Overclock 2600K or Upgrade?
Overclock 2600K or Upgrade?
My brother-in-law has an i7-2600k with a clock speed of 4.3 GHz while gaming. He's using the nepton 240m for cooling. I believe that speed should be fine, but I'm worried my CPU cooler might struggle at higher speeds.
PCGUY2015 :
dark_lord69 :
I would try to overclock...
Your CPU remains fairly solid and the performance boost from an upgrade seems limited (STILL) right now.
Thanks! Do you have any idea what a suitable overclock target is for this processor?
No, and I don't think anyone else does either.
The maximum safe increase depends mainly on the condition of your chip.
Run a stress test with occt which will stop the process at 85c.
Once you hit the limit, reduce it slightly.
geofelt :
PCGUY2015 :
dark_lord69 :
I would overclock...
Your CPU is still decent and the speed increase you would see from an upgrade might be minimal (STILL) at this point.
Thanks! Do you know what is a good speed to overclock this cpu to?
No, and neither does anybody else.
How high you can safely go is primarily determined by the quality of your chip.
Stress test with occt which will shut down the test at 85c.
When you reach the max, back off a notch.
Got it! I'll give it a try
A motherboard bios update carries inherent risks.
A failed update might permanently damage your motherboard.
If the fix addresses an issue affecting you, proceed; otherwise, avoid updating without certainty.
A cautious overclock shouldn’t cause trouble with any initial bios on a Z68 board.
Using the built-in intel cooler limits performance compared to what the chip can achieve.
Under stress, the cooler spins up and becomes noisy, though it still delivers decent performance.
Upgrading to a better cooler—around $30—provides a quieter 120mm fan for a more comfortable experience.
Investing in a higher-end cooler could boost your editing, batch processing, and gaming (Sims, MMOs, strategy titles) performance.
Multiplayer sessions also benefit from such upgrades.
For quick action games, a graphics upgrade might be more impactful.
However, I’d hold off on that until the next graphics card releases in June.
PCGUY2015 :
Hello! I have an i7-2600K Sandy Bridge Build running at stock speeds. My friend recently upgraded to an i7-6700K Skylake. I’m curious—will overclocking my system give me a noticeable improvement, or should I upgrade to Skylake instead? I also have some basic knowledge about overclocking. I understand that the multiplier determines CPU speed, and power settings should match the CPU’s capabilities. Could anyone clarify the main ideas behind overclocking? For example, what do these terms mean?
CPU PLL overvoltage
enhanced halt c1e
c6/c6 statesupport
cpu eist function
bi-directional prochot
Here’s a summary of my PC components:
CPU = Intel Core i7-2600K
MOBO = Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Rev 2.0
RAM = Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4X4GB) DDR3 (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B)
PSU = Rosewill ARC 750
SSD = Kingston HyperX FURY SSD (SH103S3240G)
CPU Cooler = Corsair H60
GPU = EVGA GTX 960 2GB 02G-P4-2962-KR
I know this might be a lengthy explanation, but if anyone isn’t busy or has time to explain these concepts, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve looked into overclocking, but honestly I’m still confused about the terminology they use. Thank you very much!
Upgrading your mobo, CPU and RAM unless you really, really need to makes very little sense. Unless you mainly play RTSs, MOBA and simulators, CPU speed is not the main contributor to game performance.
I still use an (overclocked) Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2,66GHz, @3,52GHz with a Hyper 212 Evo). It's paired with an R9 Fury X. Sure, the card could benefit from a faster CPU. But not
that
much - my measurements (comparing to various reviews) show less than 10% performance loss). I'm waiting for Zen, to see wether my next platform will be that or Kaby Lake.
You already have a closed loop cooler. If necessary, get some better fans - with a pair of Noctua NF-P12s, that cooler should perform admirably (and silently!). Even without that, you should easily be able to OC that chip quite a bit. Sandy Bridge chips were good overclockers.
In gaming, boosting the 2600K to the 4.5Ghz range will match the performance of the stock I5-6500 or I7-6700K. I’d prefer selling the GTX 960 and buying at least the GTX 970 or a comparable AMD model.
When overclocking the 2600K, ensure it remains very stable—there’s stability for gaming and for extended video editing. It’s important to confirm that the overclock can handle both tasks without issues.
I’m still satisfied with the 2600K. I’ve kept it at around 4.6Ghz continuously since 2011 and it’s still performing well. While I’ve tried higher clocks to test limits, 4.6Ghz remains the maximum I can sustain reliably under any workload.
Enjoy your setup!
The i7-2600k remains a strong performer today. For those aiming for higher frame rates in games, an upgrade could be justified, offering a possible 30% improvement in IPC, with around a 10% gain in average scenarios. The i-2600k and i7-6700k will likely reach comparable clock speeds under similar cooling conditions, though the selection of chips will significantly influence outcomes. It’s wise to evaluate what you can achieve with your current CPU first—testing it is free. If you have a skilled overclocker, investing in a better cooler and delaying the CPU upgrade might be sensible.