How do I overclock my core i7 960 setup?

274 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Irocing, Oct 15, 2011

CDB

Discussion Starter · Oct 14, 2011

Hey, here is the system I have had for a while:
CPU: core i7 960
Motherboard: EVGA 131-GT-E767-TR X58 RTL
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz (24 GB)
PSU: OCZ700MXSP 700W RT
GPU: XFX|HD-687A-ZNFC HD6870 R
case: Apevia X-Trooper (200mm side fan + 4x120mm fans)

I have heard that this CPU may not be the easiest to overclock, but that it can still be done and yield a lot more speed. If I could go back in time, I would spend a little more on a core i7 2600k instead, since I found out after building my rig how much newer and better the Sandy Bridge K-series are. Anyway, I have never OC'ed anything before, and I need a lot of help getting started and seeing this through. I'm not looking to do anything too extreme, just a solid performance boost, maybe around 4.0 GHz or a little higher. Currently, I only have the stock CPU cooler, which leads to a couple more questions: 1) what CPU coolers do you recommend for under $80 (my case has 2 water cooling holes in the back plate, so if that is an option, I'm interested) and 2) just out of curiosity, how far could I get just using the stock CPU cooler? Thanks for helping a noob.

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crunkosaur

· #2 · Oct 14, 2011

for around 85$ you can get a Noctua, If you are not going to spend that much there is only one other cooler I would suggest, CoolerMaster Hyper 212+25$. King of budget coolers.

You should not attempt to overclock those chips unless you have a good aftermarket cooler. Watercooling starts at around 200$ for a RASA kit

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CDB

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 15, 2011

Thanks a lot. How do you think those two fans stack up against each other, i.e. is the Noctua worth the price difference?

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crunkosaur

· #4 · Oct 15, 2011

like anything, there are diminishing returns as you increase the price. Personally, if the Noctua fits, buy it! Its THE best cooler you can get. It takes temperatures out of the equation(to a point), and lets you overclock happily. If you chose to purchase one, check the comparability charts on the Noctua website, they are very good, maybe the best ive seen from any computer parts manufacturer. It sits wide, so tall ram heat sinks pose potential issues, the chart will tell u.

The Hyper212+ is tall but slim, get it if you can cough up enough cash for the Noctua, or the Noctua wont fit

btw noctua fans are some of the most quiet fans you can get!

hope that helps

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Irocing

· #5 · Oct 15, 2011

Hi,

Shouldn't have any problems getting to 4.1-4.2 with the 960 and
high end air or closed loop water in push pull configuration.

960's not any different, other than the early 920's as to clocking
until get into the hexes.

Later

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