Ghetto Intel Core i7 from CHINA for $100!!

[Bitter]

On 3/17/2019 at 3:21 AM, X_X said:

For Linux see here. Might find it already is updated. Another alternative could be to make a UEFI driver which would update before any OS is loaded. Ultimately you might want to integrate the microcode update into the BIOS (maybe ask at win-raid.com) but in the meantime you can see how it works for you, even change versions without having to flash. Might also consider whether spectre / meltdown are a concern.

I haven't had time to mess with the microcode yet, but I did come back to a crash and dump with hal.dll as the crashed component so I bumped a few uncore voltages a tiny amount since the RAM is OC'd from 1333 to 1600, that was suggested as a trouble shooting step a few places. I also bumped the core offset from 0.080 to 0.085 BUT I notice something odd, the reported voltage isn't gone up any. It reports it as 0.570 in BIOS and then under load it droops to 0.564, I would have expected it to increase the voltage past 0.570 to a higher amount. I did forget to ask if my offset voltage is also supposed to be doubled over reported be since core voltage is reported as half?

 

Part of the reason I'm hesitant to mess with the micro code stuff is because it's working now and working well as I'm ironing out the kinks and tuning things into stability. I'm hesitant 'if it's not broke don't fix it', I feel like I make more problems than I resolve when I go looking to fix things which are working already.

 

https://valid.x86.fr/kyl3ks I don't know if the info there helps, it's running prime95 stress when I did the validation.

[X_X]

Voltage settings are 1 to 1. IIRC resolution of VID is 4-5mV, not analogue and it also can change with temperature.

 

Microcode is temporary, IOW when the CPU is reset it loses any microcode update and needs to be reloaded so with the VMWare solution it would only last until you uninstalled the VMWare driver. Once uninstalled you would be back to your original setup.

 

Validation looks fine.

[Bitter]

So why isn't the voltage offset being added from BIOS? ASUS oddity?

[X_X]

2 hours ago, Bitter said:

So why isn't the voltage offset being added from BIOS? ASUS oddity?

Perhaps or because the change wasn't enough to hit the next step or it dropped because of temperature rise. My 4700MQ VID would change by 50mV over a 60C delta when using dynamic voltage. As temperature increases the VID decreases.

[Bitter]

2 hours ago, X_X said:

Perhaps or because the change wasn't enough to hit the next step or it dropped because of temperature rise. My 4700MQ VID would change by 50mV over a 60C delta when using dynamic voltage. As temperature increases the VID decreases.

Well I'm seeing core temps of under 70C, so I can't imagine it's a thermal issue but maybe it's more aggressive since it's a laptop chip. The 4980HQ in her MacBook Pro thermal throttles at like 99C pretty hardcore because MacBook Pro.

 

As long as it's stable I won't worry too much, I need to swap cooler and get it installed into the HTPC case along with the better PSU and RAM that's not over clocked so I'm probably going to see less stability issues with better parts. I'll work on messing with the microcode in Win10 once it's installed, no sense doing it on the test right with 7 since that's not the HTPC disk.

[Bitter]

I was reading some about OC'ing the L4 cache on Broadwell 5775C, there were substantial gains in RAM heavy tasks, games included. I think you mentioned this wasn't possible with Crystal Well, correct? https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/what-i-found-about-5775c-edrams-impact-on-gaming-performance.236514/

[X_X]

Runs at a fixed 1600Mz which is tied to BCLK so while you cannot adjust ratio's AFAIK you can use the 125MHz strap for 2000MHz.

[Bitter]

9 hours ago, X_X said:

Runs at a fixed 1600Mz which is tied to BCLK so while you cannot adjust ratio's AFAIK you can use the 125MHz strap for 2000MHz.

Thanks. I'm still working on finding the lowest stable voltage at 4Ghz, looking like it is infact around a positive 80mv offset, I drove it down to 30 and after a bit had a BSOD, then been working it back up 10mv at a time. Back up to 70mv now and I'll check in on it tonight, I guess I didn't win the silicon lottery. I didn't win the cooler lottery either, the one I ordered for it in the HTPC case was missing a cable that's required that's specific to that cooler, hopefully the Amazon vendor comes through for me.

[X_X]

If your at 1.1V for 4GHz that's as good as I can get. Remember I was hoping for 5GHz lol so wonder if I also lost the lottery.

 

This will be my last post on this forum, was supposed to be yesterday but a couple of loose ends to tie up. Been nice chatting to you and hope it all works out well.

[Bitter]

6 hours ago, X_X said:

If your at 1.1V for 4GHz that's as good as I can get. Remember I was hoping for 5GHz lol so wonder if I also lost the lottery.

 

This will be my last post on this forum, was supposed to be yesterday but a couple of loose ends to tie up. Been nice chatting to you and hope it all works out well.

Sad to see you go, you've been super helpful. I hope you can come back and that whatever is going on is something good or gets better.

[f4llacy]

I did end up getting the 5950hq.   I was able to overclock it to 4.2ghz.   It has helped my performance a lot in BFV.  I dont have any specific benchmarks but with my 4690k (4.4ghz) I was getting dips below 60fps.  Now I dont ever see it go below 90.  

 

I would say it is a great upgrade for anyone with an i5 Haswell.

[Bitter]

My 4950 is only happy at 4.0 across all 4 cores, even bumping single cores up higher is a fail in long term testing, oh well. I don't want to add a bunch of volts and heat, so at 4.0 I'll stay.  It'll be a huge jump from the i3 4130 currently in use.

[Bitter]

So interesting update, the newest version of Intel XTU seems to report the correct core voltages! With my better PSU I was able to get the offset down to +0.020 volts for a total of just about 1.1 volt, below that I was getting prime95 rounding errors, running at a barely passing 85C in the Elite 130 with the Zalman CNPS8900, trying to figure out a low budget AIO 120mm water cooler or how to fab up my own that'll fit inside the case without eliminating the optical drive because HTPC, need to play DVD's sometimes.

 

I haven't gotten a chance to game anything yet (except some way old stuff that would run on a potato), I really want to try out that new-ish Battletech game but I just meet min spec for RAM, have passable graphics and a strong enough CPU. 16GB of 1866 DDR3 is still pricey, money better spent on something else.

 

One other thing of note, one core on my 4950HQ runs consistently cooler than the other 3, I suspect that the IHS may not be making great contact or the liquid metal they claim to have applied isn't put on the best. In the future I may or may not dig into that, though I suspect with a 120MM AIO I may not need to as it should keep temps under 80C even in the upcoming hot summer weather.

[justanotherday]

Hi, I'm interesting in this topic.

Are there any bug found out until now, it's still worthly?

 

[Bitter]

They're harder to find now, the 4980HQ is pretty much out of stock on eBay. Overall for a HTPC or some other quiet low power use they're great, even for gaming they're good but they're only as good as 4th gen Haswell stuff gets.

[AntonyL]

Hey Guys!

 

Been a while since I posted about my i7 4980HQ chip, I've had it for exactly a year now and it's still going strong, fairly daily use!

The only gripe I have is that I do have issues with my GPU in PCIE 3.0 mode - I thought the mobo that I purchased had issues but it turns out after watching the latest ltt video about the chips its not just me!  11:40

 

[Bitter]

That's a whole different gen of CPU, I'll have to check what mine is running at with my 4950HQ. It does run a little warm with some uneven core temps so at some point I think I'll pop their lid off and check what's going on under there, maybe lap the lid and re-paste it to make sure there's good even contact.

[amdorintel]

On 4/23/2019 at 8:29 PM, Bitter said:

They're harder to find now, the 4980HQ is pretty much out of stock on eBay. Overall for a HTPC or some other quiet low power use they're great, even for gaming they're good but they're only as good as 4th gen Haswell stuff gets.

haswell pcs are dirt cheap!

[Bitter]

They sure are and they're a good sweet spot between cost and performance for most things, but the lower core count can be a detriment in recent gaming titles and heavier creative work. For general computer use they're a pretty good value though! With DDR3 becoming very cheap, 16GB used for under $50 shipped is common now, you can build a competent machine. However the lack of NVME is a little annoying for ultimate performance, but the 9 series boards are slacking in price and they have NVME which is cool. I don't think the 5th gen i7's will ever come down to a reasonable price while they're still a relevant performer because of the low supply which is a shame, the cache on them was OC'able unlike the Crystalwell cache. That's one part of my CPU I do wish I could OC as it can have a big impact in performance, but for about 80W I can't complain (except about the crappy Chinese thermal interface which I need to go and fix one of these days).

[amdorintel]

9 hours ago, Bitter said:

recent gaming titles

what do they require these days?

[Bitter]

They seem to run better with less stutter on more than 4 physical cores.