Safe 6700k with an affordable cooler
Safe 6700k with an affordable cooler
My setup includes an Asus Z170-e with an i7 6700k, EVGA GTX 950 SSC GPU, Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 RAM at 2133 MHz, a CM Hyper 212 EVO cooler, and a 600 watt PSU. Right now, my overclocking is stable with temperatures around 25°C at 4.3GHz. I aim to reach 4.5GHz, possibly up to 4.6GHz if I'm willing to take the risk. For 4.5GHz, I'm concerned about the cooler since it's my only budget component. With this unit, I'd expect around 30-35°C at idle for that speed. Gaming might handle higher speeds but shouldn't exceed 75°C. Do you think this cooler is sufficient for this goal? I don’t have much experience with processor voltages. Thanks!
My system details:
Processor: Asus Z170-e
CPU: i7 6700k
GPU: EVGA GTX 950 SSC
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 2133
Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO
Power Supply: EVGA 600 watt
Right now, my overclock is stable with temperatures around 25 at 4.3GHz. I aim to reach 4.5GHz, and possibly even 4.6GHz if I'm willing to take the risk.
For 4.5GHz, I'm concerned about the cooler—it's the only "budget" component. With this unit, I'd expect around 30-35°C at idle for that speed. Gaming might handle higher temps but shouldn't exceed 75°C.
Is this cooler sufficient for this goal? I’m not very familiar with voltage specs on procs...
Thanks!
My system details:
Processor: Asus Z170-e
CPU: i7 6700k
GPU: EVGA GTX 950 SSC
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 2133
Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO
Power Supply: EVGA 600 watt
Right now, my overclock is holding steady with good temperatures around 25°C at 4.3GHz. I aim to reach 4.5GHz, and possibly even 4.6GHz if I’m willing to take the risk.
For a 4.5GHz target, I’m concerned about my cooler since it’s the only budget component. With that unit, I’d expect around 30-35°C at idle for 4.5GHz. Gaming might push it higher, but not beyond 75°C.
Is this cooler sufficient? I’m not very knowledgeable about voltages on processors, so I’ll have to rely on personal experience.
Thanks!
Psychic – I’ve seen some people get their 6700K to hit 4.8GHz with the 212 cooler. It’s a budget option, and results depend on many factors like chassis, cooling setup, and ambient conditions. Stick to gradual increases and keep monitoring temperatures closely.
I also wonder why I’m overclocking – what benefits does it actually provide? Is it just bragging rights, higher FPS, or more heat?
30-35°C is average, and I’d avoid exceeding 65°C. The Cryorig H7 would be the next upgrade, followed by the Dark Rock 3 from Be Quiet, and the Noctua NH D15 for the top end.
The CM Hyper 212 EVO serves as a reasonable air cooler but may restrict performance when overclocking. The optimal approach is to make minor adjustments—around 100MHz—to the multiplier settings in the BIOS and slightly increase the core voltage. After that, perform a stress test to check stability and temperature levels. I use HWMonitor and AIDA64 for this purpose. Save them on your desktop and run the stress test in AIDA64 for ten minutes, ensuring CPU, FPU, and cache boxes are selected. It’s advisable to begin with a small overclock and then evaluate the system’s behavior. The HWMonitor readings will give you a clear picture of how much further you can push it. Feel free to share your findings here for review.
I tried 4.6GHz... During the stress test, temperatures exceeded 85 within two minutes, so I stopped immediately. Checked the BIOS, and my core voltage (set to Auto) was abnormally high at 1.456V. I switched it to manual, adjusted it to 1.325, and set the core clock to 4.5GHz. The stress test continued at 65 degrees and I handled it without issues.