title: “How To Overclock Your Intel Cpu” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-18” author: “David Hebert”
Can I Overclock My Intel Processor?
Not all Intel processors can be overclocked. If your CPU’s model number has a “K” in it (Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, etc.), then it’s overclockable, but your motherboard’s chipset must also support overclocking.
Is Overclocking a CPU Easy?
Intel has made it easier to overclock its CPUs over the years. The simplest solution is to download Intel Performance Maximizer and run the software. For more advanced options, use the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU) to tweak your computer’s performance in various ways. However, if you want to squeeze the absolute most out of your CPU, you should manually overclock it in the system BIOS.
How Do I Overclock My Intel CPU on Windows 10?
Here’s how to overclock your processor using Intel Performance Maximizer:
Download the appropriate version of Intel Performance Maximizer for your CPU. Your processor’s name can usually be found on a sticker on your computer. If you don’t see a sticker, open the Control Panel, go to Security > System, and look for Processor. Extract the ZIP file and open the installer, accept the license agreement, and install the program. When the installation is complete, you’ll have to restart your computer. Open the Intel Performance Maximizer. Read the warning information, select I Agree, then select Continue. Choose a drive on your computer (not a flash drive) and select Continue to create a UEFI partition. If there’s not enough space on the drive, the program can allocate free space from other drives. After the partition is created, select Continue to begin performance testing your PC. This process may take a few hours, and your computer may reboot a few times during the process, so leave your computer running and plugged in. When testing is complete, your computer will reboot, and you’ll see a summary of the improvements made. Select Finish. Try running a couple of programs to make sure your system is stable. Finally, restart your PC, then run a stress test.
Stress Test Your Overclocked CPU
When pushing your PC to the limit, it’s important to monitor all of the changes you made so you don’t damage any components. Use a tool like Intel XTU or CPU-Z to stress-test your PC whenever you overclock components, and keep an eye on your computer’s temperature to make sure it doesn’t go over 100 degrees Celsius.
Is It Safe to Overclock CPU?
As long as you use Intel Performance Maximizer, you can rest assured your computer will not be harmed. If you manually overclock your CPU, you risk damaging the motherboard, and the warranty will be void. It’s particularly important to manage the voltage and make sure your power supply can handle the extra draw. You should also consider getting a liquid cooling unit to prevent the PC from overheating.
How Do I Manually Overclock My Intel CPU?
Before you begin, run benchmarks using a program like Intel XTU to get a baseline performance. That way, you can accurately measure your performance gains.
Once you have a baseline, follow these steps to overclock your Intel processor manually:
Update your system BIOS to make sure you have the latest version. Reboot your computer and enter the BIOS. How you access the BIOS depends on your computer’s manufacturer. The layout of the BIOS differs from system to system, but they all give you access to the same settings. Set the CPU multiplier. Multiply the base clock (BCLK) by the CPU multiplier to get your processor’s frequency. So, if you have a CPU with a 100MHz BCLK and set a multiplier of 50, the frequency would be 5,000MHz, or 5GHz. It’s best to do this in 100 MHz increments, taking time to test your computer’s stability in between. Set the CPU core ratio (also called CPU voltage or Vcore). Synchronize all of the cores and set the Vcore to 1. 25V (the maximum for most Intel processors is 1. 40V). If you want to increase the voltage, do it in increments of 0. 01V or 0. 05V at the very most. Set the Voltage Mode to adaptive so that the Vcore only increases when the CPU’s frequency increases. That way, you’ll reduce the risk of overheating and consume less power in the long run. Enable Intel Speedstep if you don’t want your CPU running at the overclocked speed when idle. Set the AVX offset to -1 or -2. That way, the multiplier will decrease while the CPU handles AVX workloads, which require extra voltage. Set the Load-Line Calibration (LLC) level to medium. This will help prevent voltage drop by ensuring consistent voltage when your CPU is under load. Reboot the system and run the same benchmarks you used for your baseline. Subtract the baseline stats from the overclocked results to determine your gains. Stress-test your system to make sure it’s stable. Every time you make further adjustments, run another stress test.
