I need help over clocking my Intel i7 4770k

I wouldn't expect more than 4.3 - 4.4 on an Evo..... while it is a "great budget cooler", it's not a great cooler. The Noctua d15 for example beats it by about 20C.

1.375 is an extreme voltage for an air cooler. I did 4.6 at decent temps at same voltage but i have a 420 + 280 radiator and 5 140mm fans on those rads + 5 case fans at the time these numbers were compiled. Recommendations for Haswell are in Step 13 of the following guide.

We wound up doing a lot of Asus based Z87 builds and this is what I put together for users to take home and play with. It was NOT intended to be the ultimate OC guide, it was intended to be useful for someone who wants to zero in on their final OC in a weekend. Only go as far as you feel comfortable as a mistake can be costly. Post build I took the user thru the steps for 42 multiplier; everything else they did at home at their own risk.

You can forget about the cache stuff if not doing image editing and stuff that benefits from it. Also no need once done for setting min cache ration to anything but Auto .... I just did it to keep it up there to insure a hard test for stability purposes.

This is my personal "Minimalists Guide to Haswell Overclocking on Asus Boards". I don't have the patience to invest 100 of hours but I admire those who do. Using this method, most can knock it off in a weekend.

1. Stop using AIDA, Prime 95 or anything else like that. Download RoG Real Bench, HWiNFO64 and Intel ETU.

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?43233-Realbench-v2-Discussion-Thread-Download-Links
http://www.hwinfo.com/download.php
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-boards-software-extreme-tuning-utility.html


Usage of testing and monitoring programs:

When you open Real Bench, move both windows to left side of screen. Open HWiNFO64, run "sensors only", you will get a pop up asking whether to disable reading the Asus EC chip, click "Disable this sensor". Move the HWiNFO64 window to upper right hand corner of screen. Stretch bottom of window to full screen height. Make the following changes:

-Right Click on "System" right at the top, select hide.
-In the next section, hide the last 4 lines starting "Core CPU Thermal Throttling" (if you watch temps, this is useless)
-Skip over the next section and Hide the section after that (section includes CPU Package thru DRAM Power)
-Now the whole reasons we did that was so you could see everything you wanna see at same time. You should be able to see Vcore 0, 1 and 2 at -the bottom of the window. If not hide a few more lines. Save and Quit will save your edits.

2. I am going to assume that you want your PC to power down and reduce voltages when not needed so for this we'll use Adaptive settings. Adaptive will throw an extra 0.10 to 0.13 volts at your CPU when AVX instructions are present. Again, I would NOT use P95 or AIDA on this setting without constant attention.

3. After setting BIOS to defaults, Input the following settings and then right click on them to add them to your favorites page. This will allow you to access all the settings you need to without bouncing all over the BIOS:

AI Overclock Tuner = Auto
1-Core Ratio Limit = 42 (all others should automatically change with Sync all cores selected above)
Max. CPU Cache Ratio = Auto
Min. CPU Cache Ratio = Auto
Fully Manual Mode = Disabled
Core Voltage = Adaptive
Additional Turbo Mode CPU Core Voltage = 1.200
Core Cache Voltage = Adaptive
Additional Turbo Mode CPU Cache Voltage = Auto
Eventual CPU Input Voltage = 1.90
DRAM Voltage = Auto

I'd suggest taking a screen shot (F12) of the favorites page when ya have successfully passed the stress tests.

4. Open Real Bench, select Benchmark Tab Check only the last box. Open HWiNFO64, run "sensors only" as described above. Start Real Bench and don't touch mouse till finished. Observe voltages and temps. If you can get thru these 2 minutes, your close.

5. Then try checking all 4 boxes and run again NOTE: During the 3rd test Open CL will send AVX instructions to CPU; pay close attention to Vcores as they will spike as described above. If passes.....

6. Switch to the Stress Test Tab and select the amount of RAM you have in your system and 2 hours..... (Note: If you plan on raising cache and / or RAM after a run, I will usually save the two hours and skip this step until I have Multiplier / Cache and RAM speed at my targets.

7. If at any point you fail, up Core Voltage to 1.225 (+0.025)...Always watch temps and stop tests if you reach temperatures of concern (> 85C in my book). Record the following:

42/A/A/Auto - Shorthand for 42 Multiplier / Auto Max. Cache / Auto Min, Cache / Auto DRAM setting
Actual RAM Speed - i.e. 1600
Ambient = Room Temperature
Coolant Temp at Idle = Requires a sensor
Idle Core Temps Before Test on Each Core = i.e. 25, 26, 24, 22
Average Core Temps for Each Core During Test = i.e. 59.6, 58.2, 52.7, 49.4
Max Core Temps During Test on Each Core = i.e. 65, 62, 59, 54
Settings you input in BIOS for VCore, VCC Ring (Cache), VCCIN (Eventual), DRAM i.e. 1.2000, Auto, 1.900, Auto
Actual Readings in BIOS for VCore, VCC Ring, VCCIN, DRAM i.e. 1.040, 1.122, NA, 1.671
Actual Readings in HWiNFO64 for VCore, VCC Ring, VCCIN, DRAM i.e. 1.296, NA, 1.920, 1.681
Highest Voltage Reading on any Core During each of the 4 Benchmarks, i.e. Image Ed. 1.200 / Encoding 1.216 / Open CL 1.296 / Multitask 1.248

7. If at any point you fail, up Core Voltage to 1.250 (+0.025). If ya fail again, go another notch (1.275) but I'd stop there.

8. Once you pass, it's time to consider cache voltage. Some are content to leave at Auto (39) as it affects very, very few applications (skip to step 9 if this is you), others try and get as close as they can to the CPU Multiplier. If you want cache up, go to 42/42/42/Auto. If ya fail, bring up cache voltage in same 0.025 increments.

Settings will look like this when starting:

Max. CPU Cache Ratio = 42
Min. CPU Cache Ratio = 42
Additional Turbo Mode CPU Cache Voltage = 1.200

9. Once stable, it's now time to get ya RAM up to its rated 2133, 2400 or whatever. Change 1st setting above to XMP

AI Overclock Tuner = XMP

Referring back to step 6, this is the point I normally do the 2 hour test when I am "done" with a given multiplier. So run the 2 hour test here, followed by an 8 hour test w/ Intel ETU.

10. If ya fail.... up ya voltages as per above..... as long as things don't get too hot.....see limits below. If ya pass, it's time to see if we can lower temps and voltages. I dunno if it matters what order ya do it in but I did VCCIN 1st till I failed then bumped up till I got lowest stable setting. Then did VCCring (Cache Voltage Setting in BIOS) till I got lowest stable setting....and finally VID (BIOS CPU Voltage setting) last. I leaped in "half" amounts.

For example.... Default VCCIn is reportedly less than 1.8 .... so if 1.9 worked, i went "half way" to 1.85 .... if 1.85 failed, I went halfway between known good and bad to 1.875 ....same deal with VID and VCCring.

11. With the 42 series if tests complete, "rinse and repeat" with steps 3 thru 10 after moving up to CPU Multiplier to 43, then 44 or as high as you are willing to go. At 46 multiplier I found 1.9 VCCIN to be inadequate.... this is the one voltage I found that going too high or too low is problematic (other than heat and maximum upset voltage limits of course). I went to 1.98 (last yellow setting) and it was too low..... 2.08 was too high. 2.04 worked for me w/ 46 multiplier,

12. These are my settings to give ya an idea of luck I had .... your mileage will vary. Asterisked ones are those I didn't go back and try and get better temps / voltages.

42/42/42/XMP (2400) *
VCore 1.200
VCC Ring 1.200
VCCIN (Ev) 1.880
DRAM 1.700
Avg Max Core Temp = 59.0C (28.0C Ambient)

43/43/43/XMP (2400) *
VCore 1.225
VCC Ring 1.225
VCCIN (Ev) 1.880
DRAM 1.700
Avg Max Core Temp = 56.5C (27.4C Ambient)

44/44/44/XMP (2400) *
VCore 1.260
VCC Ring 1.260
VCCIN (Ev) 1.880
DRAM 1.700
Avg Max Core Temp = 59.0C (24.5C Ambient)

45/45/45/XMP (2400)
VCore 1.325
VCC Ring 1.325
VCCIN (Ev) 1.880
DRAM 1.700 *
Avg Max Core Temp = 63.0C (22.9C Ambient)


46/43/43/XMP (2400)
VCore 1.385
VCC Ring 1.385
VCCIN (Ev) 2.020
DRAM 1.700
Avg Max Core Temp = 69.0C (23.0C Ambient)

46/46/46/XMP (2400)
VCore 1.385
VCC Ring 1.410
VCCIN (Ev) 2.040
DRAM 1.70
Avg Max Core Temp = 72.0C (24.4C Ambient)


13. As for cooling / heat / voltage concerns

Here's Asus recommendations:

A very good air cooler is required for voltage levels above 1.15V.
1.20V-1.23V requires use of closed loop water coolers.
At 1.24V-1.275V dual or triple radiator water cooling solutions are advised.

Click to expand...

My thinking is:

Up to 1.200v = Very Good Air Cooler (Hyper 212)
Up to 1.250v = Best Air Coolers (Phanteks PH-TC14-PE, Silver Arrow or Noctua DH14) ....... Dual 140mm CLC / AIO Cooler w/ 1500 rpm fans (Corsair H110)
Up to 1.275v = Extreme Speed Dual Fan CLC / AIO w/ 2700 rpm fans (too noisy for most folks)
Up to 1.287v = Best air coolers (Cryorig R1 / Noctua DH-15)
Up to 1.300v = Swifteh H240-X
Up to 1.325v = Custom Loop w/ 15C Delta T (3 x 120mm / 140mm) *
Up to 1.400 = Custom Loop w/ 10C Delta T (5 x 140mm or 6 x 120mm) *

* At this level having the GPU(s) also under water is assumed

Also, if you are not running AVX, you can add as much as 0.10 to all those voltages.

14. NEVER WALK AWAY from your machine while stress testing until you are sure that temps have stabilized.
Be AWARE if test uses multiple instruction sets like Real Bench who throws out its hardest load voltage wise with the 3rd test in the Benchmark but the 4th test results in higher temps.

Remember some AVX instructions are present during RoG Real Bench type loads which will raise VCores by 0.10 to 0.13 for short periods.
I would not suggest running Prime 95 w/ AVX under adaptive under above conditions.

15. Having 4 sticks of memory will hinder ya OCs a bit.

16. If ya want the best OCs ya machine can get, this is not the guide to use. If ya wanna get it done over the weekend in between taking work home, course work, Honey-Do Lists, Daddy Taxi and other life demands, this may get it done in a weekend .

WORD OF WARNING: Some of us are having problems with the BIOS clock freezing and a suspected cause is the use the saving, loading and backing up of OC profiles in the Tools section of the BIOS. I would avoid use of that feature until such time as the cause is confirmed or a fix is available.

Click to expand...

I want to marry a rich supermodel but I don't thinks its happening

Less than 2% of 4770ks can do 4.8
Less than 10% of 4770k can do 4.7

Your cooler does not have the capability to handle 4.6 to 4.8. I used 2 water pumps, 2 radiators and 10 140mm fans to hit those numbers. With a 212, be happy if ya make 4.5....ecstatic if ya get lucky and hit 4.5

Again

Up to 1.200v = Very Good Air Cooler (Hyper 212)
Up to 1.250v = Best Air Coolers (Phanteks PH-TC14-PE, Silver Arrow or Noctua DH14) ....... Dual 140mm CLC / AIO Cooler w/ 1500 rpm fans (Corsair H110)
Up to 1.275v = Extreme Speed Dual Fan CLC / AIO w/ 2700 rpm fans (too noisy for most folks)
Up to 1.287v = Best air coolers (Cryorig R1 / Noctua DH-15)
Up to 1.300v = Swifteh H240-X


At 4.3 Ghz, I needed 1.200 volts with default cache setting (need Hyper 212)
At 4.4 Ghz, I needed 1.250 volts with default cache setting (Need Phanteks PH-TC14PE)
At 4.5 Ghz, I needed 1.287 volts with default cache setting (Need Noctua D-15)
At 4.6 Ghz, I needed 1.375 volts with default cache setting (Need custom loop)

It depends on several things....

1.375 volts on a Hyper 212 is suicidal

Up to 1.200v = Very Good Air Cooler (Hyper 212)
Up to 1.250v = Best Air Coolers (Phanteks PH-TC14-PE, Silver Arrow or Noctua DH14) ....... Dual 140mm CLC / AIO Cooler w/ 1500 rpm fans (Corsair H110)

Click to expand...

Raising Vcore is not the be all and end all of overclocking.

1. OC'ing depends very much on the particular CPU and the "luck of the draw". Some will do 4.8 at 1.2v... some won't do 4.8 no matter what.

2, You need a cooling system sized to handle the load. 1.375 should not be tries with any air cooler or CLC. This is strictly custom loop territory. Anything above 1.225 volts on a Hyper 212 should be approached with extreme caution.

3. There is more to BIOS settings than Vcore.... see above. 1.375 will also require a VCCin in "warning territory"

What do you call load ? Prime 95 ? Real Bench ?