i5-2500K OC Questions

[Tjj226_Angel]

Also, do my settings look alright? Do you guys recommend using offset or manual voltage for the Vcore? I'm not so sure how to use it, like what the offsign sign and voltage does. I read on some guides that it adds/subtracts voltage according to some motherboard command, but I can't figure that out, especially because the operating Vcore changes when changing the LLC setting. For example, I remember setting LLC to Extreme once with offset (Auto) voltage, and that brought the Vcore to 1.4v in Windows! That's way too much for 4.5GHz! So I followed some other guide and they recommended -0.015 offset voltage with LLC set on Auto, which I think is actually Ultra High, since both settings seem to keep the Vcore the same. I don't know, what do you guys say about this?

 

When overclocking, try to do as much manual stuff as possible. If you switch it to manual and just leave it at 1.3 something you should be fine. Chances are that if you have a stable enough chip that boot into windows with a 50 multiplier, you can probably leave LLC off. LLC handles Vdroop. The more stable your CPU is, the less your V droop, the less you need LLC. (That is what I understand from my 10 minutes of reading about LLC 3 days ago, so I probably just sounded like a major idiot).

 

Your settings were fine. The reality is that if you have a stable overclock that you are happy with and you have good temps, then why worry? Volts don't destroy your CPU like temps do. If anything, you should worry about making sure your amount of TIM is perfect so you can lower your temps by another three degrees rather than lowering your V core another .03 volts.

[Waco]

LLC handles Vdroop. The more stable your CPU is, the less your V droop, the less you need LLC. (That is what I understand from my 10 minutes of reading about LLC 3 days ago, so I probably just sounded like a major idiot).

LLC has nothing to do with the CPU. At any given voltage and current LLC helps maintain that voltage when the current demands increase. Every motherboard is different, but every CPU in any given motherboard will be exactly the same.

[Foruman]

When overclocking, try to do as much manual stuff as possible. If you switch it to manual and just leave it at 1.3 something you should be fine. Chances are that if you have a stable enough chip that boot into windows with a 50 multiplier, you can probably leave LLC off. LLC handles Vdroop. The more stable your CPU is, the less your V droop, the less you need LLC. (That is what I understand from my 10 minutes of reading about LLC 3 days ago, so I probably just sounded like a major idiot).

 

Your settings were fine. The reality is that if you have a stable overclock that you are happy with and you have good temps, then why worry? Volts don't destroy your CPU like temps do. If anything, you should worry about making sure your amount of TIM is perfect so you can lower your temps by another three degrees rather than lowering your V core another .03 volts.

 

Alright, thanks! So I should worry more about the temps, got it. The only problem is now that when under load, Vcore drops from 1.336v to 1.296v sometimes. Rarely does this cause a problem, but once in a blue moon a BSOD of 0x124 does occur, and I'm still not sure if this is due to the Vcore, CPU/PLL, or if my RAM is faulty. I'm not sure if my chip, that can do 50x, is that stable where there is very little voltage drop. I have LCC set to Auto, but I believe Auto = Ultra High on my motherboard. There is no "off" setting, just "Regular," which is 0% LLC.

 

By the way, what is "TIM," and what amount of it is considered good? Sorry, I've never heard or read about this term before, so I have no idea what you are talking about here.

[Tjj226_Angel]

LLC has nothing to do with the CPU. At any given voltage and current LLC helps maintain that voltage when the current demands increase. Every motherboard is different, but every CPU in any given motherboard will be exactly the same.

 

Cool. I told you I was probably wrong didn't I?

 

I will defer all knowledge to you waco.

[Foruman]

LLC has nothing to do with the CPU. At any given voltage and current LLC helps maintain that voltage when the current demands increase. Every motherboard is different, but every CPU in any given motherboard will be exactly the same.

 

So is this the reason why I'm seeing the voltage drop under load?

[Waco]

Cool. I told you I was probably wrong didn't I?

 

I will defer all knowledge to you waco.

Yeah, but I'm a n00b with this too. I just know what LLC does, that's all.

 

 

So is this the reason why I'm seeing the voltage drop under load?

If you have LLC off, yes. If it's on, it's LLC not compensating enough.

[Tjj226_Angel]

Alright, thanks! So I should worry more about the temps, got it. The only problem is now that when under load, Vcore drops from 1.336v to 1.296v sometimes. Rarely does this cause a problem, but once in a blue moon a BSOD of 0x124 does occur, and I'm still not sure if this is due to the Vcore, CPU/PLL, or if my RAM is faulty. I'm not sure if my chip, that can do 50x, is that stable where there is very little voltage drop. I have LCC set to Auto, but I believe Auto = Ultra High on my motherboard. There is no "off" setting, just "Regular," which is 0% LLC.

 

By the way, what is "TIM," and what amount of it is considered good? Sorry, I've never heard or read about this term before, so I have no idea what you are talking about here.

 

That is something I do know. It is called thermal paste. It is that goo you put between your CPU and the heat sink for better heat transfer. A good thermal past would be the Noctua NH-T1.

 

Oh and by the way, I didn't mean that you should worry about the temps as in they are dangerous or anything. I was just saying that if you were to focus on anything it should be the temps so that you can go for a higher overclock.

[Foruman]

That is something I do know. It is called thermal paste. It is that goo you put between your CPU and the heat sink for better heat transfer. A good thermal past would be the Noctua NH-T1.

 

Oh and by the way, I didn't mean that you should worry about the temps as in they are dangerous or anything. I was just saying that if you were to focus on anything it should be the temps so that you can go for a higher overclock.

 

Alright, thanks man! I am using another thermo paste that I bought at Micro Center, and I believe I applied a sufficient amount of that stuff too. I will check it again the next time I need to open up the computer, but for now, like you said, the temps are fine for this overclock, so I'm not going to do that.

 

But, I do have these unresolved questions (below). Can you or anyone help me out with them? I know you addressed some of them already, but there are some that I'm still not sure about, like the CPU idle frequency and voltage, what offset voltage does and how it compares to using manual voltage, and why my RAM cannot have any other setting other than it's default 9-9-9-24 2T (And since Corsair did not mention, is it supposed to be 2T or 1T? Is the 'proper' command rate important? What's the difference?).

 

Thanks everyone for your replies!

 

 

 

So now I am confused. I agree with Waco and think that these settings should be enabled in order to save power and the life of the CPU when it is not in use. However, my CPU is always at 4.5GHz and 1.336v no matter what, and when I play games like Battlefield 3, the Vcore sometimes drops to 1.296v, and that's when the occasional BSOD 0x124 comes in. Do you guys know how to resolve these problems?

 

 

 

Alright, so the temps are good. I am a little bit confused because some people and guides say to lower voltages as much as possible to keep the temps as low as possible. I realize that every chip is different and I can't expect mine to achieve what someone else's did. However, I have this question then. If the temps are good, does that mean I should not attempt to find a way to get a stable 4.5GHz OC at 1.300v? I seem to have the impression that most people can do this, and so that's why I ask is it normal/good that my CPU needs 1.336-1.344v to maintain a stable OC at 4.5GHz when everyone else seems to need only 1.300v.

 

Is lower volts or higher volts better? I just want this cleared up so I can have a better understanding when overclocking in the future.

 

 

 

Thanks man! I don't believe I have tested my RAM yet. They are brand new, just bought about a month ago. I use them at stock speeds no problem, but if I just change just one timing, like from 9-9-9-24 to 8 in place of any one of the 9's, then the system won't boot at all, and upon restart, the BIOS tells me that the overclock settings failed. Does this mean that I have faulty RAM, or do they simply not OC very well? I believe my Vcore is plenty enough since some people can do 4.5GHz @ 1.300v, so maybe the 0x124 BSOD is coming from the RAM, as you said.

 

Thanks again, all!

 

Also, do my settings look alright? Do you guys recommend using offset or manual voltage for the Vcore? I'm not so sure how to use it, like what the offsign sign and voltage does. I read on some guides that it adds/subtracts voltage according to some motherboard command, but I can't figure that out, especially because the operating Vcore changes when changing the LLC setting. For example, I remember setting LLC to Extreme once with offset (Auto) voltage, and that brought the Vcore to 1.4v in Windows! That's way too much for 4.5GHz! So I followed some other guide and they recommended -0.015 offset voltage with LLC set on Auto, which I think is actually Ultra High, since both settings seem to keep the Vcore the same. I don't know, what do you guys say about this?

[Tjj226_Angel]

The ram is supposed to be at 1t, and I don't know what offset does, but I know that manual is what you should be using.

 

To resolve the BF3 problem, add more volts.

 

The question to your voltage questions would be to raise the voltage to 1.34v and leave it alone. Hopefully the over volting will compensate for the throttling you ate seeing with BF3. Voltages mean jack squat for your situation. It is fine, so put it out of your mind and don't worry so much.

 

Lower volts is better only because it is related to temp.

 

Your ram is fine at 9-9-9-24-1T. If you want to push it further, then replace the 9s with 8s. Otherwise don't bother.

 

Your settings are fine. Fix the throttling issue for your game and you can stop worrying about everything all together.

[Foruman]

The ram is supposed to be at 1t, and I don't know what offset does, but I know that manual is what you should be using.

 

To resolve the BF3 problem, add more volts.

 

The question to your voltage questions would be to raise the voltage to 1.34v and leave it alone. Hopefully the over volting will compensate for the throttling you ate seeing with BF3. Voltages mean jack squat for your situation. It is fine, so put it out of your mind and don't worry so much.

 

Lower volts is better only because it is related to temp.

 

Your ram is fine at 9-9-9-24-1T. If you want to push it further, then replace the 9s with 8s. Otherwise don't bother.

 

Your settings are fine. Fix the throttling issue for your game and you can stop worrying about everything all together.

 

OK, I won't worry about the voltages for now! I will only bump them up a bit if I continue to see the BSOD. So far, I haven't seen any in a long time, so that's good.

 

As for the RAM timings, the MB default is 2T, but Corsair doesn't say if it is 1T or 2T. Also, as I already said, I tried replacing any one of the 9s with 8s, but the system won't boot at all. However, I had Kingston HyperX BLU for RAM before, and was able to OC them to 7-8-7-21 1T from 9-9-9-24 2T, so I think the MB isn't to blame, just the RAM isn't very good at OCing.

 

P.S. I found this bit of info on a forum post by an admin of Corsair's forum:

Unless they explicitly say 1T, it's always been 2T.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Foruman

[Waco]

I wouldn't bother messing with your RAM timings. If it defaults to 9-9-9 2T leave it there. Unstable RAM is unfun RAM.

[Foruman]

I wouldn't bother messing with your RAM timings. If it defaults to 9-9-9 2T leave it there. Unstable RAM is unfun RAM.

 

Alright, I can live with that. They are already pretty fast as it is, and only costed me $40 a pair on Amazon, so I'm satisfied! I'm not into OCing RAM anyways...not familiar with all the timings and stuff.

 

Thanks Waco, for all the info that you've provided! This thread has certainly been very helpful.