All MSI gaming boost cpu overclock settings do not work.
All MSI gaming boost cpu overclock settings do not work.
Here are the details of my PC specifications:
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6800K Processor (6x 3.40GHz/15MB L3 Cache)
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H55 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory: 64 GB RAM [16 GB x4 DDR4-3200 Memory Module]
GPU: GTX 1080 MSI GAMING x 2 (Dual Cards with EVGA SLI Bridge)
Motherboard: MSI X99A Gaming Pro Carbon (4x PCIe x16, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 4x USB 2.0 - Mystic Light RGB LED, Steel Armor PCI-Express Slots 3)
Power Supply: 1000 Watt EVGA 1000 GQ
Primary Hard Drive: 512GB Samsung 950 PRO M.2 PCI-E SSD
Secondary Drive: 1 TB HARD DRIVE
I don't have much experience with overclocking, so I opted for MSI's built-in "gaming boost" feature to automatically adjust my i7 6800K. There are 11 presets available, and even when set to the lowest possible overclock level, the system fails to boot—no BIOS loading and no monitor signal. Repeatedly pressing the motherboard reset button didn't resolve the issue, and I also tried updating or flashing the BIOS to a newer version, but it didn't help. What might be causing this? As far as I know, voltage adjustments are handled automatically with the presets, so that shouldn't be an issue. Could you suggest what I should do instead? Also, I have XMP enabled; does that seem to be the cause of the problem?
Try a more traditional approach instead of an overclocked setup. It's working on my Gigabyte X99 gaming M5 with an i7 6900K.
■ Open BIOS, use the standard settings, gradually adjust voltage to assess CPU and motherboard power supply.
■ Turn off energy-saving mode (no MSI board, just labeled C1E/EIST)
■ Disable turbo boost
■ Save changes and exit BIOS, then test gaming boost; if issues continue, proceed with manual adjustments.
■ Raise CPU voltage by 0.01 (+0.01v) and double the multiplier, save and exit BIOS, run a program or game to check stability—typically an hour is needed, then restart.
■ Increase CPU voltage further (try +0.1v) and triple the multiplier, save and exit BIOS, continue testing with the same game or program.
Try a more traditional approach with your Gigabyte X99 gaming M5 on an i7 6900K processor.
Open the BIOS, apply the standard BIOS settings, gradually adjust the voltage to assess the power supply capabilities of the CPU and motherboard.
Turn off any energy-saving features (such as C1E or EIST) and disable Turbo Boost.
Save your changes and exit the BIOS. Then attempt gaming boost; if it doesn’t work, proceed with manual adjustments.
Boost the CPU frequency slightly by 0.01 (about 0.01 v) and double the multiplier. Save and exit the BIOS, then run a game or program to check stability—typically an hour is needed before restarting.
If stability improves, try increasing the frequency further by 0.1 (0.1 v) and doubling the multiplier. Save and exit again, then test with the new settings.
Keep in mind that some applications may not utilize all available cores or threads; usually, four cores paired with a modern GPU is sufficient for newer games. Certain software like Adobe Premiere may require all cores.
Manual tuning can be effective if you notice issues during boot/POST failures, such as freezing on the Windows login screen, BSODs, program freezes, or unresponsive input devices.
If previous settings worked, stick with that configuration for a stable overclock.
Your suggestion worked well. For higher overclocks, such as 4.4 ghz, you typically just need to raise the vcore voltage, not adjust each setting individually to keep stability.
Here’s the revised version maintaining the original length and style:
I appreciate your advice on turning off turbo boost and power saving while boosting the vcore—it worked! However, I’m still puzzled by the variety of CPU voltage adjustments I’ve seen, such as vccin, sa voltage, and others I don’t remember. If I decide to push overclock beyond 4.4GHz, like to 4.4 GHz or higher, should I just raise the vcore alone, or must I adjust each setting to keep things stable?
From what I’ve tried, tweaking the VID is usually enough. Other settings like VCCIN and aS V are more about VRM management, which changes automatically when VID is adjusted. Unfortunately, neither the motherboard manufacturers nor International Rectifier provide clear guidance on this.
The simplest way to check your motherboard’s power capabilities is by inspecting the number of heatspreaders near the CPU socket—typically around eight are considered OCable compatible, while ten or more suggest enthusiast-level boards (Intel’s reference only lists 4+1 phases).
I wouldn’t suggest redoing a failed preset even with a good water cooler. Are you doing this for gaming, 3D rendering, or video editing? If it’s for those tasks, you might consider limiting to two cores—just open msconfig, go to the boot tab, and select 2 under the processor number option.
My 6900K ran smoothly at 4.4GHz for about 15 minutes during LUX hybrid rendering (34 minutes with stock speed), but it failed encoding with Handbrake afterward. I then downclocked to 4.0GHz, which worked fine.