Question Where do i start with overclocking a CPU??

[TuckieG]

Hi all,

I am quite a novice when it comes to everything CPU's and id like to overclock my i5 4690k. I was told i could get it to around 4.3 - 4.5GHz

Where do i begin?? Or is it worth to take it to my local computer store and get them to do it?

SYSTEM SPECS:

CPU: i5 4690k @ 3.50GHz (4 core)
Motherboard: Z97X-SOS Force
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1660
RAM: 8GB DDR3

 

[fagetti]

power supply model? What is your cpu fan / heatsink? Your motherboard is suitable for oc but need to know these first

 

[TuckieG]

power supply model? What is your cpu fan / heatsink? Your motherboard is suitable for oc but need to know these first

very recently got a new power supply because old one was faulty, its a Silverstone ET750-G 750W
And the heatsink/CPU Fan i woudnt have the slightest idea. I got it custom-built a couple years ago and dont have the spec sheet anymore.
But here is a photo of it if that helps?

https://imgur.com/a/JEueA5a

View: https://imgur.com/a/JEueA5a

 

[fagetti]

What in the name of the lord is that cpu cooling, i have NO IDEA. It has a noctua fan but i havent seen heatsink like that ever before.

 

[fagetti]

Download aida64 trial and prime95 for stress testing. HWmonitor or hwinfo for temperature monitoring. First try what you get under load (prime95 blend for example) or aida64 just put x mark to fpu / cpu and memory and stress test while looking temps. Do this while on stock settings

 

[TuckieG]

Download aida64 trial and prime95 for stress testing. HWmonitor or hwinfo for temperature monitoring. First try what you get under load (prime95 blend for example) or aida64 just put x mark to fpu / cpu and memory and stress test while looking temps. Do this while on stock settings

ran the test with AIDA64 and these are the results after 10 minutes. Temp as averaging around 46-47C. Im not sure if this is good average or bad?

https://imgur.com/a/uK3lq7L

View: https://imgur.com/a/uK3lq7L

 

[CompuTronix]

TuckieG,

AIDA64 has 15 possible CPU related stress test selections which run 15 different workloads yielding 15 different Core temperatures. Moreover, as fagetti didn't mention, Prime95 "Blend" is best suited for testing memory stability, while Small FFT's is best suited for testing CPU thermal performance, not stability. Moreover, fagetti also didn't mention that Prime95 is version specific because of an issue with "AVX" Instruction Sets.

It's OK to use the non-AVX version 26.6 (if you can find it), but any versions from 27.7 through 29.4 will by default run an AVX workload on your i5-4690K, which has AVX (Advanced Vector Extension) Instructions Sets. AVX in these versions can be disabled, but it's somewhat cumbersome to do so. Running versions of Prime95 with AVX enabled imposes an unrealistic overload which can adversely affect stability and severely overload your CPU with Core temperatures over 20°C higher.

This has been a known problem for several years ever since 4th Gen CPUs were first launched, and Intel is aware of the problem. This is why later Generations of CPUs have "AVX Offset" (downclock) adjustments in BIOS to compensate for the extremely high overload that AVX imposes. 4th Gen is at a disadvantage as it doesn't have AVX offsets in BIOS.

Although Prime95 Small FFT's is supremely ideal for testing thermal performance, it's critically important to be very specific when discussing P95, so there's no misunderstandings or false assumptions. The latest version is 29.8, allows you to easily disable all AVX selections, which is necessary for keeping Core temperatures in check and for achieving valid thermal results.

Do not dive into overclocking before you know what you're doing. It's not difficult to damage or destroy your hard-earned hardware. It's strongly recommended to know before you go, so do some research first!

Start here: CPU overclocking guide and tutorial for beginners - https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/cpu-overclocking-guide-and-tutorial-for-beginners.3347428/

And here: Intel Temperature Guide - https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/intel-temperature-guide.1488337/

fagetti,

Respectfully, we would appreciate that when offering advice concerning Prime95, that you please be very specific. No one likes being blindsided with extreme and unrealistic Core temperatures, unaware that this unanticipated problem is simply due to AVX Instruction Sets which should never be run.

As per Intel’s Datasheets, TDP and Thermal Specifications are validated “without AVX”:

CT 😎

 

[aldan]

to start overclocking increase your cpu multiplier in the bios a couple of increments at a time,restarting in between each increase.run a stress test in between each increase.when the stress test fails ie the system is unstable,increase the cpu voltage a little at a time until you get a stable overclock.on that system i would use occt for testing.

 

[sizzling]

There are lots guides out there. I’d suggest just googling overclocking guides for your cpu or the motherboard. Read a few before starting. These guides will be far more detailed than anything we can type here.

 

[fagetti]

yep sizzling: and youtube is your friend also. Search with your motherboard model (or close to it) and cpu and you can see someone explaining every single option in bios its way easier