[SOLVED] How Do I Overclock an i5 9400F?

[DatBoiKul]

Hi all, haven't been on here in ages, but I was wondering:

what motherboard is best to overclock an i5 9400f? (by best, I mean which mobo would achieve the highest ghz from the original 2.9ghz)

what do you have to do to overclock it?

do I need a specific cooler for overclocking the i5 9400f?

Sorta need a guide cuz I have no idea how to overclock. Thanks!

PC Specs (Not built yet, Planning to build)

i5 9400f

16gb DDR4 2400 Ram

500gb WD Caviar Blue

RX 590

Thermaltake 500w 80+ Cert ATX

Let me know if there's anything wrong with the build

 

[Eximo]

You don't. It is a locked processor. Only SKUs ending in K have an unlocked multiplier.

You can get a little more out of a locked processor by forcing turbo on all the time and increasing the BCLK a little. That will require a Z class board, but it really isn't worth it. If you want to overclock, get the 9600K.

You might also want to wait for the availability of the Ryzen 3000 CPUs, they are probably the better option over any i5 at this point.

 

[DatBoiKul]

Thanks! Yeah I didn't even factor in Ryzen CPUs into my build, but I'll wait and take a look at it

 

[rigg42]

I second Eximo's opinion. Ryzen 3rd gen is 3 1/2 weeks away. The 2600x and overclocked 2600 already trade blows with the 9400f in any practical measure. The 3600 will likely perform similarly to an i7 8700 in gaming and beat it in multi-core workloads for $200 msrp. You'll need to wait for independent benchmarks to confirm. With an rx 590 they will all probably perform the same at 1080p high/ultra settings regardless. Although a faster CPU could get you better performance if you upgrade your GPU down the road. I'd go for a 1660 over a 590 right now. I'd rather have a nice used 1070 or used 580 8 gig than either one of them personally. Not everyone is comfortable with used GPU's though. I also think your PSU is lacking.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

k = overclocking.
F = no igpu
K is not F

I would wait untill ryzen 3000 launches and then build your parts list around ryzen. Every ryzen cpu is unlocked and ready to overclock in fairly inexpensive boards.