What overclock should I aim for with my new 2600k build (rig details i

[tokadub]

OK so with my current build I found it fairly easy to overclock my AMD Phenom II x4 925 from 2.8GHZ to 3.5 GHZ. Could not go any higher and keep it stable, not sure if that was my CPU or my motherboard.

But now I bought a 2600k with this motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792

I am using Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

And this computer case HAF 912:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=HAF%20912

So I know that the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus cooler is cheap, but it did a great job with my AMD build, my cpu temps were never anywhere close to being my limiting factors. And my case the HAF 912 has great airflow so the inside of case should be close to room temperature.

So my question is what kind of overclock should I be aiming for with this set up? I would prefer to sacrifice some MHZ if there is any chance of having to high temperatures or instability. So what is a good overclock speed for my set up?

I am thinking to aim for 4.5 GHZ at first and I am not sure if I should go higher. Is 4.5 GHZ considered a low overclock? Or is 5GHZ range really extreme and hard to obtain?

 

[frogo369]

The link did not work to the motherboard but regardless the hyper 212+ is great cooler especially in a dual fan configuration. Depending on what temperatures you are comfortable with as well as how you validate stability you will have a range of frequencies.

Almost all 2600Ks will hit 4.6GHz without issue even with the cooler you have and a single fan. Keep in mind I would advise an offset voltage as opposed to a fixed manual vid as it will ensure better temperature performance especially as idle and moderate loads. A lot of this has to do with how you define the OC though.

Happy overclocking.

 

[mcnumpty23]

i would aim for 4.5ghz to 4.8ghz

5ghz may require quite a voltage increase and though its possible on air i would personally look to water to do 5ghz+

but evey chip is different and until you try it you wont know how high it will go with what voltage

have a look on clunk website hes got great overclocking guides

 

[tokadub]

Thanks guys. What is the maximum temperature which is considered 100% safe for Intel chips?

 

[tokadub]

I would define stable for me as being able to pass prime 95 tests for at least 10 minutes and basically never crashing no matter what I do with my computer (mainly gaming, video encoding/streaming). I am not one of the guys who stress tests for 12 hours.

 

[nordlead]

From hardforum.com thread/article

"Expectations regarding K series overclocking in general and on ASUS P67 motherboardsPrior to the recommendations on overclocking the K series, I am outlining our results to set expectations.
The results below are based on the range of the CPU turbo multiplier when overclocking.
Results are representative of 100 D2 CPUs that were binned and tested for stability under load; these results will most likely represent retail CPUs.
1. Approximately 50% of CPUs can go up to 4.4~4.5 GHz
2. Approximately 40% of CPUs can go up to 4.6~4.7 GHz
3. Approximately 10% of CPUs can go up to 4.8~5 GHz (50+ multipliers are about 2% of this group)"

So, honestly, I wouldn't expect anything higher than 4.5GHz, but rates above that would be considered a nice bonus. I believe the max temperature is 69.1C or as everyone seems to quote. 70C. You can go above those temperatures, but the general rule of 10C over max halves the expected lifetime of the electronic component would apply.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

I agree with nordlead, aim for 4.5GHz and make sure that you can run it stable at that point and then slowly see if you can reach above that point. The Tcase for the Intel® Core™ i7-2600K is 72.6c, if you can maintian temperatures under this temperature then you are looking good. http://ark.intel.com/products/52214/Intel-Core-i7-2600K-Processor-(8M-Cache-3_40-GHz)

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[tokadub]

Right on. I think I would be happy with 4.5 GHZ this processor seems like it will be amazing. Am excited to try to overclock a Intel build for the first time.

I don't know why I am so paranoid about temperatures so I will probably aim a bit below 69 degrees.