I'm actually really surprised you were able to get bclk that high.

The only first gen Core-i platform that had overclockable bclk was the LGA1366/x58 platform And even then, you have to use the bclk divider because you normally only get maybe 5-10Mhz blck over what the bclk divider is set at. (yeah.. just disregard this.. been too long since I have messed with the first gen stuff)

If you want to really overclock on the P55 platform, you need a K (unlocked) CPU.

I think you're thinking of Sandybridge on S1155 which introduced the K series of CPUs. From my reading (and doing it myself 10 years ago!) overclocking on BLK was normal. I think it was the last series of CPU before they were locked (properly). There is no K variant of the Lynn field CPUs.

Huh. You're right there was a K variant. However all the reviews for the 860 talk about overclocking via BLK (or rather QDI) and getting 3.7GHz + from it. I think it was relatively normal for these chips.

I can put any QDI I want in the BIOS rather than increments of 5 or 10 on my Gigabyte board.

And you're right about the BCLK overclocking. Learn something new every day.

See here for an old guide:
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/lga-1 … g-guide.337967/

70+c in games isn't very good unless the cpu is pegged to 100% load, but no it shouldn't be an issue. a stress test will drive your cpu way out of spec temp. I think your vcore is way too high for such a low core clock.

Do the following:
-set ram to 1333 (or closest you can get)
-drop back to 1.325v cpu core
-start at 3.8ghz cpu (181 x 21)
-increase vtt voltage
-stress test with aida64 while monitoring temperatures.

If you crash, raise vtt again. If vtt gets to around 1.315v, start increasing cpu vcore and vtt incrementally, one at a time. Keep both voltages under 1.4v.

When you're stable, work the ram speed back up, up to 1.65v is fine for ddr3 with ample airflow.

Chances are you'll find 3.8ghz doable at around 1.2xv vtt / 1.325vcore. use hwinfo to monitor the voltages under load with aida64 or similar. If your board has load line calibration or vdroop offset controls, crank them up.

In my experience vtt was very important, safe for up to 1.4v if you can keep the system cool. 1.32v cpu vcore was enough for 4+ghz, 1.36v is getting into water cooling range.

final note: sometimes lower multiplier and higher blck is the better route for these CPUs. Experiment if you still have problems.

It's odd as I can run Prime 95 and Cinebench R15 and it will be stable (and hot). When I try to run the GTA V benchmark, it will crash immediately, even at 3.6GHz 1.3 CPUVcore volts. It makes me think raw volts isn't the issue. I ended up sulking and reverting it to stock. I'll try your approach as I haven't really messed with VTT voltages yet.

Edit - GTA V benchmark crashes immediately at stock too...

Ah that explains it, maybe that benchmark isn't liking your display driver / gpu settings.

Anyway give the vtt method a try, you may get away with 4ghz at a lower vcore and have better temps. as for gta v... Maybe have to reinstall that monstrosity along with the display driver. I had lots of crash issues with gta v baco when i played it too.

You can go BCLK 200MHz+ if needed.
1,4V shouldn't be an issue, IF you got enough cooling.
QPI/VTT Voltage is key here, You will need around 1,3-1,4V for 200MHz (that's around +0,2V depending on what stock values is).
Don't overdo things on DRAM Frequency, better not guess system stability based on what "should work".