Question Overclocking memory intel i7 3770K
Question Overclocking memory intel i7 3770K
Good Morning fellow O.C.'rs:
I have a few questions about overclocking. and I am new to this realm. Man there is a lot to unpack, but it's snowing outside, so I have a bit of time.
I'm sure these answers have been asked before, and I'd like to read up on some details of overclocking, is there a good laymens read out there someone can point to.
At any rate, here we go...
I am building a new system, specifically, a ASUS p8h77-v MoBo, and I selected the Intel i7 3770K processor. (Note I got the K chip so I can overclock it.)
Now I want memory, and I want the fastest stable setup I can get without having to sell my wife. I'm not saying that is a deal breaker, but...
I see the MoBo specs read "4 x DIMMs, max, 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 MHz, Non-ECC, un-buffered memory."
The processor, on the other hand reads, "Memory Types DDR3 1333/1600"
First Question. When talking about over clocking, is the MoBo sending faster clock signals to the processor to force it to go faster? If so, is there a published limit?
#2, Is the processor working speed clock different then the memory transfer speed clock? Or, can I overclock the memory, but keep the processor running slower?
#3, if I overclock the memory, and the bottleneck is internal to the processor, will I be wasting money getting 2133 DIMMS? (I couldn't find any 2200MHz DIMMS.)
Thanks, Mark.
H77 board lacks certain overclocking capabilities. You should consider P68 (bios update) or a Z77 built for Ivy Bridge.
Yes, the motherboard requests the CPU memory controller to operate more efficiently.
The processor clock multiplier remains unaffected by memory overclocking. On earlier Intel systems it was still necessary to adjust the base clock and reduce the memory ratio as CPU speeds increased.
At this stage, all DDR3 variants are relatively affordable. DDR3 1600 has become the typical standard speed and is most likely available. 2133 offers higher performance but may require a voltage increase to function properly—each CPU behaves slightly differently.
Thank you Eximo, your explanation has clarified things. The ASUS documentation indeed states that due to the CPU behavior, the DDR3 2133/1866 MHz memory module will operate at a lower frequency of DDR3 2000/1800 MHz by default. I'm fine with that, though I might be able to adjust it if possible. Close enough for me. M.
On my previous Z77 board using a 2500K, I had 1600 memory modules at 1.5 volts. Switching to 2133 required running it at 1.6 volts for better performance, but the actual improvement was only noticeable during benchmarks.