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Coyotecreationsnw
2 Posts
0
4781
March 24th, 2021 17:00
XPS 8940, chipset, overclocking
I ordered an XPS 8940 with I7 10 gen processor with a K suffix 3.8 to 5.1 Ma. I planned to overclock to 4.0 to 4.2 for video editing. Also includes a 2 GB NVMe drive on the motherboard. I was told that this board has an H470 chip set and won't support overclocking. I looked up spec for 8940 on the Dell site and it says NVMe is not supported. Is it the H470 chipset and what gives with NVMe support. The quoted drive is Intel Optane
4010
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Posted March 24th, 2021 17:00
It is H470. Correct, no OC of cpu.
Table 1. Storage specifications
STORAGE TYPE INTERFACE TYPE CAPACITY 3.5-inch hard drive
SATA AHCI, up to 6 Gbps
Up to 2 TB
M.2 2230/2280 solid-state drive
PCIe Gen3.0x4 NVMe, up to 32 Gbps
Up to 2 TB
3966
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Posted March 25th, 2021 03:00
@Coyotecreationsnw one thing you can do even if the board won't let you OC, is to use an app like ThrottleStop or Intel XTU to remove the CPU's turbo boost time limits. That way, it will maintain close to the 5.1 GHz turbo for a very long time. Free "OC" that way
It's ridiculous that Dell would sell a K processor with a board that doesn't let you OC
3890
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Posted March 25th, 2021 13:00
@Coyotecreationsnw - If the system comes pre-configured with Intel Optane installed, then it can't also support an NVME SSD because they both use that same NVME slot. Optane isn't nearly as good as an NVME SSD so, IMO, forget Optane.
And if you follow the advice about changing the CPU's turbo boost time limits, be very careful about potential overheating issues with the XPS 8940...
3558
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Posted July 15th, 2021 07:00
I am confused too. I want a new machine for Twinmotion/Archicad. Dell advertises:
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11700 processor(8-Core, 16M Cache, 2.5GHz to 4.9GHz)
OR
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11700K processor (8-Core, 16M Cache, 3.6GHz to 5.0GHz)
How do you achieve the higher speed in either of these builds??
Do you use Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel® XTU) or Intel® Performance Maximizer. ? vs going into the BIOS?
3548
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Posted July 15th, 2021 08:00
I want to be certain that I will get a performance boost with an upgraded system. I am new to all this overclocking business. I have a dual processor Precision T7400 with 2x Quad Core Xeon Proc X5482, 3.20GHz, 2X 6MB L2 Cache,1600MHz. c2008 with an SSD and GTX 1070Ti Just starting to run into issues with Twinmotion crashing when linked to Archicad (AC). The box is also huge.
For rendering within AC(Cinerender), more cores is better but I have shifted almost all rendering to Twinmotion which is basically real-time. So for AC, higher clock rate is better combined with at least 32mb ram.
For Twinmotion, I think the 1070Ti is great but I might get a boost from RTX 3070 that I am considering.
Do you have to turn on "Turbo-boost"
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Posted July 15th, 2021 08:00
@scom27 if higher per-core performance is what you need (either as higher clock GHz, or higher IPC - instructions per clock), you might want to look a the Gen5 Ryzen CPUs. If you want to stick with Intel, see if you can make the jump to the 11900 non-K, or even a 10900K which has more cores and is better on thermals than the 11700 and 11900. The 10900K boosts to 5.3GHz and is much more overclockable than gen 11 because of better thermals and more optimal power consumption.
Turbo Boost should be enabled in the BIOS by default. If you get your PC and it's disabled, it may mean that someone returned that PC after fiddling with the BIOS (likely due to bad thermals). I've heard cases where people would call Dell support to complain that the cooler is inadequate and lets the CPU overheat, and the support specialist would tell people to "solve" the issue by disabling turbo boost, which is like telling a driver to fix bad gas mileage by disabling a few engine cylinders.
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Posted July 15th, 2021 11:00
I've become a little better educated since I started using this computer for photo and video editing. I installed some monitoring software to follow temperatures. The K processor came with the upgraded CPU cooler and I did not upgrade the fans. The processor will run at boosted speeds for 15 to 20 minutes at a time with no thermal throttling. It is not overclocking, but, combined with an appropriate GPU, it greatly improves performance of Lightroom and Photoshop. I am very satisfied without actually overclocking the CPU. I would recommend the K chip for my type of applications.
bertro514
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363 Posts
3549
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Posted July 15th, 2021 08:00
@scom27 , there are a few different options:
This speed is achieved based on how many CPU cores are under load at the same time. That 4.9 or 5.0 GHz number there is achieved only when 1 core is under heavy load and temps are under 70 degrees. As soon as more cores kick in, or temps go higher, the max freq starts dropping.
There is also a time limit. It varies from CPU to CPU, but it's around 30-45 seconds. After that, the CPU goes back down to non-boost frequency for a while, then boosts back up for that time period (called Tau), and so on. The good news here is that you can remove that limit so that your CPU can maintain boost forever (assuming adequate cooling). Intel XTU is pretty limited in that respect, but ThrottleStop (freeware) can easily help you set the time limit to a ridiculous number (millions of seconds).
In my particular case, I didn't consider it was worth the additional $150CAD to go from a non-K to a K CPU. By removing the turbo boost limits and installing a good cooler, my 10900 can maintain turbo boost for as long as I want it to.
Another thing to keep in mind while you make your choice is that, in addition to the CPU itself, Dell also includes a better cooler when you order the K CPU, as well as heatsink on the voltage regulator module on the Motherboard. This heatsink is not included with non-K CPUs, and the CPU cooler included with non-K is also pure garbage (small, loud, can't keep temps under control even under moderate load). Your choice to decide if these additional components are worth the price difference. You can get a good CPU cooler for about $50 US and the VRM heatsink is $5 from Dell. I personally preferred to get the non-K and use that money to buy an aftermarket cooler which is better than any Dell cooler anyway.