Overclock i7-3820 via Alienware BIOS (A11)

[iLLmEcHaNiCo]

Hey guys. I think I'm ready to try a small OC on my CPU. I have an i7-3820 in my Aurora R4 (non ALX). I've seen some videos with people pushing it over 4 GHz but I'm a little uneasy about it. Couple of quick questions.

1. Can I just pick the second OC profile in bios and than just adjust all four cores to match the highst value? (I noticed cores 2,3 and 4 are set to lower clocks then 1?)

2. If I do that, do I need to mess with any voltages?

3. Will my stock Samsung 1600 MHz RAM work OK with the highest OC profile for the CPU?

The machine was purchased late 2011. I installed a new MSI GTX 970 4G and my benchmarks are basically saying that my CPU can't hang with it. I'm thinking a small OC might help make it play nice with my new GPU.

I'm not looking to OC it beyond what's already set in the BIOS. Also, any links to guides or videos would be awesome. Thanks.

[zombie cat]

I wouldn't overclock it, chances are the psu supplied is a piece of garbage, replace the psu with something decent like a 620 watt bronze seasonic.

[rotNdude]

I would just try it. Don't adjust any voltages and monitor your CPU temps. Since that's not a k series CPU you'll need to consider the RAM frequency as you increase the bclk frequency.

[yberkurko]

Originally posted by rotNdude:

I would just try it. Don't adjust any voltages and monitor your CPU temps. Since that's not a k series CPU you'll need to consider the RAM frequency as you increase the bclk frequency.

As enthisiast class cpu it's multiplier is partially unlocked, google seems to be telling me max multi is 43 (4,3GHz with 100Mhz BClk speed). So it can be overclocked some with only multiplier.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

All u need to do is disable Turbo; Lock in your RAM with XMP Profile#1 ; then slightly up the CPU Multiplier until the highest stable CPU Clock is achieved. Pretty much any CPU today (unlocked or not) it is just that simple. However not being unlocked means it simply will not OC very far above that default Turbo clock.

But if u can get a stable 4+ Ghz, then it will be better then 3.8 (it's default max clock just via Turbo)

The PSU will be fine; as you aren't really upping voltages here (yes the higher clock will auto-raise the CPU Vcore slightly on it's own) Alienware Desktop PSUs are by no means junk of any kind, just make sure to go to Dell.com/Support and get the latest BIOS version and install it, as that always helps.

If you get rebooting, random lockups, BSoD, or OS hard-freezing; lower the CPU multiplier slightly.

[iLLmEcHaNiCo]

Originally posted by Bad-Motha:

All u need to do is disable Turbo; Lock in your RAM with XMP Profile#1 ; then slightly up the CPU Multiplier until the highest stable CPU Clock is achieved. Pretty much any CPU today (unlocked or not) it is just that simple. However not being unlocked means it simply will not OC very far above that default Turbo clock.

But if u can get a stable 4+ Ghz, then it will be better then 3.8 (it's default max clock just via Turbo)

The PSU will be fine; as you aren't really upping voltages here (yes the higher clock will auto-raise the CPU Vcore slightly on it's own) Alienware Desktop PSUs are by no means junk of any kind, just make sure to go to Dell.com/Support and get the latest BIOS version and install it, as that always helps.

If you get rebooting, random lockups, BSoD, or OS hard-freezing; lower the CPU multiplier slightly.

Yea I followed the Dell instruction on how to use the default OC profiles in the BIOS. Apparently these profiles were the key difference in paying more or less for a CPU when I ordered the PC. 3D Mark is now recognizing my turbo up to 3.9 GHz whereas before it only recognized 3.7. My benchmark score went up slightly as well. =D. It's not a legit OC but I can't believe that for over 3 years now I wasn't aware of these profiles! Glad I didn't pay the extra $100-150 back then. lol

I'm def building my next PC. I can't believe companies like Dell charge so much extra just to go into your BIOS and make a quick change. Business I guess.

Also, I have stock RAM @ 1600 with no XMP support.

[76561198138983678]

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