Need assistance with boosting your 8700k's performance?
Need assistance with boosting your 8700k's performance?
I recently assembled a PC and installed the 8700k. I’m unsure about the best overclocking level to achieve without shortening the CPU’s lifespan. My current setup includes a NZXT S340 with three Corsair 120rgb 120mm fans, two front intakes and one rear exhaust, a stock case fan at the top, and the Noctua NH-U9S cooler. The motherboard is ASUS ROG Z370-H, paired with an EVGA 1060 graphics card, a 500W 80+ bronze PSU, a 500TB Samsung Evo SSD, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and power usage isn’t a concern. What overclocking advice would you give to maintain performance while protecting the CPU’s life?
How do you believe my cooler will handle the overclock? You'll need to experiment yourself. It should perform well, but it’s important to keep testing and fine-tuning the OC based on the outcomes since each chip reacts differently. If you don’t experience overheating or crashes during testing, it’s a good sign. It’s suggested to use Prime95 v26.6 for maximum temperature data and OCCT for stability. Some users also recommend Asus RealBench.
Hi, I have an 8700K that is not delidded and has been overclocked to 4.9GHz. I’m considering the following options.
Make sure your vcore never exceeds 1.35v, which is the maximum for me. Some people go up to 1.4v, but that’s too much for me. I’m satisfied with 1.35v since it matched what was needed for my 5GHz overclock; however, the temperatures were in the 80s, reaching around 90 degrees, which is too high for continuous use. I only use it for benchmarks.
At 4.9GHz it worked perfectly, needing just 1.278v, and now my temps stay below 70°C in Prime and AIDA, even with excellent cooling in a 360mm AIO.
In short, focus on keeping temperatures under 90 degrees and maintaining a vcore below 1.35v. Even 80°C is acceptable for me. The goal is to improve the lowest vcore you can achieve for your 8700K—ideally under 1.35v, though some 8700K models can handle 1.3v at 5GHz if lucky.
If you manage to keep temperatures under 80°C during Prime95 Version 26.6 or AIDA under 80 degrees, then it should be fine for long-term CPU health.
I have adjusted my overclock with an offset.
Maintaining voltage under 1.40v and keeping the temperature below 80°C should suffice for at least five years, unless circumstances are unfavorable. Generally, it's the heat that shortens lifespan, not voltage unless it's extreme. For additional tips, you might consider fine-tuning your OC settings. Using features like LLC, adjusting VCore (if auto), AVX offset, etc., can be beneficial. Alternatively, reverting to a 4.9GHz configuration might be wise, as most games won't push the stock configurations beyond that unless you're aiming for over 200 FPS.
How do you believe my cooler will handle the overclock? You'll need to experiment yourself. It should perform well, but it’s important to keep testing and fine-tuning the OC based on the outcomes since each chip reacts differently. If you don’t experience overheating or crashes during testing, it’s a good sign. It’s suggested to use Prime95 v26.6 for maximum temperature data and OCCT for stability. Some users also recommend Asus RealBench.