The CPU Clock Gen Filter is enabled to allow better overclocking. The turbo ratio is set to All Cores and the CPU Multiplier is set to 42 to give us the 4.8GHz overclock.
#Best sandy bridge cpu full#
The ClockGen Full Restart option is left enabled to give the best overclocks. I set my base clock to 114.5MHz and set the CPU Strap to 125MHz to keep my PCI-E/DMI frequency between within the 90MHz to 110MHz range. You will notice the bios layout is very similar to that of a P67 or Z68 motherboard however there are a few key changes mainly the CPU Strap option. Let’s take a look at the bios configuration for an over clock of 4.8GHz. Powering the system was an Professional Series™ Gold AX1200 PSU, and I also used a Hydro Series™ H70 CORE to cool the CPU down. For memory I used the Corsair Dominator® GT CMGTX8 quad channel DDR3 memory kit along with a Force Series™ GT 240GB SSD. I setup a system using an Intel Core i7 3960X processor on an ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.
#Best sandy bridge cpu how to#
The chart below shows each ratio and how to figure out your PCI-E/DMI frequency to keep it between 90MHz and 110MHz. Selecting the CPU Strap option of 125MHz will allow you to run higher base clock because it takes the base clock and divides it by 1.25 to run the PCI-E/DMI Controller at a lower frequency. Since Intel added the CPU Strap option we can now run higher base clocks than 110MHz without many issues. Along with these higher base clocks you can now also run the memory frequency much higher versus Sandy Bridge.
You are now able to run higher base clocks however there are limitations. Intel added the option called CPU Strap that allows the PCI-E/DMI Controller to run at a frequency near 100MHz +/-10%. The reason for the limited base clock adjustment was due to the link between base clock and the PCI-E/DMI Controller. The new Sandy Bridge-E processors that Intel announced today (we also announced our quad-channel compatible DDR3 memory kits today) is based on the same architecture, but Intel made a key change in order to allow higher base clocks. In order to overclock Sandy Bridge to its full potential, an unlocked multiplier was needed. When Intel® launched the Sandy Bridge (AKA the 2nd Generation Intel Core™ Processor Family) architecture they changed the game in overclocking, running high base clock was a thing of the past.