scared of overclocking 4790k
scared of overclocking 4790k
I've been running the 4790k for three years with the default factory configuration. It's running at 4 GHz base and 4.5 kHz turbo boost. While playing games, I noticed the turbo boost stays on at 4.5 GHz all the time. I'm wondering if it's possible to overclock this CPU back to 4.2 GHz and if it would be beneficial. I'm a bit nervous because I'm not sure how the voltage settings work—I used AI Suite 3 before, but I can't find it anymore. Thanks.
I purchased a "K" for overclocking purposes. To ensure safety, maintain control of the vcore, ideally around 1.3v. Use BIOS to enable overclocking, keeping all voltages in auto mode and slowly increasing the core multiplier. When you hit your maximum, reduce it slightly. Reaching 85°C under load is likely the upper limit. With an effective cooler, you should surpass the thermal cap before hitting the voltage ceiling. Don't stress too much about heat; the CPU may slow down or shut down if it senses a high temperature. Then apply adaptive voltage and speedstep to lower the multiplier and vcore during light workloads.
So you're looking to boost it to 4.2ghz? Why? It seems unnecessary unless you're aiming for lower temperatures and reduced power use, right? I wouldn't suggest using AI software for overclocking or underclocking—I've had poor experiences with that. I stick with the BIOS. What's the current VCORE setting? You can check it with tools like HWmonitor.
I purchased a "K" for overclocking purposes. To ensure safety, maintain control of the vcore, ideally around 1.3v. Use BIOS to enable overclocking, keeping all voltages active and slowly increasing the core multiplier. When you hit your maximum, reduce it slightly. Reaching 85°C under load is likely the upper bound. With an efficient cooler, you should surpass the thermal limit before hitting the voltage cap. Don't stress too much about heat; the CPU may slow down or shut down if it senses a high temperature. Then apply adaptive voltage and speedstep to lower the multiplier and vcore during light workloads.
I've been using the 4790k for three years with the default factory configuration. It runs at 4 GHz base and 4.5 kHz turbo boost. While playing games I noticed the turbo is always active at 4.5 GHz. I'm wondering if it's possible to overclock this CPU back to 4.2 GHz and whether it would be beneficial. I'm a bit nervous because I'm not sure how voltage settings work. I used AI Suite 3 before, but I can't find it anymore. Thanks.
The turbo speed you're seeing (which should actually be 4.4 GHz on an unoverclocked i7-4790K) only applies when one core is active. If all cores are running, the maximum is around 4.2 GHz. Since 4.2 GHz across all four cores fits within its normal non-overclocked performance range, adjusting it to that level or higher should be straightforward. Provided you have a motherboard that supports overclocking—a Z-series board like Z87 would be ideal—you should be able to proceed. If not, investing in a good air cooler (around $20-50) might help. I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't push this CPU to 4.5 GHz on all cores, especially higher speeds.
I maintain it under 1.25v when using air cooling. However, the component can handle up to 1.35v (believing this is its maximum safe voltage), provided temperatures stay below 80 degrees.