CPU Overheating whilst overclocking

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Achilles223

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Mar 16, 2014
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I have recently built myself a mid range gaming rig, I am extremely new to the building game but all seemed to go well in building and everything worked when i hit the switch.

My build consists of:

i5 4670k Processor with an after market Cooler Master 212 EVO (Arctic silver 5 thermal paste)
MSI Z87 G55 Motherboard
8gb Crucial Ballistix VLP RAM
250gb Samsung 840 EVO SSD
1tb WD Black HDD
ASUS GTX 760 Direct CU
Corsair cx600 PSU
Corsair 200r Case

My problem lies with when I try to overclock the CPU. Admittedly I am very much learning as i go here with Google as my best friend. I managed to get the CPU to 4.2 Ghz with idle temps in the early 40s, however when running the general test using Prime95 and monitoring temperatures using CPUID the temperatures soared to over 90 degrees when it got to test 2. Before this during test 1 they were in the very low 60s.

I then used OC Genie within the BIOS to 'automatically' overclock the CPU. I have read a few things which say this isn't really the best way to go, however I thought it may be better to use this instead of carrying on to mess with the BIOS settings manually! This set the clock speed at 4 Ghz, however again when running the stress tests the temperatures almost hit the 90 mark.

I have read a lot of content which says this particular aftermarket cooler should allow overclocking to 4.2 Ghz with ease, however it doesn't seem to be working so well for me! I am pretty sure I did everything right in the build, I have read a few things mentioning that the cooler may not be seated on the CPU correctly or the paste wasn't applied correctly, but surely the temperatures would be more erratic when running idle if this was the case? It seems to be seated fine with just a little bit of wriggle room.

Any help on this would greatly be appreciated!!
 
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Thanks for the responses so far.

The Vcore was at 1.25V. I followed the instructions that came with the paste as to how it should be applied. I did also check online but there seemed to be a lot of conflicting schools of thought on what the best way to apply the paste was, in the end I went with the instructions that came with it. This entailed 'tinting' both the cpu and the heatsink surface first by applying some past and spreading it around, then wiping it off with a lint free cloth to leave a tint. Then I put a 1mm thick vertical line of paste down the centre of the CPU and seated the heatsink on top.

Do you think the quality of the heatsink is the problem? The reviews on the CM 212 EVO all seem very good and that overclocks like the one I am trying to get have been achieved easily. I know the chips themselves vary on how far they can be overclocked, but surely 4-4.2 Ghz shouldn't be a problem?
 
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Don't use the OC Genie software it's too aggressive on the cpu voltage.
Manually set-up your OC in bios.
If you set your cpu voltage at 1.2v max you should be able to get 4.4Ghz.
So 1.1v should get you 4.2/4.3Ghz no problem.
If you got a good chip hitting 4Ghz probably doesn't even need a cpu voltage adjustment other then changing the multiplier to 40.
This guide can be used for an i5.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/overclock_intel_4770k_guide/3.htm
 
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Thanks Davcon, really useful answer, I just have a couple more questions. In the guides I have read so far they adjust a bunch of other settings too in the BIOS when overclocking (ring voltage etc...) could you be more specific on the settings I should try to use? Or should I just change the cpu voltage and the clock multiplier?

Also should I be fixing the voltage at the set numbers or should I leave a variance in play on the BIOS?

Thanks in advance
 
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Apologies Davcon, I just saw that you posted a guide link in your reply. The guide refers to a 4770k, whereas my cpu is a 4670k, does this matter? Apologies for the amateurish questions!
 
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How well you can oc a 4670K is variable, depending on your luck in getting a golden chip.
4.2 may well be as good as you can do.
Your results are not out of line.

With a good cooler and mount, I would expect idle temperatures to be in the 10-15c over ambient.
A common mistake in mounting is to use too much paste which acts as an insulator. A small drop or thin line is sufficient.
Also, AS5 needs 200 on/off cycles to become fully effective. You will do better over time.

Prime95 may not be the best way to test.
Try OCCT. It will test different components of the cpu and give you some nice graphs showing voltage and temps.
It will stop the test at 85c.

Lastly... How good do you really need to be?
A 4670K at stock will run any game well.
I would OC only to the point where your vcore does not exceed 1.26v.
 
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Nope it doesn't matter.
And yes you should fix your cpu voltage.
1.1v on the cpu should give you 4.2Ghz no problem.
The guide is very good and will work just fine for your i5.
1.25v is way too high unless you're looking for @ 4.5Ghz .
Something I wouldn't advise for a 212 Evo.
 
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No doesn't matter all Haswell chips follow the same steps for OC. so that guide will apply
 
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If you follow that guide for 4.2 and use those exact settings you should be successful.
The only settings you have to change.
Cpu voltage 1.1v
frequency 4200
Multiplier 42
System agent voltage 1.088v(+.250)
Everything else are default auto settings anyways.
Of course keep your Base clock at 100.
Try those out and you should be running a lot cooler too!
Good luck!
 
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Thank you all, really useful answers. I have downloaded OOCT and I have got to say it is looking like a better tool for the job already!

I will give those settings a go Davcon and do some testing and see what happens, will post results in here, fingers crossed!

On another note I have just had a look at the Corsair H105 watercooler, and it looks like a fantastic piece of kit, something I would consider purchasing further down the line, I don't think it would fit in a Corsair carbide 200r case though?

 
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I gave those settings a whirl Davcon and I can't get past the login stage without Blue screening... Don't know whether I have damaged something? It still loads up when I reset to defaults. I don't seem to be having the best of luck! Any ideas?
 
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Ok so your cpu is good.
As mentioned previously you may have unfortunately received a lame chip.
One that may require more voltage to even get to 4.2Ghz.
Try upping the vcore in small steps.
 
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Okay, so I have upped my vCore to 1.15 and followed the settings from the guide (apart from changing the ring bus voltage which is set to auto as default) and it hasn't BSOD yet. I am running OCCT now and temps are staying in the 50s for now.

If I take a couple of photos of the BIOS would you mind having a look for me to make sure I haven't made an error?

Additionally is it the rule of thumb that if you can get your processor running overclocked and stable at temps below 70 regardless of voltage, then everything is okay?
 
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Okay well 30 minutes into running OCCT my rig froze up, it didn't blue screen, it just froze up completely and I had to reset it...

I thought I had it that time! Is there anything I can do to address this? I am starting to think maybe this is more hassle than it is worth??
 
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Just keep adding a little more vcore until it's stable.
Yes as long as you keep under 80C during stress test you're doing ok.
It took me a few attempts to reach stability.
 
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