How to OC 4790K & Maximus VII Hero to 4.6?

[Zen the Cynic]

Hi,

I'm almost a total noob when it comes to overclocking, so will really appreciate it if someone can please tell me in very simple terms which settings and numbers I should use in BIOS to overclock a 4790K with a Maximus VII Hero motherboard from 4.4 provided by default turbo boost to a manual 4.6 ghz.

Please remember that I'm a noob and that I just want a quick and safe fix, no complicated things. When I had a 3820 I did manage to overclock to 4.6 by following this simple guide:

http://www.overclock.net/a/dummys-guide-to-x79-oc-asus

It would be great if someone has a similar guide which just shows the correct BIOS settings for getting a stable 4.6 using a 4790 with a Maximus VII Hero board.

I'm talking about a step-by-step guide, in the right order of things, like the one above which gives BIOS settings for a 4.6 oc regarding the 3820 in this simple way:

Ai Overclock Tuner: set to 'Manual'
BCLK: set to default, which is 100.000. Do not raise this value over 103.00
CPU Strap: set to 125MHz
Memory Frequency: It is recommended to keep the memory at its rated speeds
Turbo Ration: left it at 'By All Cores'
DRAM Timing Control: default setting for the RAM specifications here. One can also set these settings on 'Auto'.

And so on with the other BIOS settings too.

I'll but anyone a beer if they can provide a similar pedagogic presentation of overclocking the 4790 to 4.6 or 4.7 ghz with a Corsair H75.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Set your CPU Multi to 46X, set your vCore to 1.35V, save, boot to Windows, test with XTU.
I'm not sure the H75 will keep up with a 4790K at 4.6GHz though.

Make sure you keep the core temp under ~90°C all the time.

 

[EarthDog]

+1...I also wouldn't touch the CPU strap. Multi and vcore.

Then see if you can lower the voltage to the minimum needed to be stable.

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Thanks for reply!

The word "noob" implies that I don't know what "CPU multi" refers to unfortunately. And if I change this multi, should I first change any of the "auto" settings in BIOS?

Is overclocking the Z97 really that simple, that one only has to change CPU multi and Vcore, while letting everything else in turbo mode be as they are at default settings?

And after this is done, by the way, will it improve game performance if I uninstall AI suite 3 and GameFirst?

 

[EarthDog]

Well, you are going to have to do something on your own to make this happen... we can't hit the buttons for you! Take a look around your bios to look for the terms we are saying and see if you can match them up. If you have any questions after looking, post some screenshots up (host here, not 3rd party) and we can help out. There is a link to a Haswell overclocking guide in my signature as well. Check that out (although its way more complicated than it needs to be). THe point is that it will give you an idea of what you are doing.

Its just that easy, yes.

If you have a CPU limited game, it will help. Uninstalling software in most cases will not help/hurt gaming performance.

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Well, as you may have noticed the whole point of my request was to get a quick and easy fix, like the one given in the link mentioned in my first post. I tried searching for "CPU multi" in that link and in the ASUS manual, but found nothing. So not to sound ungrateful but will appreciate it if someone can define "CPU multi" without giving the usual "Google it".

 

[EarthDog]

Multi is short for MULTIPLIER.

Then you need to change the core voltage for the CPU. It could be listed as VCORE, CPU CORE VOLTAGE, etc. I do not have your board, so I do not know what it is called. Your manual will have that information, or you can post some screenshots of your BIOS up here so we can check, or wait until someone comes along that has an ASUS board and can hold your hand through the process.

But as I said already, yes, it really is that easy. Change those two things, then stress test for a few hours. Keep temps under 90C and you are good to go. BUT the name of the game is using the least amount of voltage for a given overclock. While you do not HAVE to do that, as you can use more voltage than needed if temps are in order, it is a best practice.

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Excellent! Happy to hear it's that easy. And really appreciate the help you guys provide

 

[Johan45]

You'll need to set the AI tuner to XMP. this will set your ram for you and open the options you need for the multi which on this board is the CPU ratio. Take it off auto and sync all cores. Then you should be able to put the desired multiplier in. Go further down the page to the voltage section CPU core voltage to manual and then input 1.35v
This is all found in the tweaker section of the bios.

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Thanks for the precise location and correct name for the settings of the Z97 board!

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Okay, so CPU Core Ratio, under "Extreme Tweaker", was already set to "Sync All Cores", but when trying to set the multiplier for each core I could not find where to do this. The only option is "Auto".

 

[EarthDog]

Switch the auto option to MANUAL...

 

[Zen the Cynic]

There is no option to switch Auto to Manual when it comes to "1-Core Ratio Limit", "2-Core Ratio Limit" etc.

 

[Johan45]

If you go to the BIOS section in you manual a lot of this stuff is explained there Zen. It lists all the entries and any options that go along with them. They may not have the best explanations as to the functions sometimes but it would be really helpful I'm sure if you had it open beside you right now.

 

[EarthDog]

There is no option to switch Auto to Manual when it comes to "1-Core Ratio Limit", "2-Core Ratio Limit" etc.

Can you type in a number (the multiplier)?

 

[Johan45]

OK then go down the page a bit and select the CPU level up to 4.6 and then see what the changes are in the bios. Maybe this will help. I know the Auto OC worked pretty good on my board.

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Ah, I figured out that one has to use "+" and "-" to change multipliers. Set "1-Core Ratio Limit" to "46". Is that correct?

 

[Johan45]

If that's the clock you want yes, that should set all cores to 46 correct?
I would also go to CPU power management and disable the turbo mode.

 

[EarthDog]

Ah, I figured out that one has to use "+" and "-" to change multipliers.

*golf clap*

Yes, 46 is correct as 46*100(your BCLK) = 4.6GHz.

 

[Zen the Cynic]

Yes, all cores are also set to 46 when the first one has that number.

And then set "CPU Core Voltage" to "Manual Mode", which opens a new box beneath it, named "CPU Core Voltage Override", set to "Auto". Shall I set this last one to 1.35V?

And after this, save and exit BIOS? And check that temps are beneath 80c when running games?