Consider the Z790 model and check reviews for compatibility with your needs.
Consider the Z790 model and check reviews for compatibility with your needs.
You're planning to turn off hyper threading and disable the e-cores. For your NH-D15S Plus with a contact frame, version 5.7 should be feasible. Expect higher temperatures, so increasing fan speeds will help manage heat.
5.7GHz might be achievable in that setup, possibly 5.8GHz if circumstances are favorable, though I wouldn't rely on it. I haven't experimented with mine much using air cooling, so I can't accurately say what the temperatures would be. I'd estimate it would sit in the mid to upper 80s at full capacity, though that's uncertain. Keep in mind you'll need to increase the ring clock for games where it really matters—more than core or memory, but still significant. Be aware that pushing the clock speed also increases stress testing challenges (often causing random crashes, odd blue screens, etc.), and performance varies widely between chips (some run 5.2GHz while mine struggles with 4.7-4.8GHz), requiring substantial Vcore adjustments. Still, it's worth trying.
If core voltage is high, I should be mindful of the settings I apply because temperatures become a factor. With the 13900k or even ks, what clock speeds would be feasible? I’m mainly interested in whether I could achieve a better clock speed of 5.8 or 5.9 and improved timing due to enhanced silicon technology. Still, cooling might remain a constraint. I’m not certain if I should opt for an i9; it’s possible but uncertain whether it’s worth the effort. Additionally, I’m curious about the performance gains from this CPU compared to my current setup. I’m upgrading mainly because my GPU is limited, having an RTX 4090 and an i5-5600x at 4.7GHz, which struggles to keep up with recent BIOS and Windows optimizations. My usage is heavy at 280Hz in 1080p, often pushing CPU utilization to 30-80%, especially during demanding games. I’m looking for the best possible CPU to alleviate this bottleneck.
Compared to the 13900K, my 13700K offers similar performance, possibly slightly improved, and I’m handling better heat dissipation. Most chips reach around 5.8GHz, and you might even enable Hyperthreading for that. The ring clock appears comparable since Intel doesn’t strictly separate chips by ring clock, giving you a fair chance for both high clock and high core speeds. It won’t be a game-changer—you’ll just add another 100MHz with minimal extra benefit. The K-series provides an additional 100-200MHz over the 13900K for about $200 more. Still, it’s not a strong upgrade, particularly if you’re relying on air cooling.
I received these components and checked if a safe boot would restore my settings or reset them. Since the board lacks that feature, it’s unclear what effect it would have.
Yeah, this should be a G.Skill board. From what I've noticed, they offer some of the top PCBs for memory modules, which means if you're doing manual overclocking they achieve very precise timing compared to other manufacturers at similar voltages and speeds. It might just be a matter of silicon variation and not much to worry about. Just keep in mind you'll likely need a fan for the memory, as G.Skill's heat spreaders aren't ideal for DDR5. Be cautious with BIOS settings—changing tRCD from 45 to 15 without realizing can cause the board to default to stock values. If you accidentally set it wrong and the board fails to boot, press the safe boot button and it will restart at JEDEC standards. You can then correct the mistake and proceed smoothly to Windows without having to reconfigure everything from scratch. All of Gigabyte's Z790 boards include Safe Boot, which is actually a feature from ASUS, ASRock, and MSI (officially called OC Fail Safe). They might label it differently in the BIOS, like Multikey, and sometimes refer to it as Limp Mode. The board definitely supports it, but the naming is just a way for different manufacturers to describe the same safety feature.