Questions regarding 3570k results: First OC

[ColorBars]

Hey guys,

So I've performed my first overclock, and it's a relatively safe one at the moment. System:
z77 extreme4
gtx 670 ftw sig 2
i5 3570k
hyper 212 evo
550w psu
16gb ram

Short and Sweet:
I ran prime95 tests and was getting temperatures around 90-93 degrees on some of the cores when set to 4.3 ghz. Seemed high, but after a cleaning and reapplication of thermal compound it was the same results.
So I dropped it to 4.2ghz and it tested fine after an hour in much better ranges.

I just played a 64 man match of bf3, which was running great with the OC, but at the end had temp maximum of
71-72 degrees.

Seems like I can push the 4.3 ghz and not have much to worry about. Though I'm not positive.

Any information I can contribute to help you all to help me push my overclock would be great to know. I followed a guide as far as offsets, and other settings in bios.

halp me internets.

Thx,

ColorBars

 

[basch99]

You have decent temperatures for a 4.3 Ghz overclock. I think theoretically you could pull a 4.5 Ghz, maybe 4.6 Ghz. If you would increase that fan RPM and or apply Artic Silver 5 or even make it push pull could allow you to hit that higher overclock. Also, check your voltages - if you increase it ever so slightly, you might be able to hit those higher overclocks. I personally keep every timperature under 80 degrees C. You have 9C of breathing space.

 

[Dylan1999]

keep looking on youtube heres a link of a guy that got to a stable 4.5ghz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAnjq6W-UCk also get a better cooler like this http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709004 or http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074 both are really good. hope this helps

 

[ColorBars]

I'm also running windows 7 64bit. Should have mentioned it. Regardless:

My concern is that at the current settings, I am getting slightly above 90 C readings at a 4.3ghz prime95 test. That doesn't make me feel like I could push much further, but my gaming results are below 75 C. Which makes me think I can....

I'm new to this still. I know I'm running my cpu voltage offset as +0.005v.
I'm seeing my voltage core fluctuate in CPU-z but that's probably because I chose to use offset mode instead of a fixed oc.
It can go from 1.120 to 1.340 or a little more which seems wrong.. .but it's stable.

I'm just confused on what to do next. Push the overclock and lower the voltage offset? What do ?

 

[Dylan1999]

I'm also running windows 7 64bit. Should have mentioned it. Regardless:

My concern is that at the current settings, I am getting slightly above 90 C readings at a 4.3ghz prime95 test. That doesn't make me feel like I could push much further, but my gaming results are below 75 C. Which makes me think I can....

I'm new to this still. I know I'm running my cpu voltage offset as +0.005v.
I'm seeing my voltage core fluctuate in CPU-z but that's probably because I chose to use offset mode instead of a fixed oc.
It can go from 1.120 to 1.340 or a little more which seems wrong.. .but it's stable.

I'm just confused on what to do next. Push the overclock and lower the voltage offset? What do ?

WATCH THE VIDEO I SUGGESTED

 

[ColorBars]

I'm also running windows 7 64bit. Should have mentioned it. Regardless:

My concern is that at the current settings, I am getting slightly above 90 C readings at a 4.3ghz prime95 test. That doesn't make me feel like I could push much further, but my gaming results are below 75 C. Which makes me think I can....

I'm new to this still. I know I'm running my cpu voltage offset as +0.005v.
I'm seeing my voltage core fluctuate in CPU-z but that's probably because I chose to use offset mode instead of a fixed oc.
It can go from 1.120 to 1.340 or a little more which seems wrong.. .but it's stable.

I'm just confused on what to do next. Push the overclock and lower the voltage offset? What do ?

WATCH THE VIDEO I SUGGESTED

okay, lol.

 

[Intel God]

4.4Ghz is the wall for most ivy bridge owners unless you're that .1% who gets a golden chip.

 

[ColorBars]

4.4Ghz is the wall for most ivy bridge owners unless you're that .1% who gets a golden chip.

good to know. I'm not sure how far I should push it. I'm reading 95c is a safe range to test at. Seems gaming, even in intensive games like BF3, will be far lower in temp range too. So I am thinking I can hit that 4.4ghz no problem and settle down.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I'm also running windows 7 64bit. Should have mentioned it. Regardless:

My concern is that at the current settings, I am getting slightly above 90 C readings at a 4.3ghz prime95 test. That doesn't make me feel like I could push much further, but my gaming results are below 75 C. Which makes me think I can....

I'm new to this still. I know I'm running my cpu voltage offset as +0.005v.
I'm seeing my voltage core fluctuate in CPU-z but that's probably because I chose to use offset mode instead of a fixed oc.
It can go from 1.120 to 1.340 or a little more which seems wrong.. .but it's stable.

I'm just confused on what to do next. Push the overclock and lower the voltage offset? What do ?

if your hitting 90c under p95 load, then stop right there, do something to get your temps down. Fine if its 75c during gaming, but what if you then do something else that uses all cores, or play a more demanding game, and fry your cpu...... a hyper 212 evo should be able to cool your cpu better than that. Look at some noctua nt-h1 thermal compound, increase fan speeds, also look at your case air flow and exhaust fans. Lower front fans for air intake to get cool air in, and upper/rear exhaust fans to get hot air out. the exhaust fans are more important than intake.

 

[ColorBars]

I'm also running windows 7 64bit. Should have mentioned it. Regardless:

My concern is that at the current settings, I am getting slightly above 90 C readings at a 4.3ghz prime95 test. That doesn't make me feel like I could push much further, but my gaming results are below 75 C. Which makes me think I can....

I'm new to this still. I know I'm running my cpu voltage offset as +0.005v.
I'm seeing my voltage core fluctuate in CPU-z but that's probably because I chose to use offset mode instead of a fixed oc.
It can go from 1.120 to 1.340 or a little more which seems wrong.. .but it's stable.

I'm just confused on what to do next. Push the overclock and lower the voltage offset? What do ?

if your hitting 90c under p95 load, then stop right there, do something to get your temps down. Fine if its 75c during gaming, but what if you then do something else that uses all cores, or play a more demanding game, and fry your cpu...... a hyper 212 evo should be able to cool your cpu better than that. Look at some noctua nt-h1 thermal compound, increase fan speeds, also look at your case air flow and exhaust fans. Lower front fans for air intake to get cool air in, and upper/rear exhaust fans to get hot air out. the exhaust fans are more important than intake.

I have that exact cooling setup. Lower front, upper rear. Great cable management. HAF 912 case. I may need to increase fan speeds as they are all set to auto regulate. Other than that, airflow should be great. I dust every 3 or so months. I find it alarming that the temps are that high, which is why I reapplied thermal paste. I just set my CPU LLC to level 2. I'm going to run a prime95 at 4.4ghz and see what comes of it.

I'll update with results.

 

[ColorBars]

4.4ghz test:

Getting max tdp 77w
Core voltage jumping between 1.328-1.336v
Noticed CPU z saying my dram frequency is 800mhz... I've got 2 8gb sticks of 1600mhz so not sure why the timing reads 800 when the bios shows each at 1600mhz.

Max Temps after 5 minute test:

Core 1 87
Core 2 91
Core 3 91
Core 4 90

Results say I passed. No WHEA errors in event log.

I'm thinking this looks solid, except this memory thing.

Awaiting feedback. Thanks again all. I only ran 5 minutes so should I continue to adjust or run an hour test at these settings ??

 

[Intel God]

4.4ghz test:

Getting max tdp 77w
Core voltage jumping between 1.328-1.336v
Noticed CPU z saying my dram frequency is 800mhz... I've got 2 8gb sticks of 1600mhz so not sure why the timing reads 800 when the bios shows each at 1600mhz.

Max Temps after 5 minute test:

Core 1 87
Core 2 91
Core 3 91
Core 4 90

Results say I passed. No WHEA errors in event log.

I'm thinking this looks solid, except this memory thing.

Awaiting feedback. Thanks again all.

Your memory is Double data rate. If CPUZ states your memory is at 800 its at 1600

 

[ColorBars]

4.4ghz test:

Getting max tdp 77w
Core voltage jumping between 1.328-1.336v
Noticed CPU z saying my dram frequency is 800mhz... I've got 2 8gb sticks of 1600mhz so not sure why the timing reads 800 when the bios shows each at 1600mhz.

Max Temps after 5 minute test:

Core 1 87
Core 2 91
Core 3 91
Core 4 90

Results say I passed. No WHEA errors in event log.

I'm thinking this looks solid, except this memory thing.

Awaiting feedback. Thanks again all.

Your memory is Double data rate. If CPUZ states your memory is at 800 its at 1600

Great, thanks! Okay, well that's settled. So how do those results look, and should I run an hour test? Seems like it's running in an optimal range but the core voltage I'm not sure whether that's too high....

 

[ColorBars]

I experienced bsod At 4.6 so I backed up to 4.5 And adjusted from a -.005 to a +.005 and got a clean 5 minute mark with reasonable temps peaking at 91. Running a 1 hour now And if all goes well I should have achieved a stable 4.5ghz which makes me more than happy.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

4.4ghz test:

Getting max tdp 77w
Core voltage jumping between 1.328-1.336v
Noticed CPU z saying my dram frequency is 800mhz... I've got 2 8gb sticks of 1600mhz so not sure why the timing reads 800 when the bios shows each at 1600mhz.

Max Temps after 5 minute test:

Core 1 87
Core 2 91
Core 3 91
Core 4 90

Results say I passed. No WHEA errors in event log.

I'm thinking this looks solid, except this memory thing.

Awaiting feedback. Thanks again all. I only ran 5 minutes so should I continue to adjust or run an hour test at these settings ??

Still too hot. what is the ambient temperature in the room the PC is in? Do you live in a hot climate? I would honestly get some noctua nt-h1 thermal compound, it has no curing time and works better than AS5 in my experience, using it on many cpu's and gpu's after previously using AS5 for a long time. If you do use as5 realize that it takes many hours to cure and perform properly. Crank up your cpu fan speed, or at least set the auto management in BIOS to high.

 

[ColorBars]

4.4ghz test:

Getting max tdp 77w
Core voltage jumping between 1.328-1.336v
Noticed CPU z saying my dram frequency is 800mhz... I've got 2 8gb sticks of 1600mhz so not sure why the timing reads 800 when the bios shows each at 1600mhz.

Max Temps after 5 minute test:

Core 1 87
Core 2 91
Core 3 91
Core 4 90

Results say I passed. No WHEA errors in event log.

I'm thinking this looks solid, except this memory thing.

Awaiting feedback. Thanks again all. I only ran 5 minutes so should I continue to adjust or run an hour test at these settings ??

Still too hot. what is the ambient temperature in the room the PC is in? Do you live in a hot climate? I would honestly get some noctua nt-h1 thermal compound, it has no curing time and works better than AS5 in my experience, using it on many cpu's and gpu's after previously using AS5 for a long time. If you do use as5 realize that it takes many hours to cure and perform properly. Crank up your cpu fan speed, or at least set the auto management in BIOS to high.

Thanks. I am actually using the thermal paste that came with the 212 evo. Im certain its junk. But I did reapply today too so it needs time. Well I got a strong and stable overclock now.
Ended up at 4.4ghz. No issues. Offset is -.005 with a level 2 LLC.

its prime temps are very reasonable, peaking at 82 on 2 of 4 cores. In practice it was hardly reaching 72 on all cores after a solid 2 hours of 64 man bf3.
Also played metro LL and blands 2 for an hour a piece and temps were at 68.

Think I'm as far as ill go with this cooler and paste. Today was a serious learning experience. Lot of fun too!
I'm glad to be resting at 4.4 and using less voltage to achieve it.

 

[ColorBars]

I'm now working on dropping voltage and temps while keeping the 4.4 oc. I am trying to get vcore closer to 1.25-1.3 max. Is it possible my chip just isn't a winner? I installed the 212 correctly. My airflow is solid. Ambient temps are fine as the room is air conditioned. Maybe the thermal paste is bogus ?

 

[ColorBars]

After some messing around, I've gotten things as low and cool as I can without WHEA popping up in the log. After many 10 minute tests I got it stable at 4.4ghz and am down from 1.336 or so max vcore to a fluctuating range of 1.256-1.288v. That seems to be as low as I can get it with a level 2 LLC. I haven't tried dipping to level 3 yet.
Max temps have dropped from a 90-93c peak range into the 82-85c range. I am running an hour long p95 now to see how it all turns out.
Aside from fan speeds and thermal compounds, is there anything I'm missing or any further advice for bios adjustments? I'm thinking I've gotten this chip as close as I can to its sweet spot. I have the offset around -0.055 or -0.060 I believe, as that was what I kept dropping in increments to help fix my CPUz vcore readings and my realtemp celsius readings.

Thanks again. Sorry I'm being so thorough, but I'm learning! All advice is appreciated. I'm happy to find I could dial back this much and still feed the OC but I'm reading about people getting this chip to 4.5 at temps of 60-63c under load and I can't understand why mine seems so hot. Even now it's 15 minutes into the hour test and reading across each core: 76,79,78,78.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I'm now working on dropping voltage and temps while keeping the 4.4 oc. I am trying to get vcore closer to 1.25-1.3 max. Is it possible my chip just isn't a winner? I installed the 212 correctly. My airflow is solid. Ambient temps are fine as the room is air conditioned. Maybe the thermal paste is bogus ?

your chip is pretty normal, ivy bridge gets hot compared to sandy due to poor thermal paste used between the cpu die and heat spreader. If you look on youtube there are some methods for de-lidding the heat spreader and applying better thermal paste, although this comes with a risk of damaging the cpu. If I were you i'd be happy with 4.4ghz, another 100mhz is just going to increase heat a lot for not a lot of performance gain. Im fine with mine on 4ghz, runs flawless in any game.

 

[ColorBars]

I'm now working on dropping voltage and temps while keeping the 4.4 oc. I am trying to get vcore closer to 1.25-1.3 max. Is it possible my chip just isn't a winner? I installed the 212 correctly. My airflow is solid. Ambient temps are fine as the room is air conditioned. Maybe the thermal paste is bogus ?

your chip is pretty normal, ivy bridge gets hot compared to sandy due to poor thermal paste used between the cpu die and heat spreader. If you look on youtube there are some methods for de-lidding the heat spreader and applying better thermal paste, although this comes with a risk of damaging the cpu. If I were you i'd be happy with 4.4ghz, another 100mhz is just going to increase heat a lot for not a lot of performance gain. Im fine with mine on 4ghz, runs flawless in any game.

The performance with 4.4ghz has been phenomenal. BF3 is getting 75-120 frames easy on 64 man servers. That's a big leap from what I had before, which was around 65-90 fps and dips under 60 during intense action. I'm pretty happy because I think I just hit the real sweet spot for mine. I didn't even realize I was feeding it way too much voltage.
Just finished an hour long test with my adjusted numbers and things look much better. There's probably a small amount of room for improvement if I continue fiddling, but I'm content for now.

No errors in the log.
Max temps of 81,83,83,82 - big improvement from the 92-95c I was facing earlier.
max core voltage was 1.288v.
Fluctuates a lot, down to 1.256, but I am sure that's from me putting things in offset mode. I see no reason to run it at 4.4 constantly.

All in all, I don't know how much lower I can get it. I'm sure I can get the temps down by messing with LLC or some other settings, but this looks promising. I think my BF3 temps will be out of the 70-72c range and into the low to mid 60's which is a nice change.

Anyways, Thanks everybody. This was enjoyable going from zero knowledge of overclocking to what I'm considering a passable 68 percent understanding haha.
What a journey - couldn't have done it without you guys! I'm going to see if I can get the case fans spinning a little harder, though I'm kinda certain they're at max... other than that, somebody suggested some noctua thermal that sounded pretty legit and I may look into that.