Safe OC for i5-4690k?

So recently I "upgraded" to an Intel i5-4690k. Currently at stock 3.5Ghz. I know the K series was made to basically be overclocked, and I purchased a new cooler for it, which was recommended for minor OC. Now my question is this. Have any of you successfully OC an i5-4690k before without a liquid cooler, and if so, what was your max stable range, and how much if at all did you have to increase the voltage?

My current goal is to not have to increase the voltage, and push it up to 4.2Ghz. If I can manage that, and keep it cool and stable, I can manage until I upgrade again to an i7.

You'll be perfectly fine at your goals, hell, you can even do 4.4GHz @1.2V~, and still be safe.

Regardless, try first. There are no same processor chips, some can overclock super high and be safe, whilst others can't make it past 3.9 without BSOD'ing.

I kept my 4690K at 4.6GHz @1.29V cool with your same cooler, before I upgrade to a 4960x. Like I said, try to overclock first. I had to throw my first 4690k away because it fried while I tried overclocking it to 3.7GHz.

Oh good, I think I'll try to 4.2GHz first, then if stable during testing, push it to 4.4GHz. Did you test in increments of 200MHz until crash or just threw it up there? I also read somewhere (IIRC) that with a good liquid cooler you can push 4.8 and even 4.9 on some systems. Albeit by that point with the price of a good cooler, you can just save a bit more and get a better cpu.

This is my first time with Intel in many years, have had an AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition which ran at 3.2GHz since 2010, and I was hoping to notice a difference in my FPS when upgrading, but I haven't.

Originally Posted by Liz

Oh good, I think I'll try to 4.2GHz first, then if stable during testing, push it to 4.4GHz. Did you test in increments of 200MHz until crash or just threw it up there? I also read somewhere (IIRC) that with a good liquid cooler you can push 4.8 and even 4.9 on some systems. Albeit by that point with the price of a good cooler, you can just save a bit more and get a better cpu.

This is my first time with Intel in many years, have had an AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition which ran at 3.2GHz since 2010, and I was hoping to notice a difference in my FPS when upgrading, but I haven't.

I said screw it, and I OC'd to 4.2GHz to see if my CPU was worth it, after that, I Overclocked it by 200Mhz, twice, then did 100, 50, 10, etc... Until 4.6GHz.

To answer your question, if you do get a good cooler, you can OC it to the max. I used liquid nitrogen on a good chip, and I managed 5.6GHz for about 20 Minutes, then it BSOD'd. I used another 4690k with an H100i, and I managed 4.96GHz IIRC. You also don't need top of the line custom watercooling loops to achieve high clock speeds. I've had friends OC their 4960K's to 4.7-5 with an $80 Noctua Cooler.

Overclocking AMD vs Intel is Night and Day. AMD requires a higher voltage because of the amount of juice they require to be powered. Intel has mostly been in the 1.2-1.3V~ range.

That's actually a relief to hear. I was actually looking at a Noctua before settling for the CM. My main concern was the size. It seems like it might sit too high for my case. Might be silly, but I have not seen one at any store to really tell.

Installed cooling system, and successfully OC'ed to 4.4Ghz. Thank you!

Safe OC for i5-4690k?

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