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How Much Should I Overclock my 4770K?

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  • Overclocking
  • Power Supplies
  • CPUs
  • Motherboards
  • PC gaming
Last response: in Overclocking
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February 26, 2014 1:59:32 AM

Sorry if this is a newbie question, but it definitely fits the inquirer! I am new to the PC gaming world, and wanted to know how much I can realistically overclock my 4770K.
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87-HD3
Fans: Two 120mm front fans + 140mm rear fan
CPU Cooler: Coolit ECO II A.L.C. 240mm water cooler
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart Series 650w (80 plus bronze)

If there is any vital information that I left out, I apologize. I don't need to completely maximize the overclocking potential, I just simply would like to get a boost to the CPU since I paid extra money to get the unlocked version. Thank you for the help!

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February 26, 2014 2:09:26 AM

Yeah, the trouble is that overclocking is a gamble, mate. Each chip is going to overclock differently...

and that means you need to overclock the safe way, rather than trying to take pot-shots in the dark.

You should be able to hit 4.2GHz without any trouble at all, 4.4GHz with a little tweaking... but you might not be able to. Or you might be able to hit 4.5GHz on close to stock voltage, it all depends.
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February 26, 2014 2:10:45 AM

You should be able to get 4.5Ghz and maintain safe temperatures with manual voltage adjustments. That said, every processor is different and some overclock better than others. Keep the temperature below 70° C in Prime95 and you'll be good.
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February 26, 2014 2:19:18 AM

I don't want to take any gambles right now with my very, very limited experience. I think I'll just try and hit 4.2Ghz for now. I'm running a GTX 770, so I can generally max all the settings in the games I play. I just felt like I needed a little boost to compensate for when I stream on twitch.tv. Thanks for your help, guys! I'm excited to learn more and more about PCs and such.
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February 26, 2014 2:28:39 AM

Bicycle, this is Haswell we're talking about - it takes a pretty good chip to get to 4.5GHz at all without serious voltage issues.

Sounds like you're confident with what you're doing, chase. Just remember this one rule:

Never, EVER overclock with software, including BIOS "ez buttons". Always do it manually. Period.
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February 26, 2014 2:58:58 AM

DarkSable said:
Bicycle, this is Haswell we're talking about - it takes a pretty good chip to get to 4.5GHz at all without serious voltage issues.

Sounds like you're confident with what you're doing, chase. Just remember this one rule:

Never, EVER overclock with software, including BIOS "ez buttons". Always do it manually. Period.


I hit the 4.2GHz mark. Are these numbers ok? https://imageshack.com/i/fknpq2p
Should I go any further?
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February 26, 2014 3:21:47 AM

I can't access that link, but what is your CPU temperature and voltage? Are the results under normal load or a Prime95 test?
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February 26, 2014 3:27:31 AM

Looks good to me
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February 26, 2014 3:50:48 AM

Since you can max everything out, and there is always a risk with overclocking + a degradation of life span ... why not wait a year or two till games start becoming a little more taxing, and you actually need the OC?
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February 26, 2014 11:25:49 AM

Quote:

I hit the 4.2GHz mark. Are these numbers ok? https://imageshack.com/i/fknpq2p
Should I go any further?


The numbers look good but what was the load?

Yogi

EDIT: Upon further review CPU Vcore Max of 1.392 v. does not look good - too high. Max should be 1.300 v.

Yogi
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February 26, 2014 12:19:11 PM

Are you overclocking manually, or with a BIOS automatic overclocker?

You shouldn't have voltages that high.
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February 26, 2014 3:38:01 PM

Alright, I reset the Vcore max to 1.21, and everything seems to be fine. I keep running across numerous stress testers while searching via google. Can one of you recommend a test? Right now, I simply run a heavy cpu based game like WoW, and other applications at once to check the temps, which I'm sure isn't optimal at all.
I guess I was going by some bad guidelines for those numbers, but I can definitely change them. If I know what to shoot for anyway. Thanks again, guys! You've all been great!
Also, while doing my more-than-likely shoddy test, max temps were 40C
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February 26, 2014 3:44:32 PM

Quote:
Alright, I reset the Vcore max to 1.21, and everything seems to be fine. I keep running across numerous stress testers while searching via google. Can one of you recommend a test? Right now, I simply run a heavy cpu based game like WoW, and other applications at once to check the temps, which I'm sure isn't optimal at all.
I guess I was going by some bad guidelines for those numbers, but I can definitely change them. If I know what to shoot for anyway. Thanks again, guys! You've all been great!


D/L, install and run Prime95 for a good stress test.

Yogi
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February 26, 2014 4:46:20 PM

Alright, so I tried using Prime95 using the "Blend" setting. I instantly crashed.
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February 27, 2014 12:10:57 AM

chaseman93 said:
Alright, so I tried using Prime95 using the "Blend" setting. I instantly crashed.


Increase your voltage to 1.25V and give Prime95 another go. If all of the processor threads are still working after an hour, reduce the voltage a single notch and run the test again. Rinse and repeat until the test becomes unstable, then like a game of limbo, you'll know how low you can go.

If Prime95 crashes at 1.25V then you'll obviously need to increase the voltage, but that should be a good starting point.
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