Issues overclocking i7 960

[Souldread]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm working on an overclock for my i7 960 with an ASUS P6X58D-E motherboard. I should state that this is my first real attempt overclocking, so it is quite possible I'm making a fatal error. I have been able to achieve the following stable overclock:

 

CPU frequency: 3.65 Ghz

Multiplier: 24

BCLK: 152

Vcore: 1.35 V

Temps during PRIME95: max around 82 C

 

The issue is that whenever I try to increase the base clock above 152, the system immediately shuts down upon leaving the BIOS, wipes the settings in the BIOS, and I'm back where I started. I know the previous owner of the motherboard pushed an overclock too high, and as such, two of the RAM channels no longer function. Is it possible that this could also be limiting the maximum BCLK the motherboard is capable? I've read through multiple overclocking guides specific to my exact platform, and it appears that most people have been able to reach much faster overclocks with the same setup, and I haven't seen any posts about my problems on those guides. Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

[Souldread]

Update: I'm an idiot, and didn't realize max multiplier is actually 25. This has allowed me to hit 3.8 GHz, and so far 1.25V seems stable (running torture test a little longer to make sure). Temps are in the low 70s now, much better. Still, to test the max BCLK, I reduced memory speed as low as possible and reduced the multiplier down to 12. Tested BCLK 153 again, and surprise, failed overclock again. Why would I be limited to this clockspeed, when most guides say I should be able to hit 200 without much of an issue?

[Vacras]

Could be a motherboard thing like you suspect. Maybe try rising the BCLK way above that (170 maybe) paired with a lower Multiplier and see if that works.

[Souldread]

Tried it, to no avail. Might be stuck at 3.8 Ghz with this build, can't exactly RMA an 8 year old, outdated motherboard haha. Oh well, still much better than stock!