Should I overclock?
Should I overclock?
I’m assembling a new gaming setup from AvaDirect. Since I’m not very experienced with computers, I’m curious if I can attempt overclocking.
The processor features:
Intel Core™ i7-7800X Six-Core at 3.5–4.0GHz, LGA 2066, 140W power consumption.
The graphics card is:
EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti SC GAMING, operating at 1607–1683MHz, 8GB GDDR5, compatible with VR.
Memory specifications:
G.SKILL 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) Ripjaws V DDR4 3200MHz, CL16, black finish, DIMM.
Power supply unit:
EVGA 850 G3, 80 PLUS Gold 850W, ECO Mode, fully modular, ATX form factor.
Cooling components:
Be Quiet! Dark Rock TF cooler, 131mm height, 220W TDP, made of copper and aluminum.
Thermal paste:
INNOVATION COOLING Diamond 7 Carat, 1.5g, 4.5 W/m-K, micronized diamond.
Cooling fan:
COOLER MASTER SickleFlow 120mm, 2000 RPM, 52.19 CFM, 19 dBA.
Fan controller:
NZXT Sentry Mesh, 5-channel fan, 5.25-inch bay, black panel.
Storage solutions:
SAMSUNG 500GB 960 EVO 2280 M.2 SSD, PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe, V-NAND, 3200/1800 MB/s.
HDD storage:
SEAGATE 2TB BarraCuda ST2000DM006, 7200 RPM, SATA 6Gb/s, 64MB cache, 3.5-inch OEM drive.
Optical drive:
LITE-ON iHDS118-04, supports DVD 18x / CD 48x, DVD-ROM, 5.25-inch.
Wireless connectivity:
ASUS PCE-AC88, internal dual-band 2.4/5GHz, up to 1000/2167 Mbps, PCIe 2.0 x1.
I’m planning to run demanding games such as Planet Coaster, Beamng.drive, Cities Skylines, etc. If you have any suggestions or advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I was checking Avadirect and noticed they support the Z370 with an i7 8700K option. This processor is actually a generation ahead of the i7 7800X. The i7 7800X uses Skylake, while the 8th gen is built on Kaby Lake and the 9th on Coffee Lake i7 8700K. For similar performance at the same frequency, the 8700K offers higher IPC and better overclocking thanks to more advanced manufacturing. Base clock and turbo boost numbers show that the 8700K handles much higher clocks compared to the 7800X.
Links provided for detailed specs:
https://www.avadirect.com/Intel-8th-Gen-...e/11538429
https://ark.intel.com/products/123589/In...o-4_00-GHz
https://ark.intel.com/products/126684
Unless you intend to upgrade for more than six cores soon, you can reduce expenses by choosing an i7 8700K and Z370 motherboard. The i7 8700K also supports 6c/12t configurations similar to the i7 7800X. The i7 7800X enables overclocking, and I think nearly every CPU with LGA 2066 can be overclocked.
Unless you intend to upgrade for more than six cores soon, you can save costs by choosing i7 8700K and Z370 motherboards. i7 8700K also supports 6c/12t configurations similar to the i7 7800X. The i7 7800X enables overclocking, which is possible with most CPUs using LGA 2066. However, I should consider the games you play. Neither option is available on Avadirect, but they are close by, so I’ll pick the nearest one for easier shipping and reliability.
I checked Avadirect and found Z370 models that support i7 8700K. This chip is actually a generation ahead of the i7 7800X. The i7 7800X uses Skylake, while the 8th gen is based on Kaby Lake and the 9th is Coffee Lake i7 8700K. For similar performance at the same frequency, the 8700K offers higher IPC and better overclocking thanks to more advanced manufacturing. Compared to the i7 7800X, the 8700K also runs at a higher base clock and turbo boost.
Here are relevant links:
- https://www.avadirect.com/Intel-8th-Gen-...e/11538429
- https://ark.intel.com/products/123589/In...o-4_00-GHz
- https://ark.intel.com/products/126684