Comments on: Intel Core i7 920 Processor http://www.buyyank.com/intel-core-i7-920-processor/ Where to buy Yank Products Online Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:50:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Customer http://www.buyyank.com/intel-core-i7-920-processor/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Customer Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:41:30 +0000 http://www.buyyank.com/intel-core-i7-920-processor/#comment-63 I got my second Core i7 920 here on Amazon in early November, and received the D0 stepping. You can tell by looking for a sSpec number of SLBEJ on the box. (SLBCH was the C0 stepping.) You don't need to unseal the Intel box to know what you're getting, so you could just return it if you didn't get the D0. Not that that's likely anymore. I initially wasn't impressed by the D0, using the same overclock settings I'd zeroed in on for the C0. If anything, it seemed to run even hotter. Then I learned the secret. You can turn the core voltage WAY down, which is the key to heat. I was at 1.30 volts to run the C0 stable at 3.7ghz (air cooled with Coolermaster V10). I've been able to turn it down to just a hair over 1.20 volts with the D0. With the bclk at 194, multiplier at 21, I'm now running over 4.0 ghz. That's running Prime95 all night on all eight threads, with max core temps at 73 C or below. To summarize, the big improvement with the D0 stepping is being able to run with much lower voltages, which in turn allows higher overclocks with safe temps. I got my second Core i7 920 here on Amazon in early November, and received the D0 stepping. You can tell by looking for a sSpec number of SLBEJ on the box. (SLBCH was the C0 stepping.) You don’t need to unseal the Intel box to know what you’re getting, so you could just return it if you didn’t get the D0. Not that that’s likely anymore. I initially wasn’t impressed by the D0, using the same overclock settings I’d zeroed in on for the C0. If anything, it seemed to run even hotter. Then I learned the secret. You can turn the core voltage WAY down, which is the key to heat. I was at 1.30 volts to run the C0 stable at 3.7ghz (air cooled with Coolermaster V10). I’ve been able to turn it down to just a hair over 1.20 volts with the D0. With the bclk at 194, multiplier at 21, I’m now running over 4.0 ghz. That’s running Prime95 all night on all eight threads, with max core temps at 73 C or below. To summarize, the big improvement with the D0 stepping is being able to run with much lower voltages, which in turn allows higher overclocks with safe temps.

]]> By: Customer http://www.buyyank.com/intel-core-i7-920-processor/comment-page-1/#comment-62 Customer Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:40:58 +0000 http://www.buyyank.com/intel-core-i7-920-processor/#comment-62 This thing is a monster if you know how to unleash it. Spend $45 on a third party cooler and push this thing to amazing levels of performance. I am not a gamer, I am using the 920 in a workstation environment with frequent heavy load. With a Xigmatek Dark Knight and a decent case I was able to EASILY overclock this to 4GHz (the most I was willing to go). With hyper threading, it can handle numerous simultaneous graphic programs, including parallel use of Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Bridge, iTunes, and Firefox. It never skips a beat. I should warn you, if you are planning on using the 920 at it's full potential, these things run hotter than most past Intel chips. At 4Ghz, 70+ Celsius is normal at full burn (on third party air). Realistically, real world use will rarely be pushing 100% for long periods of time, and enabling Speed Stepping can help keep temperatures lower at idle. Also, don't gimp your system with crappy RAM. You'll need something that is stable at 1600 MHz without requiring ridiculous amounts of vDIMM. Do your homework and know what will run with what. It will save you a lot of headaches. All in all this is a great chip that will last me quite a long time. This thing is a monster if you know how to unleash it. Spend $45 on a third party cooler and push this thing to amazing levels of performance. I am not a gamer, I am using the 920 in a workstation environment with frequent heavy load. With a Xigmatek Dark Knight and a decent case I was able to EASILY overclock this to 4GHz (the most I was willing to go). With hyper threading, it can handle numerous simultaneous graphic programs, including parallel use of Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Bridge, iTunes, and Firefox. It never skips a beat.

I should warn you, if you are planning on using the 920 at it’s full potential, these things run hotter than most past Intel chips. At 4Ghz, 70+ Celsius is normal at full burn (on third party air). Realistically, real world use will rarely be pushing 100% for long periods of time, and enabling Speed Stepping can help keep temperatures lower at idle. Also, don’t gimp your system with crappy RAM. You’ll need something that is stable at 1600 MHz without requiring ridiculous amounts of vDIMM. Do your homework and know what will run with what. It will save you a lot of headaches.

All in all this is a great chip that will last me quite a long time.

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