Solving the MSI Z490 Unify and I7 10700k overclocking question
Solving the MSI Z490 Unify and I7 10700k overclocking question
Good Day,
My build details are as follows:
Mobo: MSI Z490 Unify
CPU: I7 10700k
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15
GPU: MSI 2080 Rtx Gaming X Trio
PSU: Seasonic Focus Plus PX 850w Platinum
RAM: 32GB (2x16Gb) 3200mhz HyperX Fury
SSD: 1tb Samsung 970 Evo Plus
HDD: 2tb Wd Black
Case: BeQuiet Pure Base 500dx (2 14cm front intake fan, 1 14cm rear exhaust)
I didn’t modify the BIOS beyond setting Xmp for Profiel 1, which locks the RAM speed at 3200mhz. I also configured the cooler to Tower Cooler.
I ran an Intel Diagnostic Tool Stress test and everything stayed below 80°C. In idle, temperatures hovered between 34-39°C, which seems normal.
My main question is:
Someone suggested adjusting the fixed Vcore for better stability and longevity. Should I enable overclocking in the BIOS or keep it at Auto mode? Since I’m not planning to overclock and the system is running smoothly, should I leave it as is?
If someone needs guidance on starting an overclock, I’d appreciate their advice. I’m new to this and don’t want to make any mistakes.
Thanks for your responses.
Today's CPUs manage themselves quite effectively, which means we, as users, often end up making them worse when we try to adjust them for any reason.
Oh, the irony!
When it comes to overclocking, setting a fixed Vcore is simpler than adjusting dynamic voltage settings.
You don’t have to do anything—just let it run on auto. After all, the 10700K and 10900K models simply lack significant overclock potential. Intel has already indicated that...
This is complete BOLLOCKS. Today's cpus take care of themselves pretty darn well to the point that us, as users, actually make both of these worse when we're trying to tweak them for whatever reason. Oh, the IRONY... Now, if we're talking about overclocking, fixed Vcore is just easier to tune than using dynamic(adaptive/offset) voltage settings. You need not do anything; leave it on auto. Besides, the 10700K and 10900K have no real OC headroom to speak of. Intel already binned that silicon as high as it could go; that's why the 10850K exists, as they're 10900K failures. The 10600K, on the other hand... fun little chip to tweak, from what I've seen and heard, making itself faster than the other 2 cpus at stock. 1)Link to the overclocking sticky: https://forums. 2)All the more reason not to mess with it. Overclocking is a hobby, not a feature - contrary to what it's constantly advertised as. You'll either develop a passion for it, or you'll hate it. If you're not up for time consumed, trial and error process and the troubleshooting that comes with it, leave it alone. I will add that there's an easy way to do it, but your current cpu cooler can't handle it. Gonna have to skip straight to a 360mm performance hybrid cooler or custom liquid for that one. All Z boards have a feature called All Core Enhancement, or Multi Core Enhancement(Asus), that auto OCs the cpu for you... but the 10700K will pull too much power under heavy loads for the NH-D15 to deal with. Not concerned with loads like simple browsing and watching videos, but something heavier, like stress testing for OC stability, or heavily threaded games - or if they happen to run AVX, things get out of hand. More irony: The 10th gen cpus don't run all that hot out of the box thanks to the power limits Intel set on them. At the same time, one can't maximize their performance without raising/removing said limits, but once that's done, they run stupid hot under load; the 10900K can be observed pulling over 300w under stress tests. That's bloody high end gpu levels of heat - not like the stock power limits weren't already up there: https://imgur.com/YwqWtBb View: https://imgur.com/YwqWtBb Ultimately your choice whether to try it or not, and then you'll either love it or hate it from there.
Thank you for the clear details. I interpreted that leaving everything on Auto should be sufficient for me, except for the Xmp.
Aye, adjusting XMP is straightforward. Some folks become overly fixated on it. The effort required for a few percentage points of improvement might not justify it, especially if other factors limit gains beyond boosting power use. The 10700K already reaches 5.0-5.1ghz naturally. Even the Silicon Lottery didn’t manage to extract significantly more performance:
Comet Lake
All Core SSE Frequency
All Core AVX2 Frequency
Per Core Frequency
All Core Die Sense Vcore
Power Limit
% Capable
10700K
4.90GHz
4.80GHz
4C+100MHz
1.190V
210W
100%
10700K
5.00GHz
4.90GHz
4C+100MHz
1.210V
220W
Top 63%
10700K
5.10GHz
5.00GHz
4C+100MHz
1.230V
240W
Top 22%
10700K
5.20GHz
5.10GHz
4C+100MHz
1.250V
270W
Top 2%
Source: https://siliconlottery.com/pages/statistics
In summary, the 10700K, similar to the 10850K and 10900K models, offers excellent built-in performance. Overclocking yields minimal returns, but it demands higher power draw and a more costly cooling solution.
Awesome man, thanks a lot. In this situation I don’t really worry about overclocking. The temperatures are just perfectly fine for me. Cooler than my brother’s setup with 9900k. I just enabled Xmp to profile 1 and set the cooler in the BIOS. Everything is left on the default setting (Auto).
Ps. I think the vcore/temps/core ratio changing is normal even when using desktop mode?
Thanks again.
XMP only affects RAM. It transfers the embedded settings from the memory to adjust the voltage timing and performance for optimal operation at 3200. This offers a quick alternative to manually configuring those parameters. Keep XMP disabled.
Run CPU-Z. If the multiplier changes, it’s safe to proceed.
The default settings on the motherboard handle this automatically. If not, apply speedstep and adaptive voltage so that when the CPU is less active, the multiplier and voltage reduce accordingly.
Overclocking the 10th generation processors aims to run all cores at maximum speed for tasks requiring heavy multithreading. For games with lighter threading demands, rely on the turbo system to manage performance.
Thank you. Yes, I activated the XMP profile 1 which operates at 3200mhz. The Xmp handling its function is fine.
The CPU multiplier is changing, but that's acceptable.
Appreciate all the help.
Now I understand leaving everything on default works well for me.