Overclocking recommended temperatures/voltages

[Stennersaurus]

Hello, I have just built my first ever PC, it's supposed to be a gaming PC, but I haven't got the money for a GTX 780 quite yet (making money is a little more difficult when you're 15 years old). Since I don't yet have a graphics card, I decided to overclock my i7 3770k to 4.2 ghz, with a voltage of 1.215 volts. I was wondering if this voltage is appropriate, or should I try and go lower? IntelBurnTest says that it is a stable overclock; when idle, I get temps of about 28 degrees, and playing minecraft raises it to 33 - 35 degrees (with Optifine Ultra). Below is a diagram of my current fan set up:


As you can see, I have a front intake, 2 side intakes, a rear intake (which acts like an exhaust) and a rear exhaust. My radiator is in between, so all the air is being taken in through the front and sides, and then thrown at the radiator, which is then "excreted" back into the atmosphere that is my bedroom.

I was wondering if it is a good idea to possibly increase my overclock, to say, 4.4ghz, or maybe 4.5ghz, and still have low temperatures. I'm pretty sure those temps are good for a 4.2ghz overclock, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about my fan system, my voltage, or anything else that could help my computer reach maximum potential, without reaching those high temperatures.

Any answers would be appreciated
Thanks, Sam

EDIT:
After leaving my PC on, and just doing general tasks for a few hours, the temperature slowly begins to slowly heat up, at one point it hit 44 degrees. This suggests that not enough hot air is being removed from the system, as it all slowly accumulates in the body. Can someone help me please?

 

[jnewegger23]

You sound like you have a very good chip for oc. Most of the time I recommend that you keep temps under 80C for load. I keep mine under 70C. My typical load temps range from 35-68C the higher temps coming from stress tests. After hours of gaming I hit the mid 60s. So for you to be only at 44C is more than fine. My idle temps range from 13-40C.

 

[unknownofprob]

agreed, Since that is answered, For even better temps, do you have the mounting options for fans at the bottom and top of your case?

 

[Stennersaurus]

Thanks for the replies, and no, I don't have any other potential fan locations. 🙁 Do you guys think I should maybe push it up to 4.5?

 

[jnewegger23]

I would definitely go for it. Just keep an eye on the temps

 

[unknownofprob]

yes you can, and maybe over if you lucky but always look at temps, and after an OC, run Prime95 for about 10 minutes to see if your OC is successful or not, you'll know quite soon if it isn't.

 

[Stennersaurus]

Hello again, haven't been on in a while, just got your responses. I am tempted to go for the 4.5ghz overclock, my temps seem ok. Although the other day I got a Blue Screen Of Death, after leaving my PC idle for about 6 hours, which is odd. I guess I'll just bump up the voltage a little bit, to try and attain a stable 4.2ghz overclock first, before going for 4.5ghz. Can anyone reccomend a voltage for 4.5ghz?

@unknownofprob I have IntelBurnTest and also AIDA64 Extreme, so I will run them for 10 mins each time (Not simultaneously of course)

Thanks, Sam.

 

[unknownofprob]

voltage, anything for that chip should be 1.2V to 1.24V for 4.5Ghz.

 

[Stennersaurus]

Ok thanks, I will have a go and post my results