Overclock or Upgrade

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Joined
7 Mar 2013
Posts
13
Hi,

I'm currently using my first Gaming PC I built over 2 years ago, and it's at the time where I need to overclock or potentially upgrade to get the most out of my games.

If I go down the overclock route, I understand I have to be wary of voltage otherwise I could get into trouble, is 1.1V a safe voltage? i've looked online and I get told too many things, or it's not really clear.

Also I need to know what the best type of cooler would be. I'm generally looking at an air cooler which is no more than £40.

System:

i5 3570k (Running stock / stuck cooler)
Asus Motherboard (has bios overclocking)
16gb ram - Corsair Vengance (not low profile)
r9 290 8gb GCARD
Zalman Z11 plus case (Don't know what will fit)

Any help would be amazing.. Sorry for the nooby question
 
I think just overclocking your processor will make a significant difference, as possibly it is bottlenecking your graphics card.

I don't think you really need an upgrade, as the hardware you have got is still decent enough (e.g. to get a substantial improvement in graphics you would need to spend a considerable amount)

What monitor / resolution do you play at?

Also what model of Asus motherboard have you got - others here may be able to specify what settings to change on this board.
 
Hi,

I have a Asus P8Z77-V LX. I have a benQ 24inch monitor and only really play at 1080p.

for upgrade I have about £500. So would possibly be looking at I5 6600k or the I7 6700k if I sold some of my parts.
 
Hi,

I have a Asus P8Z77-V LX. I have a benQ 24inch monitor and only really play at 1080p.

for upgrade I have about £500. So would possibly be looking at I5 6600k or the I7 6700k if I sold some of my parts.


An 8GB 290 should be fine for 1080P for a while to come.

I think realistically you would be disappointed with an upgrade to either the 6600k or 6700k, as they don't offer that much more performance than you (potentially) have.

I would look at a better cooler (or maybe a new case and watercooling?) and overclocking your existing processor, as it should remove any possible bottleneck.
 
I have the same cpu/mobo and 16 gb 1866 vengeance and a cooler master hyper 4i2s.
I have the ram set in xmp and hit the autoclock button in the bios and it hits 4.2 ghz at 60c at full load in this heat.
It is best to keep the voltage below 1.65 on the cpu and ram.
 
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