How crazy have you gotten on your overclocking adventure?

[Kenmitch]

I'm pretty conservative these days. Try to keep within what is stated to be the safe voltages for whatever cpu I'm currently using. More interested in 24/7 overclocks than benchmark scores these days. Do still dabble in benchmark scores here and there. Just don't go for the crazy vcore runs.

In the past I've gotten pretty crazy! No LN2 just water though.

Here's my craziest moment to start the thread off.

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2413478

Intels red headed step child chip....No offense intended

Not a popular chip it looks like as the above is still #1 at hwbot as far as frequency. CPUmark99,SuperPI-1M stable.

Chip was strong so she lived to tell about it. Didn't seem to trigger any degradation as far as whatever 24/7 overclock I was running at the time.

At that point in time this is what my rig looked like.

Probably the best overclocking chip I'll ever have had.....As far as frequency goes at least.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I can't match your clock, but I got to 5.5GHz in Windows with only one module (AMD FX) enabled. What water block are you using?

 

[Kenmitch]

I can't match your clock, but I got to 5.5GHz in Windows with only one module (AMD FX) enabled. What water block are you using?

That's a blast from the past. No longer own the rig. Was a swiftech apogee xt I think. Was what I was running in 2012.

 

[SlowSpyder]

That's a blast from the past. No longer own the rig. Was a swiftech apogee xt I think. Was what I was running in 2012.

I'm seeing 2x L1 / L2, was that with half the CPU disabled also? Either way, very nice OC!

I have this Koolance CPU block, using Koolance fluid, and a Swiftech pump. I used IDC's results to buy some NT-H1 thermal grease too. I've run all kinds of different settings, from barely sipping power with some voltage tweaks in the 4 - 4.4GHz range or I run it around 5Ghz with a very small voltage bump depending on my mood for day to day use.

 

[Kenmitch]

I'm seeing 2x L1 / L2, was that with half the CPU disabled also? Either way, very nice OC!

I have this Koolance CPU block, using Koolance fluid, and a Swiftech pump. I used IDC's results to buy some NT-H1 thermal grease too. I've run all kinds of different settings, from barely sipping power with some voltage tweaks in the 4 - 4.4GHz range or I run it around 5Ghz with a very small voltage bump depending on my mood for day to day use.

That was a balls out 2 core 2 thread run. CPU wouldn't boot at 57x and vcore was already crazy high!

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

The only time I went balls to the walls was with my D0 65nm Pentium D 925. Used a Hyper TX3 with a 92mm high RPM Delta fan and got to 5GHz, was limited by the motherboard as the i955X northbridge was rated only for 1066MT/s. Performance was still pretty trashy compared to K8.

 

[SlowSpyder]

That was a balls out 2 core 2 thread run. CPU wouldn't boot at 57x and vcore was already crazy high!

1.7v! I didn't see that at first, that's up there! I know it's not comparable, my FX vs. Sandy / Ivy / etc., but I think I was right up there too, somewhere around 1.65v to boot at 5.5Ghz with only two cores. Heh. Nice job!

 

[Yuriman]

Back when I had a bare-die WC loop, I tried to find the absolute ceiling with my 3570K. Without subzero cooling, any more than maybe 1.425v didn't do anything. I was able to bench at 4.8GHz and boot into Windows at 4.9, but no amount of voltage (1.5+) could get it stable enough to bench at 4.9.

 

[MrTeal]

Now that I've finished my 5930k system, this is inspiring me to take the old 2500k and see what I can really get from it. It's always topped out around 4.2, but winter in coming. In a few month -30C fluid will be available for cheap OCing attempts on that old lame duck.

 

[JackTheB]

I'm remembering clocking my old core2quad cpu Q6600 from 2.4 to 3.8. Increasing voltage 1.45 or 1.55. 9x350( not sure if i remember correct) and had large passive cooler coolermaster artic Z with one 160mm active cooler on it( led blue ) Temps were about 30-32 idle and active max to 50.

That cpu was very grateful and still rocking on some old pc's

 

[Mr Evil]

The most "crazy" overclocking I attempted was using Peltier heat pumps to get an Athlon 700 up to somewhere above 1GHz (I don't remember exactly). This may sound laughably slow now, but at the time 1GHz was commonly considered to be a "barrier". I had to make my own water block because there was no off-the-shelf water cooling available yet. There was some modification of the voltage regulator on the motherboard involved too.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

I'm remembering clocking my old core2quad cpu Q6600 from 2.4 to 3.8. Increasing voltage 1.45 or 1.55. 9x350( not sure if i remember correct) and had large passive cooler coolermaster artic Z with one 160mm active cooler on it( led blue ) Temps were about 30-32 idle and active max to 50.

That cpu was very grateful and still rocking on some old pc's

I took a Q6600 to 3.8 as well, and it popped something on a Gigabyte P35 motherboard during a stress test. Beyond 3.6 I needed exponentially more voltage and I guess it just overloaded the board. I remember a smell of burning rubber, but not seeing any smoke. Both that board and the chip still work to this day...

 

[Kenmitch]

I took a Q6600 to 3.8 as well, and it popped something on a Gigabyte P35 motherboard during a stress test. Beyond 3.6 I needed exponentially more voltage and I guess it just overloaded the board. I remember a smell of burning rubber, but not seeing any smoke. Both that board and the chip still work to this day...

Maybe the smell of burning TIM?

The 2550k was the last chip I really pushed as far as overclocks go. It was a little monster chip. I had the option Intel Protection Plan and was purchased during the $149 microcenter deal. Sure it took more vcore to go to the next jump but it did. Don't really have any data left from that adventure readily available. Might have it on a backup drive somewhere. The hardest benchmark I did in the upper clocks on it was Cinebench at 5.4GHz if I remember correctly. Got caught up in the post for CPUmark99 benchmark thread at the time so it was really the only reason I pushed it into the crazy overclock mode. To this day I wonder how high the chip would have gone in the hands of some crazier than me overclocker under LN2.

 

[Majcric]

Now that I've finished my 5930k system, this is inspiring me to take the old 2500k and see what I can really get from it. It's always topped out around 4.2, but winter in coming. In a few month -30C fluid will be available for cheap OCing attempts on that old lame duck.

At what voltage are you topping out @ 4.2?

 

[MrTeal]

At what voltage are you topping out @ 4.2?

Can't honestly remember, though adding more didn't seem to help much. There seems to be quite a few people who top out with low number on the Gigabyte Z68 boards though.