Why buy a K CPU and never overclock?

[David Bisset]

Can't speak for the 2500K but in the current line the Ks have big stock clock speed advantages over the other parts, and are priced competitively.

E.g. one could get an i5-6600 3.3 GHz for £188.99, but the i5-6600K 3.9 GHz is only £21 more. 18% more speed for 11% more cash is great.

This is incorrect.

http://ark.intel.com/products/88188/Intel-Core-i5-6600-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz

http://ark.intel.com/products/88191/Intel-Core-i5-6600K-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz

Both turbo-boost up to 3.9GHz, though their base frequency is different (3.3GHz vs 3.5GHz) while on the downside you lose vPro, SIPP and Trusted Execution.


My CPU predates 'k' editions, I run it with the biggest overclock I can while undervolting it (3.2GHz) as this way it runs cooler & will last longer than at stock clocks/volts while also performing better. Games run fine, so no need to clock further, my GPU is the limiting factor anyway most of the time.

 

[joeyjojo]

This is incorrect.

Well spotted, I was skimming ocuk which says

Core i5-6600 3.30GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail
Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail

i.e. it lists the base speed for the 6600 but the turbo speed for the 6600K (a bit disingenuously).

P.S. the comparison view on ark is nice http://ark.intel.com/compare/88191,88188

 

[MeAnBoY]

It was in a second hand full built system that I purchased a couple of years ago Always intended on overclocking it but have not really found the need in all honesty.

 

[David Bisset]

Well spotted, I was skimming ocuk which says

Core i5-6600 3.30GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail
Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail

i.e. it lists the base speed for the 6600 but the turbo speed for the 6600K (a bit disingenuously).

P.S. the comparison view on ark is nice http://ark.intel.com/compare/88191,88188

yeah the ocuk page is misleading, catches quite a few folks out.

Nice comparison view, didn't know that existed! I like. Thanks

 

[SF4AE1]

If you mean the 6600k in your signature, it's an I5, not an I7.

I7 Skylake = 6700k (4 core, 8 thread, 8MB L3 cache)
I5 Skylake = 6600k (4 core, 4 thread, 6MB L3 cache).

Lots of people buy the K series just because they are nearly always clocked higher than the non K series, so even without overclocking, they are the faster CPU at stock.

Also the difference between them is usually only a few £, so why not

Good spot am going to edit my sig

It was the i5 I was originally getting but ended up getting i7.

 

[rtho782]

4.4ghz one core only.

Hence why I said multicore turbo

Although, I guess that is overclocking.

 

[faceman123]

People who don't overclock on low voltage are stupid. If you can have extra performance with near 0% risk. Why wait 3 years for a speed bump which you'll only have for another year or two? Admin please ban non overclockers

 

[Poneros]

The number one reason is regret-prevention. This is common knowledge in business circles and drives a lot of sales in pretty much everything. People don't want to feel regret later on so they instead pay more thinking about 'what if' scenarios. Those extra $s are worth it so that you don't experience that "oh no I should've gotten the next model up" anguish, or so the thinking goes.

Ultimately, humans are rational creatures only secondly, they are emotional first and foremost (just casually browse the forums and notice how many people spend thousands because they feel the upgrade itch - not have an actual need).

 

[maklabouhlel]

May be they don't have the right cooling or experience.

 

[iamdjdz]

I have a 5820k (only got it a few weeks ago actually) that I'm running not overclocked at the moment. I will overclock it but not for a little while for no real reason except that I can't be bothered testing if it will be stable etc right now.

 

[FredFlint]

I got a none K 4790 but only because the K was not out and I could not wait, don’t think I would have overclocked it anyway. I now have a 5930K for my main PC but do not overclock it as I use the PC for work so it needs to be stable.

 

[P4Clock]

the k normally have a little higher clock speed over a none k.

 

[theforce]

My i5-3570K runs at stock. I have tried overclocking it to a modest 4GHz but even with a big Noctua cooler the temps were too high for my liking. In addition, overclocking in hot climates is hard

 

[GSXR Gaz Mc]

My i5-3570K runs at stock. I have tried overclocking it to a modest 4GHz but even with a big Noctua cooler the temps were too high for my liking. In addition, overclocking in hot climates is hard

same setup as me, i bought a k in case i wanted to overclock...better to have and be able to do it when i want than not have and not be able to

and i still aint clocked it..CBA reading up and working it out..to scared really in case i **** something up

"people fear what they dont understand"

 

[Blackjack Davy]

the k normally have a little higher clock speed over a none k.

Yes exactly my 4690k is clocked at 3.9ghz at stock and theres only a few hundred extra ghz to be gained, not a lot. Not like my old 920 where it went from 2.6ghz to 4ghz without much trouble, thats a heck of a gain. I did try oc'ing the K but the performance boost was so ridiculously small I CBA doing it again. Its nice to have the potential though especially when it starts getting a bit old and I can squeeze every last drop out of it right now though theres no need for the higher electricity bill and more heat.

 

[mark43]

same setup as me, i bought a k in case i wanted to overclock...better to have and be able to do it when i want than not have and not be able to

and i still aint clocked it..CBA reading up and working it out..to scared really in case i **** something up

"people fear what they dont understand"

Pretty much the same as me, I figured I'd overclock it at some point down the line and the price difference was so negligible that I figured why not. But still haven't, just kinda scared I'll screw it up. I need banning from this forum.

 

[JTrickle]

I seem to remember trying to clock my 3570K but struggling to get the (speedstep?) downclocking when idle to work. Possibly penny pinching on the mobo caused that.

Haven't really needed the speed as no longer into twitch gaming. I ran it underclocked and passively cooled for the first year.

Still glad I bought the K as it gives me the option of over clocking later and keeping the system longer. Which has the knock on effect of not having to buy a new OS sooner etc.

The K's seem to hold most of the difference in value off the original purchase price vs the non-K equivalent, so its not as if you lose much if you do decide to upgrade earlier without ever having clocked.

 

[Krono5]

I've had my 3570k running OC'd since the beginning and I can't see why anyone wouldn't except if they didn't know how. That's why this forum is here to help people with that though.

 

[Cold_And_Miserable]

My i5-3570K runs at stock. I have tried overclocking it to a modest 4GHz but even with a big Noctua cooler the temps were too high for my liking. In addition, overclocking in hot climates is hard

The 3570k here overclocks itself to 4.18Ghz on all 4 cores @ stock settings according to Task Manager so there's no need to overclock manually. Turbo mode should reach 3.8Ghz without touching any BIOS settings.

 

[Jumper118]

Well I have bought 2 2500k from here recently and both do 5ghz easy on air cooling. When it takes me about 10mins to dial the oc in at 5ghz when they are 3.3ghz stock, it's definitely worth the performance increase. The whole pc just feels snappy and fast. If I go back to 4ghz or slower you can feel the pauses are longer and the performance isn't as smooth.

I think most people just think it's fast enough then cba. The small bits of time you save by running the oc probably out way the time you invest in the first place by far. Same goes for ram as well. Getting an extra 100-200mhz or a tighter timing can save a few seconds loading times here and there and over the year or two you have a pc it reallygets you back your time.