I7 6700k overclocking paired with Asus z170-a Mobo
I7 6700k overclocking paired with Asus z170-a Mobo
Yesterday I put in the i6700k and a new Asus z170-a motherboard.
My current system details are: Corsair Vengeance LPX with 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 RAM at 3000MHz, and a Samsung Evo 850 500 GB SSD drive.
I thought the Asus board had an auto-tuning function that would boost my CPU performance automatically. But today it’s running very well in a game I was playing—I was averaging about 170 frames per second while streaming.
By this morning, my PC was unresponsive, the monitor wouldn’t turn on, and even the reset switch didn’t work. I shut it down completely. After restarting, I saw an error saying overclock failure. I looked up the issue and found it could be due to XMP mode or overclocking the RAM to 3000MHz, but I never changed those settings. Eventually, after a while, I was able to get back to the desktop and everything worked fine again.
I resumed playing the same game around 170 FPS, which is much lower than my usual performance. This drop is noticeable, especially with a 144Hz monitor.
SOOO... I went into the motherboard BIOS, adjusted AI tuning, switched to an XMP profile, and checked my CPU multiplier. It was automatically set to (1st core 43x, 2nd 42x, 3rd 41x, 4th 40x). I never changed these values myself. The only adjustment was in the BIOS EZ tune settings, which were set to Optimized—likely allocating the multipliers across all four cores.
Maybe I’m being a bit crazy, but it seems like the game’s behavior changed right after the change, making FPS much more unstable. I’m trying to confirm whether this tuning is actually helping or if it’s causing the drop.
Also, should I manually overclock my CPU to around 4.6GHz? If so, would a standard color master fan and coils be enough?
Water cooling isn't needed and shouldn't be considered unless you're trying to heavily overclock an FX octacore or similar. I've surpassed the TDP of a Scythe Ninja with an fx8320, so it's achievable. Advise against anyone attempting my method unless you're prepared for extreme conditions—like a blizzard outside to cool your PC. (Yes, I actually tried this once; it works if snow doesn't interfere, but don't attempt it at home.) I wouldn't be concerned about thermals as long as you have a 120mm fan tower cooler or better. My main concern would be proper installation.
Regarding overclocking, it seems you're talking about the Asus AI Suite. It performed well with my 4790K and Z97-A motherboard. I recommend starting by noting the settings the AI Suite uses, then adjusting them manually in the BIOS and saving your profile. The AI Suite usually increases the CPU voltage, so consider reducing it.
Automated overclock solutions may be too forceful.
I recommend the following steps:
Reset all components, including RAM, to their default settings.
Set up a stress tester such as OCCT; avoid using tools like Not prime95 or IBT which create unrealistic loads.
Keep all voltages on auto, then slowly increase the multiplier from the standard 40 to a higher value.
Perform a stress test with OCCT—it will terminate if temperatures hit 85°C.
You’ll likely run out of safe Vcore before hitting thermal boundaries.
Track Vcore levels; CPU-Z can help.
Although Intel specifications mention 1.5v as a limit, a more realistic maximum is around 1.4v.
Once you reach your comfortable multiplier range, stop.
Use only the maximum RAM XMP settings that support the stock 1.2v voltage.
Increasing RAM overclock to 1.35v for faster speeds can actually hinder overclocking.
Higher RAM speeds don’t always improve performance due to increased latency.
Here’s a reference:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1478-page1.html
After completing the process, apply speedstep and adaptive voltage to lower multipliers and Vcore when workload is light.
As of 10/11/2016, the following percentages are typical for an overclock at a reasonable 1.40v Vcore:
I7-6700K – 4.9%
I7-6700K – 19%
I7-6700K – 61%
I7-6700K – 95%
Liquid cooling isn't required and performs just as well as a solid air cooler. I'm comfortable using a well-organized [email protected] with a single 120mm fan from Noctua NH-U12.
Water cooling isn't essential, and it's not advised unless you're trying to push an FX octacore or similar to its limits. I've surpassed the TDP of a Scythe Ninja with an fx8320, so it's achievable. I advise against anyone attempting my approach unless you're prepared for extreme conditions—like a blizzard outside to cool your system. (Yes, I actually tried this once; it works if snow stays out, don't attempt this at home kids.) If you're concerned about thermal management, a 120mm fan tower cooler would be sufficient. My main concern would be proper installation.
From my perspective, manual overclocking is more dependable than automatic ones. While auto-OC tools provide a starting point, they often set unrealistic expectations. I recall the OC Genie on my MSI a88x-g45 telling me my Athlon 760K could run at 5.4GHz at 1.55V purely through multiplier settings—something that seemed impossible with manual tuning, where I managed only around 4.6GHz stability. After that, I stopped relying on auto-OC utilities. It turned out the highest stable speed I achieved was close to 5GHz @1.6V, with a BCLK speed of 124 or 125, which required me to significantly underclock my memory for stability.
YMMV.
I also successfully overclocked a Hyper 212 using the 760k, but the intense heat eventually damaged my AIO. For reliability, longevity, and ease of upkeep, avoid an AIO. Given how modern CPUs are built, if you can't get the desired overclock in air, it's unlikely you'll succeed with water cooling either.