Trying to push the 9600K harder for better performance.
Trying to push the 9600K harder for better performance.
I am trying to make my new CPU go faster. This is the first time I have ever tried to change how it works. To get more speed, I changed a setting in the BIOS and set the clock to 50 so that the processor runs at 5.00 GHz. A video told me to start with "Auto" for voltage and then slowly increase it if the computer doesn't turn on properly. The highest number mentioned was 1.43 volts, and I thought maybe I could go higher because my card is a super fast graphics card.
I am confused about this process. When I first put the computer into "Auto" mode, it refused to start up completely. After trying again inside the BIOS menu, it showed me that the voltage was set too high at 1.45 volts. Does this mean that even if the voltage is 1.45, my CPU won't turn on? I need help because my plan seems wrong and I don't know what to do next.
Build: Motherboard: MSI Z390-A Pro
CPU: Intel i5-9600K
Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5
Revolutionized by the processor: Yes B
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2 sticks of 16 gigabytes running at 3200 MHz
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super
Hard Drive: Samsung 970 Evo Plus with a 1 TB capacity
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750 Watt Unit
Lower your expectations first. Not every 9600K can hit the 5.0 rating from the beginning. It's okay to start with an auto setting, but you should probably bump up a small multiplier. Run a stress test while watching temperatures and voltage numbers closely. Keep temps below 85 degrees Celsius and voltages under 1.35 volts. CPU-Z shows your vcore voltage, and HWMonitor tracks how hot things get. Some stress testers are too extreme or weird and won't show what most people actually use. For example, using AVX instructions is rare in normal work but costs two multipliers off the top of your head. CPU-Z has a test tab on the site, though I don't see many people recommending it. Still, it's super easy to set up and I'd try it if I had time.
I saw another video, so I turned the power up to "Auto" and set my voltage to 30. After that, the computer started working. But when I tested its processor with a stress run for a couple of minutes, it gave up.
I did this once more. The computer's main power came in at 1.440 volts. But the machine was getting pretty hot with its temperature hitting into the middle of the 70s degrees. Oh well, it crashed again for a second time now.
What processor are you stressing out? Every CPU works a little differently, so you can't just copy what other people do... your chip might not even be strong enough to hit 5 GHz at all. That's exactly what binning means... some chips are better than others. I'd probably go down to something like 4.7 GHz and manually set VCORE to 1.35V. If it stays stable you can lower the voltage until it gets unstable again, then keep it at that last working number. For normal use I wouldn't push past 1.3V of VCORE... even though 1.4V is officially considered safe.
Lower your expectations first. Not all 9600K cards work at 5.0 gigahertz right away. It's okay with the default settings, but you should start with a small increase in frequency. Run a stress test while watching temperatures and voltage levels. Keep temps below 85 degrees Celsius and voltages under 1.35 volts. You can check vcore voltage on CPU-Z and monitor temperature on HWMonitor. Some stress testers are very harsh and won't show you the real picture of how things work in daily use. For instance, using AVX instructions might cost you two frequency points because they aren't common in normal tasks. While there is a test tab on CPU-Z, I don't see many people recommending it. Still, it's super easy to figure out and worth a try.
I am not an expert on how to max out overclocking, but there are better settings for your motherboard and chip that I can suggest. The buttons might look different depending on which board you have. I recommend starting at a multiplier of 43 for all cores; this is usually safe and good. Then keep testing one step higher at a time until your system stays stable. Once you hit that limit, be satisfied. You might see fast RAM XMP settings slow down the max speed slightly. If your programs get very upset if things cut off suddenly, do heavy stress tests. Otherwise, just run tests long enough to find your hottest point and call it good. If something breaks after that, turn the overclock back down one bit. One extra step won't show up in normal use anyway. Finally, turn on adaptive voltage and speedstep so the CPU uses less power when it isn't working hard.