Can I boost an i5-6600K to 4.7Ghz?
Can I boost an i5-6600K to 4.7Ghz?
My current configuration (second PC):
Gigabyte Z170-HD3 (DDR4 Version)
i5-6600K
Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB DDR4
GTX 1070 FE
500W EVGA PSU
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Air Cooler
DeepCool CK500 case
I intend to overclock my CPU to 4.7Ghz. The Z170-HD3 supports i7-6700K up to 4.5Ghz as per Tom's review because the VRM can't provide sufficient voltage... What performance can I expect from the Z170-HD3 when paired with a 6600K? Given my CPU, cooler, and case cooling are all in good condition?
I'm also thinking about upgrading my RAM from 16GB to 32GB... I've heard that a new 2x8GB kit might not work well with my existing setup, so I'm considering a 2x16GB option.
Which RAM speed should I aim for? If I use a 3600Mhz kit, will it work well with my 4.7Ghz overclock?
Also, is this RAM kit compatible with my board?
You should check your motherboard's QVL for suitable memory options. Considering the board's age, finding the exact models they tested might be challenging. High-speed XMP profiles with big memory sticks often fail. With a first-gen DDR4 controller, performance won't match modern Intel chips. Overclocking the CPU is possible but depends on power requirements; aiming for around 4.5Ghz at lower voltage seems reasonable. However, the necessary cooling and power supply might not be ideal for heavy overclocking. These components can handle about 150W at roughly 1.4 volts, and adding another 150W GPU would exceed safe limits with your current setup.
How well you can OC a 6600K will be determined by your luck in having a good chip.
These statistics show that 70% of 6600k chips can do 4.7:
https://siliconlottery.com/pages/statistics
If I recall my experiments with that chip in the past, running ram faster reduced the possible oc.
The specs for your motherboard suggest that 3466 is the best you could expect.
As to the tradeoff, I think the better OC will get you more than faster ram.
The Intel memory controller is very good at anticipating ram needs so fast ram is not so important.
No game really needs more than 16gb of ram. But, if you are multitasking also then you might need more ram to hold all the running code.
While running full out, access task manager/resource monitor/memory tab/hard page fault column.
If you see a hard fault rate much above zero, more ram can help.
Intel is fairly tolerant of mismatched ram. What is your plan B if an added 16gb does not work properly? I might guess that adding ram has a 75% chance of success.
Hey there,
The decision to change the origin of that chip really hinges on your goals. If you believe it could improve your gaming experience, then it's probably not worth the effort. Your hardware is constrained by the CPU, so no matter how much you tweak it, it won't make a significant difference. Especially in today's games.
What issues do retro/previous generation games have? I haven't played any games in a long time... maybe not even the latest ones from 2020 onward. My workstation PC is the main problem. I plan to open many Chrome tabs and ebooks (PDF or DJVU files), plus some LaTeX editors and Sagemath. I'm considering upgrading to 32GB before doing this, but if I do, I'll have to remove the CPU cooler, which is a big deal.
Absolutely, if that's your gaming setup, it's completely appropriate right now.
But I wouldn't invest any money into it, especially for buying more RAM. It would be a waste and wouldn't significantly improve performance. A 16GB option would suffice for your requirements.