Battlefield 1: Is it beneficial to overclock your 7700K?
Battlefield 1: Is it beneficial to overclock your 7700K?
Hello everyone,
My setup includes an Asus IX Hero with a 7700K at 4.5GHz, DDR4 16GB 3200MHz XMP, Noctus D15S, Gigabyte G TX1080 for gaming, Corsair AX750 PSU, and a BenQ 144Hz 1920x1080 monitor. I'm running BF1 on a 1080p 144Hz display with ultra preset settings. The FPS is capped at around 130fps due to V-sync limits, averaging about 144fps.
I'm wondering if it's beneficial to push my 7700K beyond 4.5GHz across all cores. Would that result in higher frame rates consistently?
Currently, I enjoy the CPU running at a stable max temperature of 52-57°C with a low voltage of 1.136v at 4.5GHz turbo.
4.5ghz is a gentle overclock. The default turbo boost is 4.4ghz, which can be closer to 4.2ghz when all four cores are active. As long as temperatures stay manageable and vcore isn’t increased too much, it’s worth giving it a try. You have a good cooler and enough thermal margin. During gaming at around 55°C, you might reach about 15°C hotter without issues. Consider recording your current FPS, gradually increasing the overclock while monitoring temperatures. Aim to keep vcore near 1.4v (or 1.35v or lower if possible) and check your FPS again. If it doesn’t improve, just note the settings you’re using.
You won't notice any change with a 4.5 oc. With full support, consider a 5.1Ghz option.
BF1 demands a lot from the CPU, so a reasonable modification could boost frame rates. I notice you're using a Noctua D15S. I should manage a moderate overclock to keep temperatures reasonable, but if you push the core with higher voltages (close to 4.8-4.9Ghz), the cooler may begin to lose effectiveness in maintaining those temps. The most accurate way to assess its limits is by testing the CPU overclock and observing the temperature changes in your particular setup. Then weigh the extra frames against the potential increase in heat (which might also raise noise levels).
Side note: If you proceed with CPU overclocking, applying quality heatsink paste could help reduce temperatures slightly.
4.5ghz is a gentle overclock. The default turbo boost is 4.4ghz, which can be closer to 4.2ghz when all four cores are active. As long as temperatures stay manageable and vcore isn’t increased too much, it’s worth giving it a try. You have a good cooler and enough thermal margin. During gaming, you might reach about 15°C hotter, which should still be acceptable.
Consider recording your current FPS and gradually raise the overclock while monitoring temperatures. Aim to keep vcore around 1.4v (1.35v or lower would be ideal) and verify if FPS improves. If not, simply note the settings you’re using.
Charl15 is discussing how a good optimization could boost performance in a CPU-heavy game, especially with a Noctua D15S. They mention that while a mild adjustment should work well, pushing the core voltage higher may cause stability issues if temperatures rise too much. Testing overclocking and monitoring temperatures in real conditions would help determine if extra frames are worth the heat. They also recommend using quality heatsink paste to improve cooling slightly.
BigBoomBoom :
Charl15 :
BF1 requires a lot of CPU power. A reasonable modification could boost frame rates slightly. You're using a Noctua D15S, which should handle a moderate adjustment without too many issues. However, if you increase the voltage significantly, the stabilization might be affected, especially if you push it to high-end settings (around 4.8-4.9Ghz). In that case, the cooler may start to have trouble maintaining stable temperatures. The most reliable method is to test the CPU by overclocking and observe the performance gains and temperature changes in your particular setup. Then evaluate whether the extra frames are worth the increased heat (and possible noise).
A quick tip: if you choose to overclock, applying quality heatsink paste can help reduce temperatures slightly.
Huh, NH-D15S is essentially the same as NH-D15, and it performs similarly to Corsair H105. Silicon Lottery tests i7-7700K with H105. NT-H1 is a solid paste option. I'm not sure which paste will lower the temperature noticeably beyond the extreme ones, such as Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut for maximum overclocking.
I think you might have misinterpreted something. I'm not claiming the NH-D15S is bad. Instead, I'm suggesting it may not be sufficient for an extremely overclocked 7700K. Temperatures can be influenced by many unknowns like room temperature, case design, fan settings, and more. That's why I recommend giving it an OC and checking the actual temps with your own configuration.