Overclock i5-3570K with BIOSTAR H61MGC Mobo?

[HarrisonTZ]

Hey guys. So I am putting together a nice gaming rig, and most of the parts have yet to arrive from Newegg. I am planning on using it for intense gaming (Crysis, Skyrim, BF3, Fallout 3, etc.), so I figured overclocking is going to help with performance. But honestly, this is my first ever build, and I am a newbie in the hardware scene. I want to know if it will be possible to overclock (maybe to around 4.4-4.5GHz) with my setup. Of course, I'm not even sure if OC'ing will make much of a difference for my gaming purposes. If you think it will make a significant enough difference, here are my specs:

Spoiler

MOBO: BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138332

CPU: Core i5-3570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

RAM:Team Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313123

GFX: XFX GTX 260
Already own

Case: NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black ---1 fan; did not purchase a separate one; should I use another?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075


HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Own

PSU: RAIDMAX Blackstone series RX-700AC 700W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152042

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

How far, if at all, should and can I overclock? Also, what kind of performance do you think I should get, stock, in some newer games? Thanks a lot guys!

 

[amuffin]

You won't be able to use the processor at all. Ivybridge processors are not supported on the H61 chipset without a BIOS update.

 

[HarrisonTZ]

You won't be able to use the processor at all. Ivybridge processors are not supported on the H61 chipset without a BIOS update.

Are you sure? I looked it up, and it does say that it supports 2nd gen i5, but since my card is a 3rd gen... How would I get it to work?

UPDATE: I looked at the MOBO's CPU compatibility page, and my CPU is listed.

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=547

 

[amuffin]

It's only listed because they tested it with the most recent BIOS. Your board isn't shipped with that bios because it's an H61 board, which means it was made that BIOS.

You'll need to update the bios with a second generation core series CPU or hope that it boots up and "attempt" to update it.

 

[amuffin]

Also, you won't be able to overclock easily on the H61 chipset.

 

[HarrisonTZ]

Also, you won't be able to overclock easily on the H61 chipset.

Is it likely that it will boot up? And how would I update it without a hard drive?

 

[amuffin]

I have no idea, you just have to hope for the best


However, you can try this:
DL most recent BIOS onto a USB
Put USB in and try flashing the BIOS through the BIOS screens.

 

[HarrisonTZ]

Best answer selected by HarrisonTZ.

 

[HarrisonTZ]

I have no idea, you just have to hope for the best


However, you can try this:
DL most recent BIOS onto a USB
Put USB in and try flashing the BIOS through the BIOS screens.

It ended up working. Guess it was shipped with the latest firmware, cause I had no problems.

 

[amuffin]

Congrats, but you won't be able to OC

 

[Graphite946]

Sad waste of a "K" processor...

It should have "clicked" when you read the reviews, and everyone was utilizing cheap sandy-bridge I5's.

Good luck with that ram speed, 1333 has quickly been left behind. I rarely see a setup with a motherboard as the bottleneck, but I seem to see something new everyday. BTW, that ram you bought is very, very overpriced. A good name brand, with a much higher speed would only be 5-10$ more.

And your GPU leaves a lot to be desired, in fact, your onboard graphics with the 3570K will be better than your 260GTX.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1252617/bf3-on-a-gtx-260

 

[Graphite946]

BTW...

Look at the reviews for that PSU....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-152-042&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

You won't need 700watts anyways, but anything that has reviews exclaiming in more than one entry that it causes fires, I would stay far, far away.

Edit: an amazing deal to hop on while it's on sale

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

 

[nathancancraft]

im in the exact same spot that this guy is same processor but saw you guys say it was a waste of a k processor i was sorta wondering if a b75 chipset would let me overclock(first build by the way).

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

im in the exact same spot that this guy is same processor but saw you guys say it was a waste of a k processor i was sorta wondering if a b75 chipset would let me overclock(first build by the way).

No. P67, Z68, Z75, or Z77 only (really, only Z75 or Z77, if you're using an Ivy Bridge CPU).