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

Get a cpu validation to join the 5.ghz club.

 

I can do that, just can't run any tests at that speed till I get cooler temps. Want me to post the picture here?

 

Post it in the M18X benchmarking thread. So it can get added to the list.

Don't need any test ran, your just trying to find out what you can get too.
Wprime scores as well.

 

I never knew that there was a 5GHz club.

 

Yeah, it's an internal thing.
Not a whole lot of people in that club.

 

How can you tell if a chip is OEM or not?

 

5 ghz pretty much says it's oem...lol
But cpuz will identify it as an es if it is.

 

What about being QS?

 

Received my 3 pipe heat sink earlier this week. I figure if I upgraded to it, I can over lock it without having to worry about temps. The overclock that I'm looking for is something stable that can be ran everyday without any problems. I have a 3720QM processor. Im not sure if I have a "unlocked" bios, but the A03 that can factory installed has some overclocking options. If any can share the settings to set the bios to, to achieve what im trying to do then that would be great. Don't know what XTU is, but will it be needed? Also any other suggestions would be appreciated too.

 

If that's what 1.61 cpuz says...Then that's what it is. And if it is. You have a very nice QS chip.

 

It doesn't mention anything about it being QS, it does in BIOS though on the first page...or is that normal?

 

I think that's normal. My Dell OEM 2960xm shows the same in Bios too.....at one point, I thought the same!

 

Hell, that means that my 2920xm is OEM...

Steve, you ever install that heatsink?

 

They all say that in the bios. Why? Have no clue.

 

I'm waiting for Christmas LOL......nah, I really should pull my finger out and do it.....I'm gonna need some help from you guys (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) regards to the OC'ing of my chip.

 

Just that I'm getting ready to sell the 2920xm and was going to ask QS price for it, but being OEM it's worth more now. I'm still learning all this stuff.

 

It'll take you less than 30 minutes. You should be banned till you get it done...lol. It does make a nice performance difference.

 

What it says in the BIOS is not an indication, homank. What did it show in CPU-Z?

An ES or QS CPU will both show up with "ES" in the description seen in CPU-Z. I would be carefully offering to sell it as an OEM CPU if you don't know for sure. What did CPU-Z show in your screen shots before? If it was an OEM, it was a bad one that did not perform as well as it should have. Mine is a QS that will run at 4.9GHz.



CPU Validation
Freq : 4903.33 MHz (100.07 * 49)


Freq : 4906.07 MHz (104.38 * 47)

 

There is no ES at the end like that.

 

According to all your posts you own every computer there is? What do you own?

 

Nah, that guy is a spammer. he should be getting banned pretty quick.

 

Yup, nobody owns more notebooks than speedy or quad

 

HI guys

I have now updated my to the official A08 version, after I received a prompt from Alienware Autopsy.

I have re-run the same settings as I had before and have the following results.

I cannot change some of the numbers on my current BIOS, Flex will not go above 99, I assume this is because it's locked down.

Annie, If I could change the values that you suggested I am sure I could get higher clocks but, the figures will not change. Flex is now 18 but the voltage setting won't change.

I re-ran the XTU v3 stress test and all is table @ 44x or 4.390Ghz with 100% CPU usge.

I'm not sure how much further I can go without all the options available but, she plays Diablo 3 and fully loaded Skyrim with no problems, I've yet to hear the fans running...

OB

 

What's your room temp? Also, are you using any extra cooling?

 

About 20 Deg or so. yes, I'm using a NC3000U cooler...

OB

 

That's still very impressive, but I wonder how the test would fair if the system was removed from the coolerpad and placed on a table instead.

 

can someone point me in the right direction for some simple over clocking video or instruction sheet my m18 r2. I jus ran a 3d mark 11 test and got a sad score compared to a lot of the other otnes up there.

SCORE
P2738 3DMarks
GRAPHICS SCORE
2507
PHYSICS SCORE
7540
COMBINED SCORE
2171

I have never overclocked but do have some computing background and this is my first alienware. I may be able to provide some pay for some more personalized work!! thanks for any help

 

Are you sure your not running on iGFX instead of Nvidia?

 

lmao...Im not sure...hahaha Is there a way to be certain?? I mean the only way I know how to check is when I unplug it tells me to swtich to integrated

 

Ok i found it in control panel and yes the nvidia was enabled i believe...I will try again to make sure.

 

I'm not sure what a 660m would get but those scores just seemed low for stock.

Also it would help us as well if you posted a web link to your score from 3dmark.

 

2.7k sounds about right for GTX 660M, higher than average in fact. Don't sweat it.

 

Okay well you guys would know better than I do...Im thinking of doing some overclocking but don't wanna screw things up...I need to find "Overclocking the M18 r2 for Dummies" guide hahahah

 

I too have the 3720QM processor. Have you learned anything about overclocking it? After reading many posts in this thread, the most that I've come up with is that is possible to overclock it up to 400 MHz but no more, because it is not an extreme edition, but I'm still not sure. Is this true? Anyone else with info please comment. Thanks!

 

That is correct. 400MHz maximum OC.

 

There are numerous posts in this thread with M18x R1 BIOS settings. Here are some BIOS screen shots for the M18x R2. Feel free to use them for a point of reference in discussions about overclock settings.

---

 

And, here is an updated video to go with the screen shots.




<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TBPm-f5vcpU?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='853' height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Spoiler

Here is the original video for the M18x R1 overclocker. Personally, I like the music in this on a lot more. The other is too "sissy" for my taste.




<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5UKIGn_V2Cg?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='853' height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

 

Here are some screen shots for 3920XM OC settings... this will produce a 4.7GHz OC.

	Some settings are only possibly using XTU... use these as a starting point for tuning.

 

Have A07 installed, have A09 that I can install, but what do I need to install to be able to OC the 3720 and where might I find it?

 

You can go into performance and enable XM CPU features. Then tune the clock speed for the 3720QM since it's partially unlocked like the 3840QM

I found no use going to A09, so I'd stick to A07 if it's working well for you.

 

I'll check again but I don't recall seeing a performance section.

 

It's under Advanced -> Performance Options Menu -> Overclocking Features (Enable)

Then enable Extreme Edition for the good stuff!

 

Yeah found it, thanks!!

 

Howdy Folks. What ap should I use to confirm my OC settings? HWinfo64 reports my CPU "operating point" as "CPU LFM (Min) 800 Mhz, CPU HFM (Max) 2500 Mhz, CPU Turbo 4400 Mhz." - so that means I got the overclock set up yes? I used Mr. Fox's excellent M18xR1 / 2920 OC video to OC my machine to 4400 Mhz, but just want to confirm.

 

Clayton, it sounds like you've got it nailed, bud. Congrats on the beastly processor.

 

Apologies if this has already been answered before in this thread, I had a quick look but didn't find the answer;

How is it possible to manually modify the CPU ratio at various core speeds in the performance overclocking menu. I understand there is a default level options i.e. level 1, 2 and 3 which changes the ratios to fixed values that Alienware have set in the bios, but what steps are required to change those default values i.e. I notice folks are able to select 40+ for all cores?

Thanks in advance.

 

I have a Intel Core i7 Extreme 2960XM in my Alienware M18x
I used the video you posted to overclock to 4.4 and am seeing idle temps of 66C and gaming temps of 95c. Is this normal?

 

Rather on the high side.

The unusually high idle temperature might suggest that a fan/sink cleaning and/or repaste is in order..

"Gaming temps" is not very reproducible. What kind of temperature do you see under a load test such as ThrottleStop Bench, XTU stress test or Prime95? I fear those applications might send your CPU above the throttling threshold (105C)..

 

The Sandy Bridge XM CPU will begin to throttle around 85-90°C (depending on the flex, pri plane and BIOS thermal settings) and totally shuts down at 100°C. It will never reach 105°C because the Sandy Bridge XM CPU will not allow itself to get that hot. The Ivy Bridge CPUs have a higher thermal range than Sandy Bridge, and they can hit 105°C.

@Phillips1847 - it might be normal for a warm work environment. I assume you are using the settings I posted for the 2920XM for your 2960XM and not those I posted for the 3920XM. Your idle temp is cool enough (66°C) to not be concerned about it. Unless you are 70°F or cooler, you may need to tone down the overclock. With a 2960XM, you should be able to use a lower flex setting. Try that, as it may help the temps quite a bit. If you find it stable enough, run as low on flex as you can. If you have not recently done so, you may need to do as Brother GTO suggested and either clean out the fans and heat sinks, or repaste the CPU heat sink. You may also need to use HWiNFO64 to force your fans to run full blast.

You can try re-enabling c-states if you are in a warm environment, and that can help with moderate load temps. If all 4 cores are not pushed, it will allow the other cores to slow down and run cooler. Enabling c-states does not hurt performance because the cores will still boost to full speed under load.

Also consider elevating the rear of the laptop to improve air intake. This can be more effective than using a cooling pad, especially when forcing the fans to run 100%, as the cooling pad can restrict air intake almost as much as setting the laptop on a desk. The air space is no different between the bottom of the chassis and the cooling pad surface than it is with the laptop sitting on a desk surface.

 

Thank you guys for the info, you are very helpful!