Overclocking i5 6600k
Overclocking i5 6600k
Hey there, I recently purchased an i5 6600k processor paired with a cooler Master Hyper 212X. I’m curious if overclocking will shorten its lifespan. Should I push it to see how much damage it might take? Also, are the temperatures I’m seeing (40-50 degrees) normal for everyday tasks like watching movies or coding? Thanks!
Hey everyone, I recently purchased an i5 6600k processor paired with a master hyper 212x cooler. I’m curious whether overclocking it will shorten its lifespan. Should I push it to higher speeds? Also, are the temperatures I’m seeing (40-50 degrees) normal for everyday tasks like watching movies or coding? Please advise. I don’t have long-term data to compare durability against voltage changes, but I believe keeping the voltage below 1.35V is safe. Each silicon chip has a performance limit—if you stay under that point, it should perform well.
temps sont normaux, mais si vous ne haussiez pas la tension, vous n’aurerez aucun impact, si vous l’augmentez légèrement, l’effet sera minime.
néanmoins le point faible est la carte mère, elle comporte de nombreux composants discrets et risque de tomber en panne avant le CPU.
The temperatures are normal, but if you don't boost the voltage then it won't change much, only slightly if you raise it a bit.
But the weakest part is the motherboard—it has many more discrete parts and might fail before the CPU.
I'm using an Asus Z170 Pro gaming rig. If I don't increase the voltage, how can I overclock?
Thanks.
A good video to help with CPU overclocking and MB BIOS is available. It's recommended to push the CPU to its standard speed first, then consider upgrading to an AIO Water Cooler like H100 or better if you want to exceed 4.6GHz.
You can find more details here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAr4VygoWWg
MeanMachine41 :
Here is a decent vid for your CPU OC and your MB Bios. Its best to stress test the CPU at stock frequency to get a base line for how your cooler is coping. You won't go far on AIR cooling and really need an AIO Water Cooler of H100 or better to go more than 4.6GHz.
Go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAr4VygoWWg
Core voltage set to Auto may not get you there but give it a try initially and if not and your OC fails then raise Core voltage in small steps from about 1.3500V - 1.3875V on the core. This should provide stability if required.
Depending on stress tests and temperatures and the quality of your chip will determine your MAX OC.
wow "Leave voltages on auto" - in conclusion what dude said in the video.
Did you even try to watch the guide yourself before posting it here? Its terrible and i would never recommend to beginners to have voltage over 1.4v when starting to overclock.
Makentox :
MeanMachine41 :
Here is a decent vid for your CPU OC and your MB Bios. Its best to stress test the CPU at stock frequency to get a base line for how your cooler is coping. You won't go far on AIR cooling and really need an AIO Water Cooler of H100 or better to go more than 4.6GHz.
Go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAr4VygoWWg
Core voltage set to Auto may not get you there but give it a try initially and if not and your OC fails then raise Core voltage in small steps from about 1.3500V - 1.3875V on the core. This should provide stability if required.
Depending on stress tests and temperatures and the quality of your chip will determine your MAX OC.
wow "Leave voltages on auto" - in conclusion what dude said in the video.
Did you even try to watch the guide yourself before posting it here? Its terrible and i would never recommend to beginners to have voltage over 1.4v when starting to overclock.
That's why 'read the sticky' is the normal answer to 'how do I oc' because of things like this, so that BS in the videos can be spotted,
13thmonkey shared some useful tips for CPU overclocking and BIOS configuration. It suggests stress testing the CPU at its standard speed to establish a baseline for cooler performance. For better results, especially with air cooling, using an AIO water cooler rated at H100 or higher is recommended if you aim for speeds above 4.6GHz.
The recommended video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAr4VygoWWg
Core voltage set to Auto might not reach the desired levels, but it's a good starting point. If your overclocking doesn't succeed, gradually increase the core voltage from around 1.3500V to 1.3875V and see if stability improves.
The maximum overclock depends on stress test outcomes, temperatures, and chip quality. The advice to leave voltages on Auto is common in guides, though it's important to monitor closely.
It’s worth noting that following the video closely before sharing helps avoid confusion for beginners. The suggested BIOS settings for an i5 6600K on Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI are:
- CPU Core Ratio: 46
- FCLK Frequency For Early Power: 1 GHz
- Uncore Ratio: 46
- CPU Flex Override: Disabled
- Intel Turbo Boost Technology: Disabled
- CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E): Disabled
- C3 State Support: Disabled
- C6/C7 State Support: Disabled
- C8 State Support: Disabled
- CPU Thermal Monitor: Enabled
- CPU EIST Function: Enabled
- Voltage Optimization: Enabled
- Residency State Registration (RSR): Disabled
- Hardware Prefetcher: Enabled
- Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch: Enabled
- Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.): Profile 1
- System Memory Multiplier: 32
- Memory Enhancement Settings: Relax OC
- Channel Interleaving: Enabled
- Rank Interleaving: Enabled
- CAS Latency: 15
- tRCD: 17
- tRP: 17
- tRAS: 28
- Command Rate (tCMD): 1
- CPU VCore Loadline Calibration (LLC): High
- CPU VCore: 1.355V
- CPU VCCIO: Normal
- CPU System Agent Voltage: Normal
- PCH Core: Normal
- DRAM Voltage (CH A/B): 1.360 V
- Internal Graphics: Disabled
philipew :
13thmonkey :
Makentox :
MeanMachine41 :
Here is a decent vid for your CPU OC and your MB Bios. Its best to stress test the CPU at stock frequency to get a base line for how your cooler is coping. You won't go far on AIR cooling and really need an AIO Water Cooler of H100 or better to go more than 4.6GHz.
Go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAr4VygoWWg
Core voltage set to Auto may not get you there but give it a try initially and if not and your OC fails then raise Core voltage in small steps from about 1.3500V - 1.3875V on the core. This should provide stability if required.
Depending on stress tests and temperatures and the quality of your chip will determine your MAX OC.
wow "Leave voltages on auto" - in conclusion what dude said in the video.
Did you even try to watch the guide yourself before posting it here? Its terrible and i would never recommend to beginners to have voltage over 1.4v when starting to overclock.
That's why 'read the sticky' is the normal answer to 'how do I oc' because of things like this, so that BS in the videos can be spotted,
Here are my current, and ultra stable/safe, BIOS settings for i5 6600K on Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI:
[1] - CPU Core Ratio:
46
[2] - FCLK Frequency For Early Power:
1 GHz
[3] - Uncore Ratio:
46
[4] - CPU Flex Override:
Disabled
[5] - Intel Turbo Boost Technology:
Disabled
[6] - CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E):
Disabled
[7] - C6/C7 State Support:
Disabled
[8] - C8 State Support:
Disabled
[9] - CPU Thermal Monitor:
Enabled
[10]-CPU EIST Function:
Enabled
[11]-Voltage Optimization:
Enabled
[12]-Residency State Registration (RSR):
Disabled
[13]-Hardware Prefetcher:
Enabled
[14]-Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch:
Enabled
[15]-Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.):
Profile 1
[16]-System Memory Multiplier:
32
[17]-Memory Enhancement Settings:
Relax OC
[18]-Channel Interleaving:
Enabled
[19]-Rank Interleaving:
Enabled
[20]-CAS Latency:
15
[21]-tRCD:
17
[22]-tRP:
17
[23]-tRAS:
28
[24]-Command Rate (tCMD):
1
[25]-CPU VCore Loadline Calibration (LLC):
High
[26]-CPU VCore:
1.355V
[27]-CPU VCCIO:
Normal
[28]-CPU System Agent Voltage:
Normal
[29]-PCH Core:
Normal
[30]-DRAM Voltage (CH A/B):
1.360 V
[31]-Internal Graphics:
Disabled
And why should that be stable with his hardware? what are the temps to look out for? what are the tests for stability? Is that too much voltage on his hardware.
13thmonkey :
philipew :
13thmonkey :
Makentox :
MeanMachine41 :
Here is a decent vid for your CPU OC and your MB Bios. Its best to stress test the CPU at stock frequency to get a base line for how your cooler is coping. You won't go far on AIR cooling and really need an AIO Water Cooler of H100 or better to go more than 4.6GHz.
Go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAr4VygoWWg
Core voltage set to Auto may not get you there but give it a try initially and if not and your OC fails then raise Core voltage in small steps from about 1.3500V - 1.3875V on the core. This should provide stability if required.
Depending on stress tests and temperatures and the quality of your chip will determine your MAX OC.
wow "Leave voltages on auto" - in conclusion what dude said in the video.
Did you even try to watch the guide yourself before posting it here? Its terrible and i would never recommend to beginners to have voltage over 1.4v when starting to overclock.
That's why 'read the sticky' is the normal answer to 'how do I oc' because of things like this, so that BS in the videos can be spotted,
Here are my current, and ultra stable/safe, BIOS settings for i5 6600K on Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI:
[1] - CPU Core Ratio:
46
[2] - FCLK Frequency For Early Power:
1 GHz
[3] - Uncore Ratio:
46
[4] - CPU Flex Override:
Disabled
[5] - Intel Turbo Boost Technology:
Disabled
[6] - CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E):
Disabled
[7] - C6/C7 State Support:
Disabled
[8] - C8 State Support:
Disabled
[9] - CPU Thermal Monitor:
Enabled
[10]-CPU EIST Function:
Enabled
[11]-Voltage Optimization:
Enabled
[12]-Residency State Registration (RSR):
Disabled
[13]-Hardware Prefetcher:
Enabled
[14]-Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch:
Enabled
[15]-Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.):
Profile 1
[16]-System Memory Multiplier:
32
[17]-Memory Enhancement Settings:
Relax OC
[18]-Channel Interleaving:
Enabled
[19]-Rank Interleaving:
Enabled
[20]-CAS Latency:
15
[21]-tRCD:
17
[22]-tRP:
17
[23]-tRAS:
28
[24]-Command Rate (tCMD):
1
[25]-CPU VCore Loadline Calibration (LLC):
High
[26]-CPU VCore:
1.355V
[27]-CPU VCCIO:
Normal
[28]-CPU System Agent Voltage:
Normal
[29]-PCH Core:
Normal
[30]-DRAM Voltage (CH A/B):
1.360 V
[31]-Internal Graphics:
Disabled
And why should that be stable with his hardware? what are the temps to look out for? what are the tests for stability? Is that too much voltage on his hardware.
Good question. Trust me, if I had been using anything like a Closed Loop Liquid Nitrogen (cryogenic LN2) Cooling System, even without custom-built vacuum insulated lines, I believe I would have mentioned it... well... at least in passing ;-).
My post is only a set of stable parameters relating to the relevant chip, and given as an example to get constructive ideas, or a starting point from which to test and experiment. If it can be of further help, here are a few more details.
The
hardware
on which this set of parameters is stable is
basic
, using a discounted SSD OS Drive, a budget single 120 mm fan CPU cooler with 16 GB of RAM on 4 sticks and two (2) GPUs running in SLI mode which puts an additional load on the CPU. The chip's overall performance is nothing special (pretty average even). The case is basic and the PSU is not all that powerful. The fans are standard retail 1 x 92, 3 x 120 and 7 x 140 mm from ThermalTake, Corsair, Noctua (the smallest one), and IDcooling (very cheap).
The
temps
(CPU Package temp), at 22 C ambient, are rather low (max. 75 C with Prime95 (free) "Heat" test for 30 min. and 55 C max. after playing BF4 for over 2 hours), and Prime95 (latest version) on the "Blend" test was invariably fully stable for 24 hours non-stop. GPUs were tested with FaceWorks (free), Valley (free) and Heaven (free) as they are also both heavily overclocked (both generating a fair bit of heat in the case (below the CPU) with around 150 W each). CPU Package Temps are around 28 C at idle. Temps are as per CPUID HWMonitor (free).
Perhaps
start
with 46/45 (46/46 increases temp slightly), and only one (1) graphics card (any type) and all other parameters set
manually
in the BIOS (keep away from "Auto") just as listed above (except for the memory as it depends a lot on what you are using) with VCore set at 1.355 V.
If the voltage (VCore = 1.355 V) and/or temps (Package temp) are not a problem, simply try to lower CPU VCore closer to 1.300 V (1.345, 1.34, 1.335, 1.33...this needs testing). If on the contrary the rig is not stable with VCore = 1.355 V and/or stays with temps above 85 C (under 22 C ambient) in heavy heat testing like with Prime95, small FFTs - test 1 (
it is the temp. that ultimately determines the overclocking limit
), then set the two multipliers (CPU / Uncore or. Cache) to, say 45 / 44 (100 MHz lower won't make much of a difference) and restart testing from there. That should do it.
Having the Uncore freq. a few hundred megahertz lower than Core freq. (e.g. 45/40) also helps with temps. without really affecting performance
. It may be good especially while trying to find that "sweet spot" we are all after.
The hardware
:
1.
Case
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Black Mid Tower w/Side Panel Window
2.
PSU
Corsair RM650x 650W 80PLUS Gold Modular
3.
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z170XP SLI LGA1151 DDR4 ATX
4.
CPU
Intel Core i5 6600K Skylake-S 3.5 GHz - 6 MB
5.
Memory (16G)
2 x Kingston 8GB Kit (2 x 4GB) DDR4 HyperX Fury C14 2133MHz
6.
Graphics
(8G) 2 x MSI GeForce GTX970 Gaming 4GB PEAK GDDR5 (SLI) 2 x DVI HDMI
7.
CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper 212 X
8.
OS
Windows 10 Home OEM 64 bit (on DVD)
9.
OS Drive
Samsung 850 EVO Series 2.5" 7mm 250GB SSD
10.
Optical Drive
ASUS DRW-24D5MT 24x Black SATA DVD Writer OEM
11.
USB Ports
ORICO USB3.0 - 4 Port PCIe Expansion Card
12.
Cooling (1)
Corsair AF140 140mm Quiet Edition Blue LED
13.
Cooling (2)
3 x Thermaltake Riing 140mm (2 x Red + 1 x Blue) LED SP
14.
Cooling (3)
Corsair SP120 120mm SP Edition Red LED
15.
Cooling (4)
Noctua NF-B9 92mm Redux Ed. PWM Cooling Fan
16.
Cooling (5)
Corsair ML140 140mm Mag-Lev Fan SP (Twin Pack)
17.
Cooling (6)
ID-COOLING Big Airflow 140mm PWM
18.
Cooling (7)
ID-COOLING 120MM Slim PWM
Have a look here for the fans: https://postimg.org/image/8d0q9fv63/
================================================================================
Here is a revision
I noticed that I could push my CPU Core frequency from 4.6 GHz to 4.608 GHz (
with Bclk = 128 MHz
) without increasing VCore (no longer stable at 4610 MHz on VCore of 1.355 V for my chip), therefore without increasing temp. However, Uncore must be limited to 3968 MHz for stability (anything higher is not stable
on my own system
), and the idle frequency of the CPU goes from 800 MHz to 1024 MHz although my CPU usually spends very little time below 1024 MHz anyway. So it has no impact on temp. Note that for the memory, 128 x 25 = 3200 exactly (this is important).
These settings give me up to 6 points more on the Cinebench R15 benchmark test and really "for jam" as VCore is unchanged. It is also stable (I tested on Prime95) with Fclk at x10 (1280 MHz) but I prefer to leave it low, although that could potentially provide additional (very slight) performance as shown in tests here:
http://www.tweaktown.com/guides/7481/twe...ndex4.html
Another advantage of a higher Bclk value, in this case of 128 MHz
, that I also observed is the resulting CPU (Core) clock frequency while running (e.g. 4.598, 4.599, 4.600, 4.601) does not fluctuate as often (i.e. is more stable). The slightest fluctuation in Bclk frequency, e.g. 99.5, 100, 100.5, 100.2... GHz is multiplied by 46, if the multiplier is 46. As a higher Bclk value of 128 MHz reduces the multiplier from 46 to 36, the effect of the fluctuation of Bclk also seems to be less amplified (geared) which leads to a more stable resulting Core frequency, in this case centered around 4.608 GHz (128 x 36). And a more stable Core freq. works in favour of a more stable system altogether, with more consistent performance over time.
Summary
-----------
The only settings I personally applied manually in the BIOS of my INTEL i5 6600K are:
[1] - CPU Core Ratio:------> 46 = 4600 (Bclk 100)
36 = 4608 (Bclk 128)
[2] - CPU Base Clock (Bclk):------> 100 -
128 MHz
[3] - FCLK Frequency For Early Power:------> 1 GHz (x10) (Bclk 100)
Normal (x8) (Bclk 128)
<-------
[4] - Uncore Ratio:------> 46 = 4600 (Bclk 100)
31 = 3968 (Bclk 128)
[5] - CPU Flex Override:------> Disabled <--- 1/8
[6] - Intel Turbo Boost Technology:------> Disabled <--- 2/8
[7] - CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E):------> Disabled <--- 3/8
[8] - C3 State Support:------> Disabled <--- 4/8
[9 ]- C6/C7 State Support:------> Disabled <--- 5/8
[10]-C8 State Support:------> Disabled <--- 6/8
[11]-CPU Thermal Monitor:------> Enabled <----------- 1/7
[12]-CPU EIST Function:------> Enabled <----------- 2/7
[13]-Voltage Optimization:------> Enabled <----------- 3/7
[14]-Residency State Registration (RSR):------> Disabled <--- 7/8
[15]-Hardware Prefetcher:------> Enabled <----------- 4/7
[16]-Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch:------> Enabled <----------- 5/7
[17]-Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.):------> Profile 1
[18]-System Memory Multiplier:------> 32 = 3200 (Bclk 100)
25 = 3200 (Bclk 128)
[19]-Memory Enhancement Settings:------> Relax OC
[20]-Channel Interleaving:------> Enabled <----------- 6/7
[21]-Rank Interleaving:------> Enabled <----------- 7/7
[22]-CAS Latency:------> 15
[23]-tRCD:------> 17
[24]-tRP:------> 17
[25]-tRAS:------> 28
[26]-Command Rate (tCMD):------> 1
[27]-CPU VCore Loadline Calibration (LLC):------> High
[28]-CPU VCore:------> 1.355 V
[29]-CPU VCCIO:------> Normal <-------
[30]-CPU System Agent Voltage:------> Normal <-------
[31]-PCH Core:------> Normal <-------
[32]-DRAM Voltage (CH A/B):------> 1.360 V
[33]-Internal Graphics:------> Disabled <--- 8/8
================================================================================
Note
that even at 4.6 GHz, using an Uncore multiplier of 39 instead of 46 (like the Core) is better for temp. (-5 C) and only very (very) slightly affects performance (hard to detect even).
My road to 4.7 GHz is as follows:
Volt:-----1.344 -- [+12mV] -- 1.356 -- [+12mV] -- 1.368 -- [+12mV] -- 1.380 -- [+12mV] -- 1.392 -- [+12mV] -- 1.404
GHz:-----4.600------------------4.620------------------4.640-------------------4.660------------------4.680-------------------4.700
Vcore:---1.355------------------------------------------------------[+60 mV]-------------------------------------------------------1.415
If more is needed, please let me know ;-).