What method is used to increase the clock speed of a locked CPU on an original equipment manufacturer board?
What method is used to increase the clock speed of a locked CPU on an original equipment manufacturer board?
In Cyberpunk 2077 I experience stuttering in certain areas and similar problems when testing in FlightSim 2020, even at normal settings. I understand that having 8GB of RAM contributes to the issue, but I often encounter very unstable frame drops that aren’t caused by the GPU or memory. Sometimes the GPU operates below 80% utilization, which is quite poor since I aim for as many FPS as possible in Cyberpunk. With only 35-40 FPS, a 7 FPS improvement would be significant. This isn’t due to a driver problem, outdated BIOS, or background software.
I use both my CPU and GPU for rendering and advanced fluid simulations. Besides that, if I can boost CPU performance and even enable overclocking, wouldn’t it make sense to try the same here? Does this suggest that a higher clock speed won’t help because the problem lies in a deeper architectural issue rather than just a bottleneck?
GHz isn't the only factor to consider.
When comparing the clock speed of a Pentium IV Prescott (HT 571) from 2005 (3.80GHz) and an i7-9700k from 2018 (3.60GHz base), focusing solely on that figure might give a misleading impression.
It's not possible to simply upgrade the CPU to bridge such a gap, and even with modifications to the motherboard, achieving this performance difference remains challenging.
I completely understand that there are other things at play like the cache, the way it is distributed, the IPC and the lithography. I am not aiming to match an i9 10900K (and create a bonfire in the process). However, clock speed is the only metric by which I can increase the chips performance. So yes, I am not referring to other variables because I have no control over something like the IPC. And yes, having four cores is probably not that great but they are hyperthreaded and I can alleviate this setback somewhat by making the cores I actually have work faster. Furthermore, if it was actually a core count issue then it would be stuttering and not volatile fps. So no, I am not expecting the chip to behave like a 10th Gen one but a 10-20% (or even higher) performance uplift should definitely help. And yes, at that point the GPU would be the bottleneck so I would arguably be getting the same FPS as an i9 10900k in that system. So actually yes, I am trying to overcome 8 years of advancement, as it specifically relates to this rig and this CPU.
yes I can, I have known other people online who have overclocked on the H81 chipset and some examples of it being done specifically on the same series of (albeit not the same) dell oem motherboards as the one I have. If you mean it can't be done because of the chokes and bad vrm's then I would tell you that the majority of the clock speed boost people get from an OC (unless you are on LN2) is the segment
before
the silicon requires further power input to maintain it's stability. Hence, overheating the chokes is not really a concern yet. So yes you can overclock on that board. The difference here is that I have not paid a fat premium like most consumers so that they get a nice linen lined GUI in the bios and so that any goldfish could do it and a lot of fancy lights and shiny plating to make them feel special when they are actually quite average. And yes, OC hardware has better power delivery and better cooling. However, overclocking has always been about taking advantage of every possible margin of error left behind, and
not
by throwing money at the problem to buy larger margins in the form of beefier hardware. Simple. All I am looking to do is to fully potentialize the margins I have not yet filled. As of now, the vrms come in at around 41* under load and they receive hefty airflow from the cpu cooler. That's what i call margin to use up. And yes, there are less of them so a lot more power will flow through very few channels but why is that a problem providing it stays at decent temperatures? Anyway, i will probably not even end up overvolting by much or at all because I will have already used up most of the CPUs margins before I ever need to turn up the power, as aforementioned. Given how limited the software that I would be using, I probably would have no control over them anyway.
Was there a different reason for it not being impossible? If so, good to know because it would be pointless doing all this if it were impossible anyway. But if you say it's impossible because big daddy Intel did not give "permission" or because my mobo does not have "Godlike" written on it with shiny lights and an OC stamp of approval so that I know that "MSI thinks its a good idea", then that's not really going to help. But i don't think that's what you meant.
So yes, I am here on this forum because unlike the rest, I don't have a fluffy GUI and a big green tick from Intel, but I know that it is still possible. Hence, I am after the PPL or a way to find it, and a functioning program which I can use it in conjunction with. I also think that i can possibly break the 5ghz barrier (even on air because on 4th gen chips part of the power delivery is actually on the chip itself which takes a lot of the burden from the mobo and reduces the need for precise and stable voltage). Furthermore, this CPU has a higher turbo than that old i5 2600k and Haswell was orientated around good power delivery. I don't expect performance to increase proportionally but do you really think that going from 3.8 to 5Ghz would not do anything?
I've heard from others online about people who have overclocked the H81 chipset, and there are some examples of it being done on similar Dell OEM motherboards, even if not exactly the same as yours.
Dell OEM chipsets are restricted.
Since you're aware you can overclock it, go ahead.
If you understand its feasibility and the methods to apply, proceed using the same approaches others have tried. Your request has been addressed. We are confirming that this cannot be achieved through safe or standard techniques. You should accept this since you haven’t managed to implement any overclocking solution.
From Oxford Dictionary: Volatile means "capable of changing quickly and unpredictably, particularly for the worse."
A sudden drop in frame rate indicates stuttering, which suggests your problem might be connected to core count issues.
This is physically unattainable due to artificial constraints. Although these limitations exist, they function in practice. Attempting to override them would require editing microcode or similar advanced actions—something you’re not doing here.
Power supply isn’t routed directly to the CPU. That’s not how a VRM operates.
You’re unlikely to reach 5GHz, let alone 4GHz if possible. Believing otherwise is unrealistic. The Haswell architecture doesn’t match Sandy Bridge performance; even with a stock cooler, I could only hit around 4.1GHz on my 2700k, or 5GHz with a better one.
My 4770k paired with an Asrock Z97 Extreme 6 board and a Corsair 240mm fan couldn’t exceed 4.2GHz without overheating. That setup actually allows overclocking. Even if you could, a locked CPU, subpar cooling, and a poorly made motherboard won’t help you reach 5GHz.
It’s time for a reality check.
I’d rather give up the effort of overclocking a locked CPU and just upgrade your GPU.
Your CPU isn’t limiting your graphics card, Cyberpunk is a game that really relies on the GPU, and boosting your CPU wouldn’t fix anything.
Those 'overclocks' people talk about are tough to achieve and I’d probably skip them, especially with an OEM motherboard.
Just go with what you have.
Well yes, you wouldn't bother but then again you are not me. So there you have it. I would bother, I
am
bothering about it. That is a matter of choice.
And yes of course getting a better GPU would probably help somewhat (though it would incentivise CPU overclocking even more) however my problem is that the next meaningful upgrade compared to my overclocked R9 290 could cost me a bare minimum of £150, and I would definitely not be seeing three times the performance, in fact a hell of a lot less than that. The reason why I have built this system so cheaply is because of how extremely limited my resources are and that (£50 being a lot for me as i am a minor) as a result I was extremely focused on getting the very best for my money. I think I have done pretty well but that stock clocked CPU serves as further potential and futureproofing, hence why I am ready to go to great lengths to get it overclocked. Bearing this in mind, buying a new GPU for thrice what I paid for my entire system to see a performance boost of around 30% would seem pretty bad, assuming I could even afford such a GPU. (would love to be proved wrong on that)
And i am probably wrong about the cpu causing a bottleneck because i would probably see an fps boost with a better gpu on the same cpu but overclocking would help remove the 10% (approx) performance penalty of using an older architecture. Still, a 10% performance boost for free is pretty huge compared to paying 300% of my systems entire build cost for a performance boost of 30%. Also think that in games like Cyberpunk that would actually become more like a 15-20% boost. And yes, Cyberpunk is a monster of a game but in this particular case it is suggestive that my cpu is the one that is most struggling to keep up, as is indicated by observations showing how the game is also extraordinarily CPU bound and by the stuttering (at settings where niether ram nor vram would max out). However, maybe you are right, I couldn't say for sure and I wouldn't wasn't to question your judgement on it as if I knew any better. however, as mentioned, I'm not just doing this because of a fear of bottlenecking, I'm also doing it because I have specific CPU workflows I need to run through for my various other engineering and design projects.
So yes, I could be bothered, bothered enough to try something that's really hard. As you may have guessed, I really hate leaving things how they are, especially with the tantalising knowledge that it is ..... somehow ..... possible. If it was not "really hard" I probably wound not have started this post and could easily have done it through a YouTube video or something.
So if anyone knows someone who has done anything like this before or someone who can guide me through this vast and dangerous ocean (getting it overclocked) over which very few have crossed and almost all say is impossible to cross, I would be grateful and honoured to join the 0.00001%percnter pioneers who have defied the will of the gods (Intel and Board Partners) and are on the lush pastures of a largely undiscovered continent.
Pardon the pun. It's just that I'm quite determined because I know for sure (or sure enough) that there must logically be a way to do this. If it was actually impossible (with an extensive and all encompassing explanation why) then I wouldn't blame you for calling me a flat earhter. But this is different; in the same way pure nuclear fusion is "very hard" to do, but there is no concrete explanation which categorically justifies that it is impossible. That's why people are still working on achieving it, And that's where I come in. So if anyone thinks they know enough to help, I would be very grateful.
I'm in the same situation as you,
Having a minor, locked CPU (i3 3240), an OEM motherboard (Lenovo IH61m from ThinkCentre Edge 72) and needing to do whatever it takes for that small performance improvement.
I really appreciate your optimism and dedication, honestly, because I understand how frustrating it can be to realize something is possible despite many challenges and disappointments. But I don't see a clear way forward for you.
Your options are quite limited by the motherboard you have, which only makes reaching what seems like an almost impossible goal even harder.
If you're really determined, I'd look for a non-OEM motherboard from ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI or similar brands and see if anyone has done something comparable.
If it's still possible with your current setup, I'd consider buying another one and testing it out.
I've just come to accept that I can only save by upgrading my CPU/motherboard/ram combo after spending $100 on an i7 3770 and a new motherboard that both arrived faulty (of course I couldn't get a refund).
I've saved $170 from November 2020 (my birthday) to today, and still have plenty of time before June to accumulate more money for the purchase.
Wishing you all the best : )