[SOLVED] Can and should i overclock my cpu?

[Khabato]

Hello everyone!
I was looking for help and found this forum.
I got this pc as a package(meaning i didnt choose any parts myself) and assembeled it back in january, im familiar with pcs but im not a pro. Ive heard that overclocking your cpu can get you more performance but i have also read that it voids the waranty and will lead to shorter lifetime of the cpu.
I use my pc daily to play videogames, watch youtube, listen to music and study.
The games that i play are; COD MW, GTA 5, Fortnite, CSGO, Minecraft and PUBG.
Im 17 and got this pc package as a birthday gift and dont want to ruin the pc and the hardware.
So can and should i overclock my cpu based on the information given?
Below is an exact list of all my components.
Thanks for all the help and answers in advance!

CPU	Intel Core i7-9700K Prosessor Socket-LGA1151, 8-Core, 8-Thread, 3.60GHz, Coffee Lake, OEM/Tray,
PSU	Corsair TX650M, 650W PSU ATX 12V v2-4, 80 PLUS Gold, Semi Modular, 6+2-pin PCIe,
MB	ASUS ROG Strix Z390-F GAMING, S-1151 Motherboard, ATX, Z390, DDR4, 2x PCIe-x16, 2x M.2, SupremeFX, Aura Sync,
RAM	HyperX Fury RGB DDR4 2666MHz 16GB 2x8GB 2666MHz (PC4-21300) DDR4 CL16, XMP 2.0. black,
CASE	Phanteks Eclipse P400A RGB Black Fans: 3x120mm RGB, m-ITX, m-ATX, ATX, E-ATX, Tempered Glass,
SSD	Kingston A2000 250GB NVMe M.2 SSD M.2 2280, PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe, 3D NAND, up to 2000/1100MB/s, 150TBW,
GPU	ASUS GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER DUAL EVO Grafikkort, PCI-Express 3.0, 8GB GDDR6, Turing,
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" HDD SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB cache, 3.5",
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edt 115x/2011/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, 650~2000 RPM,65 CFM, 8-30 dBA,

 

[Ralston18]

Start with the following link from within this Forum:

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/overclock-intel-cpu

And more....

https://www.tomshardware.com/topics/overclocking

Get a sense of the "big picture" and then narrow down to your builds specific components; i.e., the Intel i7 CPU etc....

 

[Khabato]

Start with the following link from within this Forum:

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/overclock-intel-cpu

And more....

https://www.tomshardware.com/topics/overclocking

Get a sense of the "big picture" and then narrow down to your builds specific components; i.e., the Intel i7 CPU etc....

Well it seems that my cpu and motherboard allow me to overclock but the question is how do i know if my cooler will be able to keep temperatures down?

 

[Ralston18]

That is where the work begins.

You must delve into the details and specs, look for reviews, stress test results etc..

For the most part if you are careful, start out slow (minimal overclocking), and then increase overclocking within the documented limits you should be able to observe performance and temperatures.

Stay with one set of values for a couple of days to ensure stability. Then go up another step. Gradual process.

Keep notes and at the first sign of trouble: crashes, increasing or high temperatures back off.

Do not make any other changes, install new software, and even pause updates.

By doing so you will be fairly certain that any problem or problems are related to overclocking and not some buggy software or other configuration issue.

 

[vMax]

The 9700K and pretty much all K CPU's are made for overclocking and overclock fairly easy with many guides out there. With the Z390 Strix motherboard, the 9700K should be able to do a 4.8 all core with just a multiplayer change to 48...and you can go further but temps will become more and more of an issue.

But you are right as to whether your cooler is good enough. The Hyper 212 whilst a good cooler probably will not be great for higher than 4.8GHz. The key is to test temps as you overclock. Use Prime95 version 26.6 and Cinebench R20 to test stability and most important temps.

As I said there are some great articles and the overclockers forum where you can find very specific help matched to your motherboard and CPU to get you through...

As Ralston18 has said, take your time and work your way through...it can be greatly satisfying unlocking the potential and you learn a lot.

 

[Khabato]

Thanks Ralston18 and vMax for the info, i will read some articles and watch some videos and then start overclocking one step at a time. I will be sure to use the two programs you recomended and hopefully everything will turn out fine. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Khabato]

The 9700K and pretty much all K CPU's are made for overclocking and overclock fairly easy with many guides out there. With the Z390 Strix motherboard, the 9700K should be able to do a 4.8 all core with just a multiplayer change to 48...and you can go further but temps will become more and more of an issue.

But you are right as to whether your cooler is good enough. The Hyper 212 whilst a good cooler probably will not be great for higher than 4.8GHz. The key is to test temps as you overclock. Use Prime95 version 26.6 and Cinebench R20 to test stability and most important temps.

As I said there are some great articles and the overclockers forum where you can find very specific help matched to your motherboard and CPU to get you through...

As Ralston18 has said, take your time and work your way through...it can be greatly satisfying unlocking the potential and you learn a lot.

Ive looked on the internet a bit and cant seem to find Prime95 version 26.6, do you have a direct link by any chance?

 

[vMax]

Just realised you can download the latest version and then just disable AVX and it will be the same..

 

[vMax]

Think I have found it..
https://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=15504

 

[Khabato]

Think I have found it..
https://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=15504

I found this link too but sadly i get this error when i try to download it.

This site can’t be reached
The webpage at ftp://mersenne.org/gimps/p95v266.zip might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.


ERR_FTP_FAILED
.
I will download the latest version and just disable the AVX like you said.

 

[vMax]

Yes it has been a long time...but just download the latest version and disable AVX and run the blend test first...check temps and stability. You can also download AIDA64 Extreme the trial version and again that will really test your CPU for stability and temps...

In Aida64 extreme go to tools and then run stability test...

I found this link too but sadly i get this error when i try to download it.

This site can’t be reached
The webpage at ftp://mersenne.org/gimps/p95v266.zip might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.


ERR_FTP_FAILED
.
I will download the latest version and just disable the AVX like you said.

 

[Khabato]

Yes it has been a long time...but just download the latest version and disable AVX and run the blend test first...check temps and stability. You can also download AIDA64 Extreme the trial version and again that will really test your CPU for stability and temps...

In Aida64 extreme go to tools and then run stability test...

Alright, thanks!

 

[Karadjgne]

The hyper212 is a 140w cooler. The 9700k is quite capable of 200w at full core locked turbo speeds. Don't expect miracles, not gonna happen on that budget cooler.

Run small fft w/AVX disabled, with the pc at stock values. See where you can get. Then take baby steps like lock all cores. Bump up 100MHz etc. You shouldn't need to even play with voltages.

 

[Khabato]

The hyper212 is a 140w cooler. The 9700k is quite capable of 200w at full core locked turbo speeds. Don't expect miracles, not gonna happen on that budget cooler.

Run small fft w/AVX disabled, with the pc at stock values. See where you can get. Then take baby steps like lock all cores. Bump up 100MHz etc. You shouldn't need to even play with voltages.

Should i maybe invest in a better cooler then?

 

[Zerk2012]

Should i maybe invest in a better cooler then?

I would get a better cooler before overclocking the processor for sure.

 

[Karadjgne]

Always with any OC, bigger ability the better.

 

[vMax]

Yes if you are going to overclock...A better cooler will make quiet a bit of difference at the top end of the overclock...

 

[Khabato]

Allright guys do you have any coolers in mind that arent too expensive($200+)

 

[Karadjgne]

That'll depend entirely on 2 things. Your choice and your case.

I personally prefer liquid coolers, a decent 280mm AIO will work wonders on that cpu, no matter what you end up doing with it, but not all cases fit a 280mm, many newer case designs only fit a 120/240/360mm.

Just as many (I'm clueless as to why) have decided to limit aircoolers to 160mm or less, so doesn't include the top line ability which can hit over 170mm with 140mm fans.

So, your choice, air or liquid, and cpu clearance. Gotta have it 👍

Phanteks p400a digital rgb black : cpu cooler 160mm. 120/140/240/280/360mm AIO.

A little limited on air, but doable, wide open for AIO. That case uses ARGB fans, which is perfect as most aios are ARGB and will work with the Asus Aura Sync.

 

[Khabato]

That'll depend entirely on 2 things. Your choice and your case.

I personally prefer liquid coolers, a decent 280mm AIO will work wonders on that cpu, no matter what you end up doing with it, but not all cases fit a 280mm, many newer case designs only fit a 120/240/360mm.

Just as many (I'm clueless as to why) have decided to limit aircoolers to 160mm or less, so doesn't include the top line ability which can hit over 170mm with 140mm fans.

So, your choice, air or liquid, and cpu clearance. Gotta have it 👍

Phanteks p400a digital rgb black : cpu cooler 160mm. 120/140/240/280/360mm AIO.

A little limited on air, but doable, wide open for AIO. That case uses ARGB fans, which is perfect as most aios are ARGB and will work with the Asus Aura Sync.

Im a little bit confused honestly. The case you mentioned is the case i have, i belive i can fit a 280mm AIO right?

 

[Karadjgne]

Yes. You can fit a 240mm or 280mm or 360mm. There's other cases with almost identical design that do not fit a 280mm, only the 240mm/360mm because that's 2x 120mm or 3x 120mm fans. A 280mm AIO is 140mm fans.

The Phanteks p300 for instance, does fit 240/280mm in front only, but not a 360mm.

For liquid cooling, you got a very adaptable case. For aircooling, it's a little more limited by its maximum 160mm clearance.

 

[Khabato]

Yes. You can fit a 240mm or 280mm or 360mm. There's other cases with almost identical design that do not fit a 280mm, only the 240mm/360mm because that's 2x 120mm or 3x 120mm fans. A 280mm AIO is 140mm fans.

The Phanteks p300 for instance, does fit 240/280mm in front only, but not a 360mm.

For liquid cooling, you got a very adaptable case. For aircooling, it's a little more limited by its maximum 160mm clearance.

Okay, i have another question that might be a bit nooby.
Does the 280mm radiator go in the upper side of my case or in the front?

 

[Karadjgne]

Front only for any radiator. The problem being the motherboard clearance. You've got about 25mm or so clearance on top, perfect for just a fan, but aios are 25-30mm deep, and adding a fan to that can impact everything from the EPS power to cpu fan headers to the ram. So front only. Which is fine.

 

[Khabato]

Front only for any radiator. The problem being the motherboard clearance. You've got about 25mm or so clearance on top, perfect for just a fan, but aios are 25-30mm deep, and adding a fan to that can impact everything from the EPS power to cpu fan headers to the ram. So front only. Which is fine.

Okay, thanks for all the help!
I think i will get the NZXT Kraken X73 or the Asus ROG Strix LC 360.

 

[Karadjgne]

CM ML360R is also good.