Overclocking w/ ASRock Z97M-OC Formula + i5 4690k

[Shrake907]

Hi all,

 

I recently built a new system after selling my old build, a trusty Nehalem-Lynnfield i5 750. This is my first experience with ASRock when it comes to motherboards, I had ASUS, Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI for my previous builds. This is also my first i5 Haswell OC and I heard there's a bit of a process to go for a stable OC. 

 

My question is: How do I go about OC'ing with an ASRock board? If anyone has done so before, I'd love to hear your experience and method for a stable OC.  

 

Here's the parts list:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6BhYf7 (The RAM is actually 2133 MHz, but PCPP does not have it listed)

 

Thanks for any assistance.

-Steve

 

 

[ForsakenLive]

I have good experiences with Asrock, they boards are solid, go without fear with the OC and enjoy.

I like their bioses/uefi, but I don't like their Overclocking software (the OCTuner), it kinda sux balls.

[CowsGoRoar]

Their boards aren't bad, and Z97 means it can overclock.

 

Mild overclocks can probably work. Ofc you can't aim for, for example, 5 GHz, but it can definitely do 4.5 GHz. It depends more on your chip.

[Shrake907]

I have good experiences with Asrock, they boards are solid, go without fear with the OC and enjoy.

I like their bioses/uefi, but I don't like their Overclocking software (the OCTuner), it kinda sux balls.

 

That's good to hear! I loved the features the Z97M-OC Formula had and the color scheme's nice as well. I shopped around for some RAM and found a nice matching set of DIMMs, shown here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qomb93sejlwrrom/20140905_160951.jpg?dl=0

 

Thanks for your input, btw.

[Shrake907]

Their boards aren't bad, and Z97 means it can overclock.

 

Mild overclocks can probably work. Ofc you can't aim for, for example, 5 GHz, but it can definitely do 4.5 GHz. It depends more on your chip.

 

Alright glad to know. 4.5 GHz ought to be plenty speedy and it does depend on the chip. Devil's Canyon are more likely to be great OC'ers from what I've heard, is this correct?

[CowsGoRoar]

Alright glad to know. 4.5 GHz ought to be plenty speedy and it does depend on the chip. Devil's Canyon are more likely to be great OC'ers from what I've heard, is this correct?

Yes, that is correct. DC is a Haswell Refresh. They are the exact same chip but they have a revised TIM, (thermal interface material), so this means you should theoretically have better temps.

Basically you have a 4670K with better thermal paste on the die.

[Shrake907]

Yes, that is correct. DC is a Haswell Refresh. They are the exact same chip but they have a revised TIM, (thermal interface material), so this means you should theoretically have better temps.

Basically you have a 4670K with better thermal paste on the die.

 

Ah, so there's not necessarily a 'cherry-picking' process for intel, it's just they improved the TIM?

 

I'll see about going into the OC, and for reference, I have just a few case fans and the 212 EVO inside. Two 140mm intakes, and a 120mm exhaust, with the 212 EVO Heatsink & fan.

[ForsakenLive]

Ah, so there's not necessarily a 'cherry-picking' process for intel, it's just they improved the TIM?

 

I'll see about going into the OC, and for reference, I have just a few case fans and the 212 EVO inside. Two 140mm intakes, and a 120mm exhaust, with the 212 EVO Heatsink & fan.

They did mainly 2 things with the refresh, they changed the TIM to one that is better, and added a few extra capacitors (those extremely minuscule ones) to enhance stability on overclocks. They are not binned chips

[Shrake907]

They did mainly 2 things with the refresh, they changed the TIM to one that is better, and added a few extra capacitors (those extremely minuscule ones) to enhance stability on overclocks. They are not binned chips

 

Ah! Thanks for the info, well only one way to find out if I got a good chip.