9900k OC and cooling
9900k OC and cooling
Start fresh with the new instructions.
1) You're considering pushing your 9900K to 5.0ghz, but I think you lack proper cooling for that manual approach.
2) I recommended turning on the motherboard's All Core Enhancement, which automatically overclocks the CPU without any further adjustments.
3) After that, things took a different direction.
Many users still think a '5 GHz or it's useless' attitude, even though beating a stock 9900K in gaming is only possible with an overclocked version—usually on a 2080Ti card that can actually highlight the difference, especially at 1080P. Even when using stock settings (without MCE enabled), the processor will boost to 4.7 GHz across all cores, which isn’t enough motivation for most people... (most also lack sufficient GPU or a monitor capable of displaying meaningful FPS gains).
Moreover, while enabling MCE lets the BIOS push higher core loads than stock, I’m not convinced that just turning it on will ensure stable operation. (I suspect many 9900K models need a higher core voltage for reliable performance.) While some (or perhaps most) 9900Ks do achieve 5 GHz across all cores, it’s not a guaranteed outcome. You might try adjusting the BIOS or using INtel's XTU to see what clock speeds are optimal for different core loads—possibly lowering the default 5 GHz target to 4.8 GHz and testing temperatures.
A 9700K with an NH-D15 reached around 68°C at all-core 4.6 GHz CPU stress tests, and as power consumption climbs near the upper end of clock speeds and voltages, it becomes questionable whether the NH-D15 can keep up unless you’re playing outside in 8°C conditions.
In short, achieving consistent 5 GHz performance generally depends on having a quality radiator fluid—either from a reliable manufacturer or good luck—or a bit of luck. (The KF-series CPUs might even run slightly cooler.)