Here is a good starting point.
A: use advanced bios mode, not EZ mode
B: Its best to run the ram at 2133mhz while testing the CPU overclock, then once the CPU overclock is done, you can set your ram to its XMP profile.
C: Its best to test your CPU using a manual fixed voltage first, then you can move to adaptive mode later once you know your CPUs stable voltage/overclock.
D And I agree with the above, CPU cache isn't worth the effort.
Tip: Dont forget to press enter when manually entering values in the bios to be sure the value "sticks".
Under AI Tweaker
1: Asus overclock tuner - manual (manual for now, can change to XMP for your ram later after finalizing CPU overclock)
2: Asus Multicore Enhancement - Disabled
3: CPU core ratio - Sync all cores
4: CPU multiplier - 44 (4.4ghz)
5: Bclk Freq - 100
6: DRAM Odd Ratio mode - Auto
7: Dram Freq - Auto (2133mhz) You'll change this later after you've established your final/stable CPU overclock.
8: CPU Voltage - Manual
9: CPU Voltage 1.325v (just using this voltage as a starting point since its safe and gradually lower/test it, until you "dial it in")
I personally would guess for 4.4ghz around 1.248v or a bit lower would work easily, but ive seen some people say their 6700k needs 1.3v or more for 4.4ghz so i just decided to say start at 1.325v and work you way down to see what YOUR cpu needs)
10: DRAM Voltage - Auto (for now use auto which should be 1.2v for 2133mhz, later when you set your ram to use the XMP profile be sure this is set to your rams rated voltage!!)
Under DIGI + VRM
1: CPU Load-Line Calibration - Level 5 (level 5 should keep your CPU voltage pretty close to what you manually set in the bios while under load in windows...if not try level 4...etc...etc..)
2: CPU Power Phase Control - Optimized (Higher settings are for more extreme overclocks but of course generate more heat too....when in doubt, use AUTO and it will try to use the best setting for your overclock settings)
3: VRM Spread Spectrum - Disable
TIP: you can disable speed-step and CPU C-states while testing and re-enable them later if you want to use those features.
Under the Monitor Menu
Q-fan control
Disable all of them to run your fans at full-speed while testing if you want....or you can set them manually or use the Asus fan tuning to set them.....just don't forget to set them!
Use the above as a starting point along with your stability testing programs to find your stable CPU speed/voltage.
Asus Realbench and
AIDA64 Extreme work well for Skylake testing.....
Asus Realbench is FREE.
Aida 64 Extreme can be used free for 30days, so thats plenty long for testing.
HWMonitor works well for monitoring voltages/temps.
NOTE! When viewing voltages in HWMonitor be sure to observe where your voltage "settles at"
after 5mins under load, that is the value you are trying to set.
In HWMonitor it also records the MAX voltage, this will be the voltage "spike" when the CPU is switching power states, so it will be higher but is completely normal so dont worry, this is due to the Voltage Regulator being moved from the CPU to the motherboard with Skylake CPUs...Asus Rep says they added this to compensate for the voltage "delay/droop" caused by the VR now being on the mobo instead being internal on the cpu.
Once everything is done and you have your stable CPU overclock/voltage
you can switch to adaptive mode and type in the voltage you have settled on in manual mode, I also add a +.0001 offset UNDER adaptive mode to BE SURE. (leave LLC on level 5 or whatever you used in manual mode and test to be sure you're hitting the correct voltage under load)
Using Adaptive mode along with speed-step & C-States will allow your CPU to down-clock and lower its voltage "on the fly" when not under load unlike manual mode where your CPU uses the same constant voltage all the time.
tip: If your CPU speed doesn't drop when idle with them enabled...Dont forget to check windows power plan to ensure you have it set to allow the CPU to drop below 100% when not under load. (use 5%-10% minimum processor state like the Balanced Power Plan does)
After all that is done, you can change the Asus Overclock tuner to XMP to select your rams XMP settings, once done reboot and check that all settings were set correctly using the XMP profile. (especially voltage and the 4 main timings and speed)
Note: Some people have intermittent boot issues when running DDR4 3200mhz and above.
If you do, try upping the following voltages.
Asus rep says you can go as high as the following to fix the issue....
Under DIGI + VRM
System Agent Boot Voltage - 1.25v
VCCIO - 1.20
Also if you're using a discrete GPU,
FCLK should be set to 1000 for best performance.
Some bios updates automatically set it to 1000 and removed the option to manually set this all together, so if you cant find it don't worry about it.
Tip: Asus Adaptive mode with LLC Level 5 will jump in 0.016 voltage increments under load....this confuses a LOT of people....so be aware that if you choose an Adaptive voltage in between the following values, at the desktop under load you will most likely see the following voltages under load.
1.200 - 1.216 - 1.232 - 1.248 - 1.264 - 1.280 - 1.296 - 1.312 - 1.328 - 1.344 - 1.360 - 1.376 - 1.392 - 1.408 (you get the idea)
Holy crap, i typed a darn novel!....sorry about that.
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