Requesting advice on how to finish my 9900K OC
Requesting advice on how to finish my 9900K OC
Hi everyone, I'm working on optimizing my 9900K. I can hit 5GHz at 1.270V, but stability is an issue on Realbench—high temperatures cause frequent BSODs or temps exceeding 95°C quickly. On small FFT tests, I usually see high temps too. However, Cinebench runs smoothly with an average of 88% and 5150 points. I’ve tested 4–5 demanding games at 60°C max without problems.
I suspect I need some fine-tuning and advice from more experienced people. This is my first full OC attempt, but I’ve been mostly following tutorials, testing, and still feel a bit lost. Every time I look for new guides, I’m confused by the variety of setups (some use XMP 1, others 2; some enable SVID, others disable it; different cache settings). I’m at a point where I don’t know what to change or keep.
Here’s my PC setup:
- Asus Rog Strix z390 F gaming
- AIO Corsair H100i (old model)
- Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz RAM
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
I plan to check my BIOS settings and see if adjustments help. I’m hoping someone can point out the real issue beyond just voltage settings.
I understood that my cooler wasn’t ideal due to temperature issues, and I’ve been looking into the Corsair H115i Pro, which is 360mm, right?
The issue is it requires another case because it doesn’t fit in my Corsair Vengenace C70. I checked quickly and found that the prices for the cases I need start from at least 150€, which is almost the same as the AIO cost. Overall, changing the cooler will cost more than 300€, so I plan to try something similar in the future. At the moment, I think I’ll pass and see if there’s a good deal on Black Friday.
Would you recommend any cases for my next setup?
On another note, I know my cooler is really bad, but isn’t there anything else I can tweak on my side to improve stability? I’m already using the computer at 5GHz with no issues, just hoping for a bit more consistency.
Also, could it be that the Noctua air cooler is better than my H100i? I’ve heard many users with that cooler have managed to reach 5GHz on an i9. Is it possible that an air cooler is actually superior to a liquid AIO? (I’m just a beginner, so sorry if this seems simple)
Thanks for your reply.
I mentioned that 5ghz could run at 95c but it was unstable. To achieve stability you'd need higher voltage, which would lead to throttling. Keep it as it is for now. Liquid cooling isn't a quick fix; air coolers can work just as well. A Noctua nhd15s would be a better option than your current aio and could match a 280mm, potentially enabling 5ghz even at high temperatures.
I’ve tried running at 95ºC but only with prime and this stuff; gaming doesn’t go past 60ºC and it never crashes. That’s why I keep asking, since I know some people can run 5ghz at 1.25V. I thought maybe my setup wasn’t perfectly tuned—not just now, but for the future when I’ll have a better cooler. I’m wondering if not mentioning my config means everything’s fine and the issue is just the voltage. Thanks for clarifying about the noctua, and please don’t expect an air cooler to be better than an AIO. Again, thanks for your reply—it’s really appreciated.
The i9-9900k delivers strong performance and handles heat well. Keep in mind that not all chips are the same, and most online discussions focus on high-performing overclocking results. Be cautious when interpreting what you see online. I manage to reach 5Ghz, but stability drops under heavy use—temperatures rise quickly and cause throttling. I’m content with a locked 4.8 (ring at 4.6) at a peak of 1.255v. I’m using the H80i v2.
I could consider trying the intel performance maximizer app. It evaluates your CPU, motherboard, cooler... and does its best with what you have. Looks like you likely have a standard chip. As of 2/6/2019 from silicon lottery: What percentage could achieve an overclock at a reasonable vcore between 1.275v and 1.312? And AVX offset = 2. I9-9900K 4.8 100% 4.9 86% 5.0 39% 5.1 8% Beyond academic curiosity, how much do you truly require that last multiplier?
Thank you all for your feedback.
Perhaps my limited English affected how clearly I could convey myself.
I don’t really aim to achieve any benchmark results or anything similar.
I’m fully aware that a 5GHz processor at 1.25 GHz is quite rare, but I thought maybe adjusting the voltage between 1.27 and 1.28 could make it work for me (especially on prime and benchmark tests).
As before, I noticed that people often use different configurations in their tutorials, so I suspect something might be off with my setup.
My main goal is to ensure all cores run at the same speed and maintain top performance whenever possible (given the limitations of my hardware). This would help me enjoy racing in VR without any frame drops—something I’ve experienced even at regular speeds. Since pushing everything to 5GHz has eliminated those drops, I’m satisfied with that.
However, if I have to deal with other tasks like rendering, I’d need to restart and reload the system, which I find inconvenient in the long run.
I’m not insisting on 5GHz at all; if it means settling for 4.9 or 4.8 across all cores without frame drops, I’m fine. My priority is simply to play smoothly under optimal conditions with my current configuration.
I’m confident I’ll get the Corsair 150i Pro during Black Friday, have a suitable case, and hopefully manage to keep stable 5GHz performance while boosting the voltage slightly for better temperatures.
Thank you for your support!
Just checking if these quoted Vcore figures match what you enter in the BIOS or what appears in CPU-Z during stress tests. I’m new to overclocking and found it hard to tell which number people mean.
The voltage you request might not match the actual output.
It becomes more complex and I don’t have expert knowledge of its details.
Generally, the motherboard aims to supply enough voltage for the multiplier you need.
If your settings aren’t enough, the overclock won’t succeed and you’ll have to try again.
There’s a real upper limit before damage occurs. I believe it could be around 1.5 volts.
You definitely don’t want to approach that level.
It’s the high voltage that leads to heat buildup, thermal throttling, or even shutdown—usually around 100°C.
From what I understand, people usually stop short of a tolerable core voltage before losing enough thermal capacity.
Some tests I’ve seen about the 9900KS running at 5.0 with all cores and experiencing thermal problems make me doubt that claim, especially for this model.
Certainly, pushing the voltage too high will likely shorten the chip’s lifespan.
A slight increase in voltage for overclocking is acceptable within safe boundaries, but it will eventually make the processor outdated before it fails.