MisterZJ

Dear Forum:

1st I want to apologize if this topic has been posted and answered somewhere else. I just want a tailored reply to my exact setup:

I am currently running a Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R MB, Core i7 920 with 6 GB of OCZ 12800 DDR3-1600 RAM all housed in the infamous Antec Skeleton case. I have bought a very nice aftermarket heatsink for the chip, which does a great job keeping it cool.

I CAN'T GET MY OVERCLOCK RIGHT!!!

There are so many different options within bios to change, I have tinkered with them all, watched video's of others OC'ing, read articles, etc.. Everything I try is unstable. I can't seem to get it above 3.2GHz and it be stable. I know with this aftermarket heatsink and an open case design, heat will not be my enemy to overclock to AT LEAST 3.5 ghz, if not 4. I do not care about going over 4 at all. BUT, I have read countless articles of people getting theirs perfectly stable at 3.8 ghz.

I have tried changing the uncore, dram, QPI, everything based of others experience. Nothing seems stable.

Now, I don't have the testing/benchmarking utility that many of you use for stability tests. Basically, the two things i've tried is running a video converter known as Hand Brake. If this hangs up, the system is not stable. Also, Vista Windows Updates. If I go into windows update and select "Check For Updates" most times it will completely lock right there, if it is overclocked that is.

I would really appreciate someone taking the time to look over the hardware that I am running and let me know your thoughts on voltage settings, speeds, etc.. that would be stable. SURELY if others are running 4ghz I should be able to as well, and at the very least, hit 3.5 with no issues.

Thanks in advance,

Matt