6600k OC wall - maybe a bad draw in the silicon lottery or another reason?
6600k OC wall - maybe a bad draw in the silicon lottery or another reason?
I've been testing this 6600k at 4ghz with stock voltage (1.125) and it's remained completely stable, even after a few days of Prime95 without any problems. Recently I tried pushing it further, but it still works smoothly at 4.2 and 1.130v, though it crashes at 4.3 when any voltage up to 1.2 is applied, especially when opening a browser. Is this due to insufficient voltage or another factor? Even with water, I'm cautious about exceeding 1.2 volts. Gigabyte z170x-gaming7, i5 6600k, 4x4GB GSkill TridentZ 3000, Corsair HX1000i
In summary, we didn’t notice substantial improvements by adjusting the Base Clock speed. Even small increases caused instability and crashes until we adjusted the CPU voltage. We found better results by tweaking the multiplier, which allowed us to reach up to 4.5GHz on the i5-6600K at full Turbo without changing voltages. This improved our multimedia scores significantly, reaching a high overall rating of 146. We pushed the processor further to 4.7GHz for a slightly higher total of 148, but had to raise voltages beyond 1.35v to maintain stability.
To achieve significant success, you need to be ready to make some informed decisions. Key details include: Intel's maximum spec for Skylake/Kaby is 1.5v, siliconlottery consistently tests their i5 at 1.44v, and clear signs of diminishing returns start around 1.4v. From this, you can determine the safe upper limit and a typical overclocking range with a margin for safety. A 1.5v setting doesn’t ensure the chip will fail, and 1.125v won’t mean endless longevity. It’s about finding a balance that feels right. Based on my experience with Skylake/Kaby, around 1.4v is ideal—keeping temperatures stable works well for everyday use. Try increasing Vcore to 1.44 and observe how your chip responds. Then gradually lower the voltage and check stability and temperature. You might be surprised by the outcomes without taking too much risk.
You just require higher voltage than 1.2 for 4.3ghz. Although each chip varies, my 6600k worked at 4.4ghz with about 1.31v.