Disclaimer

The information below is relevant for the E5450 and X5470, primarily on the P45 (the P43 has a ceiling of 420 on the bus, other chipsets are even worse).

Remember that an increase in frequency gives an exponential increase in t° with increasing component degradation.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: WE DO EVERYTHING AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Preliminary preparation

• First, create a restore point in Windows.
• Before overclocking, it is advisable to think about cooling the components: CPU, socket, bridges, mosfets (you can check with your finger - if it lasts 10-15 seconds, then the temperature is within normal limits with a margin).
• Let's cover ourselves with information on terms/settings (for each vendor the points may differ, but the essence is the same) like this.
• We select strips with the same timings for a two-channel (1-3; 2-4), ideally all strips from the same vendor with the same timings.
• It is advisable to remove the battery from the motherboard to make it easier to reset the settings when overclocking.

Overclocking procedure

1. We turn off all the fake whistles: energy saving, virtualization, Spread Spectrum, Speedstep, Halt State (fixes the multiplier).
2. PCIE at 101.
3. Tire in 405.
4. In DRAM we select the lowest frequency (DRAM-FSB 1:1 depends on the mother, but there seem to be no problems with P43 and P45, there is no information about others).
5. We don’t touch the voltage yet (the mother’s logic should pick it up on its own).
6. F10 -> YES.

The OS has loaded, which means it’s good, if not, we lower the bus to 400 (I noticed the following feature on the E5450 stepping C0: if the bus is set lower, then there is no stability, Windows crashes with a blue screen, etc., up to ~365mhz, possibly due to for memory, because I have different strips from different vendors).

We set RealTemp with a TjMax setting of 85° for all E/X54xx, AIDU for voltage monitoring. We check the temperature of all components with our finger.

We run a stability test in AID (they say that only the FPU is enough) and after 20 minutes we start the SuperPI test on 32M in parallel (we constantly monitor everything and everyone with a finger temperature!) - if there are no errors, then great! If there is, it means the motherboard is not delivering enough voltage. Prime95 - the most best test stability (for a successful 30-minute passage, you have to significantly increase the voltage, which results in a high temperature), but excessive for typical computer use, even in games.

1. Google (burznet) your mother + CPU overclocked.
2. Install an overclocking utility from the mother's vendor (or any other), and in it select parameters with increasing the bus. (I used ASRock OC Tuner for my P45DE, but it lies a little.) Once the overclocking ceiling has been found, we lower the CPU frequency by 100-200 Mhz, transfer the settings to the BIOS, boot, test, and monitor t°.

Overclocking the stove is not only high frequency The CPU, but also the stable operation of all nodes during overclocking, so we also overclock the memory (lowering timings, increasing voltage, etc. The SuperPI test is enough for memory.)

As they say: insert a like, subscribe to anal!

I hope an experienced HW-anon will add/correct.

zeono-gavno-2ch/hw-kun

The presence of six limiting factors for overclocking non-overclocking Skylake is frustrating. But even taking into account such a number of artificial barriers, the result turned out to be quite worthy. Testing has shown that in most cases, overclocking of non-overclocking Skylake takes place. Exceptions are programs that use AVX/AVX2 vector instructions. If you constantly work with such applications, then it is better to either not overclock the processor at all, or take a faster Skylake analogue, or fork out for a chip with an unlocked multiplier.

If the computer is used primarily for games, then an overclock is very appropriate here. In the article I touched on the topic of saving more than once. So, buying and overclocking a cheap Skylake will free up part of the budget for a more powerful video card. Plus, the effect of processor dependence will noticeably decrease.

It is important to remember that overclocking is always a lottery. I came across a very peppy Core i5-6400, which ended up overclocking better than the specially designed Core i5-6600K. I cannot guarantee that other users will be able to at least repeat this result. In principle, the Core i5-6400 will definitely accelerate to 4-4.2 GHz. This is also a very decent result. The main thing is that the motherboard is able to take 4200/27 = 155.5 MHz on the bus.

The Core i3-6300T is a poor “exhibit” for overclocking at home. The whole point of this chip is its very low TDP. So his potential is so-so. It is better to overclock the obviously faster Core i3-6100/6300 models. Here you will definitely be able to reach the 4.5-4.7 GHz mark.

Let me put forward a hypothesis: AMD is not in a position to in any way infringe on the rights of enthusiasts in 2016. Consequently, a good portion of Zen chips, if their frequency potential is high, will receive an unlocked multiplier. If heated competition flares up between manufacturers again, then Intel will make concessions, including to overclocking enthusiasts. Perhaps the golden era of overclocking, forgotten back in 2011, will return.

It so happened that in almost twenty years of IT practice I have never had to deal with overclocking - somehow everyone had other interests. However, when choosing a configuration for another new (although now far from new) computer, for some reason I settled on an Intel processor with an open multiplier - i5-2500K. Why I did this, I don’t remember now, perhaps I intended to figure out in my old age what this overclocking is. And then one evening, when there was nothing to do, I realized that the moment had come, and I delved into studying the issue, and the next evening I applied what I had learned in practice. That's what I'm going to report on.

Overclocking theory

Overclocking issues have been of interest to humanity all the time from the moment computer technology came to the masses. The main driver of overclocking is the spirit of competition, passion, and the desire to achieve best results, than others. Well, its main object is innocent processors, which are subjected to inhuman loads in order to obtain these same results. There are two main ways to overclock a processor. The first is to increase the frequency of the BCLK clock generator, which, through multipliers, determines the operating frequency of the processor, memory, buses and bridges. This option is, in principle, universal, but has many nuances and limitations associated with a specific processor and motherboard, therefore, so that your experiments do not lead to the death of the computer, you need to carefully understand everything. The second method is to change the processor multiplier, the same one by which BCLK is multiplied to obtain the operating frequency. This path is much safer (only the operating mode of the processor is changed, and not the entire system) and simpler (essentially one parameter is responsible for overclocking), but there is one thing: the multiplier must be unlocked (allowed for change) by the processor manufacturer.
Initially, Intel processors had an open multiplier, but in the 90s of the last century, after a series of scandals related to the relabeling of processors by unscrupulous suppliers, when slow processors were overclocked and sold at the price of faster ones, the company blocked the multiplier. Since then, the unlocked multiplier has only been found in top “enthusiast” models, which, naturally, were not cheap. The situation changed fundamentally with the advent of second-generation processors Intel generation Core (Sandy Bridge) - their line included models with an unlocked multiplier for the mass consumer, which received the K index. Initially, the cost of the K and non-K versions of one processor differed quite significantly, but now it has practically disappeared (for example, the difference between the Core i5 3570 and Core i5 3570K today is 150 rubles).

So, Intel itself has opened the way for “at-home”, fast and highly skilled overclocking. It would be a sin not to take advantage of such an opportunity, and I began my experiments. As a test bench, as I already said, my long-suffering home computer, by the way, was completely unprepared for overclocking; rather, on the contrary, it was chosen for reasons of efficiency and noiselessness.

Experiment

According to the specifications, the i5-2500K operates at multipliers from 16 to 56. With standard parameters and using SpeedStep, we have 16x at idle and 34x under load. Now let's start the process. “Home” overclocking has become so homely that it can now be done directly from Windows, without going into the BIOS. But we will still be oldfags to begin with - only BIOS, only hardcore! However, we won’t get much hardcore – we only need one parameter there; in the BIOS of my ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard it is called CPU Ratio and is located in the CPU Power Management menu. To overclock the processor above standard values, you will also need to enable the Turbo Mode option (it has nothing to do with Intel Turbo Boost, which, on the contrary, is recommended to be turned off).
The first overclock was tiny, up to 36x, in order to mark my entry into the ranks of overclockers. However, there was no fanfare, and nothing at all happened except the frequency in the CPU monitor. The temperature also remained unchanged. The next level is 40x, a significant figure; until recently such a result (when overclocked on the bus) was considered a grandmaster. The height was taken without the slightest effort and without changing the voltage on the processor. But the temperature, unfortunately, crept up and reached 68 degrees at 100% load. There is nothing to be done; the cooling system installed on the computer has shown itself to be completely unsuitable for overclocking.

Step three. 44x, that is, 1 GHz increase. Having made my face like a brick, I started the computer. “Well, no, that’s enough,” he replied and flew into blue screen. It is necessary to increase the processor supply voltage. I immediately raised it to 1.4 V so that it would be enough. Now I decided to operate through the GUI on Windows. In the AI ​​Suite software supplied with the ASUS motherboard, the Turbo V EVO component is responsible for overclocking. To operate, this program uses the TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) controller on the motherboard. The TPU module is so intelligent that it can itself, without human intervention, overclock the system to the highest possible parameters. Thus, overclocking technology, from the point of view of the “dummies”, has reached its highest point, when to get the result it is enough to press one button “make sure everything goes well”.
I was not able to really test the 4.4 GHz mode, because just a few seconds after starting a full load, the temperature rose to the maximum permissible, and I was forced to interrupt the experiment. However, I have no doubt that with normal cooling the operation of the processor would be stable - numerous experiments of other users convince me of this. If we talk specifically about the i5-2500K, absolutely everyone’s processors work up to 4.5 GHz, the result of 5 GHz is quite common, and the most stubborn ones reached 5.2 GHz. Let me emphasize that we are talking about stable operation under heavy (test or real) load. Thus, we are dealing with more than 50% increase in frequency with minimal material and mental costs.

Results and conclusions

As expected, the results of the computational tests climbed linearly as the frequency increased. For example, I chose the CPU Queen integer “chess” test. As you can see, with maximum overclocking, our processor “pushed” not only the extreme first-generation i7, but also the server Xeon (although it was initially inferior to both).

Some people are probably wondering what happened to the index Windows performance? Almost nothing, it increased by only one tenth, from 7.5 to 7.6. However, do not forget that for Windows 7 maximum value index is 7.9, so a big jump could not have happened.

Now let's try to answer the question, who needs this overclocking - except for overclockers themselves? However, it was answered before us: first of all - to amateurs computer games. Experiments have shown that processor power at standard frequencies is not enough to power top-end video cards, especially if there are several of them, and as the frequency increases to a certain limit, gaming performance also increases. Saturation occurs, by the way, at our “home” 4-4.5 GHz; it is at this frequency that the processor ceases to be the “bottleneck” of the entire system. In addition, people dealing with heavy media content, and, of course, respected fans of distributed computing will definitely be happy with the extra gigahertz. I note that all categories of citizens will have to vigilantly monitor the temperature of the processors and their cooling system - otherwise a slight “zilch” and smoke is guaranteed.

Last year's update of the processor microarchitecture represented by Intel Skylake did not bring any surprises in terms of growth in the performance of desktop solutions, and we received the usual 5-10% superiority over the previous generation. But during the announcement of overclocking models, a very interesting point was noticed: they received not only an unlocked multiplier, but also the ability to change the frequency of the base clock generator without loss of stability. This fact gave hope to enthusiasts for the revival of mass overclocking of processors that were not initially aimed at the overclocking audience. But the miracle did not happen, and Intel blocked this feature in regular models. Fortunately, this limitation turned out to be only at the software level, and in mid-December the news feeds of technical resources were filled with messages about overclocking of Socket LGA1151 platform models without the “K” index. This fact was repeatedly confirmed during our practical acquaintance with the new hardware platform, as you can see for yourself on the pages of our resource.

But at your request, we again decided to return to very interesting topic overclocking of neo-overclocking Intel Skylake processors, devoting a separate material to it. Let's try to summarize all the accumulated information and give practical recommendations for optimizing system parameters. And the most important thing is to answer whether there is any practical value in all this, which is especially important given the not-so-favorable economic situation in the country. All experiments will be carried out using the model as an example. This processor kindly provided by our partner - online store PCshop.ua, where it can be buy for about $380.

A little history

What is overclocking or overclocking? This concept should be understood as a set of methods that allow computer components to operate at frequencies that are higher than the factory ones. The main goal of overclocking is to get maximum performance from the available hardware. Now this activity can be called trivial. Any user can freely buy a suitable motherboard, a processor with an unlocked multiplier and overclock it in a couple of clicks. There is no feeling of excitement and satisfaction from the work done. But this was not always the case.

At the dawn of its inception, overclocking was carried out exclusively by well-trained technicians, using a soldering iron, jumpers and other hardware modifications. In short, the entire optimization process boils down to increasing the processor clock frequency, which is the product of two parameters - the multiplier and the base frequency. And since in most cases it is impossible to change the multiplier, you have to operate with the bus values. This became possible due to the fact that models of the same series differ only in frequency. That is, after manufacturing, a batch of processors undergoes a series of tests, based on the worst results of which it is labeled. This is how we get some models with a clock frequency, for example, 300 MHz, and others - 700 MHz. But not all examples are so unsuccessful. For example, they may be deliberately slowed down due to the need to expand the range of the line, so with the necessary knowledge, this unfortunate injustice can be corrected. At the same time, we get the performance of the older model at a minimum cost. Isn't this wonderful?

In particular, we can recall 1998 and the popular processors Intel Celeron 300 and Intel Celeron 333. With a recommended price of $150 and $192, respectively, they gave a head start in overclocking Intel Pentium II 450 costing $669. Yes, in this case, the risk of equipment failure increases, but this was in the past and occurred due to poor cooling, imperfect protection methods and the inability of the user to stop there in time. Now progress has reached such a level that you are unlikely to be able to “burn out” the processor.

The truly golden era of overclocking can be considered the release of the first generation of Intel Core processors for Socket LGA775 in 2006. Overclocking itself has become much more convenient. To do this it was enough to configure required parameters in the motherboard BIOS or simply use special utilities for the OS. The younger models Intel Pentium E5xxx and Intel Core 2 Duo E7xxx, which in capable hands outperformed their more expensive counterparts Intel Core 2 Duo E8xxx or even Intel Core 2 Quad, became the favorites of enthusiasts. By the way, even now some Intel Core 2 Quad models and their server analogues Intel Xeon work in system units users. Thanks to the presence of four physical cores and good overclocking potential, they allow you to build an entry-level gaming system (by modern standards).

During this same period, overclocking became a truly widespread phenomenon, and not just a way to save money. It is even turning into a sports discipline thanks to the popular resource HWBOT. The essence of the competition is simple - to get the maximum result in benchmarks (3DMark, PCMark, Cinebench, Super PI, etc.) and fix it using the validation process. In this case, top-end components and extreme cooling methods are used (phase transition systems, liquid nitrogen and dry ice). This state of affairs was also facilitated by the hardware manufacturers themselves, who began to actively produce products specifically designed for overclocking. But such freedom did not last very long. Realizing that overclocking is becoming very popular, Intel company I decided to make money from it too.

The latest easily overclockable processors (on the bus) are models for Socket LGA1156 (Intel Nehalem microarchitecture), which were released back in 2009. Subsequent solutions lost this ability (starting with the Intel Sandy Bridge microarchitecture for Socket LGA1155), since the processor reference frequency (BCLK) became rigidly linked to all CPU nodes (processor cores, last level cache, integrated graphics core, ring bus, controller memory, PCI Express and DMI buses). Therefore, even a slight change in it (above 104-107 MHz) led to unstable operation of the system.

For enthusiasts, the manufacturer has prepared two overclocking models: and . The processors received unlocked multipliers, through which clock frequency. But the price of these solutions has also increased compared to conventional versions. That is, if you want to overclock, pay more. A pass into the world of overclocking has become available only to wealthy users and has lost its original meaning.

Yes, you can recall the available dual-core (Socket LGA1150, microarchitecture Intel Haswell) with an unlocked multiplier, but this is an isolated case.

However, with the release of the sixth generation Intel Core, the situation has changed, and now it is possible to overclock processors that are not related to the K-series, although this is not actively encouraged by the CPU manufacturer. This will be discussed in more detail in the next section of our article.

Overclocking Intel Skylake processors without the “K” index in theory

In Intel Skylake processors, engineers have separated the PCI Express bus and chipset into a separate domain, the frequency of which remains fixed, regardless of changes in BCLK.

The base frequency remains strictly linked only to the internal components of the CPU: processor cores, last-level cache, integrated graphics core, ring bus and memory controller. Fortunately, the latter work great for higher frequencies. That is, in new platform You can overclock not only by manipulating the multiplier, but also by increasing BCLK.

This was confirmed when we first met overclocker models. But for some reason reason Intel blocked the ability to overclock in conventional processors, and even minor changes to the base bus were not successful. The technology is called “BCLK Governor”. But, as stated above, the limitation is not hardware character, and it is “treated” at the software level. To do this, just update the motherboard microcode.

The results were not long in coming. Overclocker under the nickname "Dhenzjhen" overclocked Intel processor Core i3-6320 with locked multiplier from nominal 3.9 GHz to 4.955 GHz. To do this, he used a SuperMicro C7H170-M motherboard with a special BIOS version. Soon other manufacturers released updated BIOS versions, but only for motherboards on a flagship chipset. Solutions to, and remained deprived, although, apparently, there should be no obstacles to this. Most likely, manufacturers decided to boost sales of only more expensive models, which is a pity. It is noteworthy that only ASRock has posted special versions of the microcode on its official website. Other vendors - ASUS, BIOSTAR, GIGABYTE, EVGA and MSI - distribute them through overclocking forums, fearing a negative reaction from Intel. As it turns out, there were reasons for this. And soon the company was unwilling to allow overclocking of conventional processors from the Intel Skylake line. Despite this, you can still easily find the necessary BIOS versions on the Internet, which continue to appear with corrections and additions. So everything is in order here.

But not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. And when overclocking non-overclocking processors on the bus, a number of nuances and limitations arise:

• Power-saving technologies stop working, and the processor always operates at the maximum frequency at the maximum supply voltage. Intel Turbo Boost Technology also becomes inactive.
• Monitoring the temperatures of processor cores begins to produce incorrect data.
• The graphics core integrated into the processor is disabled.
• The execution speed of AVX/AVX2 instructions is reduced several times.

However, you shouldn’t get upset prematurely. Experienced overclockers already recommend disabling all additional technologies: Intel Turbo Boost, Intel Enhanced SpeedStep and energy-saving C-states, since any fluctuations in the multiplier and voltage can negatively affect the stability of the system during overclocking. Temperature monitoring can be done using the CPU Package sensor, for example, using the HWiNFO utility. Disabling the built-in video will upset few people, since most overclockers have a discrete video card.

The only really unpleasant moment is the drop in the execution speed of AVX/AVX2 instructions. And this is very strange, considering that overclocking models do not have this drawback and overclock perfectly on the bus. But in essence, they are no different from regular ones, except for an unlocked multiplier and a slightly higher frequency. We can assume that this is again a software limitation. AVX/AVX2 are mainly used in application programs such as video encoding, 3D modeling and some graphic editor. Most everyday programs, including games, practically do not use AVX instructions. GRID Autosport and DiRT Showdown can be considered exceptions, but as practice shows, there is nothing critical about this. Suffice it to recall the processor, which generally lacks support for vector instructions, but this does not prevent its owners from playing modern games.

Preparing for overclocking via BCLK

As you can already understand from the above, absolutely all processors of the Intel Skylake generation are suitable for bus overclocking: from Intel Celeron to Intel Core i7. But the greatest practical interest is in the junior models of each line, since at a minimal price, overclocking allows them to easily overtake and even surpass the performance level of their more expensive older brothers. You can verify this for yourself in reviews and . For clarity, here is a list of the most interesting models for overclocking in the form of a summary table:

Model name	Number of cores/threads	Base / dynamic frequency, MHz	Factor

But in addition to a suitable processor, you will need a motherboard based on the Intel Z170 chipset. In our case, there will be three of them: , and ASUS Z170-P. Why is this done? Let's try to use their example to find out whether we can get decent overclocking on affordable boards or whether we will still need specialized solutions for this. And we will be overclocking not the simplest processor - Intel Core i7-6700. If the boards can cope with it, then with some Intel Core i3, even more so. Before you start experimenting, you need to find the required BIOS for your motherboard and flash it. To do this, we looked at HWBOT in the corresponding forum section.

Now you can go directly to the preparatory settings.

• First, go to the UEFI BIOS and in the “Advanced\CPU Configuration” section set the “Boot Performance Mode” option to “Turbo Performance”, and in the “CPU Power Management Configuration” subsection turn off “Intel Turbo Boost”, “Intel Enhanced SpeedStep” and energy-saving C-states by selecting “Disabled”.
• Next, go to the “Extreme Tweaker” or “Ai Tweaker” section (depending on the motherboard manufacturer, the names may be different) and switch the “Ai Overclock Tuner” option to “Manual” mode. In this case, we will have full access to change all parameters at our own discretion.
• Next, we fix the maximum multiplier of all processor cores in the “1-Core Ratio Limit” item.
• To prevent RAM from becoming a limitation during overclocking, use the “DRAM Frequency” item to set its frequency several points below the nominal value, since when the bus changes, its frequency will also increase.

For all settings Motherboard BIOS boards you can look at the video below:

Setting up BIOS ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER for Intel overclocking Core i7-6700

Setting up BIOS ASUS Z170-P D3 to overclock Intel Core i7-6700

Setting up BIOS ASUS Z170-P to overclock Intel Core i7-6700

Now you can proceed directly to overclocking the Intel Skylake non-K processor. The process itself is quite simple and boils down to increasing the bus frequency (BCLK Frequency) and gradually increasing the voltage supplied to the processor (CPU Core Voltage Override).

How to choose the right frequency? Let us recall that the processor frequency is calculated using the formula:

CPU Freq = CPU Ratio × CPU Cores Base Freq

Let's say we want our Intel Core i7-6700 with a “x34” multiplier to operate at 4400 MHz. To do this, we divide 4400 / 34 and get a BCLK of 129 MHz. The same rule applies to other processors. For convenience, we present the BCLK value to achieve typical frequencies of 4500 - 4700 MHz for the previously discussed processors:

Model name	BCLK frequency, MHz	Factor	Clock frequency, MHz
Intel Pentium G4400
Intel Core i3-6100
Intel Core i3-6300
Intel Core i5-6400
Intel Core i7-6700

In this case, you need to monitor the temperature and check the stability of the system after overclocking.

Let's take a closer look at acceptable values voltage and temperature. Experienced overclockers consider it safe for everyday use the threshold is 1.4-1.45 V. But, taking into account the not the best thermal interface under the heat distribution cover of the processor, we would recommend values ​​closer to 1.4 V. If you plan to overclock the RAM, then you need to pay attention to three more important parameters:

• CPU VCCIO Voltage (VCCIO) - voltage on the memory controller built into the processor. It is recommended not to exceed 1.10 V.
• CPU System Agent Voltage (VCCSA) - voltage on the system agent and other controllers built into the processor. It is recommended not to exceed 1.20V.
• DRAM Voltage (Vdram) - supply voltage on RAM modules. Values ​​up to 1.4 V can be considered conditionally safe.

For a more detailed look at the capabilities of each option, we suggest visiting our.

Now regarding the temperature. If Intel specifies T CASE =71°C, this means that the maximum permissible temperature within the processor's Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) that can only be measured by an external sensor is 71°C. The clock skipping mechanism (throttling) is activated when 100°C is reached, according to internal core sensors. Therefore, roughly speaking, a T CASE value of 71°C can be considered equivalent to 100°C for internal core sensors.

Overclocking and testing

The following list of equipment was used for the experiments:

CPU	Intel Core i7-6700 (Socket LGA1151, 4.0 GHz, L3 8 MB)
motherboards	ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER (Intel Z170, Socket LGA1151, DDR4, ATX) ASUS Z170-P (Intel Z170, Socket LGA1151, DDR4, ATX) ASUS Z170-P D3 (Intel Z170, Socket LGA1151, DDR3, ATX)
RAM	2 x 8 GB DDR4-2400 HyperX Fury HX424C15FBK2/16 2 x 8 GB DDR3L-1600 HyperX Fury HX316LC10FBK2/16
Video card	ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Matrix Platinum (4 GB GDDR5)
HDD	Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD v4 (ST6000NM0024), 6 TB, SATA 6 Gb/s
power unit	Seasonic X-560 Gold (SS-560KM Active PFC)
	Philips Brilliance 240P4QPYNS
Video capture device	AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable
operating system	Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit

The test Intel Core i7-6700 processor has a “batch code” L542B978 - 96000, which contains information about the place, date and batch of manufacture. In our case, it was produced in week 42 of 2015 (between October 12 and 18) in Malaysia with lot number 96000.

Overclocking was carried out on ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER, ASUS Z170-P D3 and ASUS Z170-P motherboards in three modes:

• No increase in tension.
• Intermediate overclocking with a slight increase in voltage for stable operation at 4400 MHz.
• Maximum stable acceleration.

The voltage of 1.095 volts in the BIOS (according to monitoring data 1.104 V) is taken as nominal, since the boards independently set it at maximum load in full automatic mode. We checked stability by passing a benchmark and a 15-minute stress test in RealBench 2.41. This time is quite enough to determine stability. In this case, the heating was one of the highest, which is unlikely to be achieved in real use conditions. By the way, classic stress tests like Linpack or Prime95 are not suitable for this role, since they actively use AVX instructions, which, when overclocking neo-overclocker processors, slow down and cannot recreate the maximum load. Monitoring was carried out using the HWiNFO and CPU-Z utilities.

The first to go into battle was the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER gaming board with excellent overclocking capabilities. At voltage 1 , 104 V and manually raising the reference frequency to 121 MHz, the speed of the Intel Core i7-6700 was brought to 4113.86 MHz, which is an increase of 21% relative to the nominal.

At the same time, system power consumption increased slightly: from 51 W at idle (all energy-saving technologies are activated) and 223 W under stress load to 61 W and 230 W, respectively. The maximum temperature under stress load did not rise above 51˚C.

On ASUS Z170-P D3 we managed to achieve 4107.23 MHz with the same 1 , 104 V and a BCLK value of 121 MHz.

Power consumption increased from 48 W and 223 W to 62 W and 230 W, respectively. The maximum temperature did not rise above 53˚C.

ASUS Z170-P submitted to a slightly lower processor frequency, namely 4060.70 MHz at a voltage of 1 , 104 V and BCLK value 119.5 MHz.

In this operating mode, power consumption increased from 48 W and 225 W to 59 W and 230 W, respectively. The temperature did not rise above 52˚C.

To accelerate the Intel Core i7-6700 to a frequency of 4400 MHz on the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER, it was necessary to increase the base frequency to 129.5 MHz and the voltage to 1.215 V, although, judging by the readings of the utilities, at times it reached 1.232 V. The frequency increase was 29 .4% relative to the nominal value.

Power consumption figures were 64 W at idle and 240 W under load - still quite modest values. The temperature stays in the range of 60-64 ˚C.

For stable operation of the Intel Core i7-6700 at 4400 MHz on the ASUS Z170-P D3, it was necessary to set a slightly higher voltage - 1.230 V (according to monitoring data - up to 1.248 V).

Power consumption was at 63 W and 249 W, respectively, and temperatures were at 70˚C.

On ASUS Z170-P, for 4400 MHz it was necessary to increase the voltage to 1.215 V (according to monitoring data - up to 1.232 V).

At the same time, power consumption was 63 W and 265 W at idle and load, respectively. The maximum temperature did not rise above 63˚C.

Let's move on to the most interesting part - maximum overclocking.

On ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER we managed to achieve a frequency of 4708.22 MHz by increasing BCLK to 138.5 MHz. As a result, we received a 38% increase in the nominal frequency. At the same time, the voltage was increased to 1.415 V (1.472 V according to monitoring data), and to compensate for its drawdowns in BIOS settings The Load Line Calibration (LLC) parameter was set to LEVEL -6.

At the same time, the power consumption of the processor increased to 74 W and 322 W at idle and under load, respectively, and the processor itself warmed up to 98˚C under stress load.

The maximum stable frequency on the ASUS Z170-P D3 was 4523 MHz when the reference frequency was raised to 133 MHz. The increase was 33% relative to the nominal value. To do this, we had to raise the supply voltage to 1.415 V (1.408 V according to monitoring data) and set the “LLC” value to “LEVEL -5”.

In this mode, power consumption increased to 71 W and 310 W, respectively. Under stress load the temperature did not exceed 85˚C.

On the ASUS Z170-P, we forced the processor to run stably at 4691 MHz with a BCLK of 138 MHz. In this case, it was necessary to raise the voltage to 1.415 V, and set “LLC” to “LEVEL -6”.

In this mode, power consumption was 73 W and 325 W, respectively, and the temperature at peak load reached 96˚C.

To visually evaluate the obtained overclocking results, we suggest taking a look at the summary table:

	ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
	Overclocking Intel Core i7-6700
Processor frequency, MHz
BCLK frequency, MHz
CPU voltage, V
Energy consumption of the entire system idle / load, W
Maximum temperature, ˚C

Analyzing the results of overclocking the Intel Core i7-6700, we can safely say that all tested motherboards coped with the task. True, some are better, and some are a little worse. If you want uncompromising overclocking, then a solution on the level of ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER may well give it. IN in this case all thanks to the enhanced 10-phase digital power subsystem, which perfectly copes with its direct responsibilities under any type of load and at the highest voltages, without a hint of drawdown. The board clearly has a large margin of safety for extreme overclocking. However, solutions like the ASUS Z170-P or ASUS Z170-P D3 can be recommended to budget-conscious users. For example, these boards also have a 7-phase digital power system, good cooling and ample customization options. That is, they have everything necessary to achieve decent overclocking. The main thing is to take care of a good cooling system. But you should also understand that overclocking is a lottery. It is not a fact that your processor will be able to repeat the achieved results. Fortunately, all the Intel Skylake models that visited our laboratory reached the 4.6 GHz mark. So, on the other hand, you may have better luck than we do.

In conclusion, we suggest taking a look at the results of RealBench v.2.41 at the maximum frequency of Intel Core i7-6700

The places were distributed according to the obtained maximum processor frequency: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER, ASUS Z170-P and ASUS Z170-P D3. On average, the productivity increase was about 24% relative to the nominal value.

Energy consumption

Overclocking the Intel Core i7-6700 pleasantly pleased us, but let's evaluate how much its power consumption has increased after such optimizations. To do this, we will use the results obtained on the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER motherboard.

Looking at the graph, you can see that while the voltage on the processor remains unchanged, the increase in power consumption is linear with increasing frequency. But as soon as we significantly increase the voltage on the processor, a sharp jump in consumption is observed. As a result, the power consumption of the Intel Core i7-6700 at maximum overclocking increased by 100 W compared to the nominal value. This is the price to pay for increased productivity. This should be taken into account when conducting experiments and take care of a high-quality power supply.

Analysis of the practical benefits of overclocking

Let's imagine that you want to build a mid-priced computer. Which is better to choose? A simpler processor and components for overclocking, or a more powerful processor and cheaper components. Let's try to figure it out.

CPU	Intel Core i3-6100 tray - $127 (3175 UAH)	Intel Core i5-6400 BOX - $199 (4986 UAH)
Motherboard
	DeepcoolGAMMAXX 300 - $23 (584 UAH)
power unit
total amount	$349 (8712 UAH)	$345 (8612 UAH)

As you can see, the assemblies turned out to be almost the same in price. But thanks to overclocking to 4.5 - 4.7 GHz, the Intel Core i3-6100 outperforms the Intel Core i5-6400 by 3-5%, depending on the type of load. To be fair, it should be noted that 3-5% includes not only gaming applications, as well as specialized ones (rendering, mathematical calculations, coding, and so on). But if you take a computer exclusively for games, then an overclocked Intel Core i3-6100 can produce FPS comparable to a configuration on an Intel Core i5-6600 running at nominal. In addition, no one is stopping you from saving on the power supply and motherboard. In the first case, it all depends on the appetite of your video card, and in the second, on the required functionality and loyalty to a particular manufacturer. In this case, the profit can be much more significant.

What is the situation in the higher price range? Let's take a look at such an assembly.

CPU	Intel Core i5-6400 tray - $192 (4785 UAH)	Intel Core i5-6600 BOX - $239 (5969 UAH)
Motherboard	ASUS Z170-P - $141 (3518 UAH)	MSI B150M MORTAR - $96 (2400 UAH)
	ZALMAN CNPS10X Performa - $34 (855 UAH)
power unit	Aerocool KCAS-600 - $58 (1455 UAH)	Aerocool KCAS-500 - $50 (1257 UAH)
total amount	$425 (10609 UAH)	$385 (9610 UAH)

As a result, we get a 10% more expensive and 5% slower build on the Intel Core i5-6400 compared to the Intel Core i5-6600. But if you overclock the Intel Core i5-6400, then it already outperforms its older brother by 10-15% and even approaches the much more expensive Intel Core i7-6700 ($369 or 9207 UAH). This can be verified by testing example. In this case, overclocking is fully justified, especially if you initially looked to the side. The price difference between them is $71 (1,772 UAH). And the money saved can be applied to a more powerful video card or used for other needs.

Let's say a few words about the Intel Core i7-6700. The difference between it and the Intel Core i7-6700K is about $31 (778 UAH), but both of them overclock well. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to achieve any significant savings, but as always, the choice is yours.

conclusions

To summarize the material, we have two news for you: good and bad. Let's start with the bad. If you work with specialized programs, such as video encoding, 3D modeling and the like, that use AVX/AVX2 instructions, then overclocking non-overclocking Intel Skylake processors is contraindicated for you. This is because in this case the speed of execution of these same instructions decreases and, as a result, there is a drop in overall performance. If you still need to get more performance and you plan to overclock the processor, then the only choice is between IntelCorei5 - 6600K and Intel Core i7-6700K.

Now the good news. In all other cases, overclocking is not only possible, but also necessary - especially in game builds. The same Intel Core i3-6100, when overclocked, can produce comparable performance to full-fledged 4-core processors running at nominal. And the younger Intel Core i5-6400 not only outperforms its older brothers in the line, but can even get closer to the Intel Core i7-6700. At the same time, for decent overclocking (most Intel Skylake processors easily reach the 4.5-4.6 GHz mark), it is not necessary to buy an expensive top-end motherboard, but you can get by with affordable models. The main thing is to take care of good cooling and a high-quality power supply.

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The best solution at the end of February 2017 to receive maximum performance gaming system. The picture may change as early as March with the release of AMD Ryzen, but we will check this after the restrictions on publications are lifted and a detailed study of the platform with different video cards and a full set of games. However, let's not forget: the desire to save money, especially if it is possible without compromising the “disclosure of the video card,” is completely justified and possible. In 2016, such a “popular” model could be called the Intel Core i5-6400 SkyLake, which, moreover, craftsmen quickly learned to overclock so that in many tests it was not inferior to the older Intel Core i5 6600K.

The “shop” was quickly closed, blocking the possibility of overclocking with the release of fresh BIOS versions, but as often happens, a number of models either received it belatedly or did not even receive the block. Although even then there was always a loophole with rolling back the BIOS version or firmware of the “hacked” software. For a short time, the Intel Core i5-6400 will remain only on the secondary market; its glory is already continued by the Intel Core i5-7400 Kaby Lake, but for those who plan to repeat the overclocking trick, we recommend finding the previous generation. There is no serious breakthrough, as in the case of the Core i7; the updates are rather cosmetic. It is available in OEM and BOX versions. It makes sense to overpay if you don’t have CPU cooling on hand; in the box the buyer will find a good cooler with basic efficiency.

Are there any differences? Of course, there are, first of all they relate to reducing voltage and energy consumption. For comparison, the Intel Core i5 7400 runs at 3.3 GHz with a voltage of 1.056V, while the Intel Core i5 6400 requires 1.12V. In compact cases with it, you can refuse to use a fan or reduce its speed as much as possible.

The internal structure has been preserved. 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache, 6 MB L3 cache. Maximum frequency 3.5 MHz, minimum 800 MHz. Built-in Intel graphics HD Graphics 630.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any prospects in terms of overclocking. The processor was installed on five motherboards: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS IX HERO, ASRock Z270 Extreme4, ASUS ROG Strix Z270F Gaming, ASUS PRIME Z270-K, ASUS TUF Z270 MARK 1. None of the boards allowed us to raise the frequency above 3.5 MHz. We can assume that bus overclocking has become impossible with new processors.

Intel Core i5-7400 Kaby Lake tests

3DMark FireStrike

3DMark Cloudgate

Cinebench 15

WinRar (kB/s)

AIDA64 - Zlib

Power, W

Integrated graphics tests using an example:
Dota 2, Medium

Minecraft, Fast

Tests with KFA2 GeForce GTX 1060 OC video card:
GTA 5, Ultra, GTX1060

Results for Intel Core i5-7400 Kaby Lake

The most affordable quad-core Intel Core i5 7400 processor of the Intel Core i5 Kaby Lake family did not show an increase in performance; in general, in most tests it completely repeats the results of the Intel Core i5 6400, and if we take into account bus overclocking, it performs worse. The only advantage is reduced power consumption and improved compatibility for installation in micro ITX cases. To sum it up, if you don’t plan on streaming, video processing, or solving professional problems, then it will become a good and successful basis for a home/gaming PC, coping adequately with the load.

Comments:

2017-02-27 15:37:26 Guest:

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