Can I make sure my overclocking is safe?
Can I make sure my overclocking is safe?
I just overclocked my Intel Core i7-4790K and it's my first time doing this. The chip had been delidded with liquid metal between the die and the heat spreader. Anyway, I'm running at 4.7 gigahertz with a core voltage of 1.25 volts. I have Intel Turbo Boost turned on, and EIST is enabled too. Enhanced Turbo is off and nothing else has changed yet. Does this sound okay to you? One thing that makes me nervous is that Task Manager says my CPU is hitting about 5.7 gigahertz when it's working hard, but the actual clock speed shown in CPU-Z is still just 4.7 ghz. Is this a problem worth worrying about? My temperatures are nowhere near their maximum limit; they're only at 65 degrees Celsius.
Then stay around 4.6 volts with a 1.250V setting because the motherboard might not handle more. It is cool to see how high you can push the overclock, but adding an extra 100-200MHz isn't really worth it now since finding new parts for this old chip would cost too much and be very hard to get. When the computer runs hot at full load with that voltage, it stays safe and will still work for a while.
Ignore the speed report from the task manager because that data is likely fake. Your voltage and temperatures look perfectly normal, but if your CPU hits a high temperature like 65°C during a game or a benchmark test, do not push it further. If you are running Prime95 Small FFTs with AVX turned off while gaming, try to keep the temp below 85°C when doing stress tests (or below 80°C while playing games). As long as these limits stay met, your system should be fine.
Thanks for getting back to me. I guess I was too quick with that post. The test I started isn't done yet. But right now, I am running at 4.6 ghz with a voltage of 1.250 v. It's been about 35 minutes, and the stress test is still going. My highest temp reached is 65 degrees.
Then stay at a lower voltage like 4.6 volts or even down to 1.250 volts because the motherboard might stop working there. It's cool to think about pushing things higher to get more speed, but adding another 100 to 200 megahertz isn't worth it right now. Finding new parts for that kind of old computer is too expensive and hard to find since they are really old. At 65 degrees Celsius while it's working hard at that voltage, everything is perfectly safe and should last a long time.
I don't think it is the motherboard because my Z97 Gaming 5 is brand new and usually works fine, but sometimes these things break down.
I don't know what that red color means exactly, but 1.3 volts is okay for Intel CPUs made in the fourth generation. I checked my manual and didn't see anything about this here. Do you have the little round plug connected to the power source? That plug gives extra power to help you push your CPU's speed higher, so if it wasn't plugged in, maybe that's why you're getting 1.3 volts instead of the normal voltage for overclocking.