CPU overclocking with low frequency RAM

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vexa

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Sep 22, 2012
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Hi!
I never OC before, but I'm willing to learn anything related to OC (my old PC has i5 3450 and 1600mhz CL 9 RAM). I read a lot about CPU performance in PS and LR, and I found these good articles on Puget Systems:
Adobe Photoshop CC Multi Core Performance
Adobe Lightroom CC/6 Multi Core Performance
These articles claimed that PS / LR running better on 4 cores, 6-8 threads and high frequency CPU. So I did some research and made this partlist:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($334.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool ASSASSIN II 70.1 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.45 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Corsair Carbide 400C ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $947.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-26 06:27 EDT-0400
*Actually, my 2TB WD blue is 7200 RPM, but couldn't find one at PCPP. Weird.

Questions:
1. Most overclocking guide using high memory speed, but is it possible to overclock my CPU to 4.5 - 4.8 GHz with 2133 mhz memory? I read that high speed memory really helps for CPU overclocking. But with my current budget ($950), I can't get 32GB memory at higher speed, probably 2400 mhz.
2. This article: Adobe Photoshop CS6 Memory Optimization - showed that high speed RAM doesn't worth the money and RAM that operates at faster speeds than the CPU natively supports tend to have an increased risk of failure. What do you guys think about it? Is it worth getting cheaper components, probably SSD (although I love the 5 years warranty of 850 evo) or PSU to get higher speed memory?

Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
Tradesman1
The data rate of the DRAM doesn't really affect the CPU OC unless you have a very high data rate DRAM. Generally not unless you get up over 3200 and with a lot of DRAM. 2133 will be fine, but if you can get faster go for it. ;)
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CountMike

CountMike

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Oct 31, 2015
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Faster memory does help overall performance and your OC may not be as efficient but has no bearing on processor OC. If you are OCing on FSB than memory frequency should be lowered beforehand as it will raise with FSB. OCing on multiplier doesn't change memory frequency.
 
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V

vexa

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Sep 22, 2012
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So there are two ways for overclocking.
Is there any difference between the two, apart from OCing on multiplier doesn't change memory frequency?
Which way is better?

Sorry if this is kind of a noob question. Any link or description about these two will be appreciated.
Thanks!

EDIT:
Also, will I get the same max. CPU clock if I go with 2133mhz memory than - let's say- 4000mhz memory?
 
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L

lodders

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I had a look at the article. You get a lot of benefit going from 2 cores to 4 cores, but a lot less benefit going from 4 to 8 cores.
An i7 does not have 8 real cores, it has 4 cores pretending to be 8 cores. Actual performance is 1.3x faster than an i5.

Skylake is a bit faster than Haswell, which is a bit faster than your CPU, but we are only talking about a few % difference.

Long story short, the 6700k will be faster than your 3450, but not a huge amount faster. Processing tasks may take 2 minutes with the 6700 instead of 3 minutes with the 3450. If you are doing video editing full time as a profession or as a serious hobby, then buy a new computer, because time is money. But if not, just live with having to wait a minute longer for the task to complete.

As for memory speed, it has much less of an effect than processor speed or number of cores.
For example, my 3570k has 2000 MHz CL9 memory, and at the same CPU clock speed it has almost identical performance to my newer 4690k with 1600 Mhz CL9 memory

One big difference is an SSD, which makes a PC a lot more responsive. My 3570k is on a Z77 motherboard with SATA 3, which fully exploits the speed of an SSD. However, if your motherboard is SATA 2, it will limit SSD to half speed. If you don't have SATA 3, then that is another good reason to upgrade.
 
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CountMike

CountMike

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If processor has unlocked multiplier than it's easier to OC. Just raise multiplier and add required voltage to it, enough to run stable but without overheating. VRM module on the MB has to be able to provide enough power (in Watts) otherwise power will drop, with it voltage and stability will suffer. All that is calculated at full CPU load of course.
To get some more real performance (faster calculations) FSB could be raised so memory controller (new processors have it built in) runs to it's highest performance. Performance can suffer if you go over it's most sweet spot which may be different for each processor, there's no set value for all of them. There's also a question of chipset and it's most efficient frequency. PCI/PCIe buss may also raise from it's set value that is mostly 100MHz. That's why it's more difficult to OC over FSB than over multiplier but with limited gain. Tuning it up for maximum performance can take days because you have to run tests between every step to see if you are gaining or loosing performance and stability.
Many different components coupled by "Silicone Lottery", meaning that even two identical components may give different results, make that extreme tuning impractical for casual use.
I mean, you go thru all that and there comes a game that's so unoptimized that even a super computer may have troubles with it.
 
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V

vexa

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Oh, I forgot to mention. This PC is going to be my working PC. I'll mainly use it for Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator / Corel Draw, some light 3D interior modelling, and weekend gaming on single 1920x1200p monitor. Going to pair it with two 1200p 25" monitor, and I'm planning to get 10-bit monitor + workstation GPU later this year for my primary monitor.



Well, from these article at Puget System, lightroom / photoshop doesn't work well with multiple CPUs and higher frequency is more helping than multiple cores. I'm glad to see that, because my current budget doesn't allow me to get anything better than 6700K. Also, later this year I'm going to use 10-bit monitor for better result in printed media, and I need to save more to get a workstation card.




Thanks for the information, but video editing isn't part of my job (yet), but I'm currently learning and probably going to do that one day.
And yes, I'm planning to build a new PC - from locked ivy bridge i5 to unlocked skylake i7. The only components I keep from my old PC are the GTX 780 and some HDDs.




Ya, that's my main reason for asking this. I don't see the real benefit of getting higher speed memory, at least from these internet articles and benchmarks. But I think I need to overclock my CPU for best possible result in lightroom and photoshop, and since I never do OC before, I need to find out if a low speed memory affects CPU overclocking capability. If I can get higher CPU speed with higher frequency memory, then I'd consider myself to get cheaper case, SSD and PSU (maybe a 650W bronze?) to get higher memory frequency. But if it's possible to get the same result with lower speed memory, then I'd stick to my current partlist.

Good to know about the SSD. I'm quite sure 850 EVO is currently one of the fastest SATA III SSD that fits to my budget, and my next motherboard (on my partlist) has SATA III port. My old PC has 128GB sandisk SSD plus, and I had around 20GB of empty space after installing windows and all my apps + some light games. So I guess 500GB is more than enough for all my apps, and I'd have approximately 390-400 GB free space for my main export / import storage. Then I can use my slower 6TB HDD for my secondary / backup storage. I think it's pretty effective that way.

Again, thanks for your input. I appreciate it.







Wow, thanks guys for all these information. The 6700K does have unlocked multiplier.
So does it like... Once I get the highest stable speed by raising voltage and multiplier, I can go higher by raising the FSB clock after that?
If it does, then higher memory clock is always a better choice for OC, isn't it?

What if I only want a highest possible cpu speed with my current components, and I don't want (or simply can't afford) any memory higher than 2133mhz?




I've read about the "silicon lottery" on multiple OC'ing guide, and some says that the earlier CPU batch - mostly those from malaysia almost always worse for OC compared to costa rica CPU, but some says it depends on luck too. No wonder why it's called 'lottery'.

Also, pardon my english, I'm not from US, but I was using USD to make it easier.
 
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William Henrickson

William Henrickson

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On Intel it is preferred to use the Multiplier to OC, and leave the BCLK at 100MHz for 100% functionality. I don't see any reason to change it. It will be easier to hit higher clocks with lower speed RAM, but 2133 is easy for your CPU either way. IMO using XMP, and keeping VCORE below 1.3v is the way to go.
 
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