Could memory hurt overclock performance

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davidst95

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Hi,

I posted a message about overclocking a few days ago and the people on this site was very helpful. I was trying to overclock my I7 4770K but couldn't go past 4.3 ghz. I have a Z97 Gigabyte Gaming 7 motherboard with a H100i cooler. I have 4 x CORSAIR XMS3 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 memory. Could the memory be affecting my overclocking ability? I'm not sure the quality of these memory chips but they pass the Memtest86. I have XMP enabled so they are running at 1.65 V at 1600 mhz. Thanks.

David
 
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nukemaster
Chances are you have nearly 2 x the power needed for your system. So power is NOT an issue.

Memory does not generally effect overclocking unless you are also modifying it its speed.

4 sticks DOES tend to be harder on the IMC, but it should have a minimal impact if any at all. You can always try with 2. Your 1.65 volt memory is most likely older because that was the standard for first generation i series chips.

Not all cpus overclock the same. How are the load temperatures? If things are too hot it could be an issue as well.
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rohanr22

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There are way too many variable to predict the success of an over clock, but generally the main things that affect an over clock are the processor itself, the motherboard quality,due to the vrm and PCB design, the power supply. The memory in my experience did not significantly affect the over clock, then again it depends on whether you are over clocking using the fsb frequency or the processor multiplier. The best over clocks generally involve a mixture of both, but its easier to just play with the multiplier of the CPU. To answer your answer, no I doubt the ram is affecting your oc. Alsomyou should not be using memtest to check an overclock, prime95 in place fft for an overnight and blend for 12 hours usually works for me. Always make sure your temps are under safe limits.Its a different story if you are over clocking the ram...
 
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davidst95

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Thanks for the information. I have a Z97 Gigabyte Gaming 7 motherboard. Are they known to be good motherboards? I could exchange it for something else.

I also have a SeaSonic X Series X-850 PSU. Its powering an the I7, 2 x GTX 670s, 2 x 2TB Seagate harddrive and 1 x 500G Samsung Evo SSD. Do you think the power supply is adequate? Thanks.

David
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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Chances are you have nearly 2 x the power needed for your system. So power is NOT an issue.

Memory does not generally effect overclocking unless you are also modifying it its speed.

4 sticks DOES tend to be harder on the IMC, but it should have a minimal impact if any at all. You can always try with 2. Your 1.65 volt memory is most likely older because that was the standard for first generation i series chips.

Not all cpus overclock the same. How are the load temperatures? If things are too hot it could be an issue as well.
 
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davidst95

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Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure what you mean by load temperature but it runs about 32-30c at idle and hits around 100C when I run prime95 for about 20 minutes in blend mode. This is my second CPU. I have a H100i cooler. Could it a bad cooler even if it cools the CPU at idle?
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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100c on prime means you are overheating or close to it. Your idles are more than fine. Mind you actual games will not get nearly as hot as Prime95

You should not be trying to push any higher clocks. What voltage are you using anyway?

At the very most you would be best to keep it under 85-95c.

Now those cpus's are known to run hot because of the thermal paste Intel uses between the CPU die and IHS.

Some users remove the heat spreader and replace the thermal paste(while at it removing the glue that holds the IHS on makes the gap smaller this lowering the temps).
 
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davidst95

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Hi,

I found that running my memory at 1333Mhz at 1.5V instead of 1600Mhz 1.65V seems to keep my desktop cooler during stress tests. Would it be worth upgrading to 1600Mhz or higher ram at 1.5V? Thanks.

David
 
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