Intel Haswell Overclocking Guide.docx

Intel Haswell & Haswell-Refresh CPU Overclocking Guide Prepared by @BigDay Credit goes to my overclocking mentor, @ProKoN ProKoN's Guide: Intel Haswell 4670k + 4770K Overclocking guide Last Updated: December 12, 2015

Table of Contents 1. WARNING 2. CPU’S COVERED 3. RECOMMENDED TOOLS 3.1. The Latest UEFI/BIOS For Your Motherboard 3.2. A Spreadsheet 3.3. Intel Extreme Tuning Utility 3.4. Aida64 3.5. HWiNFO64 3.6. Solid-State Drive (SSD) 3.7. CPU Cooling Solution 4. UEFI/BIOS OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS 5. OVERCLOCKING GUIDE OUTLINE 6. OVERCLOCKING THE CORE FREQUENCY & CORE VOLTAGE 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Disable Power Saving Features 6.3. Adjusting Other UEFI/BIOS Features 6.4. Safe Temperatures For Haswell 6.5. Core Voltage Limits 6.6. Overclocking The Core Frequency and Core Voltage 6.7. Overclocking The Core Higher Than 4.4 and 4.6 GHz 6.8. Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology 7. OVERCLOCKING THE CACHE FREQUENCY & CACHE VOLTAGE 7.1. Cache Voltage or Vring Limit 7.2. VRIN Limit 7.3. Gigabyte Motherboards: A Warning 7.4. Overclocking The Cache Frequency & Cache Voltage (Vring) 7.4.1. Method #1 - Conservative Approach 7.4.1.1. Increasing The VRIN When Increasing The Vring Fails 7.4.1.1.1. Example 1 7.4.1.2. Finding The Most Efficient Vring & VRIN Voltage 7.4.2. Method #2 - Aggressive Approach 7.4.2.1. Increasing The VRIN When Increasing The Vring Fails 7.4.2.2. Decreasing The Cache Ratio When Increasing The VRIN Fails 7.4.2.3. Finding The Most Efficient Vring & VRIN Voltage 8. OVERCLOCKING THE MEMORY 8.1. Introduction

8.1.1. Example 1 8.2. Maximum Voltages For Different Memory Kits 8.3. Setting a JEDEC Profile or an XMP Profile 8.3.1. Jedec 8.3.2. Xmp 8.4. Finding Stability By Increasing DRAM Voltage Manually 8.5. When Increasing The DRAM Voltage Manually Fails 9. ENABLING HASWELL POWER SAVING FEATURES 9.1. Gigabyte Motherboards: A Warning 9.2. Idle Conditions 9.3. Enabling Haswell Power Saving Features 9.3.1. Setting Adaptive Voltages on ASUS Motherboards 9.3.2. Setting Adaptive Voltages on ASRock Motherboards 9.3.3. Setting Adaptive Voltages on Gigabyte Motherboards 10. THE END

1. WARNING Overclocking your CPU improperly may render it inoperable. If you follow proper procedure and use caution, the chances of this happening remain small. I recommend you follow this guide step-by-step in order to avoid destruction. Any deviation from this guide is not recommended. By using this guide, you agree that I am not responsible for any damage done to your CPU and/or other components nor am I responsible for its death and/or the death of other components.

2. CPU’S COVERED This guide focuses on overclocking the following Intel Haswell and Haswell-Refresh CPUs: ●

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Haswell: ○ i5-4670K ○ i5-4770K Haswell-Refresh: ○ i5-4690K ○ i7-4790K

Turbo: 3.8 GHz Turbo: 3.9 GHz Turbo: 3.9 GHz Turbo: 4.4 GHz

3. RECOMMENDED TOOLS 3.1. The Latest UEFI/BIOS For Your Motherboard Before you begin, you MUST download and install the latest official UEFI/BIOS for your motherboard. Do not use this guide if you are not prepared to do this.

3.2. A Spreadsheet Keep track of your overclocking stress tests and CPU parameters in a spreadsheet. Use Microsoft Excel or download Libre Office (free). Keep track of the following within column headings in this order: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

XTU: CPU Stress Test, 8 HOURS, (P/F) Core Ratio Core Voltage (Vcore) Cache Ratio (Uncore Ratio) Cache Voltage (Vring) VRIN (also known as VCCIN, Initial Input Voltage, etc.) Memory Frequency (MHz) Memory Voltage

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XMP Profile (ON/OFF) Notes

3.3. Intel Extreme Tuning Utility Note: Download the latest version of Intel Extreme Tuning Utility IMPORTANT: We will run each stability test for 8 hours This guide will be based on Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) or AIDA64. I do not recommend that you use any other stress testing program. Other stress testing programs may overvolt your CPU during testing, XTU will not; the XTU benchmarking feature will. It is also a good marker of stability and easy to use. I do not recommend that you use XTU to change your CPU parameters, instead, I recommend that you use your UEFI/BIOS to make adjustments. If you have a Gigabyte board, you may not be able to set your Cache Ratio and Vring to adaptive. In order to bypass this, you may use XTU to set your Cache Ratio and Vring to adaptive mode. This would be the only exception. You may use XTU to monitor your CPU parameters such as core frequency, core voltage, etc. Some motherboards allow more information to be displayed through XTU than others. If you do not feel as though you have enough parameters in view, use HWiNFO64. AIDA64 also has a monitoring utility that is decent.

3.4. Aida64 If you find that Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) has not been a good marker for stability, you may use AIDA64. Personally, I have found that XTU has not been a good tool to use in order to find stability with my overclocks. Lately, I have been experimenting with AIDA64 instead. In order to start the stress testing process with AIDA64, open the program and follow these steps: Tools > System Stability Test In the System Stability Test menu, make sure you checkmark the following boxes: Stress CPU Stress FPU Stress cache Stress system memory Do not checkmark Stress local disks and/or Stress GPU(s)

From here, stress test your overclock for a total of 8 hours of “Elapsed Time”

3.5. HWiNFO64 Note: Download the latest version of HWiNFO64 You will use HWiNFO64 to monitor the following metrics. Highlight/bold them in the sensor sheet by going to the sensors page and clicking Settings > Custom: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Core Clocks Uncore Clock (also known as Cache Clock) Total CPU Usage Core Ratios Uncore Ratio Core Temperatures Core Max Vcore iGPU VAXG (this will be the amount of voltage going to your CPU graphics processor) CPU VRIN (also known as VCCIN and Initial Input Voltage) DDR (this will be the amount of voltage going to your RAM)

3.6. Solid-State Drive (SSD) I recommend that you use an SSD with your operating system installed on it in order to take advantage of faster boot times.

3.7. CPU Cooling Solution I recommend that you use a good cooling solution for your CPU. Overclocking without a proper cooling solution is not advised. Do not overclock your CPU if you are using a stock Intel heatsink and fan. Corsair and Noctua both make excellent CPU cooling components.

4. UEFI/BIOS OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS Before overclocking your Intel Haswell CPU, you must first load the optimized defaults in your UEFI/BIOS, save the settings, and restart your PC. Failure to do so may cause problems later on. Do not continue with this guide until you have completed these steps.

5. OVERCLOCKING GUIDE OUTLINE You must follow this guide step by step. If you do not, you will run into problems and you will lower your chances of finding stability at the most efficient level. You may also damage your chip. This guide will proceed in the following order: ● ● ● ●

Overclocking The Core Frequency & Core Voltage Overclocking The Cache Frequency & Cache Voltage Overclocking The Memory Enabling Haswell Power Saving Features

6. OVERCLOCKING THE CORE FREQUENCY & CORE VOLTAGE 6.1. Introduction We start our CPU overclocking journey by adjusting the core frequency and the core voltage. Finding stability with the core frequency and Vcore will take some time so be patient. Note: The core voltage is also known as the “Vcore”. Our goal is to find the highest possible and most efficient core frequency. That being said, I recommend that you stay within the temperature and voltage ranges that I outline in this guide. Keep in mind, every UEFI/BIOS layout is different. There may be a difference in the terminology used to describe certain parameters. Every chip performs differently. Some of you may reach a higher core clock and a lower Vcore than others. This is the essence of the silicon lottery. At this point in the guide, I am assuming that you have already set your UEFI/BIOS to its optimized defaults. If you have not done this, do this now. Once they have been set, save the settings and restart your PC. Note: If I have not mentioned a specific parameter when it comes time to adjust settings, assume that I want you to leave it alone. This means you must leave the parameter at its optimized default value.

6.2. Disable Power Saving Features Before you start tweaking the core frequency and core voltage, you need to disable a number of power saving features in the UEFI/BIOS. If you do not, your frequency and voltages may fluctuate during stress testing. We want everything to remain static. You can re-enable these features once you have found a stable overclock. Disable the following: ●

EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology)

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All of your C-States, including: ○ CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) ○ C3 State Support ○ C6/C7 State Support

6.3. Adjusting Other UEFI/BIOS Features ●

Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology; disable it. We want our CPU to follow the direction of the manual core ratio instead of the defined turbo boost ratio. You can re-enable this setting after you have found stability with your core overclock

6.4. Safe Temperatures For Haswell ●

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During stress testing with XTU or AIDA64: ○ Temperatures should NOT exceed 85 degrees Celsius ○ No more than 80 degrees Celsius as an average temperature The CPU will throttle down once its temperature reaches 94 degrees Celsius

6.5. Core Voltage Limits The following core voltage ranges were recommended to me by my overclocking mentor, @ProKoN: ● ●

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Less than (<) 1.30v ○ Safe! 1.30-1.44v ○ Safe! No CPU degradation. Requires an excellent cooling solution. Not recommended for those who are using air coolers or those concerned with heat 1.45-1.50v ○ An extreme cooling solution is required. Not recommended for most people. Apparently, 1.50v can kill your CPU on air. No one should go past 1.5v unless you are using DICE or LN2

6.6. Overclocking The Core Frequency and Core Voltage We will now attempt to overclock the core frequency and core voltage, also known as the Vcore in the UEFI/BIOS. Follow the steps in order exactly as described below: ● ●

For the i5-4670K, i5-4690K, and i7-4770K: ○ Set the CPU Core Ratio to 44 (4400 MHz or 4.4 GHz) For the i7-4790K: ○ Set the CPU Core Ratio to 46 (4600 MHz or 4.6 GHz)

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For ALL of the CPUs above: ○ Set CPU Vcore to 1.25v ○ Set CPU Vcore mode to “Static” ■ If your motherboard does not provide you with the option to set the Vcore to static, oftentimes, setting the Vcore manually will automatically do the job ○ Set the Cache Ratio (also known as Uncore Ratio) to 35 (3500 MHz or 3.5 GHz) ○ Set the Vring (also known as Cache Voltage) to 1.20v ○ Set Vring mode to “Static” ■ If your motherboard does not provide you with the option to set the Vring to static, oftentimes, setting the Vring manually will automatically do the job ○ Set VRIN (also known as VCCIN, Initial Input Voltage, etc.) to 1.90v ○ Set your RAM’s frequency to 1333 MHz ○ Set your RAM’s voltage to 1.50v Save the settings and boot into Windows Stress test using XTU or AIDA64 for 8 hours minimum

If you failed the test, increase the Vcore by 0.01v and re-test using the same core ratio; repeat if necessary until you pass and find stability. Our goal is to increase the core frequency as high as it can go and find stability with the lowest amount of Vcore. We MUST remain within safe operating temperatures and voltage limits at all times. Keep an eye on your temperatures during stress testing. We set the cache ratio to 35 so that it does not get in the way of our attempt to find stability with the highest possible core frequency and the lowest amount of Vcore. Sometimes when the cache ratio is set too high, we run into problems. We will be adjusting the cache ratio and Vring later on in the guide. Our goal is to achieve a cache ratio that is equal to or within 500 MHz of the core frequency. We will attempt to lower the Vring to its lowest possible value once we have found stability with the cache frequency. We set the VRIN to 1.90v so that it remains static during stress testing. We will attempt to lower this value later on. However, we may need to increase it in order to achieve a higher cache frequency. We set our memory to 1333 MHz in order to remove it as a possible reason for failure during stress testing. Once we have found stability with the highest core and cache frequency and the lowest amount of voltage, we will increase the RAM frequency and re-test for stability; we will go as high as possible.

6.7. Overclocking The Core Higher Than 4.4 and 4.6 GHz Note: We increase or decrease all CPU voltages in this guide by 0.01v A higher core ratio may require a higher Vcore in order to remain stable. At this point, you should have completed your first stress test. If you passed, increase the core ratio by one (1) and stress test again for 8 hours using the same Vcore. If you fail after increasing the core ratio by one (1), leave the core ratio alone and increase the voltage by 0.01v and re-test until you find stability. Repeat this process until you find stability with each increase of the core ratio. As the Vcore increases, so will your core temperatures. Increase the core ratio and Vcore until you have arrived at a core temperature or Vcore that you feel comfortable with; review the guidelines above. Once you have completed overclocking the core, you can try and lower the Vcore as much as possible in order to save energy and further preserve the life of your chip. To do this, you will need to continue stress testing for 8 hours after each Vcore decrease in order to find stability. Repeat this process until you find instability and then go back to the last Vcore setting in which you found stability; this would be the optimal Vcore setting for your overclock.

6.8. Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Once you have found the optimal core ratio and Vcore overclock, you may re-enable Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology in the UEFI/BIOS: ● ●

Enable Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Set each core to your overclocked core ratio

7. OVERCLOCKING THE CACHE FREQUENCY & CACHE VOLTAGE 7.1. Cache Voltage or Vring Limit I recommend that you do NOT increase the cache voltage or Vring past 1.45v

7.2. VRIN Limit The VRIN (also known as VCCIN, Initial Input Voltage, etc.) should not be increased past 2.10v

7.3. Gigabyte Motherboards: A Warning Update: If you have a Gigabyte motherboard, you may use Intel XTU to set your Cache Ratio and Vring to adaptive mode. This would be the only time I would use XTU to set your CPU parameters. Note: If you have a Gigabyte motherboard, you will not be able to achieve adaptive voltage on your cache frequency and Vring for a 24/7 overclock by simply using the UEFI/BIOS. Unfortunately, the Gigabyte offset function does not work. If this applies to you, simply enable the core frequency and Vcore overclock and leave the cache ratio (it is called the Uncore ratio on Gigabyte boards) on Auto and the Vring on Auto. Until Gigabyte fixes this issue, I do not recommend buying their Z97 boards. That being said, the core frequency and core voltage will still downclock if you enable the proper power saving features. It is up to you whether or not you would like to attempt overclocking the cache frequency and Vring. You can simply have an overclocked core frequency and Vcore and still reap the benefits of increased performance. If you do not want to overclock the cache and Vring, move onto the memory overclocking section; stress test your memory with your stock cache ratio and Vring. Make sure you input these values manually so that they will be set to static mode. Use XTU CPU stress test ONLY as it will not overvolt your CPU. You may also use AIDA64, but I am not sure if it will overvolt your CPU or not. So far, I have not had any problems using AIDA64. If you would like to learn how to overclock your cache frequency and Vring, continue reading the section below.

7.4. Overclocking The Cache Frequency & Cache Voltage (Vring) Our goal is to reach a 1:1 ratio between the core frequency and the cache frequency (also known as the Uncore frequency or ratio). If this is not possible, try your best to get it within 500 MHz. Not all CPU’s can achieve a 1:1 ratio while overclocked. Finding stability with the cache frequency and Vring will take some time so be patient. We can find stability with the highest possible cache frequency by increasing the: ● ●

VRIN (also known as VCCIN, Initial Input Voltage, etc.) Vring (also known as cache voltage, uncore voltage, etc.)

7.4.1. Method #1 - Conservative Approach ● ● ●

Set the core ratio to the highest value you found stability with ○ Set the core ratio mode to static Set the Vcore to the lowest value you found stability with ○ Set the Vcore mode to static Set the Vring to 1.20v

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○ Set the Vring mode to static Set the cache ratio to 39 (3900 MHz or 3.9 GHz) ○ Set the cache ratio mode to static Set the VRIN to 1.90v Set the RAM frequency to 1333 MHz Set the RAM voltage to 1.50v Save the settings and boot into Windows Stress test using XTU or AIDA64 for 8 hours minimum

If you failed the first test above, leave the cache ratio at 39 and increase the Vring by 0.01v and re-test for 8 hours. Repeat this process until you find stability at a cache ratio of 39. Once you have found stability at a cache ratio of 39, increase the cache ratio by one (1) and retest for 8 hours using the Vring value that you found stability with at the cache ratio of 39. If you fail this test, use the same cache ratio, but increase the Vring by 0.01v and re-test for 8 hours. Repeat the process of increasing the cache ratio by one (1) and increasing the Vring by 0.01v (up to a maximum of 1.45v) as necessary until you find stability. Only increase the Vring if you fail a test. Note: It is fine if your Vring is higher than your Vcore.

7.4.1.1. Increasing The VRIN When Increasing The Vring Fails While testing for stability with a higher cache ratio, if you find yourself constantly failing even after increasing the Vring several times, try increasing the VRIN voltage by 0.01v up to a maximum of 2.10v. If you still fail a test with a VRIN voltage of 2.10v and a somewhat high Vring, you may have to settle for whichever cache ratio you last found stability with. A more aggressive approach would be to increase the VRIN by 0.10v, up to a maximum of 2.10v.

7.4.1.1.1. Example 1 Patrick has found stability with the following settings: 4.6 GHz with a Vcore of 1.30v. He is not able to lower the Vcore anymore. This is his most efficient setting. He is now trying to find stability with the highest cache ratio and the most efficient Vring. After increasing the cache ratio and Vring as needed, his cache ratio is now set to 44. He has tried testing the cache ratio of 44 with the following Vring settings: 1.26, 1.27, 1.28, 1.29, 1.30, 1.31

Each time he has ran a test using the settings above, he has failed. In order to find stability, Patrick must increase his VRIN by 0.01v or, 0.10v if he wants to be more aggressive, until he finds stability, up to a maximum of 2.10v. Patrick sets his VRIN to 2.00v and Vring to 1.31v and runs another test. After 8 hours, he passes the test and deems the overclock stable. At this point, Patrick can either continue increasing the cache ratio, Vring, and VRIN if needed or he can stay at a cache ratio of 44 and find the most efficient Vring by lowering it until he finds instability; in this case, he would keep the last known stable Vring value.

7.4.1.2. Finding The Most Efficient Vring & VRIN Voltage Once you are satisfied with your cache ratio overclock, you may begin to find the most efficient Vring and VRIN by lowering their voltage values. Always lower the Vring first in 0.01v increments before lowering the VRIN. Once you have found stability with the lowest possible Vring, begin lowering the VRIN by 0.01v increments until you find the lowest possible stable VRIN value. A more aggressive approach would be to lower the VRIN by 0.10v; I doubt you will find stability lower than 1.90v on the VRIN. The default VRIN on most motherboards ranges from 1.70-1.90v. The VRIN must be 0.40v higher than the Vcore at a minimum.

7.4.2. Method #2 - Aggressive Approach ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Set the core ratio to the highest value you found stability with ○ Set the core ratio mode to static Set the Vcore to the lowest value you found stability with ○ Set the Vcore mode to static Set the Vring to the same value as the Vcore ○ Set the Vring mode to static Set the cache ratio to the same value as the core ratio ○ Set the cache ratio mode to static Set the VRIN to 1.90v Set the RAM frequency to 1333 MHz Set the RAM voltage to 1.50v Save the settings and boot into Windows Stress test using XTU or AIDA64 for 8 hours minimum

Method #2 is more aggressive and may be faster. In this method, you set the Vring to the same value as the Vcore and the cache ratio to the same value as the core ratio. If you fail this test, increase the Vring until you find stability (up to a maximum of 1.45v).

7.4.2.1. Increasing The VRIN When Increasing The Vring Fails If you are consistently failing while increasing the Vring and you are close to or at the maximum of 1.45v, increase the VRIN to 2.10v (this is the VRIN max) and re-test.

7.4.2.2. Decreasing The Cache Ratio When Increasing The VRIN Fails If you still fail even after increasing the VRIN to 2.10v and you have a high Vring, decrease the cache ratio by one (1) and re-test until you find stability. Repeat this process until you find stability.

7.4.2.3. Finding The Most Efficient Vring & VRIN Voltage Once you are satisfied with your cache ratio overclock, you may begin to find the most efficient Vring and VRIN by lowering their voltage values. Always lower the Vring first in 0.01v increments before lowering the VRIN. Once you have found stability with the lowest possible Vring, begin lowering the VRIN in 0.01v increments until you find the lowest possible stable VRIN value. A more aggressive approach would be to lower the VRIN by 0.10v; I doubt you will find stability lower than 1.90v on the VRIN. The default VRIN on most motherboards ranges from 1.70-1.90v. The VRIN must be 0.40v higher than the Vcore at a minimum.

8. OVERCLOCKING THE MEMORY 8.1. Introduction Note: Download the latest version of CPU-Z After you have found stability between the core frequency, Vcore, cache frequency, Vring, and VRIN, it is time to adjust the memory frequency and memory timings to their JEDEC or XMP values. You have a greater chance of finding stability with your CPU overclock at a JEDEC standard than you do with an XMP profile enabled. That being said, you should still attempt to find stability with an XMP profile enabled if it is available to you. You never know until you try. According to my overclocking mentor, @ProKoN: “XMP profiles are misleading; they are merely suggestions. There is no guarantee that your kit will run at an XMP profile. XMP mode is considered overclocking. Memory is based off of a JEDEC standard. Most memory manufacturers will only officially support the JEDEC standard and NOT the XMP profiles. You may have to contact the memory manufacturer to find out what they officially support in terms of frequency, voltages, etc. Keep in mind, an increased memory

frequency may require a higher voltage. That being said, Haswell is capable of running high frequency memory.”

8.1.1. Example 1 @ProKoN owned a 2x8 GB, DDR3-2400 MHz kit. The stock XMP profile suggested a voltage of 1.65v in order to run. However, he had to increase the DRAM voltage to 1.71v in order to find stability. When you load an XMP profile, three (3) variables are changed: 1. Memory frequency 2. Memory timings 3. Memory voltages IMPORTANT: CPU frequency is king. Obtain the best CPU clocks first. Sacrifice memory speed if you have to, not CPU frequency.

8.2. Maximum Voltages For Different Memory Kits According to @ProKoN, if your kit has one of the following voltages, do not exceed the recommended values below: 1. 1.35v; do not exceed 1.60v 2. 1.50v; do not exceed 1.70v 3. 1.65v; do not exceed 1.80v

8.3. Setting a JEDEC Profile or an XMP Profile 8.3.1. Jedec If you choose to adjust the memory speed and/or timings and you want to use a JEDEC profile: ● ● ●

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Set your overclocked values on the core frequency, Vcore, cache frequency, Vring, and VRIN Make sure the Vcore and and Vring voltages are set to static Open up CPU-Z > SPD > Memory Slot Selection > Choose a RAM slot # that is populated ○ CPU-Z may not be 100% accurate. For the highest accuracy, contact the memory manufacturer or review the literature that came with your memory. Refer to the “Timings Table” and review your JEDEC profiles; copy them down if needed Boot into your UEFI/BIOS

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Input the values manually or load your JEDEC profile Save your settings, and stress test using XTU CPU stress test or AIDA64 for 8 hours ○ We use the CPU stress test because if it fails, we know that the memory is the culprit and not the overclock

8.3.2. Xmp If you choose to increase the memory speed and/or timings and you want to use an XMP profile: ● ● ●

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Set your overclocked values on the core frequency, Vcore, cache frequency, Vring, and VRIN Make sure the Vcore and and Vring voltages are set to static Open up CPU-Z > SPD > Memory Slot Selection > Choose a RAM slot # that is populated ○ CPU-Z may not be 100% accurate. For the highest accuracy, contact the memory manufacturer or review the literature that came with your memory. Refer to the “Timings Table” and review your XMP profiles; copy them down if needed Boot into your UEFI/BIOS For XMP stability: ○ Set your memory frequency to Auto ○ Set your memory DRAM timing configuration to Auto ○ Set your memory DRAM voltage to Auto Load desired XMP profile Save your settings, and stress test using XTU CPU stress test or AIDA64 for 8 hours ○ Your core temperatures may be slightly higher than what they were before, do not be alarmed ○ We use the CPU stress test because if it fails, we know that the memory is the culprit and not the overclock

Note: According to @ProKoN, the XTU memory stress testing tool is not the best because it only utilizes approximately three (3) to four (4) GB of memory. That being said, it is still somewhat effective. If you choose to stress test your memory with another tool, you must set your Vcore mode to static. If you do not do this, the CPU will be overvolted. You may also try using the AIDA64 System Stability Test with “Stress system memory” checked.

8.4. Finding Stability By Increasing DRAM Voltage Manually If you failed the test in which you attempted to use an XMP profile with your CPU overclocked settings, you may have to try increasing the DRAM voltage manually in order to find stability. Once again, here are the maximum memory voltages according to @ProKoN:

If your kit has one of the following voltages, do not exceed the recommended values below: 4. 1.35v; do not exceed 1.60v 5. 1.50v; do not exceed 1.70v 6. 1.65v; do not exceed 1.80v ●

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DDR3-1600 MHz requires 1.50v ○ If your DDR3 kit has an XMP profile of 1600 MHz @ 1.35v, it may require as much as 1.50-1.60v in order to remain stable; this is normal DDR3-1866 MHz requires 1.65v Acceptable voltage range for DDR3 = 1.30-1.80v

If your XMP profile is not stable at a stock voltage, increase the DRAM voltage in 0.10v increments until you are stable for a minimum of 8 hours using XTU CPU stress testing tool. If you have found stability, decrease the DRAM voltage by 0.05v and re-test for stability. Your goal should be to run the lowest amount of voltage possible while still keeping stability.

8.5. When Increasing The DRAM Voltage Manually Fails If you have not had any luck finding stability by increasing the DRAM voltage with your XMP profile enabled, you should manually input the stock frequency, timings, and voltage; if there is a timing option called “LINK”, enable it. With regards to the command rate, review the details below: ● ● ●

1600-2133 MHz Some 1666 MHz kits At or above 2133 MHz

= = =

most likely a command rate of 1T some of them run at 2T, not all most likely a command rate of 2T

To find the most accurate information regarding the command rate, check the literature that came with your memory kit or contact the memory manufacturer. Once you have inputted the stock frequency, timings (including the command rate), and voltage, test for stability using the XTU CPU stress testing tool or use AIDA64 with “Stress system memory” over an 8 hour period. If you fail this test, try and decrease your memory frequency to the next lowest level. For example, if your memory kit has a suggested stock speed of 2133 MHz, lower it to 1866 MHz, then stress test again for 8 hours to test for stability. If you STILL have no luck after attempting the steps above, contact your memory manufacturer’s tech support line and load the values they suggest BEFORE considering your units defective.

9. ENABLING HASWELL POWER SAVING FEATURES After you have found stability between your CPU overclock and your memory, it is time to enable the Haswell power saving features.

9.1. Gigabyte Motherboards: A Warning Update: If you have a Gigabyte motherboard, you may use Intel XTU to set your Cache Ratio and Vring to adaptive mode. This would be the only time I would use XTU to set your CPU parameters. Note: If you have a Gigabyte motherboard, you will not be able to achieve adaptive mode on your cache frequency and Vring by simply using the UEFI/BIOS. Unfortunately, the Gigabyte offset function does not work. If this applies to you, simply enable the core frequency and Vcore overclock and leave the cache ratio (it is called the Uncore ratio on Gigabyte boards) on Auto and the Vring on Auto. Until Gigabyte fixes this issue, I do not recommend buying their Z97 boards. That being said, the core frequency and core voltage will still downclock if you enable the following power saving features.

9.2. Idle Conditions During idle, your core frequency should drop to around 800 MHz with a core voltage of about 0.70v. The CPU and mainboard should draw about 60-70w at idle. All additional peripherals, graphics cards, lights, fans, etc. will increase the total system idle wattage. Under idle conditions, the Haswell CPU frequency and voltage values will be quite volatile; this is normal.

9.3. Enabling Haswell Power Saving Features If you do not have some of the following features below, input what you do have. Make the following changes in the UEFI/BIOS: ● ● ● ● ●

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Core ratio mode: Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Vcore voltage mode: Vring voltage mode: Enable all of your C-States, including: ○ CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) ○ C3 State Support ○ C6/C7 State Support ○ Package C-State Limit EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology)

Dynamic or Adaptive Enabled or Auto Dynamic or Adaptive Dynamic or Adaptive

Enabled or Auto

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Thermal monitor

Enabled or Auto

Setting Adaptive Voltages on Gigabyte Motherboards

9.3.1. Setting Adaptive Voltages on ASUS Motherboards To enable adaptive core (Vcore) and cache (Vring) voltages on your ASUS motherboard: ● ●

Boot into your UEFI/BIOS Select the “Extreme Tweaker” tab at the top of the screen and adjust the following settings: ○ Fully Manual Mode: Disabled ○ CPU Core Voltage: Adaptive Mode ○ Additional Turbo Mode CPU Core Voltage: Input your Vcore here ○ CPU Cache Voltage: Adaptive Mode ○ Additional Turbo Mode CPU Cache Voltage: Input your Vring here ○ Save your settings and restart

9.3.2. Setting Adaptive Voltages on ASRock Motherboards To enable adaptive core (Vcore) and cache (Vring) voltages on your ASRock motherboard: ● ●

Boot into your UEFI/BIOS Select the “OC Tweaker” tab at the top of the screen and adjust the following settings under the “FIVR Configuration” heading: ○ CPU Voltage Mode ○ CPU Adaptive Voltage ○ CPU Cache Voltage Mode ○ CPU Cache Adaptive Voltage

9.3.3. Setting Adaptive Voltages on Gigabyte Motherboards In order to set the Vcore and Vring parameters to adaptive mode on a Gigabyte Z97 motherboard, you have to use Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU). Follow these steps: 1. Restart your PC and boot into the UEFI/BIOS 2. Set the UEFI/BIOS to its optimized defaults (stock settings) 3. If your overclocked settings require a different VCCIN or VRIN than the stock setting, set this parameter now to the setting you found stability with during your stress tests 4. If you have found stability with the XMP profile enabled on your memory, enable this setting now; adjust the memory voltage if needed (you should have found a stable setting for the memory voltage during your stress tests)

5. Boot into Windows and load XTU in administrator mode 6. Set your Core Ratio, Vcore, Cache Ratio (or Uncore Ratio), and Vring to their overclocked values in XTU (do NOT click “Apply” yet!). The values that are being adjusted should be highlighted in yellow 7. Now that you have set all of the overclocked values in step #6, you may now click the “Apply” button. Do NOT click “Apply” until you have set each value to their overclocked state 8. Save these settings as a profile by clicking “Save” We use XTU because some Gigabyte boards do not allow you to set adaptive mode for the Cache Ratio (or Uncore Ratio) and the Vring. Sometimes when you restart your PC and boot into Windows, your overclocked settings will revert back to their stock values. If this happens, go back into XTU and select your desired overclocked profile and click “Apply”. Make sure the profile you wish to enable on a consistent basis is #1 in the saved list in XTU. If you adjust one setting at a time and click “Apply” in XTU, it may result in a crash, especially if you tweak the voltage settings. This is why I recommend you adjust all of the settings first and then click “Apply” at the end.

10. THE END Once you have found stability between your core ratio, Vcore, cache ratio, Vring, VRIN, and your memory, and you have enabled the Haswell power saving features, you are all done and ready to use your 24/7 overclock. I would like to thank @ProKoN, for teaching me how to overclock my CPU. You can view his guide by clicking HERE. If you have found this guide helpful, please share it with your friends. Do not forget to click the “Like This” button on the bottom right hand side of this post if you are reading this on the LTT forums. Thank you for taking the time to read this guide! -BigDay