Overclocking 3770K, where do I start?

[AStaley]

I want to eke a little more life out of my 3770K CPU to tide me over until the release of Zen2 or Intel's next CPU so thought I'd try overclocking it, but don't know where to start?

The CPU is fitted with a Corsair AIO H60 cooler and currently idles around 29c at room temps, running Prime95 it jumps to high 70's.

Realistically just want clock it enough to last me another 6-8 months.

 

[Oblivion007]

What's it running at just now?

 

[tamzzy]

what mobo are you using?
those temps seem a wee bit high considering it's not overclocked
are you using auto voltage?

 

[Drollic]

1.25v under load via offset is what I'd aim for starting at 4.3 all core and working the voltage down. That voltage at that core speed is as good as guaranteed. Mine runs at 1.186v max for 4.3 to give you an idea. 4.5 is a lot harder to attain compared to more modern chips.

 

[AStaley]

What's it running at just now?

Stock, 3.5Ghz and boosts to 3.9Ghz which is where it stays when gaming.

what mobo are you using?
those temps seem a wee bit high considering it's not overclocked
are you using auto voltage?

Using a Asus Maximus Gene V, default settings so I'd guess auto voltage although not in front of PC so can't check.

 

[tamzzy]

Stock, 3.5Ghz and boosts to 3.9Ghz which is where it stays when gaming.
Using a Asus Maximus Gene V, default settings so I'd guess auto voltage although not in front of PC so can't check.

good thing that the MVG was a very well liked board.
here's a start: https://rog.asus.com/articles/overc...ore-i5-3570k-to-4-5ghz-on-the-maximus-v-gene/
voltages are roughly equal for the 3770k/3570k so do what it says.

 

[AStaley]

Thanks, I've had a read. I'll see how I get on tonight.

 

[Devrij]

You should be able to get to 4.5ghz. Mine wouldn't go an inch higher than that, but ran 4.5 all day long for years at about 1.3v

 

[Krono5]

Been running 4.6Ghz since 2013 on the 3570k no problems at 1.32v (+0.09 offset, Ultra high LLC). In terms of temperatures 80-85c is a good limit to aim for in p95 small fft's.

 

[Darrensen]

I've also been running at 4.5 for the past 6yrs. I have the itch but i'm staying put for now.

 

[AStaley]

Installed my RTX2080 last night, but haven't tried OC'ing the CPU yet. Surprised me how much difference the GFX card made, handled BFV with Ultra settings @ 1440P no problem, must have been averaging around mid to high 70's FPS without the OC. I was really expecting the CPU to hold it back more.

Think I will still upgrade my PC towards the end of the year simply to take advantage of NVMe drives, USB-C etc.

 

[Avalon]

NVMe can usually be added by PCIe and carried over to any future upgrade with an M2 or PCIe slot.

 

[tamzzy]

nvme is overrated, if using it just for gaming.

 

[Avalon]

nvme is overrated, if using it just for gaming.

NVMe itself is not over rated. I use NVMe storage for my ESXi and bare metal server builds, even something as basic as RAR/PAR work benefits significantly assuming you have the CPU/RAM resources, throw a few VM's or dockers doing moderate IO or something like 10GBe and SSD's are a limiting factor.

I agree that NVMe for a box principally used for games is largely pointless other than cleaning up/removing the need for a cable/power lead, it'll yield very minimal gains, but we are approaching a point where the price difference isn't that significant and people spend much more on even more pointless items.

 

[tamzzy]

NVMe itself is not over rated.

indeed, which is why i qualified my statement:

if using it just for gaming.

nvme has its uses, such as when the storage subsystem is getting hammered from video editing or the examples you gave above. gaming isn't one of them though

but we are approaching a point where the price difference isn't that significant and people spend much more on even more pointless items.

agreed.
but if it was a choice between moving up a class of gpu (eg vega56 from a rx580), and getting a sata3 ssd vs nvme. i know where i'd put my money

 

[MartinPrince]

nvme is overrated, if using it just for gaming.

Yeah, that seems to echo mine own experience. Though I do notice the difference for bits of the stuff I tend to do often like copying large files to a RAM Drive.

@OP See how high you can go but keeping the voltage no higher than 1.3v. Normally I'd say 1.35 but the H60 is quite old now and if you've had yours for a while the cooling performance would have degraded which might one of the reasons you are seeing higher than would be expected temps. A fresh lick of thermal paste would be good if you haven't done that for a while.

 

[Sayso]

the gene is a great OC board, should get 4.3-4.5 at stock voltage

 

[tamzzy]

Though I do notice the difference for bits of the stuff I tend to do often like copying large files to a RAM Drive.

which is what i've explained earlier...
nvme is excellent when you're hammering the storage subsystem...like...copying large files to a ram drive

 

[AStaley]

Currently have my CPU running at 4.4Ghz with voltage at 1.190, I have LLC left on auto, should I be trying to adjust this as well? Temps are currently in the high 80’s low 90’s after running Prime95 for 30 mins. I haven’t redone the thermal paste on my CPU,

 

[tamzzy]

I have LLC left on auto

i wouldn't leave it on auto. try 75% (or whatever asus calls it) and then see how much voltage droop you get and then tweak it from there.
auto LLC may fry your CPU sooner than intended if it gives too high a voltage spike.