i5 2500k 4ghz OC limit?

[mkmitch]

Ok, I managed to get back into windows successfully with optimised defaults (although it had set my SATA mode from AHCI to IDE which caused a hiccup). Thanks for being so helpful, it seems my chip really can't do 4.5ghz though.

Sounds to me like the board is the most likely culprit. I have a buddy having trouble with the same board when he tries to OC. I'll see what he did if anything as its been awhile since I spoke to him about it. Let you know if I hear anything new.

 

[fishingcat]

Do you think that updating the BIOS version would help? I'm on f4 at the moment and the latest is f8.

 

[Charlie98]

I would update the BIOS to the lastest version, at this point it probably can't hurt. Also, anytime you reset the BIOS to 'default' or 'performance,' it sets SATA mode to IDE... I found that out, too.

I think your chip is capable of 4.5GHz, you just need to approach it a little differently. True, that board isn't an OC monster, but with the proper BIOS adjustments (and the proper CPU cooler) it is capable of 4.5GHz, at least in theory. Your setup is very similar to mine. Looking at your OP, your RAM voltage was way too high and I don't know that you really needed all that vCore voltage.

Stay away from any of the Gigabyte overclock utilities... Smart6 or EasyTune6... they both crashed my system until I took over manual adjustments of the BIOS settings, they pumped way too much voltage into the system at load.

 

[Kenmitch]

Do you think that updating the BIOS version would help? I'm on f4 at the moment and the latest is f8.

Running the latest bios would most likely be best if your that far behind.

I don't see a f4 listed for the MB you say you have....Or at least what it looks like you have based off your first post anyways.

Gigabyte Z68x-UD3P as stated in your first post is in reality the GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 as shown on Gigabytes webpage?

 

[fishingcat]

Yeah it's the B3 on the webpage. My BIOS is the F4 from May 2010, which isn't on the Gigabyte website.

 

[Kenmitch]

Yeah it's the B3 on the webpage. My BIOS is the F4 from May 2010, which isn't on the Gigabyte website.

That kinda explains the WTF I got when looking for review to help educate you and get you going in the correct direction.

I'm pretty sure once you update the bios the first thing you'll think is WTF once it reboots. You got the shipping bios and looks to me that the first update changed it from the old look to the new look as in click bios.

I'd suggest downloading the latest bios. Reboot your rig and load bios defaults reboot and flash to the current one.

Think the flash can be down thru bios on your board....Double check to see. Also follow the instructions as to where the file needs to be such as HDD or flash drive.

Good luck on your overclocking adventure

 

[fishingcat]

I've flashed the new BIOS and it turns out that it looks identical (the touch BIOS is a separate addon). I'll probably look at OCing again tomorrow to see if I can get any more out of it.

 

[fishingcat]

I just tried a 40x multiplier with everything left on auto, booting into BIOS showed my VCore set to 1.345V (I also had multisteps loadline at 4) which I figured should be fine, if a little high. Booting into windows made the PC turn off at the loading screen, disk drive span madly etc. I reset everything to normal in BIOS, booted into windows to have my mouse and keyboard not work, had to boot into safe mode and plug things back in again. I'm beginning to suspect board problems here.

 

[Charlie98]

Touch bios requres a touch screen... the standard BIOS looks a bit archaic but it works and, at least to me, is easy to get around.

I also had a problem with getting my keyboard recognized, I had to borrow a PS/2 board from a friend before I could get it to recognize it... I had no luck with a USB keyboard.

I still think you are rushing things too much... get the damned thing to boot up at stock speed and show some stability, and then ease into OC'ing.

 

[fishingcat]

The attempt to run it at 4.0ghz should have been fine because I was able to hit it before. Unfortunately the more times I try the worse everything gets.

 

[SickBeast]

OP you might need 1.4v or even a bit more to get your chip fully stable at 4.5ghz. Most seem to do it at 1.35v but I'm sure that doesn't apply to every CPU.

 

[Charlie98]

Unfortunately the more times I try the worse everything gets.

You are making my point for me...

 

[fishingcat]

I tried to hit 4ghz again at 1.3V (which I was successfully able to do before I tried to hit 4.5ghz) only to have my computer BSOD at startup. The strange thing is that the BCCode was 24, which indicates a problem with the NTFS filesystem. Now I'm seriously confused.

 

[fishingcat]

In case anyone is still interested, I've got things working with a 4.4ghz stable overclock using this guide: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693613
I think it was disabling EIST that made the difference (although C3/C6 still allows me to throttle back to 1.6ghz at idle).

 

[Charlie98]

In case anyone is still interested, I've got things working with a 4.4ghz stable overclock using this guide: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693613
I think it was disabling EIST that made the difference (although C3/C6 still allows me to throttle back to 1.6ghz at idle).

If you have an SSD, C3/C6 will slow down the write speeds...

Once I disabled them everything went back to normal...