Help evaluating my current rig

[Poulsen]

Hello again everyone,

 

Throughout the last several years I have come to realise just how little i know about the technicalities of computer assembly and compatibility. Approximatly 2-3 years ago I assembled my current rig, and it's only now after considerations of upgrading, that I realise potential faults with my build. So, i thought people on here might have answers for some of my questions. Let's start with the rig. (also in my signature)

 

Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme6 

CPU: I7-3770K - 3.5GHz 

CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO 

RAM: Kingston HyperX 4x8GB 2400MHz CL11 

GPU: Asus Geforce GTX 1070 Dual OC - 8GB

SSD: Samsung EVO 840 - 240GB

HDD: 500GB Seagate something...

 

Everything is currently running stock speeds. 

 

I have the Z77 extreme6, which the specs page says "Supports Dual Channel DDR3 2800+(OC)", but at the same time i also have the I7-3770K which seemingly only supports 1333/1600MHz memory. Am I then capped at running max speeds of 1600MHz or am i misunderstanding the information? Another concern here is the "Dual channel" bit from the specs page. How does this overall interact with the fact that I am running 4x8GB sticks of memory? Am i running 2xdual channel config or are all sticks running single channel?

 

On another note, I have been considering overclocking my CPU, but I'm unsure whether my current cooler is enough. Could I potentially run my I7-3770K at 4.5-5GHz with this cooler? and if not would something like the "Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 240" watercooler be more appropriate?

 

Thanks in advance  

[Jasun]

If your CPU only supports 1333/1600 Mhz memory, then your memory will be underclocked to fit your CPU's needs even if your Mobo supports higher speeds. 

And for the other part, it all depends on your CPU/Mobo. Different CPUs/Mobo's have support for different modes.  

 

Edit: Your specific CPU only supports dual/triple channel memory so in your case, your RAM is running in 2xdual channel instead of quad channel. 

[Terrorgod]

To answer your overclocking question, look up safe thermals for your cpu and then use a cpu intensive test (usually benchmark tools) to see how hot yours gets. If your thermals are lower than what is considered a limit on safe than you can try increasing the speeds and see what works best. There is a lot more that goes into the whole process but this should at least give you a basic outline of it.

[Poulsen]

Just now, Terrorgod said:

To answer your overclocking question, look up safe thermals for your cpu and then use a cpu intensive test (usually benchmark tools) to see how hot yours gets. If your thermals are lower than what is considered a limit on safe than you can try increasing the speeds and see what works best. There is a lot more that goes into the whole process but this should at least give you a basic outline of it.

Thanks for the tip, I've been reading a bit about benchmarking tools. Would something like Prime95 be fine? or do you maybe have a better program?