It’s time to start writing about about Ivy-E’s memory controller. If inclined towards memory related tomfoolery (overclocking or tweaking) then the following section is worth a read. Purchase a single memory kit rated at the speed and required density (other purchasing advice withstanding).įollowing the advice above should keep most out of trouble. That’s because the SPD and XMP is programmed with memory timings for the platform they were binned on.ģ) We’ll say it one more time: Don’t combine multiple kits to make up a higher density. Memory kits qualified on other platforms may not reach their specified timings when used on X79 and vice versa, too. In this case, we are looking for X79 qualified memory kits. If budget is constrained, or you’re simply looking for good performance return for expenditure, then spending excessively on fast memory kits is ill-advised.Ģ) Look for memory kits that are qualified to run on the platform they will be used in. Bear in mind that performance gains from running faster memory are minuscule in most applications. If one is inclined to tune a system manually, then purchasing a faster memory kit is possible. If plug-and-play operation is desirable, then it would be wise to select memory kits rated no faster than DDR3-1600 or DDR3-1866 (depending upon density). The idea then is to select a memory kit that suits one’s mindset. Anything faster than this is defined as overclocking and quite obviously, may require adjustment of voltages and memory timings to work. Supported speeds are those the processor can run without needing any kind of voltage adjustment. Intel usually makes this information available in their white papers. Both situations are likely subject to memory timing, too. If all slots are populated, then the maximum supported memory speed is DDR3-1600. However, it is only supported with one DIMM per channel. Quick check list of Ivy-E memory related items:ġ) DDR3-1866 is supported as a stock speed.
Speeds faster than DDR3-1600 require an IMC that is “strong”, and may require lots of manual tuning to obtain stability. Purchase a single kit rated at the desired density and timings you wish to run – we recommend memory kits rated no faster than DDR3-1600 for ease-of-use. While it may seem attractive to populate as many memory slots as we can, there is a sensible way of doing it that makes setting the system up and getting it stable easier. Let’s start with what not to do: DO NOT COMBINE MULTIPLE MEMORY KITS, EVEN IF THEY ARE THE SAME MODEL. Make sure you read the section below before proceeding to overclock the system. It seems many users are not aware that combining memory kits – even those of the same model can lead to system instability. Before we get to the overclocking section, there’s a memory kit related topic that comes up on these forums (and others) frequently. That’s most of the basics in short-form apart from specifics about Ivy-E and memory overclocking. We recommend starting on auto and simply setting the multipliers, then tuning voltages lower or higher depending upon the CPU sample. (ii) Our auto rules will set Vcore and VSSA as changes are made. (i) For Vcore the highest we’re using here internally is 1.40V (cooling dependent obviously).
Overclocking Ivy-E for the masses is centered on two voltages: Vcore and VCCSA (more on VCCSA later).
We do recommend placing a fan over the VRM heatsink if the system is going to be overclocked. Use a voltage that keeps loaded temps below 75 Celsius or so. For users with air coolers, we recommend a maximum of 1.30V for Vcore - of course this is dependent on the type of air cooler and its capabilities. Same trend we are used to by now on the 22nm process.Ĥ.6GHz at 1.40V is doable using water cooling – we get loaded temps of around 80C on a good triple radiator water loop. However, we’re dealing with a smaller substrate/process node which means getting heat away from the die quickly is key.
We measured 120 Watts at full AVX load at 4.6GHz.
Not a massive sample size, but I think it gives us a realistic indication of what to expect from retail processors.Ģ) The power draw of Ivy-E is very low. The average frequency is therefore 4.6GHz on a reasonable CPU sample.
Ivy Bridge-E CPU Core Overclocking Overviewġ) In my binning of 45 samples, 2% of CPUs will do 4.8GHz at 1.40V. Read the guide through in its entirety before attempting any overclocking! Standard disclaimer: Overclocking is not guaranteed to work, or guaranteed to be reliable.