Overclocking the i7 3770k - Would it be worth in this system?

[Zynced]

As I’m currently wearing out my F5 key waiting on my PC to be built, I’ve looked more and more into overclocking. At first I thought it was something that only enthusiasts do and I should wait until my PC would need it in the future to keep up with editing software and gaming needs, but it seems now as something I really should take advantage off. Overclocking is always something I’ve wanted to learn and do myself, I just want to be knowledgeable in the area, and a lot of people here are pretty knowledgeable to say the least.

I'm going to use the i7 3770k, the Coolit ECO II ALC, P8Z77-V motherboard and the Maelstrom T900 case.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94cOiJQHjvw&feature=plcp (more specifically, at 3:54)

I was watching this video which showcases a system similar to my own, and he mentions the 3770k as being something that should definitely be overclocked given adequate cooling and a good motherboard (in his case the Sabertooth). But would my system be in a similar position here? Would I get a very noticeable difference that I should be taking advantage off? Or would my cooler + mobo limit me and not make it worth voiding the warranty on the CPU?

Thanks, Jack.

 

[Noble]

Since the i7 3770k has an unlocked multiplier, I don't think you would be voiding the warranty on your cpu and even though your motherboard isn't high end you should still be able to over-clock your cpu quite easily. I even managed to do it on my old Pentium 4 processor so it is something you should try out, especially since you have a water cooler for your cpu and a good case.

 

[Zynced]

That would be good news if it wouldn't void the warranty; of course I would want official confirmation on that.

What would be the difference between the current motherboard and the Thunderbolt or Sabertooth? Better stability?

 

[Noble]

Seems like it, I don't know too much about the thunderbolt to be sure though. The Sabertooth also as thermal armor which helps with the cooling

 

[tom_gr7]

What do you plan to do with the PC?

 

[Zynced]

I think it's easier to split it up into 3 areas.

1. Video editing. I do sometimes work in 3D modelling or After Effects, but most of my work is in timeline based programs such as Vegas. Render times and real time playback times is what I'm looking for.

2. High end gaming. BF3, Skyrim, Total War games, all ultra.

3. Although not a very specified area, I would say I'm a very heavy multitasker. I want to use music players, 16 tabs of Chrome, a game running at max, multiple word documents and editing software (and natually, background rendering) all together at one point or another.

This is what I'm hoping to achieve, having never experienced a home PC as powerful as the one ordered I'm not sure on how achievable this sounds. I can repost the entire system if needed.

 

[tom_gr7]

mate, total war games on ultra!!! I love total war!!! Please tell me you are ordering Rome II?

What spec have you gone for? I have dual 580's, and on shogun 2 fall of the samurai, at 1920 x 1080 ultra, (all the boxes ticked the lot) I get about 45-60 fps when overlooking a battle, when zooming in to watch close up I get about 30FPS!!! that's with two cards, that game does push my rig hard.I read that an OC does help, although i dont know by how much.

but yeah wht spec have you got? inc case too!

also when did you order?

 

[Zynced]

I'll start with the important bits here.. hell yeah I'm ordering Rome II!!!! Shogun II I was saying to myself "meh, I'm getting a bit bored with the series now but I guess that will be good, didn't get into the original Shogun too much but I'll give it a go". But Rome and BI was the king of the Total War games to me, the new one should be :tt1:

I've been putting my spec into Google and Youtube a few times, people are running BF3 above 60 FPS, Skyrim above 60 FPS, Dirt 2 above 60 FPS, then Shogun comes along with 20-40 FPS under load O.O But I'm just happy for my trees on the game finally to have leaves to be honest Hoping to be SLI with another GTX670 by the time Rome II is released!

Anyway, as of today (I just realised it's 2 am, it could be a different status when you read this later in the day) it's on the 8th working day at Pre-production status. I ordered in the morning of the 31/08/12. This is the order:


Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770K (3.5GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V: PCI-E 3.0 READY, WIFI, SLI, CROSSFIREX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 670 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W PRO SERIES™ HX750-80 PLUS® SILVER MODULAR (£119)
Processor Cooling
COOLIT ECO II A.L.C ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER (£59)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£69)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,410.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/ZoFTPM3f7_/

 

[tom_gr7]

hey dude,

I'd go for this spec mate, its a tad over the 1400 though,

Case

COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)

Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770K (3.5GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard

ASUS® P8Z77-V: PCI-E 3.0 READY, WIFI, SLI, CROSSFIREX
Memory (RAM)

8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card

2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 680 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk

120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk

1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader

INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply

CORSAIR 850W PRO SERIES™ HX850-80 PLUS® GOLD MODULAR (£139)
Processor Cooling

SPIRE GEMINI REV.3-THERMAX HDT TWIN FAN CPU COOLER (£39)
Sound Card

ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities

10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options

6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software

NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus

NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty

3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,477.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/b5bq6wSqfC/

 

[Zynced]

Thanks Tom!

As the order is already in progress and my budget is £1400, I've decided to stay with the original order but I'm still hung up on whether I should overclock - I've emailed PCS so I'm going to wait on that.

I think for now I'm going to save up for a sound card (thanks again for your input in the sound card thread) and after a GTX670, it all depends on how much of I get back from my security deposit in the last flat I lived in, they always take to much!

Edit: I just tried to reconfigure my original order link and it says certain products are now unavailable, perhaps that's why the order is taking a while in pre-production status. Hoping to get the PC before the 6th of October as that's when my University course starts!

 

[BestUsername]

Desktop PCs 11.76% 26.14% 86.93% 99.35% 16.27 day


Maybe they should get more people...16.27 days is insaaaane.

I edited my order. I changed the gpu from a 7970 to a gtx 670 and I changed the 750 psu to a 650 as well as getting rid of the extra usb ports I ordered. It is the 10th working day and it is still in pre-production. You should get it by the 6th, though...I need mine by the 21st, or I'll have to change delivery options.