How much should I overclock?

gunmetalTrevan

gunmetalTrevan

New Member
I'm looking to actually use the extra $10 I spent on my 2500k vs the 2500 and overclock. Right now I'm using the stock cooler with the included paste on the heatsink and a small dab of my own paste on it. When idling, it's ~29-32c, but it jumps up to ~42c a bit less than half the time I'm on my computer, but that may just be Skype or something. With Prime95 open for an hour or so, the max temp in any of the cores is 73c, while the games I play usually only push it to the mid/high 60s (I probably won't game for more than 3 hours in one sitting). What speed could I safely bring it up to with the current setup? I don't know a lot about overclocking CPUs - I mostly just build and use computers, but I've also been looking at misc threads on the forum for a couple weeks to learn other things. I know that using the OC software that comes with boards isn't that great of an idea and it should be done through the BIOS, so what voltages should I set relative to the speed? Does OCing even a little bit affect the temperature very much?

Thanks for any help.
 
Last edited:
You put more paste on the cooler along with the paste already on there? That's probably making it hotter. More paste does not equal cooler temps.

But like wolfe said, get an aftermarket cooler. It'll get hot fast.
 
I am not sure about the 212+, but I would not recommend the 212EVO at all. It does its job okay, but on the g530 and 2600k at stock speeds I see better temps with the stock cooler (by about 10*C @ 100% load). Overclocked, it will do better than the intel cooler, but not exactly great.
 
wolfeking said:
I am not sure about the 212+, but I would not recommend the 212EVO at all. It does its job okay, but on the g530 and 2600k at stock speeds I see better temps with the stock cooler (by about 10*C @ 100% load). Overclocked, it will do better than the intel cooler, but not exactly great.
Click to expand...

CM 212+/EVO are known as very good coolers for their price. Weird you're saying the opposite.
 
I like my Arctic Cooling Freezer 13. It does the job, it's gotten my 2500K to a stable 4.3Ghz and at full load the temps never really go beyond 70C. You're looking at anywhere between 30-40C at idle and that's with no fancy thermal paste.

To answer the original question, anything 4.0GHz or higher would be a good overclock. I've gotten an extra gigahertz out of my 2500K.
 
wolfeking said:
I am not sure about the 212+, but I would not recommend the 212EVO at all. It does its job okay, but on the g530 and 2600k at stock speeds I see better temps with the stock cooler (by about 10*C @ 100% load). Overclocked, it will do better than the intel cooler, but not exactly great.
Click to expand...

I use the 212+ Evo, and my i5-3570K never goes above 50C under 100% load :D
 
Well mine even at 4.2GHz was maxxing out at 76* on the coolest core. And that is at 1.330V too. On the stock settings I was topping out at about 70 on the coolest core. On the stock cooler with stock settings it never goes above 50*.
 
claptonman said:
You put more paste on the cooler along with the paste already on there? That's probably making it hotter. More paste does not equal cooler temps.
Click to expand...
This ^.

The factory applies the correct amount of paste. More, or less, defeats it's purpose.

There's several good coolers to choose from. Just depends on how much you want to spend, how you want it to look, and if it will fit your case.
 
It looks like this is the cooler that has been discussed...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
It has an outrageous rating at only $30 ($20 with rebate). The EVO also has very high ratings, but the plus is significantly more popular. And as Wolfe said... Well, one bad experience is still feedback, so I think the plus will be a good choice over the EVO. If I wanted to OC to say 4.4-4.6GHz, what volts should I set and what temperatures should I expect?
 
The + has more ratings because it's been out longer. In benches I think the Evo with it's slightly better fan barely performs better than the +, but it's kinda like splitting hairs. The + for $20 is a good cooler/buy.

You'll want to oc a little at a time while monitoring temps and stability instead of just setting the voltage to a certain amount.
 
Alright, thanks. I do want the 212 plus mainly because of the extra $10 off after a rebate. If done right and my computer is stable, should this heatsink get me up to 4.6GHz?
 
If you apply the thermal paste right, you'll probably able to reach that without overheating. The 212 is meant for oc's between 4.2 - 4.5 with an i5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top