Need HELP with overclocking 5930k/X99-A please.

[ha55an]

Hi everyone.

I'm very new to the Overclocking world - always had a keen interest, but never really got around to building a computer capable of it.

I finally bit the bullet and have put together what I think is a reasonable rig, but now that I've been doing some research into how to go about effectively overclocking it, I have been finding it very overwhelming.

This is the rig I've put together:


Intel Core I7-5930K 3.70GHZ

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H60 CPU Cooler System

Corsair Vengeance Lpx 16GB 4X4GB DDR4-2666MHZ C16 XMP 2.0 1.2V Quad Channel Memory Kit

ASUS X99-A Motherboard

ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Ti Strix 1075MHZ 6GB 7.01GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 3xDisplayPort PCI-E

Corsair CS750M CS Modular 80 Plus GOLD-RATE 750W 12V Power Supply


I was originally going to just use the AI Suite 3/Dual Intelligent Processors 5 software that comes with the X99 for my overclocking needs, but upon researching, I have found that the vast majority of people seem to disagree with using Windows-based overclocking and suggest tinkering with the BIOS instead.

Whilst I found the prospect very intimidating, when I learned that people suggest tinkering purely with the ratios and the voltage, I thought that couldn't be too difficult to delve into so I shouldn't bow to my own fears and should just bite the bullet.

I went into the BIOS to try and locate the settings that need to be changed, and whilst I think I found the voltage setting for the CPU Core, I am unsure what all I need to change regarding the multipliers.

The thing that worries me most is that when I went in to activate Profile 1 with regards to the XMP settings for my RAM and tried applying the setting, I got a warning indicating that a lot of other changes would have to be made - the one that stood out the most was the BCLK being changed from 100Mhz - a lot of what I read (and yes, it seemed to be Haswell, not Haswell-E - I couldn't find a lot about the latter) seemed to imply that the BCLK should be left at the default, so I was worried that the XMP was altering that to a higher speed. Is this safe/normal? How do I optimize my RAM whilst optimizing the CPU/GPU?

I should also mention that I am really only looking to OC for gaming purposes, so I'm not looking for a crazy OC. Just something stable that won't have much impact on the longevity of my system/CPU/GPU. I was thinking somewhere from 4.2 to 4.4 should be easily attainable whilst maintaining a low-ish voltage. I've read that one wants the voltage to be at or under 1.3, though I also read that up to 1.4 would be safe as well.

Could someone please shed some light on all the conflicting information? And maybe just give me a little bit of a guide as to what order I should go about doing this in? And how best to get to that sweet spot?

I find it very confusing that I read in one place to start with the CPU and then the memory, but yet if I were to do that, and if activating an XMP profile changes the clock settings, would that not go against the CPU settings that I would have applied?

I'm sorry if I seem like a total n00b - I kind of am when it comes to this, but I am very eager to learn, and would really, really appreciate some guidance and a little hand holding here.

Thanks a lot!

 

[ha55an]

I also wanted to mention, if I'm not looking to do the craziest OC, would using the Dual Intelligent Processors software still not be recommended?

 

[ha55an]

@EarthDog - you seem to be very learned from the posts I've read - if you could provide some assistance when you have some time, it'd be greatly appreciated.

This should not stop anyone else! ;-)

Thanks a lot again.

 

[JrClocker]

Your H60 cooler will limit what you can do for an overclock.

The 5930 puts out a lot of power...and that cooler will be struggling to keep up at the higher overclocks and vcore.

I tinkered around with BCLK, but decided to leave it at 100 MHz. You can set your memory for 2666 on a 100 MHz BCLK.

However, when overclocking (as per the guides), do your processor first, then focus on the memory.

 

[ha55an]

Your H60 cooler will limit what you can do for an overclock.

The 5930 puts out a lot of power...and that cooler will be struggling to keep up at the higher overclocks and vcore.

I tinkered around with BCLK, but decided to leave it at 100 MHz. You can set your memory for 2666 on a 100 MHz BCLK.

However, when overclocking (as per the guides), do your processor first, then focus on the memory.

I should mention also, before I had done any research, in the BIOS there was a setting I had changed from 'normal' to something like 'optimal' - basically it had to do with the TPU/EPU, it shows in bar form the changes the profile makes to your energy, performance and I think the third bar was silence.

The point I'm making is, when I opened AI Suite, this change in the BIOS had increased the multiplier from 37 to 43, so in effect it was running at 4.3.

I didn't actually do any stress test though - but would this not mean that there would be room for overclocking even with the H60? Considering I never heard the fans and I don't think my CPU temps went up very high.

 

[JrClocker]

After you do an overclock, it's in your best interest to run stress testing before you call it "good". It's a bummer when your PC crashes and you lose your data!

At 4.3 GHz, your processor alone will be putting out 150W or more...and that's a lot for a 120 mm radiator.

That said, I started with a 120 mm radiator cooler on my machine. I got a stable overclock with temps under 85...but the fans where loud when I was pushing the machine. I went to a larger AIO (Corsair H110i GTX), and replaced the fans with Noctua fans...everything runs cooler and quieter...same voltage...same overclock...temps stay under 70 now and I can barely hear the fans.

For stress testing, I want to make sure that my system is 24/7 reliable at the overclock I choose. Others do/feel differently. Here is my test:

1. Set CPU multiplier and voltage (I used fixed...others don't)...if previous setting was bad either decrease CPU multiplier or increase Vcore
2. Run Intel Extreme Tuning Utility processor stress test for 10 minues...CPU good, go to step 3...bad, go to step 1
3. Run Intel Extreme Tuning Utility memory stress test for 10 minutes...CPU good, go to step 4...bad, go to step 1
4. Run HyperPi at 32 M...CPU good, go to step 5...bad, go to step 1
5. Run Prime95 (version 26.6...28.5 or higher will push CPU power over 200 W) for 10 minutes...CPU good, go to step 6...bad, go to step 1
6. Run Prime95 (version 26.6) for 30 minutes on blended mode...CPU good go to step 7...bad, go to step 1
7. Run SETI@Home at 60% processor and Heaven 4.0 graphics benchmark for 30 minutes...CPU good, go to step 8...bad, go to step 1
8. Hurray!!!

If I make it to step 8, then I have a stable overclock.

Watch your CPU temperatures...and the temperature of the coolant in your H60 (if you can monitor it).

 

[ha55an]

After you do an overclock, it's in your best interest to run stress testing before you call it "good". It's a bummer when your PC crashes and you lose your data!

At 4.3 GHz, your processor alone will be putting out 150W or more...and that's a lot for a 120 mm radiator.

That said, I started with a 120 mm radiator cooler on my machine. I got a stable overclock with temps under 85...but the fans where loud when I was pushing the machine. I went to a larger AIO (Corsair H110i GTX), and replaced the fans with Noctua fans...everything runs cooler and quieter...same voltage...same overclock...temps stay under 70 now and I can barely hear the fans.

For stress testing, I want to make sure that my system is 24/7 reliable at the overclock I choose. Others do/feel differently. Here is my test:

1. Set CPU multiplier and voltage (I used fixed...others don't)...if previous setting was bad either decrease CPU multiplier or increase Vcore
2. Run Intel Extreme Tuning Utility processor stress test for 10 minues...CPU good, go to step 3...bad, go to step 1
3. Run Intel Extreme Tuning Utility memory stress test for 10 minutes...CPU good, go to step 4...bad, go to step 1
4. Run HyperPi at 32 M...CPU good, go to step 5...bad, go to step 1
5. Run Prime95 (version 26.6...28.5 or higher will push CPU power over 200 W) for 10 minutes...CPU good, go to step 6...bad, go to step 1
6. Run Prime95 (version 26.6) for 30 minutes on blended mode...CPU good go to step 7...bad, go to step 1
7. Run SETI@Home at 60% processor and Heaven 4.0 graphics benchmark for 30 minutes...CPU good, go to step 8...bad, go to step 1
8. Hurray!!!

If I make it to step 8, then I have a stable overclock.

Watch your CPU temperatures...and the temperature of the coolant in your H60 (if you can monitor it).

Thanks for the information.

Here's where my more n00bish questions come in:

How do I manually adjust my memory settings and what do I need to do? Also, what will I need to adjust them to so they marry well with the processor?

How do I adjust the ratio/multiplier of the CPU in the BIOS for my motherboard? I went in and the settings seem to be very complicated.

And what is the highest I will want to go with regards to the Voltage? 1.3 or 1.4? This is for a system that I will keep running 24/7 - but really there won't be anything intensive used other than playing games and watching 4K content.

And finally, how do I set it up for turbo? From what I've read this means only using two cores? But I also assume that most games tend to only use one/two cores? And considering my use, it might be better to have that turbo available?

Also - should I be OC'ing per core? Or otherwise? And how do I tinker with those settings?

Thanks for the help - and sorry for being so inexperienced.

 

[JrClocker]

Uhhh...don't have your motherboard, so can't answer specifics on that...usually you set it to manual mode and enter the vcore.

Overclock all cores...individual just isn't worth it in my opinion.

You want the lowest core voltage to keep your system stable. A higher voltage will just be a waste of power (read as extra processor heat). You should stay WELL under 1.3 V with a single 120 mm radiator cooling your processor.

Your power dissipation goes up as a square to voltage increase and linear with frequency increase.

So, if you increase your vcore from 1.1 to 1.2, you increase your power consumption by (1.2/1.1)^2 = 1.19 = 119 %

If you increase your frequency from 3.5 to 3.8 GHz, you increase your power consumption by (3.8/3.5) = 1.09 or 109 %.

If you do both at the same time, you multiple the two...1.19*1.09 = 1.297 = 129.7 %.

Start at a given vcore (around 1.2 V) and around 3.8 GHz. Test for stability per what I said above. If stable, leave the vcore alone and increase the multiplier by 1 to go from 3.8 to 3.9 GHz. Repeat stability. If good, increase multiplier and retest. If bad, increase vcore by 0.01 V (i.e. go from 1.2 to 1.21 V) and retest.

At some point, you get to diminishing returns for heat generated or you will be unable to hit a stable overclock.

On my 5820K (same series processor), I get 4.3 GHz at 1.2 V on the vcore. Higher or lower will depend on how you did in the silicon lottery.

 

[ha55an]

Uhhh...don't have your motherboard, so can't answer specifics on that...usually you set it to manual mode and enter the vcore.

Overclock all cores...individual just isn't worth it in my opinion.

You want the lowest core voltage to keep your system stable. A higher voltage will just be a waste of power (read as extra processor heat). You should stay WELL under 1.3 V with a single 120 mm radiator cooling your processor.

Your power dissipation goes up as a square to voltage increase and linear with frequency increase.

So, if you increase your vcore from 1.1 to 1.2, you increase your power consumption by (1.2/1.1)^2 = 1.19 = 119 %

If you increase your frequency from 3.5 to 3.8 GHz, you increase your power consumption by (3.8/3.5) = 1.09 or 109 %.

If you do both at the same time, you multiple the two...1.19*1.09 = 1.297 = 129.7 %.

Start at a given vcore (around 1.2 V) and around 3.8 GHz. Test for stability per what I said above. If stable, leave the vcore alone and increase the multiplier by 1 to go from 3.8 to 3.9 GHz. Repeat stability. If good, increase multiplier and retest. If bad, increase vcore by 0.01 V (i.e. go from 1.2 to 1.21 V) and retest.

At some point, you get to diminishing returns for heat generated or you will be unable to hit a stable overclock.

On my 5820K (same series processor), I get 4.3 GHz at 1.2 V on the vcore. Higher or lower will depend on how you did in the silicon lottery.

Thanks so much for the detail! Very helpful!

What about the memory? As in, won't changes to the memory impact what I find to be 'stable' with regards to the CPU?

I was also thinking of using the AI Suite to narrow down what may be stable so that I don't have to spend as much time. Would this work? Or is there a reason putting in the time is more effective?

 

[ha55an]

I'm really tempted to use AI Suite 3 to specify a maximum voltage of 1.249, maximum frequency of 4.4Ghz, maximum temperature of 80 C, enable the memory stress test and EPU/Fan Optimization and just run the tuner.

Then just manually set the voltage accordingly and let it do its thing.

I feel like because I'm not looking to maximize the OC, this would be effective?

 

[JrClocker]

Uhhhh...don't know - not familiar with your motherboard.

What I do know is that 1.249 V at 4.4 GHz will be too much for your 120 mm cooler.

Don't forget that the temps you get after a 5 or 10 minute stress run will not be your "maximum" temps. The coolant in your cooler will absorb the heat from your CPU. The radiator must dissipate the heat from the coolant. The temperature of the coolant will continue to rise until it hits a stable point where it sheds heat as quickly as it is being added. Your CPU temperatures will rise as your coolant temperature rises...kind of like your car.

1.249 V at 4.4 GHz (assuming that is a stable voltage) will cause your processor to dissipate AT LEAST 165 W...probably more. That's starting to push the edge of a 120 mm cooler.

 

[ha55an]

Having a lot of trouble with an overclock - need help/guidance

I had created a couple of threads asking for assistance already, but problems keep cropping up.

I originally had what seemed to be a stable overclock with a two core turbo at a multiplier of 41 and the remaining four at 40 - base clock of 125.

The problem with this is that my ram is rated at 2666 MHz and since I didn't have an active XMP profile, it was only running at 2133 MHz. I originally wasn't too pushed by this because I'm only using the system to game and didn't think the ram speed would have much of an effect, but someone pointed out that the whole reason I paid the premium was the speed, so I ought to utilize it.

With an XMP profile, the default is for the BCLK/Strap to be changed to 125, and at 125, adaptive voltage does not work. So I manually set the multiplier to 32 so as to still achieve 4000MHz. Since the memory is controlled by the CPU, this resulted in an increased voltage to about 1.216, but if I go to a multiplier of 33/34, it increases the max voltage to 1.264 - too scary for my liking.

I should mention, with the 125, my voltage was set to auto. And the XMP deactivates turbo.

Now at the auto setting and a multiplier of 32 with 2666 ram, it passes the Intel tests, the prime95, hyperpi, etc, and it seems to be a stable overclock. I'm able to play games in 4K at ultra, and have no issues doing most things I want to do.

The annoyance is that in the middle of the night, once in the middle of a friends episode that was running as I was falling asleep (a habit I have) and once I'm not sure at what point (and this was two days in a row, haven't had a night where it has stayed on), the computer totally froze and had to be hard reset. And when this happens, the first time I start it up following the freeze, the red ram light comes on constantly and the computer doesn't boot at all. Then once I unplug and re plug the power, I'll get a message saying overclock failed and to enter setup.

At that point, after night one's fail, I made the change to deactivate Intel Step Up technology, since I figured it was pointless having it on if the voltage was set to auto. I hoped this would solve my issues, but sadly it happened again last night. I've tried to switch to manual voltage of 1.216 since this was the highest voltage I'd seen on auto, but then when I booted it looked like it was taking 1.232, which is annoying because manual should mean it takes no more and no less than what it is set to.

The board has a setting about "fully manual", that is disabled, wondering if u need to enable that, or if there is another setting I need to change from default/auto in order to get my 4000MHz at 125 BCLK with XMP to work.

I'll also mention, prior to switching to the 125, I'd used the intelligent processors 5 software to tune the overclock, and it used a BCLK of 100 and got the ram to 2400. I didn't test that for stability, but I feel like that may be worth looking into if my ideal of the 4000 with 125 is not doable.

Does anyone have any thoughts on settings I could change to make this work? I would like to be able to have my ram running at the speeds it's supposed to along with an overclocked processor.

Please help me.

Specs:

5930k
Asus X99-A
Corsair Vengeance lpx at 2666
Nvidia 980 Ti Strix
750a PSU

 

[ha55an]

Anyone?

 

[EarthDog]

Merged like threads. You already have a thread on your existing overclocking woes. Don't start over!

but if I go to a multiplier of 33/34, it increases the max voltage to 1.264 - too scary for my liking.

That voltage isn't REMOTELY a problem, FYI.

once in the middle of a friends episode that was running

What does this mean? A youtube video in a browser or.........?

Does the system event log say anything about the freeze and reboot?

I've tried to switch to manual voltage of 1.216 since this was the highest voltage I'd seen on auto, but then when I booted it looked like it was taking 1.232, which is annoying because manual should mean it takes no more and no less than what it is set to

No, it does not mean that. Manual or auto, there is still vdrop (difference between what is set in the bios and idle in windows) and vdroop (difference between idle in windows and load voltage)

That aside, and not really sure what else transpired already... but I would do this.

1. Uninstall AISuite if you have it.
2. Reset BIOS to BIOS defaults.
3. Enable XMP, reboot.
4. Set Vcore and mulitplier manually, and go.