overclocking the 4770k

Snipedubad

Honorable
Jan 1, 2014
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10,510
Hello I was wondering if I could overclock my cpu 4770k with a stock cooler

Average cpu temp at Arma 3 max: 50 min, 55 avg, 63 max

Motherboard: Sabertooth Z87
 
Solution


Yes, it's worth it.
I do however recommend you get at least a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for $30 as it will also run your system quieter, even when idling.

I have my i7-3770K overclocked to 4.2GHz (each core) which is a pretty mild overclock by only 8% as I could do that with no other changes to Voltage etc, thus keeping a pretty cool overclock and not screwing with the Intel power management.

8% may not sound like much but it can add a couple Frames per second so why not?
Temperatures can rise pretty quickly when you OC. You need to test temperatures using Prime95 which represents the worst-case you are likely to get; otherwise, you may end up with an OC that works in one lightweight game but fails in more intensive games or when a background process adds CPU load.

With the stock cooler and Prime95, you can expect your temperatures to to rise around 75C.
 


Yes, it's worth it.
I do however recommend you get at least a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for $30 as it will also run your system quieter, even when idling.

I have my i7-3770K overclocked to 4.2GHz (each core) which is a pretty mild overclock by only 8% as I could do that with no other changes to Voltage etc, thus keeping a pretty cool overclock and not screwing with the Intel power management.

8% may not sound like much but it can add a couple Frames per second so why not?
 
Solution

If you had no intention of overclocking, you could have saved a few bucks by not buying overclocking-oriented components in the first place... unless you got one of those heavily discounted Microcenter CPU+MoBo combos.
 
If you get a better cooler the consensus seems to be you will get to 4.2 or 4.3 ghz before intels choice of thermal paste under the heat spreader catches up to you.

@ 4.2 ghz 1.175 volts I get 67 to 70 degrees in prime 95 large ftt it goes up huge trying to jump to 4.3. That said I think the 4.2 is for sure worth it, more performance and still only 50 degrees in games.