Overclock confirmation on i7-3770k

CPU : I7-3770k
Motherboard : MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming
CPU cooler : Corsair H100i
RAM : G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24
Case : Cooler Master Storm Stryker
PSU : Corsair TX750 V2
HDD : Seagate Barracuda 2 TB
SSD : Samsung 840 Pro 128 GB
GPU : EVGA GeForce GTX 760 SC 4GB (2 way SLI) (Manually overclocked to 1306 MHz core speed)
Resolution : 2 monitors, 1920x1080 each
OS : Windows 7 64 bits

Hi, so I overclocked my processor, and I just want a confirmation that everything is fine.
Core speed : 4600 MHz
Core voltage : 1.360V (Wasn't stable at 1.350V, crashed on Prime95 after 20 minutes)
Temperature : Peaked at 92°C in the morning on Prime95, with the sun fully on the PC tower, but average is at 74°C
Prime95 : Ran for 9 hours, still running, will keep it running until I get a confirmation here that it's fine and stable

Also, do you think that after that, it will be possible for me to overclock that RAM ? How high can I expect to get ? Is something like 2133 MHz asking for too much ? I somewhat know about CPU and GPU clocks right now, but I don't really know much about RAM.
 
You are basically running the same voltage my 3770K runs 5ghz at 63c load temperature, so cooling has everything to do with what you can get out of it, at what voltage.

Additionally, Prime95 is no confirmation on stability it is basically a litmus test to get you in the stability door, you have to additionally run benchmarks and possibly game to add the load of the graphics and sound, as P95 does not test that.

You can run Prime95 for 24hours and crash 5 minutes into your favorite game, so what does that tell you?

Regarding your memory I'd stick to 1600mhz so you don't overclock your memory controller and add even more heat to the CPU.

I basically run IBT (Intel Burn Test), then some benchmarks like the Futuremarks of some kind, then game to reach stability.
 
Understood for the stability.

But I also wanted to know if 1.360V was safe. I did see a lot of people recommend not to get over 1.350V.
And about the temperatures, is that too high ?

I don't think my games will be any problem, I bought that PC mostly for the fun of testing high specs, and owning it. The hardest tasks I'll throw at it will be those benchmarks.
The most demanding game I play is probably my vanilla Skyrim.
 

jnewegger23

Distinguished
I have a very similar setup to yours. I keep my oc at 4.4GHz. I was able to get 4.8Ghz with your settings but I don't like going past 80c that much and the 90s are getting way too close to the throttle point for my comfort. My current 4.4 is my 247oc. I get prime95 maxed at 78c on my h80i. I believe your h100i is superior in cooling or should be. I believe when I was at the higher ghz like yours my vcore was in the 1.3s as well. I simply don't believe it's worth it as a 247OC.
For my day to day (which rangers from web browsing to gaming to video conversions etc.) I rarely go past 60c. 4.4GHz is no slouch. I'm also at a 1.145 vcore with +.0085 manual offset. This puts an absolute value on the overvolting when it's needed while keeping my vcore lower and thus my temps much cooler. In theory, you probably won't destroy your pc fast enough to notice anything but as I've spent over $2k on my rig for me it's not worth the little extra benchmark points. I love my rig and I'm sure you do to. Only time will tell. As good as a setup as you have I don't know what you'd be missing once you're done benchmarking. You should be getting more than enough fps in most games with your sli 760s. Physx is obviously improved with a higher oc but is worth pushing your system that hard all the time? I like the option of longevity in case. You decrease that when you max out too far. In the short term, I wouldn't worry but in the long run your are pushing it and even that's a maybe. You might be lucky and never have any issues even with that heat. I've heard of people who fold 247 and have high temps like that on older systems for years so they would argue against what I'm saying. So is it safe? Somewhat but not as safe as just scaling it down just a notch. Most people are comfortable with vcore in the 1.25s. Even others are way more conservative than I am and would say keep it below 1.2. I think you're probably best somewhere in between what I have and where you're currently at in the long run. Maybe 4.5GHz with your max in the 80s for prime95. I know that 92 was probably only for a few seconds though and that most of the time it runs much cooler but I like know that there's almost 0 possibility of my cpu running that hot and still having a decent oc.
After that of course you can oc the ram too. I've had a lot of trouble with keeping my system stable when I play with my ram settings but that's just me. I haven't invested the time and it's probably not that consuming. I'd focus on what setting you find to be your sweet spot in terms of a 247 oc first on your cpu. Once that's settled, also have your benchmarking profile ready and see how far you can go with your memory oc'd too. Benchmark the hell out of these performance settings, save those jpegs for bragging rights like most do, go back to your 247 profile and enjoy it and if you rarely run into that game that just needs more you have your performance settings ready to go. I never have to switch it up but some do. That's what I'd do. I see no reason to overheat your system when you don't need to. But everyone's different. Just my 2cents! Hope that helps! Have fun!

Thanks,

Justin S.
Just my 2cents! Hope this helps!
 
My CPU ran at that temperature because the sun had been on it for a while, which creates a lot of heat by itself. Aside from that it never got over 77°C. I guess I'll just try having some fun with high values, going to try to get as high as I can on CPU core speed, then going to set it down to the 4.2 GHz point I had it running at for half a year, worked pretty well, and never going over 60°C. But it's always fun to find how fast it can actually run. And I know that I've got my stable 4.6GHz in case I want it back, and it's saved in my OC profiles.