Advice on overclocking my system.

[mindblowz]

Merry xmas everyone!!!

I'd like to overclock my system. I have my system ready for overclocking but since I do not have any knowledge on overclocking and detailed tweeks, I need help on how far to push my system.

My rig:
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II
Cpu: Intel Core i7 - 4770K Lga 1150
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR3 1600Hz
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Formula
PSU: Corsair HX1050
HDD: x3 SSD hard drives
GPU: EVGA GEForce GTX Titan Hydro Copper 6GB

I have 2 radiators for cooling both the CPU and the GPU.

I would appreciate it if you guys help me overclock my system. I will be gaming on it and also doing 3d modeling and simulations on 3ds max. I would like to overclock my system in a optimal way. Not looking to push it to extremes. Id like a stable overclocked system

I would define myself as a overclock noob so I would appreciate it if you guys could tell me how and how much to tweek my rig.

Thanx in advance to all helpers.

 

[trents]

For basic overclocking you just need to increase the CPU core speed multiplier and the core voltage to maintain stability as you increase the core speed multiplier. Leave the core voltage alone until you experience instability.

Download and install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility. It is a very good program for overclocking via software and it also has a nice built in stress tester for checking stability of the overclock as well as monitoring the core temps. You want to limit core temps during stress testing to the 85-90C range. Raising the core speed multiplier will cause temps to climb as will increasing the core voltage. If the overclock is not close to being stable the stress test will abort or you might get BSOD after a short time. In the end, you should be able to run the stress test overnight and pass it. If you encounter instability, add more core voltage. If your temps get too high then back off on the core speed multiplier and lower the core voltage. Going up to about 1.325 for the core voltage would be the absolute max you should go in my opinion, even of temps are okay. Hope this helps.

Once you get the overclock parameters dialed in with the software, transfer those setting to bios and abandon the use of the tuning software.

The average 4770k should overclock to around 4.4 ghz without too much fuss.

Merry Christmas.

 

[mindblowz]

I was able to boost up to 4.2ghz without changing the voltage on basic setting. On 4.3 my system force restarted. So im guessing that is the most i can get out of my cpu without the voltage tweeking.

On 4.2 ghz my system was between 48-52 degrees. Should i go higher with the voltage tweeks. Honestly i am a overclock newbie, i just read that people were able to boost alot higher. Plus saw this video as well as i was researching

 

[trents]

Yes, you need to give the cores more voltage. If the temps you quote are load temps then you have lots of headroom. Don't be skittish about adding the volts. You are probably a long way at this point from the max safe 24/7 voltage. Modern CPUs are tough. They have thermal shutdown mechanisms that pretty much prevent them from being damaged by high temps. Try 2.75 vcore. That even is very conservative. As I said, you can go up to 1.3 or even a little more as long as your temps are good.

If you will capture an image of the overclock settings in the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (IXTU) and then attach them with your posts then we could advise you more precisely. Snipping Tool in Windows Accessories is a great device for capturing parts of screens and there is a built in forum tool for finding, uploading and attaching images to posts. Just click on the Go Advanced button at the bottom of any new post window.

 

[trents]

If you want a quicker stress tester you can use the Intel Burn Test. Run it on the "High" setting. It will let you know pretty quick if you are close to being stable. You can rough in the overclock with that and then do a longer stress test with the IXTU when you think you have it about dialed in. But watch temps with IBT. It drives them up fast and hard.

 

[Lochekey]

Yes, you need to give the cores more voltage. If the temps you quote are load temps then you have lots of headroom. Don't be skittish about adding the volts. You are probably a long way at this point from the max safe 24/7 voltage. Modern CPUs are tough. They have thermal shutdown mechanisms that pretty much prevent them from being damaged by high temps. Try 2.75 vcore. That even is very conservative. As I said, you can go up to 1.3 or even a little more as long as your temps are good.

If you will capture an image of the overclock settings in the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (IXTU) and then attach them with your posts then we could advise you more precisely. Snipping Tool in Windows Accessories is a great device for capturing parts of screens and there is a built in forum tool for finding, uploading and attaching images to posts. Just click on the Go Advanced button at the bottom of any new post window.

I believe he meant 1.275 vcore and not 2.75 vcore. I doubt your motherboard will allow you to set voltage that high but just in case dont push the voltage that high, bad things will happen. I have included a link below to a good guide on how to overclock a haswell processor and the guides pictures are from an asus motherboard so the bios should look similar. Give that a read and it should give you a good base skill set to start from.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/...uide-to-Overclock-Your-i7-i5-Haswell-Platform

 

[mindblowz]

Thank you for your help, i will send the screenshots momentarily.

 

[mindblowz]

Factory default setup Benchmark:


OC'ed setup benchmark:


highest temp was 52 degrees.

 

[trents]

Yep, I meant 1.275 for the vcore. Thanks for catching that. I had a dislexic moment I guess. That adjustment is in the Advanced tab.

 

[mindblowz]

Ok ill go 1.275 for the cores but what about the core speeds? What should i bump it up to?

 

[trents]

Bump them up by 1x increments and then run the stress test in IXTU. If it is very unstable the test will abort within a few minutes or you will get blue screen. If you can pass the stress test for several hours it is probably stable enough for everyday use. IXTU and AIDA64 are increasingly being used for stress testing by the overclocking community as they do a better job of simulating real life computing stress. IBT and Prime95 are still used by a lot of people for stress testing but they drive temps up unnecessarily high. In the end, run IXTU or AIDA64 overnight to confirm stability.

 

[Lochekey]

For now do not push your cache multiplier pay 40x just your core multiplier.

 

[mindblowz]

Just ran a stress test with the fallowing specs:
1.275 Core Voltage
x47 core speed ( my default was x37)

The heat was around 73 degrees ( the test was for 5 mins )



When i bumped up to x48 core speed i got a blue screen a force restart

 

[trents]

Make sure you do some thorough stress testing before concluding you are stable. Most of those chips won't do 4.7 ghz stable. Your temps are okay but probably won't stand much more if any increase in core voltage. If you were stress testing with Prime95 or IBT they would likely be even higher, by 10c or so.

 

[Lochekey]

Why are you adjusting the bclk(reference clock)?

 

[trents]

I think that is just the imprecision in the system bclk metronome or in the reporting of it rather than the OP actually changing it. It's only off by half a percent. If he had been consciously changing it it would show more variance.

 

[mindblowz]

i did not touch the reference clock it is on default. Only 2 things i have changed were the core multipliers and the core voltage.

- - - Updated - - -

should i keep these settings, i have done many stress tests and benchmark tests. Also i have been using this setup for few hours now and seems to be working fine.

 

[trents]

Save that overclock profile in bios.

I don't think you have done a long enough stress test yet to conclude you are really stable. Run the IXTU stress test overnight when you get a chance. You might also try lowering your core voltage. I just tossed 1.275 out there as a ball park suggestion. It might be stable at lower voltages using that frequency.

 

[EarthDog]

I think that is just the imprecision in the system bclk metronome or in the reporting of it rather than the OP actually changing it. It's only off by half a percent. If he had been consciously changing it it would show more variance.

spread spectrum.

 

[mindblowz]

after running x47 setup i had a blue screen after 5-6 hours