Is an Intel Core i5-9600-K okay for me?
Is an Intel Core i5-9600-K okay for me?
Hi everyone, just joined this forum (though I have been reading threads for years now). I recently upgraded my computer - my CPU, my motherboard, RAM, and a cooler. Here are the parts:
- CPU: Intel Core i5 9600-K with an Asus ROG Strix Z390-F board.
- RAM: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB running at 3200 MHz.
- Cooler: Cooler Master 212 Black Edition, which has a full RGB light show.
At first, it was warm as I put everything together - the stock temperature was about 35 degrees when nothing else ran. Then I followed this video on YouTube to try my first over-clocking. The link is: https://youtu.be/bD1Ze80GpLo (Note that the BIOS in that video doesn't seem like it matches what I have).
I did exactly what he suggested, even though my BIOS menu wasn't perfect. Here are some results (roughly):
A) 5.0 GHz - The voltage went up to 1.495 volts. Sorry, I don't know what the stock voltage was back then, but it jumped way too much from 35 degrees to 55 degrees.
B) 4.9 GHz - The voltage got a little lower, around 1.39 or 1.40 volts. The CPU stayed at about 50 degrees.
C) 4.8 GHz - The voltage dropped down to maybe 1.35 volts. The CPU is still sitting at about 50 degrees.
D) 4.7 GHz - The voltage went way down, all the way to 1.296 volts in the software called "CPU-Z". The CPU temperature actually got lower, dropping to 45 degrees (but not as low as those stock levels).
Before I melt my motherboard or CPU, does this computer look like it is stable at 4.7 GHz? I am very surprised that the voltage dropped so much. Is that normal? Sorry in advance if these sound silly questions - remember, I am completely new to overclocking!
WAY too high ! makarastar , Here's the Maximum Recommended Vcore per Microarchitecture from 14 to 65 nanometers since 2006: We know that over time, excessive voltage and heat damages electronics, so when using manual Vcore settings in BIOS, excessive Core voltage and Core temperature...
I just tried it out and turned up E) at 4.6 GHz, but my voltage dropped to about 1.23 volts while the CPU stayed hot, around 46 or 47 degrees Celsius. If you look back at all that info here is where I feel safe: if 1.2 volts is a limit and crossing it hurts your chip speed, then yes, 4.6 to 4.7 GHz sounds like my new "safe zone." But wait, some sites say 1.3 volts is too dangerous to cross because chips get worse that way. So if they are right... did I miss out on the Silicon lottery? Or does running at 4.6 or 4.7 GHz look okay for this specific CPU model?
I just want to tell you: you probably don't need that much cooling to try this, so stop right now. The Hyper 212 is a basic, cheap cooler meant for regular use, designed only to handle up to 150 watts of heat from normal power consumption. But it's way too weak for big overclocks on the new eighth, ninth, and tenth generation CPUs. That same 150-watt power output is easy to crush even on those unlocked chips. What is going on... this YouTuber never actually ran a proper stress test first:
So I reset my BIOS back to default, and the only thing I changed was turning up my RAM from the factory speed of 2300 MHz to what Trident Z RGB can do at 3200 MHz. This happened right after I overclocked it too. Now my CPU is sitting pretty cool, between 38 C and 41 C when it's just sitting there doing nothing (which was how it used to be before I started experimenting). The motherboard itself stays around a steady 39*C. Here is the weird thing: "CPU-Z" says the default speed is 3.7 GHz on paper, but my actual CPU jumps from 4.3 GHz all the way up to 4.6 GHz depending on what happens next. I think that's Intel Turbo boost kicking in. Also, something else weird happened with voltage—it's bouncing around a lot now, swinging between really low 0.6 V and just barely over 1.0 volts. Finally, since I went back to stock settings in BIOS, should I not set my RAM for XMP 1 or XMP 2 instead?
https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intel/core_...requencies Correct. Also normal. When people don't manually change their computer's speed, the processor changes its frequency and voltage automatically using two methods: one comes from the operating system (Speed Step), or it comes directly from the CPU itself (Speed Shift). This helps to save power and make less heat. I'm not sure about these things personally. I think the difference is in timings used. It might be wrong though.
WAY TOO HIGH! makarastar, Here is the maximum safe Vcore for Microarchitectures from 14nm up to 65nm since 2006: We know that too much voltage and heat over time will hurt your electronics, so if you set manual Vcore settings in BIOS, excessive Core voltage or temperature can speed up "Electromigration". Processors have many tiny layers with millions of microscopic nanometer parts. Electromigration wears down weak circuit paths and transistor connections, which causes the instability of your overclocking and makes performance worse. Even though your first overclock might work fine now, it won't last forever; frequent blue screens later show that stability is slowly breaking down. The longer you push voltage and heat, the sooner things go wrong. Reducing the overclock or Vcore can fix this temporarily but slows down the damage. Extreme overvolting kills in minutes, but a smart overclock lasts for years. Each Microarchitecture also has its own "Degradation Curve". As a rule, CPUs get more vulnerable to electromigration and breakdown as they shrink smaller. But there is one special case: Intel's 14nm architecture uses FinFET technology that makes it much better at handling high voltages than older chips. Here is how the Degradation Curves match the Maximum Recommended Vcore for 22nm third-gen and fourth-gen CPUs, which is different from 5th through 10th generations: These curves are based on a term called "Vt Shift" (Voltage threshold shift), measured in millivolts. You cannot monitor this shift yourself. For overclocking, the Vt Shift basically shows how much your normal transistor performance will slowly lose over time due to too high Core voltage and heat. High-power voltages cause extra heat and power use, which creates a gradual loss of performance. It is not recommended to set Core voltages that push such high Vt Shift values. To get the highest overclock possible, remember that for every 100 MHz increase in speed, you need about 50 millivolts (0.050) extra voltage to stay stable. If 65 millivolts or more is needed for the next 100 MHz jump, it means you are trying to push your processor beyond its limits. With good cooling, you might hit the maximum Vcore limit before hitting the ideal temperature of 80°C. With bad cooling, you'll reach the 80°C mark before ever hitting the voltage limit. No matter which limit you hit first, that is where you should stop here. Here is the normal range for Core temperatures: Temperatures above 85°C are not recommended. Temperatures below 80°C are ideal. Just remember to look at this carefully. For example, the difference between 4.5 GHz and 4.6 GHz is less than 2.3%, which has almost no effect on how your system performs overall. It just isn't worth pushing your processor past its recommended voltage and temperature limits just to squeeze out another tiny boost in speed.