My computer's processor feels weird. What causes problems with my CPU?
My computer's processor feels weird. What causes problems with my CPU?
After I bought my i5-6600k, I knew it was bad at overclocking. It could never handle an 'average' boost, like others who get 4.5GHz running at a low 1.3V power. The weird thing is that when I try to push it too hard and crash, it freezes my whole computer instead of showing me an error message like BSOD. So I just used 4GHz with only 1.2V voltage, which worked perfectly for two years without any issues. Now I decided to push it harder, but the chip can't even handle 4.2GHz at 1.36V when my memory controller is set to Standard or High settings. The temperatures were okay and the voltages matched what I wanted. Why do other people get super high speeds on stock power while my chip melts down? I wouldn't be this unlucky, there must be something wrong with how things work... My BIOS is current, even after reinstalling Windows, so it's not a software problem. I've read guides and tried following a YouTube video guide using the same motherboard and CPU, so maybe I'm doing it right. Even worse, now my PC freezes even at my previously safe 4GHz settings! Note: I changed my GPU, power supply, storage, and everything else, but the freezing still happens. So to sum up my questions: Why do unstable overclocks freeze me instead of giving a BSOD like others? What is going on here, or can I fix it? Here are my specs: CPU: i5-6600k Motherboard: Gigabyte Z170 Gaming K3 (rev 1.1) RAM: DDR4 HyperX Fury 2x8GB running at 2133MHz with low latency GPU: MSI GTX 1060 6GB Power Supply: Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum 650W Storage: Samsung 960 Evo Any help would be great.
You can just take this as a lesson with the silicon lottery; it sounds like you might be losing money on a bad part. What you should do next is when you buy a brand new cpu, go to amazon because they offer a 30-day return and let's test your chip yourself. If you don't like it, just give it back until you find something better.
Hi @aubycek , just reset everything to stock and watch how the PC behaves. You probably know some CPUs run hotter or stronger than others, even if they are from the same company and model number. Some chips can handle extra stress better for a longer time while others fail faster when you push them past their normal limits. Pushing a chip too hard could cause it to die quickly before it was supposed to. Maybe your CPU just lost its heat sink protection. Have had any power spikes recently? Like during storms or bad weather? Is your PC connected to a good surge protector? If the system received more electricity than it could handle without getting damaged, that might have caused hidden problems too. Your question about unstable overclocks was answered already—they were indeed unstable. I own a 2700X. My machine doesn't overclock well but my friend's does. Why is there such a big difference? It comes down to how the chip was made sometimes you get lucky and other times not. There isn't one perfect answer for this, sorry if I didn't explain it better before. Some motherboards also handle overclocking better than your CPU can even though that process isn't 100% on the chip itself. I don't know how well your motherboard does at overclocking even though it seemed to work fine for two years already. Sorry as I was trying my best to help...
Thanks for the reply. My PC runs fine without Overclocking (OC), so the issue must be with the overclock itself. I guess I'm just really unlucky... I know people get bad luck with their chips, but I never saw anyone hit such a bad spot where 1.36V at 4.2GHz isn't enough for them to work.
You can just see this as learning about the silicon lottery, which feels kind of bad luck but doesn't make sense to lose. What you should do next is when buying a brand-new cpu go to amazon since they offer a 30-day return so you can test your new chip and if it's not what you want you just send it back until you get something better.