Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

[emusa]

I want to overclock my i5 3570k and have done some research on how to to this responsibly. One of the first things I found was: make changes to the following bios-settings: "turbo voltage" (+0.004V) and "offset voltage" (+0.005V). The "turbo voltage" setting is no problem and can be found in my bios. The "offset voltage" setting isn't there.. I can't find it and there isn't anything about it in the manual (LINK TO ASROCK).

Could you guys help me out? Can I even overclock without the setting? What can you advice me?

thanks.

[EDIT]

PC specs:
CPU i5 3570k
GPU AMD HD750
RAM DDR3 8gig
PSU 530W
OS windows 7 ultimate x64

I set the turbo voltage to +0.004V, and the multiplier tot 38 (instead of 34 stock) for a small overclock. I use the stock cooler for now (plan on getting a watercooler in the near future).

After about a hour of of prime95, this is the result:

[parsec]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Does your CPU Voltage option have an Offset setting? That is the usual way to enable offset voltages. If you can set the CPU voltage to Offset, then an Offset voltage setting will appear, and you set it from there.

Given your core temperatures now, at or almost at 80C with the stock cooler, adding more voltage may not be a good idea.

[emusa]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Does your CPU Voltage option have an Offset setting? That is the usual way to enable offset voltages. If you can set the CPU voltage to Offset, then an Offset voltage setting will appear, and you set it from there.

Given your core temperatures now, at or almost at 80C with the stock cooler, adding more voltage may not be a good idea.

Thanks for your reply. No, unfortunately I can't choose an offset setting - that's the whole point ;-)
=> There isn't even a CPU voltage section in the bios (!)

I can't find it in the bios and there isn't any mention of it in the manual.

But is there a "realistic" way to further OC the CPU, without an offset setting - with JUST the turbo voltage setting & multiplier? Or is it doomed that way?

By the way, I know I shouldn't OC any more with the stockcooler - but I'll buy an aftermarket one very soon.

thanks again!

[- wardog -]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Gasp ... 80c !?! That gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I'd wait till I got that better cooler. Isn't 70c the sane limit with Haswell?

[emusa]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Gasp ... 80c !?! That gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I'd wait till I got that better cooler. Isn't 70c the sane limit with Haswell?

Thanks for your reply - but it's not a Haswell, it's an Ivy Bridge. They get hot and that's fine, it's all over the internet. 80-85 degrees isn't really too hot, but I won't stress it any more than that. But that's not really my question - it's about whether or not I am able to overclock without the offset voltage setting. Or do I need it to really overclock the "right" way?

(again, I'm getting another cooler - that's not the issue here)

[- wardog -]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Well, I can't magically make the offset option appear in you BIOS. I guess that leaves the right way.

[emusa]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Well, I can't magically make the offset option appear in you BIOS. I guess that leaves the right way.

What do You mean with "that leaves the right way"?

Is there a way to get good overclock results, without having to use the offset option?

Thanks for your time.

[parsec]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Some boards made to OC allow you to set a CPU voltage and then select an offset voltage, either + or -, from that point. Or they only allow you to select an offset voltage from an automatically set CPU voltage. If you have no settings like that at all, you are stuck with the additional Turbo voltage.

Did you check your board's AXTU program in Windows for any CPU voltage settings? That's your only other option.

Frankly, the usual problem with an OC on Intel CPUs, is the CPU will request the voltage it "thinks" it needs, which is usually more than is necessary. Because of that, a specific CPU voltage is entered into the BIOS, and any offset setting is a small amount above that, but usually below the selected CPU voltage. Or with offset only, a negative offset voltage is selected.

Given that, once an OC is reached and is stable, say 4.5GHz, then the user starts to reduce the CPU voltage until the stability of the OC is lost, meaning BSODs. Then the voltage is increased back to the stable level, and the OC is basically done. Lower voltage means lower CPU temperatures, and you can't just keep increasing voltage without increasing temperatures and putting stress on the CPU.

For example, my i5-4670K set to 3.8GHZ like yours is, will automatically choose 1.2V as the CPU voltage. Using a negative offset, I can get the CPU voltage down to 1.07V at the same 3.8GHz and still be stable in Prime95.

BTW, people use positive offset voltages when they have a fixed CPU voltage selected. When fixed CPU voltage is used, the voltage will never increase beyond that value, unless a positive offset is selected.

If you are just following some CPU OCing directions you found, I would not believe them as the absolute and only method to achieve an OC. On my Z77 board with an i5-3570K, I OC it to 4.5GHz, using offset mode without a CPU voltage setting, and use a negative offset (like -0.500V) so the CPU voltage is not to high. Your max Vcore was 1.216V now, and if you increased the multiplier beyond 38, I guarantee the CPU voltage would increase automatically. I bet you could run at 3.8 GHz with less than the 1.216V you use now (I'm really sure you could.) Once you increase your CPU cooling capability, and OC higher, you'll find that you won't like the high CPU voltage you'll get, and also the high temperatures you'll again have, even with great cooling.

OCing is not just about increasing CPU voltage, it is getting the highest OC possible with the least amount of CPU voltage.

[emusa]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Some boards made to OC allow you to set a CPU voltage and then select an offset voltage, either + or -, from that point. Or they only allow you to select an offset voltage from an automatically set CPU voltage. If you have no settings like that at all, you are stuck with the additional Turbo voltage.

Did you check your board's AXTU program in Windows for any CPU voltage settings? That's your only other option.

Frankly, the usual problem with an OC on Intel CPUs, is the CPU will request the voltage it "thinks" it needs, which is usually more than is necessary. Because of that, a specific CPU voltage is entered into the BIOS, and any offset setting is a small amount above that, but usually below the selected CPU voltage. Or with offset only, a negative offset voltage is selected.

Given that, once an OC is reached and is stable, say 4.5GHz, then the user starts to reduce the CPU voltage until the stability of the OC is lost, meaning BSODs. Then the voltage is increased back to the stable level, and the OC is basically done. Lower voltage means lower CPU temperatures, and you can't just keep increasing voltage without increasing temperatures and putting stress on the CPU.

For example, my i5-4670K set to 3.8GHZ like yours is, will automatically choose 1.2V as the CPU voltage. Using a negative offset, I can get the CPU voltage down to 1.07V at the same 3.8GHz and still be stable in Prime95.

BTW, people use positive offset voltages when they have a fixed CPU voltage selected. When fixed CPU voltage is used, the voltage will never increase beyond that value, unless a positive offset is selected.

If you are just following some CPU OCing directions you found, I would not believe them as the absolute and only method to achieve an OC. On my Z77 board with an i5-3570K, I OC it to 4.5GHz, using offset mode without a CPU voltage setting, and use a negative offset (like -0.500V) so the CPU voltage is not to high. Your max Vcore was 1.216V now, and if you increased the multiplier beyond 38, I guarantee the CPU voltage would increase automatically. I bet you could run at 3.8 GHz with less than the 1.216V you use now (I'm really sure you could.) Once you increase your CPU cooling capability, and OC higher, you'll find that you won't like the high CPU voltage you'll get, and also the high temperatures you'll again have, even with great cooling.

OCing is not just about increasing CPU voltage, it is getting the highest OC possible with the least amount of CPU voltage.

Thanks for your answer, really informative!

I checked AXTU and unfortunately it doesn't show any voltage options either. I e-mailed Asrock and this is what I got back:

"Hello,

This motherboard is not designed for serious overclocking. You can see the limited availability of OC options in BIOS and the lack of a heatsink on the VRM. You can still overclock, even without an “offset voltage” option, but you would get better results on many other Z68 or Z77 boards.

As always…Overclocking is at your own risk J

Best regards
ASRock Support"


So yeah it's official: there is no offset voltage option available.

So my only option is to adjust the turbo voltage & ramp up the multiplier? Because that would (indeed) cause high voltages and therefor high temperatures - even with a better cooler.. If that is so, I should seriously consider a better motherboard before I start overclocking the CPU more.

[parsec]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Thanks!

So you have absolutely no CPU voltage setting option in your BIOS? No Fixed voltage, nothing mentioned at all? You've said that earlier, so just sayin'.

I would leave the Turbo voltage alone, and just increase the multiplier, and see what happens. If the PC BSODs then you can try increasing the Turbo voltage, but if that helps it will be just luck IMO.

But, watch the CPU voltage closely and the CPU temperature. You are really at the limit of an OC now using the stock Intel CPU cooler. I can't recommend that you try to OC more without a new cooler. Also, ASR is right, that board is not made for serious over clocking, the reasons they gave are all true.

A new board is your best bet to OC your CPU. You can still get most Intel 7 series chipset boards, like a Z77. Don't bother getting another Z68 or other 6 series chipset board.

[emusa]

Re: Z68M-ITX HT board has no "offset voltage" setting?

Here are some pics of my bios:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

I'm pretty sure there aren't any CPU voltage options (except the turbo voltage).. right?

Thanks again for the advice. I will begin my search for a good Z77 board.