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I7 930 vs 920 D0

Associate
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Am I correct in thinking the 930 is the one to go for?

Cheers

They are the same CPU technically. The 930 has a slightly higher stock clock speed and 1 additional multiplyer.

However you may still get a better OC with a 920. It's more luck of the draw. Technically the 930 is the better CPU, both in stock speeds and OC ability.
 
Soldato
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If you already have a 920 then no - if not then it is a nobrainer - go for the 930, although you take pot luck as to whether you get a good one or not if ocing.
 
Associate
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I have a 920 c0 and bought a 930.
I thought it would be a decent setup from the c0 but i was wrong.

The 930 i have is a hot son of b.... imo.
It needs 1.41vcore and 1.34v vtt to do 4.2ghz with temps approx 85c using two apaches on a h-50.Thats also in a cold room on my desk (waiting on a case) too.

My c0 is only 2-3c hotter than the 930 at 4ghz even though it use .1v more.
 
Don
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Though they are the same design under the hood, 930s have been manufactured more recently so are more likely to have the benefits of a maturing process. Saying that recent 920s will likely overclock to a similar level to 930s (my 6month old 920 for example is 4.4GHz Prime stable near enough on water cooling).
 
Soldato
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Though they are the same design under the hood, 930s have been manufactured more recently so are more likely to have the benefits of a maturing process. Saying that recent 920s will likely overclock to a similar level to 930s (my 6month old 920 for example is 4.4GHz Prime stable near enough on water cooling).

There you go - says it all really. You pays your money.......
 
Caporegime
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So as far as I see it, the 930 is the way to go if they overclock semi decently? As long as there isn't some glaring difference then newer should equal better?

Who know's

Overclocking is never 100%

You might get a naff 930 and a great 920...

I myself if buying now would just get a 930 just for resale alone.
 
Associate
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So what's the verdict on this people?

I'm getting ready to upgrade to x58/i7 as my current system is dead and out of action, and I have been melting my brain trying to decide upon the trusted G0 i7 920 or the 930, which from what I gather seems to be a gamble basically.... which I cannot afford to loose out on.

Is this the case? I see on the OcUK site that the G0 stepping 920's are offered, yet no particular stepping is listed for the i7 930. That worries me.

Or has the 930 been proven to be a better overclocker than the 920 regardless of it's stepping? It's hard to come across much info on this..
 
Soldato
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On OCUK they specify the stepping (D0 is the newer better one) in their product brief as there is more than one stepping available (c0/c1 are the older ones). This is just so people can feel assured they are getting the new CPUs, intel have been making D0s exclusively for months now.

As for the 930, they are all D0 stepping - hence their stepping is not stated on the OCUK product page.

As the others have said, if you are wanting the best overclockability then it is all luck of the draw - but the 930 should be no worse than the 920 D0 and the slightly higher multiplier should make overclocking a bit easier at the higher end. As easyrider says, if you ever plan to sell the chip, the 930 will command a higher price.

If you want the best overclocking chip possible, your best bet is to probably buy second hand from someone who has a chip that is a proven overclocker. But that all said, its rather hard to find someone on the forums with a 920/930 chip that can't hit 4GHz.
 
Associate
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On OCUK they specify the stepping (D0 is the newer better one) in their product brief as there is more than one stepping available (c0/c1 are the older ones). This is just so people can feel assured they are getting the new CPUs, intel have been making D0s exclusively for months now.

As for the 930, they are all D0 stepping - hence their stepping is not stated on the OCUK product page.

As the others have said, if you are wanting the best overclockability then it is all luck of the draw - but the 930 should be no worse than the 920 D0 and the slightly higher multiplier should make overclocking a bit easier at the higher end. As easyrider says, if you ever plan to sell the chip, the 930 will command a higher price.

If you want the best overclocking chip possible, your best bet is to probably buy second hand from someone who has a chip that is a proven overclocker. But that all said, its rather hard to find someone on the forums with a 920/930 chip that can't hit 4GHz.
Great info, thanks! Was not aware that all 930's are D0 stepping. In that case I think I will definitely be better off going with the i7 930 then as the price difference on the site really is minimal.
 
Soldato
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I have a 920 c0 and bought a 930.
I thought it would be a decent setup from the c0 but i was wrong.

The 930 i have is a hot son of b.... imo.
It needs 1.41vcore and 1.34v vtt to do 4.2ghz with temps approx 85c using two apaches on a h-50.Thats also in a cold room on my desk (waiting on a case) too.

My c0 is only 2-3c hotter than the 930 at 4ghz even though it use .1v more.

4.2 is rather high though, you have really gone over the maximum ability of the H50 at this clockspeed.
I would suggest a custom loop if you intend on clocking this high.

The H50 is great for what it is, but bear in mind it is only a single 25mm radiator.
 
Associate
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4.2 is rather high though, you have really gone over the maximum ability of the H50 at this clockspeed.
I would suggest a custom loop if you intend on clocking this high.

The H50 is great for what it is, but bear in mind it is only a single 25mm radiator.
Yeah i do plan to get a full loop in the future but i did hope the 930 would have been a little bit cooler in comparision to my c0.
 
Soldato
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Yeah i do plan to get a full loop in the future but i did hope the 930 would have been a little bit cooler in comparision to my c0.

Thats the thing, the D0 isn't any cooler than the C0. In fact, in some tests it is hotter at the same clockspeeds. The good thing about the D0 is that it can achieve higher total clockspeeds than the C0 and requires less volts to achieve the same clockspeed as the C0, however the D0 is allowed to use more current - so there isn't any benefit in terms of power and heat.

Conclusion, If you have the cooling and want the highest clockspeeds - the D0 is the better stepping. If you just want to hit ~3.8GHz it doesn't really matter which you have.
 
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