Is this setup easy to overclock?

[joejoe]

Hi all.

Rather than wait and also shell out more money than required on this OCUK bundle (I want to nip down to OCUK and buy the items individually from stock) -

- CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz @ 4.40GHz Sandybridge CPU
- Motherboard: Gigabyte P67A-UD4 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard B3
- RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel
- Cooler: Corsair A50 CPU Cooler

I would greatly appreciate your advice on -

1/ With the above components being randomly selected from stock (ie: not "specially selected"), will I run into difficulties in overclocking?
2/ Is it easy to find out the settings I will need to make in the BIOS to get 4.4GHZ?
3/ Should I choose a different cooler?

Thanks guys

JJ

 

[joxang]

"Specially selected"

Do OCUK really specially select their chips? Does this mean choosing revisions known for good overclocking (surely it doesn't mean benching and load testing them)?

I love the gigabyte bios interface, and the ram gives you a bit of headroom. I would get a better cooler though unless you're on a budget. Means you can go for higher overclocks in the future without worrying about upgrading. If you're not interested in getting a huge 'extreme' cooler, Megahalems or CNPS10X are both great for overclocking, the latter is cheaper.

EDIT: Missed (2) - there's plenty of OC guides around. You'll either want to set everything to a reasonable overclock (e.g. 4Ghz - with voltages that are known to work), test for stability and adjust accordingly if not stable. Then push up the multipler/clock frequency from there, and adjust voltages as needed. Or, you could start right from stock, and push things up gradually, which is slower but good method if you haven't OCed before. Best thing is to google for a guide.

 

[ewarwoowar]

In OcUK's big overclocking builds they do specifically choose the best chips to put in them, yes.

Certain staff bench and overclock batches of chips then put them specifically into what setup will need what power.

But to the OP, that setup will OC well enough for you

 

[chipps101]

i read that rjkoneil has been testing just about every 2500k and 2600k looking for ones that do 5ghz + for himself and all the ones that have been able to do 4.8ghz have been set aside for the overclocked bundles so i guess the chips are specially selected.

 

[Baldbloke]

i read that rjkoneil has been testing just about every 2500k and 2600k looking for ones that do 5ghz + for himself and all the ones that have been able to do 4.8ghz have been set aside for the overclocked bundles so i guess the chips are specially selected.

The majority of Sandybridge cpus will easily do 4.5Ghz (but not guaranteed). To get a 5Ghz overclock then it will be pot luck depending on the chip you receive. Those that wish to get 5Ghz and have the opportunity to be selective will increase the chances of getting a high overclock like 5Ghz. But like I said, most chips will get 4.5Ghz or thereabouts without breaking sweat. And, yes, they are easy to overclock. Lots of guides available on the net when you get round to it.

 

[joejoe]

Thanks very much everyone.