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How valid is Intel Extreme Tuning Utility for Overclock Stability Testing?

Paul567
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I got my new system and I'm looking to overclock my 4690k, but I want to make sure that I have everything I need first. I've seen a lot of people say that AIDA64 and Prime95 are the go to utilities for stress testing your overclock but I stumbled across a reddit discussion which was talking about using Intel Extreme Tuning Utility to stress the overclock instead. 

 

Has anyone used that utility for stress testing their overclock? Is it a valid alternative to AIDA64 or Prime95?

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XTU is fine, since it stresses in the same manner as Prime95.

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I use XTU when I overclock. It works well and it's definitely a good program for Haswell CPUs.

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Very valid

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The thing I don't like about it and I still haven't gotten an answer from anyone on this is how does this thing report errors?  What does it look like on screen?  Also what is dumb about this software is if you run it for a long time and want to stop the test it gives you no report whatsoever but with Prime95 you do get something.  I could not recommend Intel Extreme Tuning Utility over Prime95.

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The thing I don't like about it and I still haven't gotten an answer from anyone on this is how does this thing report errors?  What does it look like on screen?  Also what is dumb about this software is if you run it for a long time and want to stop the test it gives you no report whatsoever but with Prime95 you do get something.  I could not recommend Intel Extreme Tuning Utility over Prime95.

Blue screen?

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"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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It's called a blue screen.

lock up or restart. though not all errors do this.

 

I use OCCT to test my CPU. cpu test it that gives error warning and then LINPACK to beat my CPU till it cries.

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Prime95 overvolts you CPU and can cause it to die, don't use it.

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Prime95 overvolts you CPU and can cause it to die, don't use it.

On Haswell CPUs. Ivy Bridge and below are fine. In addition, I believe the latest P95 version addressed the overvolting issue.

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"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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On Haswell CPUs. Ivy Bridge and below are fine. In addition, I believe the latest P95 version addressed the overvolting issue.

Has it? Well I'm going to check it out again then, thanks.

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Has it? Well I'm going to check it out again then, thanks.

Let me know how it goes. I haven't used it since I switched to XTU.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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On Haswell CPUs. Ivy Bridge and below are fine. In addition, I believe the latest P95 version addressed the overvolting issue.

 

Yeah, I heard about that. That's why I was hesitant about using Prime95.

 

 

Thanks for the rest of the feedback guys!

If you get easily offended by people on the Internet there is something really wrong with you. You focus on the opinions of a few people instead of worrying about why you have a terrible taste in video games.

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Prime95 overvolts you CPU and can cause it to die, don't use it.

If you have adaptive voltage, it can. Set it to a static voltage to stress test and you should be fine.

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Xtu is a great stress test for Haswell chips it is the only stress test that does not over volt with adaptive voltage.

Unfortunately Xtu does not stress AVX instructions to hard. If you use programs that utilize AVX instruction sets you might be better off using prime95 version 24.9 when using prime95 make sure your voltage mode is set for manual / override

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Xtu is a great stress test for Haswell chips it is the only stress test that does not over volt with adaptive voltage.

Unfortunately Xtu does not stress AVX instructions to hard. If you use programs that utilize AVX instruction sets you might be better off using prime95 version 24.9 when using prime95 make sure your voltage mode is set for manual / override

Did P95 get updated for Haswell architectures so that it doesn't overvolt the CPU? I haven't used it in a while but I did remember hearing that the issue was fixed.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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I use XTU to OC, but i do not use its built in stress testing. I still prefer running LinX for 15 minutes for each OC, then when i find a clock that survives 15 mins of LinX, i give it a 12 hour Prime95 pass. Thats personally how i test stability. I wouldnt see anything wrong with the stress test either, so long as all of your voltage modes are set to Override, rather than adaptive as recommended by @MegaDave91

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Did P95 get updated for Haswell architectures so that it doesn't overvolt the CPU? I haven't used it in a while but I did remember hearing that the issue was fixed.

Prime95 only over volts the CPU if your CPU mode is set for adaptive.Prime95 works just fine in manual / override voltage mode

In fact all stress test programs will Overvolt in adaptive mode the only ones that will not is Intel Xtu and asus realbench

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...

Unfortunately Xtu does not stress AVX instructions to hard...

 

 

Isn't the heavy AVX stress the reason Prime95 is so hard on Haswell (ok, that combined with Haswell's thermal issues...)?

 

...

 

Also, my own experience with AIDA64 and my 4790K is that it will only overvolt to 1.32 volts.  If your multiplier is not stabilized at or below that voltage it will just blue screen. (edit: on adaptive, just to be clear)

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Isn't the heavy AVX stress the reason Prime95 is so hard on Haswell (ok, that combined with Haswell's thermal issues...)?

Nope not at all in fact if you are using an older version than prime95 24.9 then you are not pushing AVX very hard at all even with prime. I don't think the previous versions are AVX enabled and if they are they certainly are not avx2 enable

Prime95 small ffts in my opinion is not good on any platform. this particular test will cause even Sandybridge chips to heat up in a real hurry. If using prime95 always use the blend test it is more indicative of real-world results.

There is a fairly large misconception about prime95 combined with Haswell cores.

Prime95 is still a great stress test even for Haswell. Just be sure to set your CPU voltage mode for manual / override and you're good to go

Like I said before if your stress testing a haswell chip, every stress test program will Overvolt with the exception of Intel XTU & asus real bench

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