How Can I Tell If My Mobo Can Overclock?

TRajnauth · Feb 10, 2015

I have a Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI mother board, is that good to overclock my cpu with if not what is a good mother board for overclocking on a Intel i7 4790K

Tradesman1 · Feb 10, 2015

Look at the Z97 mobos, a good lower priced is the Asus Z97-A, mid price is the Z97 Hero, then prices start to really jump (I went the Hero, in sig)

Beezy · Feb 10, 2015

no you cant, you need a Z series motherboard, not an H97. (you need z97)

Alectfenrir · Feb 10, 2015

H97 is bascially Z97 but non overclockable.

You have a H97 mobo so you cannot overclock it.

IamTimTech · Feb 10, 2015

Beezy :

You can now overclock to a capped cpu voltage (generally 1.2 volts) on many B75, H81 and H97 motherboards now. This in my opinion is a great way to start learning to overclock because at 1.2 volts it is unlikely you will damage any of your components when attempting an overclock. For a serious overclock then a Z97 board is the way to go. My opinion is to update your current board with the bios flash. And if you like it then consider buying an overclocking motherboard/cpu on a future generation. Skylake and 1151 are just around the corner with overclocking varients expected in 2016 and I for one am interested to see what the hold up has been all about.

Alectfenrir :

Once more, this isn't necessarily true anymore. Many manufacturers have a bios update available allowing people to adjust their clock multiplier. This came specifically because of the G3258. The voltage is capped at 1.2 volts however.

TRajnauth · Feb 11, 2015

Tradesman1 :

Is The MSI Z87-G45 Good For Overclocking Also?

IamTimTech · Feb 11, 2015

I can't speak with experience for MSI boards as the last one I used was DDR2 with a Pentium 4, nor can I speak for the Z87 chipset. I tend to stick with Gigabyte and Asus as they have the best track record over all. And if you are purchasing a new board, it would behoove you to get the latest chipset, so the Z97.

Tradesman1 · Feb 11, 2015

Z87 would be fine, but I myself won't build w/ MSI mobo due to their poor QC - I stick with Asus, the Rock and GB

TRajnauth · Feb 14, 2015

The Msi Z87-G45 Gaming mobo that will probably work better right?

Vici0us · Feb 14, 2015

H97 mobos aren't for overclocking.

Z97 mobos are for overclocking.

Here are some good overclocking Z97 mobos on a cheaper side. In order from lowest price to highest. (After Mail N Rebate).

GIGABYTE GA-Z97-HD3 - $88

MSI Z97 PC Mate - $90

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-SLI - $95

ASRock Z97 Pro4 - $100

ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer - $105

GIGABYTE GA-Z97M-D3H - $109

ASUS Z97-P - $110

ASRock Fatal1ty Z97M Killer - $115

GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 - $118

MSI Z97S SLI Plus - $120

ASUS Z97M-Plus - $126

MSI Z97-G45 Gaming - $130

IamTimTech · Feb 15, 2015

Tradesman1 :

I agree, it is worth noting that in 2014 Gigabyte had the least RMA's, Asus had just slightly more and then Asrock and MSI were in 3rd and 4th with considerably higher RMA's. ASrock's RMA numbers actually surprised me, but I would still buy one.

Vici0us :

Again, this is true for the most part. A major bios update has been released market wide that will unlock all of the core multiplier and other setting which used to be locked. Now you can adjust your core multiplier and tweak your voltage to achieve an overclock. This bios update was 100% because of the G3258, and I hypothesize that there will be an unlocked i3 to hit the market soon as well that was partial motivation for this bios update.

The H boards still have a 1.2 voltage cap to prevent damage to a motherboard which was not otherwise intended for overclcoking and I imagine that the overclocks that you can achieve on chips like the i5 and i7 on an H board are nothing to brag about, but you CAN overclock on them now.

The original poster asked if he CAN overclock on his H board and the answer is yes, but he will not be able to achieve a 4.0Ghz + overclock

The Gigabytw GA-H97-Wifi is a mini itx board, depending on the case he has he may not be able to overclock much higher than that anyway do to thermal restrictions in his case.

Vici0us · Feb 15, 2015

IamTimTech :

Tradesman1 :

I agree, it is worth noting that in 2014 Gigabyte had the least RMA's, Asus had just slightly more and then Asrock and MSI were in 3rd and 4th with considerably higher RMA's. ASrock's RMA numbers actually surprised me, but I would still buy one.

Vici0us :

Again, this is true for the most part. A major bios update has been released market wide that will unlock all of the core multiplier and other setting which used to be locked. Now you can adjust your core multiplier and tweak your voltage to achieve an overclock. This bios update was 100% because of the G3258, and I hypothesize that there will be an unlocked i3 to hit the market soon as well that was partial motivation for this bios update.

The H boards still have a 1.2 voltage cap to prevent damage to a motherboard which was not otherwise intended for overclcoking and I imagine that the overclocks that you can achieve on chips like the i5 and i7 on an H board are nothing to brag about, but you CAN overclock on them now.

The original poster asked if he CAN overclock on his H board and the answer is yes, but he will not be able to achieve a 4.0Ghz + overclock

The Gigabytw GA-H97-Wifi is a mini itx board, depending on the case he has he may not be able to overclock much higher than that anyway do to thermal restrictions in his case.

I just don't understand why some get H97 mobos and later on decide they wanna overclock.

My advice is even if you don't plan on overclocking currently but you feel like, sometime in the future you might want to try it then just go for a Z97 mobo. You can buy a decent Z97 mobo for $90 - $95 which isn't much.

Why buy H97 and then later on waste more money on a Z97 mobo. Just go with Z97 right away to be safe.

Search

How Can I Tell If My Mobo Can Overclock?

TRajnauth

Reputable

Vici0us

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum

Beezy

Dignified

Alectfenrir

Reputable

IamTimTech

Admirable

TRajnauth

Reputable

IamTimTech

Admirable

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum

TRajnauth

Reputable

Vici0us

Reputable

IamTimTech

Admirable

Vici0us

Reputable

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page