Oveclocking With Asus Z87-Plus For Skyrim

[IceCreamRaider]

I am setting up my PC to run Skyrim at ultra-high settings with ENB and other demanding graphics/textures mods. So far the FPS does not stay constantly around 60 FPS; I would like to keep it around 60 FPS at all times

I know that overclocking your components can increase their performance and I would like to try this to see if there is an improvement in Skyrim. Here are my PC specs:

GPU: EVGA GTX 780 FTW
CPU: I5-4670K
CPU FAN: CM Hyper 212 Evo
MB: Asus Z87 Plus
RAM: G Skills Ripjaws Series 8 GB (2x4) DDR3 1600

My first question is which component(s) would be recommended for OC? I know Skyrim is one game that demands power from the CPU but the mods are specific to graphics/textures.

I definitely want to start up very conservatively/safe to avoid any damage to my components.

Thanks.

 

[IceCreamRaider]

No one has any suggestions?

 

[nikoli707]

go into your system bios and change the multiplier from 34x to 42x. dont change anything else. then go download intel burn test, prime95, and hwmonitor. let hwmonitor run and load up intel burn test and set it to maximum stress and let it do its run, it will take 25-35 minutes. keep an eye on the core temps and if they are passing 80c then turn the test off. if you can make it through intel burn test.... tonight before you go to sleep load up prime95 small fft test and let it run overnight for 8-12 hours.

skyrim reacts very well to cpu core speed and you should see a massive improvement going from 3.4ghz to 4.2ghz. with your hyper 212 evo you should be able to get to 4.2ghz without touching voltages. if you get a bsod then back the multiplier down to 41x.

 

[IceCreamRaider]

go into your system bios and change the multiplier from 34x to 42x. dont change anything else. then go download intel burn test, prime95, and hwmonitor. let hwmonitor run and load up intel burn test and set it to maximum stress and let it do its run, it will take 25-35 minutes. keep an eye on the core temps and if they are passing 80c then turn the test off. if you can make it through intel burn test.... tonight before you go to sleep load up prime95 small fft test and let it run overnight for 8-12 hours.

skyrim reacts very well to cpu core speed and you should see a massive improvement going from 3.4ghz to 4.2ghz. with your hyper 212 evo you should be able to get to 4.2ghz without touching voltages. if you get a bsod then back the multiplier down to 41x.

Thank you for this information. Based on a recommendation, I will be running EVGA Precision X to monitor the GPU just in case if it is the bottleneck while playing Skyrim. I strongly believe it is the CPU but it never hurts to check on the GPU as well.

If it is the CPU that is the bottleneck then I will gather all the advice I will receive, including yours, and OC the CPU if necessary. Thank you.

 

[nikoli707]

i have a 2500k@4.5 and my evga classified 780 running 1111mhz on the core via a skynet bios. i can't use precision or afterburner because of the enb I'm running doesn't like them.

i have the full highest quality "texture pack combiner" from nexus, not sure if you have heard of it but its about 50-60 mesh and texture mods all rolled into one. also a few other mods like the weather overhaul etc. and quite a few ini tweaks. I'm using boris's original enb from enbdev.com. it injects smaa and has its own anisotropic filtering as well as injected ambient occlusion, so i just leave my skyrim launcher settings for AA and AF off. it also has a memory management system built in that helps. even at 1440p i get plenty of fps and i don't have any issues, though admittedly my old 7950 would struggle just a little in certain areas like dense forests or the rift.