5930k overclocking / cooling / newbie blowing **** up! Lots of questions

Hey all,

Still getting my feet wet with everything OC. Kinda flying blind just learning as I go; however a few things.

First off, my recently completed rig: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/K6CZ6h

Now for all my questions, thank you in advance!

1) My first pass, I relied on ASUS "5 way optimization" to auto tune (I know ... I know, but I am still naive)
- BLCK Frequency: 100mhz
- Ratio: 4400mhz
- CPU Cache Ration: 30x
- CPU Core Voltage, Offset: 0.075
- CPU Core Voltage, Offset: 1.200
- CPU Cache Voltage, Offset: 0.000
- CPU Cache Voltage, Offset: Default
1a) What if anything of the above should I be changing? Any other things I should change?
1b) My buddy has a 5820k that auto-tuned to 4.7 ... I tried to go to 4.7 and I crashed. Assuming I can't just change the ratio but also have to tinker with the voltage as well?

2) In idle state, I'm typically hovering in the high 30's - good/bad?
2a) My gut says I'm not bringing in enough cool air. I have 1x 200mm intake, 2x 140mm exhaust, 1x 120mm exhaust. I'm adding an additional 140mm (Noctua SSO2 Bearing Fan Retail Cooling NF-A14 iPPC-3000 PWM) intake this weekend.
2b) I realize this is debatable, but should I consider swapping the 200mm for dual 140's?

3) I just used OCCT for the first time and after I hit 100% CPU, I crashed after 4 minutes in. At the time, Core 1 was at 80; whereas the rest were between 65-75.
3a) My fans never spun faster ... why?

4) With the Swifttech H-240x, should I be replacing the Helix factory fans?
4a) Should I add a third fan for a partial push/pull?
4b) Should I replace the Swifttech with something else? I've been dwelling on this forever and my buddy just built a similar rig and he's idling at 30 with a Corsair H105 ... makes me nervous.

5) The whole "silicon lottery" ... do you know enough at this stage to say I have a good/bad chip that I should consider a swap?

Thanks!

I can only answer 2 and 3a
For 2 and 2a make sure you have positive air pressure maybe by doing what jayztwocents did and use incense to check.
For 3a I'm not sure if your mobo has this but turn on "smart fan mode" or something along those lines otherwise your fans will spin at the same rpm no matter the temp

I hope I helped I'm pretty new here.

EDIT: According to some people temps should never surpass 80C when under 100% load while overclocked

Sorry it to so long to get to you...

1a - You really only need to touch the multiplier and Vcore
1b - Every CPU is different. Some may reach that far, others not. Silicon lottery!

2 - Idle temps are not really relevant. It is the LOAD temps that matter!
2a - As far as airFLOW, you want front/sides = intake, top/rear = exhaust. As far as positive/negative pressure, that argument has never been settled. 'Positive' pressure (I use quotes because there really isn't any pressure inside a non sealed case) keeps dust from coming in the cracks. Me personally, I prefer more exhaust CFM than intake.. I don't much care about dust and it really isn't that bad anyway. This tends to prevent hotspots.
2b - Your choice.. look at the CFM they would provide? I would imagine the 200mm to be quieter, but the 140mm to move more air.

3 - That means you are not stable. Temps of 80C are perfectly fine with that CPU (it starts to thermally throttle at 100C IIRC). I wouldn't let it go over 90C as it will tend to get unstable.
3a - Likely because of how your fans are setup... how are they plugged in? If it is on the motherboard, are they setup to adjust on temps or no? I would start there.

4 - Factory fans are fine really.
4a - Your choice. It could help a couple of C.
4b - I surely wouldn't replace that kit, particularly with a Corsair... BLEH. The Swiftech should perform better according to reviews. Again, idle temps do not matter. It is tough to compare temps from system to system due to the MANY variables involved in your temps (ambient temp, fan setup, CPU speed and voltage, etc).

5 - No idea, you do not mention what speed your CPU is at (or I missed it). I see 1.2V though If you are 4.4GHz or more, its a solid chip.

Check my thread here too. I just went through the same OC and finally got some results thanks to Earthdog and some of the other veterans. I hadn't OC'ed in a while and was green to a lot of the new settings I was unfamiliar with. Turned out the key to my issies was with System Agent voltage which i now have at 1.03. I am running 32GB of fast RAM though. With my 4.4GHz OC I settled on 2800 for ram speed since 3000 seems to be a road block for me. My chip didn't get close to 4.4 at 1.2V (took 1.325 to get 4.4) so don't use anyone else's chip as a reference. I guess they vary wildly in their capabilities.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/769225-X99-Deluxe-5930K-32GB-DDR4-3000

Hopefully my struggle can save you a few hours of headaches. Good luck. The system is WICKED fast.