Unable to achieve a consistent OC at 3770K
Unable to achieve a consistent OC at 3770K
Hey everyone.
I recently acquired a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H and a 3770K. I installed both Coolermaster Mastergel Pro V2 under and on top of IHS. I understand it isn’t the best setup, but it was available locally, so it should work until NT-H1 and Conductonaut arrive.
My main issue is that this chip won’t overclock. No matter how I adjust the settings, it always crashes when loading into Windows or shortly after.
The closest I’ve gotten was a 5-10 minute Prime95 run with small FTT at 1.3V and 4.4GHz. Even reducing the frequency to 4.2GHz at the same voltage causes it to crash when loading into Windows, which seems unexpected since I ran it at 4.4GHz with the same voltage?
What’s going on here?
At default settings, it boosts to 3.7 across all cores and uses 1.2V according to CPU-Z, so why wouldn’t 1.3V suffice for 4.2GHz?
Am I missing something? The Vdroop isn’t too bad—at 1.3V it doesn’t drop significantly, temperatures are stable (around 78°C on the hottest core), though the lowest is 69°C. That’s probably not a major issue for overclocking, but it shouldn’t prevent it either.
Should I tweak any other settings? How can I make this more stable? Is the CPU itself faulty or just the silicon?
I’ve never seen a CPU run more stably at higher frequency with the same voltage.
It feels like something unusual is happening with this chip, or maybe the motherboard is the problem? I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
The delid/repaste process failed right away. If the hottest core reaches 78, the coldest should be nearer to 75 or 76, not 69. That creates an excessive range. With the low-quality stock paste I used, I only managed a 7° difference between hot and cold temperatures. When using the Conductonaut, remember to apply nail polish carefully and avoid overuse—precision is key. MasterGel Maker works well, while the Pro version falls short. Try this approach: reset to default settings, install windows, then secure the cores at 4.3GHz. Avoid adjusting anything else; the default voltages are already high enough to handle 3570k or 3770k without issues. Make changes gradually, one at a time, not all at once.
The board you're using isn't ideal for VRM performance—it might struggle to maintain stable voltage when overclocking the CPU. Consider adjusting the core voltage to 1.375v, setting the PCH voltage between 1.07 and 1.08v, and increasing the CPU VTT to .5v below your DDR RAM voltage. Additionally, it's possible you're using a CPU that doesn't perform well beyond its stock limits; the quality of chips can vary widely. I once had a 3770k that required 1.4v to reach 4.2ghz, indicating some processors aren't very good at overclocking.
I'm currently at work and can't test it, but the RAM on the ASUS P8Z68-V worked well at 2500K. It remained stable even at 4.6 GHz.
It's disappointing to hear that, especially since I was the only Z77 board I could buy. Perhaps if I manage to bring my ASUS P8Z68-V back with a BIOS chip, I can try it out there.
I'm currently at work and will test your settings once I get home in about six hours. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks.
The Asus P8Z68-V can run Ivy Bridge CPUs when the BIOS is at version 3203 or higher. The current latest version is 3603, which includes Spectre/Meltdown performance restrictions.
80€ for CPU and 90€ for mobo. Almost could have gone further and bought a 10600KF and a Z590 mobo...
Not the smartest decision, but I was aiming for a 60€ 2600K to boost performance a bit. Ended up getting a 3770K instead—it cost 20 more than expected—and my mobo failed when flashing BIOS, so I had to replace it with an old one.
It’s really tough to find a 9-year-old Z mobile and definitely not worth the effort.
The delid/repaste failed right away. If the hottest core reaches 78, the coldest should be nearer to 75 or 76, not 69. That creates an excessive range. With the low-quality stock paste, I only managed a 7° difference between hot and cold temperatures. For the Conductonaut, remember to apply nail polish carefully and avoid overuse. MasterGel Maker works well, while the Pro version falls short. Try this approach: reset to default settings, install windows, then secure cores at 4.3GHz. Keep it simple—don’t adjust several parameters at once without a reboot.