Overclocking i5-4670k, problems

[Vevoh]

So in short... Yesterday i got my cpu cooler a 212 evo and decided to try some overclocking(bear in mind this is my first time doing it)

 

[spoiler=setup]

i5-4670k

MSI Z87-G55

Cruical 8GB (2x4) 1600Mhz 

Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler

R9 280x windforce

 

and some other stuff not crucial for this

[/spoiler]

 

The two main questions is, am I bad at overclocking or did i get a bad CPU? And have i applied the thermal paste wrong? 

 

So too start of with the first question

I tried to see if i could boot into windows with a 1,2 core voltage and a 45 multiplier.. could not, so i tried 44 and so on. Could at 42 but that wasn't stable. So after some tweaking I could get it to 41 and 1.1 core voltage(wasn't able to get 42 stable in anyway). But while running Prime95 it would constantly crash (that is if i ran large FFT, everything else ran fine), I even tried go for 1.4 core voltage but still wasn't stable, crashed in like 1 minute if not less. So basically, is my CPU a really bad one or am I doing something wrong? Btw the only settings I've tweaked is core voltage and multiplier the rest is set to default, meaning auto

 

 

As for the second question when I applied the thermal compund that came with the 212 evo I used about 2-3 centimeters, is that too much? And also I wasn't able to apply the cooler correctly the first try so I took it off once or twice and also i accidentally moved it around some. Should I redo it with less thermal compound and in a better way or let it be?

Temp in my room: 20-21

CPU temp idle:      36-37

Under load:           70

Max under load:    75-76

CPU fan RPM:       750

 

Very thankful for any response, will try to respond as quickly as possible but as of now I will try to get a stable overclock

 

Also sorry if I misspelled of used incorrect grammar, English isn't my native language

 

EDIT: Does anyone know if it is possible to change the "spread spectrum" on my motherboard, couldn't find anything in the documentation, neither the BIOS

[Sintezza]

did you allready updated your bios to the newest version?

Cause Msi stock bioses have somethimes stabillity issues wenn you bump up the voltage to much.

[Chronos5618]

Righto, just checking, but you have the voltage on manual, not auto? If not, that would likely be your problem. However, I'll assume you do, so here are some pointers on general overclocking.

 

First, voltages. General rule of thumb I found is a max voltage of 1.3V, if you don't want to run the risk of reducing the life of the chip. However, we are talking the difference between it failing after 10 years or 9 years and 5 months. Anything beyond 1.4V for any length of time, and you are looking at damaging the chip permanently. Also note, when running your stress-tests, always set your voltage to manual as otherwise you can expect so very nasty voltage spikes that can fry the chip if not managed.

 

I use Aida64, because it is specifically set-up for Haswell (unlike many others, which are not). If you only want to dial in the overclock once and aren't going to be doing it all the time, download the trial and use that. I also use Intel Burn Test (10 passes, max setting) to confirm the stability of an overclock as it usually finds the fault very quickly. However, I wouldn't use that all the time- far too intensive on the CPU and doesn't emulate real life situations at all. I use it more for peace of mind on stability. I highly recommend against Prime95. It isn't well set up for Haswell and so is likely to cause some horrible voltage spikes that can damage the chip.

 

Lastly, temperatures is a balance of heat and noise. You can overclock higher, with decent temperatures but it may well get your fans going at a rate that is too loud for you. While you aren't going to burn out your chip (they cut off at 100 degrees), I personally wouldn't want anything above 80 for max usage all the time, with 70 being what I would normally expect doing intensive work.

 

So, to sum up- absolute max voltage= 1.4V (don't recommend going that high), set voltage to manual while testing (then to adaptive once finished), use Aida64 if possible to confirm stability and possibly Intel Burn Test if you really are a stickler for stability (though running Aida for 12 hours+ should give the same peace of mind and I would usually stick to this) and stay below 90 degrees but find a balance between noise and temperature that you feel is sensible and comfortable...usually around the 70 degree mark.    

 

It does sound like you might have missed out on the silicon lottery, but keep tinkering with the voltages, up to around 1.3V. I would be very surprised if you couldn't hold 4.5GHz, though in my experience 4.6GHz is the usual overclock for this chip. Make sure you are keeping your voltage on manual while testing as well, otherwise it may not be using your voltage settings. 

 

Lastly, your temperatures look safe, possibly a bit high (not familiar with the EVOs performance), though I live by the motto "less is more" for thermal paste. Have a look at some videos on Youtube for it, but you only need a pea sized amount. If you are in any doubt, I would reapply it just to rule it out, though the fact that you have safe temperatures indicates that it is unlikely to be the issue. 

[Vevoh]

Sintezza, haven't updated the bios, thanks for the advice will try that shortly. 

 

Chronos, yea you assumed correctly

The problem with anything above 1,2 is that the chip peakes at above 80 and if I remeber correctly it even went as far as close to 90. 

 

But so far I will update the BIOS, reapply the thermal compound because it sounds like I've got way too much and also i will try see if i can get it stable at 1.3V with resonable temperatures.

Also download Aida64 ofc 

 

Thanks a lot guys

 

BTW does anyone know if it possible to adjust the "spread spectrum" on my MSI Z87-G55? 

Couldn't find any in the documentation about the board, neither in the BIOS...

 

See you in a couple of hours

[ProKoN]

give this guide a ride.

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/41234-intel-haswell-4670k-4770k-overclocking-guide/