Intel Haswell 4670k + 4770K Overclocking guide

[ProKoN]

@KTM

 

another way to check cache frequency is with cpuz. it is indicated by northbridge frequency under the memory tab. make sure your cpu is under load!

 

Here is a quick and dirty way to get good ring results (its the way I do it )

 

VCCIN - 2.2V

 

Ring Voltage 1.45V

 

begin at a 1:1 ratio ( x46) and begin dropping the ring ratio until you find stability. for me i found stability @ x44 with the mentioned voltages

 

after you know your stable at X frequency start reducing the VCCIN and ring voltages as low as you can

 

If your not comfortable with those voltages take whatever you can get at the voltages your comfortable with.

 

I run both my i5 and i7 24\7 at the above voltages with the ring at x44

[KTM]

cpuz says 3999.1 mhz.

Anyways, I'm gonna give it a shot right now!

EDIT:

If I pass 42 ring ratio, I get bsod. Even with the high voltage values.

And to be honest, I'm not comfortable with those high voltages.

I will now stress test at 42 ring ratio, 1.28 ring voltage and 1.9 vccin.

Is there a big difference in performance between 40 and 42 ring ratio?

[ProKoN]

Not a whole lot of performance gain between 40x and 42x. 42x is still better.

I really think the lower end entry level boards lack the ability to overclock the ring bus past 42x

[KTM]

Then I'm going to let it as it is

I'm going to load the XMP profile on my memory and do a stress test the whole night.

I will post a screenshot with a passed stress test with the best stable settings.

Is it btw normal to get higher temperature with the memory stress test compared to the cpu stress test?

[Myrkan]

Great guide man, have done some serious research but didn't realize that I had to increase my VCCIN to achieve any higher OC than 4 Mhz (atleast on my CPU). This was my first attempt on OCing and got my I5 4670k to 4.3 Mhz with an EVO 212 cooler without getting over 70dc in stress tests.
Thanks again and keep up the good work!

[ProKoN]

Yes. The xtu mem stress test gets the cpu a bit hotter. I mention this in the memory stability video

[ProKoN]

@Myrkan

 

Hey,

 

Thanks for dropping by and welcome to the Linus Tech Tips Community! I appreciate your compliment and support. Enjoy your stay!

[Myrkan]

But 70dc is still okay I guess? For a 24/7 OC

[ProKoN]

But 70dc is still okay I guess? For a 24/7 OC

 

 

70C is a very good max temp for a 24\7 Overclock.

 

Its ok if your cpu hits 80-85C

 

keep in mind in the middle of summer the room temp tends to heat up 10-15C, so even if thats the case your good to go.

[Myrkan]

Do you think I could push for more? Stopped trying for 4.4 after it failed stress test at 1,29 vcore.

Thanks again for your help!

[ProKoN]

I know you can get more for sure. Your problem will be your cooling solution. You will have to invest into a high end air cooler NHD-14 or Buy a all in one water cooler H220X.  Investing into a good cooling solution is a great plan. You can always transfer the cooling solution to a new platform.

[Myrkan]

Cool, thanks! Im thinking of investing in a h100. My computer is still a project:

MB: gigabyte z87x-d3h

Cpu: i5 4670k

Gpu: gtx 770 oc

Psu: cx 600 Bronze

Ram: 2x8 gb corsair vengence lp 1600mhz.

Altough im afraid the psu will not be enough for future upgrades.

[ProKoN]

Cool, thanks! Im thinking of investing in a h100. My computer is still a project:

MB: gigabyte z87x-d3h

Cpu: i5 4670k

Gpu: gtx 770 oc

Psu: cx 600 Bronze

Ram: 2x8 gb corsair vengence lp 1600mhz.

Altough im afraid the psu will not be enough for future upgrades.

 

 

Your system is pretty good. the only reason you would have to upgrade the psu is if you wanted to run SLI.

 

Its a good idea to put your system specs in your signature and post your location as well!

[Myrkan]

Thanks for the tip.

1 more question, if you run a stress test, could running another program like watching a Movie on netflix cause a bluescreen?

[ProKoN]

Thanks for the tip.

1 more question, if you run a stress test, could running another program like watching a Movie on netflix cause a bluescreen?

only if your system is unstable. it means the stress test failed.

[Myrkan]

Couldn't the gpu make the cpu loose so much power it becomes unstable?

[ProKoN]

possibly if your psu was 250-350watts or less but NOT on a reputable  600W psu. lol

 

I can run a stress test and play bf 4 at the same time. no crashes

 

 

 watching a video while stress testing is good. it actually speeds up the stress testing to exploit the flaw sooner.

[Myrkan]

Okay, seems like I have to work abit more on my overclock then had a bluescreen fine tuning the memory part. Tried it all from the start to see if made any mistakes and now i'm getting bluescreen with a vcore at 1,25 at 4,3 mhz. Memory set at 1333 and vccin at 2,0. Rest at auto

[KTM]

My results so far..

I forgot to open more cpuz tabs for the memory. This test was for 1600 mhz (XMP profile)stability.

Passed 9 hours.

CPU freq 4.6 ghz

vcore 1.28v

vccin 1.9v

CPU ring bus 4000 mhz (auto)

Ring voltage auto

Max temps with cpu stress test all below 80 C

I think I can get much more out of the cpu, especially when I increase vccin to 2.0-2.1v, vcore ~1.4v

Do I need it? Probably not.

[ProKoN]

My results so far..

I forgot to open more cpuz tabs for the memory. This test was for 1600 mhz (XMP profile)stability.

Passed 9 hours.

CPU freq 4.6 ghz

vcore 1.28v

vccin 1.9v

CPU ring bus 4000 mhz (auto)

Ring voltage auto

Max temps with cpu stress test all below 80 C

I think I can get much more out of the cpu, especially when I increase vccin to 2.0-2.1v, vcore ~1.4v

Do I need it? Probably not.

 

 

I think you did very well and your results confirm this.

 

save your OC profile in the bios.

 

Is the extra voltage 1.4V+ worth more performance? Not really to be honest.

 

You have a fairly aggressive OC @ acceptable voltages.

 

People who would push further wouldn't have to ask if they should, they just would.

[Myrkan]

Finally I got it 100% stable, seems like i have a pretty bad 4670k cpu. Got 4,2mhz with 1,23 vcore, temp never goes over 75 dc while stress testing tho. I guess I'll leave it there. 4,3 crashes at 1,29 and don't think my cooler can handle more. Do you have any tips on how I could squize a little more freq with my evo 212?

[KTM]

I think you did very well and your results confirm this.

 

save your OC profile in the bios.

 

Is the extra voltage 1.4V+ worth more performance? Not really to be honest.

 

You have a fairly aggressive OC @ acceptable voltages.

 

People who would push further wouldn't have to ask if they should, they just would.

Thanks to your guide

Hmm.. I got another bsod while playing bf4.

Raising the vcore to 1.28 didn't help.

I'm going to set vccin to 1.95v, drop down the vcore to 1.27.

I can set the ring bus voltage to auto, normal and a manual voltage.

What's the difference between auto and normal? I mean, what voltage can I expect if I set it on normal, instead of auto.

[ProKoN]

Thanks to your guide

Hmm.. I got another bsod while playing bf4.

Raising the vcore to 1.28 didn't help.

I'm going to set vccin to 1.95v, drop down the vcore to 1.27.

I can set the ring bus voltage to auto, normal and a manual voltage.

What's the difference between auto and normal?

 

 

auto - board defines auto values

 

normal- allows you to use voltage offset

 

manual- fixed user defined voltage

 

 

for your final setting you want to set the vcore mode to normal and use a voltage offset ( this applies for both ring voltage and cpu voltage)

 

this is how to set a gigabyte board to "adaptive voltage" to allow the voltage to drop down while your idle.

[ProKoN]

Finally I got it 100% stable, seems like i have a pretty bad 4670k cpu. Got 4,2mhz with 1,23 vcore, temp never goes over 75 dc while stress testing tho. I guess I'll leave it there. 4,3 crashes at 1,29 and don't think my cooler can handle more. Do you have any tips on how I could squize a little more freq with my evo 212?

 

here are some possibilities

 

 

lap your cpu (dont do this)

 

lap your heatsink

 

maybe try arctic mx-4 thermal paste

 

add a second fan for push- > pull

 

I never recommend deliding but it is an option

 

Once again, investing into a top notch cooling solution is my best advice. save save save and one day treat yourself

[Myrkan]

@ProKoN

What cooler would you recomend?