Can I really boost my Intel 8700K processor without breaking it?
Can I really boost my Intel 8700K processor without breaking it?
Here is my current build setup on my gaming PC. Should I try and safely push the processor to 5 GHZ? Besides that CPU cooler, I also have four additional cooling fans in this build: two are blowing air into the case from the front and top, while the other two pull hot air out at the back and top. Since this is my first time overclocking, I'm a bit worried about accidentally breaking something because it's too easy to blow up your rig. Would also like to boost my RAM speed to 3000 MHz since my motherboard already supports that, but it's running slower at 2000 or 2500 MHz. Any advice would be super helpful, thanks!
I don't know why people care so much about that "mystical" magic number of 5 GHz. Actually, most systems run fine just on 99% of that speed with only 4.7 to 4.9 GHz, especially if you have a GPU lower than an 5700XT or 2080. Do you own a Z370 or 390 series board? If not, we're done for now. If yes, the first thing to do is check how hot your temps are even when running at stock speed and see if those numbers come up in HWMonitor instead of just looking at the clock speeds. Then think about using all-core MCE mode (that's mainboard BIOS telling it) on 4.7 GHz while watching the temperatures closely.
The 8700K is a great CPU for pushing it over limits and hitting up to 4.9GHz per core. With some good cooling, getting close to 5GHz is actually pretty easy. If you have an Intel Z370 or Z390 board, you can probably find specific guides online or on YouTube since there are lots of them. As for memory, are you using the RAM with XMP turned on in your BIOS? What kind of RAM do you have?