overclock i2500k - temps ok?

sbothwell · 8 Oct 2013 at 09:19

Hi,

I've been trying out the BF4 beta and was maxing out my stock i2500k CPU, so decided to try a bit of overclocking to see if it would help. I think i've done a fairly simple overclock - I just whacked the turbo multiplier on all the cores up to 42, then played with the voltage until i got a stable 5-10 mins in intelBurnTest. Currently set at 1.24V and load line levelling on Level 5.

When running the burn test i was getting temperatures up to 78 or so, but playing BF4 for half an hour they only went up to about 65. Do these temps look ok? I know my cooling solution isn't great (specs below) - is there a simple change i can make to improve these if they need improved (or to allow me to get to 4.5 GHz or so if it would make a difference)?

Case - unknown mid-tower, limited space.
Intake fan (front) - Arctic F12
Exhaust fan (rear) - Arctic F12
CPU heatsink - Arctic Freezer pro Rev2

The intake fan is reporting that it spins at 1000 rpm tops, but it should be 1350 afaik. The exhaust fan reports 1400 rpm, which looks ok. The fan on the CPU heatsink should be a 2500 rpm, but reports top speed of 2100 rpm.
Do these numbers look normal? I don't think I'm getting decent airflow on the intake, which probably isn't helping the small fan on the heatskink.

Would it be worth replacing the 120mm intake/exhaust fans to improve airflow (if so what with? only have room for 120mm fans). I have space for an 80mm fan on the side panel, which would blow over the top of the GPU and just behind the CPU heatsink, would that help at all? Or am i looking at replacing the CPU cooler with something like the Macho 2 (i think that's all that will fit, I only have 25-30mm space from the top of the Freezer 2 to the side panel).

Sorry if this is a mess or i've missed out something important - I know the answer is likely to be 'buy a new case' but i don't think i want to do that at the moment unless it works out to be cheaper than adjusting what i already have. Thanks for any advice!

mickyflinn · 8 Oct 2013 at 10:33

A decent case is the answer, and probably a better cpu cooler as well.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £49.99
1 x Thermalright Macho 120 CPU Cooler £29.99
Total : £91.68 (includes shipping : £9.75).

sbothwell · 8 Oct 2013 at 11:16

Thanks Micky. I'm looking at getting a new graphics card as well, probably the HIS 7950 - do you know if that will fit that case?

mickyflinn · 8 Oct 2013 at 13:12

Yes the 7950 will fit in that case.

sbothwell · 9 Oct 2013 at 06:49

Thanks again. Decided to go for a Fractal Designs Arc Midi R2, since i preferred the cleaner look. Seems to get decent reviews, so hopefully it will last a few more upgrades.

$ilent · 10 Oct 2013 at 01:26

Hi sbothwell

Double check your LLC (load line calibration) is the correct setting, as using the wrong LLC level can make your cpu vcore too high or too low. You can check your cpu vcore by using CPUz and checking to see what your cpu voltage is whilst running IBT.

Also 10 minutes of IBT isnt really enough to say your pc is stable enough for BF4 or any game to be honest.

sbothwell · 10 Oct 2013 at 13:57

Hi $ilent.

Thanks - i was following one of the giudes on here for overclocking. Set the LLC to off, then upped the multiplier and dropped the voltage to check i could still boot into windows. Then i ran IBT, and upped the LLC a level at a time until I could finish the IBT run without the droop causing a BSOD. Does that sound like the right procedure?

I appreciate 10 mins of IBT won't tell me a lot about long term stability - I was mostly using it just as a sanity check on worst-case temperatures. Playing a couple of hours or so of BF4 last night only got the temps up to 65 so I think i'm ok. New case should arrive in the next couple of days, so i might be back for more advice once i've transferred everything over and got some better airflow and a new cooler going (and ramped up the o/c accordingly, of course :-)

).

$ilent · 10 Oct 2013 at 19:47

HI

No thats not the correct way to use LLC. The best way to use LLC is to make sure your using the right level before you start overclocking. The best LLC level is the one that will make your cpu vcore as close to what you set in bios when the cpu is at full load.

I.e I set 1.200v in bios, in windows my cpu vcore is 1.250v at idle, but at load the cpu vcore drops to 1.19v or 1.205v. Some LLC levels will make your cpu vcore at load be under or over what you set.

Neil79 · 10 Oct 2013 at 20:15

$ilent said:
HI

No thats not the correct way to use LLC. The best way to use LLC is to make sure your using the right level before you start overclocking. The best LLC level is the one that will make your cpu vcore as close to what you set in bios when the cpu is at full load.

I.e I set 1.200v in bios, in windows my cpu vcore is 1.250v at idle, but at load the cpu vcore drops to 1.19v or 1.205v. Some LLC levels will make your cpu vcore at load be under or over what you set.

Correct!

sbothwell · 10 Oct 2013 at 23:35

$ilent said:
HI

No thats not the correct way to use LLC. The best way to use LLC is to make sure your using the right level before you start overclocking. The best LLC level is the one that will make your cpu vcore as close to what you set in bios when the cpu is at full load.

I.e I set 1.200v in bios, in windows my cpu vcore is 1.250v at idle, but at load the cpu vcore drops to 1.19v or 1.205v. Some LLC levels will make your cpu vcore at load be under or over what you set.

Ah. Thanks. Looks like I misunderstood how it worked then. From what I was seeing I assumed a higher level of LLC would compensate for a larger drop in voltage at higher currents. Are you both saying the LLC needed is independent of the clock I set then? Should it remain at the same setting when the overclock is set, or do I adjust it again to try and keep vcore close to the set value?

$ilent · 11 Oct 2013 at 09:52

The LLC varies by motherboard but if you are overclocking you should find your correct level and leave it at that throughout overclocking and when you have your final overclock set too.

Yes LLC doesnt vary by cpu clock if thats what you saying, i.e level 5 works best for 4ghz but level 3 works best for 5ghz. I dont think it works like that, mine has always stayed the same level on sandy bridge. With LLC you always try to make it be as close to what you set in bios only when the cpu is under load. It wouldnt matter if your vcore is miles over or under what you set in bios whens its idle, its only at full load that matters. That being said, it would be better to have a level that keeps it within a few vcore increments at idle before going to full load.

What I mean by this is say with LLC 1, bios vcore is 1.200v, idle vcore is 1.100v but full load cpu vcore is 1.200v. Say LLC 5, bios again is 1.200v, idle is 1.220v, but full load is 1.200v. Then ti would be much better to go with LLC 5 as the idle vcore isnt too low that it might cause instability. Some bios settings make the cpu frequency drop at idle, others make the vcore drop at idle, but the frequency and vcore dont always drop together. So sometimes you might see your 4.5ghz overclock stay at 4.5ghz but the vcore might drop from 1.300v to 1.200v, which can cause instability. It all depends on your bios configuration.