Mobo for "golden batch" i7 920

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Looking for some advice from you major overclockers ( and hopefully rjkoneill ;))

Having resisted i7 up until now, I couldn't say no to an i7 920 D0 from the (allegedly) golden batch 3845B which I just managed to pick up. Most of these do in excess of 4.5GHz at pretty low volts.
So I am trying to pick a motherboard (and Ram for that matter) for this. CPU will be cooled by chilled water (overclocked Q9650 system in my sig, which will be on MM soon;)- runs IBT at 50 deg C :)), and the board will also be cooled (using my existing seperate loop, not chilled). My initial thoughts are

The old faithful GB X58 Extreme ( but doesn't that have a problem with BCLK > 220?)

EVGA X58 SLi plus EK blocks

Don't really want the EVGA Classified (or Asus equivalent)- seems over the top unless using phase or cryogenic coolants, OcUK don't have any, and maybe my chip won't be as golden as I hope in which case would be a waste of money!

What do you guys think?

Many thanks
Geoff:)
 

rjk

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Hi

i would not reccomend going for some mental board that you probably wont use half the features. the classified is MASSIVLEY overrated
i have used every X58 board of note and can honestly say, there is no gain going for an extreme board over something midrange

i have owned a P6T deluxe, biostar X58 and a rampage 2

the rampage is no better than a p6t deluxe clocking wise
and both boards are built to a very high standard and include all the features you could want
sure the rampage has all the bells and whistles [and is is more geared towards overclocking]

the UD5 is a good choice too, i would take that over the giga extreme every day of the week

most boards run into issues at around 220 bclk [my biostar wont go above 222 for example]


at the end of the day, go for a board where you will be comfortable with the bios and go for a manufacturer you trust

if it was my money - i would try to get hold of a P6T Deluxe V2 [or the P6TD Deluxe]

you can obviously clock, and know enough about hardware
i know you will bake the right choice :)
dont forget to post results in the overclocking section
will be interesting to see what this chip can do
 

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Thanks a lot for that:) Yes the Classified was never really on my list.
I was thinking about the P6TD (which you guys sell;)) as well.
How hot do the VRMs get on that board- is it in fact necessary to have any waterblocks on an X58 board if one is aiming for 4-5-4.7 GHz. I've heard that they do get a bit toasty on the EVGA Sli and the DFI (which I am not looking at)
:)
 

rjk

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if you are going for big clocks 24/7 then i would advise watercooling to keep your board alive and under good temps

for the 4.2ghz or below i tend to just say, leave the stock heatsink arrays on

the asus fan that clips on to the mosfet cooler does help a little but watercooling is the way forward if you want a big 24/7 clock

i wouyld say 4.4-4.5 would be more realistic
 

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Thanks again:) On that basis maybe the GB X58 Extreme (ie the UD5 with waterblock) would be the best bet?- saves buying board blocks
 

chippy08

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Your lucky getting the 38 batch as when i brought mine last week from overclockers retail version it was batch 39.
 

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Currently installing a few updates after reformatting and installing the os, havent really had much of a chance to play about with it tbh, though the idle temps are at 29-23-28-22, under a lapped TRUE black and 2x400-1200 rpm pwm fans, ill have to give it a good workout over the coming days.
 

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So I went for the GB X58 Extreme in the end. Sorry rjk, I know that wasn't your top recommendation;) But its essentially the UD5, which is highly rated, plus water block, and since I wanted to watercool the NB and PWMs anyway it seemed like the logical choice. Also, I'm pretty familiar with GB boards- see current sig!

My first play with this chip gave me 4.0 Ghz after about 10 mins- 1.20 Vcore under load, 1.216 idle, all other voltages at stock, HT on, turbo off (for now;)). OCCT stable 1 hour. VID appears to be 1.16 from Bios. Using Corsair XMS 3, 6GB, cas 7, at 1600. Originally ordered the Dominators, but OcUK went out of stock during my order processing. Still they replaced it with the XMS, refunded me the difference immediately, and sent it off straight away- great job OcUK:)

Will post screenshots and more results in the Overclocking thread
 

JonJ678

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I'm reasonably sure that the water block is aluminium and uses weird threads, just as a warning

I like the look of the ek blocks, but mips do a nice set as well
 

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JonJ678 said:
I'm reasonably sure that the water block is aluminium
Click to expand...

Yes I heard that mentioned before, but I had a look inside the block- definitely looks like copper, as is the one on my EP45 Extreme. Does have 10 mm barbs but since the loop it is in is only cooling the GPU and the hotside of my Peltier chiller, its not a problem;)
I forgot to mention load max temps in OCCT at 4GHz- upper 40 degs C. Using chilled water at around 18C under full CPU load:)
 

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