Error/instability overclocking i7 860 w/noctua nh-d14

[BThresher]

I use OCGenie on my motherboard to auto-clock to 3.77 GHz. But now programs are freezing more easily and I am occasionally getting the "restart computer" error. My temps barely reach high 40's after gaming, and I am wondering if it may just be the OCGenie causing the problem. Should I over clock from BIOS Instead? Does OSX handle over clocking in a different way? Thanks!

 

[Kaneda13]

i've got an i7 860 that's over clocked to 3.36GHz, and i haven't ever had any issues with stability. that being said, i didn't manually over clock via the bios. also, i manually set all my voltages to where i wanted them, and left nothing at auto, you may want to try that.

 

[plexi]

The Noctura fans annoy me a little!
They're actually not quiet in any way when running at over 1000 rpm.

The stuff is well made but they just don't seem to offer any 4 pin PWM fans.
They're all three pin with no rpm sensors.

I managed to get an i7 870 up to around 3.65Ghz with no issues using the Arctic Cooler 13 which is PWM and less than half the $ of the Noctura.
The fan only spins faster when needed!

The only way I can OC using the Noctura is to take the resistor speed reduction adapters out completely, making the thing three times as loud as the Artic

EDIT!
I just replaced the two Noctura CPU fans with Scythe Kama PWM fans and it's knocked 15 degrees off my loaded CPU temps, purely because they respond when extra cooling is needed.
The Scythe Kama's are also quieter!

 

[BThresher]

Kaneda13, Can you share any of your settings? Or how you arrived at those settings. I had done a LOT of reading on manual overclocking, and still don't really understand it. There are just too many settings to change.

 

[boomslang20117]

It's better to oc thu the bios. You can hit 4.2ghz with i7-860 with noctua without a problem. But you need to get the voltages correct.

 

[BThresher]

My next question, how does one figure out these voltages? Are their set numbers?