Rampage IV Extreme & i7 3930k Overclock not working..

[AirMel]

Hello All. I hope there is someone out there who can provide a little assistance with a major overclocking problem I am having. I have read both guides by Raja, motherboard manual from front to back, and watched numerous you tube videos looking for an answer.

My problem is that the overclock settings from my BIOS are not showing up in Windows 7 under the system properties and Windows shows my processor being at its default speed of 3.2GHZ. So I read that thats a normal issue with Win 7. So I try CPU-Z and OCCT and they both show that my CPU is only using a x12 multiplier and that its overclocked at a NEGATIVE 62.5%, which is 1.2GHZ. I have tried changing as many settings in the BIOS as possible. I have tried disabling the following settings: Intel Speedstep, Turbo Mode, and C1E. I have tried the default OC profiles, like Normal OC, Gamers OC, etc. Those dont make a difference either.

When the computer POSTS it shows Intel i7 3200mhz (Target: 4700mhz)

Can someone please help?

I willing to paypal someone for their time in helping me get this issue resolved and possibly perfect a system overclock for myself.

Thanks,
Aaron

[The Nemesis]

Try a less agressive overclock or perhaps one of the rog oc's and see what happens. For example, since it says your target overclock is 4700 MHz I'm assuming you have a 47 turbo multiplier set. Try instead 45 or 43. Set vcore to manual and set manual voltage to 1.4v Please give us your full hardware and bios setting if possible. I need to know your cooling type so I can see if 1.4v is even safe. I also need to know ram type and whether you have loaded the XMP. Also what hard drive or ssd are you using?

I have a 3930K Rampage IV and G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series so I should be able to help ya out.

[HiVizMan]

AirMel

Post your full system spec up for us to work with.

Most of the time these things happen because your ram is not stable. But I would be guessing.

When your system sticks in the 12x multi is is because your over-clock is not stable.

[AirMel]

• Asus Rampage Extreme IV
• Intel Hex Core i7 3.2ghz 3930k
• 16GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 2133 4x4 GB
• Thermaltake Toughpower 1500W 80PLUS Silver PSU
• Thermaltake Level 10 GTS LCS (BigWater 860 CPU water cooling)
• Corsair Force GT 240GB SSD SATA 3 (Two of these)
• EVGA 460 2GB (SLI'ed)
• EVGA 460 2GB (SLI'ed)

So I fixed the problem with the system defaulting to the 1200mhz no matter what the BIOS was set to...I can't believe I didnt catch this earlier...please dont laugh at me
Solution: Flashed the BIOS to the latest 3930K update ( http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/l...&p=1&m=Rampage IV Extreme&hashedid=r7FZemJak3vMbWHg)

Moving forward with a solid overclock,
I have been reading A LOT about voltages and temps and so forth and have really been getting mixed opinions. I've read that going 1.4+ can shorten the lifespan of the CPU and that I should be using a Offset, and all kinds of things. To a rookie overclocker, all this information has been pretty overwhelming.

I have my system set to the "Gamers OC" profile with my memory set to X.M.P-> Profile #1 (DDR3-2133 9-11-10-27-2N-1.50v-1.30v) and Rampage Tweak -> Mode 2

Should I use these settings and start stress testing under full load to get temps and such and then modify the overclock from there? How do I know where to start tweaking? Sorry to be such a noob, I am really trying to wrap my head around all of this to get a good solid overclock to take advantage of the nice water CPU cooler that I have but without damaging my chip and shortening its lifespan.

[AirMel]

Well looks like I lied about fixing the original issue by flashing the BIOS to version 1305. Since the flash I have tried "Normal OC", "Gamers OC", and system defaults and I am still getting the x12 multiplier in Windows.

Using my OC KEY, it shows that I have my OC settings all the way up till I get into windows. For example, under the "Gamers OC" profile its clocked to x47 multiplier putting me at 4.7ghz, MY OC KEY shows this information during the whole boot phase until I get logged into windows, then it just show x12 / 1200mhz and does not change under full load. I have been using CPU-Z, OCCT, and burn test and they reflect the same information.

Why cant I get my system to at least run the defaults of this chip at 3.2ghz?

/Smashing face into keyboard repeatedly

[AirMel]

Still cannot get the system to boot into any settings except the x12 clock. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I can also take screenies of my BIOS, CPU-Z, OCCT, or anything else that would be helpful.

[HiVizMan]

Please F5 and enter to set defaults.

Can you go into OS with defaults? The 12x is a fail safe when an overclock is unstable. The overclock can be the ram or the CPU.

[AirMel]

Pressing F5 for optimized defaults.

Still loads into Win 7 at x12.

Should I RMA my board?

[The Nemesis]

Load XMP in AI Overclock Tuner and set your bios as follows.


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[AirMel]

The Nemisis,
First off I want to say and share with everyone else how much of a badass you are and that I really appreciate you time and consideration in working with me on this issue, you're one super cool dude.

On the extreme Tweaker Page, under DRAM Voltage, what is yours set to, its in yellow and I cannot see it in the pic?

Since I am enabling XMP and profile 1 for my memory, under the Dram Timing Control Page, should I leave the Mode to Auto or set to Mode 1 or Mode 2?

Under DIGI+ power control, it shows your CPU Current Capatability set to 180% in black color, when I set mine to 180% it shows red, does that matter?

Just for learning purposes, can you explain the reasoning for disabling Xtreme Tweaking?
Why enable Intel speed step, I thought it changes the overclock of your system?
Why enable turbo mode, I though it could cause instability?

Sorry for all the questions, I am not questioning your setup in any way and I am making those changes now, I am just asking these questions to learn and hopefully have a better understanding of overclocking as a whole so maybe I can help people out on this forum in the future.

Also The Nemisis,
Are you running the exact same setup as me? Same CPU, board, and memory?

Will follow up shortly to let everyone know how those changes worked.