I don't want to spend money on expensive board. I use it for HTPC. It delivers more than enough power for my HTPC applications.

If I were to change the mobo, I'd rather sell my i5-3570K and get i7-3770K (heard it can run 4.8GHz at default voltage)

I wrote to Gigabyte to ask about the availability of vcore setting on Z77M-D3H.

This is the reply from Gigabyte. Classic!


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I think P8Z77M-Pro is not available in our market.
What we have is P8Z77M.

owikh84, for (8), it should be 4090MHz or 4.09GHz

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 18 2012, 11:32 AM

I sold my Gigabyte Z77M-DSH and bought an Asus P8Z77M.

Excellent mobo.
And I'm still torturing my i5-3570K at this hour.
Here's my Super PI 32M @ 4.7GHz.

P/S Here's my other hardware specs
Processor: i5-3570K
Mobo: Asus P8Z77M
Cooler: Corsair H50 with Arctic MX4 thermal paste
Ram: Corsair Value ram 2x2GB @ 1600MHz CL9 (cheapo of all cheapo rams # VS2GB1333D3)
Casing: Lian Li PC-V351

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 19 2012, 03:35 AM


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Ok, done testing at 4.8GHz.

My Corsair H50 can't take it anymore.
If I were to run OCCT, I bet it can go up to 105c.

Besides, I don't feel comfortable with such high voltage.
I think it is the max it can go.

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Added on May 19, 2012, 4:10 amJust to give you an idea how far i5-3570K can go.


4.8GHz generates alot of heat. You need pretty high voltage too. High end cooling is a must (i.e. customized water cooling)
4.7GHz is attainable for 24/7. You don't need watercooling. You just need a better HSF with good air ventilation in the casing.
4.6GHz @ 1.3v. Load temperature is about 80c. Both temperature and voltage fall into safe range for 24/7.
The sweetest spot is 4.5GHz @ 1.25v. Easy freebies at finger tip and very doable. Temperature under load will not exceed 75c.
4.3-4.4GHz, most pariah motherboards with NO vcore setting can hit that range. Load temperature does not exceed 70c.


This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 19 2012, 04:13 AM


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This is the extreme cooling.

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Added on May 19, 2012, 11:38 amThe i7-3770K has at least 200MHz better OC headroom than i5-3570K.

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Added on May 19, 2012, 11:41 amAll cores will run at maximum turbo speed.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5793/intel-z...byte-and-msi/18

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Added on May 19, 2012, 11:42 amI wonder what is the safe range for both voltage and temperature?

According to the link, 1.52v falls within the safe range?
http://communities.intel.com/message/155951#155951

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 19 2012, 11:42 AM

Don't tell me you did it with air cooling.

H50 is worse than Noctua NH-D14, I reckon.
Noctua NH-D14 is a better cooler.

I chose H50 because it only takes up small space.
I'm using Lian Li PC-V351 and there is no way big heatsink sits inside my casing.
So, either low profile HSF or single-120mm radiator is the choice.

Just a note, if you're on mATX, Asus is the BEST mobo and a clear choice for overclockers.
If you're on ATX, you have plenty choices.
As I used both Gigabyte and Asus Z77, one thing I need to say.
Gigabyte has better efficiency in terms of vcore.
My Gigabyte mobo needed 1.18v to run 4.3GHz.
My current Asus needs 1.19-1.2v to run 4.3GHz.

So, just make sure the mobo that you get have the vcore setting.
Both Gigabyte and Asus are good options.

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Added on May 19, 2012, 12:15 pmIB has good tolerance with high voltage.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 19 2012, 12:15 PM

Yeap, it's about there.
With my H50, I needed 1.26v-1.28v for 4.5Ghz (voltage fluctuates during torture test)

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 19 2012, 06:32 PM

Tell us how it goes. Show us step-by-step on how to do it too.

Are you going to run it with the cap on or you prefer it naked?
Please share the temperature readings and overclock results.

What sort of pen knife did you use? Can show us the picture of the pen knife?

Mother of god, 1.712v?
This IB is a voltage "Black Hole".

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Added on May 20, 2012, 2:49 pmWhat program do you use to stress the processor?

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 20 2012, 02:49 PM

Your voltage is pretty close to mine.
I need 1.38 - 1.39v to hit 4.6GHz.

What programs crashed?
Yes, insufficient vcore may lead to program crash.

1) Run your memory at default speed and timing while you find the stability of overclocked processor.
2) Increase your vcore 1.42v and see the programs still crash or not.

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Added on May 20, 2012, 5:02 pmYeap, LinX generates too much heat.
I used OCCT instead.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 20 2012, 05:02 PM

Yes, XMP is the default speed.
I think it is the vcore then. Increase the vcore to 1.42-1.44 and see the programs still crash or not.

Your core voltage could be too low.
I needed 1.29-1.30v to run 4.5GHz.

You need long hours running Prime95 to determine system stability. Based on my experience, you need to achieve at least 12 hours of Prime95.
This is the reason why i don't use Prime95 to check system stability.
i use OCCT instead.

Try run it again. It was not "efficient" in the 1st run.

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Added on May 20, 2012, 11:06 pmYeap, just post it here.
owikh84 can update on the 1st page and put a link to your guide on removing the IHS.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: May 20 2012, 11:06 PM

Hahaha... no blood n gain eh?

For easier reference, you can put the before/after temperature in the same post.

Good job!

You can PM ah Khoo, I think he has 1st hand information on tweaking this ram module.