Best software to stress test i5 7600k for stable overclock ?

dhruvky94 · Feb 1, 2017

Hi,

I tried to test my i5 7600k overclock using prime95 28.9, however the temperature reached 95C(for like one sec, came down to 78C) and I stopped the test immediately. Is there any chance I could have damaged my CPU?

From the post here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3307222/7600k-overclock-question.html, I infer we should not use prime95 to stress test anymore? Is there any other good software that I can use? If so, is there a guide to do so? I am sorry, pretty new to this

Here are my specs:

Case: corsair 460x (With three front intake fans, one back exhaust and one upward exhaust)
PSU: seasonic s12ii 620 Bronze
Motherboard: MSI Z270 Gaming M3
CPU: Intel Core i5 7600K
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster 212 LED Cooler
RAM: 16GB DDR-4 2300 MHz
GPU: Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Extreme
SSD: BootDrive : Samsung 750 EVO 250 GB, Secondary: Samsung 860 EVO 500 GB
Windows 10 64Bit
Bangalore, India

Also, I am using MSI's automatic overclocking (aka Game Mode) for 4.5 Ghz. Is my cooler sufficient for this? Should I try manual overclocking?

Thanks a lot in advance

MeanMachine41 · Feb 1, 2017

Hi dhruvky94

Yes you should always Overclock with the Bios and not third party software.

I use AIDA64 and HWMonitor when stress testing my systems. P95 is a torture for your CPU and does not test your sub systems.
Another good tester is Realbench which is a real-world tester. If you can pass that test then consider your system 24/7 stable. You can also compare results with other comparable builds on the leader board.
Air cooling would be insufficient for the higher OCs.

Multipack · Feb 1, 2017

Never, ever use Prime95 beyone version 26.6. It will cause unrealistically high temperatures and potentially damage your chip[. See section 12 here http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html Same goes for AIDA64. Its irresponsible to use them.

Manual overclocking is always preferred but MSI OC Mode is ok to begin with as doing it manually can be more complicated.

Use software like Intel XTU, Passmark, Real Bench or the Small FFTs test on Prime version 26.6 or earlier, but as long as you have your CPU running at 100% you'll get a general idea. A CPU can be tested in various ways though so its a good idea to mix it up a bit. Real world testing like gaming and video encoding is a valid approach too.

Your cooler should be fine but monitor temps at all time with HWInfo or CoreTemp.

dhruvky94 · Feb 1, 2017

Hi,

Thanks for the quick responses

I aim to get 4.8 Ghz stable (that sounds like the sweet spot for gaming, I have always used BIOS itself for overclocking). Do you guys have any suggestions what I should change in BIOS manually besides CPU multiplier to achieve 4.8 Ghz ? Will leaving CPU voltage to auto suffice? Also, will these components support 4.8 Ghz:

1) My seasonic s12ii 620 Bronze PSU
2) Cooler Master 212 LED with EXTRA COOLER MASTER SickleFlox X Fan

After your suggestions, I have decided to use RealBench for stress testing. How long do you think I should do it for?

Thanks,
Dhruv Kumar

Multipack · Feb 1, 2017

You won't need 4.8GHz for gaming as there isn't a GPU that needs that much CPU horsepower really, and to prolong the life of your chip you should really only overclock it when it's a clear bottleneck in your system. If it IS locked at 100% then sure, crank it up a bit. If you are a sports overclocker then you will have the appropriate disregard for your hardware no doubt.

Never use auto voltage when raising the multiplier. It leaves the CPU to demand what it likes from the board, regardless of safety. Anything up to 1.4 with a slight LLC offset should suffice. You wont need to change much else I doubt. See if you can get it stable with just thosde couple of settings.

The PSU is totally fine. The cooler should be ok.

Stress overclocks for prolongued periods of time - couple of hours at least, plus like I say, use a few different methods to put load on your system to ensure all aspects are stable. If you start getting BSOD's then wind it back a bit until you get stability.

dhruvky94 · Feb 1, 2017

Multipack :

Hi,

I agreed with your point that 4.5 Ghz CPU should suffice for gaming. However, during watch dogs 2 my fps sometimes falls down to 50 fps in some areas. I looked it up and found it is a CPU heavy game and figured 4.8 Ghz should help

Also, MSI gaming mode from BIOS uses auto voltage mode for the 4.5 Ghz overclock. Should I disable that?

Thanks,
Dhruv Kumar

Multipack · Feb 1, 2017

Well check CPU usage and see if its hitting 100% If it is then an overclock will help. Watch Dogs is a GPU killer on max settings. Is almost the most demanding game I've played yet.

MSI gaming app might use auto voltage, but thats why its a good idea not to use software to OC. It's configured by them to be safe so I wouldnt worry too much, but always best to do it in your BIOS. 4.5GHz is not too heavy and the voltage shouldnt go too crazy.

dhruvky94 · Feb 1, 2017

Multipack :

I am not using MSI's gaming app but using Gaming MODE which is present in BIOS. It is sort of an auto-OC mode for MSI gaming motherboards. Also, would you recommend balanced mode or performance mode for Windows?

Thanks a lot,
Dhruv Kumar

burnhamjs · Feb 1, 2017

Multipack has provided you a lot of good info. I would re-iterate on of his points - take it off auto vcore and put a manual voltage in. I understand the Gaming Mode in BIOS is using AUTO Voltage - but you can see what settings this mode is applying and manual enter them. Auto voltage usually provides more vcore (and therefore heat) then is necessary. Have you monitored vcore & temps in HWMonitor while you OC?

WIth regards to software to stress test I use OCCT-Small to check max temperatures and OCCT-Large to check stability.

dhruvky94 · Feb 1, 2017

Hi,

Going by the recommendations in this forum and googling around, I used three tools to benchmark: RealBench, Intel XTU and passMark.

Following where the resultant benchmarks:

Realbench: http://imgur.com/yfY2MEG
IntelXTU: http://imgur.com/3h3NJXd
passMark: http://imgur.com/W61bMcz

RealBench resulted in fairly high temperatures: 86C

Should I change my CPU cooler or some setting? The system stayed fairly stable. This was on MSI Gaming Mode (4.5 Ghz).

Thanks,
Dhruv Kumar

burnhamjs · Feb 1, 2017

dhruvky94 :

Yes, those temps are fairly high. If you used a manual vcore vice the auto setting as Multipack and I advised you could likely find stability with a lower vcore which would bring the temps down.

Multipack · Feb 1, 2017

Yup agreed. Anything over 75c is getting dangerous, and it looks like the cooler may be letting you down because I have a power hungry i7 that doesnt hit those temps at 4.5GHz.

You dont actually have your voltage in any of those pics. VID is the CPU's request, not the board's delivery (vCore). The disparity is made up for with LLC offsets to prevent vDroop and resulting BSODs due to lack of voltage.

And yeah I know which OC mode you mean now (the big circle button in the top left corner in BIOS). You do have a slight temp issue, so I'd either mnually clock it a bit lower than 4.5 or get a different cooler. See what your CPU usage is in game to really establish if it even needs to be OC'd.

dhruvky94 · Feb 2, 2017

Oh sorry about the wrong screenshots. I can confirm MSI OC mode is turning my CPU voltage to 1.3 V for 4.5 Ghz. I think that is too high and 1.25 V should get me 4.8 Ghz going by other people's reports. Do you think adding another fan to the 212 cooler would help? Or should I just throw this away and get a liquid cooler? If so, any good liquid cooler that you would suggest? (Not very expensive)

burnhamjs · Feb 2, 2017

dhruvky94 :

Just because somebody else got 4.8Ghz with a 1.25Vcore doesn’t mean you will be able to with you piece of silicon.

Addding another fan to the EVO212 in a push-pull configuration will only provide 1-2 degrees additional cooling. A liquid cooler would help – but unless you want to take manual control of your OC then it’s hard to say if 4.8GHz is a realistic goal.

dhruvky94 · Feb 3, 2017

Hi,

So after a lot of experimentation, I got

4.7 Ghz at 1.192V with Mode 4 of LCC
4.2 Ghz ring ratio
Max temperature in RealBench after 2 hrs: 77C

Am I good to go? Also I noticed my mouse would start lagging a lot in real bench test. But that should be due to 100% CPU right? Or is there any cause for alarm? It's so laggy it's difficult to stop the test

Verbrannt · Feb 3, 2017

It can BSOD after 4 hours, or after 24 hours in stress tests.
Or it can BSOD with another type of CPU load (like playing games).
Just try to play games, use apps, watch videos. Just use your computer.
And after weeks if theres no crashes you may think that OC is stable

dhruvky94 · Feb 3, 2017

Verbrannt :

Should I be worried about the horrible mouse lag while running cineBench ? Is it because GPU is being utilized 100%?

Verbrannt · Feb 3, 2017

dhruvky94 :

Don't worry about it. Mouse lag is common for some stress tests.
If system is not crashing during tests & normal using (games, apps), and CPU temp is below 80C, all is ok.

Best software to stress test i5 7600k for stable overclock ?

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