope, you can change your settings and shut it down, or use something else, like NVIDIA Inspector batch files. In fact, if I have Afterburner or its OSD app running, 3DMark05 and 3DMark06 will crash with a DirectX "failed to create device" error at the end of test 1 every time, and that goes for 580M SLI, 7970M CF and 680M SLI.

 

If you are bclk'ing, then you can not run hwinfo or it will cancel out your bclk overclocking in windows. It will ask you to reboot after each change. Once you are set and are making no more changes, then you can set hwinfo. (Like after you have found your master bclk over clock) It's bad enough we cant change multipliers on the fly.....but bclking can help you find just how much voltage you need at a given time for an over clock. Since you can move in 5 mhz increments, while multipliers move 100 mhz at a time.

 

^^^that, too. I often forget you cannot change BCLK on the fly with HWiNFO64 running in the background. Thanks for the reminder on that, Brother John. That can be pretty important when you are trying to get things dialed in. Otherwise, having to reboot for each change can be time consuming and it is easier to lose track of the settings that worked best.

Even sidebar monitoring gadgets can interfere sometimes. Anything that puts hooks into your CPU or GPU can cause conflicts or errors when conditions are changing with power or clock speeds. When everything is static, then they usually don't cause a problem. It's always best to make changes, then check the effectiveness of your settings with all the extra stuff shut down.

Also best to leave CCC and NVIDIA Control Panel set to driver defaults when trying to get the most performance from your GPU. Once you find the best performance settings with driver defaults, then you can try tweaking the driver settings for minor improvements.

The other thing to remember is there are no "magic numbers" in benching. What works for a good wPrime score might really suck for gaming. Settings that make 3DMark11 fly might blow chunks with Vantage and vice versa. The only settings you can count on to do a decent job for everything under the sun is stock CPU and GPU settings. If stock settings don't work right, then you've got a hardware problem.

 

Thanks John.
My problem is that I'm not sure where to start overclocking? I've only seen video's and read some forums. Where do i start? How do i know what to overclock first? Which menu do i go to? Etc. Do you have advice? Thanks

 

Hi guys,

I ran the above test on my " The Goddess" and achieved 7.9 in every category apart from 7.7 for my Processor (which is at a stock 3.2Ghz). i was wondering what it takes to get 7.9 across the board...

I found this :

"Microsoft program manager (and blogger) Scott Hanselman attempted to build a computer that was fast enough to reach the 7.9 limit. For his supercomputer (which he dubbed “GOM,” or God’s Own Machine), he set a $3,000 limit and bought a six-core processor, a GTX 285 graphics card, and a low-voltage desktop memory system with 12 gigabytes (GB) of RAM.

Almost perfect



Yet he still only reached 7.8. "Getting to 7.9 is possible, but man, its not easy," Hanselman said. "For now, until off-the-shelf things get faster, you'll need some experience in overclocking, possibly a RAID disk array, and a lot of patience. Truly, if you get over 7.7, you've got one of the fastest machines out there.”

Truly If I can get 7.7, the M18X is a great piece of machinery...?

OB

 

I get 7.8 on mine at 4.2 Ghz overclock, so there's room for the extra 0.1 but I think I read 7.9 needs a 5.5 GHz CPU

 

I'd like to perform Brother Fox's overclock and achieve around 4.4 - 4.5Ghz everyday speed for the processor but, have never done it before and not sure if I can with A05...

It's interesting that he achieved 7.8 with a 6-core processor and you're using a 4-core...

OB

 

OB, your WEI is proper for CPU at those clock speeds. It's difficult for me to give tips I know for certain will work for you because of architectural differences between our systems. Conceptually, things carry over the same, but the numbers that work best for my Sandy Bridge XM will differ significantly from your Ivy Bridge XM. (My CPU is a 4-core, not 6-core.) I doubt you will hit a 7.9 WEI on CPU. The gap between 7.8 and 7.9 is a pretty wide one. It takes a seriously overclocked desktop CPU to achieve that.

Postal Painmaker, tecrp7 and Annie the Eagle are our pioneer overclockers with the M18x R2. I believe you can run 4.5GHz all the time as long as you manage the temps, and you should be fine. An Ivy Bridge XM seems to perform equal with Sandy Bridge XM at a lower clock speed, and that is why Annie gets a 7.8 WEI at only 4.2GHz.

You can use the BIOS or XTU to set all for cores to 45x and manipulate voltage and amps accordingly for your M18x R2. You may need the unlocked BIOS to reach full potential in the BIOS. XTU might give you access to some things the locked BIOS has hidden. The three pioneers mentioned about should be able to tell you what flex (voltage) and pri plane (amps) support core speeds between 4.2 and 4.5GHz best for them. You can disable c-states in the BIOS so your system stays in full Turboboost mode all the time, and then use ThrottleStop to invoke c-states through profiles. This works sweet, and it is how I and Brother Johnksss manage our CPUs. We switch among profiles with ThrottleStop profile to fit up to four different needs or operating modes.

If I remember correctly what I have read, the first step to overclocking your M18x R2 CPU involves changing the BIOS mode from cTDP to BIOS in the performance options section. (This setting does not exist in the HM67 BIOS used in the M18x R1.) Then you can set your multiplier for 45x on all cores, along with the other settings that will be needed to support 45x on four cores. Here is where I would ask our pioneers to jump in and let you know what setting work well for them. That can save you some time navigating uncharted waters. From there you can experiment to get your beast dialed in the way you want it. May small changes, test, and do everything deliberately and methodically. Write down your settings so you can go back to the perfect options if you stray too far into left field.

I think you are going to enjoy this. But be warned... It can be addictive.

Within the next couple of weeks I may be able to provide more advice on how to overclock the M18x R2 more effectively. I have ordered some new parts to upgrade my M18x R1, but I will be sticking with the same CPU. More to follow on that in the near future.

 

Ivy Bridge XM is a four-core not a six-core. Nice to see someone considers me a pioneer in overclocking ^v^.

If you're going to bench 45x, I would use an air conditioner or very good desk fan (like the Dyson Air Multiplier, kept temps at 87-88 when doing wPrime 1024M at 44x)

Personally I wouldn't go above 41-42x for your daily driver. Temperature fluctuations are probably not very good for the CPU and the loss of 200-300 MHz from not using 44-45x is not really going to be noticeable.

The only six core CPUs that I know of by Intel are the late Gulftown ones (i7-970 to i7-990X) and the Sandy Bridge E (3930K and 3960X). There are of course 8 cores by AMD but they are terrible IMO (anyone remember Bulldozer)

 

Don't be modest... you know you are.

 

I learnt pretty much all I know about AW overclocking from people like johnksss and yourself. But I guess I do like to venture into the unknown so sure why not

 

I will be guided by you Brother Fox and yourself Sister Annie..

From what you've said I think a "daily driver" option will be better for my first attempt All I need now is some guidance on how to get a 4.2Ghz M18X R2...?

Please?

OB

 

Best thing to do is go into BIOS, locate the overclocking menu and change OC to level 3, then change the first four numbers, 1-core multiplier limit, 2-core multiplier limit and so on, and change them to 42.

Then you should also see Flex VID Override at 25. I'd change that to 0 or 5, try 0 and run a stress test for 30 minutes or so, keeping track of temperatures using RealTemp or something, if it doesn't BSOD then leave it at 0 otherwise try 5 and repeat.

For the record, the Flex VID override (commonly just referred to as Flex) is NOT the non-turbo flex support option, it is the one just under the multipliers in BIOS.

The higher the Flex, the more voltage goes to your CPU meaning more stability at higher clocks but also means more temperatures. Why Alienware thought 25 was good for OC Level 3 is beyond me (my guess is their reasoning was 'At least it will never BSOD, temperatures? Who cares about those things'

Hope that helps,
Annie

 

Thanks, Brother Annie. And, most of what I have learned I give credit to Brother John. He got me started on the right track.

And in the beginning there was John. John begat Mr. Fox, and Mr. Fox begat... John and I both like helping people. It's fun and rewarding to watch people get the hang of it. The more people we can help get started, the more we can learn from each other... teamwork... strength in numbers.

 

What would you recommend for stressing the CPU? I was thinking something like 3D Mark vantage but, that's graphics too so...

OB

Aye, there be truth in them there words they be...

OB

 

wPrime (make sure you go to options and set the threads to 8 otherwise load of rubbish)
IntelBurnTest
Intel Extreme Tuning Utility
SuperPi
Prime95
3DMark Vantage (if you have advanced edition you can turn off the graphics tests. Test 2 requires PhysX)

Prime95 I'd say is the most extreme but that's just me.


Edit: Post #100

Amen to that Fixed inside quote

 

You don't need to run a long stress test. I never running tests for long periods of time. There is no need to torture your beast/baby unnecessarily. The thing about stress tests is they subject your system to conditions that far exceed what you will encounter in normal use scenarios. If you can complete both wPrime 32M and 1024M without overheating or CPU throttling excessively, you will be good to go. If your settings are too aggressive, you will get a thermal shutdown or it will throttle so bad that you'll know you need to try something different.

Download wPrime from HWBOT.org [ LINK] - only use this version. Click the "Advanced Settings" link, set 8 cores and click save. Then run the benchmark tests. You can use ThrottleStop or HWiNFO64, Real Temp, etc. to watch your CPU temps and observe core clocks to watch for excessive throttling. (I like using TS and HWiNFO64 to keep track of things.)




To monitor your testing with Vantage physics (CPU) tests (and other full-screen gaming CPU/GPU benchmarks) with an on-screen display for real-time understanding of your system's behavior, you will want to set this up: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...mperatures-game-benchmark-screen-display.html

You don't need that for getting your CPU dialed in. All you really need is wPrime. That's what I use, and so does John. It runs in a small window, so having a ThrottleStop window open at the same time gives you an excellent view of what is taking place with temps and core speeds.




Note: I am going to merge this thread with the overclocking thread, as this is where this discussion belongs.

 

Thanks guys, you both been very helpful and patient with a "beginner" such as myself.

I will give it a try at the weekend and let you know my results.

OB

P.S. thanks again

Well, I did some experimenting. After I watched Brother Fox's very helpful video, I now know I don't have an unlocked BIOS.

I followed Sister Annie's suggestions and set 1-4-core multiplier limit = 44 and Flex VID Override = 10. I then ran wPrime with Throttlestop 5 and after the 1024Mb test successfully completing have the following results.



Firstly the temperatures are reaching 67 DegC but the speeds were quite good, even with a locked BIOS 4394 Mhz from a stock level of 3 Mhz and with no problems.

I am curious as to how you force the processor to run at this higher speed all of the time but, I think that this needs the unlocked BIOS to allow the settings to be changed as per Brother Fox's video.

Is this a normal result?

I ask as it's my first time...

OB

 

Brother OB, that is a good result. Congratulations. You need to post your screen shot in the benchmark thread showing the completed time. That potentially puts you in the #8 or #9 spot for wPrime 1024M on the leader board already! +1 Rep

If you are running on ambient temps, you may need to be operating cooler to get a higher overclock. This is a very good start and I am sure with help from the "Ivy Bridge Pioneers" you can take it up a notch or two.

WPRIME 1.55 1024M

#	USER	VER	CPU	GHZ	SECONDS	LINK	POINTS
1	Residualvoltage	R1	2960XM	4.95	155.818	LINK	5
2	Johnksss	R1	2960XM	4.900	157.78	LINK	4
3	DumbDumb	R1	2960XM	4.9	162.015	LINK	3
4	Electrosoft	R2	3920XM	4.5	166.63	LINK	2
5	Mr Fox	R1	2920XM	4.673	166.766	LINK	0
6	RiRi-FiFi	R2	3920XM_QS	4.490.11	167.267	LINK	1
7	Terry702	R1	2920XM		168.65	LINK	0
8	5150Joker	R1	2920XM		173.596	LINK	0
9	Grimy1	R2	3920XM		175.307	LINK	0

 

I just scored a 2960xm off of EBay for $530, not sure if that is a great deal, but to me its a good one.

Now hopefully I'll be able to get beyond the 4.6 range I'm currently capped at.

 

I think that's a really good deal, especially if it is an OEM version.

 

Oh yeah, undercover bencher there.
530.00 is perfectly fine.

 

They claim for it to be, so we'll see for sure when I receive it.

Shhhhh...don't let the secret out. How can one be undercover if everyone knows...lol.

 

Have more information...2960 came from a Dell M6600.

 

Well, if you're going to be secretive, you can't post any benches. I promise not to say anything.

 

Damn it...let it be known to the world that homank76 is looking at to be being a force at CPU overclocking. I can't touch the overall scores including the GPU's cause I have the 580's which is a huge improvement for my gaming experiance from the 560's I had and may just wait for the 780's to be released to upgrade.

 

Hi guys,

As some of you know I successfully over-clocked my processor to 4.3Ghz through the locked A05 BIOS that mine came with.

I had a few BSOD and lost Wifi for no apparent reason and so decided to cal in Respawn...

I then installed and explored Intel XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility) to see if this would make the over-clocking process easier, and it does.

I am once again running from 3.2Ghz to 4.3Ghz but, after the Intel stress test for 5 minutes (4.4Ghz BSOD, obviously too much another tweak needed) I had a steady 74-80 DegC and no problems, she's now running at that setting all the time.



This seems to be an easy option for overclocking with a locked BIOS and the newer processors. There are loads of setting for voltage and such like that I haven't touched so...

Anyway, I though you might like to know.

OB

 

will my 3820qm can get the same clocks as u are getting?

p.s
why in my program all the options are grayed out except core clock, and i dont even heave the graphics and memory tab?

am i runnig some kind of trial or not full version?

i have a03 bios fyi(should i upgrade?).

 

It's the 3940XM not the 3840XM. And I'd you want 44 you'll need extra turbo voltage and perhaps core current limit. Should this not be in the main Processor Overclocking thread ^.^ but you're doing good. I managed to get 45x stable at 18 flex (18/256) of a volt with a core current limit of 135 A (under the guidance of THE GREAT johnkssss )

 

Yes, Annie, it should and I will merge this with the appropriate thread.

OB, are you using the 3.2 version of XTU? Seems like some things are missing and grayed out, but I have not seen a screen shot of the correct version of XTU that works for the M18x R2. Did you set the BIOS overclocking option from cTDP to BIOS? I recommend setting the voltage and amps that Annie indicates. Your CPU is running out of power, which is causing the BSOD and instability.

 

Is it better to run higher amps or flex?

Sent from my XT910S using Tapatalk 2

 

Neither one... it's best to run the right amount.

 

And that's where playing with both for hours come into play

Sent from my XT910S using Tapatalk 2

 

Sister Annie. I have amended the typo I believe that one of the problems i'm facing is that I have a locked BIOS. As you can see from the screen-shot, half of the values are greyed out. I added "turbo Voltage", I think the next option is +3. something and set it to 44 on all four cores but as soon as I clicked test, she blues-creened and rebooted back to standard. What I posted is the fasted stable figure (for now.)

I will see if this is possible in BIOS? At 45X, what are your temps like? As you can see I was holding at around 80 DegC ad 43x

[/QUOTE]

Brother Fox, I tried to find a processor specific version but, ended up downloading the very lastest version to try that. Presumably they are unavailable because of my locked BIOS. At the moment i cannot follow your video either as the options are simply not there. I actually reset my BIOS to standard when I "Respawned" her as I created the Raid 0 array at the same time. All the changes on the screen shut were from XTU alone, no BIOS changes...yet?

I added "turbo Voltage", I think the next option is +3. something and set it to 44 on all four cores but as soon as I clicked test, she blue-screened and rebooted back to standard. What I posted is the fasted stable figure.

Who/where would I get an unlocked BIOS for my processor/motherboard?

OB

 

I set my long duration PWR limit to 99 when overclocking and hit F10 to save changes, yet if I reboot and go into the BIOS that setting reverts back to 55. Any ideas? Thanks

 

I am going to move this to the overclocking thread...

Is the MSR lock disabled in the BIOS? If not, the MSR lock with negate many changes relating to CPU power. Also, it the option for overclocking set to cTDP or BIOS? It needs to be on BIOS, not cTDP.

 

I can't find MSR in the BIOS. Is that only in the unlocked BIOS?

 

Yes, that would be a hidden setting that you would need the unlocked BIOS to access. Is the other setting on cTDP or BIOS for overclocking? The cTDP controls things that the BIOS option lets you take control of based on my limited understanding of how the R2 works.

You could also try XTU to see if the settings will stick without an unlocked BIOS.

 

I currently have the 2960xm in my hand. Tonight I plan to install and see if I can get my computer to beyond 4.6GHz as with the 2920xm that is currently installed.

 

Not entirely sure you are actually running 4.3 on all cores at 68 watts. You need a bit more than that....

Ah, thanks.

We are going to need to see a wprime 1.55 8 thread run before assuming you are stable at 4.3 on all cores...sorry. Because I just dont see it at 68 watts. Glad to be proven wrong though!

Wprime run Short and long run. Thanks.

And here you were all worried about your cpu being lost in traffic.

 

John,

You'll have them. What speeds should I run them at though. Currently I just ran a 5.425 @ 4.8GHz....I know I can do better....Will play around some more with the priplane to get better numbers as well. Plus I need to find a freezer...lol.

 

That was actually for Bear.

4.8 ghz huh? And it held that the whole test?? That's a very nice run!

 

For the 1.55 it did. She gets to hot for the 1024...need to pull back some.

 

You'll need to be outside or on a/c for runs like that.
And you just jumped right up to 4.8 with no troubles at all. Nice

 

Now I'm at 5.0GHz...WOW!!!