Overclocking problem! So confused!! HELP!!!

[weazybub]

Hey guys long time reader of the forum and I was wondering if you guys could shed some light on a problem I have been having recently.

 

My Rig:

 

Windows 8 64-bit

i7 4770k (currently at stock)

Noctua NH-D14 Cooler

Asus Sabertooth Z87 Motherboard

16GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600mhz

EVGA GTX 780 ACX SC

Corsair AX760 PSU

128GB Samsung 840 PRO SSD

1 TB Seagate Barracude

Coolermaster HAF X CASE

 

Quite early into my build (around 4 months now) I decided to overclock for the first time (Linus obviously helped educate me on how to do it!!)

 

After much experimentation and research I had the CPU running at 4.5ghz (stable) at 1.3 volts (adaptive setting) and not hitting temps over 70c when under load. I've had it like that for the past few months and ran loads of games stable as hell and everything was sweet with now issues at all.

 

All I changed was CPU Core Ratio to 45 (Sync All Cores) and CPU Core Voltage to 1.3 (Adaptive)

 

Then the other day I saw that ASUS put out a new BIOS for my mobo and I decided to update it, just to keep things nice and up to date.

 

The update went well and after that, I had to input my OC settings again, which I did exactly as before, but this time CPU-Z showed that the voltage would never come down when idle as it did before it would stick at 1.3v (actually it would stick at 1.35v for some reason???).

 

After doing some research, I found that it could have been due to my Windows Power Options being set to High Performance rather than balanced, which I then changed, and the volts went down when idle like it did before (although I am at a loss as to why this didn't matter before the BIOS update?)

 

The problem came when I then put the CPU under load again with Prime95, within seconds I reached 90c in Real Temp GT and naturally, I panicked and returned to stock settings!

 

My question is, why has updating the BIOS affected my CPU like this? Why did it run cooler before the BIOS update, even with the Power Options set to High Performance?

 

I did nothing different than I did before with the OC settings the only change is the BIOS update

 

I guess I am worried that I have damaged something or done something wrong! Is my CPU ruined now it hit 90c??, Admittedly I am a little bit of a rookie when it comes to this, as this is my first new build from scratch and my first new PC in over a decade!!

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hopefully it all makes sense and I look forward to hearing your replies!!

 

[ProKoN]

running at 90c is fine. you did not damage anything. if your intel cpu hits 95c or higher it will automatically throttle down voltage \ frequency to prevent damage from occurring.

 

if adaptive is working properly your voltage should be 0.700V @ idle and 1.3V under load.

 

prime 95 is most likely overvolting your cpu. if you want to stress test with prime95 it is imperative to set your voltage mode to static not adaptive.

 

asus has not been very logical in my opinion with regards with z87 boards, so it doesnt surprise me your having issues with a new bios iteration.

 

 

 

I would suggest you take the time to go through my OC guide on Haswell chips.

 

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

[weazybub]

Thanks for your reply and I am going to have a good look at your guide!

 

I always stress tested under Manual voltage mode set to 1.3V then switched to adaptive after it was stable. Luckily I found out to do that before I started!

 

I guess I am wondering why a BIOS update would give me 20 degrees more heat with the same OC settings pre-update?!?! Is it common? Is there a way to undo the update and revert back to the BIOS I knew it worked under??

[ProKoN]

i dont have that answer. maybe contact asus tech support but good luck getting any overclocking support.

 

im sure you should be able to install the older bios version.

 

im using a msi mpower max. im using a older bios version because of better all round stability. they are on version 1.5 but i run version 1.2

 

does that $200.00+ board offer dual bios?