Help Overclocking my I5-6600K
Help Overclocking my I5-6600K
Penley54 suggested starting with a specific target clock and experimenting with voltages, emphasizing the need for stress tests to ensure stability. They advised against using prime 95 due to excessive strain and potential damage, recommending instead a trial run with AIDA64 and RealBench to assess performance before attempting overnight stress tests. The responder also shared their experience with BIOS settings and voltage adjustments, expressing confusion about the different voltage options available for their motherboard model.
I believe you should begin by choosing a target clock rate and then experiment with different voltages. For instance, if your goal is a final overclock of 4600, start with a voltage around 1.275 and conduct tests. This approach helps ensure stability through stress testing, which might otherwise take a long time if you gradually raise the clock speed without increasing the stock voltage. I wouldn’t suggest using Prime 95, as it can cause excessive stress and potentially damage your CPU. Instead, I recommend trying AIDA64 and RealBench for about an hour to assess stability before attempting overnight tests for optimal settings. I noticed RealBench was less forgiving, so starting there might be a better idea.
That sounds much more efficient than my original plan, thank you! I’m still unsure about the exact target overclock value. My main goal is improved performance in CPU-heavy games such as Battlefield One, since I suspect my GPU is being bottlenecked. Would a 4400 clock work well? If starting at 4400, should I begin with a voltage around 1.27 or lower? I also posted a photo of my BIOS showing various voltages labeled “CPU Voltage.” Which one should I adjust? These details are confusing me—can anyone clarify what the different voltage options mean and how they affect performance? I searched but couldn’t find information matching my motherboard model, which is making things difficult.
I’m still unsure whether to keep the voltage set to Auto or choose a fixed value, and whether Turbo mode should remain enabled. Sorry for the many questions, just trying to get it right this time. I’m really looking forward to testing it out once home. 😀
At stock clocks, voltages on auto were higher than what I currently have after overclocking. I believe the best approach is to begin with a manual setting and observe its behavior. Once everything is finalized, switch to adaptive mode, which lets your voltages adjust according to clock speed. However, in my experience, when manual mode was producing more voltage than intended, starting from adaptive mode was necessary. I came across a recommendation that the optimal frequency for Skylake CPUs is around 4.6 GHz (provided it runs at low temperatures), but keep in mind that every 6600k will demand different voltages to reach this target. This makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact voltage requirement. Therefore, I suggest choosing a slightly lower voltage that typically works for achieving 4.6 GHz, and gradually increasing it if needed. Starting lower is faster to assess stability, and adjustments can be made smoothly if issues arise.
Only focus on adjusting the core clock speed and voltage, nothing else. Consider tweaking your Qfan settings in Bios. I can understand what you're saying; I'd like a lower voltage if possible, especially if my card supports it, so starting low and increasing gradually would be ideal. Now I'm a bit confused about which voltage to change. If you check the picture in my previous reply, you'll see various voltage options for my motherboard—what should I adjust?
Penley54 also shares that it reflects the minimum boost the motherboard permits. Understanding the details of your motherboard and CPU plays a role in achieving optimal settings. I agree, I’ve done a lot of research before diving into modifications. I intend to overclock as soon as I get back, aiming for a starting clock speed between 3.8 and 4, testing it at stock voltage with benchmarks. Then gradually increase the voltage if needed, monitoring performance. This approach seems reasonable. It might be effective, but proceed cautiously after 4Ghz—rushing could lead to frequent BIOS resets, which is frustrating. Avoid guesswork; finding the right voltage ratio is challenging. It’s better to adjust slowly until you’re comfortable with the temperature and stability.
Penley54 would appreciate the clarification. Essentially, continue boosting your clock ratio until your system begins to fail, then proceed to adjust the voltage gradually. A suitable starting point for voltage is recommended by the software you already have installed. Appreciate the assistance!
JackNaylorPE :
Penley54 :
To clarify, you should continue boosting your clock ratio until your system begins to fail, then proceed to switch your voltage to adaptive and gradually raise it. What initial voltage should you begin with? You already have HW Monitor to keep an eye on the voltage levels. Thank you for your assistance!
It would be wise to adhere to one of the linked OC guides that outline each phase, possible alternatives, accepted voltage ranges, and any other queries you might have.
In brief, the main concern is choosing between adaptive or offset methods for voltage adjustment, and picking a voltage suitable for your selected CPU multiplier. The CLC cooler won't help much; just follow the instructions for air coolers.
1. Install / install RoG Real Bench to check stability and use HWiNFO64 to log temperatures and voltages.
2. Start with default BIOS settings, record core temperatures and voltages. Avoid XMP and keep RAM at JEDEC defaults, which are typically lower than the package specifications. If your BIOS or utilities CD includes OC tools, test them at each setting, beginning with the lowest and increasing gradually. Log individual core temps and voltages.
3. After configuring adaptive mode, try a CPU multiplier of 40 and copy the voltage from step 2 for stock settings. Execute RoG Real Bench Benchmark, which takes about 8 minutes. If your result is slightly lower, increase the voltage slightly; if not, decrease it slightly. The adjustment should be tailored to keep stability while lowering the voltage as much as possible. Aim for the smallest feasible drop depending on how long you're willing to test.
4. Once stable at the desired voltage, proceed with a more rigorous test by setting Real Bench to your RAM count and running the benchmark for 2 hours. Some users have experienced 24-hour stable Prime 95 OCs failing in a 2-hour Prime test—consider raising the voltage slightly if it fails, or lowering it if it succeeds.
5. If successful, move on to higher multipliers (41, etc.) and repeat the process. For those who prefer not to climb from 40 to 45 immediately, start with a lower multiplier and adjust accordingly.
6. After achieving stability at a specific multiplier and RAM setting, save a BIOS profile in the Asus Tools section. Use descriptive names like:
Stock w/ XMP
4200 XMP
4500 XMP
4800
where 4200 corresponds to 4.2 GHz or 4200 MHz.
This guidance is very useful. I began testing with ROG Real Bench stock, but it kept crashing and failing tests. I tried Prime95 as recommended, which worked well, so I recorded my temperatures and voltages. After entering BIOS, I adjusted the clock ratio to 42. My aim was to reach around 4.5 GHz, starting from 4.2, testing performance before increasing. I didn’t change the voltage beyond that except to disable turbo mode. Now, when I boot into Windows, it runs at the same speed as before and overclocking isn’t active. The BIOS also confirms it’s operating at 3.5GHz, which matches stock speeds. Why isn’t my clock changing? I know I’m saving settings on exit so everything remains consistent. Attachments are included for reference.
This is extremely helpful.
Prime95 was the standard back then, but it doesn't work well with today's processors. Contemporary instruction sets enable BIOS to apply higher voltages even if BIOS settings suggest otherwise. In regular programs, these quick voltage spikes can add 0.13 volts or more, potentially reaching unsafe levels based on your configuration. Continuous use of such high-frequency instructions may cause excessive voltage and temperature, risking CPU damage.
a) You might achieve stable performance for 24 hours with a benchmark, but then crash after short periods in multitasking tests.
b) Many users still rely on older P95 versions lacking AVX and other advanced instructions.
1) Without modern instruction support, stability is only temporary when those specific sets are active. It's similar to checking tire balance on a vehicle that only drives at low speeds—acceptable for occasional use but not for demanding tasks like highway driving.
2) Using versions with these instructions can damage your CPU.
In summary, P95 remains valuable—but only if you own a machine built specifically for it and run benchmarks there.