Is it worth overclocking the i5-4690k and which cooler should I get?

[TTD187]

I've been thinking it may be worth overclocking my CPU which is clocked at 3.5Ghz. I'm hoping to run it at around 4Ghz. Would I be able to see any decent benefit from that? Would that mean then that the CPU is constantly running at 4Ghz, or would it be like before where it would be running at lower clock speeds if it isn't under load? And for this situation, what would be a better cooler to get?

Edit: I forgot to mention. I'm using the Corsair 200r case, MSI Z97-G55 motherboard and GTX 770 GPU.

 

[MostWantedSoulRider]

Hi OP,

You've got an awesome rig! Congratulations for it. Would it be worth overclocking i5 4690k to 4 GHz? My answer is YES. It is also to be noted that you can overclock this processor up to 4.5 (or higher) GHz, provided you have all-in-one liquid cooler. With a Vcore of 1.33 V and 48x multiplier, you can enhance its performance to its peak. It is pretty obvious that you would see the uplift of FPS in games by 10% (approximately). It has to be praised.

Secondly, the stock power usage would be increased by 40+ watts. So, make sure you are good to go with the power consumption after overclocking. If you own a good liquid cooling like h100i, this "Devils Canyon" can have its temperature rarely exceeding 60c while playing games and 75c while stress testing with BurnInTest. Overall, there will be a significant increase in the performance of the processor which will help you to play games with highest/maximum frames per second with no room for stuttering, choppy graphics, and other lags.

Liquid Cooler Recommendation: Corsair H100i.

Air Cooler Recommendation: Noctua NH-D14.

Both works well to an overclocked 4690k. For stress testing, I recommend PassMark's BurnInTest and prime95.
In addition to all of these, your games will play even better (performance-wise) if you are able to overclock your card.

Edit: I can see that you own Corsair 200r case.

For fixing h100i, you may need to drill 4 holes. Here's the link for it: http://www.overclock.net/t/1144409/h80-h80i-h90-h100-h100i-h110-case-compatibility-thread-page-1-for-full-listings/940#post_20446490 It is like installing the cooler with mod. Make sure you are not getting the cables pulled so hard.

For fixing NH-D14, you do not need to drill anything. You will definitely have a lot of headroom for it.

 

[legend001523]

I'm assuming this ia gaming only rig? Na, not really, by oc'ing you might see 1-3fps more on games, and then you ahve added heat, need cpu cooler etc, not really worth

 

[Y0GI]

I've been thinking it may be worth overclocking my CPU which is clocked at 3.5Ghz. I'm hoping to run it at around 4Ghz. Would I be able to see any decent benefit from that? Would that mean then that the CPU is constantly running at 4Ghz, or would it be like before where it would be running at lower clock speeds if it isn't under load? And for this situation, what would be a better cooler to get?

Edit: I forgot to mention. I'm using the Corsair 200r case, MSI Z97-G55 motherboard and GTX 770 GPU.

The stock clock for the i5 4690K may be 3.5 GHz, but the Turbo speed is 3.9 GHz. So, an OC to 4.0 GHz would likely not even be noticeable. http://ark.intel.com/products/80811/Intel-Core-i5-4690K-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz

To really see a noticeable performance improvement you'll need to set your target higher, say 4.6 GHz. I OC'ed the rig in my sig to 4.6 GHz without too much trouble, so this is a reasonable target for the i5 4690.

As far as variable CPU speed is concerned, you can set it to be a constant speed or vary the speed based on CPU load by changing settings in the BIOS and settings in Windows Advanced Power Options.

When it comes to cooling the CPU, I think that air cooling is better. Here is a test comparing 4 liquid coolers to the Noctua NH D14. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nepton-280l-tundra-td02-water3.0-pro-reserator3-max,3607.html

Liquid cooling gives a very slight performance advantage at max fan speeds, but the liquid systems are much more expensive and the fans are much noisier at full speed. I have the Noctua NH D14 SE 2011 on my rig and I am very happy with it.

Yogi