Overclocking Voltages on i7-4790k

[Guest]

The stock voltage is between 1.29 and 1.31 at full load in Aida64, and stock voltage in BIOS is 1.29. This seems high based on what others have run into. The temps max out at about 85 with in Aida64 at stock (4.4ghz), using a hyper 212 Evo. When I set the multiplier to 46, the voltage was hitting peaks at 1.37 and throttling temps. I tried again and set the multiplier to 45 and a manual voltage of 1.215 and it seems stable and the temps are even better than they were at stock frequency with stock voltage. Why are the stock voltages set so high by default? It there a problem with the reading or was Intel just throwing too much voltage at it? I am not experienced at overclocking, perhaps I'm missing something. With the 4.5 overclock, my system is not crashing after an hour of Aida64, and that's stable enough for my needs. Should I also be looking for drops in frequency too, or are there any other signs of instability apart from crashes?

 

[firefoxx04]

1.3 is somewhat high for stock voltage. 4.4ghz i not stock for all four cores however. It should turbo to 4.2ghz on four cores as long as the temps are in check.

For reference, I run 1.32-1.35 at 4.7ghz. 4.8ghz seemed to want 1.35 or more in order to be stable. I am not comfortable with that voltage/heat increase for next to no tangible gains.

Always set a manual voltage when overclocking. The boards almost always auto set the voltage way too high. I would be happy with 4.5ghz at 1.215v.

For temps, I look for 60-70* when running regular stress tests and less than 90 when running intel burn test.

Lastly, an hour of testing should never be considered "Stable for my needs". Take your time, do it right and give it at least 6 hours of run time using a mild stress test like x264 encoding and then hit it with intel burn test for 10-20 passes in order to check temps. If it passes that, then it can be considered "stable enough". Most people go 12-24 hours once they hit their final clock speed.

 

[TechyInAZ]

What motherboard do you have? I've heard of some motherboard not correctly using the stock voltage when the CPU is running stock clocks.

1.35v seems to be the max vcore allowed for 24/7 usage, anything higher and you'll see degregation.

However, with a hyper 212 Evo, I wouldn't go above 1.3v, you need liquid to go any higher.

I agree with firefoxx04, 1 hour of stress testing isn't enough. Run aida64 (or whatever stress tester) for at least 6-8 hours, I recommend 12 hours.

 

[Guest]

What motherboard do you have? I've heard of some motherboard not correctly using the stock voltage when the CPU is running stock clocks.

1.35v seems to be the max vcore allowed for 24/7 usage, anything higher and you'll see degregation.

However, with a hyper 212 Evo, I wouldn't go above 1.3v, you need liquid to go any higher.

I agree with firefoxx04, 1 hour of stress testing isn't enough. Run aida64 (or whatever stress tester) for at least 6-8 hours, I recommend 12 hours.

Ya, it seems the stock voltage was too high, and I'm using a Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5. I've never OCed this chip, so i have been running it at an overkill voltage at stock frequencies for a year and didn't know. I threw an H100i on it and it has been running Aida64 for and hour and a half and the voltage is jumping between 1.28 and 1.29. That seems much more realistic. The temps are mid 70s to low 80s which seems acceptable for a stress test. It certainly wouldn't hit 80 often in gaming or most other applications. I didn't realize these motherboards set the stock voltage that much over what's needed.

 

[TechyInAZ]

Gigabyte has had this same exact issue with the Aorus 7 (or 9 i forgot) motherboard. Update your BIOS to the latest and that should fix it.

Fortunately, 1.3v and under is perfectly safe, so don't worry about your CPU dying.