[SOLVED] New to O/C - is my i5 9600-K ok?

[makarastar]

Hi, all

Just joined this forum (although been reading TH for years).

I just upgraded my PC -

CPU - i5 9600-K

Motherboard - Asus Rog Strix Z390-F

RAM - G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB @ 3200 MHz

CPU cooler - Cooler Master 212 Black Edition RGB

CPU temp at stock = 35 degrees C idle

I used this video on Youtube to attempt my first ever over-clocking -

View: https://youtu.be/bD1Ze80GpLo


(note - the BIOS this guy uses has some things mine doesn't it seems)

I followed his suggestions to the letter (as much as my BIOS menu allowed), and got these results (approx) -


A) 5.0 GHz - voltage became 1.495 (sorry...don't know what it was at stock...) - CPU temp jumped hugely - from Stock 35C to 55C


B) 4.9 GHz - voltage reduced a bit - around 1.39 to 1.40 - CPU around 50*C


C) 4.8 GHz - voltage reduced to maybe 1.35 - CPU around 50*C still


D) 4.7 GHz - voltage now fell quite a bit to 1.296 (and totally stable at that figure in "CPU-Z") - CPU dropped to 45C (but still nowhere near the 35C at "stock")


Before I melt my CPU and Motherboard - does it look like my computer is "stable" at 4.7 GHz from the above? I am very surprised the voltage dropped so much...or is that typical?


Apologies in advance if these sound like stupid questions...remember I am brand new to O/C

 

[makarastar]

Update - just tried -

E) 4.6 GHz - voltage fell to 1.234 - CPU hovering around 46C to 47C

From all the above - is my "safe zone" around 4.6 to 4.7 GHz then?

I read on a couple of web pages that 1.3 volts is a sort of limit one should be careful about crossing...as CPU degradation happens beyond that...

If that is the case...then as a stock 9600-K is 3.7 Ghz - did I lose the Silicon lottery?

Or is 4.6 to 4.7 quite ok as an O/C on this model of CPU?

 

[Phaaze88]

I'll just say this: you really don't have the cooling to be attempting this, so stop while you're ahead.
The Hyper 212 is a tried and true entry level aftermarket cpu cooler, designed to handle up to - but not exactly - 150w of waste heat.
But it is just not up to par for big overclocks on the 8th, 9th, and 10th gen unlocked cpus; 150w of power output is a breeze for those cpus to hit and then some, on most cpu benchmarks.


What the heck... this Youtuber didn't even run the correct stress test for this:

 

[makarastar]

So should I reset to "stock" in the BIOS...assuming that is possible on my Motherboard?

 

[Phaaze88]

Why wouldn't it be? That's a default option in every bios.

 

[makarastar]

So I went back to default BIOS

- the only change I have now made is to set my RAM from the default 2300 MHz to my Trident Z RGB's speed of 3200 MHz (as I had done when OC too).

Now my CPU is back to its low point of 38C to 41C when idle (as it was before I start experimenting with OC).

Motherboard at a constant 39*C.

The only oddity I have is in "CPU-Z" - although it states the default 3.7 GHz as "specification", the actual CPU speed is fluctuating between 4.3 to 4.6 GHz...I am assuming this is the Intel Turbo boost at work...?

Also odd is how low the voltage is rapidly fluctuating now - between a VERY low 0.6 V to just over 1.0 volts.

Lastly having gone back to stock settings in BIOS - should I NOT change RAM settings in BIOS to XMP 1 (or XMP 2)...?

 

[Phaaze88]

The only oddity I have is in "CPU-Z" - although it states the default 3.7 GHz as "specification", the actual CPU speed is fluctuating between 4.3 to 4.6 GHz...I am assuming this is the Intel Turbo boost at work...?

https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intel/core_i5/i5-9600k#Frequencies
Correct.

Also odd is how low the voltage is rapidly fluctuating now - between a VERY low 0.6 V to just over 1.0 volts.

Also normal. When users aren't manually overclocking their cpus, the processor's frequency and voltage is dynamically adjusted by either the OS(Speed Step), or the cpu itself(Speed Shift).
This helps to reduce power consumption and heat production.

Lastly having gone back to stock settings in BIOS - should I NOT change RAM settings in BIOS to XMP 1 (or XMP 2)...?

I'm not familiar with them. I think the difference is timings used. Could be wrong though.

 

[CompuTronix]

... CPU - i5 9600-K ...

... Cooler Master 212 Black Edition RGB ...

... 5.0 GHz - voltage became 1.495 ...

WAY too high!

I read on a couple of web pages that 1.3 volts is a sort of limit one should be careful about crossing...as CPU degradation happens beyond that...

makarastar,

Here's the Maximum Recommended Vcore per Microarchitecture from 14 to 65 nanometers since 2006:

We know that over time, excessive voltage and heat damages electronics, so when using manual Vcore settings in BIOS, excessive Core voltage and Core temperature can cause accelerated "Electromigration". Processors have multiple layers of hundreds of millions of microscopic nanometer scale components. Electromigration erodes fragile circuit pathways and transistor junctions which results in the degradation of overclock stability, and thus performance.

Although your initial overclock may be stable, degradation doesn't appear until later, when increasingly frequent blue-screen crashes indicate a progressive loss of stability. The more excessive the levels of voltage and heat and the longer they're sustained determines how long until transistor degradation destabilizes your overclock. Decreasing overclock and Vcore may temporarily restore stability and slow the rate of degradation. Extreme overvolting can cause degradation in minutes, but a sensible overclock remains stable for years.

Each Microarchitecture also has a "Degradation Curve". As a rule, CPUs are more susceptible to electromigration and degradation with each Die-shrink. However, the exception to the rule is Intel's 14 nanometer Microarchitecture, where advances in FinFET transistor technology have improved voltage tolerance.

Here's how the Degradation Curves correspond to Maximum Recommended Vcore for 22 nanometer 3rd and 4th Generation, which differs from 14 nanometer 5th through 10th Generation:

Degradation Curves are relative to the term “Vt (Voltage threshold) Shift” which is expressed in millivolts (mv). Users can not monitor Vt Shift. With respect to overclocking and overvolting, Vt Shift basically represents the potential for permanent loss of normal transistor performance. Excessively high Core voltage drives excessively high Power consumption and Core temperatures, all of which contribute to gradual Vt Shift over time. Core voltages that impose high Vt Shift values are not recommended.

To achieve the highest overclock, keep in mind that for your final 100 MHz increase, a corresponding increase in Core voltage of about 50 millivolts (0.050) is needed to maintain stability. If 65 millivolts (0.065) or more is needed for the next stable 100 MHz increase, it means you're attempting to overclock your processor beyond its capability.

With high-end cooling you might reach your Maximum Recommended Vcore limit before you reach the ideal Core temperature limit at 80°C. With low-end cooling you’ll reach 80°C before your Vcore limit. Regardless, whichever overclocking limit you reach first is where you should stop.

Here's the nominal operating range for Core temperature:

Core temperatures above 85°C are not recommended.

Core temperatures below 80°C are ideal.

Remember to keep overclocking in perspective. For example, the difference between 4.5 and 4.6 GHz is less than 2.3%, which has no noticeable impact on overall system performance. It simply isn’t worth pushing your processor beyond recommended Core voltage and Core temperature limits just to squeeze out another 100 MHz.

CT