3570k, 1.33V and remains unstable
3570k, 1.33V and remains unstable
I have a 3570k running at 4.4ghz and it's unstable with a v core of 1.33v. I was stable at 4.3/1.29v, so why does a small 100mhz increase cause such a big jump in power? And why are others pushing 4.6ghz with much lower v cores? I don’t understand. Am I using a bad chip?
You'll find improved voltage regulators and more consistent long-term overclocking on a superior board, but if you're already stable at 4.3 GHz, the extra cost isn't justified. You won't face restrictions in games at that speed. It's wiser to invest more in a graphics card rather than spending on a new motherboard or CPU just to try higher overclocks right now.
Mobo is an Asus P8Z77-V LX model. I haven't tested 4.5 yet because I'm still working on making my PC stable. 4.4 remains unstable at 1.34v. If I can't make it function, I'll either stick with 4.3 or attempt 4.5.
Stay within a stable range to avoid instability. It's not uncommon for people to feel this way. The optimal speed I see is around 1.29v for the long-term stable setting of that CPU. It may have worked at 1.33v a couple of years ago, but over time wear usually restricts performance gains.
When you increase the frequency, power demands rise more sharply with each small change. Don't stress over missing 4.4GHz; 4.3GHz is generally a good balance for most Intel processors. Beyond that, noticeable performance improvements are rare. Some benchmarks even show that pushing past 4.3GHz can cause a drop because there isn’t enough power to support both the CPU and iGPU.
Avoid exceeding 1.34v on the older CPU, especially since it's currently unstable. Reduce the speed to prevent long-term damage.
I’ll keep going with 4.3 since it’s the best I can manage without issues. Also, how much does the motherboard type affect the maximum overclock level? Would spending around $1k on a gaming motherboard be necessary to achieve high overclocks? I’m aware that’s quite an extreme scenario, but I plan to build a new setup soon.