NehalemCalc support/discussion

ThraxThrax 🐌Austin, TX Icrontian
edited August 2009 in Hardware
Armed with the new QuickPath Interconnect, the Core i7 has a whole suite of multipliers and frequencies that make overclocking more complicated than ever. That's why Icrontic.com is proud to release NehalemCalc v1.0 to address the needs of enthusiasts in tracking the intricate orchestration of these clockrates.

This thread is the official destination for support, discussion and change logs related to the Nehalem Overclocking Calculator.

Current Release
NehalemCalc v0.6

<h2>Changelog</h2>
<h3>0.6</h3>
<ul>
<li>Fixed the default UnCore multipliers for Core i7 965/975 XE</li>
</ul>

<h3>0.5</h3>
<ul>
<li>Added a fix for functionality in Webkit</li>
</ul>

<h3>0.4</h3>
<ul>
<li>Disclaimer and Support buttons changed to links</li>
<li>Corrected text in disclaimer</li>
<li>Changed defaults for i7 965 XE & i7 975 XE</li>
<li>Changed "BClock" to read "BCLK"</li>
</ul>

<h3>0.3</h3>
<ul>
<li>Compensated for trailing decimals in BCLK values</li>
<li>Rounded CPU/QPI/UnCore/Memory values to whole integers before display</li>
<li>Commented code for clarity</li>
</ul>

<h3>0.2</h3>
<ul>
<li>Changed QPI frequency to report in gigatransfers/sec (GT/s)</li>
<li>Changed QPI upper threshold warning to report GT/s values</li>
<li>Changed the QPI calc to be 2x greater than it was</li>
<li>Adjusted default clockspeeds for Core i5 750, i7 860 & i7 870 processors</li>
<li>Locked the Core i5 750's UnCore multiplier to 16x</li><br />
<li>Locked the Core i5 860/870's UnCore multiplier to 18x</li>
</ul>

<h3>0.1</h3>
<ul><br />
<li>Initial version</li>
</ul>

Credits:
Thank you to Seth Kwitko for early versions of the downloadable application, and Eli Robbins for the newer web version. Thank you lastly to Lincoln Russell for styling the web version.

Comments

  • pragtasticpragtastic Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    From a user standpoint, the "WARNING!" message for >4000mhz is a little annoying to see repeatedly. Maybe a 1 time message would better suite this one (or include it in the disclaimer?).

    Otherwise, great little application.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Good point, Prag. I've got a change planned for the next release to take care of the popup.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Fantastic, Seth!
  • edited November 2008
    Great Tool !

    But ... I don't have my I7 yet and i'm just wondering... What are the default settings for I7 965 with OCZ DDR3 1600 8 8 8 24 ?

    Thx.
    Sol.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    133MHz BClock, 24x CPU multi, 18x QPI, 24x uncore, 12x memory. :)

    Welcome to Icrontic, Solistice.
  • edited November 2008
    hey,
    Congrats on the tool, but do you know which are the multipliers avaiable for each of the 3 Core i7 CPU's? (920, 940 and 965)

    Thanks
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    That's in the works for the next release. For now, we'll see if we can get someone to post the relevant multipliers.
  • edited November 2008
    Great,
    I've been looking for that information but can't seem to find it anywhere, just some about Pre-Release Engeneering Samples. I'm interested in the reatil ones as i'm trying to make my decision on which one to buy...

    Tks
  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited November 2008
    Nice app, Kwitko. A couple of comments:

    1) A menu to apply 920, 940 and 965 defaults would be nice.
    2) Making the utility calculate the results of the parameters when they change without the need to hit the 'Calculate' button would be an improvement.

    Also, this would probably get more exposure if it was a web page rather than an application.

    Oh, as for multipliers the 920 and 940 are downward adjustable from their defaults of 20x and 22x respectively. The 965 is, I believe, unlocked in either direction with a default of 24x. I'm not positive on the 965 being upwards adjustable, though.

    Perhaps the way to rig this is to have people select a processor model: 920, 940 or 965. This would apply the defaults for each model and it would also provide you with a basis for limiting multiplier adjustment. Then, make the changes auto-calculate and instead of a Calculate and Clear button, just have a Reset button which would re-apply the defaults for the selected processor model.
  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited November 2008
    Thrax wrote:
    133MHz BClock, 24x CPU multi, 18x QPI, 24x uncore, 12x memory. :)

    Welcome to Icrontic, Solistice.
    The default Uncore multi for the 965 is 20x (~2666 Mhz). For the 920 and 940 it is 16x (~2133 Mhz).

    Setting the parameters in NehalemCalc to the default 965 settings with DDR3-1600 generates the message The Uncore Multiplier should be >= 2x Memory Multiplier. Is the implication being made that the IMC in the 965 cannot provide enough bandwidth for DDR3-1600 by default?

    The interesting thing to note here is that adjusting the uncore multiplier on i7 processors does not yield any performance gain, and Intel's own default settings seem to disregard this rule of uncore = 2*mem.

    Also, I would do away with all message boxes. The uncore multiplier message should show up in the same label as the QPI frequency warning, if it is even necessary. It seems to me that this message is erroneous.
  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited November 2008
    One other thing...

    The QPI multiplier is normally represented in a BCLK factor. In all the BIOS screens I have seen so far, the QPI settings available are x36, x44 and x48.

    The 920 and 940 default to x36 to yield 4.8GB/s with a 133Mhz BCLK. The 965 defaults to x48 to yield 6.4GB/s.

    The QPI multiplier is a function of the motherboard, and is thus adjustable upward or downward for all models. The BIOS simply sets a default based on the processor model. Of course, 920 and 940 models are not guaranteed to function at a higher QPI -- although it seems that most do so just fine. The binning process seems to be most focused on final CPU and Uncore frequencies attainable.
  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited December 2008
    Kwitko:

    Some more feedback for your application. It would be nice if you displayed the maximum Turbo Mode CPU frequency in addition to the base CPU frequency. Turbo Mode, if enabled, increases the CPU multiplier by 1x when the CPU is under heavy load and the processor temperature is within a given range. If the overclock fails, it automatically reverts to the base CPU multi. This would at least make the app more complete and give people an idea of their maximum overclocked frequency.

    The reason I bring this up is that it seems that with a good cooling solution, the Core i7 processors can be made to always function in Turbo Mode under load. Effectively, this increases the max multipliers of the 920 to 21x, the 940 to 23x and the 965 to 25x.
  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited December 2008
    Moderators: Do we have any mechanism in place to move some of these posts to a different thread, perhaps titled "Questions about Core i7 Multipliers"?

    I think that this back and forth between Demon and I has completely hijacked Kwitko's thread and made it much harder to see actual feedback on his application.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Done.

    I think I picked out what should have been moved.
  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited December 2008
    Khaos wrote:
    The default Uncore multi for the 965 is 20x (~2666 Mhz). For the 920 and 940 it is 16x (~2133 Mhz).

    Setting the parameters in NehalemCalc to the default 965 settings with DDR3-1600 generates the message The Uncore Multiplier should be >= 2x Memory Multiplier. Is the implication being made that the IMC in the 965 cannot provide enough bandwidth for DDR3-1600 by default?

    The interesting thing to note here is that adjusting the uncore multiplier on i7 processors does not yield any performance gain, and Intel's own default settings seem to disregard this rule of uncore = 2*mem.

    Also, I would do away with all message boxes. The uncore multiplier message should show up in the same label as the QPI frequency warning, if it is even necessary. It seems to me that this message is erroneous.
    I don't have the ability to edit the post that I quoted anymore, but I just wanted to note that what I posted has some gaping holes in it.

    The message for Uncore should be >= 2 * mem makes perfect sense. My understanding of the QPI to MEM frequency relationship was, shall we say, less than perfect. ;)
    Done.

    I think I picked out what should have been moved.
    Thanks Ryder. If anybody has questions about the Core i7 Multipliers, head over here.
  • edited December 2008
    Tks, for the cleanup of the offtopic. Keep up the good work ;)
  • edited January 2009
    Khaos wrote:
    1) A menu to apply 920, 940 and 965 defaults would be nice.
    I totally agree.
    It would be very useful to know the default multipliers..
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2009
    We are currently spinning a new version that will do exactly that. :)
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited January 2009
    My weekend project.
  • lseawelllseawell Charlottesville, VA
    edited August 2009
    This has most likely been asked and answered, but I was unable to find it so I'll ask - Is there discussion of the "best" motherboard for overclocking the i7's in terms of technical difficulty and or MB to i7 920/940/965 and best value ($)?
    tia
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Welcome.

    In terms of value, we think the DFI Lanparty X58-T3H6, Asus P6T, and Gigabyte boards all offer tremendous value and overclockability. The DFI board's BIOS is probably the most friendly, the P6T has a great reputation, and the Gigabyte offerings are well-built and rugged. We think the 920 is the best value out of the bunch.
  • lseawelllseawell Charlottesville, VA
    edited August 2009
    Complete answer - sweet! Thx
  • edited August 2009
    Your thoughts on this board please? With respect to overclocking, value, quality, etc? Matched with the 920.

    <title>Futuremark SystemInfo Explorer</title><link href="systeminfo_explorer_2.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">Mainboard info
    <table class="dataTable" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="nodeName">Supported Slot Types</td> <td class="nodeValue">PCI, PCI Express</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">Manufacturer</td> <td class="nodeValue">EVGA</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">Model</td> <td class="nodeValue">141-BL-E757</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">Version</td> <td class="nodeValue">Tylersburg</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">BIOS Vendor</td> <td class="nodeValue">Phoenix Technologies, LTD</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">BIOS Version</td> <td class="nodeValue">6.00 PG</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">BIOS Release Date</td> <td class="nodeValue">05/22/2009</td></tr> <tr> <td class="nodeName">BIOS Properties</td> <td class="nodeValue">Plug and Play, Flash</td></tr></tbody></table>





    Buddy J wrote:
    Welcome.

    In terms of value, we think the DFI Lanparty X58-T3H6, Asus P6T, and Gigabyte boards all offer tremendous value and overclockability. The DFI board's BIOS is probably the most friendly, the P6T has a great reputation, and the Gigabyte offerings are well-built and rugged. We think the 920 is the best value out of the bunch.
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