guide on overclocking i5 4690k on msi z97 gaming 7
- Thread starter Tony1337
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jdcranke07
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You, unfortunately, will have to just read up on some overclocking forums to see how to do it and then go from there. Since every single CPU and setup for a PC is unique (even between to identical builds), there is no way we could just tell you good number or settings and get the perfect OC without having you go and do all the testing yourself. Meaning if you have two 4790K chips for instance, you might OC one of them to 4.8Ghz and the other might only get to 4.6Ghz. If you need help with the basics of overclocking, there are lots of people including myself that can help you do that, but like I said we cannot just spout out a setting or number and you're good to go.
jdcranke07
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Well, I'm not sure what your BIOS would say exactly since I have an ASRock mobo and not MSI. But, I was only able to turn off power saving features like the C modes, adjust the turbo clock speed (adjusting the base clock for some reason didn't work with my bios), the vcore voltage(not so much here), and the LLC (needs to be set to highest you can get).
It was a bit weird for mine actually. I was only able to adjust the turbo clock since if you messed with the base clock it made the cpu unstable. Yet, all my readings and my BIOS say my CPU is at 4.7Ghz 24/7 even though my BIOS setting for that is technically the turbo.
photonboy
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Hey,
I tell most people in your situation to do a LIGHT overclock since pushing to max rarely provides any real-world benefit. If you didn't have a cooler already I'd also recommend something like the Noctua NH-U12S.
Your MOTHERBOARD may have a setting in the BIOS (see manual) that will auto-assign values then reboot to test quickly. It would change the DDR3 memory as well likely. For example, on my Z77 setup I was at:
CPU-> 3.9GHz Turbo
DDR3-> 2133MHz (using XMP)
I clicked the overclock option, it rebooted, I got back into BIOS and it said:
CPU-> 4.2GHz
DDR3-> 1896MHz
*If you want to push your CPU higher than this allows (and you'll likely get higher than 4.2GHz) then there are lots of online guides which I recommend over using a forum as they walk you through it. Also, keep in mind that not only might you not see much real-world benefit but it also breaks the power management tuned by Intel which WILL make your cooler fans noisier unless they aren't variable (many liquid coolers don't properly control the fans).
I tell most people in your situation to do a LIGHT overclock since pushing to max rarely provides any real-world benefit. If you didn't have a cooler already I'd also recommend something like the Noctua NH-U12S.
Your MOTHERBOARD may have a setting in the BIOS (see manual) that will auto-assign values then reboot to test quickly. It would change the DDR3 memory as well likely. For example, on my Z77 setup I was at:
CPU-> 3.9GHz Turbo
DDR3-> 2133MHz (using XMP)
I clicked the overclock option, it rebooted, I got back into BIOS and it said:
CPU-> 4.2GHz
DDR3-> 1896MHz
*If you want to push your CPU higher than this allows (and you'll likely get higher than 4.2GHz) then there are lots of online guides which I recommend over using a forum as they walk you through it. Also, keep in mind that not only might you not see much real-world benefit but it also breaks the power management tuned by Intel which WILL make your cooler fans noisier unless they aren't variable (many liquid coolers don't properly control the fans).
photonboy
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Other:
run the following diagnostics when you change values. Also, note that if you can't assign an XMP profile that likely means your DDR3 memory has no profile listed. BIOS updates occasionally contain new SPD values to enable XMP support for your memory.
memory-> www.memtest.org
CPU-> https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool-64-bit-
Temperature info:
I believe the recommended max for OPTIMAL lifespan of any core is 77degC. The CPU will not throttle until 105degC (or was it 100degC?). Anyway, basically the higher you go above 77degC the more likely you are to reduce the CPU lifespan but even between similar CPU's that can vary due to the silicon lottery.
Monitoring tools like Coretemp and similar are often not quite accurate but close enough for our purposes.
run the following diagnostics when you change values. Also, note that if you can't assign an XMP profile that likely means your DDR3 memory has no profile listed. BIOS updates occasionally contain new SPD values to enable XMP support for your memory.
memory-> www.memtest.org
CPU-> https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool-64-bit-
Temperature info:
I believe the recommended max for OPTIMAL lifespan of any core is 77degC. The CPU will not throttle until 105degC (or was it 100degC?). Anyway, basically the higher you go above 77degC the more likely you are to reduce the CPU lifespan but even between similar CPU's that can vary due to the silicon lottery.
Monitoring tools like Coretemp and similar are often not quite accurate but close enough for our purposes.
jdcranke07
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photonboy
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It completely depends on the CPU you own and how hard you want to push it. Liquid cooling has cons as well such as pump failure bringing the computer down completely until replaced, so ignoring space issues or aesthetics for cooling I generally tell people to go with a good air cooler like a Noctua if that's doing what they need it to.
I put a Noctua NH-U12S in my dad's PC which has the i5-4670K (runs a bit hotter than the 4690K) and it's running roughly 60degC under full load at 4.2GHz and the fan is very quiet still.
I'm not sure what running an i5-4690K at say 4.5GHz would do with the same cooler but regardless I'm getting off topic.
I NEVER recommend pushing a modern Intel near the limit since again there's often little benefit to that, especially for GAMING. For gaming especially going beyond 4.2GHz is for the most part pointless though I'm sure some scenarios could gain a very small increase in frame rate.
photonboy
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Article: http://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-overclock-your-cpu-processor/
It's hard to qualify myself since I already know how to overclock thus it's hard to see through the eyes of a newcomer. Probably what you are looking for though.
Again, don't forget to use Memtest and the Intel CPU diagnostic as a final diagnostic. I should add for Memtest that you may need to change the BOOT ORDER in the BIOS so your DVD or USB device is first. Your OS drive should then be second.
Some motherboards won't boot to USB directly but can from within the BIOS (which doesn't affect boot order otherwise). For example, you may have to attach your thumb drive, boot into the BIOS, then select the thumb drive from a "quick boot" area.
It's hard to qualify myself since I already know how to overclock thus it's hard to see through the eyes of a newcomer. Probably what you are looking for though.
Again, don't forget to use Memtest and the Intel CPU diagnostic as a final diagnostic. I should add for Memtest that you may need to change the BOOT ORDER in the BIOS so your DVD or USB device is first. Your OS drive should then be second.
Some motherboards won't boot to USB directly but can from within the BIOS (which doesn't affect boot order otherwise). For example, you may have to attach your thumb drive, boot into the BIOS, then select the thumb drive from a "quick boot" area.
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