[Solved] 2600k + Z68 + Stock CPU fan

Good Morning TH community -

I'm looking for some direction regarding my set-up and safely overclocking it - particulary opinions on how high I can go with stock CPU fan

My Set up: ( the chip/mobo are brand new)
ASUS P8Z68 VPro Gen3
i7 2600k
GTX 460 (v2) DDR5 1GB
8GB (2x4) Kingston Hyperx @ 1600
Antec HC 620W

I have AIDA 64 Extreme and use that to monitor temps/voltage and utilize the stability test.

I'm sure many of you are aware of how easy it is to OC with my mobo. While this mobo came with the ASUS II suite software, I still OC in the BIOS and do not use the software - or even have it installed.

When choosing OC mode in the BIOS, it OCs the chip up to 4.5 GHZ. Is this considered safe with the stock cpu fan? Or do they assume you have upgraded that? The reason I ask is because my cores temps get really hot, really fast (they average around 70C after a few min of the AIGA stress test). Also, after a couple hours of playing League of Legends I did get a BSOD. So I dropped the multiplier down to 4.4 and haven't seen one since. Is there any chance my PSU isn't meeting power demands?

I did look at the stickies and perhaps I missed my answer. Feel free to direct me to any posts that may help me.
Thanks in advance!

Temps for your CPU should not go beyond 72.6°C despite of the CPU cooler.

The PSU is enough for your GTX 460 -- it isn´t in SLI, is it? If it is, then you may need a more powerful PSU for the SLI and OC. If it isn´t in a SLI config, then the PSU should be enough.

Anyway if your GPU is not in SLI, then it might be bottlenecking your CPU in demanding games.

If you want a moderated OC then get a COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103099

For a more agressive OC get a Noctua NH-D14 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835608018

never overclock with a stock cooler..bad BAD idea i would look into the 212+ push pull or 212 evo or even a noctua, if its in your budget id look into the corsair h series aswell seen many people stabel at 4.5ghz with the h100 and still keep pretty cool for its price point . if your looking into watercooling tho id checkout the rasa 360 entrylevel kit
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] html#blank


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835181017

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065
AND DONT SKIMP ON THERMAL PASTE i see so many people do this and not get good temps only because of budget thhermal paste id say artic silver 5 or something along the lines of it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835100007
also be sure to have a good amount of airflow through your case as well

He was referring to OCing with the stock cpu fan, not an aftermarket one. He just didnt puncuate properly and thus looks like hes calling the 212+ bad. I knew what he meant.

No problem, I am happy we agree on that then.

Of course you can OC without an aftermarket cooler, you just have to make sure your voltages & temps are within spec.
Will you be able to overclock as high as an aftermarket cooler?.... with the same temps or noise levels? no way. Thats why youd want to overclock on an aftermarket cooler.

Best answer selected by oste0130.