Tips for securely boosting performance of the i5 4690k
Tips for securely boosting performance of the i5 4690k
Yesterday I completed my first gaming setup. It's been waiting a long time. The build will use an i5 4690k processor on an ASUS Z97-A motherboard, paired with a Corsair H60 CPU cooler. Because the shipping updates haven't moved faster despite constant email checks, I chose to use this wait period to learn how to safely overclock my new machine.
Previously, my last build was an AMD Athlon II x2 @ 2.8 ghz, which was the best I could manage with a tight budget. That experience taught me that I'm still learning and I'm eager for clear guidance on both the process and the reasons behind certain settings.
I appreciate any help you can offer. Cheers and Happy 4th!
I am not an experienced overclocker, but I have had my 15-3570k on an ASUS Z77 board overclocked around 4.3 for more than 18 months without any issues.
I mainly used the AI suite.
I respect those who have been overclocking for a long time; they know a lot more than me, but I also realize that ASUS probably has people who are skilled in this area. If they provide overclocking software and guides, they would likely avoid doing it if it was damaging processors, motherboards, or other components regularly.
So why shouldn’t this person just run the AI suite and check the results?
Many tutorials are available online and on YouTube that can be found. Overlocking has become simpler with software that handles it, although I don't advise using it. One such guide could be useful. The i5 4690k is still essentially a Haswell chip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CHs5_TdpXE
start by keeping temperatures below eighty degrees. adjust the cpu voltage in your bios to one point twenty-five volts, confirming it stays steady instead of changing automatically. turn off turbo boost. locate the multiplier setting and increase it gradually until the system won’t boot into windows. after each boot, reset the multiplier back to zero and perform a 95 stress test for an hour, monitoring temperatures. if everything is within limits, your maximum overclock at one point twenty-five volts is achieved, which is ideal for the 4690k chip. if using water cooling, continue as long as temperatures remain acceptable.
Thanks to both of you.
Suztera, I'm sure the videos will be helpful. I think my search wasn't very effective because my Google isn't strong enough.
dj1997, I have a few questions:
I believe I can solve the first issue, but I'll still ask: Why disable turbo? Is it to maintain stability and avoid the CPU going beyond its safe voltage/temperature range? Could this be causing crashes?
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I'm using a Corsair H60 liquid cooler with a mounted radiator and fan. What do you mean by "keep going as long as temperatures allow"?
I personally believe you don't need to turn off "turbo boost." Most folks just mean disabling EIST or Intel Speedstep, which are power-saving options that lower the CPU clock when it's idle or under light load. I'm using all the power-saving settings and the system remains stable after a few more stress tests. If you switch to manual CPU voltage mode, these features won't engage, as adaptive mode is required for them to work.
Temperature should be monitored closely. Consider installing a temperature monitor such as RealTemp. It's crucial to keep your CPU cores below 80°C during stress testing of overclocking configurations.
Voltage settings are unpredictable because of the variability in silicon production. The i5 4690k comes in different batches, some of which can handle higher voltages better than others. Ideally, you should aim to keep your Vcore under 1.4V.
whitelion1284 :
Thanks to the both of you.
Suztera, I'm sure I'll find the videos educational. I guess my google fu is pretty weak cos I couldn't find them.
dj1997, I do have several questions:
I think I can figure out the answer to the first one but I'll ask it anyway: Why disable turbo? Is it a stability thing to prevent it from occasionally boosting the cpu out of the voltage/temperature comfort zone? Causes crashes?
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I'm actually using a corsair H60 liquid cooler with case mounted radiator and fan, what do you mean by "keep going as long as temps allow"?
turbo boost is no use when overclocking it will cause instability
as for keep going if for example you hit x44 multiplier at 1.25 and any more will crash it up the voltage till it boots then test with prime if temps are acceptable then repeat the process until you hit your thermal wall I recommend a max temp of 80 for daily use always good to use a good thermal paste too