ASRock z97 extreme4

[Connydom]

Hey guys please help me as i am quite concerned.

I recently purchased an ASRock z97 extreme4 (3 minutes ago) and i noticed the vga max shared memory was 1792mb, for which i want to know about.
How do i disable this? Or take it to the minimum because i have an r9 290 with 4gigs ddr5 so i dont need that shared memory, i would like to keep my ram for my core (i5 4690k)
Please help with this, and im also looking to overclock my core, whats a safe overclock since im very new to pc

 

[Tradesman1]

VGA max is probably the max allowed if using the on-board iGPU in your CPU - most 4690Ks should hit around 4.5 anyway. It can vary from one CPU to another, if you got a good one 4.8 isn't out of the question

 

[RuinedXJake]

VGA max is probably the max allowed if using the on-board iGPU in your CPU - most 4690Ks should hit around 4.5 anyway. It can vary from one CPU to another, if you got a good one 4.8 isn't out of the question

At 4.8 Ghz, cooling is a major factor for this setup. For long term loads, you don't want the cpu temps above about 80-82C, and to achieve 4.8 with stability, the voltage must be increased a bit.

To do that, your thermal dissipation will be more dramatic, and the cooling system would need to keep up with the dissipation, or else your CPU get's way too hot. I would say at that point you need at least an h80i if not going to 240 mm systems.

 

[Solrac Oreca]

I'm new to PC too. I'm planning to get a Z97 board and the 4690K for future proofing (like overclocking when I need the performance? I don't really know how overclocking is needed when you just bought the CPU)
I'm curious if it's necessary to immediately overclock your new CPU or is just how people crave for free performance?

I'm asking this because I don't want to void any warranty when it's new.. giving it time (maybe 3 or more years) before I claim that 'free performance' overclocking gives you.

 

[RuinedXJake]

I'm new to PC too. I'm planning to get a Z97 board and the 4690K for future proofing (like overclocking when I need the performance? I don't really know how overclocking is needed when you just bought the CPU)
I'm curious if it's necessary to immediately overclock your new CPU or is just how people crave for free performance?

I'm asking this because I don't want to void any warranty when it's new.. giving it time (maybe 3 or more years) before I claim that 'free performance' overclocking gives you.

Unless you have a reason to overclock, there is no need at this point. It won't make anything open faster, or run significantly faster than you are used to. However, if you do need it, credit for this link goes to Fudoka711

http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/complete-overclocking-guide-sandy-bridge-ivy-bridge-asrock-edition

to start off, with a graphics card, you should not be using any onboard video. So you are doing something wrong I think. You do have the video connection plugged into the graphics card I hope, right? Secondly, depending on what you are doing, you may not even want to overclock your system. I OC'd mine to 4GHz, but I have all the intel features that downthrottle the processor when no loads are present , ALL ACTIVATED. This doesn't save much power, but it might increase the life in my processor, and thermal paste, before I have to get a new batch on there, when I compare my speed to what other people are doing.

If you want to OC for gaming, save the effort, it's not worth it. You won't see any improvement, as intel already is top dog. To OC and maintain high loads, you need better cooling than the stock cooler. I would recommend an extremely affordable AND EFFECTIVE Coolermaster hyper 212 evo. They are less than $35 USD, but even cheaper from ebay. Get arctic silver 5 thermal paste, or anything because it doesn't matter really. Please get paste, not arctic alumina epoxy, haha that will ruin your whole system. But if you have the proper cooling, and are video converting, encoding, etc., then here is how I would do it:

in the BIOS, I would recommend speedstep and turboboost both enabled. This allows your PC to get faster, and slower when the PC is under a stressful load, or is idleing. I believe speedstep can bring the clock speed down to 800MHz when idle, and mine is doing it. It alllows performance, and power saving.

Set the clock speed to a practical x40 or x42 somewhere in there.

Depending on your cooling, you may have to sacrifice power saving for stability. but if good cooling and not much of a need for power saving is the case, I would keep the voltage on auto, so it lowers on less load and increases on high load. The problem with auto voltage (cpu core voltage that should be around 1.20-1.25 so you know you are modifying the right one) is that on high loads, the mobo gives you unrealistically high voltages which makes a lot of heat. you could try to follow the link guide I had given in this post, to find out what your system can handle (the highest clock with a lowest voltage) because every CPU is different, or just stick with what I am saying.

speedstep, turbo core enabled, auto voltage, good cooling, multiplier at x40 - 44 for normal (base) clock. You don't need to mess with the cache. This increases the performance with turbo core and base core, while not overhauling your system.

P.S. I scored a noctua NH-D14 for $70, which is one of the best air coolers. I would recommend it if SPACE AND TALL RAM IS not an issue. 240mm liquid cooling is popular because it has no stress on the motherboard, may or may not be more quiet (my HDD and optical drive is the loudest thing on my system) than your system, and has very good cooling powers. Prime95 has my FFT stress test temperature never hitting 70C, which is very acceptable. the 212 evo will perform very similarly if not better for LIGHT overclocking.

 

[Solrac Oreca]

I'm new to PC too. I'm planning to get a Z97 board and the 4690K for future proofing (like overclocking when I need the performance? I don't really know how overclocking is needed when you just bought the CPU)
I'm curious if it's necessary to immediately overclock your new CPU or is just how people crave for free performance?

I'm asking this because I don't want to void any warranty when it's new.. giving it time (maybe 3 or more years) before I claim that 'free performance' overclocking gives you.

Unless you have a reason to overclock, there is no need at this point. It won't make anything open faster, or run significantly faster than you are used to. However, if you do need it, credit for this link goes to Fudoka711

http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/complete-overclocking-guide-sandy-bridge-ivy-bridge-asrock-edition

to start off, with a graphics card, you should not be using any onboard video. So you are doing something wrong I think. You do have the video connection plugged into the graphics card I hope, right? Secondly, depending on what you are doing, you may not even want to overclock your system. I OC'd mine to 4GHz, but I have all the intel features that downthrottle the processor when no loads are present , ALL ACTIVATED. This doesn't save much power, but it might increase the life in my processor, and thermal paste, before I have to get a new batch on there, when I compare my speed to what other people are doing.

If you want to OC for gaming, save the effort, it's not worth it. You won't see any improvement, as intel already is top dog. To OC and maintain high loads, you need better cooling than the stock cooler. I would recommend an extremely affordable AND EFFECTIVE Coolermaster hyper 212 evo. They are less than $35 USD, but even cheaper from ebay. Get arctic silver 5 thermal paste, or anything because it doesn't matter really. Please get paste, not arctic alumina epoxy, haha that will ruin your whole system. But if you have the proper cooling, and are video converting, encoding, etc., then here is how I would do it:

in the BIOS, I would recommend speedstep and turboboost both enabled. This allows your PC to get faster, and slower when the PC is under a stressful load, or is idleing. I believe speedstep can bring the clock speed down to 800MHz when idle, and mine is doing it. It alllows performance, and power saving.

Set the clock speed to a practical x40 or x42 somewhere in there.

Depending on your cooling, you may have to sacrifice power saving for stability. but if good cooling and not much of a need for power saving is the case, I would keep the voltage on auto, so it lowers on less load and increases on high load. The problem with auto voltage (cpu core voltage that should be around 1.20-1.25 so you know you are modifying the right one) is that on high loads, the mobo gives you unrealistically high voltages which makes a lot of heat. you could try to follow the link guide I had given in this post, to find out what your system can handle (the highest clock with a lowest voltage) because every CPU is different, or just stick with what I am saying.

speedstep, turbo core enabled, auto voltage, good cooling, multiplier at x40 - 44 for normal (base) clock. You don't need to mess with the cache. This increases the performance with turbo core and base core, while not overhauling your system.

P.S. I scored a noctua NH-D14 for $70, which is one of the best air coolers. I would recommend it if SPACE AND TALL RAM IS not an issue. 240mm liquid cooling is popular because it has no stress on the motherboard, may or may not be more quiet (my HDD and optical drive is the loudest thing on my system) than your system, and has very good cooling powers. Prime95 has my FFT stress test temperature never hitting 70C, which is very acceptable. the 212 evo will perform very similarly if not better for LIGHT overclocking.

I actually first planned to get the i5-4460 together with an ASRock H97 Pro4 but I decided I need this build to last at least 3-7 years with individual parts being upgraded overtime because of that, I'm now leaning towards learning and experiencing overclocking knowing its disadvantages in exchange for free performance and as you've mentioned, heating issues from the CPU or motherboard.

I appreciate the overclocking tips and guide and I hope some of this applies to non-ASRock boards as I am interested in getting the MSI G55 SLI (Any thoughts would be appreciated regarding this mobo) instead because I was doubtful with ASRock's reputation with longevity and that it 'bricks' overtime but given I am also doubtful with MSI's quality being 'lower' (probably hardware breakage or more BIOS corruption problems) compared to ASRock's hardware.

I know that there are other brand options for the same price but Asus boards, being a good brand, is too expensive in nearby markets and as for Gigabyte, I would appreciate suggestions to compete with the Z97 Extreme4.

I appreciate further clarifications and the OC tips can be handy when I'm done with the build. thanks

 

[RuinedXJake]

[/quotemsg]
I actually first planned to get the i5-4460 together with an ASRock H97 Pro4 but I decided I need this build to last at least 3-7 years with individual parts being upgraded overtime because of that, I'm now leaning towards learning and experiencing overclocking knowing its disadvantages in exchange for free performance and as you've mentioned, heating issues from the CPU or motherboard.

I appreciate the overclocking tips and guide and I hope some of this applies to non-ASRock boards as I am interested in getting the MSI G55 SLI (Any thoughts would be appreciated regarding this mobo) instead because I was doubtful with ASRock's reputation with longevity and that it 'bricks' overtime but given I am also doubtful with MSI's quality being 'lower' (probably hardware breakage or more BIOS corruption problems) compared to ASRock's hardware.

I know that there are other brand options for the same price but Asus boards, being a good brand, is too expensive in nearby markets and as for Gigabyte, I would appreciate suggestions to compete with the Z97 Extreme4.

I appreciate further clarifications and the OC tips can be handy when I'm done with the build. thanks

[/quotemsg]

The z97 extreme4 has a great reputation, the z97 lineup has only been around since 2014 ish I believe. Reports of bricking in time don't make much sense to me. But I am here to help, not argue, so I would say MSI and ASRock are great competitors. You cannot go wrong either way. I don't know much about that board, except that the ASRock supports 3 way crossfire, 2 way SLI, and the MSI board only has 2 PCI x16 slots.

The only improvements I heard that the newer z97 extreme board have are newer audio capacitors and different heatsinks (with not much more improvement). That means that for z97, the extreme4 pretty much has it all down.

As long as you don't get a $100 board, you'll be fine. $140 ish up seems to be right for z97s. The PSU is also pretty important, I got a corsair CX 750 which is mid range, but you could get a better series. Seasonic is a great brand. UPS PSUs are the most expensive and the best on the market. As for CPUs, each one is different and hit and miss for "best" performance.

4690k is minimum if you want it to last 7 years. you will need the 212 evo or better to last that long.

 

[RuinedXJake]

I actually first planned to get the i5-4460 together with an ASRock H97 Pro4 but I decided I need this build to last at least 3-7 years with individual parts being upgraded overtime because of that, I'm now leaning towards learning and experiencing overclocking knowing its disadvantages in exchange for free performance and as you've mentioned, heating issues from the CPU or motherboard.

I appreciate the overclocking tips and guide and I hope some of this applies to non-ASRock boards as I am interested in getting the MSI G55 SLI (Any thoughts would be appreciated regarding this mobo) instead because I was doubtful with ASRock's reputation with longevity and that it 'bricks' overtime but given I am also doubtful with MSI's quality being 'lower' (probably hardware breakage or more BIOS corruption problems) compared to ASRock's hardware.

I know that there are other brand options for the same price but Asus boards, being a good brand, is too expensive in nearby markets and as for Gigabyte, I would appreciate suggestions to compete with the Z97 Extreme4.

I appreciate further clarifications and the OC tips can be handy when I'm done with the build. thanks

[/quotemsg]

Also, just so you know, you really want a UEFI motherboard. You can use your mouse, it's in 1920x1080 res, it works really well. Gigabyte sells high performance and budget stuff, unfortunately my last AMD PC had a budget gigabyte board with all sorts of problems. Honestly though, this board or an ASUS are on par, and you cannot go wrong.

 

[RuinedXJake]

UEFI BIOS, I mean, which the extreme4 and a lot of ASUSes have.