I7 9700k Oc Not Stable
I7 9700k Oc Not Stable
Hello everyone. Recently, I upgraded most of my PC components. I now have a new i7 9700K, paired with a Scythe Ninja 4, a Gigabyte Aorus Pro motherboard, a GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, a Corsair 750W power supply, a 1TB NVMe Samsung SSD, and 16GB of DDR4 2400MHz RAM. Everything is housed in a NZXT case with efficient cable management. I’ve installed the latest BIOS update. I’m currently playing games at 1440p and 144Hz.
I attempted to overclock the CPU by adjusting several BIOS settings, following some online guides. Here’s what I changed:
- Enhanced Multi-Core Performance – disabled
- AVX Offset – auto
- SVID offset – disabled
- VT-d – disabled
- Intel Speed Shift Technology – disabled
- Ring to core offset (down bin) – disabled
- CPU EIST Function – disabled
- Voltage Optimization – disabled
- Intel Turbo Bost – disabled
- Active Turbo Ratios – disabled
- C-States Control – all disabled
- CPU Vcore Loadline Calibration – Turbo (with extreme and super-extreme options)
Additionally, I set the default BIOS values as:
- CPU Internal AC/DC Load Line – Auto
- CPU Base Clock – Auto (100.00MHz)
- Ring Ratio – Auto (43:1)
- IGP Ratio – Auto (30.00)
I started with a base speed of 4.8GHz and 1.26V, which worked well in Prime95 26.6 for about an hour. Temperatures stayed around 90°C on two cores. However, during gaming, I encountered blue screens until I increased the voltage to 1.30V, adjusting it by 0.01V incrementally. Temperatures peaked at 75°C, but stability remained an issue.
Then I tried 4.9GHz starting from 1.31V. It performed well in Prime95 26.6, stayed stable, and temperatures hovered around 95°C on a few cores. Still, blue screens appeared after about 15–30 minutes of play.
I also played FIFA 20 and CS:GO, which seemed fine initially. Once I switched to Ghost Recon Breakpoint, I experienced recurring blue screens after 15–30 minutes of gameplay. In both games, at speeds of [email protected] or [email protected], stability improved after about an hour.
I attempted to set the IGP ratio to 46 manually, but it caused some random freezing, so I left it disabled as well.
I’m unsure if I’m doing something wrong. On my previous i7 7700K, I faced many stability issues when trying to reach stable speeds. For everyday use, I think 4.9GHz @1.36V or higher is a bit risky, and there might be other adjustments needed for better performance.
I’m seeking more information and advice if possible. Thank you.
It seems you're mainly tweaking the core voltage. Regarding the CPU's voltage input, it's typically around 1.8 volts stock, but sometimes you need to increase it slightly to achieve better performance.
LLC technology can be very beneficial. It helps stabilize voltage during heavy usage and may allow you to reduce the core voltage a bit.
Auto AVX settings could have unintended effects. If an AVX task is active, it might force the cores back down to sub 4GHz, or if it's not working properly, it could reduce your frequency by several hundred megahertz. Running AVX at around 4.6GHz might also be problematic.
You should check the memory voltage as well; it might be unstable and require a boost. Even with slower memory, heavy CPU loads can stress the controller.
Your cooling system appears insufficient. Consider resetting the BIOS, enabling multi-core optimization, adjusting the maximum boost, and then fine-tuning the core voltage.
For safety, you're currently using 1.416 volts for your 7700k to reach 5Ghz, which is water-cooled and not heavily used. I'm planning to upgrade to a 9700k on my Z270 board over Christmas, hoping to get some 9700k and storage deals at Black Friday, though the outlook isn't promising yet.
CPU VCore Loadline Calibration - High
VAXG Loadline Calibration - High
PWM Phase Control - Perf
VAXG Phase Control - High Perf
All C-States - Disabled
EIST (Intel SpeedStep Technology) - Disabled
Race to Halt - Disabled
Voltage Optimization - Disabled
Intel Speed Shift - Disabled
Enhanced Multi-Core Performance - Disabled
Experiment with these settings. They significantly reduced my voltage.
Yes, I only changed the core voltage. I don't have any information about the voltage input to the CPU.
I plan to try the LLC method on Extreme next.
Memory operates at 1.2V automatically.
My cooling CPU performed adequately on my previous i7 7700k.
I'm confident this will yield better results, but I'll make a few more adjustments...
7700k not equal to 9700k. Comparing quad-core versus eight-core processors, regardless of Intel's TDP claims, once you begin overclocking, you're facing around 200W.
You're correct. It's unlikely your cooling system is causing the bluescreen issue, especially since your temperatures during games aren't particularly high.