Extreme Overclocking with the intel I7 5960X: how far is too far?

Dontazemebro

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Jan 17, 2015
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so i found that 4.8 ghz (from base clock of 3.0) is stable at between 1.450 and 1.5 vcore voltage.
i read the sticky about temperature and voltage limitations but i noticed that it didn't include the last generation of chips (5820k, 5830k, 5960x).

the upper limit on vcore voltage was 1.5 for fourth generation chips, but with a little further reading, i learned that these latest chips have returned back to solder instead of thermal compound in between the heatspreader and the die.

so the question is, what is the limitations now for vcore voltage, especially for the 5960x?

It seems that with the right liquid cooler, the chip is stable at high voltages even at max load and temp never goes above 75c.

so to simply my questions, i'm curious as to everyone's input on the following:

1. If a chip that was kept at a constant 83c at 1.4v will last for 5 years (just a guess), how long will a chip that's kept at a constant 65c at 1.6v last?

2. since games don't heat up the cpu near as much as a full stress test, but can still demand access to higher voltages, would it be sensible to set the cvoltage to 1.7 (perhaps allowing for a 5.0+ ghz OC) as long as the cpu stays below 60-65c while in-game?

3. if voltage wears chips down much faster than high temps, at what point does voltage become a serious threat to your cpu's lifespan? would 1.5v wear it down %50 faster than 1.0v? or is it more of an exponential increase with a bell curve, with 1.4 or 1.5 being the sweet spot?
 
Solution
1. It's hard to tell. It could last for years, theoretically, but certainly the CPU's life will be cut severely short.
2. High voltages, even at good temps, degrade the life of a CPU.
3. I'd say around 1.4V is where significant degradation issues arise.

It's up to you, but there aren't many programs out there that benefit too much from that high of an OC, other PCSX2 and Dolphin (PS2 and Game Cube/Wii emulators, respectively), various professional programs, and folding programs. Even the emulators probably won't need that much.

What's your reason for such a high OC, other than just because? If it's just because, trust me, I understand completely.
1. It's hard to tell. It could last for years, theoretically, but certainly the CPU's life will be cut severely short.
2. High voltages, even at good temps, degrade the life of a CPU.
3. I'd say around 1.4V is where significant degradation issues arise.

It's up to you, but there aren't many programs out there that benefit too much from that high of an OC, other PCSX2 and Dolphin (PS2 and Game Cube/Wii emulators, respectively), various professional programs, and folding programs. Even the emulators probably won't need that much.

What's your reason for such a high OC, other than just because? If it's just because, trust me, I understand completely.
 
Solution
well at 1080p gaming, cpu is the bottleneck for getting additional fps. I have the 240 hz Eizo Foris 2421-bk monitor and currently farcry4 hangs around 90 - 125 fps, so every little bit helps, but i don't wanna fry the chip too quickly :)