Overclocking i5-4690K

Does anyone know how much you can overclock the i5-4690K?

4.6Ghz with Corsair 100i, you can go up to 5Ghz if you really want to; it all depends on what YOU concider are normal temps.

I would suggest not going above 70C

EDIT: benchmarks say that you can reach 1.4V at 4.9Ghz going up to 90C

It varies for each CPU do to silicon lottery, but as long as you have a decent cooler you should be able to get 4.5ghz+

If you really know how to overclock, you can get 5GHz out of it but you'd need a custom loop. I wouldn't push it past 4.5GHz, there's no point. You'd only be killing your chip faster with high voltages and high temps.

@insane_metalist: I have a $30 aftermarket CPU cooler so I don't think I'm going to push it past 4.3 for now. Maybe when I get a liquid cooler then il push it more.

That's a good idea. Decent $30 heatsinks are pretty much made to push i5 2500K / 3570K / 4670K / 4690K around 4.4GHz.

OR Noctua D14 / D15

I've never overclocked anything before but was thinking of overclocking the 4690k I will be getting.
Can someone explain to me what overclocking really does?
And I shall be playing all the latest games at highest settings on my 1080p monitor. To what extent should I overclock my CPU? Can and to what extent should I overclock my CPU with the stock heatsink/fan? And finally, what affordable cooler should I get for overclocking my CPU to the recommended value?

Overclocking is the ability of running set piece of hardware beyond what manufacturer had set for clockrates. Overclocking results can vary, but overclocking modern cpu's for the most part for the average user is not worth it. Unless your running multiple gpu's and or running a game that only uses one core overclocking that cpu isnt going to do a whole lot.What determines you being able to run the latest games on ultra settings is the graphics card.

Never overclock on stock heatsinks, but if you are looking for a cheap but good heatsink for overclocking or just keeping the cpu cool the Hyper212 EVO is a good choice.

@04dcarraher: How am I supposed to know if the game is using only one core? Besides, I play 80% of the new games that come out every month. I don't see myself checking if each of the game I play is using one or all cores.

And you said overclocking for the "average user" isn't worth it. What did you mean by that? By average user, do you mean the mid-ranged PCs as compared to dual-GTX980 setups?

And if I use the Hyper212 EVO, what is the recommended clock rate I should overclock my CPU to?

@leeuwenhok:

Checking cpu usage while playing will show you if said game is using once core or more.

Even if you take that i5 4690k to 4.8 ghz which is a higher end overclock, vs stock on average you will see 5-10% difference in frame rates. So if your getting a solid 60 fps a 10% increase will give you 66 fps.

Unless your running multiple gpu's and have to reach a set frame rate, overclocking an i5 isnt going to help a whole lot.

@04dcarraher So why are people buying the 4690"k"? Why not the regular version? It doesn't help much, then why even bother?

gives people the option too, overclocking can also increase the life out of a aging system as well.

That's what I personally think; IMO it's all about the score in benchmarks (CPU mark etc);

About your last question: OC is basically in terms of gaming - is to cover the lazy job of devs with their crappy PC ports and poor optimization by adding more horse power.

Thanks, guys. So my final question, actually 2 questions.

If I do not use a CPU cooler, to what GHz should I overclock my CPU, if at all, while staying completely in the safe zone.

Same question as above, but what is the safe GHz with the Hyper212 EVO?

Do not oc on a stock cooler, on the h212 evo I think 4.2-4.4GHz is do able without high temperatures and have it stable. Although if you got an awful chip you might want to stop at 4.1, and if you have an excellent chip you can probably reach 4.5 without any problems.

What do you mean - you don't use a CPU cooler? none at all or stock from Intel/AMD? none at all it'll shutdown due to heat in few seconds.

Out of the BOX CPU cooler by Intel or AMD I wouldn't OC at all.

2nd question: depends on the CPU, if you're talking about something modern (4670 / 4690) I wouldn't go above 4.3Ghz

@horgen What do you mean by awful and excellent chips? I'm getting the 4690k as all other people. Why would it be any different?

@PredatorRules I'm talking about overclocking the 4690k with the Hyper212 EVO. What "safe" GHz do you recommend?

As I said before not above 4.3Ghz

@leeuwenhok: No single silicon chip is exactly like another. Some i5 4690k's might take more heat, allow for higher voltages, and clocks then another of the same make and model. With silicon it's a luck of the draw kind of thing you never really know how good your chip stacks up to others in it's model group till you test it out and push it to a higher clock speed.

I suggest you watch these videos before doing any overclocking. Best too know what your doing and why before you go about changing things that could potentially ruin your whole build if done incorrectly. Sorry broken links due to new broken link system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CHs5_TdpXE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBfXruwe8w4

Some chips OC a lot better then others.

Yeah what Insane said. The silicon lottery. You're guaranteed the speed they advertise, but how much faster you can easily go is sorta like a lottery.