First time overclocking (CPU)

[_SomeOne_]

Hi!

First of all these are my specs
i7 4770k
msi z97 xpower ac
gtx 970 windforce
corsair h110
corsair ax850
corsair vengeance 16gb 1600mhz (runs at 1333mhz)
samsung 840 evo 1tb

I only want to overclock my CPU since the game I play is badly optimized(doesn't use all cores) and is CPU intensive (Arma 3)

I have watched a few videos and read up on it a bit before i started.
Programs I'm using to test are:
CPU-Z, RealTemp and LinX
I have tried 4.5ghz at 1.25 volts and got BSOD (voltage on auto)

Tried 4.2ghz at 1.24 volts and ran the benchmark.. the temps jumped from 32C right up to 90C within seconds and then hovered around 50C - 75C and sometimes jumping to 93C for a split of a second (voltage on override mode)

I then tried 4.0ghz at 1.20 volts and got the same results as the 4.2ghz test (Voltage on override mode)

I have no clue if these readings are correct and it kind of scared me when it jumped to 93C for a second.

Can you guys give me a hand?


Also I'm only doing this since my friend who i play with has an 2600k overclocked to 4.5ghz and he gets about 20more frames then me. Same GPU and monitor resolution

 

[PP Mguire]

I can play Arma3 easily with my CPU at stock, so your 4770k should be having no issues. Besides, you're using the wrong programs.

Coretemp standalone for temps, Prime95 for stressing. Also need to put them fans at 100% on the H110 whenever you have the OC on and plan to game or stress test.

 

[_SomeOne_]

I can play Arma3 easily with my CPU at stock, so your 4770k should be having no issues. Besides, you're using the wrong programs.

Coretemp standalone for temps, Prime95 for stressing. Also need to put them fans at 100% on the H110 whenever you have the OC on and plan to game or stress test.

I'm playing @ 1440p
I used to get about 29 frames in cherno while playing wasteland mission.. i changed a few settings in the Arma 3 files and also added some launch parameters and I now hover around 34 to 45 frames.

My friend gets a solid 45 frames in cherno.. same graphic settings... only difference is that he is running at 4.5ghz. I've looked up cpu speed and arma and everyone says it boosts it by atleast 25% .

I'll check the temps with those programs and report back!

 

[PP Mguire]

I too play at 1440p. What hardware setup does this friend have? Arma3 does depend more on the CPU than most other games, but you're not going to get a miracle setup by boosting your clocks a few hundred MHz. When I did my testing with the game I went from 3.3 to 4.6 and didn't see a substantial amount of difference.

 

[_SomeOne_]

I too play at 1440p. What hardware setup does this friend have? Arma3 does depend more on the CPU than most other games, but you're not going to get a miracle setup by boosting your clocks a few hundred MHz. When I did my testing with the game I went from 3.3 to 4.6 and didn't see a substantial amount of difference.

He has a gtx 970 windforce, 2600k @ 4.5ghz, evo 840 500gb ssd, not sure what motherboard.. not a great one. 4gb ram

I just don't see how he gets 20-25 more frames then me when i have better hardware.. other than him having an OC CPU.
Once i get a stable overclock.. if i dont see a difference then ill just go back to stock.


Also another quick question about the CPU mode.
Auto Mode, If i set it to 1.20V, 1.21V, 1.22V.. it always goes up to 1.24V not matter what.
Adaptive mode, no matter what the volt is.. it always goes up to 1.30+++
override mode Same as Auto mode.

I can't get the voltage under 1.24 no matter what I do.. Am i doing something wrong?

 

[PP Mguire]

Is he overclocking his GPU any? Is he running 1440p?

Haswell is a good 15% faster clock for clock than Sandy so at 4.1ish you'd be running about the same speed as him at 4.5 anyways.

Voltage isn't always monitored correctly. I would just use easy OC or whatever they have just as a test. Put it to 4.2 and see if you see any significant difference. Put your cooler fans on 100% when you do this.

 

[_SomeOne_]

Is he overclocking his GPU any? Is he running 1440p?

Haswell is a good 15% faster clock for clock than Sandy so at 4.1ish you'd be running about the same speed as him at 4.5 anyways.

Voltage isn't always monitored correctly. I would just use easy OC or whatever they have just as a test. Put it to 4.2 and see if you see any significant difference. Put your cooler fans on 100% when you do this.

GPU isnt overclocked and he is running at 1440p

I tried one click overclocking with MSI OC Genie and it seems to be doing a better job. Its only at 4ghz but the voltage is lower than what i can get it to.
Temp is around the same... maybe a bit lower overall.
Will test Arma 3 out on it now

 

[PP Mguire]

Are you using the stock paste with that H110?

Are you guys running the exact same settings? Same background tasks? Not running Geforce Experience? There is a lot that could make a difference in performance.

 

[_SomeOne_]

Are you using the stock paste with that H110?

Are you guys running the exact same settings? Same background tasks? Not running Geforce Experience? There is a lot that could make a difference in performance.

I think I'm using the stock paste with the h110. We are both running geforce experience and shadow play.
As for background tasks im not sure.. but I'm only running the normal stuff + steam and nortons AV... could it be nortons? lol

I have ran the same settings on the game as him and also tried my own combination.. doesn't really affect the fps much


Do I've manual OC, one click msi genie OC and also the Intel turbo boost OC and compared to the stock.. i can't see much difference..

 

[carnageX]

Norton is awful (as is McAfee). Ditch it. Use the Norton Removal Tool they provide to completely uninstall it.

Replace it with Avira or BitDefender Free.