Is your CPU losing overclock while under stress?
Is your CPU losing overclock while under stress?
Hi folks,
Something really strange here. I've set the overclock profile in bios to XMS and it automatically set turbo multiplier to 38 and Bus Speed to 102.25 MHz so I could get close to 3.9 GHz CPU frequency.
If I set the power profile to Performance in Win10 CPU-Z shows the desired frequency until I start its stress utility, when frequency drops to 3.6 GHz as multiplier is set to 36. As soon as I stop processing stress frequency goes back to 3.8 (see picture).
Temperature after few minutes of stress is stable @ 66ºC
i5 7500, Asus 270H, 16 GBytes DDR4 @ 3,0 GHz
Without a K processor, you're not overclocking.
What you observe is the turbo multiplier.
This value can rise up to 38 for a single thread when circumstances allow.
Because you're running a stress test that engages all threads, the turbo multiplier will appear lower as expected.
RicarBit :
Hey everyone,
There’s something odd happening here. I changed the overclock profile in BIOS to XMS and it automatically adjusted the turbo multiplier to 38 and bus speed to 102.25 MHz, aiming for a CPU speed near 3.9 GHz.
If I switch to the power profile Performance in Win10 CPU-Z, the frequency stays at the target until I start the stress tool, then it drops to 3.6 GHz with the multiplier at 36. Once I stop monitoring the stress frequency, it returns to 3.8 (refer to the picture).
After a few minutes of stress testing, the temperature stabilizes at 66ºC.
The machine specs are i5 7500, Asus 270H, 16 GB DDR4 at 3.0 GHz.
It’s a locked CPU, so changing the multiplier won’t help. The overclock relies on a BCLK increase of 102.25 MHz, which isn’t recommended for OC, especially given the limited gains possible.
What kind of stress test is being considered? Does it incorporate AVX instructions? If yes, is there an AVX offset defined in the BIOS? Then the processor will automatically reduce its clock speed whenever it encounters AVX instructions. Consider using an older Prime95 version like 26.6, which doesn’t use AVX, and check if the clocks still decrease under stress.
Without a K processor, you're not overclocking.
What you observe is the turbo multiplier.
This value can rise up to 38 for a single thread when circumstances allow.
Because you're running a stress test that engages all threads, the turbo multiplier will appear lower as expected.
So what suggestions do you have for me?
My main use for leisure is flying X-Plane 11, which runs on a single-threaded processor and demands significant CPU power. I recently upgraded my CPU from an i5 3450 to around 3.7 GHz, which might explain why the performance gains weren't noticeable. However, 3DMark reported about a 20% improvement in physics.
Should I stick with the current settings or revert the overclocking in BIOS?
Thank you guys
Check cpu-Z while playing x-plane. If it's single threaded, expect 3.8 or the maximum boost multiplier. Your Z270H board doesn't allow multiplier overclocking. For optimal single-thread performance, consider a Z370-based board with an I3-8350K, which can reach around 5.0 on all cores. I'm not sure if this is worth it for you—it would cost roughly $130 for the board and $190 for the CPU. Another option is an I7-7700K, which should work on your board and boost to 4.5 on a single core, costing around $300 to upgrade.
RicarBit :
Hmmm... okay.
What should I do?
Right now, my main use is for leisure, mainly playing X-Plane 11. It runs on a single-threaded processor and demands a lot of CPU power. I recently upgraded from an i5 3450 to one around 3.7 GHz, which might explain why the performance gain wasn’t obvious. Still, 3DMark reported about a 20% boost in physics.
Should I stick with the current settings or revert the overclocking in BIOS?
Thanks.
The decision really comes down to your goals. Your i5-7500 is quite capable. If you're aiming for top gaming performance, switching to an i7-7700k would be better due to its faster single-core clock and more threads. However, for gaming on a 1080p screen with a GPU like GTX1060 or RX580, the difference might only be around 5% in FPS (this varies by game and CPU stock).
So, if you're playing something like BF4 and currently get 100 FPS with your i5, would you really notice a change with an i7 (which could reach 107 FPS)?
In short, upgrading could give you a few extra frames, but unless your current CPU isn't meeting your expectations, the upgrade might not be worth it—unless you're willing to spend a couple hundred dollars for a noticeable improvement.
Hey guys
My current configuration works fine for what I'm doing now. For upcoming upgrades, I'm thinking about swapping my GTX1060 with 1440p and using higher frequency settings.
I need to decide whether to stick with the overclocking or return to standard clock speeds for BCLK and multipliers.
Any thoughts?