Overclocking review.

Guruu · July 12, 2016

Hey guys,

So basically I thought I would introduce my first post on LTT with a review of my recent system Overclock. I invested in my first System back in 2015, and I have decided recently to upgrade.
My new build has an i54690k Overclocked to 4.3Ghz on 1.120v and appears to be stable@ 1.125, but to increase longevity, and to be efficient, I am gradually bumping back to get a lower Vcore with better thermals.

With regards to my new graphics card, I have invested in a MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G GPU, using the valley benchmark tool, I have bumped up the Core clock by +150Mhz and a Memory overclock of +170Mhz. This is all without the mV and having a temperature limit of 78 degrees.
I have altered my fan curve to help lower noise output at lower temperatures, and to cater for the fact that increases and decreases in fans rapidly can damage them. So with that being said the fan curve keeps underload my GPU beneath the 70 degrees mark.
The CPU under 100% load (Prime 95 v26.6 due to the Haswell architecture 35% greater die) saw core 3 reach 71 degrees and the remainder of the cores 68 degrees. Under load while playing GTA V, the GPU sat beneath 70 degrees.

Steps I used:

-So I used the intel temperature guide to conclude that my temperatures were okay!
-With the GPU in mind, I did my research and saw adequate thermals for my chip.
-I checked my PSU was a 650w continuous unit with a 12v rail.
-Checked my ambient temperature and load temperature before hand, set my eyes on the low 70's for underload.
-Cable managed, cleaned my PSU and my PC with a lint free cloth and some canned air.
-Sat aside some free time to seriously test for stability, installed all the needed programmes and read all the forums for advice with my UEFI and BIOS.
-Read around BSOD's and the fatal errors.
-Sat down with a pen and some paper, and got tweaking!
-I ensured that I read to the point that I became confident in my ability and knowledge in the area, and that I understood that a safe Overclock, will be stable, I killed off the worry that Overclocking will kill my CPU/GPU and became well informed and familiar with my BIOS and my tools.

Beneath you can see my system configuration and specs, please leave your opinion:

i5 4690k 4.3 Ghz cooled by a hyper 212 evo.
GTX 970 Gaming 4G
Gigabyte GA-Z9ZP-D3 Motherboard.
Corsair VS 650w Powersupply unit.
500Gb HDD.
1TB HDD.
120 Gb SD.

I took the advice from people and took my time and learnt my stuff, I used to be dead against overclocking my system, but now I can see the SAFE and easy method of getting extra performance when done correctly.