Overclocking i5 7600k questions
Overclocking i5 7600k questions
I've been looking into overclocking my Cpu and I have come across some questions that I can't find definitive answers to on Google. Little background on my system first:
Cpu: i5 7600k
Mobo: Msi Z270 Sli plus
Current cooler: hyper 212 Evo, but I'll be putting a DH-15 on this afternoon.
I am shooting for 4.5 - 4.6 GHz, is that gain worth it over the 4.2GHz boost clock that the 7600k achieves? I mostly play Wow and Overwatch with a 144Hz 1080p monitor, so rather cpu bound games. But is a 400MHz overclock even worth the hassle?
If so, what is the best vcore method to use? Some people swear by the manual method, but that forces constant voltage even when idle. So is adaptive the best? Also when using adaptive vcore, is Llc required?
Last night I decided to push the core multiplier up to 4.5ghz just to see if the hyper 212 could handle it. I set the vcore to adaptive and put the max at 1.15volts. I then did a simple 5 min stress test in XTU. CPU-z said that the vcore was 1.16v or so and the system passed. But when I ran the XTU benchmark, vcore went up to 1.20v. Is that a side effect of adaptive vcore, or is that LLC coming into play?
Hi dcolby10,
I'll address your question and explain overclocking.
The 4.2GHz Boost occurs when one core is active; with all cores engaged, the actual boost reaches 4GHz.
Between 4.5-4.6Ghz across all cores provides a frequency increase of roughly 12.5% to 15%, which translates to about a 10% performance improvement—though not insignificant.
Adaptive overclocking allows voltage to adjust based on load, so slight variations in results may appear depending on the stress testing software used.
You're applying overclocking incorrectly.
The main objective of overclocking is to determine the lowest voltage needed for a specific speed.
Start by recording your current frequency and voltage during a stress test in BIOS manual mode.
Then, proceed with...
Hi dcolby10,
I'll address your question and explain overclocking.
The 4.2GHz Boost occurs when one core is active; with all cores engaged, the actual boost reaches 4GHz. Achieving a frequency between 4.5 and 4.6GHz across all cores provides a performance increase of roughly 10%, which is noticeable but not huge.
Adaptive overclocking allows voltage to change based on workload, so slight variations in results may appear depending on the stress testing software used.
You're applying overclocking incorrectly.
The main objective when overclocking is to determine the lowest voltage needed for a specific speed.
Start by recording your current frequency and voltage during a stress test in BIOS.
Then, you have two approaches:
1°/ Improving performance: Increase the multiplier until it becomes unstable, then adjust voltage slightly (increments of 0.025-0.05V) and continue until stability is restored.
2°/ Enhancing thermal management: Maintain the stock frequency and lower the voltage as much as possible without compromising stability.
After fine-tuning and achieving consistent results, you can reactivate power-saving features like C-States and set adaptive overclocking to allow voltage and frequency to adjust dynamically.
Tips: keep voltage below 1.38V and temperature under 85°C during testing for regular use.
Rodolphe.
Hi Rodolphe,
Thank you for your response and advice. I plan to start overclocking now since it seems worthwhile. I put in my NH-D15 last night, so thermals shouldn’t be a problem with a slight overclock.
In the realbench stress test at stock settings, CPU-z shows 4200MHz and 1.19V to 1.20V. Following your instructions, I would increase the multiplier using the overridden voltage of 1.19V and then perform the stress test again. After that, I should gradually lower the voltage in small steps.
I understand each chip behaves differently and that there’s a lot of variation, but I’ve read that many 7600k models remain stable at around 4600MHz with 1.15V.
I tried overclocking last night but faced issues where the vcore didn’t match the overridden value in the BIOS. In the test, it was running at 1.168V to 1.177V instead of the expected 1.15V. I found that using LLC might help, though none of the settings kept the vcore stable when set manually.
Appreciate your guidance!
It's typical when the voltage doesn't match what you set in the BIOS. The LLC feature is designed to handle this issue.
LLC helps offset voltage drops caused by the load.
Maybe lower the setting. With your Mobo (same chipset but z370) try LLC level 4.
Following your method, increase the multiplier using the adjusted voltage to 1.19V and perform a stress test?
Remember, overclocking often requires trial and error.
Rodolphe.
rodolphe.viard :
Hello dcolby10,
I'll address your query and explain overclocking:
The 4.2GHz Boost occurs when one core is active; with all cores engaged, the actual boost reaches 4GHz. Therefore, achieving a frequency between 4.5-4.6Ghz across all cores provides a performance increase of approximately 10%, which is noticeable.
Adaptive will cause your voltage to change according to the load, which is normal and may result in slight variations when using different stress test programs.
You're applying overclocking incorrectly.
The primary objective of overclocking is to determine the minimum voltage needed for a specific frequency.
First, record your current stock frequency and voltage during a stress test. In BIOS, set them to manual mode.
Then consider these options:
1°/ Improved performance:
Start with the stock voltage, increase the multiplier until it becomes unstable, then adjust the voltage slightly (increments of 0.025-0.05V) and continue until you reach a stable frequency. Once stable, lower the voltage as much as possible without compromising stability.
2°/ Better thermal management:
Maintain the stock frequency and reduce the voltage as much as feasible until it becomes unstable.
For both approaches, after achieving stability, enable power-saving features via C-States and set the voltage to adaptive mode to allow voltage and frequency to adjust dynamically with load.
Tips: keep the voltage below 1.38V and temperature under 85°C during stress testing for regular use.
Rodolphe.