[SOLVED] 4790k is overclocking on a non-clockable mobo?

RJGray

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May 14, 2020
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Howdy all!
I've been noticing that my computer has been randomly freezing up at seemingly random times. When watching a netflix show, when playing a flash game, when playing a more modern video game, and even when simply idling. So it seems to be unrelated to workload so far as I can tell.
At rest, my CPU, which is a 4790k, seems to be hovering around 41-45C or 104-112F. Which as I understand is high unless overclocking.

Trouble is, my motherboard, as I'm aware, doesn't support overclocking and never has. And yet, my CPU is running as though OC. my Mobo is a Veriton M2630G or a ECS H81H3-M (I'm not really sure which tbh, but it's micro-ATX sized if that helps at all). The Veriton M2630G mid-sized tower is also the type of case I have my setup in.

So my question is, why is my cpu running so hot if it's running at normal 4.0 GHz speeds when at normal speeds, it should running around the 28-32C or 83-90F range when idle? Or if it's running at 4.4 GHz (the OC for the 4790k as I'm aware) despite the lack of my mobo's support which by all appearances seems to be, how do I tell for sure, and how can I stop or adjust it? (There's no setting in the bios that I can find for OC either, so that method's likely a bust btw)

Finally, if this isn't the reason for the random computer freezes, which is my primary concern, what is and how do I fix it?

Ambient room temp is around 20-21C or 67-70F and I've got air cooling for my case. I'm fairly certain that temps aren't my problem here, as my CPU is running as though OC without my permission when it shouldn't be able to OC in the first place.
 
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Solution
You presume I have a Linux live cd. Or another OS for that matter... I only have windows 10 for an OS, and have never really been able to figure out how to add or swap OS in general without hard-formatting my only SSD and replacing the existing OS.
A live cd is super easy and doesn't touch anything you currently have installed.

Download this and write it to a cd:
https://www.spi.dod.mil/docs/TENS-3.0.1_public.iso

Then put the CD in your system and tell it to boot from the CD drive. Simple as that. After a few minutes a complete linux os running in ram will come up. See if it crashes.

RJGray

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What cpu cooler do you have and what case it may be thermal throttling
It's a b-gears 2 ball bearing blaster. It runs at a constant 3700 RPM as I do not have a mobo that allows cpu fan control. I've also got my pc next to an AC that runs at 65-70F year round depending on whether I'm home or not, making an ambient temp year round that is steady at 20-21C rounded to nearest whole. I've also got the 2 gpu fans blowing at a minimum of 1700 rpm each to help stimulate air flow that ramp up to around 3700 each when under a full load, and when idle or with small loads, my GPU runs around 41-46C, which is as I understand below average for an RX 590.
Oh, and the case is plastic with a metal inner frame with front, side, and rear vents with plastic and mesh filters (no fans, no glass). Veriton mid-size tower model M2630G if you wish to look it up.
That's the cooling setup I have going currently.
 
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RJGray

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Also, that link and forum thread isn't much help at all. And I've already stated that my ambient temp is around the cool range sitting mainly just below 20C or 67F rounded to nearest whole, and is right next to my AC which is constantly on and should be decreasing the idle temps from 42C to around 27C going off the link within the link presuming my CPU isn't being OC, which it shouldn't be able to with my Mobo as I'm aware.
 
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RJGray

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Besides, I'm talking about my computer freezing. I suspect it's because my CPU is overclocking itself to it's maximum of 4.4 GHz when it's base should be 4.0GHz on a board that doesn't support OC. And I'm seeking a solution to either stop this or at the very least how to stop the OC from continuing without my consent.
My issue is not if the temperature for my undesired overclocking is acceptable. I know it is. The fact it's potentially overclocking without my say isn't though. And the freezing that my pc seems to experience roughly 1-3 times a day now forcing me to hard restart my PC isn't either.
 
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RJGray

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Maybe try getting some case fans that would probably help with airflow and the glitching could be amd's driver issues
  1. I can't add case fans, as there's no slots for them, no place to put them, and further, nowhere for me to plug them in on my mobo. Did you look up the case? Here's a link if not.
  2. My issue, again, is not one of heating issues. I've said that multiple times now.
  3. That would not address my issue of my computer freezing up at random intervals even if it did reduce the temp at idle of my cpu.
  4. That would not address my issue of my CPU overclocking without my permission on a board that shouldn't and doesn't support OC to begin with.
  5. I have an Intel Mobo, Intel H81 chipset, Intel i7-4790k CPU, and an AMD RX 590 GPU. The GPU drivers (the only AMD Drivers in my setup as I'm aware), unless you're leaving something out, should have nothing to do with my CPU's self-OC or my computer's applications.
 

RJGray

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May 14, 2020
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I don't think it is the cpu or cooling. And the easiest way to prove that will be to boot a linux live cd and see if you have any freezes there. If not, it's a windows or other hardware issue (like storage).
You presume I have a Linux live cd. Or another OS for that matter... I only have windows 10 for an OS, and have never really been able to figure out how to add or swap OS in general without hard-formatting my only SSD and replacing the existing OS.
 

bignastyid

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Boost is not considered overclocking and is supported by non overclocking boards. Overclocking would be going beyond the boost clock by raising the multiplier and or blck speed. The 4790k has a max boost of 4.4Ghz.

That veriton case has very poor air flow so the parts in it are going to run hot. It must not be too hot or the cpu would not be boosting and would just run a 4ghz or lower(due to thermal throttling).

For the freezing issue how full is your SSD?
 
You presume I have a Linux live cd. Or another OS for that matter... I only have windows 10 for an OS, and have never really been able to figure out how to add or swap OS in general without hard-formatting my only SSD and replacing the existing OS.
A live cd is super easy and doesn't touch anything you currently have installed.

Download this and write it to a cd:
https://www.spi.dod.mil/docs/TENS-3.0.1_public.iso

Then put the CD in your system and tell it to boot from the CD drive. Simple as that. After a few minutes a complete linux os running in ram will come up. See if it crashes.
 
Solution
Aug 7, 2020
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Check your bios, your motherboard may not support overclocking but it may support cpu boosting - basically it just boosts your CPU as high as possible my motherboard doesn't support overclocking neither does my cpu since it's a non-k but it can be boosted via this feature from 3.6ghz to 4.0ghz, you can also turn this feature off of course if you find it in your bios.
 
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As others have pointed out, the CPU boosting to it's max turbo during certain tasks is not 'overclocking', it is normal...

Until/unless you have issues (temps above 80C) with it under an all-core loading at 4 GHz, worrying about it's idle temps might prove difficult.

What are it's temps under a load such as in CPU-Z/bench/stress CPU after about 15 minutes or so?
 

RJGray

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May 14, 2020
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A live cd is super easy and doesn't touch anything you currently have installed.

Download this and write it to a cd:
https://www.spi.dod.mil/docs/TENS-3.0.1_public.iso

Then put the CD in your system and tell it to boot from the CD drive. Simple as that. After a few minutes a complete linux os running in ram will come up. See if it crashes.

Well I guess before I can do this, I need to buy some blank CDs then... When I get those, dunno when that'll be if I'm honest though, I'll try that out.

Check your bios, your motherboard may not support overclocking but it may support cpu boosting - basically it just boosts your CPU as high as possible my motherboard doesn't support overclocking neither does my cpu since it's a non-k but it can be boosted via this feature from 3.6ghz to 4.0ghz, you can also turn this feature off of course if you find it in your bios.

I checked my Bios, and there's nothing of the sort. No boosting, no overclocking, just the basic options of (in no particular order) what drives to boot from & in what order, set/change admin password, save/exit/discard settings, a page of settings I can't adjust with seemingly random alphanumeric characters, and PC status and temps.

It's not meant for OC or Boosting or anything fancy, as it's the same kind of Mobo/bios that one might find in a middle school PC from 2013.

As others have pointed out, the CPU boosting to it's max turbo during certain tasks is not 'overclocking', it is normal...

Until/unless you have issues (temps above 80C) with it under an all-core loading at 4 GHz, worrying about it's idle temps might prove difficult.

What are it's temps under a load such as in CPU-Z/bench/stress CPU after about 15 minutes or so?

Key words there being "during certain tasks". Not all the time.

Again though, my issue is not the temperatures. I really am getting tired of repeating this in every single reply... It's the fact that my CPU, when idle, is boosting or OC or whatever you call it from it's base of 4.0GHz and is running constantly at 4.4GHz when it, first, shouldn't be able to, second doesn't have any settings allowing such that I'm aware of or can find, and third is doing so without my admin permission.

This is happening all the time too. Not just during heavy loads. Not just when doing specific tasks. It's this way when idle, when watching cartoons at 140p, when watching full HD action movies, when playing flash and html games, when playing full single-player 3D render RPG games at ultra settings, and even when the display is turned off and I'm afk for multiple hours, I return to find it at the same 4.4 GHz.

So please stop thinking my concern is about temps. Cuz it's NOT. I don't know how much clearer I can say that. Thank you.
 
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RJGray

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May 14, 2020
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Boost is not considered overclocking and is supported by non overclocking boards. Overclocking would be going beyond the boost clock by raising the multiplier and or blck speed. The 4790k has a max boost of 4.4Ghz.

That veriton case has very poor air flow so the parts in it are going to run hot. It must not be too hot or the cpu would not be boosting and would just run a 4ghz or lower(due to thermal throttling).

For the freezing issue how full is your SSD?

If that's the case, is there a way to turn that feature off? Because it's running all the time eating up my power and spiking my electric bill. Plus, there's nothing about boosting or OC in my Bios for controlling such, so that's not an option. If it were, I probably wouldn't be asking in the first place, lol.

I mentioned the temps not because it's a problem, as it's not, but as proof that it's performing differently than it should. Plus I went into detail on the cooling setup I have in different posts, and have said multiple times now that cooling and temperatures are NOT my problem.

As for the space on my SSD, it's a 1TB drive and last I checked still has around 300GB of space left. I can get the exact space for you if you'd like later on, but I'm pretty sure I've still got plenty of space on it, and I defrag and deep clean and search for viruses at least once a month. I also power uninstall by random rewrite all files unused for 3+ months at a time.
But would that still cause random freezing of applications? The mouse still moves and isn't frozen, and I can bring up Control Alt Delete though it takes around 20-30 seconds at least after initial pressing, but otherwise it's completely frozen, and only by signing out and signing back in, which closes all applications as I'm aware, will it start working again. If not, usually a hard shut down, waiting for all power to drain completely, then a restart tends to fix it temporarily.
 
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Well I guess before I can do this, I need to buy some blank CDs then... When I get those, dunno when that'll be if I'm honest though, I'll try that out.
You can also write an iso to a usb flash drive using rufus:
 
Aug 7, 2020
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Not sure if you have fixed it or not but in any case I think you should go on YouTube and search your motherboard then type in how to boost GHz on cpu without over clocking or just overall search how to boost CPU ghz without overclocking