Z77 Extreme4 I7-3770k OC Guide

Asrockuser wrote: Hello everyone, I want to overclock my I7-3770k to 4.4-4.6 but it won't go beyond that from the "Load Optimized CPU OC setting in the bios."  My computer just doesn't boot but 4.2 works and from the Asrock eTreme utility tuner I can push it to 4.3 and the auto voltage goes up to 1.271.   Can someone tell me how to push it past that and explain how the offset works? Will the offset mess up my cpu if I change it too far from 0?  I still want to use speedstep and have a lower mhz while idle but I want it to boost to 4.4-4.6 when gaming.   Is it even worth it? It seems I may be bottlenecked in BF1 and the extra fps would help to keep a stable 144 fps, I get 100-144 all of the time. My cpu hits about 80c max at full load in BF1 at 4.3ghz, and can anyone tell me if using more than 1.3v will ruin my cpu? I'd like it to last another year or two if possible. Thanks

If your CPU is reaching 80C while gaming, which does not even stress a CPU completely compared to a CPU stress test, then your CPU cooler is not adequate for a higher over clock. That does not include the cooling capability of your PC case, your case fans, and their configuration.

You did not include your CPU cooler in your system specs, which usually means you are using the stock Intel CPU cooler.

At a FPS rate of 100 - 144, it's not the CPU that is the bottleneck, it is the video card. Plus that FPS rate is hardly low. IMO, a higher CPU OC won't give you more than a few FPS.

The Auto CPU voltage setting will normally allow as much voltage as the CPU requires to operate at a higher speed.

Using Offset voltage is simply setting a base CPU voltage (VCore), to say 1.25V, and then setting a + or - offset voltage. That is, the amount of voltage that will be added when needed with a positive (+) offset, or the amount to reduce the VCore with a negative (-) offset.

If you've been using the built in OC profiles, you personally have not over clocked your CPU. If you really want to learn to OC, then search on "Ivy Bridge CPU over clocking" to find guides. Guides don't normally focus on one brand or model of mother board, since the same concepts apply to all boards compatible with an Intel CPU generation.

A VCore of 1.3V or more won't ruin your CPU, but it's not that simple. You need proper CPU cooling, and of the mother board itself, particularly the CPU VRM heat sinks. As a CPU reaches its OC limit, the voltage needed to reach a higher clock goes up drastically with each step. 4.3GHz seems to be that transition point for your CPU.

Everyone wants a high CPU OC, at a low voltage, and low temperature. If that was easy to do, with "cookbook" instructions, you could find them easily. But that's not how it works.

Asrockuser wrote: Thanks Parsec, my cpu cooler is just a cheapy Zalman cpns5x, I chose this quickfix because it was easy to install (push pin) and the store didn't have the cpu cooler I wanted.   After my recent cpu upgrade, I first had the stock cooler and then bought a  Thermatake Frio 14 CPU cooler but it was too big and was too tight a fit to clamp the loose metal bar to the fan and heatsink. Plus the backplate looked like it was close to touching metal solder points.    I normally get 65c  at around 70%-80% CPU load or less with this Zalman cooler while gaming, it never gets higher than that in mmo fps games or BF4, BF1.  It was 80c at 4.3ghz max temp.  I do notice the GPU is at 99% a lot in BF1 but sometimes the CPU was 100% on all cores except one at 99.2%.  The CPU/GPU graph showed the lines very close together in BF1, but in BF4, the yellow line for the CPU was a tad bit higher than the green bottom line for the GPU.  From what I've read that means the CPU is the bottleneck but that game seems bugged if that's the case, I don't get how a quad core with hyper threading at 3.5+ghz is bottlenecking at 144hz 1080p and not even on ultra, cpu usages seems to go down at 1440p and then gpu usages goes back up. I'll pick up a GTX 1080 if it's on sale Black Friday or if the 1080 TI comes out in January, I'll upgrade to that if the price is right, I just need a stable 144fps to sync with my monitor for games like BF1 on ultra settings and I'd like to play mmo games at 4k or higher.   However I won't be upgrading my cpu anytime soon I think since the I7-7700k was leaked, I'd like to pick up one of those if it's as fast as they say it is. (Edited) But I found 1.3v works at 4.5ghz with llc on level 1 incase anyone was wondering, other people seem to get the same or higher clock speed with less voltage.

TaDa!

http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/complete-overclocking-guide-sandy-bridge-ivy-bridge-asrock-edition


re: 980Ti vs 1080 fps
Bully, I had a 1070 FTW. The 1080 and 1070 FTWs overheat in excess. Do a Google search using 1080 ftw overheats and you'll be stupefied why EVGA even released 'em. At least with your 1080 you don'[t have a BIOS update req'd to make the Micron GDDR5(non-X) OC better. The 1070s used either Samsung or Micron GDDR5, with the Sammy equipped ones not needing a BIOS update. The 1080s use awesome Micron GDDR5X mem. Micron is the ONLY fab making GDDR5X atm.

I ended up swapping the 1070 FTW for an ASUS ROG STRIX OC 1070 and haven't looked back.

So be watchful/mindful of your temps. The 980Ti is an awesome card and needs no introduction but I would imagine you'd see some difference between the two cards. Up or down. Maybe your 1080s temps are throttling it back ? Worth a look-see anyways.




Edited by wardog - 07 Nov 2016 at 3:41pm