Need help upgrading CPU for GA-Z77X-UP7 mobo

I'm trying to find the fastest CPU that will be compatible with my mobo. I'm looking at a price of approx $300. Built my rig 1 year ago and I'm trying to get it primed for the Star Citizen MMO launch. This is my current rig setup:

Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP7

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K

CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 680 2GB

Memory: Samsung Electronics DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 8GB

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX1200

SSD: Crucial M4 2.5" 512GB

HD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"

Optical: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD Burner

ZALMAN ZM-RC1000 TI Aluminum / ABS / Steel Fans $21.99

OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Home Premium 64-Bit

Sound: ASUS Xonar Essence STX $187.99

Keyboard: Logitech G15

Mouse: Razer Naga

Joystick: Logitech Extreme 3D Pro

If there is any other info that is needed please let me know. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Gigabyte Socket 1155 - Intel Z77 CPU Support List

http://www.gigabyte.com/support-dow...9BCF872EDA8F298407&s=Socket 1155&cs=Intel Z77

Thank you very much for the reply!

That's the 3770k.

Edit: with the h100 you Should be able to take it to 4.5/4.6Ghz.

Thanks 3770K! I'll check out the price on it.

why wouldn't the 3570k be sufficient to handle your game?

Ya, seriously. 3570K is fine. Just overclock it as high as it'll go.

I'm trying to OC the 3570K but for some reason when I make the changes in BIOS and save and exit it does not show on CPU-Z in Windows 8. It still reflects the standard settings.

GruffDaddy said:

I'm trying to OC the 3570K but for some reason when I make the changes in BIOS and save and exit it does not show on CPU-Z in Windows 8. It still reflects the standard settings.

Click to expand...

Are you using the most recent version of CPU-Z?

what changes are you making in BIOS exactly?

Can you post a screenshot of your BIOS settings and then all the tabs in CPUz?

I'm using CPU-Z version 1.67. Here are the screenshots you asked for. I apologize for the lighting in the shots which is due to the flash from my cell phone. If I need to redo them please let me know. The only change I made was in the multi. I increased it in increments up to 44. No other changes made in BIOS.

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Rig Specs:

Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP7
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 680 2GB
Memory: Samsung Electronics DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 8GB
PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX1200
SSD: Crucial M4 2.5" 512GB
HD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
Optical: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD Burner
ZALMAN ZM-RC1000 TI Aluminum / ABS / Steel Fans $21.99
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Home Premium 64-Bit
Sound: ASUS Xonar Essence STX $187.99
Keyboard: Logitech G15
Mouse: Razer Naga
Joystick: Logitech Extreme 3D Pro

CPU-Z Screenshots:

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DevinR I want to overclock the CPU in anticipation of a game that will be coming out next year Star Citizen. The multiplayer alpha dog fighting module will be out this December.

Ok I think I see what you've done.
There's no stress on the CPU, so it's idling at 1600Mhz. You need to apply significant load to the CPU for it to throttle up to 4.4Ghz. Don't leave the voltage on auto BTW. It could set a way-too-high voltage. Start with something reasonable like 1.27V and see if you need to work up or down from there.

Use prime 95 to load your cpu. run "blend". That'll throttle it up.

Thanks running it now. I set the CPU Vcore to 1.30 as a starting point and will drop down from there. I'll post a pic afterwards.Any idea roughly how long it would take for the CPU to get up to the end point? (44)

GruffDaddy said:

Any idea roughly how long it would take for the CPU to get up to the end point? (44)

Click to expand...

The end point of what? Can you rephrase the question please?

Have you read http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693613 ? You should read it, it explains what bios settings to change, how to stress test, etc.

Since you have Ivybridge, and the guide was written for sandybridge, you'll need a lower voltage than the one suggested. Starting with 1.3v for 4.4Ghz is pretty reasonable. See how it works out. But read the link first!

Have fun.

This is 30 minutes into Prime 95 Blend:

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Will post another at 6 hour mark.

I will. I haven't read it. I just looked at videos and read some explanations on overclocking it but not a formal guide per se. I appreciate your help! By end point I meant the intended overclock using 44 as the multiplier. (Core Speed 4400.00 MHz)