Whats the best practice for overclocking the QX9300 above 3.48ghz on the Clevo M860tu/Sager Np8662?

Hi to all, i just wanna inquire whether cpu voltage requirements increase significantly at higher frequencies, particularly above 3.48ghz on the qx9300. My goal is to determine the highest possible stable speed for architectural rendering on all cores running 100%, that would probably run from about 15 mins to 2 hours or more depending on the scene. I'm currently down to 3.325 Ghz @ 1.2125v stable. I'm trying to target 3.59ghz but my running voltage for that is 1.3125 already. I was able to finish cinebench at that speed, even at 3.72ghz but when running my Autodesk Revit Rendering, it is very demanding and extremely unstable. My suspicion is that the voltage might still be too low, but it seems high already consdering the stock maximum voltage is only 1.175v @2.53 ghz. I dont want to fry my cpu by simply jacking up the voltage. My laptop is supplemented by a water cooling kit so the temps can be manageable, but i don't want to press my luck. I have a suspicion also that my voltages might be too high already.

When manipulating and creating the model and views, the system is very stable even at 3.99 ghz with 1.40v, my problem only happens when i am rendering. i invested in the water cooling kit so i can push higher speeds during rendering but can't seem to push further.

Is there such a thing as cpu over voltage? could it be possible that my voltage is too high? What would be a good practive to determine the ideal cpu voltage for heavy use?

thanks in advance for the replies!

 

Yes you can easily overvolt a CPU. Not all CPU's will be as overclockable as others, YMMV.

 

Hi Tsumade_Hime, Is there a way to determine whether the cpu voltage is too high? will it behave the same as when the cpu is not getting enough voltage? I keep getting blue screens as if the voltage is not enough, what bothers me is that when i jack up the voltage a bit further, it blue screens even sooner than the previous setting. When i reduce the voltage it seems to stabilize but i still get blue screens later on. I am really confused. What bothers be still is that when i only 1 core runs 100% even at 3.99 Ghz, i don't have any problems. I would be really happy if i could take full advantage of my cpu, i need to also, i am already thinking of building a desktop pc just to do the renderings, but i don't want to go there just yet.

thanks!

 

Slap heat-sinks to the VRM and MOSFETs, it would improve stability dramatically (you are definitely overloading them). I think the upper safe limit for Core 2 CPUs is 1.45v, well that's for Duos, but I think it applies for Quads as well.

 

Using a voltage higher than required will just make the CPU run hotter than if it was at the minimum voltage it can use at that frequency, up until the point where it gets zapped and is broken. It sounds like it might be overheating. What are your temperatures?

 

Different cores can take different frequencies, you may have one core that does not oc very well.

 

From Your laptop description I see that You have custom water cooling setup for the cpu. Temps of the processor shouldn't be a problem then. Could You show us some photos how it looks like. Not very often You see watercooled laptop.
Going back to your case I see two possible problems. First your power supply might be to weak. What wattage psu You have now? Would be good if You get hold on power meter and measure power drawn from the wall during the rendering on higher settings, like 3.7GHz or 3.9GHz. Second problem is almost sure for me. This laptop have only two phase Vcore circuit which is very stressed with the quad, especially when You overclock it.

Reducing temperature of mosfets and chokes should help your overclock. Putting copper heatsinks on the top of them and directing some airflow on them would be great idea I think.

 

Joker105, let us know what water cooling solution you've fitted on your NP8662. I've been always very interested to see this done on a notebook. Posting some pictures would be really nice as it might spawn more members to get into this.

Good luck on your OC'ing and am hoping you hit your target!

 

Hi Triturbo, believe it or not i already unlocked my voltage up to 1.5v but with minimal load, i was starting to get nervous already so i had to back down a bit, i'm going to keep my voltage below 1.45 for now. It's good to know about these mosfets and VRMs, this is the first time i've ever heard of them. I still have two copper memory heatsinks, i'll try sto strap them on, thanks so much for this info.

Hi Meaker, This might be possible also, one of my cpu dies has a burn mark already, my core number 3 runs a bit hotter than the rest, but they start evening-out when it gets very hot. This is probably one of the causes of the instability also. This is caused by IC diamond when it starts breaking down affter a few months, when repasting a moist void remains in the middle of the dried IC Diamond thermal paste.

Hi Darnok44, I actually just posted my setup in another thread. It's still in the development stages and is still quite a mess. When i figure out a few other things i'll just give you guys an update. Heres the link to that thread (with photos):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...-looking-water-block-under-20mm-height-2.html

My PSU is the standard 120 watt power supply from sager, i also thought about upgrading to a more powerful PSU but couldn't find one here in my country, Blacky made a post before about a 180 watt PSu if i remember correctly, been tying to look for one since.

The power meter is a good idea also, i'll try to get one. I'll work on the mosfets and VRMs, thanks for supplying the photos because i am unsure what to look for, that is a big help thanks. I just hope there is enough room for the additional heat sinks.

Hi Sunster168! good to see you here! I know a sunster168 from QC and you might be one and the same, we talked about adding an egpu and overclocking t9300 on an HP a few years ago, not sure if you still remember. For my water cooling setup i got a cooler master seidon 120m and repurposed it to acommodate a generic copper gpu block that fits just enough at my cpu bay. It's still under development so it's still a mess but it works alright. I expected better results but it can probably get there after a little tweaking. I haven't figured out proper mounting, my goal is to make the upgrade "bolt-on" and removable because i still travel with it.

here's the link again:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...-looking-water-block-under-20mm-height-2.html

I'll start another thread for this setup in teh next few weeks, i'm just a bit busy now and just taking a break so i'm able to make a few posts tonight. Thanks!

 

Here you go - APA05US. Have fun The VRM and the MOSFET are the power regulation and power distribution. They are usually between the place where the power jack connects to the motherboard and the CPU socket. Near the socket are 2 or 3 blocks - inductors, they are usually covered of the CPU heat-sink so they shouldn't be a problem. Take care for the power delivery and you'll be golden.

 

thanks Triturbo! that would be one of my next purchases, but it definitely looks like it's bigger than (and probably also heavier) than the oem, but that's the price we pay for extra performance. I noticed it's only 19v, the oem is 20v, wouldn't that be a problem?

 

I've seen Sager users to use them, so I guess it's OK.