Overclocking — Awesome or Useless? — 3.5GHz vs 4.5GHz in CPU Bound Gameplay
123NOTE: This used to be a member exclusive video, hence the "Exclusive" in the thumbnail. I thought about making a new thumbnail, but meh... this way you know which videos were released as exclusive videos after they finally get made public.
First published to channel members on March 22, 2020
I still have this PC, it's just as awesome and terrible as when this was tested... I really do have a soft spot for my OG i7-920 PC from 2008, it was ahead of its time. However, in 2024, yikes!
There are a series of videos showing this PC being completely upgraded and updated, new case, new RAM, new storage, and even a NEW CPU! The i7-980X is the refreshed version of 1st gen Core on 32nm, code-named Gulftown. 6 cores, 12 threads, it overclocks well, but... meh, time marches on.
This PC falls into my "keep forever for the memories" as it long, long ago stopped being worth much, other than the memories.
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Intel sold a 6 Core, 12 Thread CPU that would run at 4.5GHz... 10 years ago! Yes, really!
Is it worth buying? That's a big huge "it depends"... this is the first in a series of videos on this "rebuild" of my old i7-920 that I bought from iBuyPower in 2009. More content coming soon on this one!
Full Playlist of Videos on this PC/CPU/Build - https://pcdeal.tv/2J1VttZ
i7-980X - @EBay https://pcdeal.tv/2OvO0Xf
Xeon X5675 - @EBay https://pcdeal.tv/2GSU3Rs
The i7-980X is quite a bit more expensive, but comes with the benefit of an unlocked multiplier. Leave the base clock where it is and set the clock speed where you want it.
The X5675 is very cheap these days, often $30 or less. However it has a locked multiplier so you have to adjust the BLK. 133 BLK is "stock" which provides for a 3.06GHz default clock speed
166 BLK is 3.8GHz
200 BLK is 4.6GHz
As a general rule, you can adjust it to what you need, but it does affect other items and thus may require further tweaking. Adjusting by 33MHz at a time usually makes this easier, but other speeds are possible. It also depends on the quality of your X58 motherboard as to how stable this is.
My ASUS P6T motherboard had no issues running at 4.5GHz for days using the 120mm AIO liquid cooler and 1.4v fixed on the CPU. I make no promises that it'll run like that for years on end, but it probably will... most likely... :)
Finally... if you don't already own a nice X58 motherboard, don't bother. Ryzen 5 1600 AF is $85 and a B450 motherboard is $75. For $160 you get a brand new CPU, cooler, and motherboard with modern technology that will be supported for years to come and has future CPUs that can be installed.
This old Intel option really only makes sense if you already have a X58 and i7-920 and want 6 cores without spending a lot of money. If your cooler isn't the best, then buy a X5675 and set BLK to 166, you'll get 3.8GHz and even a cheaper cooler should be fine at 1.35v. If your current CPU is running at stock, this will be a big upgrade for you!
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