I7 4790k performance tuning guide
I7 4790k performance tuning guide
I've been less active here lately but recently upgraded to an i7 4790k. I'm managing stable speeds around 4.6GHz with 1.3v, and pushing it to 4.7GHz at 1.4v or 4.8GHz at 1.55v. It feels a bit extreme, especially since my cooling is maxed out with a custom water loop and a CPU block that needs improvement. I also suspect the IHS might need a polish. Any advice on overclocking this chip? The voltages seem quite high for those clock rates.
This clearly indicates a value around 1.3 at 4.7, which is quite close given the silicon selection process, thank you for pointing it out. Yes, I've heard some folks suggesting to stay below 1.4-1.5—it's currently at 1.3. The motherboard is an Asrock H81M-G, released after the H81 overclocking unlock, and its main appeal lies in strong power delivery and capacity.
I’d stick with 4.6 GHz, particularly with that H81 motherboard. A 4.6 GHz boost on an i7-4790K isn’t terrible. Not an i7-4790K, but I have an i5-4690K in my secondary rig. 4th Gen Intel still manages to stand out after overclocking—close to the stock performance of a 6th Gen i7 or i5.
I definitely wouldn't be pushing it any further than 4.6 for now. It's a H81 board, and only a 4 phase power delivery, that's not going to provide a great delivery for pushing the 4790K. If you can get a z87/97 board on ebay/craigslist etc. for a reasonable price, I reckon you could get those voltages down a bit further, maybe 1.28v for 4.6
I'm focusing on temperature management for your Z97 board. Running the Dark Rock 4 air cooler at 4.5 volts typically reaches a peak of around 70°C with full fan speed. The fan curve is adjusted to start increasing at about 68°C in AI Suite 3. There seems to be some flexibility to push it a bit higher without needing a cooler upgrade, depending on your setup.
I believe a small adjustment to the voltage could make a difference, though not dramatically. Stock voltages tend to be higher than needed. For instance, with my 4790k at stock settings, I was seeing around 1.37V to 1.4V, maybe even more, which caused temperatures above 85°C on the H80i v2. At 4.6Ghz it dropped to 1.26V and with a custom curve in Corsair Link it could realistically reach 60-65% fan speed, reaching spikes up to 80°C, but under load it stayed around 75°C. I’d check your current stock voltages and try lowering them until stability under load returns, then gradually increase back to a level that works. Also, 70°C is quite comfortable, so you might be able to relax the fan curve a bit if noise becomes an issue—these chips can handle mid-70s to mid-80s temperatures.