Overclocking help i5 4690K

[Mr.Henry]

Hey! Just built my first PC and i'm looking to overclock my CPU. So first off here are some essential specs and temps:

 

Gigabyte z97x gaming 5 motherboard

Intel i5 4690K (running at stock speeds currently) 

Seasonic 650w 80+ gold PSU 

Thermalright True Spirit 120 M cooler

2x Fractal Design 120mm case fans

 

CPU temp @ idle = 28-30 celsius

PCH temp @ idle = 37 celsius

 

I've never overclocked before so can I use Gigabyte's easytuner or should i use the BIOS for overclocking? What sort of temps, voltages, and clock speeds should i be aiming for? I will be mostly gaming Could you point me at a good overclocking guide? 

 

[PudgyAstronaut]

I think the BIOS is recommended most.

 

You can start with something like 1.2V and 4GHz and keep raising the clock by 100MHz as long as it is stable (maybe 4.3-4.5GHz). You'll have to find some program to stress the CPU to test for stability long term.

 

EDIT: Realize that voltage affects your power consumption exponentially whereas frequency is linear, so your temps go up most if you have to raise voltage.

[Castdeath97]

[WereCat]

1.) Best way to find stable OC (requires a lot of time stress testing)

 

Go to BIOS set CPU ratio to x45 and voltage to 1.2V and save.

Try to boot into Windows.

Did it worked? - no - Try with x44 CPU ratio or less if it still cant boot. Always decrease by x1 only.

                        - yes - stress test CPU with OCCT or Aida 64 for 15 min.

     Did it crashed? - yes - go to bios and increase voltage by 0.005V or 0.01V if the temperatures were within normal levels (around 80*C-85*C is OK and 70-79*C is ideal) then stress test again.

                              - no - go to BIOS and increase CPU ratio by to x46 and try again to stress test.

 

Repeat cycle until you find the max possible OC within the temperatures that you think you are OK with. Then stress test at least for several hours to make sure it is stable.

 

 

2.) Dirty OC (requires a lot less time but you may deal with a lot of crashes so it is not recommended if you have PC for important stuff and cant afford to get BlueScreens)

 

Go to BIOS and set CPU ratio to x45 and voltage to 1.2V. If it doesent want to boot decrease CPU ratio by x1. If it boots then use PC normaly on that setting untill you get blue screen. Also check your temps if they are within normal levels. Did you get blue screen? If your temps were OK then go right away to BIOS and increase voltage by 0.01V and continue using PC. Repeat untill you wont get any blue screens. If voltage will get you to high temps decrease CPU ratio by x1 and repeat from start.

 

Use this ONLY if you have no time for stress testing or you dont want to be bothered by it but have in mind that you will have to deal with a lot of blue screens from begining. I am using this method right now I got only single blue screen so far after 2 day use.

[Mr.Henry]

1.) Best way to find stable OC (requires a lot of time stress testing)

 

Go to BIOS set CPU ratio to x45 and voltage to 1.2V and save.

Try to boot into Windows.

Did it worked? - no - Try with x44 CPU ratio or less if it still cant boot. Always decrease by x1 only.

                        - yes - stress test CPU with OCCT or Aida 64 for 15 min.

     Did it crashed? - yes - go to bios and increase voltage by 0.005V or 0.01V if the temperatures were within normal levels (around 80*C-85*C is OK and 70-79*C is ideal) then stress test again.

                              - no - go to BIOS and increase CPU ratio by to x46 and try again to stress test.

 

Repeat cycle until you find the max possible OC within the temperatures that you think you are OK with. Then stress test at least for several hours to make sure it is stable.

 

 

2.) Dirty OC (requires a lot less time but you may deal with a lot of crashes so it is not recommended if you have PC for important stuff and cant afford to get BlueScreens)

 

Go to BIOS and set CPU ratio to x45 and voltage to 1.2V. If it doesent want to boot decrease CPU ratio by x1. If it boots then use PC normaly on that setting untill you get blue screen. Also check your temps if they are within normal levels. Did you get blue screen? If your temps were OK then go right away to BIOS and increase voltage by 0.01V and continue using PC. Repeat untill you wont get any blue screens. If voltage will get you to high temps decrease CPU ratio by x1 and repeat from start.

 

Use this ONLY if you have no time for stress testing or you dont want to be bothered by it but have in mind that you will have to deal with a lot of blue screens from begining. I am using this method right now I got only single blue screen so far after 2 day use.

does the x44 CPU ratio stand for 4.4Ghz? Is there any harm done if it doesn't boot after increasing CPU ratio? Are there any other settings that i should turn off or something? Will the cpu be always running at the overclocked speed or does it only kick in once the cpu boost is on? 

[WereCat]

Yes 44 ratio means 4.4GHz.

If you increase it and it doesent boot there is no harm it will just blue screen as if telling you it is unstable.

Also you should disable all C-states in bios and EIST (power saving features) when overclocking. You can turn them back on once the CPU will be overclocked and you will find the stable OC. Once you turn them on the CPU wont run at 100% OC but it will underclock it self if it doesent need all the performance.

[Mr.Henry]

Yes 44 ratio means 4.4GHz.

If you increase it and it doesent boot there is no harm it will just blue screen as if telling you it is unstable.

Also you should disable all C-states in bios and EIST (power saving features) when overclocking. You can turn them back on once the CPU will be overclocked and you will find the stable OC. Once you turn them on the CPU wont run at 100% OC but it will underclock it self if it doesent need all the performance.

So i just stress tested my system with aida64 extreme for 10 mins with everything at stock. Max clock speed 3.9 Ghz, Max core voltage 1.092V, Max CPU core temps: 57, 56, 56 & 53 C, CPU cooler rpm at 980. Im gonna start with 1.2v and x44  

[Mr.Henry]

So i just overclocked my CPU's all 4 cores to x44 and CPU Vcore to 1.2v, ran aida64's system stability test for 15min and got these results:

 

All 4 cores running at 4.4 Ghz 

core 1 max temp: 72 C

core 1 avg temp: 55

 

core 2 max temp: 72

core 2 avg temp: 55

 

core 3 max temp: 71

core 3 avg temp: 54

 

core 4 max temp: 64

core 4 avg temp: 50

 

Max CPU core voltage: 1.224V

 

My computer did lag for about 30sec after booting up with these settings after opening up aida64. Should I increase voltage to 1.21v or try for x45? I restarted computer again and everything works just like it should. 4.4ghz, idle temps at 36, 36, 37, 33