Overclocking 4770K

[FTW_Perverse]

I recently purchased a i7-4770K, Corsair H105 cooler, and slapped them on the Z97 Asus Maximus Gene VII mobo.  By the way, the Asus 5-way optimization feature that comes with Asus Suite III didn't do shit for me.  Which brings me to my point...

 

I can only achieve about a 4.2GHz stable OC with the 4770K and H105 cooler.  And that is when tweaked manually in the BIOS.  I never got into the first phase of the 5-way optimization.  

 

I know the 4770K is generally not a great overclocker, at least relative to previous generations like Sandy Bridge.  

 

What do you think the issue is with such a limitation on the OC?  Do yo think my cooler isn't "strong enough"?  Or did I just get a terrible pick of the 4770K?  

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[DavidTheWin]

Could just be a pretty meh overclocker. My 3570k is a similar way, I can get 4.3 out of it at 1.15v, 44 multiplier needs 1.2v but at 1.2v it gets too hot. Disappointing but nothing you can do about it other than be glad you got a ~20% higher clock than stock.

[madscientist56]

That's the silicon lottery

[Enderman]

You should use the auto overclock feature rather than manual tuning. It isa lot more stable and uses less voltage.

[Recon-UK]

It's tough shit basically if you get a bad clocker, it is not like it is not fast enough as is though.

[Wats]

OP, the H105 is more than enough. it's that whole crappy TIM under the IHS thing thats slowing you down. include your temps and cpu voltage

 

Could just be a pretty meh overclocker. My 3570k is a similar way, I can get 4.3 out of it at 1.15v, 44 multiplier needs 1.2v but at 1.2v it gets too hot. Disappointing but nothing you can do about it other than be glad you got a ~20% higher clock than stock.

thats not bad. 4.5ghz with 1.2v means its a really good chip. you got 4.4, so yeah, not bad.

[DavidTheWin]

OP, the H105 is more than enough. it's that whole crappy TIM under the IHS thing thats slowing you down. include your temps and cpu voltage

 

thats not bad. 4.5ghz with 1.2v means its a really good chip. you got 4.4, so yeah, not bad.

 

I didn't get 4.4, I got 4.3 at 1.15v which is good sure but the temps at 1.2v were too high for me to keep 4.4.

[DavidTheWin]

You should use the auto overclock feature rather than manual tuning. It isa lot more stable and uses less voltage.

 

This is just incorrect. Auto overclock can get you good setting sure, but manually setting everything can get you a lower voltage every time. By doing everything manually you learn what your particular CPU is capable of so you have a better idea of what to do down the line when things start becoming unstable. Manual tuning is no less stable than using the auto overclocking feature and a lot of auto overclocking features will use far too many volts than you actually need. If you were doing manual properly, you would find the highest clock you can run at, then reduce the volts until you find the lowest voltage that that clock is stable at. This is often a higher clock than the auto feature would get you and at a lower voltage. If you were to go to the same clock speed that the auto feature would get you then you could likely also reduce the volts further and keep it stable.

[Enderman]

This is just incorrect. Auto overclock can get you good setting sure, but manually setting everything can get you a lower voltage every time. By doing everything manually you learn what your particular CPU is capable of so you have a better idea of what to do down the line when things start becoming unstable. Manual tuning is no less stable than using the auto overclocking feature and a lot of auto overclocking features will use far too many volts than you actually need. If you were doing manual properly, you would find the highest clock you can run at, then reduce the volts until you find the lowest voltage that that clock is stable at. This is often a higher clock than the auto feature would get you and at a lower voltage. If you were to go to the same clock speed that the auto feature would get you then you could likely also reduce the volts further and keep it stable.

The auto overclocking feature changes the voltage according to what is needed to keep the chip stable. When the CPU is not being used a lot it turns down the voltage to save power and reduce heat. When you manually overclock it will keep the voltage at whatever you set it at 100% of the time. Also you can test it yourself. When I auto overclock my CPU doesnt go above 1.15v. Manually, 1.2 to 1.25v. Auto overclocking will save power and reduce heat, as well as extending the life of your CPU. The only thing it doesnt do is overclock past 4.4GHz, so if you want to go for 5GHz then it needs to be a manual overclock.

[DavidTheWin]

When I auto overclock my CPU doesnt go above 1.15v. Manually, 1.2 to 1.25v. 

 

So what you do then is just set your voltage to 1.15v rather than 1.2 to 1.25v, that's what manual means. And before you start saying it's less stable, 4.4 at 1.15v set by an auto overclock feature is no different to 4.4 at 1.15v set manually to a benchmark like prime95 or OCCT.

[FTW_Perverse]

The auto overclocking feature changes the voltage according to what is needed to keep the chip stable. When the CPU is not being used a lot it turns down the voltage to save power and reduce heat. When you manually overclock it will keep the voltage at whatever you set it at 100% of the time. Also you can test it yourself. When I auto overclock my CPU doesnt go above 1.15v. Manually, 1.2 to 1.25v. Auto overclocking will save power and reduce heat, as well as extending the life of your CPU. The only thing it doesnt do is overclock past 4.4GHz, so if you want to go for 5GHz then it needs to be a manual overclock.

 

Regardless, I couldn't get the auto overclock to work correctly.  Blue screen every time no matter what the OC I attempted.  

 

 

Could just be a pretty meh overclocker. My 3570k is a similar way, I can get 4.3 out of it at 1.15v, 44 multiplier needs 1.2v but at 1.2v it gets too hot. Disappointing but nothing you can do about it other than be glad you got a ~20% higher clock than stock.

 

Yes, happy with the 4.2GHz overclock.  With the hours I put in yesterday trying to get the flipping chip to OC, a stable 4.2 is great.

[Enderman]

So what you do then is just set your voltage to 1.15v rather than 1.2 to 1.25v, that's what manual means. And before you start saying it's less stable, 4.4 at 1.15v set by an auto overclock feature is no different to 4.4 at 1.15v set manually to a benchmark like prime95 or OCCT.

When your GPU downclocks to 3.3 or 1.6GHz voltage descreases to .8v or .6v

This does not happen with manual overclocking. It stays at 1.x volts no matter what frequency it is working at.

[DavidTheWin]

When your GPU downclocks to 3.3 or 1.6GHz voltage descreases to .8v or .6v

This does not happen with manual overclocking. It stays at 1.x volts no matter what frequency it is working at.

 

That can be an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantage. For example, TTL  found that on the MSI Z97 MPower Max, the voltage change from idle to max sometimes made the overclock unstable because the volts didn't ramp up in time. This is a vendor specific problem and probably quite easily fixable in a BIOS update from MSI but it's still a problem. Besides, I personally don't think that having my CPU run at a lower voltage some of the time is more useful than learning what my particular CPU can do and learning how to overclock in general.

 

[ProKoN]

 

 

Thanks for your feedback!

 

I have tried the asus auto OC and have had poor results myself

 

I would suggest having  look at my OC guide.

 

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

[Hurkatan]

I have the M7 Hero and have the same problem with the auto overclock. It will blue screen on boot up every time. I have since set it to 4.2 manually. I wonder if this is a problem the Z97 boards have with the 4770k. Maybe a future bios update will fix it.

[FTW_Perverse]

I have the M7 Hero and have the same problem with the auto overclock. It will blue screen on boot up every time. I have since set it to 4.2 manually. I wonder if this is a problem the Z97 boards have with the 4770k. Maybe a future bios update will fix it.

I'm semi-glad to hear I'm not the only one experiencing this issue. But of course not happy we aren't getting the results JJ from Asus has been advertising on all his recent youtube videos. The 5-way optimization feature was a big selling point for me. Feel a little cheated with the whole thing. AND the program itself isn't exactly the same as what was demo'd. My version doesn't offer quite the same customization / granularity JJ showcased.

Curious - what kind of CPU cooler are you using?

[Hurkatan]

H105, same as you. I actually migrated from a Z87-Pro board which auto overclocked my 4770K just fine. I dont think it's the cooler, it must be in the BIOS of the Z97 ROG boards.

[FTW_Perverse]

H105, same as you. I actually migrated from a Z87-Pro board which auto overclocked my 4770K just fine. I dont think it's the cooler, it must be in the BIOS of the Z97 ROG boards.

 

AH!  Good to know man.  Thanks for sharing.  What was your overclock on your Z87 board?

[Hurkatan]

AH!  Good to know man.  Thanks for sharing.  What was your overclock on your Z87 board?

4.3 for single core, 4.2 for dual and quad @ 1.225 Volts. Only reached 70C after a couple hours of BF4.

 

I hope they update the BIOS soon, if that is infact the problem.

[BoredErica]

My overclocking guide has over 12,000 posts. It's a fine place to read about Haswell OCing.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-guide-with-statistics/

 

I do not have a high opinion about the large majority of Haswell OC tutorials on Youtube.

Hope it's helpful.

 

Next time try to list all of your settings for your OC, otherwise how can we help?

 

 

Also worth noting:
Based up over 160 charted overclocks, to only get 4.2ghz overclock is to be in the bottom 3 percentile. Which means either you're the bottom 3% or you're doing something wrong. The chart if you're curious is here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjXDCk5eCp1gdEdENjlDYWl6ZnV4OVlNc0lMU1V3c1E&usp=sharing

[Hurkatan]

My overclocking guide has over 12,000 posts. It's a fine place to read about Haswell OCing.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-guide-with-statistics/

 

I do not have a high opinion about the large majority of Haswell OC tutorials on Youtube.

Hope it's helpful.

 

Next time try to list all of your settings for your OC, otherwise how can we help?

 

 

Also worth noting:

Based up over 160 charted overclocks, to only get 4.2ghz overclock is to be in the bottom 3 percentile. Which means either you're the bottom 3% or you're doing something wrong. The chart if you're curious is here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjXDCk5eCp1gdEdENjlDYWl6ZnV4OVlNc0lMU1V3c1E&usp=sharing

Nice read, very helpful.

 

I don't know about OP but for myself, I wasn't trying to achieve more than a 4.2 OC, I know i could get higher if I chose to but I don't like the heat the added voltage does to my chip. Maybe in the future I will be more motivated to have a more aggressive OC and when I do I'll be grateful for this info.

 

Thanks again!

[FTW_Perverse]

My overclocking guide has over 12,000 posts. It's a fine place to read about Haswell OCing.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-guide-with-statistics/

 

I do not have a high opinion about the large majority of Haswell OC tutorials on Youtube.

Hope it's helpful.

 

Next time try to list all of your settings for your OC, otherwise how can we help?

 

 

Also worth noting:

Based up over 160 charted overclocks, to only get 4.2ghz overclock is to be in the bottom 3 percentile. Which means either you're the bottom 3% or you're doing something wrong. The chart if you're curious is here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjXDCk5eCp1gdEdENjlDYWl6ZnV4OVlNc0lMU1V3c1E&usp=sharing

 

I definitely could be doing something wrong.  I just wanted to know if the results and experience I had were typical for most 4770k owners.  And unless you have tried overclocking a 4770k on a ROG Z97 board... I'd really appreciate a less righteous tone.

[BoredErica]

I definitely could be doing something wrong. 

We are in agreement.

I just wanted to know if the results and experience I had were typical for most 4770k owners. 

I gave you my spreadsheet link with 160+ overclocks and the settings meticulously charted. And I directly answered your question too: 4.2ghz is bottom 3 percentile.

 

 And unless you have tried overclocking a 4770k on a ROG Z97 board... 

You're assuming things. That a) I don't know anything about Asus mobo overclocking because I don't own one and B- That your motherboard really matters all that much for your final overclock. I think Linus made a video about this exact subject with ROG board used in the comparison. and c) That even if I knew little about ROG OCing, that somehow my experience in reading 12,000+ replies online about overclocking is worth nothing. Jeeze, my thread being the most replied thread on Haswell Overclocking on the internet must have been a huge fluke.

 

I'd really appreciate a less righteous tone.

How was I being righteous? Do you know what that word means?

 

I helped you by giving you a resource that I spent countless hours looking into. I gave you a chart of 160+ overclocks. I asked for more information. You didn't even give me your core voltage. Neither did you give me the uncore multiplier, uncore voltage, input voltage, etc etc. You didn't tell me what you used to stress a given setting, etc. You gave me almost nothing to work on. I even said "hope it helps" to try to prevent any random, angry outbursts.

 

I'm taking time out of my day to help you and this is the thanks I get? Fine. Then I won't help you. Knock yourself out.

 

 

Nice read, very helpful.

 

I don't know about OP but for myself, I wasn't trying to achieve more than a 4.2 OC, I know i could get higher if I chose to but I don't like the heat the added voltage does to my chip. Maybe in the future I will be more motivated to have a more aggressive OC and when I do I'll be grateful for this info.

Such a different type of response to the same post compared to the other guy, it's a little baffling.

 

 

Thanks again!

 

No problem.

[ProKoN]

Auto OC via ai suite does not work for ROG boards on the z87 or z97 platform.

 

ROG assumes you can tweak and tune manually.

 

 

AI suite OC'ing only works on mainstream boards.

 

your not the only one's complaining.

 

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?34641-No-Automatic-OC-in-my-Ai-Suite-III

[FTW_Perverse]

 

We are in agreement.

I gave you my spreadsheet link with 160+ overclocks and the settings meticulously charted. And I directly answered your question too: 4.2ghz is bottom 3 percentile.

 

You're assuming things. That a) I don't know anything about Asus mobo overclocking because I don't own one and B- That your motherboard really matters all that much for your final overclock. I think Linus made a video about this exact subject with ROG board used in the comparison. and c) That even if I knew little about ROG OCing, that somehow my experience in reading 12,000+ replies online about overclocking is worth nothing. Jeeze, my thread being the most replied thread on Haswell Overclocking on the internet must have been a huge fluke.

 

How was I being righteous? Do you know what that word means?

 

I helped you by giving you a resource that I spent countless hours looking into. I gave you a chart of 160+ overclocks. I asked for more information. You didn't even give me your core voltage. Neither did you give me the uncore multiplier, uncore voltage, input voltage, etc etc. You didn't tell me what you used to stress a given setting, etc. You gave me almost nothing to work on. I even said "hope it helps" to try to prevent any random, angry outbursts.

 

I'm taking time out of my day to help you and this is the thanks I get? Fine. Then I won't help you. Knock yourself out.

 

 

Such a different type of response to the same post compared to the other guy, it's a little baffling.

 

No problem.

 

 

The reason I took a bad attitude to your post was due to the fact you presume I did something wrong and throwing the "I'm likely in the lower 3%" crap in my face.  Your "list" showed 40+ individuals who are in that category.  I suppose SOMEONE has to be.  You didn't consider I may have just received a poor overclocking chip.  And sorry if I didn't freakin' drool over your overclocking guide.  That is why your are self "righteous"... aka high-minded and arrogant about the fact you have an overclocking guide.  Good for you.  I didn't ask for an overclocking guide.  I just asked for general feedback, not your personal opinion on what I did or didn't do wrong as you have no clue what I did or didn't do.  I'm more interested in those trying to overclock with a Z97 ROG board (even if you don't think that is relevant).  It's relevant to me because I'm using one.  Here's some feedback for you- if you want to help someone, do it without first telling them they are likely the idiot and part of the bottom 3% of idiots attempting to overclock.  I mean- the hardware is NEVER the issue, right?  The manufacturer is NEVER at fault.  While I'm sure user error is a good chunk of why expected OC results aren't experienced, give me the benefit of the doubt with what little info you have about any specific overclocking attempts made.