i7 6700k experience issues following an overclock.
i7 6700k experience issues following an overclock.
I have been using my 6700k at 4.5ghz (1.29V) for two years with water cooling. Since it's a solid chip, I considered pushing it to 4.6ghz or even 4.7ghz. After extensive testing and adjustments, I achieved a stable 4.6ghz OC at 1.38V, running it overnight on RealBench/Aida64 without any problems. However, I began to notice my game performance was very poor—FPS fluctuating from 120 down to around 60, mostly between 70 and 90 FPS (GTX1080FTW). I played Destiny 2 and usually got about 150 FPS, though it dropped to 115-120 FPS during intense multiplayer sessions.
I checked the hardware info, verified temperatures (never exceeding 75°C in any game) and confirmed all cores were reporting a 4600Mhz clock speed. Still couldn’t find a clear explanation for the performance drop.
I returned to my 4.5Ghz configuration and everything returned to normal instantly. I’m aware that above 4.5Ghz these chips tend to struggle, especially without higher voltages. Yet 1.38V feels comfortable and is considered ideal under 1.4V.
Could it be that the voltage was too low even though stress tests lasted over eight hours and games didn’t crash? I’m really puzzled and would value advice from more experienced overclockers.
Thanks.
Globespy :
Supernova1138 :
You might be encountering CPU current limits due to the increased voltage, which causes the CPU to slow down when under heavy use. If you haven’t adjusted the CPU Current Limit yet, you may need to locate it in the BIOS and switch it from Auto to the highest allowed value.
Thanks for your help.
I’m still confused about what you’re referring to by CPU current limit in BIOS.
What exactly do you mean by changing it to “whatever the maximum value is”?
Are you referring to adaptive voltage control versus manual Vcore settings?
If so, why would you want to set it to the highest possible value?
Setting it too high could cause immediate damage to the CPU or motherboard.
Initially, you must only consider overclocking when necessary. In your situation, it's not stable to overclock. Simply increase the voltage by about 0.2 volts for each GHz (as Intel recommends). It might help to review the overclocking instructions provided by Intel.
You could encounter CPU performance restrictions due to increased voltage, which leads the CPU to reduce its speed when under heavy demand. If you haven't adjusted the CPU Current Limit yet, you might need to locate it in the BIOS and set it to a higher maximum value.
Supernova1138 :
You could be encountering CPU current limits due to the increased voltage, which leads the CPU to reduce performance when under heavy use. If you haven’t already adjusted the CPU Current Limit, you might need to locate it in the BIOS and switch it from Auto to the highest allowed value.
Thanks for the clarifications.
I’m still unclear about what you mean by adjusting the limit to the maximum setting. Wouldn’t that cause the CPU and/or motherboard to shut down immediately? Or are you referring to Load Line Calibration options?
If you’ve been active on this forum for a while, it’s hard to understand exactly what you’re suggesting. Current and Voltage are distinct concepts—voltage is the charge difference between points, while current is the flow rate.
I haven’t heard anyone discuss 'current' in this way before.
The only BIOS setting related to voltage is under power states, where "voltage optimization" is set to Auto by default or can be disabled.
The initial step for overclocking should be reserved only when necessary. In your situation, it’s not stable to overclock. Just increase the voltage slightly—about 0.2 volts per GHz, as Intel recommends. You might want to review the overclocking guide from Intel. Thanks Arif.
Globespy :
Supernova1138 :
You could be encountering CPU current restrictions due to the increased voltage, which leads the CPU to slow down when under heavy usage. If you haven’t already adjusted the CPU Current Limit, you might need to locate it in the BIOS and switch it from Auto to the highest allowable value.
Thanks for your help.
I’m still unclear about what you mean by the CPU current limit in the BIOS. What exactly do you imply by changing it to "whatever the maximum value is"? Are you referring to adaptive voltage adjustment versus manual Vcore settings?
If this is what you’re asking, why would I want to set it to the absolute maximum? Doing so could cause immediate damage to the CPU or motherboard. Alternatively, are you referring to Load Line Calibration options?
Given your long involvement in the forum, it’s hard for me to understand exactly what you’re suggesting. Current and Voltage are completely different parameters—voltage is the charge difference between two points, while current is the flow rate of that charge. I haven’t heard anyone discuss 'current' in this way before.
Could you clarify what you mean by these settings? The only BIOS-related voltage-related option I see is under power states, specifically "voltage optimization," which defaults to Auto or can be disabled.
Under CPU power controls, there should be a setting for CPU current limit, which caps the maximum power the CPU can consume. If you increase voltages beyond this default, you’ll hit the limit immediately. The BIOS tooltip usually indicates the safe upper bound—this is likely the best choice when overclocking. Otherwise, you’d need to calculate the power your CPU requires at that voltage and adjust the current limit accordingly.
Thanks for the assistance.
I don't believe I'll ever really feel the impact of a 100Mhz difference in clock speed, and the additional voltage required to maintain stability at 4.6Ghz doesn't seem worth it.
If the CPU starts to become a bottleneck, I might upgrade to the new i9 9900, set up a custom water cooling system, and I'm not sure I'll need to replace the CPU for another 4 to 5 years just for gaming.
I expect 4-core CPUs will be a challenge in the next couple of years, but it won't be common for 6 cores to become typical, let alone 8 cores for gaming.