Need Help Overclocking My 920XM!

Hi all, I know some of you on this forum such as fatboyslimerr and King of Interns have good experience in overclocking the i7 920XM and I need some help! Basically I've never overclocked a laptop CPU before and have no clue where to start, all I know is I need ThrottleStop but have no clue how to use it. I just want my CPU to run 3 GHz across all four cores 24/7 as that is all I need. Do you think 3 GHz across all four cores will improve my FPS in gaming quite a lot over my stock clocks? Also can you guys give me a step by step guide on how to achieve this in an understanding way. I read the ThrottleStop guide topic from this forum but I didn't understand it that well. Thanks a lot guys!

 

You're throttlestop should be setup like this. I use x23 for gaming and it definitely makes a difference in CPU-intensive games such as Far Cry 3.



I would just add I have the multipliers set at:
1 core: 27
2 cores: 26
3 cores: 25
4 cores: 23.

Those other values aren't so important because you'll never be using just one core due to windows' poorly optimised core scheduling.... Or something, I defer to unclewebb who wrote throttle stop.

 

So its the last core that decides top speed? I had all 4 at 3.73 yesterday but would like to pass 4. Why? Why not I won't be running it at that I just want to accomplish it.

 

So should I have it set up exactly like yours? And how do I set the multipliers and is 23 = 3 GHz?

 

Click the TRL button and do something like this (below), then click the TPL button next to it and set the power limits as 90/78 for TDP and TDC (see top part of the first screenshot).
That is literally all you need to do and yes x23 is 3059Mhz/3Ghz.

 

If you are planning to overclock just a quick reminder.

LINK - Keep checking the temperatures.

 

Most 920xm's are capable of 24x and the difference in temp would be negligible compared with 23x.

Just stick it to 24x and forget about it.

Good idea to run coretemp application in the system tray.

 

So I should give up on my quest to reach 4.0? I can get 3.73 stable with bottom cover removed and high powered fans cooling. Hottest it reached was 85c. Im assuming its a voltage issue but i dont know of any way to raise voltage without doing the voltage mod. Any thoughts?

 

Does this all look correct? I'm using the newest ThrottleStop which is 6.00 instead of the 5.00 version you are using. Every setting is exactly identical to what yours are fatboyslimmerr (apart from me having it at 24x rather than 23x), also the only things that is different is that the maximum non-turbo ratio says 15 on mine and on yours it says 16. And also my set multiplier says 16 T and yours says Turbo? Are these fine?

My max temps after running that TS 32M Bench was 70 degrees is this okay? And when I close ThrottleStop or restart or turn on my computer ThrottleStop stays on until I turn it off, is this meant to happen? And is this fine to run 24/7 every day with my stock GTX 680M in terms of power and temps for things like doing work, browsing the internet, playing games, watching movies, listening to music etc? Thanks a lot for the help

 

Also with this setup my idle temps are like 48-55 degrees (depends what I'm doing like browsing the internet or watching videos or listening to music) is this safe and normal? Also do you think with this kind of setup should I lower my TDP and TDC or just keep it as it is?

For some reason everything feels like it runs smoother and faster overall in general haha. Also something happened when I went to re-run the windows experience index... My processor, ram and graphics improved altogether which is great! I love how I only just discovered that my 920XM can be turned into a beast! It feels crazy knowing I have increased my CPU from the stock 2 GHz to 3.2 GHz, a massive 1.2 GHz increase! I love you guys so much on this forum for helping me with everything from upgrading my M15x to overclocking it! We really do have an impressive piece of machinery which just still manages to destroy things in its path!

 

No you can*t get 3.73ghz stable. You will find at the speed your cpu will very quickly throttle down to levels it is stable at. Which is around 3.2ghz max across all cores at around the temperature you report. The 940xm can acheive 3,3ghz here. On one core typically you can reach 3.6ghz on the 920xm or 27x without incurring a bluescreen.

Disable clock modulation in throttlestop and you will see what I mean. Also watch your multi and frequency they are definitely not staying stable under load at 3.73ghz.

4ghz required a voltmod. Something that is possible (I have tried and still testing) but not recommended unless you know exactly what you are doing. It requires for you to put tiny pieces of metal into your cpu socket. Also to carry out any kind of voltmod you HAVE to improve to cooling of the M15x substantially.

 

You absolutely must set the "Set Multiplier" to Turbo otherwise it won't be boosting up properly.

I tried to run x28 on 1, 2 & 3 cores to run a single threaded benchmark but it crashed my laptop. Oops! I am also very happy with the significant gains that can be had by overclocking these chips.
My current highest CPU Passmark benchmark scores are (stock scores in brackets after):
CPU Mark: 6248 (3,682)
Single threaded: 1407 (1,012)

 

It won't let me choose turbo in the set multiplier option though. It only lets me choose some numbers and the highest option is that 16 T. And is 24x 24/7 stable for doing everything in terms of power and temps with my stock 680M?

 

I think in TS 6.0 Turbo is the same as 16T. If you don't experience a random bsod and the temps are fine, then 24x is stable for you . I also run 24x with the gtx 780m without any problems...thanks to the 240W adapter.

 

Hi chopsy! I haven't had a BSOD or any issues yet, does my temps look fine if it idles at 48-55 degrees depending on what I'm doing like browsing the internet, watching videos and listening to music. And is your settings the same as mine and fatboyslimmerrs? What's your temps and damn a 780M and a 920XM is crazy! Get a 880M in there

 

Hi Matt! Your temps look fine. My settings are about the same as your. Sometimes I put them to 25x, sometimes to 23x on all cores depending on what I'm doing. Guild Wars 2 for example is the most unstable CPU game I ever saw, it crashes in 5 minutes with medium overclocks with an error saying that fffff memory address could not be accessed.
The 780M temp is a bit high, I'm working on ways to cool it down, but I love how it performs. I get 8000 gpu score in 3dmark11 on stock clocks.
The 780M 920XM combo seems to be somehow limited at some point, I noticed that it does not matter how high I overclock the cpu, there is a limit in the 3dmark11 combo test that I just cannot pass. That limit is somewhat lower then what King of Interns and fatboyslimerr achieved(I forgot what the actual results were, I'll post when I get home). Weird is that I have not seen any obvious throttling in the cpu or gpu.
Only throttle I see is if I use my AC adapter WITH the central pin. The fps drop by a big amount and I notice that the gpu power consumption also drops. Everything stays the same except for the 'gpu power'.

 

Thats some good scores and 780M + 920XM is basically the maximum limit for our laptop do you think? What version of ThrottleStop are you using? And when you restart or turn on your computer does your settings stay the same even if you haven't ran ThrottleStop? That's what mine does.

So this is what I am running from now on 24/7 - 1 Core (27x @ 3.6 GHz) 2 Core (26x @ 3.4 GHz) 3 Core (25x @ 3.3 GHz) 4 Core (24x @ 3.2 GHz) is this a good stable overclock to run 24/7 for the rest of my M15x life?

 

I'm on ThrottleStop 6.00 too (I also have the 16T thing). Settings stay the same. I consider the overclock you specified to be stable to run 24/7 for the rest of your life , however, I experienced some random restarts if I set anything to 27x, very rare though.
To be honest, the 780m temps are way too high to be run in an m15x with standard cooling. In Witcher 2 or Metro Last Light I think the temps would reach(if not exceed) 90C. I have a KOI cooling mod right now which keeps the temps a bit lower, but they still reach 85 sometimes, I need to work on that a bit.

So in the end, the conclusion is that at the moment, anything better than the gtx 680m would require better cooling(or prayer that the card doesn't eventually fry).
On the power demand issue, removing the pin seems to stop any throttle that might occur. A far more powerful PSU(like a modded 330W) might give this laptop a super mega boost(as seen in svl7's benchmarks that are on entirely different range than ours, hehe).

 

Thanks for the help chopsy! I haven't removed any pin and I got a 240W PSU and I don't experience any throttling issues whatsoever even with my new 3.2 GHz overclock! I think maybe cause I have kept my 680M stock and haven't tried to overclock it as I think it will cause my laptop some problems if I overclocked both the CPU and GPU. svl7 has done some crazy things with his M15x haha, also I just made every setting 24x for each core just to make sure I don't encounter any problems whatsoever and 3.2 GHz for every core seems to be the sweet spot for me.

What is your TDP/TDC settings as well?

 

TDP/TDC are 85/80 atm. If you run anything cpu and gpu intensive I assure you that throttling will occur. If you want to test what I'm saying without removing your PSU center pin try the following:

Let your battery drain a little, not to be 100%, then plug the ac adapter only a little, as to power your laptop, but not charge your battery. Your battery button in the low right corner has to say plugged in, not charging. If the same message remains after 15 seconds then it means you hit the spot . Enable and disable stealth mode to be sure everything is ok, make sure throttlestop is running, then play something really gpu and cpu intensive at max settings (antialiasing and all at max). You will definitely see that your fps will not drop like always.
BE CAREFUL : don't jiggle your ac plug. Don't play like this for too long, just try it as an experiment.

 

I've returned to stock everything now, I have noticed that if my CPU is overclocked even a little bit it throttles all my games like crazy and I get stuttering and stuff everywhere! I tried playing around with ThrottleStop to try fix the issues but nothing helped. But as soon as I returned to normal stock for everything my games run smooth as butter and not a sign of throttling at all. I think it's because a GTX 680M + i7 920XM combo pushes the power limit to the max of the M15x and can't get enough juice to all the components. But when everything is stock it is just about righ in terms of power and allows us to use these machines beautifuly. I think I will keep everything stock as it does more than adequately in everything I do such as gaming and stuff. Thanks for the helpful information anyway guys and chopsy.

 

From the "The M15x throttle? The final solution!" thread you now know that the problem lies in the adapter and it's pin. After you get that converter or another way to pin mod your adapter you will be able to overclock as much as you want without any throttle whatsoever. There is even a chance that the smooth as butter gaming you are currently experiencing may be improved further with an adapter pin mod.

 

GPU throttling is a thing of the past. I happily run my CPU at 3Ghz+ and GPU at 900-1000Mhz as smooth as you like and usually under 70 degrees on both sides! Take the plunge and pull the pin (maybe on a new 210w PSU so you can still charge the battery with original one).

 

Hell yeah I already ordered my Adapter for my 240W PSU! Got to wait now until it comes which is very exciting. Here is what I got and I am going to pull the pin out of this and leave the pin on my 240W PSU intact so I can still charge whenever I want! Right Angle Connector Converter for Dell Laptop Power Adapter -LC90B | eBay

 

Hi~~I am gonna follow up your mod, Is every thing okey(no throttle) as well as the charging works fine after you pull the pin out of the converter and leave the the pin on the 240w PSU?
What do you mean you can still charge thenever you want? It works as normal? Or you have to take the converter off and plug the PSU directly ot charge the battery?

 

Next up everyone should really pin pod their 920xm's to bump up 400mhz across all multi's. I have mine running totally stable at 27/28/29/30. My two aux fans only need to run at half speed and I have temps in the low 70sC even when I game hard.

The extra horsepower seems to really help make the framerate in game much more smooth. Before voltmod I could run max 24/25/26/27 with similar temps. Quite the bump. My cpu now runs around the same speed as a stock 2960xm! According to passmark.

 

What does the mod require you to do king? I haven't heard of it.

 

Type into google "920xm volt mod" and the link to guide on tech inferno should be first on the list. Svl7 wrote it.

I have tested it more extensively than him though as he was only into benching it. From stock voltage only vid 4 works. It should boost voltage +200mv but for me it was +160mv according to the voltmeter I had tapped into the CPU. I might try grounding another vid on too of vid 4 to increase voltage even further but that is something Iam still thinking about.

His guide will tell you all about how to do it my thread on here about CPU cooling will tell you how to cool it effectively and easily. Stock cooling definitely does not cut it of course.


On the go from my iPod touch

 

This mod will soon be necessary though. The 920xm at 3.2 ghz is "enough" for modern games. Bringing it up closer to 4ghz gives us years more life even when coupled with vastly faster gpus. Pci-e x16 2.0 is far from being bottlenecks by single graphics cards so it is just the CPU we need to bump up. It has the potential so why not tap it.


On the go from my iPod touch

 

Personally I'm moving away from the M15X due to CPU Speeds. I'd put a 940 in there but couldn't find one. I had a 920 and it couldn't go over 2.7 without the CPU breaking.

 

I don't know what you mean by breaking but my 920xm can do 3.2gigz easy. Maybe your cpu was bad. That's unusual.

 

I run mine at 4ghz. 920xm has plenty power!


On the go from my iPod touch

 

I found 4ghz on 1 core not stable. Then again I can bump it up to 28x on 3-4 cores and leave 29x for 1-2 cores.

Seems like having different multis for different number of cores makes the CPU less stable at high clock speeds!! I might try 29x across all cores just for a laugh and see if it is stable tomorrow!!


On the go from my iPod touch

 

Mr. King, could you please post a highres picture of the VID4 pinmod? I cant seem to download it at the other ofrum. Thanks in advance

 

I can do better than that. I have just what you need I will scan the full size print outs I have I send them to you. Have you got a voltmeter handy? You will definitely need one to do this mod. You must not attempt this without one as you won't know your voltage levels. Plus is your cooling ready. This is not for the faint of heart this REALLY makes it very hot. As in 100c in under 20s without modifications hot.


On the go from my iPod touch