Overclocking i5 3570k

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Vichy97

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I want to overclock my cpu but dont know where to even start. I need to know what softwware i need and what is the max i should overclock safely and how i even go about doing that. Thank you!

I have a z77x ud3h motherboard, and a hyper 212 EVO cooler and 4 extra fans for the case so i have a lot of cooling.
 
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clutchc
It's best to OC via the BIOS. Start by increasing the CPU's clock multiplier one click at a time. Test for stability. I use Intel Burn Test for working up my initial OC: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/4965-intelburntest.html Most of the OC will be obtained via the multiplier.
If it passes the default 10 pass run, you can go back and take the multiplier up some more. Repeat the stability test. Eventually, you will reach a point where it is unstable. You can then either back off and live with that OC or go back into BIOS and increase the CPU vcore (voltage). That will usually allow you to keep going for a bit more with multiplier increases. Personally, I don't like to take the vcore up too much. I'd rather live with a...
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clutchc

clutchc

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It's best to OC via the BIOS. Start by increasing the CPU's clock multiplier one click at a time. Test for stability. I use Intel Burn Test for working up my initial OC: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/4965-intelburntest.html Most of the OC will be obtained via the multiplier.
If it passes the default 10 pass run, you can go back and take the multiplier up some more. Repeat the stability test. Eventually, you will reach a point where it is unstable. You can then either back off and live with that OC or go back into BIOS and increase the CPU vcore (voltage). That will usually allow you to keep going for a bit more with multiplier increases. Personally, I don't like to take the vcore up too much. I'd rather live with a mediocre OC than over tax the components.

Your MB is a good board, but not one of the high end OC'ers. So don't push the vcore too high. When you are at what you feel is where you want to be, run prime95 for at least one full hour... overnight is best. Some stabilities won't show up until the components/board get really warm for long periods.
http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
 
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Vichy97

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so i shouldnt use the built in gigabyte overclock utility? also far do you expect i will be able to push my cpu?
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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Those OC utilities are OK, but they don't always end up being stable. If the utility allows for raising the CPU multi alone, you can use it instead of having to enter BIOS, if you don't like messing around in the BIOS.
I don't know how high you can go with your CPU, because each one is different. But on my 3.3 GHZ i5-2500K (Turbo off), I went to 4.2 with just the multi alone. I had gone higher before having to mess with the vcore, but felt the 4.2GHZ was a comfortable place to keep it for everyday use. I'm not a heavy on-line gamer.

Btw, be sure to disable Turbo on yours when you OC. Otherwise the turbo will crank up the freq even higher when less than 4 cores are in use. That will mess up your OC results.
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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Page 39 of your MB manual explains where to disable Turbo in BIOS. Maybe your OC utility you mentioned has that option too, I don't know. Most of us do all our OC'ing in the BIOS.

Page 38 will show you where to change the CPU clock multiplier if you want to do that in BIOS.

Don't be afraid of the BIOS. Nothing changes until you exit and decide to make the change. In fact you can save and load profiles for BIOS (page 58). I'd save the current BIOS settings before doing anything new. And in case of a major screw up you can always do a CMOS reset . Page 110 explains that.
 
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clutchc

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Yeah, the 212 EVO is a bit tricky for a first-time installer. If installed correctly, you should tighten the mtg. nuts all the way down (snug) for a proper mount.
You only need a dab of TIM about the size of a small pea. The pressure and heat will spread it out. The theory is to simply fill in the microscopic pores of the two metal surfaces that meet. Too much will retard heat transfer.
 
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Vichy97

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ok well i think i did it right because i have successfully overclocked to 4.5 ghz and i havent tried past that. I ran the burn test on standard, should i run it on high or very high?
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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I usually just run the default 10 pass run. If it passes, and I'm at the final OC setting I think I can get, I run prime95 for at least one full hour using the small FFTs setting. If it passes that, I've never had a fail yet.
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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Some chips OC better than others. You may have a very good one. Have you run prime95 for at least an hour using small FFTs yet?
 
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clutchc

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It sure sounds like you are, yes. The Intel i5 K processors are great OC'ers. My "old" i5-2500K I'm using could go a lot higher than I have it at, but I haven't had a game yet that sent the CPU into 100% usage with my R9-290X. But the 290X has hit 100% usage. And I'm not a big fan of increasing the vcore if not necessary.

What gfx card do you have your i5 paired with?
 
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clutchc

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There isn't a single GPU card today that can saturate the bandwidth available from PCIe 2.0 @ x8 lanes. PCIe 3.0 was mainly developed for PCIe SSDs because the SATA interface is proving to be a bottleneck. So you won't have any issue there with the pair of HD 7870s. I had a pair of HD 7870 Gigahertz cards in the rig in my sig below. They were faster in CF-optimized games than the R9-290X I have now.

If you are gaming at 1080p resolution or less, 2GB of VRAM won't be a handicap. Besides, there are better anti-aliasing methods available now than multisampling that don't use as much GPU processing time anyway... MLAA, FXAA and SMAA, also called Post-Processing.
 
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Vichy97

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Ya at first i was worried becasue my graphics card said that a x16 lane was a requirement, but it seems to be working fine. One problem though, Yesterday i was playing total war rome 2 and parts of the game started flickering. I tried V Sync but that didnt do anything. I checked the temps on the cpu and they were about 70C at max during the game. That didnt look too high, but i ran the intel burn test on very high to just check if my OC was stable. Every time i have run it it says stable, but why is the game flickering? It never did this before i started overclocking but also i crossfired at the same time so idk which is causing the problem
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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As to the PCIe X16 slot being a requirement, they are referring to the slot not the necessary lanes. Some PCIe X16 slots are only x4 lanes. Or like yours, switch to x8, x8 when both slots are populated.

As to the flickering, I would back off on the OC and see if it goes away. If it does, then it would have to be your OC.
 
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