[SOLVED] Is it safe to overclock a i7-4790k?

[wilbarker5]

Hi there, so recently I've been considering if it might be safe to overclock the i7-4790k, this is because I was going to get an rtx card soon which i don't necessarily believe "bottleneck" might occur with my specs.

Or just for now, im not sure if my cpu might melt or some random business like that. like what is the safest overclock amount to go to? 4.4 ghz?

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790k
RAM: 16 GB, DDR3 Kingston 1600 mhz
GPU: Nvidia Gigabyte GTX 1060
CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer 13
Case: NZXT H500i
SSD: Crucial MX200 250GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB WD1001
HDD2: Seagate 1TB ST1001

 

[Darkbreeze]

You don't list your motherboard, but it probably doesn't matter although the motherboard definitely DOES matter when it comes to overclocking, because your cooler, the Arctic freezer 13 is probably not good enough for overclocking on the 4790k anyhow considering it performs below the level of the Hyper 212 EVO, which should be considered probably the absolute minimum for overclocking any 80w or higher processor that overclocked is probably going to look more like 120-140w or more depending on the level of the overclock.

You also don't mention your case model or case fan configuration, which is also definitely a mandatory "must know" for overclocking.

 

[wilbarker5]

You don't list your motherboard, but it probably doesn't matter although the motherboard definitely DOES matter when it comes to overclocking, because your cooler, the Arctic freezer 13 is probably not good enough for overclocking on the 4790k anyhow considering it performs below the level of the Hyper 212 EVO, which should be considered probably the absolute minimum for overclocking any 80w or higher processor that overclocked is probably going to look more like 120-140w or more depending on the level of the overclock.

You also don't mention your case model or case fan configuration, which is also definitely a mandatory "must know" for overclocking.

Ah yes sorry about that.

Motherboard: z97p-d3 gigabyte
My case is: nzxt h500i, mid-tower
i think the fan configuration is like push pull? So my front fans are blowing air towards the back, the one at the top and back are pushing air out.

Hopefully that's about what you asked for.

So it probably may not be best to bother overclocking at all?

 

[Darkbreeze]

That motherboard is not great quality for Z97, rather at the lower end for that chipset. It could probably handle a minor overclock but probably it is not worth your time and you'd run into thermal issues with that cooler anyhow. Unless you're willing to get a better motherboard and cooler, I'd probably avoid it. It might create more problems than it does solutions.

 

[wilbarker5]

That motherboard is not great quality for Z97, rather at the lower end for that chipset. It could probably handle a minor overclock but probably it is not worth your time and you'd run into thermal issues with that cooler anyhow. Unless you're willing to get a better motherboard and cooler, I'd probably avoid it. It might create more problems than it does solutions.

I guess not, i intend on keeping this cpu a while longer maybe until the 3000 ryzen series comes out, was considering to get a ryzen 5 since i lost interest in video editing and streaming etc.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, even if you DO want to do video editing and streaming, and perhaps even MORE so if you do, the Ryzen platform is a good choice as most encoding and rendering programs tend to benefit from the extra cores and threads Ryzen offers dollar for dollar against Intel. Obviously if you can afford a higher end Intel CPU with an equal number of cores it will perform better but you generally have to pay significantly more to get that, making Ryzen a really good option regardless of which Gen of Ryzen we're talking about. At this point, I'd probably agree that waiting to upgrade until the next Gen Ryzen processors become available makes sense if the system you have now is still at least mostly doing what you need it to do.

Your 4790k is still fairly capable to be honest. I'd probably recommend that upgrading your graphics card first, and then seeing if you even NEED to upgrade the platform or not, would be the way to go. You may find that it's perfectly fine as is, and if not, you can always upgrade the platform when you are ready.

 

[wilbarker5]

Actually, even if you DO want to do video editing and streaming, and perhaps even MORE so if you do, the Ryzen platform is a good choice as most encoding and rendering programs tend to benefit from the extra cores and threads Ryzen offers dollar for dollar against Intel. Obviously if you can afford a higher end Intel CPU with an equal number of cores it will perform better but you generally have to pay significantly more to get that, making Ryzen a really good option regardless of which Gen of Ryzen we're talking about. At this point, I'd probably agree that waiting to upgrade until the next Gen Ryzen processors become available makes sense if the system you have now is still at least mostly doing what you need it to do.

Your 4790k is still fairly capable to be honest. I'd probably recommend that upgrading your graphics card first, and then seeing if you even NEED to upgrade the platform or not, would be the way to go. You may find that it's perfectly fine as is, and if not, you can always upgrade the platform when you are ready.

Yeah I plan on getting a rtx 2060, and maybe get 3rd gen ryzen stuff later. I am not really interested in streaming and video editing anymore, I mean its not a main priority atleast. Like I would video edit sometimes just to make some joke little clip thing, or use photoshop.

My main priority is just making sure I run max settings on present day games which the gtx 1060 is kind of struggling to do now unfortunately after 2+ years of owning it

 

[Darkbreeze]

Understandable.

 

[Rataan]

Why would you have a K series processor and a Z series motherboard and not be overclocking? You aren't using the features that you paid for. The 4790K should do 4.7 GHz without breaking a sweat, even with your cooler. 4.4 GHz isn't even an overclock for the 4790K. I ran an i5-3570K with a Hyper 212 Evo for years at 4.6 GHz without any problems. You won't melt your CPU with a mild overclock.

 

[wilbarker5]

Well I am asking here for input from presumably people who have a better understanding and it doesn’t hurt to be safe which is why I’m asking here, considering a mod is suggesting that I don’t it might be better for me to take his advice or maybe consider his advice and try a tiny overclock.

 

[Rataan]

Well, far be it from me to butt heads with a moderator, but I've been building PC's since'91 (yes, I'm old) and I can tell you with 100% confidence that you won't harm your PC overclocking a 4790K to 4.7 GHz. Just change the multiplier and if it is unstable and crashes, then dial it back until it doesn't crash. That's how overclocking is done. If it doesn't work, put it back the way it was and you gained some experience and haven't lost anything. If you are serious about overclocking, you could also just Google "4790K overclock" and you will no doubt find endless discussions about it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

You may have been building "PCs" since 1991, and that's great, and I'm not trying to be combative, honestly, but I've been building systems since about the time the Apple II GS came out, so around 1984 or thereabouts, and I'm telling you that the Z97P-D3 is not a great board. It has sub-par VRMs and power phase, very minimal heatsinks on the VRMs, low quality chokes and caps and just isn't great for overclocking.

Sure, you CAN overclock on it, but the degree to which you could reliably overclock on that board would NOT be worth investing in the necessary cooler for in order to accomplish anything worthwhile AND we also have no idea what the quality of his power supply is either.

Overall, as I said, I wouldn't bother. Any money you sink into this is money that would be better put towards a new platform, especially if you already have plans to do so in the near to mid term future anyhow.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383187/motherboard-tier-list-z97-chipset.html

Your explanation of how to overclock, I'm sorry, but it's not even remotely technically accurate. Even for just beginners, you need to start by absorbing this guide I wrote for beginners. If that seems like too much, then you're either not serious about it or seriously uninformed.

*Basic CPU overclocking tutorial

 

[wilbarker5]

You may have been building "PCs" since 1991, and that's great, and I'm not trying to be combative, honestly, but I've been building systems since about the time the Apple II GS came out, so around 1984 or thereabouts, and I'm telling you that the Z97P-D3 is not a great board. It has sub-par VRMs and power phase, very minimal heatsinks on the VRMs, low quality chokes and caps and just isn't great for overclocking.

Sure, you CAN overclock on it, but the degree to which you could reliably overclock on that board would NOT be worth investing in the necessary cooler for in order to accomplish anything worthwhile AND we also have no idea what the quality of his power supply is either.

Overall, as I said, I wouldn't bother. Any money you sink into this is money that would be better put towards a new platform, especially if you already have plans to do so in the near to mid term future anyhow.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383187/motherboard-tier-list-z97-chipset.html

Your explanation of how to overclock, I'm sorry, but it's not even remotely technically accurate. Even for just beginners, you need to start by absorbing this guide I wrote for beginners. If that seems like too much, then you're either not serious about it or seriously uninformed.

*Basic CPU overclocking tutorial

What if the cooler was something like an nzxt kraken x62? I was thinking of getting that cooler later down the line to switch from my arctic freezer one? (Maybe even if later in the year I wait until 3rd gen ryzen comes out)

Also if this thread gets a little out of hand you can close it or whatever if you fancy it.

 

[Rataan]

What I posted wasn't intended to be an overclocking guide. Just something to try for the OP who didn't seem to be interested in a deep dive into overclocking. Still, he was curious enough to ask and you recommended to somebody who has all the ingredients for basic overclocking not to try it. That doesn't seem to be in the spirit of the Tom's Hardware that I have been visiting all these years. Half of the fun of overclocking is trying things and sharing your experiences. If you have hardware that isn't cutting it, then that is also worth talking about.

And you never answered the original question, which is in the subject line of this thread. And the answer is no, you won't damage your PC attempting an overclock. It's a myth that is worth dispelling whenever it comes up. But what do I know. Maybe Tom's Hardware is now the gloom and doom PC building forum.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Whether or not you'll "damage" your system by overclocking or not is entirely subjective. Yes, you COULD damage your system by overclocking, especially if you're using a lower quality board and trying to maintain an overclock that is beyond it's capabilities or what was intended for it to handle, or if you have a low quality or low capacity PSU. Too much to cover really.

Yes, a light to medium OC might be ok, if you have a good PSU and good cooling, not just the CPU cooler either. You need very good case airflow to keep those VRMs cool, especially since it only has very minimal heatsinks on them, and not all of the power delivery components are even heatsinked on that board. IMO, it's a bad idea that will lead to problems but whatever.