Windows 7: I5 3570K @4.5GHZ - is this ok?

Hi,
Recently rebuilt into an intel system from my old AMD 1100T. I've overclocked the I5 3570K to 4.5GHZ using the Asrock AXTU tuner. I was expecting (and dreading) increasing the voltage however I have not needed to do this? Also my temps using the Nocura DH-14 I installed are only about 40 (28-30 when Idle) when playing Battlefield 3, Crysis etc.



Is this normal or should I increase the voltage? Am I getting the benefit of the overclock? I did try to push it 4.7 but it wouldn't boot. Vcore voltage shows as 1.000V in AXTU and clock speed as 4500MHZ in CPUZ. Specs Below

Asrock Z77 Extreme 4
Intel I5 3570K
HD7970 at 1000/1425.
Ripsaw 1600DDR3 RAM
Samsung F something 1TB HDD
Noctura DH14 Fan.

Im new to Intel chips as i've always had AMD so help and advice is appreciated.

Many thanks

I wouldnt OC using any auto tool. They tend to overvolt everything.
You better off just OCing through the bios, and stress testing/watching temps.

A 4.5-4.6ghz OC should not be too hard to accomplish without much tweaking to voltage.
All CPUs are different so its hard to say how much,if any, extra voltage youll need, but I can pretty much guarantee its less than any Auto OC tool will apply.


For example, with my 2700K, I just turned Vdroop control ON, and set my voltage at 1.25v, as this the ballpark voltage I wanted for 24/7 use.
Then started turning up the CPU multiplier untill it started failing stress tests. I then adjusted Multipliers and/or voltage from there to get the desired OC.

As mentioned all CPUs are different, but doing similar you should find a 4.3 - 4.6OC in that range depending on the chips attidude.

some people say that the best way of overclocking an ivy is to undervolt first as some people think it is too high to start off with,follow his advice and overclock only in the bios, if something goes wrong all you need is to clear cmos but if it from software there is a possibilty of needing to reinstall widnows

Run CPU-Z and post take a snippet of it for us

Hi sorry about delay - been busy!!!

Idle (only windows running)


When Playing BF3


Cheers

At idle on the desktop, Intel Speedstep downclocks the CPU to 1.6Ghz. CPUz is not showing the frequency correctly but is showing the voltage correctly. Your CPU will not run 4.5 at .984V. If it does, I'll buy it from you. I agree with everyone else here. Never use software to overclock. Do it manually in BIOS. But first read up on overclocking so you know what the bios settings do.

Ah I see. What voltage should I increase to in bios?

Thanks for the help - These intel chips are new to me!!!

No one can tell you. All CPUs are different and the other board settings affect it too. There are a lot of overclocking guides on the net. and most boards handle settings different.

What essenbe said. I agree 100%

But in general, theres really only 3 things you need to do.

Set RAM speed. Usually for its advertised speeds/timings.
You should only need to adjust the CPu multiplier which will be your OC speed. CPU Multi * 100 = CPu speed. I/E if you set it at x45 45x100-4500 or 4.5gz.
And the 3rd setting, should you need it will be CPU Vcore.

Many do things slightly different, but for me I like to leave EIST/Speed step enabled and look for stability with it on, as I believe it to be a very good thing. This way your OC is only active when needed. Others like it turned off. Theres really no right or wrong answer, but more of a preference. But also depends on the OC your trying to achieve.
For example, if you just going for 4.0-4.5Ghz, you can leave it on and get the benefits from it. However, if you want to go fro high OCs, say 4.8 or higher, you may be forced to turn it off to get stability.
But, as mentioned, all CPUs are different so generic advice is really all that can be given. You'll need to test yourself if your CPU/MOBO/RAM combo is happy or not.

theres also another setting, called different things. Essentially, its a Vdroop control. I always set mine to WITHOUT VDroop. It may also be called Load Line Calibration On or OFF. Depends on the motherboard bios.


Please keep in mind, this is just "general" direction. Please, do reasearch and do not randomly start changing things as you can easily destroy your hardware.
Know voltage limits, heat ranges as well as what the settings in your bios do. If you are serious about learning it, theres a wealth of information suited to your exact hardware that will explain each setting in detail.
This will be a good starting point, and by knowing this information you will know what safe ranges are as well as what to and where to look if a problem comes up. It will be worth its wieght in gold later, trust me

Every CPU, RAM kit, and motherboard have thier own little quirks and personalities. I had a older Intel Quad one time that was stable up to 3.6ghz. At 3.7 it would crash and burn. But by bumping the FSB a bit more beyong that "spot", it would run at 4.0Ghz happily.
Some CPUS may just hit a wall at a certain point at thats all they will do, period. Others, will hit a thermal limit before hitting a speed wall and the solution is much better cooling to go further. And then theres some golden (or rare) chips out there that can just pull off remarkable things without blinking an eye. And thats just possibilities from identical chips, just from different batches. Anyway, you get the idea.



But your main 3 for a I/B setup will be: 1) CPU Multi 2) RAM Speed 3) CPU Vcore (slight adjuments - should still be somewhere close to stock)
For a 4.5 or so OC these shopuld be all that need adjusted.

Generally speaking (again each CPU is different) after 4.5, adjustments and setting start becoming more critical for stability.

Thanks guys - I'll give this a go.

Cheers for the info!