Watercooling needed for overclocking the i7 4790k? Also should I?

[staste4290]

In a few days I will be upgrading to a i7 4790k and I was wondering all about overclocking it. It is something that I've never done but I feel like it would actually be pretty sick especially when all my upgrades come in I feel like it would be foolish not to. I'm guessing there is a guide of how to overclock it on YouTube, I haven't searched yet, but that's not the question at hand...for now. I was wondering if I were to overclock it would I have to get rid of the normal heatsink and add a water cooler? Water Cooling is something that, to be honest, scares me even though I know all of you are going to say it shouldn't, but I mean I am putting water into the same case as hundreds of dollars. Also is there a way I could get away with the standard heatsink and just OC slightly? Or can I get a better heatsink that doesn't have water and get away with slightly more? So many questions I know. Anything that you want to add about overclocking (especially the I7 4790k) or watercooling in general will be very appreciated. (Also if I do need to have watercooling to overclock and its worth it to overclock, a recommendation to a reliable watercooling kit or individual parts would be greatly appreciated too!) Thank you all in advanced! 😀

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

Do not overclock on the stock cooler. There are air based coolers that will allow you to overclock. What case do you have? Start by looking at the cooler master hyper evo 212.

 

[atomicWAR]

to overclock you don't need to water cool though i would recommend it. Stock heat sink is not enough however. A nice after market cooler like noctua d14 would work for an overclock though. it's about on par with many closed loop water coolers but not an open loop water cooler.

 

[staste4290]

Do not overclock on the stock cooler. There are air based coolers that will allow you to overclock. What case do you have? Start by looking at the cooler master hyper evo 212.

This is my case http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K6S1B3Q/?tag=pcpapi-20 and thank you for the answer and a suggestion for cooling, means a lot.

 

[atomicWAR]

i would add more fans to your case if your going to overclock...but otherwise it looks like a decent setup.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

Your case allows for a max CPU cooler height of 193mm. That pretty much covers any CPU cooler you want to install. Just be careful. Some CPU coolers may not fit if RAM gets in their way. The cooler I recommended is a pretty safe bet. But also check out Noctua heatsinks. They are the best air coolers you can get. Also Noctua fans are near silent.

 

[suckmyoverclock]

No, you do not need a water cooler for overclocking a 4790k. I would personally buy a water cooler if I was serious about overclocking, since providing you have one of the best ones, you are not going to beat it with an air cooler. But, this does not mean that you cannot. A Noctua NH-D15 will take you to 4.7 or 4.8 providing you have a good chip, and if you have a very good chip, it might even take you to 4.9. It is extremely rare to get 5, but if you could i would recommend an AIO or custom, loop. Bear in mind that most AIOs are a lot louder than the NH-D15 with the exception of the CM Nepton 240m, which is possibly the quietest AIO out there. So, for anything up to 4.8, get an NH-D15, anything beyond that, think about a 280/thick 240mm AIO, or a custom loop. It is up to you, and what you should think about when choosing between a H100i/240m or an NH-D15, what do you prefer the looks of, do you want liquid in your system, and do you mind having a massive weight hanging off your mobo. I should have mentioned this earlier, but if you are going for lower overclocks, think about maybe a NH-U14s, or even a Be Quiet! cooler. Be Quiet!s look very nice compared to the noctua, but are maybe a little louder and less efficient. Hope this helps!