Overclock i7 3770k past 4.2Ghz on GA-Z77X-UD5H

[sunkast]

So I have my new computer up and running, and have begun overclocking. I've been using this guide for info on what settings int he bios to adjust. So far I've got it running at 4.2Ghz no problem. As soon as I change the multiplier to 43, Prime95 and other programs begin to crash. I've tried adjusting the voltage to 1.25v and other settings according to the guide, but nothing seems to work.

Temps are in the low 70s. Also, I've run Memtest86 for the RAM and made two complete passes on each stick.

Does anyone have any other ideas of what I could try to OC past 4.2? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Would really love to get my OC to 4.6.

System specs:

Intel I7 3770K
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H mobo
G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB DDR3 1600
Antec P280 case
Corsair TX750 PSU
EVGA GTX 670 FTW

 

[DBP]

There are all sorts of ways to overclock.

Try a different, simpler approach. Set everything back to default. Then instead of specifying a fixed V[sub]core[/sub], set it to Normal and specify an offset. Then the voltage will go up and down in response to speed. When you hit something that works, I try lower and lower offsets and test for stability: a lower offset equals a lower voltage equals a cooler chip.
But as well as testing with Prime95/small for maximum core temps, also let it idle. If your offset drops the voltage too low you might hit a problem there too. And keep in mind that the Ivy Bridge power management enhancements that are being explored (which I think drop the idle to 1.2 GHz instead of 1.6) may change the behaviour at the bottom end too.

There are more settings you can tweak from there, but I think it's a good simple start.

On my 3770 I'm actually running a negative offset at 4.1 GHz. On my 3770K (with an NH-D14) I'm currently running at 4.5 GHz with +0.030. I started a lot higher, and gradually drop the offset down and do another round of testing.

 

[sunkast]

Wow that seems to have actually worked. That's really strange that I can't just set a voltage. I don't have OSX installed yet, but I assume this will still work once I do? Thanks for your help.

 

[DBP]

I don't have OSX installed yet, but I assume this will still work once I do? Thanks for your help.

Yes, after you've set the machine back to stock configuration and installed OS X, you should be able to use the same settings to get overclocking back.
But I would definitely leave the machine at stock during the installation and as you get your environment running. If something unusual starts happening that's one fewer things to suspect. It will definitely make your life simpler, and you can easily ramp up the clock later.

 

[konjow]

DBD could you share you bios settings please.

 

[DBP]

DBD could you share you bios settings please.

DBD? DBP?
I've described my settings above (on top of the base settings described in the lammergeier build thread).

 

[konjow]

DBP Sorry , thanks

 

[melvyn]

Hi DBP,

Was wondering if you could help me with OCing, totally new to it.

Currently have a i7-3770k and a Gigabyte UD5H. Will buy a decent cooler after I've researched how to overclock successfully.

I think I've worked out I want to do it by setting an offset instead of static voltage (unless you suggest otherwise!?), so the voltage can drop down at idle. Do I start at a frequency of maybe 4GHz and keep going up until I get problems, then start increasing the offset?

Are there other setting I need to consider? Perhaps the LLC?

Sorry for noobishness, I can't really get my head around where to start with OCing, there seem to be so many possible configurations and guides out there, I feel quite lost! If you have any advice or resources to look at I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!