Overclocking CPU/RAM

[tXnTopCrossNuke]

I have built multiple gaming computers for me and my friends but I can't really figure out how to overclock anything... I would like to get my CPU to 4.0+GHz and my RAM to 2666MHz... Can anyone help me out?

 

CPU: Intel i7 5930k

Motherboard: Asus Rampage V Extreme

Ram: Corsair VENGEANCE LPX (4x4GB) DDR4 2666MHz

GPU: Evga GTX 1080it elite

PSU: Corsair AX860i

Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H115i / (6) Corsair ML140 Pro

 

[Windows7ge]

The CPU (being a K chip) is pretty easy to overclock. To reach 4.0GHz you really only need to modify two settings. The Multiplier & Vcore voltage.

 

Adjusting voltages is something you increase in small increments. Often people will use around 0.005V or 0.01V increments.

 

The 5930K has a boost clock of 3.7GHz so set the multiplier to boost it up to 3.8GHz. Load the OS, then run a CPU stress test. Prime95 is popular but it REALLY pushes your CPU. I personally don't believe an OC needs to be Prime95 stable. There are other burn in tools (like AIDA64 but it's not free) that work well enough without cooking your CPU.

 

Run a burn in for 10~15 minutes. If the system is stable increase the multiplier to achieve 3.9 repeat this until the system shows instability or BSOD. Increase the vcore voltage by 0.005V. Repeat this until you can run the benchmark without crashing. Now continue this trend. (test - if crash, increase voltage, test - pass, increase multiplier, etc. You'll hit a point where one of two thing happen. Increasing voltage doesn't help or you exceed your cooling capacity. This should happen somewhere around 4.4GHz~4.6GHz. Revert back to the last known stable vcore voltage and you'll have your CPU overclock.

 

Overclocking RAM is a little more complicated. This involves adjusting timing (Ex: 8-8-8-24) in conjunction with the RAM speed (1333MHZ, 1600MHz, 1866MHz, 2133MHz, etc) your motherboard will only let you set it so high. At which point the only way to go higher is by adjusting the FSB. As you OC RAM you will also have to pay attention to the RAM voltage. This should be increased very slowly as DDR4 uses lower voltages than DDR3. As you increase the speed, you'll have to loosen the timing. The first octet is usually the primary factor in the stability of this but you can play with 2 though 4 as it can help.

 

You'll hit a point where loosening the timing and increasing voltage stops helping at which point you've reached your maximum RAM overclock.

[tXnTopCrossNuke]

7 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

The CPU (being a K chip) is pretty easy to overclock. To reach 4.0GHz you really only need to modify two settings. The Multiplier & Vcore voltage.

 

Adjusting voltages is something you increase in small increments. Often people will use around 0.005V or 0.01V increments.

 

The 5930K has a boost clock of 3.7GHz so set the multiplier to boost it up to 3.8GHz. Load the OS, then run a CPU stress test. Prime95 is popular but it REALLY pushes your CPU. I personally don't believe an OC needs to be Prime95 stable. There are other burn in tools (like AIDA64 but it's not free) that work well enough without cooking your CPU.

 

Run a burn in for 10~15 minutes. If the system is stable increase the multiplier to achieve 3.9 repeat this until the system shows instability or BSOD. Increase the vcore voltage by 0.005V. Repeat this until you can run the benchmark without crashing. Now continue this trend. (test - if crash, increase voltage, test - pass, increase multiplier, etc. You'll hit a point where one of two thing happen. Increasing voltage doesn't help or you exceed your cooling capacity. This should happen somewhere around 4.4GHz~4.6GHz. Revert back to the last known stable vcore voltage and you'll have your CPU overclock.

 

Overclocking RAM is a little more complicated. This involves adjusting timing (Ex: 8-8-8-24) in conjunction with the RAM speed (1333MHZ, 1600MHz, 1866MHz, 2133MHz, etc) your motherboard will only let you set it so high. At which point the only way to go higher is by adjusting the FSB. As you OC RAM you will also have to pay attention to the RAM voltage. This should be increased very slowly as DDR4 uses lower voltages than DDR3. As you increase the speed, you'll have to loosen the timing. The forth octet is usually the primary factor in the stability of this but you can play with 1 though 3 as it can help.

 

You'll hit a point where loosening the timing and increasing voltage stops helping at which point you've reached your maximum RAM overclock.

My RAM is 2666MHz but something is making it clock slower.... so I guess I I shouldn’t say I want to overclock it... I just want to to go to it’s stock speed of 2666MHz....

[Windows7ge]

42 minutes ago, tXnTopCrossNuke said:

My RAM is 2666MHz but something is making it clock slower.... so I guess I I shouldn’t say I want to overclock it... I just want to to go to it’s stock speed of 2666MHz....

Easy way is enabling XMP. Also I misspoke. It's the 1st octet that has the most impact on stability. 2-4 can help as the overclock gets higher and higher.

[tXnTopCrossNuke]

2 hours ago, Windows7ge said:

Easy way is enabling XMP. Also I misspoke. It's the 1st octet that has the most impact on stability. 2-4 can help as the overclock gets higher and higher.

I’m up to 4.2 on my CPU and I haven’t had to up my voltage yet..... that doesn’t seem right....

[Windows7ge]

1 minute ago, tXnTopCrossNuke said:

I’m up to 4.2 on my CPU and I haven’t had to up my voltage yet..... that doesn’t seem right....

Definitely not. Did you find a decent CPU stress test application?

[tXnTopCrossNuke]

1 hour ago, Windows7ge said:

Definitely not. Did you find a decent CPU stress test application?

Yeah I got the AIDA64.... what voltage would I need to adjust? 

[Windows7ge]

8 hours ago, tXnTopCrossNuke said:

Yeah I got the AIDA64.... what voltage would I need to adjust? 

It should be labeled vcore. The CPU boosts to 3.7GHz as it is. Maybe you just won the Silicon lottery. AIDA64 has a Overclock menu (Computer > Overclock). It'll show you your multiplier and clock speed. If it reports 4200MHz while burn in testing then the overclock indeed took. If it reports 3700MHz then something is wrong. If it says 4200MHz then just keep going. Once you hit 4.5GHz~4.6GHz things should get more difficult. If you reach this and you're happy with it you should run the burn in for at least a few hours. Make sure the temps stay below 80°C. If it crashes, nudge the voltage up 0.005V until you can run the test for a few hours without it crashing. You should be able to use the machine beyond that. If you get a BSOD in the future nudge core another 5 millivolts if you keep nudging it but you keep BSOD then back off the voltage to before you started nudging it and take 1 off the multiplier.

[tXnTopCrossNuke]

I adjusted the Vcore but the rest of the voltage on everything is on auto.... maybe that’s why it did crash yet?