First time Overclocking - please help me

[JasonJJJ]

Hi All,

I am very excited to attempt my first overclock but I am also a little nervous because I have never attempted this before and I'm not sure exactly what to do...

The way I understand it, I just need to remove my old CPU, install my new CPU and Cooler, turn the computer on and enter the Bios. Within the bios I disable turbo boost (not sure where), raise the vcore to 1.2v and raise the multiplier to 42 (which translates to 4.2GHz).

Is the above correct?

Do I need to update anything with my motherboard (i keep hearing the term "flash the bios").

Also, do I need to check my computer temperatures somewhere or keep an eye on it somehow so that the comp doesn't blow up?

My current build is below:

Processor: I just bought a brand new Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge. I currently have an i5-2300 Sandy Bridge so I will be swapping that out for the i7-2700K.

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 (will need to install with the 2700K).

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4UF2DZ6565

Power: CORSAIR CX Series CX600 600W

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW+ w/ACX 2.0+

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3(R2.0) LGA 1155 Intel Z68

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128538

Memory: 16 gig (Two G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

Hard Drive: 500 gig SSD

Monitor: BenQ 2430 (but thinking about getting the Asus ROG SWIFT PG248Q (not sure which monitor is better)).

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014576


Thanks so much for your help!



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[10tacle]

Wow you were able to find a 5 year old chip brand new unused? That's pretty rare. Overall the build looks fine. I am still using my trusty i5 2500K gaming PC as my backup 1080p gamer.

Now regarding flashing the motherboard for a BIOS update, the last "official" BIOS listed apparently was "FD" released on 2012/03/21 for increased USB 3.0 device compatibility. The only other one listed that showed specifically for a CPU was the one before it "FC" on 2012/02/21 for Ivy Bridge CPUs, which is not pertinent to you.

Regarding temp monitoring, download and use the free program from CPUID "Hardware Monitor." Regarding settings, make sure you set the CPU voltage to "adaptive" so the motherboard will not constantly juice the CPU with 1.2v when it is not necessary like during idle or other non-loading events. You should find all this info in the manual.

Good luck and happy overclocking! That cooler is a top performer too for the value, only being a few degrees behind my Noctua NH-D14 in mild to medium overclocking speeds.

 

[JasonJJJ]

Wow you were able to find a 5 year old chip brand new unused? That's pretty rare. Overall the build looks fine. I am still using my trusty i5 2500K gaming PC as my backup 1080p gamer.

Now regarding flashing the motherboard for a BIOS update, the last "official" BIOS listed apparently was "FD" released on 2012/03/21 for increased USB 3.0 device compatibility. The only other one listed that showed specifically for a CPU was the one before it "FC" on 2012/02/21 for Ivy Bridge CPUs, which is not pertinent to you.

Regarding temp monitoring, download and use the free program from CPUID "Hardware Monitor." Regarding settings, make sure you set the CPU voltage to "adaptive" so the motherboard will not constantly juice the CPU with 1.2v when it is not necessary like during idle or other non-loading events. You should find all this info in the manual.

Good luck and happy overclocking! That cooler is a top performer too for the value, only being a few degrees behind my Noctua NH-D14 in mild to medium overclocking speeds.

Hi 10tacle,

Yup, the seller on ebay had two brand new unopened 2700K's (he sold one to me for $160 USD and the other one was sold for $212 USD through a bidding war). The CPU arrived and looks legit but I was curious as well as to how he could have brand new unopened 2700K's...

So it doesn't appear that I need to flash the motherboard in my case and I can leave as it currently is, do you agree? Do i need increased USB 3.0 device capability?

Do my overclocking steps below look accurate?

1. I just need to remove my old CPU.
2. Install my new CPU and Cooler.
3. Turn the computer on and enter the Bios.
4. Within the bios I disable turbo boost (not sure where).
5. I raise the vcore to 1.2v.
6. I raise the multiplier to 42 (which translates to 4.2GHz).
7. I set the CPU voltage to "adaptive".
8. Restart computer.
9. Download CPUID "Hardware Monitor" software.

Is that all? Am I missing anything?

Thanks!


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[10tacle]

Hi sorry for the late reply. I had to deal with something the past day and have not been able to get back until now.

Yes, that is it. However I would test voltages less than 1.2v. You may be able to get away with say 1.19v or even lower depending on how good your chip is. Also do not forget to use anti-static protection (ground yourself to the PC case when working on it or at the very least do not have feet on a carpet unless in rubber sole shoes).

Regarding the USB 3.0 compatibility, I'd only update the BIOS if I was trying to use a 3.0 device and it was giving errors or not working (or whatever the issues were that prompted the update).

 

[JasonJJJ]

Hi sorry for the late reply. I had to deal with something the past day and have not been able to get back until now.

Yes, that is it. However I would test voltages less than 1.2v. You may be able to get away with say 1.19v or even lower depending on how good your chip is. Also do not forget to use anti-static protection (ground yourself to the PC case when working on it or at the very least do not have feet on a carpet unless in rubber sole shoes).

Regarding the USB 3.0 compatibility, I'd only update the BIOS if I was trying to use a 3.0 device and it was giving errors or not working (or whatever the issues were that prompted the update).

Perfect timing, my cooler just arrived 30 minutes ago and was about to start the process. I don't have any anti-static protection, I was just going to install on a wood floor wearing rubber soul sneakers. Is that ok?


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[10tacle]

Yeah that's fine. Just make sure that floor is dust free. Done exactly that myself.

 

[JasonJJJ]

Yeah that's fine. Just make sure that floor is dust free. Done exactly that myself.

Excellent, thanks again for your help!

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[10tacle]

FYI I'm not sure what time zone you are in (I'm on eastern) but I'm getting ready to head out soon for dinner and a show, so I will be offline for most of the rest of the night.

 

[10tacle]

I got your PM notification sometime today but I don't go through that. We like to keep a thread public so others can can potentially see a fix for a similar reported issue they search for. In any event, I'm not specifically familiar with Gigabyte BIOS (I strictly buy ASUS). While the basics are similar across the different makes, each has their own unique way of doing things.

I did look at the manual BIOS menu access instructions (download here for PDF, instructions for that starts on p32: http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-z68ap-d3_v2.x_e.pdf ), but unless I actually had that PC to fiddle around with, there's not much I can advise other than what to do (not how to do it). I wouldn't want to be responsible for blindly trying to tell you how to do something in a setting and it being the wrong thing! I haven't used that kind of text-based BIOS interface in several years and am rusty (everything now is more of a graphics interface).

Really need to get someone who knows their BIOS layout better for the Z68 motherboards. There is a Tom's Hardware Gigabyte motherboard specific forum here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/30/gigabyte.html. My recommendation would be to try that as a separate thread stating you need help navigating the basics with the settings you want listed here. Someone should give you a quick walkthrough step by step. I'm not sure how fast they will react though. Probably best to resolve-close this thread and go from there. Sorry I couldn't help more but I don't want to risk breaking something. Hope you understand!

 

[JasonJJJ]

I got your PM notification sometime today but I don't go through that. We like to keep a thread public so others can can potentially see a fix for a similar reported issue they search for. In any event, I'm not specifically familiar with Gigabyte BIOS (I strictly buy ASUS). While the basics are similar across the different makes, each has their own unique way of doing things.

I did look at the manual BIOS menu access instructions (download here for PDF, instructions for that starts on p32: http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-z68ap-d3_v2.x_e.pdf ), but unless I actually had that PC to fiddle around with, there's not much I can advise other than what to do (not how to do it). I wouldn't want to be responsible for blindly trying to tell you how to do something in a setting and it being the wrong thing! I haven't used that kind of text-based BIOS interface in several years and am rusty (everything now is more of a graphics interface).

Really need to get someone who knows their BIOS layout better for the Z68 motherboards. There is a Tom's Hardware Gigabyte motherboard specific forum here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/30/gigabyte.html. My recommendation would be to try that as a separate thread stating you need help navigating the basics with the settings you want listed here. Someone should give you a quick walkthrough step by step. I'm not sure how fast they will react though. Probably best to resolve-close this thread and go from there. Sorry I couldn't help more but I don't want to risk breaking something. Hope you understand!

Ok thanks for your help!