How to enhance the performance of your i5-4690k processor.
How to enhance the performance of your i5-4690k processor.
Hi guys, last year I bought my rig with an i5-4690k, but after saving for a good CPU fan, I now want to overclock it. This would let me upgrade to a Pascal GPU without slowing down the stock clocked CPU. What fan is someone else recommending that’s easy to install and fits within a £100 budget? Thanks!
Hi,
Could you share your rig specifications? Chassis? Maybe you need additional chassi fans?
PSU?
Etc.
It’s crucial that the airflow, which is essential for cooling the electronics, flows in the correct direction and can effectively expel heat from the chassis. This applies even when using water cooling, as the motherboard still generates some heat and a powerful graphics card will add more load.
If you plan to overclock, then not only the CPU will become hotter but also the surrounding components and memory.
It might be useful to check today’s temperatures:
Download and install HWmonitor (Free) and pay attention so that you...
Hello, Could you share your rig specifications? Maybe you need additional chassis fans? PSU? Etc. It's crucial that the airflow, which is essential for cooling the electronics, flows in the correct direction and can effectively expel heat from the chassis. This applies even when using water cooling, as some heat remains from the motherboard itself and a powerful graphics card will generate more warmth. If you plan to overclock, it's not just the CPU that gets hotter—surrounding components and memory also experience increased temperatures. It might be useful to check your current temperatures: Download and install HWmonitor (free). Pay attention so you can avoid any third-party software during installation or simply download the zip file without those files. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html Launch HWmonitor (it will monitor all temperatures and voltages) and run it in the background or on a secondary monitor. Then start your game. After about 15 minutes of play, close the game and take a reading. The interface has three columns: Value: displays actual readings Min and max values indicate the range You can also go to File > Save monitoring data to share the results here for review. Use CPU-Z (free) and make sure you uncheck any third-party software during installation, just like with HWmonitor. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html In the memory section, it will show the clock speeds: For instance, if it lists DRAM Frequency at 1066MHz, multiply by 2 (1066x2) and the memory runs at 2132 MHz. If it shows 800Mhz, the memory operates at 1600MHz. The simplest method to overclock is to enable your memory's built-in Intel XMP profile in the BIOS/OC or advanced settings—provided your memory supports it. This not only allows higher clock speeds (lower timings, higher frequencies) but can also slightly boost CPU performance. Afterward, run HWmonitor again, preferably with a stress test, to verify stability and ensure temperatures and voltages stay within limits. Repeat with CPU-Z to confirm the new values in their tabs. Here’s a link to a site with recommended CPU coolers: Best regards from Sweden
Flyfisherman: Hello, Could you share your rig details? Like the chassis, maybe you need additional fans? What about the power supply unit? It’s crucial that the airflow, which is essential for cooling the electronics, flows in the correct direction and can effectively expel heat from the chassis. This applies even when using water cooling, since some heat remains from the motherboard itself. A powerful graphics card will also add more warmth into the system. If you plan to overclock, it’s not just the CPU that gets hotter—surrounding parts and memory will too. It might be useful to check today’s temperatures: Download and install HWmonitor (free), pay attention to avoid any third-party software during setup or simply take the zip file without those files. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html Launch HWmonitor (it will monitor all temperatures and voltages) and run it in the background or on a secondary monitor. Then launch your game. After about 15 minutes of play, close the game and take a reading. The interface shows three columns: Value – actual readings Min and max – self-explanatory You can also go to File > Save monitoring data to share the results here for review. Use CPU-Z (free) and make sure you uncheck any third-party software during installation, just like before. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html In the memory section, it will indicate the clock speeds: For example, if it says DRAM Frequency 1066MHz, multiply by 2 (1066x2) and the memory runs at 2132 MHz. If it states 800Mhz, the memory operates at 1600MHz. The simplest way to overclock is to enable your built-in Intel XMP profile in BIOS/OC or advanced settings—if supported. This not only allows higher memory speeds (lower timings, higher frequencies) but also slightly boosts CPU performance. After that, run HWmonitor again, preferably with a stress test, to verify stability and ensure temperatures and voltages stay within limits. Repeat with CPU-Z to confirm the new values in their tabs. Here’s a link to a site with top-rated CPU coolers: Best regards from Sweden Thank you for your helpful response and time! I’ll start testing the temperatures now. For reference, my current specs are: - i5-4690K CPU - Stock cooler - MSI Z97 PC Mate motherboard - 8GB DDR3 HyperX Fury RAM at 1866MHz - Cougar STX 650 PSU (I know it’s not great, so I’m also considering a replacement) - GTX 960 Strix 2GB GPU - 1TB Seagate HDD - Be Quiet! silent base 600 windowed (using stack fans and exhausts) I’ll get back as soon as possible, thanks again! 😀
Flyfisherman: Hello, Could you share your rig details? Chassis? Maybe you need additional fans? PSU? Etc. It's crucial that the airflow, which is essential for cooling the electronics, flows in the correct direction and can effectively expel heat from the chassis. This applies even when using water cooling, as residual heat from the motherboard and a powerful graphics card will still require sufficient airflow. If you plan to overclock, it's not just the CPU that gets hotter—surrounding components and memory also face increased temperatures. It might be useful to check your current temperatures: Download and install HWmonitor (free). Pay attention to avoid any third-party software during installation or simply download the zip file without those files. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html Launch HWmonitor (it will monitor all temperatures and voltages) and run it in the background or on a secondary monitor. After 15 minutes of gameplay, close the game and take a reading. The interface shows three columns: Value: displays actual readings Min and max values indicate the range You can also go to File > Save monitoring data to share your results here for review. Use CPU-Z (free) to verify memory clock speeds. Uncheck any third-party software during installation, just like with HWmonitor. In the Memory section, it will show the current clocking rates: For example, if it lists DRAM Frequency at 1066MHz, multiply by 2 (1066x2) and the memory runs at 2132 MHz. If it shows 800Mhz, the memory operates at 1600MHz. The simplest method to overclock is to enable your memory's built-in Intel XMP profile in BIOS or advanced settings—if supported. This not only allows higher memory speeds (lower timings, higher frequencies) but also slightly boosts CPU performance. Afterward, run HWmonitor again using a stress test to ensure stability and that temperatures and voltages stay within limits. Repeat with CPU-Z to verify the updated values. Here’s a link to a site with recommended CPU coolers: Best regards from Sweden I’m having trouble uploading the data—I’m not sure how to do it. 😛 So essentially, the CPU package got readings around: 58°C, 40°C, and 71°C
Hi,
I am sorry that I could not answer until now.
Ok, do you still have problems?
All the temperatures seems to be fine, no problem there.
That means, if You want to go for OC, that should not be any problem, but You should take a new readings from HWmonitor afterwards, just to make sure.
Best regards from Sweden
Flyfisherman:
Hi,
I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply yet.
Do you still have any issues?
Everything looks okay with the temperatures, no worries there.
If you're planning to go for OC, it shouldn't be an issue, but you might want to take some new readings from the HWmonitor just to confirm.
Best regards from Sweden
Thanks for your assistance! I'm also sorry I couldn't respond in time
😛
By the way, I chose the Corsair H100i GTX water cooler because I found a good deal. I haven't really experimented with overclocking much yet since I'm still figuring things out.
😛
I just used the OC Genie feature on my motherboard, which has brought it up to 4.0GHz
Thanks again
Hello once more,
It really seems you've got a great setup now.
Keep going with that positive energy.
Warm regards from Sweden
Thanks
😀
All the best