Natural Sub-Zero Overclocking

Introduction

Over three nights, and in -10C temperatures… we overclock three Intel 915 motherboards and see what happens. The results may surprise you!

Reader Feedback
Not long ago we reviewed a few Intel 915 motherboards here on PC Perspective. In response to one of those articles, Robert (a reader who linked in from [H]ardOCP) wrote me giving me input on the overclocking tests featured in the articles — specifically addressing the importance of synchronous CPU-Memory overclocking at the default multiplier.

While I agree that doing this kind of synchronous with default multiplier overclocking is important, I prefer to use a 14x multiplier (vs. the 18x default) and asynchronous settings because it gives us a better idea of how the motherboard itself functions at high frequencies without the RAM or CPU being bottlenecks.
 
But Robert’s comments got me thinking, what if I got these LGA775 motherboards cool enough so I can test using the default multiplier with synchronous RAM… ? So using Robert’s email as inspiration, I’ve taken the Chaintech V915P, the Asus P5GDC-V Deluxe, and the ABIT AG8 and put them in sub-zero temperatures for some serious overclocking!

Since we are only testing 3 motherboards, it’s hardly enough data to make grand conclusions like ‘the best 915P’ overclocker. This is just an interesting experiment whether the results are useful or not.

The Systems
For this experiment, I am using the following setup for all three motherboards:

The Environment
I live in Northern Ontario where it gets pretty cold overnight. Temperatures drop to -19C  fairly regularly which makes great weather for overclocking! Just have to make sure to avoid condensation. O_o

This is a 6-day forecast for my area. -21C on Monday?!
Awww man! 🙁