i7 7700k overclocking question

[minali]

Hey guys. I'm pretty new to overclocking so I don't know much.

I just got a 7700k recently and I've been trying to overclock it to 5.0ghz to see how much it can do.

 

I ran into some trouble here and here are my questions:

 

First of all, I can get a pretty stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v right now. At 100% load it gets to about 83C average on all cores, which is pretty warm I think, but not terrible and definitely acceptable at full load.

But when I check the voltage on my CPU when running full load, it only pulls about 1.28v at max but when I manually pull the voltage down from my UEFI to around 1.29v, it will crash every time I run the benchmark and put the CPU on full load.

Why is this so? If it is only pulling close to 1.28 at max, why won't it run at 1.29v? Not saying 1.31v is bad or anything, I think it's ok for 4.9ghz but I was just curious why it won't run at 1.29v when it only pulls 1.28v at max.

 

My second question is, I can get a decently stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v without throttling, but my CPU will refuse to work properly at 5.0ghz and crashes every time even at 1.4v. Is this just bad luck on my end? I know to get that extra 100mhz added on top of the already overclocked 4.9ghz will require much more voltage than the overclocked voltage that is already applied to the CPU but is a full 0.09v jump really not enough to go from 4.9ghz to 5.0ghz? 

 

Additional info:

- using XMP profile to get my RAM to 3200 mhz

- using Core Temp and CAM software to monitor my CPU temp and voltage (CAM software just crashes as soon as I run CPU benchmarking I don't know why)

- using cinebench primarily for CPU benchmarking

- nzxt x62 AIO watercooler 

- asus z270e strix mobo

- g.skill tridentz 16gb @ 3200mhz

- evga supernova g3 850w 

 

Please let me know if you need any additional information to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance guys. 

[Billy_Mays]

4 minutes ago, minali said:

Hey guys. I'm pretty new to overclocking so I don't know much.

I just got a 7700k recently and I've been trying to overclock it to 5.0ghz to see how much it can do.

 

I ran into some trouble here and here are my questions:

 

First of all, I can get a pretty stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v right now. At 100% load it gets to about 83C average on all cores, which is pretty warm I think, but not terrible and definitely acceptable at full load.

But when I check the voltage on my CPU when running full load, it only pulls about 1.28v at max but when I manually pull the voltage down from my UEFI to around 1.29v, it will crash every time I run the benchmark and put the CPU on full load.

Why is this so? If it is only pulling close to 1.28 at max, why won't it run at 1.29v? Not saying 1.31v is bad or anything, I think it's ok for 4.9ghz but I was just curious why it won't run at 1.29v when it only pulls 1.28v at max.

 

My second question is, I can get a decently stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v without throttling, but my CPU will refuse to work properly at 5.0ghz and crashes every time even at 1.4v. Is this just bad luck on my end? I know to get that extra 100mhz added on top of the already overclocked 4.9ghz will require much more voltage than the overclocked voltage that is already applied to the CPU but is a full 0.09v jump really not enough to go from 4.9ghz to 5.0ghz? 

 

Additional info:

- using XMP profile to get my RAM to 3200 mhz

- using Core Temp and CAM software to monitor my CPU temp and voltage (CAM software just crashes as soon as I run CPU benchmarking I don't know why)

- using cinebench primarily for CPU benchmarking

- nzxt x62 AIO watercooler 

- asus z270e strix mobo

- g.skill tridentz 16gb @ 3200mhz

- evga supernova g3 850w 

 

Please let me know if you need any additional information to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance guys. 

I thought the temps were going to be lower but holy **** that's high for 4.9 and the benchmarks probably don't like the CPU at that high of volatage I would turn it down do atleast 4.7 or 4.8 

[MrImnotMLG]

Intel just admitted that Kaby Lake CPU's have a heat issue because of the thermal compound.

 

I think that the issue with the voltage is because of tolerances. If you look throughout the industry there is never a concrete number, they always have a number somewhere else in the description that says that it's something like plus or minus .05 volts. I believe that the computer was rounding down your voltage and when you pushed it to the limit, it shut it down because of how close to the limit it was.

[minali]

24 minutes ago, Billy_Mays said:

I thought the temps were going to be lower but holy **** that's high for 4.9 and the benchmarks probably don't like the CPU at that high of volatage I would turn it down do atleast 4.7 or 4.8 

Is it really that high? That's only when the CPU is at 100% load and I thought that was an acceptable range. When Idle, I normally get average of 35~36C and when gaming I usually get something like mid 50's. 

[minali]

11 minutes ago, MrImnotMLG said:

Intel just admitted that Kaby Lake CPU's have a heat issue because of the thermal compound.

 

I think that the issue with the voltage is because of tolerances. If you look throughout the industry there is never a concrete number, they always have a number somewhere else in the description that says that it's something like plus or minus .05 volts. I believe that the computer was rounding down your voltage and when you pushed it to the limit, it shut it down because of how close to the limit it was.

So I guess there really is no solution for me to get my CPU to 5.0 ghz?

[wzrd]

32 minutes ago, minali said:

Hey guys. I'm pretty new to overclocking so I don't know much.

I just got a 7700k recently and I've been trying to overclock it to 5.0ghz to see how much it can do.

 

I ran into some trouble here and here are my questions:

 

First of all, I can get a pretty stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v right now. At 100% load it gets to about 83C average on all cores, which is pretty warm I think, but not terrible and definitely acceptable at full load.

But when I check the voltage on my CPU when running full load, it only pulls about 1.28v at max but when I manually pull the voltage down from my UEFI to around 1.29v, it will crash every time I run the benchmark and put the CPU on full load.

Why is this so? If it is only pulling close to 1.28 at max, why won't it run at 1.29v? Not saying 1.31v is bad or anything, I think it's ok for 4.9ghz but I was just curious why it won't run at 1.29v when it only pulls 1.28v at max.

 

My second question is, I can get a decently stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v without throttling, but my CPU will refuse to work properly at 5.0ghz and crashes every time even at 1.4v. Is this just bad luck on my end? I know to get that extra 100mhz added on top of the already overclocked 4.9ghz will require much more voltage than the overclocked voltage that is already applied to the CPU but is a full 0.09v jump really not enough to go from 4.9ghz to 5.0ghz? 

 

Additional info:

- using XMP profile to get my RAM to 3200 mhz

- using Core Temp and CAM software to monitor my CPU temp and voltage (CAM software just crashes as soon as I run CPU benchmarking I don't know why)

- using cinebench primarily for CPU benchmarking

- nzxt x62 AIO watercooler 

- asus z270e strix mobo

- g.skill tridentz 16gb @ 3200mhz

- evga supernova g3 850w 

 

Please let me know if you need any additional information to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance guys. 

The reason for the discrepancy is because of VRM inefficiencies. When you set a voltage in the BIOS, the voltage that actually ends up being applied to the CPU is usually a tiny bit different, as some of the energy is lost in the form of heat, as it passes through the VRM. The voltage you set in the BIOS is not necessarily the voltage coming out the far side of the VRM.

 

As regards not being able to hit 5GHz, it is unfortunately likely just a fall on the bad end of the silicon lottery. According to siliconlottery.com, only 59% of 7700ks can hit 5GHz, and you may have just fallen into the unlucky 41%. I have had several 7700ks, and have managed to get them all to 5GHz, but it has never taken more than 1.38v.

 

83C is pretty normal for 4.9GHz temps. Even the 7700k I'm currently using at 5GHz, which is delidded and uses a phase change alloy between the block and heat spreader sits at 71C under load. Unfortunately, as has been already pointed out, Kaby Lake is an inherently hot chip. Delidding helps, but honestly the temps and clock you have now is pretty good, so you have no real reason to risk it. You're not going to see a noticeable performance difference between 4.9GHz and 5GHz.

[Billy_Mays]

2 hours ago, minali said:

So I guess there really is no solution for me to get my CPU to 5.0 ghz?

@wzrd explains it better than I can

[Lord Nicoll]

2 hours ago, minali said:

Hey guys. I'm pretty new to overclocking so I don't know much.

I just got a 7700k recently and I've been trying to overclock it to 5.0ghz to see how much it can do.

 

I ran into some trouble here and here are my questions:

 

First of all, I can get a pretty stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v right now. At 100% load it gets to about 83C average on all cores, which is pretty warm I think, but not terrible and definitely acceptable at full load.

But when I check the voltage on my CPU when running full load, it only pulls about 1.28v at max but when I manually pull the voltage down from my UEFI to around 1.29v, it will crash every time I run the benchmark and put the CPU on full load.

Why is this so? If it is only pulling close to 1.28 at max, why won't it run at 1.29v? Not saying 1.31v is bad or anything, I think it's ok for 4.9ghz but I was just curious why it won't run at 1.29v when it only pulls 1.28v at max.

 

My second question is, I can get a decently stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v without throttling, but my CPU will refuse to work properly at 5.0ghz and crashes every time even at 1.4v. Is this just bad luck on my end? I know to get that extra 100mhz added on top of the already overclocked 4.9ghz will require much more voltage than the overclocked voltage that is already applied to the CPU but is a full 0.09v jump really not enough to go from 4.9ghz to 5.0ghz? 

 

Additional info:

- using XMP profile to get my RAM to 3200 mhz

- using Core Temp and CAM software to monitor my CPU temp and voltage (CAM software just crashes as soon as I run CPU benchmarking I don't know why)

- using cinebench primarily for CPU benchmarking

- nzxt x62 AIO watercooler 

- asus z270e strix mobo

- g.skill tridentz 16gb @ 3200mhz

- evga supernova g3 850w 

 

Please let me know if you need any additional information to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance guys. 

You need to set the LLC (line load calibration) to account for the CPU's power draw pulling the voltage down. When you load up the CPU at 1.31 volts, the CPU is such a load on max it causes the voltage to sag, currently you're loosing about 300mv, without a multimeter we can't measure the exact number, so it's a guess. When you set the CPU to 1.29v, and it falls the 300mv, you're at 1.26 and not stable, adjust the LLC to a higher value and set the voltage to 1.32. Also note that most I7 7700K have to be delidded with a TIM swap to make their 5GHz temps good. 

[kreechrr]

Has anyone suggested delidding? I struggled similarly until I delidded my 7700k and then finally hit 5 GHz at like, 68c max temp. Nerve racking as hell though.

[wzrd]

10 minutes ago, Create585 said:

Has anyone suggested delidding? I struggled similarly until I delidded my 7700k and then finally hit 5 GHz at like, 68c max temp. Nerve racking as hell though.

We mentioned it, but it's probably not worth the risk for an extra 100MHz. 83C under max synthetic load is fine and won't affect the lifespan of the chip significantly. It's only really necessary if you're trying to eek out the absolute highest overclock possible, and the risk isn't really justified by the gain in real world performance for the average consumer.

 

12 hours ago, Lord Nicoll said:

You need to set the LLC (line load calibration) to account for the CPU's power draw pulling the voltage down. When you load up the CPU at 1.31 volts, the CPU is such a load on max it causes the voltage to sag, currently you're loosing about 300mv, without a multimeter we can't measure the exact number, so it's a guess. When you set the CPU to 1.29v, and it falls the 300mv, you're at 1.26 and not stable, adjust the LLC to a higher value and set the voltage to 1.32. Also note that most I7 7700K have to be delidded with a TIM swap to make their 5GHz temps good. 

This might help, but unfortunately the LLC in the Z270 strix is pretty unreliable, so it mightn't do much. But this is correct in that voltage droop is the cause, as I explained in more detail in an earlier post.

 

@minali Honestly if you're hitting a stable 4.9GHz under max synthetic load at 83Cmax, you're doing pretty well for a non-delidded chip. If it were me I would keep the settings that allow you to achieve that and call it a day. The extra 100MHz and lower temps you will get out of a delid don't really justify the risk of damaging the chip, not to mention voiding your warranty.

[kreechrr]

19 minutes ago, wzrd said:

The extra 100MHz and lower temps you will get out of a delid don't really justify the risk of damaging the chip, not to mention voiding your warranty.

1

I saw a 40c drop in load temps at the same clock. I find that worthwhile. But I didn't buy any warranties or plan on it. But if warranties are for you, do not delid. I just offered it as a guaranteed way to lower those temps at same clocks. Oh and I wouldn't have if not for rockit88 delid kit. Delidding without a precision machined tool for delidding is way more risky..

[wzrd]

Just now, Create585 said:

I saw a 40c drop in load temps at the same clock. I find that worthwhile. But I didn't buy any warranties or plan on it. But if warranties are for you, do not delid. I just offered it as a guaranteed way to lower those temps at same clocks. Oh and I wouldn't have if not for rockit88 delid kit. Delidding without a precision machined tool for delidding is way more risky..

It largely depends on cooling solution. I ship all of my 7700k builds with a 4.8GHz overclock as standard, usually coming in between 1.26 and 1.28 volts, and 71-73C max temp on AIDA64. Real world performance increase by going up to 5GHz at the same voltage is going to be almost unnoticeable. I've pushed my delidded 7700ks as far as 5.2GHz, and the differences are minimal. At that point, the practical difference is very small.

 

That said, 40C is a crazy drop, what clock was that at? And what temp was it at beforehand? Just out of curiosity.

 

I wasn't saying it was never worthwhile, I was simply saying that the trouble and risk required to get a delid kit, perform it and void the warranty isn't justified when the temps are already within a safe range, and there wouldn't be a noticeable performance increase from doing so. Obviously if you are getting crazy high temps, or just want to see how far it can be pushed then a delid is warranted, but doing so means that if your chip develops a fault that is completely unrelated to the delid Intel won't replace it.

[jim2point0]

I recently bought a 7700k and an Asus Maximus IX hero. I'm pairing this with a NZXT Kraken X52 and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste.

 

I'm not too familar with this board or how to overclock with it just yet.... but it includes an easy "5.0 Ghz profile" that you can enable and it does everything for you. Upon running Prime95, the temps IMMEDIATELY shoot to 83 and only go up from there. The NZXT monitoring software (CAM) warned me within 10 seconds that my CPU hit 89 degrees). I checked the voltage and it was spitting out something like 1.39. Pretty high! 

 

I'm not sure how the voltage is being set though. I went into the BIOS and noticed that CPU voltage was set to Auto. So my question is for anyone familar with this motherboard. Can I manually set a 4.9Ghz overclock and set my own voltage to see if I can keep it stable at more reasonable temps? Would I be better off joining the Asus forums and asking over there?

[wzrd]

4 minutes ago, jim2point0 said:

I recently bought a 7700k and an Asus Maximus IX hero. I'm pairing this with a NZXT Kraken X52 and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste.

 

I'm not too familar with this board or how to overclock with it just yet.... but it includes an easy "5.0 Ghz profile" that you can enable and it does everything for you. Upon running Prime95, the temps IMMEDIATELY shoot to 83 and only go up from there. The NZXT monitoring software (CAM) warned me within 10 seconds that my CPU hit 89 degrees). I checked the voltage and it was spitting out something like 1.39. Pretty high! 

 

I'm not sure how the voltage is being set though. I went into the BIOS and noticed that CPU voltage was set to Auto. So my question is for anyone familar with this motherboard. Can I manually set a 4.9Ghz overclock and set my own voltage to see if I can keep it stable at more reasonable temps? Would I be better off joining the Asus forums and asking over there?

The preset profiles in the motherboard BIOS usually have way too much voltage set as standard, which is what caused the temps to shoot so high. 

 

I have only used the Maximus IX in one build so bear with me. Under 'Extreme Tweaker' in advanced BIOS settings, you should find all of the options you need. To set a 4.9GHz overclock, set the CPU multiplier to 49. In terms of voltage, you will usually get a stable 4.9GHz somewhere between 1.26 and 1.30v. I would recommend starting at 1.27 and seeing if it's stable. If it's not stable, just increase voltage by 0.01 until it is.

 

Your temps should be much lower then, as the voltage is 0.1v lower.

[done12many2]

18 hours ago, minali said:

Hey guys. I'm pretty new to overclocking so I don't know much.

I just got a 7700k recently and I've been trying to overclock it to 5.0ghz to see how much it can do.

 

I ran into some trouble here and here are my questions:

 

First of all, I can get a pretty stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v right now. At 100% load it gets to about 83C average on all cores, which is pretty warm I think, but not terrible and definitely acceptable at full load.

But when I check the voltage on my CPU when running full load, it only pulls about 1.28v at max but when I manually pull the voltage down from my UEFI to around 1.29v, it will crash every time I run the benchmark and put the CPU on full load.

Why is this so? If it is only pulling close to 1.28 at max, why won't it run at 1.29v? Not saying 1.31v is bad or anything, I think it's ok for 4.9ghz but I was just curious why it won't run at 1.29v when it only pulls 1.28v at max.

 

My second question is, I can get a decently stable 4.9ghz at 1.31v without throttling, but my CPU will refuse to work properly at 5.0ghz and crashes every time even at 1.4v. Is this just bad luck on my end? I know to get that extra 100mhz added on top of the already overclocked 4.9ghz will require much more voltage than the overclocked voltage that is already applied to the CPU but is a full 0.09v jump really not enough to go from 4.9ghz to 5.0ghz? 

 

Additional info:

- using XMP profile to get my RAM to 3200 mhz

- using Core Temp and CAM software to monitor my CPU temp and voltage (CAM software just crashes as soon as I run CPU benchmarking I don't know why)

- using cinebench primarily for CPU benchmarking

- nzxt x62 AIO watercooler 

- asus z270e strix mobo

- g.skill tridentz 16gb @ 3200mhz

- evga supernova g3 850w 

 

Please let me know if you need any additional information to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance guys. 

 

If you want to continue to push to 5 GHz, you're more then likely going to need to delid it in order to do so in a stable and cool manner with an AIO cooler.  With a large custom loop, 5 GHz is pretty easy, but you'll still want to delid to go higher.

 

 

1 hour ago, jim2point0 said:

I recently bought a 7700k and an Asus Maximus IX hero. I'm pairing this with a NZXT Kraken X52 and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste.

 

Great paste!

 

1 hour ago, jim2point0 said:

I'm not too familar with this board or how to overclock with it just yet.... but it includes an easy "5.0 Ghz profile" that you can enable and it does everything for you. Upon running Prime95, the temps IMMEDIATELY shoot to 83 and only go up from there. The NZXT monitoring software (CAM) warned me within 10 seconds that my CPU hit 89 degrees). I checked the voltage and it was spitting out something like 1.39. Pretty high! 

 

Avoid the automatic profiles.  They are just horrible and often times result in an unstable overclock or one that uses excessive voltage.

 

1 hour ago, jim2point0 said:

I'm not sure how the voltage is being set though. I went into the BIOS and noticed that CPU voltage was set to Auto. So my question is for anyone familar with this motherboard. Can I manually set a 4.9Ghz overclock and set my own voltage to see if I can keep it stable at more reasonable temps? Would I be better off joining the Asus forums and asking over there?

 

Yes, you can absolutely set your own voltage with the Maximus IX Hero and I recommend that you do so. 

 

[jim2point0]

With a lot of messing around with voltages and whatnot... I couldn't actually find a voltage lower than 1.34v that would maintain 4.9Ghz. So it looks like that voltage from the auto profile may be somewhat realistic. I've decided to take the above suggestion and delid my processor. 

 

I might report back with how everything goes. For now, I'll be ramping up my fan profile to 100% to keep it under 80 degrees. 

[done12many2]

 

14 minutes ago, jim2point0 said:

With a lot of messing around with voltages and whatnot... I couldn't actually find a voltage lower than 3.4v that would maintain 4.9Ghz. So it looks like that voltage from the auto profile may be somewhat realistic. I've decided to take the above suggestion and delid my processor. 

 

I might report back with how everything goes. For now, I'll be ramping up my fan profile to 100% to keep it under 80 degrees. 

 

I highly doubt that.  

[jim2point0]

Typo... fixed