The CPU speed is marginally under the expected range.
The CPU speed is marginally under the expected range.
Hi there,
I have an i5-4690k installed and I've boosted it to 4.2GHz in the BIOS (ASRock Z97 Anniversary).
However, the actual speed doesn't match; Windows 10 Task Manager shows a range from 4.1 to 4.15 GHz.
I've checked OpenHardwareMonitor too and found similar behavior.
Some people have successfully overclocked their CPUs and achieved the target frequency in BIOS and Task Manager, but this hasn't happened with mine.
I understand that a small drop of 0.1 to 0.05GHz probably won't noticeably affect performance, especially since CPU Fixed Mode is enabled in BIOS.
Could it be related to insufficient voltage? If so, please let me know.
Thanks
-Spaz
Because you chose a preset, there may be adjustments made to the BCLK along with the multiplier, as Sniper pointed out. Small changes (like 99.9 or 100.1) won't affect other board features such as PCIe slots but will influence clock speeds.
Setting OC manually should push speeds beyond 4.2GHz and prevent any mix-ups.
These presets serve as a baseline to understand the board's capabilities, though they often over-volt and may interact with unrelated components like BCLK.
The absence of power isn't expected to affect your clock rates, particularly when idle. Even with some load, insufficient voltage would likely cause crashes rather than sudden voltage fluctuations.
Task Manager isn't a trustworthy tool, regrettably.
CPU-Z displays what information?
Which BIOS adjustments were made?
In the BIOS I modified the default configurations:
I added a section for overclocking presets and chose the '4.2GHz boost' option.
I turned on a feature named 'Fixed mode'.
The overclocking preset only adjusts a few parameters, but what caught my attention was the voltage mode, which is currently set to 'Adaptive'. This can be switched to 'Fixed'. It should not be confused with 'Fixed Mode'.
CPU-Z displays a Core Speed of 4190MHz.
Change your baseclock setting from Auto to 100.0 or even 100.1. These variations result from changes in the baseclock, unrelated to voltage.
Adjust your baseclock from Auto to 100.0 or even 100.1. These changes are due to variations in the baseclock, unrelated to voltage. I didn't find a 'Baseclock' setting to modify in the BIOS of the ASRock Z97 Anniversary. I also updated other BIOS parameters: BLK Mode is now set to High, following the recommended settings for enhanced overclocking. The CPU Voltage mode was switched from 'Adaptive' to 'Override', which was the option I initially believed was called 'Fixed'.
It could be referred to as a core clock alternatively, though by default it should be auto.
The base clock multiplier equals your clock speed.
Frequently the base clock can drift between 100 and 99.9 or even higher, depending on the quality of the motherboard.
For instance, a base clock of 99.8 with a multiplier of 42 would yield a clock rate of 4,191.6Mhz.
I wouldn't increase the base clock beyond 102-103Mhz since doing so may lead to stability and data integrity problems on your PCI-Express bus, SATA bus, USB, essentially all peripherals as it overclocks them all (Note this isn't true for every Core series processor but applies to the 4th generation; other series use an external clock generator for miscellaneous buses).
Because you chose a preset, there may be adjustments made to the BCLK along with the multiplier, as Sniper pointed out. Small changes (like 99.9 or 100.1) won't affect other board features such as PCIe slots but will influence clock speeds.
Manual tuning of your OC should still achieve over 4.2GHz and prevent any misunderstandings.
These presets serve as a baseline to understand the board's capabilities, though they often cause over-voltage and may interact with unrelated components like BCLK.
There seems to be a tweak in the BCLK along with the multiplier, as mentioned by Sniper.
I've confirmed it too. The value was changed to 100.1 and the CPU now operates at 4202.03MHz according to CPU-Z.
Thanks everyone.
-Spaz